LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9659, 25 November 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Masterton Connty Council decided yesterday that the whole of the Council be appointed a Works and Finance Committee, on the lines of Tpast years, three to form a quorum.

During the past thirty years the multi-millionaire, Mr Andrew Carnegie, has spent twenty million pounds in libraries, including considerable sums for such buildings in New Zealand.

George Allwood was to have appeared before the Auckland Supreme Court yesterday on a charge of mur dering Mrs Phoebe Kjer, at Dargaville, on September 29th, but died in the lunatic asylum on Tuesday night. His case was accordingly discharged from the list. Evidently there are men wno hardly know what to do with charity when they apply for and receive it. One man applied for sanctuary in the Ohiro Home and, being admitted, remained for one day. He applied for discharge at 5 o'clock the morning after admission. He gave as his reason for leaving that "he did not like the place."

s There are on view in the northern n window of Messrs G. Hyde and Co.'s B Queen Street premises a series of . remarkably fine oil paintings and water colours. The paintings are a e century old, and form one of the most t valuable collections ever seen in Mas- „ terton. many years ago one of these pictures was sold in Melbourne for a large sum, but eventually again 3 came into possession of the original a owner. The paintings, which are the work of an old master, will be on ex--1 hibition for a few days only, prior to being despatched to their owner. a ' In connection with the appoint- * ment of representatives to the refc spective Hospital Trustees the Mas- " terton County Council yesterday made ; the following appointments:—Dis- . trict Hospital Board, the Chairman, I Crs Beetham and Colquhoun; North , Wairarapa Benevolent Trust, Mr j t Miller, Mr R. T. Holmes and Mrs > Cairns. Masterton Hospital Board, Mr J. Miller; Pahiatua Hospital Board, Mr Eames; South Wairarapa Hospital Board, Mr W. Udy. Cr J Morris was appointed delegate to ■ vote at the election of a representai tive on the Wellington-Wairarapa , United District Charitable Aid Board, and was instructed to vote for ! Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., and Mr J. Miller to vote at the election of six trustees on the Wellington Benevolent Trust.

A case of interest to dairy farmers was heard at Stratford the other day, when John Lichtwark was charged on the information of the police with cruelly ill-treating a calf by tying it to a stump and leaving it without food for 24 hours. Defendant contended that it was quite a usual thing for a young calf, even when running with its mother, to lie down for 24 hours without looking for food. Mr J. M. Hignetr, Inspector of Stock, said he did not consider any cruelty had been inflicted on the calf, and a coupl• of farmers expressed similar opinions. Mr Kenrick, S.M., said that in the face of the evidence it could not be suggested that there had been any cruelty in allowing the calf to miss one meal, and disnunird the case. At the conclusion of (he annual statutory meeting of the Masterton County Council yesterday, a special meeting was held, at which the special order made on November 10th, constituting a water supply district at Fernridge was confirmed. The County Clerk was authorised to call a special meeting on December 14th to appoint two new managing ratepayers for the Upper Plain Water Supply District in place of Mr E. E. Meredith, deceased, and Mr J. Anketell, who has parted with his qualification. On the motion of Mr Murray, it was resolved to send a telegram to the Prime Minister urg- i ing that the provisions of the old Act relating to the proposed altera- i tion in the system of local body bor- | rowing be allowed to remain aa at 1 present and that copies of the I resolution be forwarded to Messrs A. 1 W. Hogg and W. 0. Buchanan, 1 M's.P. • £

There are at present 74 threshings and chaff cutting planls in the Ashburton County. The Government haH decided ta purchase from Mr S. McCully, for close settlement purposes, 500 acres of land near Temuka. It is proposed to cut the property up into small dairy farms. There is great rejoicing in Marlborough over the recent rise in the price of chaff. During the last fewdays one merchant alone has bought one thousand tons, mostly from the Grove and surrounding districts, for shipment to Auckland. j As destroyers of noxious bushes j and weeds Angora goats are being ! increasingly availed of in New Zealand. The flocks at the Gover. ment stations have made fair progress 1 . The total number of Angora and crossbred goats in the Dominion atpresent is 2,494.

