LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10602, 8 April 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

IThe first hockey match of the season will take place to-day ou the old showgrounds, when a Wellington team will try conclusions- with the Masterton P. and T. team. Both teams are reported "to be in great heart, and a keen contest will result. According to the special railway time-table for Easter, the train fr m Wellington to Woodville that leave? Masterton at. 11.43 a.m. will not stop at any station between Masterton and Woodville. We are requested to notify the public that this morning's express will stop at Kopuaranga on 'account of the sports being held there to-day, and tickets will bo issued from Masterton station for Kopuaranga. A nasty accident occurred, in y.ueeu Street, Masterton, on Sunday moiling, when Miss M. Minogue, daughter of Mr T. Minogue, of Te Ore Ore, was thrown from a trap and received rather severe injuries to her head. The accident happened while a -party of three were coming from Church. Miss I Minogue was taken to Nurse White's ' hospital in Cole Street, where sho was attended to, and at latest advices was j progressing as favourably as could be I expected.

The Kaiwaiwai Gun, Cluh held a shoot on Good Friday, at which a number of .prominent shots of the district competed. A Masterton cab came to grief on the road to the Tauherenikau races" on Saturday last, but the passengers escaped injury. The members of the Wairarapa branch of tho Past Grand Lodge of Oddfellows will visit the Martinborough Lodge on the 18th hist.

For the seventh year in succession, the books of the Martinborough Town Board have been, closed without there being a penny of outstanding rates. The following team is representing tho Martinborough Fire Brigade at the Dannevirke competitions:—Captain Maguire, Lieuts. Leforto and Fluinmer, and Firemen Holland, Nyhano and Simcox.

At an inquest on the body of Alexander Hay, who was killed at Mount Maunganui (Bay of Plenty) while wellsinking on Good Friday) a verdict of accidental death was returned. His neck was broken.

Pumpkins are being tried on Mr Ernest Short's Parorangi estate, near Feildiiig, as winter food for sheep has got a splendid crop of about 28 acres growing on tho bank of the Rangitikei river.

Proof of the fertility of the thermal lands is always forthcoming, says the Rotorua Times. The other day the officials at the Waipa prison camp forwarded into Rotorua a cabbage, shorn of the outer leaves, which weighed Oilbs.

Woolwich Arsenal at present employs nearly ten thousand hands. The average annual earnings per man are about £IOO, thus accounting for one million sterling to l>c provided frsm the public purse for' the upkeep of this one great war material depot.

The Duuedin Labour Department has, according to the Dunedin Star, been making enquiries for oO or '3O men for the purpose'of loading coal, -but'so great is tho present demand for labour that only fifteen men could bo secured.

The fishing industry in the Bay of Plenty districts is improving year by year, and at present quite a flourishing trade is carried on Avith Aucklaud. it is quite possible that in a few years the fishing industry on the North East Coast will develop into one of importance.

11 is authoritatively stated, says the. Auckland Star/that more water is'being taken from Lake'Takapuma-than is■■ flowing into it, and that an already serious position is likely to become very much more serious for the constantly increasing number of water consumers in Devonport, Birkenhead, and Xorthcote.

The farmers in various parts of Southland are working almost <hy r,nW night, to secure their grain crops while the good weather continue*. It is considered, that if the week remains fine, practically' all the crop will be iii stack, except in those parts where, owing to the wet season, the gram is still quite green.

--There is practically no change'in the condition of the labour market in Southland. Artisans are working full time and there is ample- employment in almost every class of trade. The chief sufferers are the sawmillowners, who are experiencing great difficulty in finding men to do the work. There is still a dearth of farm hands and domestic workers.—Southland 'J imeb.

South Island, exchanges state that there has been a great exodus of people from various towns in the' Soutn for Sydney and Melbourne, for the Easter; vacation. Shipping' companies have'had.difficulty in coping with the rush, which is unprecedented. Excursions to popular New Zealand resorts have had to be abandoned, owing to lack of support, making it apparent that New Zealanders are anxious: to go further afield when holiday making.

Farmers in the Fencourt district (says the Waikato Independent) have during the last few days viewed with considerable interest the operations on one of the local homesteads of the la-bour-saving machine known as the "Manitoba Stacker." It has in this particular instance been employed in' ensilage stacking, and it not only has the advantage of making easy the building of a stack to a considerable height, but celerity and the absenr-e of the usual necessary hand labour are a feature in the working.

Maggie Papakura, the well-known Maori guide, relates in the Sydney Sun an incident which she witnessed in London One day I saw two little tiny children—two little girls—tiy and cross the strand at a busy time. It looked as though they must inevitably l>e killed if they stepped off the footpath. But the Wo dear little dots went-hand, in hand to a great big policeman, \vho v was looking after the traffic. And he took one of their hands in one of his, and they started across the street. And as t-hgy went that kindly giant of a man put up the other huge hand, and all the traffic stopped—stopped dead, both ways. And there was a clear road for those little ones, and they walked across and grayely thanked the constable, and walked hand in hand down the street as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world for the roaring srfa of London's tremendous traffic to be held up for a couple of baby Egyptians.- I saw many wonderful things in London, but none so wonderful as that. I t was simply astonishing. j

The railway refreshment room at Masterton litis been leased for five years by Mr J. B. Atkins at £l5O per annum.

An inebriate was accommodated at the Masterton police station on Saturday night. He will interview a Justice of the Peace this morning.

