LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9688, 12 January 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the meeting of the Masterton County Council yesterday, .it was decided that Thursday afternoon be observed as the statutory half-holi-day in the country. Mr Laing-Meason, Engineer for the Opaki-Lansdowne Water Works, reported to the Masterton County Council meeting, yesterday, that he had visited the hydraulic rams and found, except for one or two small matters requiring attention, that they were working well and discharging a large volume of water into the reservoir. Messrs Burke and Buckley's term of maintenance had expired, and he had given them their final certificate. .

The gold diggers of New Zealand number about 8,600, and make use of 9,149 miles of water races that cost over half a million sterling. Spurious coins are at present in circulation in several parts of the Dominion, and it would be well if local- shopkeepers were to keep a careful watch on all money which they handle. Cr Miller was appointed a delegate yesterday to represent the Masterton County Cnuncil at the election of a member of the Wellington Harbour Board, to be held on February 14th next. The Mauriceville Rifle Club fired the first series of trophy competitions on Saturday last. The following were the scores:—Rifleman A. M. Rose 90. Rifleman H. N. Wilton 89, Rifleman D. H. Rutherford 87, Rifleman C. Blewett 85, Captain R. F. Wilton 81, Rifleman W., Welch 75, Rifleman R. A. Wilton 71. The next competition will be fired on Saturday next. Recently in one of the High Courts at Edinburgh, the unusual spectacle was seen of a comely maiden, equipped with a batch of legal documents, sitting in the law agent's seat and instructing couisel. She is the daughter of a well-known lawyer, and is Jin M, A. and LL. B. of Edinburgh University. Although permitted to take law degrees, women, have not yet been *■ accorded entry to the Scottish law societies. VefsrsJ. B. Keith (Chairman of tne Mastprlon Hospital: -Trustees) and J C. Ewington waited on the Masterton bounty . Council, yesterday, arking that the Hospital be connected with the newly installed Lansdowne high-pressure water supply. Mr Kei i h said that the pressure at the Hospital at present was very low a"nd most unsatisfactory. Cr Welch (Chairn.an) said that the County Council had no authority in recard to the application, as the control of the scheme was in the hands of the Managing Ratepayers' Committee, and the deputation should apply to that bod'y-

The folio vin? tenders were receiVr ed at the meeting of the Masterton County Council yesterday: —Contract No. 208, Masterton-Waimata Road, 1,475 cubic yards metal repairs, M. Kerins £248 10s (accepted); G. Lett £325 l?s 6d; D. C. O»meron £393 9s: B. Lethawick £396- ss;• contract No, 209, Alfredton-Weber Road, 720 cubic yards metal repairs, M. Kerins £268 10s (accepted), Curry and Son £286 4s 2d, G. Lett £336 10a, if. O'Connor £337, Donovan and Shaw £341 10s.

Messrs H, Holmes and A. P. Rawson waited on the Masterton County Council yesterday, with rggard to the subdivision of a portion, of the Matahiwi Estate. ,Mr Holmes' submitted a plan of the subdivision and the proposed roading.- The Council agreed to the request oh the understanding that Mr Holmes dedicates the road right through of the northern boundary of his property. This will enable the Council at a later date to make arrangements to connect the road with the Miki Miki Road, thereby shortening the distance of Masterton by several miles. At 'a meeting of the Haslirgs branch of the Farmers' Union, on Saturday night, Mr .Eustace Lane moved, and it was agreed to -"That the framers' delegates sent from this province to the conference of those interested in the meat industry be instructed to advocate the formation of a New Zealand Farmers' Trust to check any foreign combinations inimical to our interests Jby controlling a sufficient nunib ; r of retail outlets in Home and Continental markets, run by. New /Zealmiders, and ensuring to the consumsr demanding New Zealand produce a? reliable and regular supply of the genuine; article."

The wieck of the Waikare in Dusty Sound has raised the whole question of the,reliability of the charts relating to that' portion of the New Zealand coast, and there are not wantjng persons who unhesitatingly declare that a completely new ; survey is wanted. It is pointed out that many of the charts which are constantly used by shipmasters were compiled from data obtained 40 or 50. years ago. One of tjbe Waikare's officers told an "Otago Daily Times" reporter last week that he did not consider the charts of the Sounds either complete or as accurate as they might be, and that he personally knew of rocks the positions of which were wrongly shown. while astrorfomical research may not attract the same attention in the Southern Hemisphere as in the older world, there are probably few colonials who could not locate the Southern Cross and its twin "pointers." Ther lowest of these pointers, Mr Clement Wragge explained, while lecturing

