LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10155, 29 December 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Madame Dolores has booked the Masterton Town Hall for April 20th next.

Wirth's Circus will probably visit Masterton towards the end of next month.

It is said that the quantity of liquor brought into Masterton during the Christmas holidays has been much less this year than last.

A frost in Masterton at mid-summer is quite an unusual thing. Yesterday morning one degree of frost was registered.

From the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister for Agriculture, we have to acknowledge the receipt of a neat, illustrated brochure, conveying ; the compliments of the season: •: The season for dry farmers in the Bush district is stated to have been an unusually good one and the returns on the whole are very satisfactory.

A visitor to Masterton, who has not been in the town for several years, expressed surprise at the substantial progress which has been, made in buildings since his last visit.

A Wanganui telegram, states - that Harry Pearce, who.-defoated .Webb in the sculling match:on Monday, left for Foxton "yesterday. He returns to Sydney, on Friday, and will take six months' spell before rowing again.

A conference of representatives of the' Typographical Unions of the Dominion opened in Christchurch yesterday. The conference is not open to the press. The Press Association . agent at Christclmrch has wired the pleasing intelligence that the crowds in the Cathedral City on Christmas Eve were orderly and sober.

Thelatest returns of the"" Worksop Dredge show 61czs. ldwt. for 130 hours' work. A dividend of Is has been declared, payable on •» Friday next.

During the Christmas holidays, 1053 passengers were booked at the Masterton railway station. About one thousand persons came to the town by the various holiday trains.

The Timaru Borough Council find a difficulty in getting tenders for street works, there being no lack of work for men with teams in South Canterbury.

Lake fishing is becoming a favourite pastime amongst visitors to Wakatipu (says the Mail). Last week quite a large number of fine trout were landed by parties out with rod and line. The quality of the fish is said to have been very good.

A wrestling,-match between two Well-known residents took place in Masterton on one morning during the. holidays. Considerable interest was manifested in the event, which was witnessed by quite a number Of enthusiasts. "

,The seventeen-months-old child of W. T. Wells, a settler in Manaia, was missed for a few minutes and found drowned in a dam. At the inquest, a verdict of accidental death -was turned, the circumstances showing no blame attachable to anyone. '

According to a Southern exchange, a. Banks Peninsula bee-farmer recently wrote to a London merchant with reference to the disposal of his product, and received a reply that the Australian honey he had dealt with was unsuitable for the market, and he would be pleased to have a sample.

A compensation claim for a very considerable sum is shortly to be heard in the Auckland Courts. The claimant is a labourer, and l|e alleges that when henwas cleaning "the inside of a ship's boiler steam Was accidentally let in, scalding him so seriously as to permanently disable him. The damages claimed are £SOOO.

Recently a woman, who applied at Christchurch for an old age pension, could not tell the Christian name of her husband. In another case, where the parties concerned were a man and a wife who had been separated for 15 years, the woman could not identify the man with absolute certainty.

The point is raised that under the I proposed registration of barmaids, j there is nothing to prevent one who • leaves the country from selling her| certificates to another. It "has been 1 suggested that thumb prints or a j photograph shoiild be employed. ,]

Building permits to the value of £7OOO have been issued in Masterton during the last nine months. It is computed that buildings to .the value of £IO,OOO have been erected during the year. Several large buildings have also been erected in the suburbs of the town.

The matron of the Masterton Hospital acknowledges with thanks the receipt of Christmas presents for the patients from the following:—Mrs A. C. Cameron, books; Mrs Carter, Opaki Road, cakes; Mrs Jackson, fruit and flowers; Mrs Eraser (Wellington), ss; Messrs McLeod and Young, books; E. G. Eton, toys; J. D. Cruickshank, muscatels -and cordials; Bentley, fruit; Shaw, vegetables.

Speaking-at a . gathering-of railway men in Christ-church the other evening, -the Hon. J. Barry- M.L.C., said that the majority of trade unionists in New Zealand wore so well off that they took no interest in trades unionism. The bulk of them had never had to fight as an organisation. They paid their fees, and if any "wrong, required dealing with the remedy was supplied by the Arbitration Court.

NO HOME WITHOUT A PIANO

To* make and keep home homely, you need a piano in it. Thanks to the, Dresden Piano Company's honest and reasonable system of deferred payments, there -are pianos in thousands of New Zealand homes, and the number increases daily. The four best pianos are The Broadwood! The Ronisch! The Lipp! and The Steinway! A big new shipment of these famous and delightful instruments has just arrived. If you are thinking of a piano, write or call NOW. The Dresden Piano Company carries very large stocks, so that there is not the slightest difficulty in suiting all tastes and requirements.. If you want a good reliable, piano at a reasonable price, go:to THE DRESDEN PIANO COMPANY LIMITED, WELLINGTON. M. J. BROOKES, North Island Manager ; Local Representatives: Inns and Groddnrd, next Club Hotel.

