LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10584, 15 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The. total gold output of the Dominion for last year is put down at £l,129,672.

The cause-list at the criminal sitting of the Magistrate's Court at Masterton to-day will embrace only a few bylaw cases.

A Wostport telegram states that John Granville, a seamaai on the steamer Petone, aged 26, and single, has been, missing since Monday night. It is feared that ho has been drowned in the Buller river.

Camel flesh is being sold i" Paris, the price ranging between that poid for prime, beef and venison. The animals came from Algeria, and it was their untamable nature w'hileh ultimately caused them to be sent to the abattoir. Bear's moat was a novelty the same dealer introducing it «omc-

A well-attended parade of the mounted, section of tho Territorials was held in Master ton yesterday afternoon. Tho latest return from the Success dredge is 20ozs 4dwts for 115 hours' working. The first portion of the new supply of free books for tho Masterton District High School have come to hand, I and consist of writing material chiefly —exerciso books and paper. It is expected that the new assembly hall of the Masterton District High School will be completed in three weeks time. The opening ceremony will probably take place after the Easter holidays. A well-known Wost Coast collected a big dividend at the Wanganui races. He was evidently watched at the "pay-out" window and followed on to the grandstand, for whilst engaged witnessing the next race his hip pocket was cut out, and the contents, amounting to £75, stolen. It is not .generally known that the yellow rata is specially protected, like Pelorus Jack, by an Order-in-Council. Of the only three known specimens of the yellow rata, one is on the banks of the Mokau, and the other two are in the Otira Gorge. Lately a person who took a cutting from one of the Otira specimens was fined £5 and costs.

Tlie headmaster of the Masterton District High School reported at the meeting of the Committee last evening that there is .practically no sickness among the scholars at the persent time, with the exception of a few cases of mumps, which have only slightly affected the attendance.

A deputation, from the.. Masterton Racing Club, comprising Messrs Cave, VaUance, Moodie and lorns, will wait upon the Holidays Committee at 11 o'clock tills morning, .with a request that they recommend the Mayor to declare a public holiday on Thursday, 28th inst., from 11 a.m., -being the first day of the local race-meeing.

A well-known Masterton carrier is shortly to import a 2$ >• horse-power motor lorry, for carriage, purposes. The motor lorry is now much in use in towns in the Old Country, and has proved a great success, the speed being much faster, and the carrying capacity very much greater than- that of the horse-drawn vehicle. ■''' Fotato blight would appear to be very much in evidence, and a gentleman who has recently returned from Canterbury says, blight is prevalent m that part of the. Dominion, and the outlook for the.'.;grower-'who has any : thing of an. average crop is encouraging,; as there is "almost a, certainty that •prices considerably in excess.of those "•'ruling- last year are'likely to prevail.. ; . Mr W. H. Jackson, headmaster of the Masterton District High School, reported at the meeting of the Committee last evening that the attendances at the district schools for the month of February were as follows: — Main school, roll 628, average attendance 591, percentage 94; side school, 18 , 174, .94; secondary classes, 70, 65, 93. '. Two races took place yesterday eveni ing, under the auspices of the Masterton Amateur Athletic Club, and resulted as follows: —100 yds: First heat: R. McKenzie 1, J. Bradbury 2, B. Brunton 3. Time, 10 2-ssecs. Second heat: R. Messenger 1, J. W. Nicholson 2, J. Tait 3. Time, 10 4-ssecs. Final: R. Messenger 1, R. McKenzie 2, J. W. Nicholson 3. Time, 10 2-o sees. 440 yds: J. W. Nicholson 1, J. Bradbury 2, B. Brunton 3. Time 53 2-4-secs. Now and again even a judge of the Supreme Court has,io ask to have terms used by witnesses explained to him, says the Auckland Star. In a case heard at Hamilton, a witness said he saw a red cow with a "busk" calf. Mr. Justico'fEdwards inquired : '-Whatever sort of a calf is that?" The reply was that a "busk" calf is onethat has ,-not been hand-fed. His Honour said he had never heard the expression before, and very probably a good many in Court had not heard it before, and did not know its meaning. There is an outcry in Camibridge about the price of meat as compared with Auckland. One correspondent declares that lately quite 75 per cent, of all the beef sold in the Cambridge shops has been, that of cows. Owing to the cow testing that has now been in operation for some time in that district, farmers have been weeding out their inferior milking cows, and these animals, in a more or less fat condition, are sold for beef, which, he argues, is tough.

The shareholders of the Workers' Mutual Benefit Building Society of Masterton were called tgoether last evening to dispose of £6O0 —£300 by ballot and £3OO by .sale. A largo number of shareholders were present, Mr J. Prentice being in the chair. Mr H. T. Wood was the lucky shareholder at the ballot, taking ■•the. £3OO free of interest. After the ballot, the Chairman called for tenders for £3OO. One tender was received of £36, which was accepted by the Society. The Chairman .stated that the shareholders would be called together again in a few weeks' time for the allocation of £6OO. At the S.M. Court in Masterton yes. terday morning, Mr L. G. Reid, S.M., gave judgment for plaintiff, by default, in the following, cases:—Alpass and Co. v. William G. Gillespie (now of- claim, 16s 6d, costs, .os ; Jeremiah Savage v. William G. Gillespie, claim £3 10s, costs £1 0s 6d; Masterton Bowling Club v. Samuel Pearson, claim £2 2s, costs 10s, C. S. Ball v. Arthur Noonan, claim £3; costs 10s; O. Smith, Ltd., v. Arthur P. Potter, claim £4 6s lOd, costs £1 2s 6d.