LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10184, 9 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Duke of Connaught's South African tour cost £40,000, The annual show of the Greytown and Lower Valley Horticultural and Industrial Society is to be held to-day. About 600 gallons of milk per;day is at present being received at the Carrington cheese factory. The box plan for Miss Tholma Pet* ersen's benefit concert opens at Miss Rive's on Monday next, March 13th. The Club Hotel'hi Greytown has changed hands, the new proprietor being Mr G. White, of Carterton. J The Masterton Mounted Rifles held a Government parade under Captain J. C. McKillop last evening. The Masterton police officers raided a house in the borough yesterday afternoon and seized between four and five dozen bottles of beer. A prosecution will follow. It is expected that the Racing, Commissio;i will visit the Wairarapa tomorrow, and inspect the various racecourses. A man named Davidson, against whom a maintenance order was made in Masterton in 1908, and who subsequently disappeared, has been-arrested in Tauranga. The owner of a. traction engine has been fined 10s and costs at Martinborough for driving an engine along the road* without its being accompanied by two men. The Wairarapa Standard • states that a number of Wairarapa deer are to be caught j and despatched to the Hawke's Bay district. , A Masterton settler states that a shepherd on his property has shot no fewer that four hundred hawks during couple of months. Very good progress is being made with the foundation work in the erection of the two bridges at the Northern approach to Masterton. The Horowhenua Prospectors' Association intends making another effort to discover valuable minerals in the Tararua ranges. - v • A Masterton resident claims to have discovered an effective method- for the extermination.-:: of-.'- the.> Califorriian thistle. He will probably apply to -.the'' Government for a bonus.

I Proposals are being made for a fast steam service petween .Wellington, and Sydney, the boats to be employed having a speed of 22 Jknoi:s. v ,<••'.. ' The Mastertom Mdurited Rifles are endeavouring,, to arrange a : shooting match with the ' MaurioeviUe Rifle Club, to take place on Saturday, the 18th inst. ■■' The,Bunedin Star:contams tb.e following paragraph of interest concerning a township v whioh has not yet carried, prohibition :—"The drought has placed the township of Bluff in- a v ferment, arid nearly every tank in the place is empty." ' A. ■Morris,, a well-kno.wh resident of. Palmerston,. was thrown from his horse at Waituna West, and found unconscious by. some motorists, who brought him to the hospital, where he died on Tuesday night. He was single, aged 30. >' ■.. / ; -: • - *■•.•'; the General Committee of the Masj terton A. and P. Association meets on 1 I Saturday, next. A balance, isheet- of, the late show yrill probably s& pref'J sented, arid it is not improbable that a discussion will take place 'on the question of the alleged "faking" of .1 show sheep. At the monthly meeting of the Masterton branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, at which Mrs Devonport presided, business and correspondence of a general character was dealt with. The report of the annual .Convention will be submitted at a future meeting. A Masterton youth took to his home what he imagined to be a kit of toothsome mushrooms. These he fried himself and ate with relish. Alarming symptoms presented themselves, and he was seized with violent paroxysms and vomiting. Emetics were given, and he recovered. He had gathered and eaten the poisonous toadstools. For the benefit of those- who intend competing at the forthcoming competitions of the Masterton Elocutionary and Competitions Society, it may be mentioned that the whole of the contest pieces in music were selected by the judge, Dr. Bradshaw. I A Masterton settler upon whose property ragwort is somewhat plentiful has adopted an unique method of destroying the weed. He has had a sharp piece of steel attached to the toe of each of his boots, and whenever he walks he is doing execution. That is useful. The shooting competition for the Bolton Cup, under the auspices of the Masterton Mounted Rifles, will be commenced to-morrow. The ranges are 500, 600, and 700 yards, and seven shots and a sighter will be allowed at each range. The shooting for the competition will be continued on tbe 23rd ins?., and the 11th and 25th of next' month. • ■'•'. -'■'■-• ■ " ■ .■-."■ ' ■ ' In a -criminal case tried in an Irish. < court the prisoner's counsel challenged i juryman after juryman, and 'when at 'i length the empanelling was completed I the. prisoner bent over. the, dock arid i whispered to his counsel.! "Thegury'.s i all right now, I. think,',' he said, "but: ] ye ,. must challenge the>Judge. I've i been.convicted under him siveral times i alridy, and maybe He's beginning to ' ( have a prejudice." '<