Li the opinion of the "New Zealand Herald," it is impossible fop moderate men to avoid the conclusion that by the Budget the thin wall between the old political parties has been broken down, and that unless it is reconstructed a coalition between the moderates of both parties iat sooner or later inevitable.

Horsebreeding is still regarded as being in an unsatisfactory position in New Zealand. Unsound horses continue to be bred from, and the product naturally has veiy little market value. Good horses of all classes at the same time find ready sale at remunerative prices. There was an increase of 10,521 head for the past year.

Ohakune is nothing if not modern." Not only has this thriving Main Trunk township now a strong and efficient mounted rifle corps, among whose members there are many noncommissioned officers and men with war service, but it has lately adopted the Boy Scout movement. There is a corps of 40 boys in the town, end the extent and nature of the country available gives fine scope for such work.

In connection with the stock fair to be held in aid of the Masterton A. ard P. Association Solway Grounds, donations cf stock are being received freely by the secretary, Mr G. R. Sykes. Already a good deal of stock has been catalogued, and an organised effort is to be made by the committee very shortly in the direction of securing further donations.

Rabbits and hares are regarded as pests in New Zealand, but they provide a means of livelihood to many people, aiid bring considerable revenue to the Dominion. In the year 1908 the number exported as food was 2,717,795, to the vaiuw of £58,066; and the number of rabbitskins exported was 6,463,618, valued at £59,808. Tonight, at the Y.M.C.A., the Physical Culture Class will meet for the purpose of competing lor two gold medals and eight silver medals with goid centres. Several classes under Mr R. 0. Jarrett, instructor, will compete, and keen interest Is being taken in the competition. De Archer Hosking will act as referee, whilst Drs Cowie and Prior are judges. The chair will be taken by the Mayor.

Writing from New York on October 3rd, the "Sydney Morning HeraldVcorrespondent says the two sura barometers of American prosperity are the iron trade and the number of idle freight cars. As to the first, the Steel Trust has orders enough to keep its plants on full time till January, 1911, and it is very unlikely that any of these "will be cancelled. And instead of 300,000 unemployed cars, as was the case a year ago, there are now only about 60,000; and quite likely there will be, as in 1905 and 1906, a car famine before Christmas.

Messrs W. and H. Beetham, of Brancepeth, have donated to the Masterton A. and P. Association a handsome silver cuo, valued.at 25 guineas, for the best pen of five Romney rams under 21 months at the next show. They have also donated a silver cup valued at 20 guineas for the moat points scored in freezing classes. The cups are to be won three times, not necessarily in succession, before becoming the property of an exhibitor. The cups have been presented by Messrs W. and H. Beetham in commemoration of their long joint proprietorship of the Brancepeth estate, which has now bean severally divided.

America, as usual, eeems to have been the first country to take advantage of the awakening of China, and ' has given special facilities to uhineae merchants, studenrs and travellers. Only a couple of months ago a party of 50 Chinese students left Japan to finish their education in the States. These men were the best of the Chinese nation, and would be the future rulers of Chinese. Mr Hwang, Chinese Consul, thinks it would be good policy for New Zealand to follow the cute Yankee's example, merely restricting the immigration of the labouring class. China wanted all the labour she possessed to develop her own resources in the north-west—her vast forests and mines, her railways and manufactures. Mr Clement L. Wiagge told a Dunedin audience on Wednesday evening, that between now and 1914 •New Zealand, in common with tt.e rest of the Southern Hemisphere, must look for more earthquakes and droughts, and more frequent volcanic eruptions. He said that the solar disturbances during the past decade had been more than usually severe; but the position was such that the Northern Hemisphere had been more readily affected. As a " consequence, the Northern Hemisphere had suffered the San Francisco, the West Indies and Messina earthquakes, as well as a great number of minor disasters. Now the altering position of the earth in the solar system was bringing the southern part more directly within the influence of the "sunspots," and certain results were foreshadowed. Mr Wragge assured his hearers that he had no intention it alarming them in any way. He did not definitely say that there would be any eartnquakes of magnitude, or things of that description; he simply stated a scientific fact, that the south part of the 2arth was entering a probable danger zone. Incidentally, and in order ;o clinch his argument, he referred ;o the recent earthquake in Welington, and the drought from which ;he Argentine Republic is at pre:ent suffering.