at Auckland last week, is the nearest astral body to the earth. "Yet," said the lecturer, in propounding a , calculation to illustrate the enormity of space, "if we could possibly be connected by railway, and the fare was fixed at Id per 100 miles, the cost of the journey would be £200,000,000, more than the National debt • of New Zealand." The time occupied' on the journey would be 41,000,000 years." There were none in the audience who signified a desire to venture on the trip were such possible. * ' The ferocity of ihe sandflies which 11'fest the Bounds country and the virulence »f their bites added much to the discumlorts experienced by the Waikare's people in Dut,uy Sound last week." The insects weie present in countless thousands, saya a writer in the "Otago Daily Times," and so long as daylight or artificial light enabled them to locate their victims their attacks never ceased. The wholesale murder of the pest afforded no relief. As one man expressed it "If i squash one of 'em, about fifty 1 others come to his funeral." More troublesome* than the bite itself was the poison that was injected by the insect. This slowly raised large red lumps on the skin, which after two or three days became very sore araid irritable. The hands of some of the men on the Moura last week were puffed up and swollen as if blocdpoisoning had set In, while the appearance of their faces suggested that they were suffering from a rash. The übiquity of the sandy aet a visitor a-wondering. "If," he said, "it is a parasite, and lives on blood, as its behaviour suggests, bow comes it that it is present in myriads in this country, where practically the only living things are a few birds?"

At the Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr Eli Smith' J.P., a first offending inebriate was convicted an.d discharged. The results or the National Scholarship have been published. The first place was obtained by Arthur L. Flux, of Wellington, with a total of 640 marks. .Among the Masterton candidates were:—lvan Sutherland 471, Goofrey Uapcott 464, Stanley Ashton 438, Richard Te Tau 413.

The "Humanite" (Paris) publishes a letter from Senorita Trinidad Ferrer announcing that she is bringing actions agaii <: the signatories of the placards posu J in several towns of the Ardennes and in Pari insulting the memory of her father. Senorita Marta Ferrer, in a letter to the "Gi Bias."' repeats that her father, who was simply a free-thinking theorist, was in no sense the organiser of the Barcelona riots. He trustfd too readily in ochera, hut with his last words he renounced those who had misled him by posing as champions ot humanity. Mr F. P. Welch has vacancies for a station cook and a ploughman. Several 'draining contractors are wanted at Pirinoa. Messrs Gillespie and Co have vacancies-for a good chef, a rabbiter, and station gardener. Mr George 1-1. Innes has been elected to the vacant seat in the North Riding of the County of Castlepnint. Mr A. E. Wainwright, representative for Messrs Veitch and Allap; is now on his regular visit,to the* Wairaiapa, and may be found, at Devonshire House. A general meeting of the members of the Shearers' Union will be held in the Dominion Hall at 8 o'clock on Saturday next Mr W. H. Cruickshank w#nis to purchase for a client a farm of from 400 to 600. acres, situated between Masterton flndFeatherston.

Mr, T. x Shields, merchant tailor; and costumier, has to hand new goods and new"patterns for the Masterton Show. He invites clients to order early to avoid disappointment. ( ' Mr L. Stein announces the last fifteen days of the sale of a bankrupt stock of drapery arid clothing, in the; premises opposite Knox Cburcb. The announcement states (hat tbe stock must be realised and no reasonable offer will be refused. The half yearly clearance sale announced,by Mr J. L. Murray will commence; to-day. The arrangements for the sale, the marking down prices, and making provision for attending to a large concourse of buyhas been completed, and at 9 o'clock the sale will commence. Messrs Graham and Co. announce that their half yearly, sale will commence on Saturday next. The public are invited to watch for ths inset giving lull particulars qi the bar* gains, and which will be circulated later.

Messrs'G. Hyde and Co.are\manufacturers of furniture in all modern designs, and specialise in artistic novelties for clients. At the present time the firm elsewhere direct attention to the general ex-elJence cf their'! bedroom suites. Mr A. H. Rudd, Martinborougb advertises four, handy < sized farms, all of which are well improved and will be sold on reasonable terms. The sections, which vary fjom 110 to 5?7 acres, will bear investigation. Mr Alex Donald, tanor ana habit maker, Queen Street, invites those who are in want of riding skirts to pliace their ordera with him. Mr Donald is a specialist in this line, and has on hand a well selected stock of cloth for this particular class of gar-, ment. ,

( The Liskenna Tea Gardens, opposite the Fernridge SchooJ, are proving a decided attraction, and with a fragrant cup of cea or a plate of delicious raspberries and crenm the walk or bike ride are louked upon as a matter of no moment. Mrs Anketell's venture is deserving ot Readers in the'outlying districts will find in to-day's isßUe an inset issued by the W.F.C.A. in which particulars of their summer sale, which, starts on Saturday next, are set out. The W.F.C.A. sales have invariably proved an event of no small moment, and the present sale should prove no exception. Mr F. J. Bobbins, fruiterer, deserves the support of the community for the liberal manner in which he caters for it in all classes of .fruit. He draws supplies of peached, apricots, nectarines, plums, etc., from the finest orchards in Hawke's Bay, and; has fruit arriving from there daily. Patrons can rely on securing good wholesome fruit from Mr Robbins at the lowest price consistent with honest trading.