The sequel to a motor accident, in which an Eketahnna resident is concerned, is a claim for £IOOO damages. The Patea borough ratepayers have rejected proposals to raise £17,000 for a water and drainage scheme. Big figures for milk. This month about £20,000 was paid out in Stratford for milk cheques.

The butter factories in the Auckland district show phenomenal increases for the current season.

A lamb weighing 561bs was killed at the Napier abattoirs the other day. It was nearly four months old.

Alec. Campbell, the veteran North Island long distance runner, won the mile and half mile handicaps at the Temuka sports on Wednesday.

The production of kauri gum for the present year totals 7874 tons, as compared with 8021 tons in the previous year.

It is expected that from 23,000 to 25,000 bales of wool will.. be catalogued for the nest Wellington sales, to be held in January.

The Dannevirke Advocate of yesterday says:—'To-morrow thirty full trucks of sheep will be sent to the new freezing works at Waingawa,. being the first consignment from the district for the Farmers' Company. 6 \ Shags are believed to be destroying a number of trout in the Nelson streams "this Big eels are also responsible for a considerable ,'diminution.

It is understood that Captain- Seddon and Captain Trask, staff officers to the Adjutant-General and Chief of the General Staff respectively, will shortly be transferred to appointments under district commands.

A 2J-year-old bullock which was killed at the municipal abbaWrs at Timaru yesterday turned , the scales at 10001b. It was the biggest;bullock of its age ever killed there.- ,

Prehistoric covering a considerable distance, have been discovered in a fairly complete state on,hilltops, near Pipiriki, up the Wangahui River. The bones suggest the remains of some antedeluvian marine monsters. A tooth is being exhibited at Raetihi. The discovery .of the bones is regarded with considerable interest by scientists. : . '

The importance of the timber industry and its value to the .district, (remarks the Orepuki Advocate), may be ; gauged by the fact that 613,000 ft of sawn timber, the product of mills between Orepuki and Papatotara, passed over the rails during the four.weeks ending December 10th. As .', | the above quantity does not include the output of mills at Pahia, WakaVpatu, Oraki, and Longwood, the total' monthly output .crossing Riverton bridge is probably over 1,200,000 feet. ,

A line of iiijDorted food for infants, in tins, recently; came under the suspicion of the Customs authorities, says the Melbourne Argus, and tests v having confirmed the official opinion that the food was not wholesome ; a shipment has been seized. The Minister of Customs (Mr Tudor) states that the food was in the form of cream, and was, in fact, thin cream thickened with a preparation of lime. An analysis showed that it contained 2,130,000 organisms to tie cubic centtfaaßtra, -hot about *>ne teaspoonful. Beyond Stating that it was not a Vic-',. dorian port, Mr Tudor declined to ,'. mention the-port at, which the seizure had been madei- ; * "••'■'■.'-''"■'. '■'.'.. •',•

It is interesting to read of the early . wool exports of the Dominion. Towards the end of December, 1850,. (half a century ago) two sailing ships were loading wool at Lyttelton. They were the well-known clippers in those .., days, the Mermaid and the .Evening Star, both also favourite passenger vevssels. On board the Mermaid there was a little celebration to welcome r vfche'. first bale>sent on board, as well as fib.'/:' partake of,; luncheon in '.'; the saloon..-.■ The bale was run up to the yard arm, with a lad sitting on it, and a/salute was fired from the ship's guns, a second salute being fired when the bale was lowered into the hold. Nowadays there is no time for* these pleasing little functions, which were a feature in the rives of the, residents of fifty years ago.' '

A -young lady advertises for a position as housemaid or lady help in Masterton. ' '• -, • •' ','•'■',' An advertiser wants to purchase a single buggy, or wjll give a double buggy in exchange for a single one. ],'. The£nder of two odd shoes, lost between Cole Street and ' Queen 'Street,'-Will oblige by leaving same at Mr J. Carpenter's boot shop. '"Clothing and Mercery Specials" is the title oj: a new advertisement inserted on the front, page of this issue by Messrs McGruer and Co. Special values are offered in straws, boaters, tennis shirts, ties, box suits, etc., of which inspection is invited. , A general meeting of the Shearers' Union will be held in Murray's Hall on Friday night, December 30th, when Messrs Waddell and Laracy, will be i present. All members are particularly requested to attend, as the business is very important. •■•'•;"' A new consignment of high quality silver.plated goods has just been open- •.;• I ed up by Mr A. Henderson, jeweller, at his establishment in Queen Street. Tlie new lines include shaving mirrors, tea-pots, candle-sticks, puff boxes, razor strops, shaving mugs, trinket boxes, afternoon tea sets, coffee sets on trays, fruit dishes. There is also a design in cream jugs and sugar basins.