j The Lower Hutt ratepayers carried ' a proposal yesterday to raise a loan o£ £IO,OOO for drainage purposes. It cost Dr. Chappie £IOBS to secure his seat in the House of Commons at tho recent election. Several interesting cases, including one of alleged "lambing-down," are to be heard in the Magistrate's Court at Carterton to-day. Mr J. G. W. Aithen has resigned his position on tho Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board because he is a trustee in an estate which supplies stores to the hospital. The contest between the Masterton and Carterton Bowling Clubs for the Booth Cup, in which great interest is manifested, takes at Carterton to-day. > Arrangements are already being made by tho football and hockey clubs of Masterton for the opening of the next season. The Red Star Football Club holds its annual meeting on Saturday next. . A Sydney cable states that after fcha Davis Cup draw, the committee decided that the preliminary ties should be played if time permitted, so that the challenge round might be contested in New Zealand in December. Our Te Wharau correspondent writes: —Quite a number of "stalking" enthusiasts are expected in this district when the season opens. Sevj eraV good are already reported as having been seen in the vicinity of Te Wharau. , " The deer-stalking season in the Wairarapa will extend from April Ist to May 15th inclusive. Tins year the Wellington Acclimatisation Society J Has recommended, and the Governor I has approved, the opening of the whole x of the Haurangi reserve in the Wairarapa district. Hitherto some 10,000 acres have been reserved as a sanctuary. Air W. Connell waited upon the Wellington Industrial Association on Tuesday evevifs; to exhibit a sample of blue clay, of which a considerable deposit exists at Mauriceville, in the Wairarana. According to comparative analyses quoted by Mr Connell, the clay resembles the famous Stourbridge clay, which is the basis of an extensive manufacture in England. Mr Connell considers that important; commercial possibilities attach to the Mauriceville deposit. According to a London cable, the Financial Times-states that, aS a result of negotiations between the trustees of the third debenture-holders and the directors of the New Zealand. ' Loan and Mercantile . Agency Co., the trustees are more favourable to a re-organisation.! of the capital based upon the reduction of the liability of eight and a half millions by a contribution from the proprietors, supplemented from the reserve. It is stated that one of the largest stock breeders in the Feilding district has disposed of his property, valued at between £90;000 and £IOO,OOO, to. a- syndicate. It is understood that the vendor does not intend to leave the district, or relinquish: all his interest --- in it. It is also stated that the information refers to Mr E. Short's wellknown Parorangi estate at Waituna of £SOOO acres, which was recently placed under.offer to a southern"firm at £lB per.acre. : ? . .Mr J. T. vM.'.Hornsby. annoimces in . our; advertising columns that he will deliver a political address in the-Mag; .:. tertph Town Hall on Monday even'irig next, at 8 o'clock.'. His Worship , the Mayor has been asked to preside, aiid judging from the '., subjects announced for discussion,' the address should be of interesting andMnforinative character. m In the course of v the: address the speaker will deal with the Railway Service (a burning subject), .Land .Settlement, Reform of the Leg-' islature, the "Black" Pamphlet, and other.matters. " ■ ■ ■;■ :: ; ; YWritingof the Harbour Board election, the Pahiatiia, Herald says.:—.. "•''The time has arrived wlven-this large and. important farming district .should have a representative of its own "on the Board, and particularly one like Mr McFariane, who is in constant touch with the handling of shipments of dairy produce. . . . It wouldbe a happy arrangement if of the two members allocated to the large district stretching from Pahiatua to Greytown' one were elected who Tesides at tins end and tone who resides in or south of;Masterton." ■■> ...- V: The Times of Ceylon,"in advocating a scheme for the defence of the North' Indian Ocean, argues strongly for strengthening the Imperial Navy instead of going in for a policy of harbour defence vessels. It pointedly remarks that "Suffren and Hughes would never have had to fight their brilliant series of actions if either Johnstone or Suffren had gained a decisive victory at The editor adds: "The moral effect of the offer by New Zealand of the Dreadnought was something tremendous, and opened people's eyes in a way that nothing had done before." The Salvation Army corps in Masterton. under its new officers, Ensign and Mrs Avenell,-is showing pleasing signs of vitality. The Army work in the district during the.last twenty or thirty years has been of 'great and permanent social value; but its oper- ' ations have been somewhat hampered by financial anxieties. An effort is be- : ing made by Ensign and Mrs Avenell to secure donations which mil enable : " the corps to ffd itself of an incubus which 1 is upon the barracks. There are a great number of people in the district who,admire the Army for missionary enterprise. These will doubtless' respond liberally to an appeal which is about to be made for financial assistance.

The funeral of the late Hon. W. C. Smith, which took place at Waipukurau 'on Tuesday, was very largely attended, A small whale, said to bo ci' the "blackiish variety, was stranded last week ozi the Wavorley beach. The mammal b 15 feet long, and about 12 feet in Jo'rth. Mushrooms arc' realising b-eiween 7s and 19s p?r banana caso in Wellington just now. Here is an opening for the tmemploycd of Masterton. The fields in the surrounding districts are white with mushroom's at present. A Hawera telegram of yesterday says:—Joseph Alexander .Henderson, the.l4-year-old son of Samuel Henderson, a retired farmer, was found last night electrocuted in the . Hawera County Electric Company's transformer at Normanby. No particulars are available. The amount which is being paid out to suppliers by the Manga ramarahia Co-operative Cheese Company, Limited, for milk supplied during the month of February is £3BO, as against £5-15 for the corresponding period of last year. At Matiere, a Taranaki out-settle-ment, a number of settlers are making separator butter, and it is estimated that a ton a week is being put through the various stores, the greater part of which is being put on the outside market. It has been arranged to play the lawn tennis match between Masterton and Pahia'tua in the final of the Country Cup competition at Masterton on Saturday. The following will represent Pahiatua • —Swainson. Drake, Ulrich, Reeve, Collins (2). Chambers, and J. Boltor. The Masterton Club is defaulting in the ladies' matches. A gentleman who has visited a good deal of the North Island, gives it as his opinion that as high as the price of land is at present in many dairying districts, the probabilities are that it Avill go still higher in the near future, the principal factor in the enhanced value being the advent of the milking machine by which the cost of labour is likely to be materially reduced. / A lady help is required by Mrs Er ? - Whitcombe, of Meetapoor. Mr Tom Holland, cab-proprietor, inserts a business notice elsewhere. Opening entries for the next Solway stock sale of the Associated Auctioneers, to be'held on Wednesday,' March loth, are notified. The annual general meeting of the Masterton Golf Club will be held in the Technical School on Wednesday, March 15th, at 4.30 p.m. Tenders are invited by the Masterton County Council for various roadmaking works and for painting Glendonald bridge. . .. The Remnant Sale at Messrs McCruer and Co.'s, closes on Saturday next. In the meantime special bargains are to be had, by those who are in time. Mr Frank Dupre. jeweller, Quean Street, Masterton, draws attention to a raro collection of beautiful and appropriate wedding gifts now on •> iew at his jewellery store. A speci.il linf: ■is an assortment of solid, silver and tea sets and cake baskets These are chaste in design and of the present day fashions.