A man named Patrick O'Conre!! was killed yesterday morning at Pohokura Saddle, near Stratford,, through the wheel of a dray passing over him. Already 200 sh:epfarmers have "heen enrolled a& members of the sheep farmers' union, which it is proposed to establish in Poverty Bay.

Dunedin ia beginning to feel uncomfortably cramped, and its muni •cipal authorities are looking out for the best direction in which the city can be spread.

The most gratifying 1 feature of fie present dairying season is the "way in which dairy factories are alopting the principle of pasteurisatiun of skim m'lk and whey. A hotelkeeper at Hokitika was fhed 103, with coats, for allowing a game of hil iards for a side wager to be played. The Magistrate made the fine small owing to it being the first local prosecution.

A meeting of the ratepayers to the U,pr Plain Water Supply will hi held in the Fernridge Schoolroom on Friday, November 26th, at 8 p.m. The business will include the election of a committee.

At the fortnightly pay-night of the Workers Mutual Benefit Building "Society, held last evening, over £2B 9 was received. This will enable the Society to declare a sale of £3OO on ■December 16th.

The "New York Herald" (Paris •edition) states that it paid £5,000 to Dr Cook fcr is narrative. "The Con•quest of the North Pole." In addition, Dr Cook's first cablegram •cost £6OO.

A very enjoyable social was held at Kuripuni last evening in connection wi h the "wind up" of the Vil •lage Fair held by the Masterton South Band for the purpose of raising lunds for their instruments and uniforms.

The largest increase since 1901 has Ttaken place during the past year in the number of old age pensioners. There are "now 14,396 pensioners, including 691 Maoris, an incx-ease on ■the previous year of 827. The percentage of eligible pensioners as also gone up, owing to the amendments of the law.

Mr J. C. Boddington, secretary of the Masterton Chanber of Commerce, yesterday received the following telegram from Mr A. W. "Hogg, M.P., relative to the railway timetable:—"Owing to the absence of the Minister through illness I have only now been able to communicate with him. He will willingly meet the deputation on Monday evening." I A Bilk handkerchief was sold the ■ other day in Berlin for £744. It was not even a new one; in fact it was seventy-three years old, and tad never been washed. On it was printed a poem, preceded by these words: "i.\i Fraulein Minna Planer, -on ner marriage to Musical Director •Kichard Wagner, Koiigsberg, November 14th, 1836." Chin« is a market of great possibilities for New Zealand products, Mr Hwang, Ct.iiaul for New •Zealand. He believes that if the merchants of (the great Celestial Empire were allowed to visit this country i;hey would find out those products iwhich would meet their requirements. *Think he said, of opening up a trade •with four hundred million people and the demand it would create for such products as wool, A representative of the Wairarapa Age sc c 'red same further particulars yesterday re warding the inconvenience and probable loss that will occur in the matt rot' the railing of cream into Masterton if the new timetable As enforced Under the present system the cream from Nikau is railed at Mangamnire and reaches the Masterton factory at one o'clock. With the altered service at will not reach . Masterton until a quarter to four, considering the perishable natur? of the goods, is a serious imatter for «uppßers. The train arriving at a quarter to twelve leaves Mangamaire too early tto be used for the purpose mentioned. Giving judgment at Wellington, says the "New Zealand Times," in a case in which Liggins, Froggatt and 'Ci,. an English firm of manufacturers, sued J. W. Shaw, storekeeper, of Masterton, for the recovery of £B9 2s damages sustained 'through defendant refusing to accept •delivery of goods indented by him 'through P. R. Russell and Co., as , -agents, Dr. McArthur, S M , held 'that the manufacturer*, and not the agents, were the correct parties to sue; that the prices originally quoted had been adhered to, and that the demand that a manufacturer's cata logue be furnished in regard to each : item was absurd. Judgment was fgiven for plaintiffs for the amount -claimed, with costs £9 18a. Ihe annual statutory 'meeting of the Masterton County Council was held yesterday, the Clerk. Mr P. G. Moore, occupying the chair. Crs W. J. Welch, 3. Morris, A Murray, J. Foreman, C. Kebbell, R. Beetham and J. Colquhoun were present. Nominations were invited for the position of chairman of the Council for the ensuing year. Cr Murray moved and Cr Morris seconded that Cr Welch be re-elected chairman. There were no other nominations, and Mr Welch was declared elected amidst applause. Cr Welch returned thanks for the honour again conupon him, and stated that he had found it a pleasure to occupy the position in the past on account of the excellent support accorded to him by the Council as a body, and promised to continue to do his best to merit their confidence in him. . Yesterday afternoon a visit wa? pahi to the pumping station at the Lansdowne water supply works by numbers of the Masterton County There were present:—Crs J. Welch, J. Foreman, J. Morris, A. Murray, R. Beetham, J. Colquhoun, C. Kebbell, Mr Laing-Meason (engineer in charge of the scheme), Mr F. G. Moore (County clerk) and D. McLachlan (County engineer). After the inspection of the machinery the chairman (Mr Welch) in the course of a few remarks, made ;some eulogistic references to the •faithful and entirely satisfactory I manner the scheme had been carried P out by Mr Laing-Meason, the engineer in charge. Mr Laing-Meason, in reply, said it was very gratifying to him to know that his work had been so greatly appreciated. Regarding the wdrka and plant they were capable of coping with a population two or three times as large. At the same time he thought that it was a pity that larger mains for the reticulation service had not beer specified,

A man and a woman were arrested in Masterton yesterday on charges of drunkenness.

Mr P. C. Webb, A. Mus. Trinity College, London, and late examiner to the Royal College and Royal Academy, London, will give an organ recital at the Knox Church on "Inursday next, December 2nd. He will be assisted by well-known amateurs and the Church eb.3ir.

A gold locKer, iosc [yesterday is advertised'for. _:' *>: >•■■•£>_

J A good"generalJ servant is required by Mrs (Dr} Cook,

Mr F. P. Welch, labour agent, has vacancies for various kinds of labourers.

Ths loser ot an open cheque for the sum of £2 car, obtain sameon application to*the Age Office. ;; '%S-~£ '% Morley's Suecie gloves are obtainable from the W.F.C.A. at a big reduction on usual prices. The date of Messrs Abraham and Williams', Ltd.. next Pongaroa stock sale has been altered to Friday, December Hrcl.

Children's boots and shoes, in'all the latest styles and of first class quality, are stocked in the W.F.C.A. boot department, The goods are ticketted low for cash purchasers.

Mr W." Wilkes, baker and confectioner, is now taking orders at his Masterton store for Christmas cakes. Those entrusting orders to him can rely on getting a cake made from the best ingredients and well baked.

Messrs King and- Henry's sports depot in Masterton has a reputation throughout the Dominion for firstclass goods. In rifle shooting requisites there is scarcely a rifle club in the Dominion which they do not supply. They are now catering for orchardists in the way of orchard guns (410 guage), an effective weapon in dealing with the small bird nuisance. Bowlers are notified that this firm are agents for brated bowls. ";££S The enterprising firm, Messrs Reckitt and Sons, Ltd.,«are at present engaged in a house-to-house distribution of Brasso, for the benefit of,; residents in Masterton. Brasso is a wonderful burnisher which expeditiously polishes brass copper, tin, zinc, steel, dish covers, cycles, motors, metal shop fronts nnd such other equipment of the household and even of the office and business premises. The Brasso people are very thorough in their methods The men who are delivering the attractive little samples of' Brasso metal polish, are instructed to prove incontestably its virtues, by making a demonstration on the premises whenever requested. They will, for example, "polish up the nandle | of the bi<_' front door." burnish the | bell hai d j or the name plate, or m any other way make it easy to see that Brasso is all that it professes to be, if not even something better, j The very neat and convenient tits of Brasso have a sprinkler top, which prevents all waste.