The annual conference of Trades Council delegates was opened in Wellington on Saturday. The Hon. J. T. Paul, M.L.C., was elected President of the Conference.

Swimming baths in .various towns of the Dominion have not neariy been patronised to the extent of other seasons. The weather throughout the Dominion has been anything but seasonable. •

All pastoral land now being thrown open is keenly sought after. For the five additional grazing runs at Mount Peel, which were recently, offered, there were no fewer than 350 applications.

It is estimated that the recentlyinstalled tramway system in Lsvemu--gill will cast £15,000 per annum for running ej.penses, and at that rate are expected to bo a paying concern from the outset.

Members of the Wairarapa Caledonian Society are invited to attend at the Dominion Hall on Wednesday next, at 2.30 p.m., to bid farewell to Mr R. W. Bobsoji and to wish "bon voyage" to Messrs Harry and George Lang.

A Gisborne telegram states thai the Native Land Court at Teararoa has finished the partition of the Wharekahika block, dividing it into eighteen portions among the 700 owners ". areas ranging from 250 to 6000 acres. The total area of the block was 41,000 acres.. The assets of the Wellington Golf Club are valued at £15,672 15s 2d (including freehold property at Trentham, £9589, buildings £4059 7s Gd, and plant and furniture £856 9s 6<l). There are mortgages totalling £B,BOO. and debentures amounting to £5,660. Subscriptions last year amounted to £1278 13s. and wages to £535 9s.

An obsei-vant traveller through the Feilding district states that there are now to be seen many more hay and ensilage stacks than ever.before. Ho attributes this highly satisfactory state of affairs to the fact that last year's dry season and consequent shortage of feed had taught the farmers a lesson. The maize crops have been practically a failure owing to the wet summer. ~,;.... . '

. The official »pcniiig,:cf the' Railway to Otoko, 31 miles '/from' Gisborne, took place, on Saturday; the ceremony being performed by the Hoii; W. D..-S". Macdonald, Minister of Public'.Works'. An excursion train left town' at 9.30, carrying the members of the Chamber of Commeice and representative pie. A ribbon was cut at W.iikomi; the late railway terminus, and congratulatory speeches were delivered on arrival at Otoko.

At the opening of . the Libraries Conference on Saturday, says a Press message from Wellington ; Mr T, W'. : Leys, the President, dealt with the subject of library building, and point--ed out the the delegates present •represented municipally-maintained institutions, which,, in view., of the limited funds available for work, must leave th« collection of rare books to private, collectors, who after all were most -competent to deal with that branch of tho work effectively.

Very marked ■increases in the m'ice .if' Auckland city property in'a. short period are quite a common thing, an objector was reminded at the •'Assessment'Co\irt a lew days ago, when urging that the increase of valuation on hin prt>?>erty-'.was unreasonable. Ah insi-anoo was mentioned where not long ago a Symonds Street property was sold far £IOOO, and the man who paid the deposit resold in a few days for £2OOO. This, it was claimed, was not an isolated instance of what was going on in property transactions.

The <-conomy ' <>r replacing old methods, old machinery and unsystematic premises with the most up-tcr date that can be obtained, finds a striking example in the. Inyercargill gasworks. The improvements effected three years ago cost £7OOO, and bytlie end of March exactly that amount had been, saved in the cost of producing the gas. In effect the new works have paid for themselves in three, years. It is interesting to note, says the Times, that the gas consumption within four years has doubled. The thing that has most, forcibly strrck the Australian Press representatives about Christchurch is the larger number of cvclistr; here. Cycling, so Mr T. Tcmperley, one of the party, informed a Press reporter, has gone clean out of fashion in New South Wales, and is confined at the present time chiefly to the racing fraternity and youths. It. was a rare thing in Sydney now to see a lady on a bicycle. Ajs a matter of fact, he had seen more cyclists, ladies and gentlemen., in Christchurch in one day than could be seen in a whole week in the much larger city of Sydney,

For the month'of March, the Balance Dairy Company paid out Is per lb for butter fat.

The latest .return from the Workroj) dredge is 48 ozs 4 dwts for 125 hours' working.

During the month of March, there were 284 rats destroyed in.the Napier borough, the amount paid being £3 "s.

Settlers in the Manawatu district, taking the advice of the Government Meteorologist, are at present .busily, engaged in burning their felled ■bush.

A Wellington Press message states that the Draughts Tournament was continued on Saturday, when the first round was not completed.

The sporting public of the Wairarapa will ibe well catered for to-day, there being' races at Tauherenikau and .sports-.at the Park Oval and at Kopuaranga.

The rainfall last month in (Wellington amounted to 3.29 in., whereas in March, 191.1, it was but .150. ' r,: average fail in March for the last eight years is 2.96 in.

There is apparently a great scar-city of bacon and hams in the country, manufacturers being unable to fulfi' orders. Several firms in Wanganui have almost sold put of stocks. Bacon is retailing at Is 2d per lb in Wellington. . -

- A pa. l "ty of ladies on the East Coast are at present engaged in deeivstalfcing, and from all accounts are likely to develop into quite as good stalkers as-their male friends, and no dbu'rt further reports will announce the downfall of a few. good heads.

At the : Y.M.G.A. Stranger's Tea last evening,; the Rev: J. W. Webster delivered an interesting and instructive address to those present on tho China Inland Mission. A hearty voto of thanks was accoi-ded the speaker*' and also the ladies of the Anglican Church for providing the tea. Mr D» Grant occupied the chair.

The fire brigade demonstration opened at Danncvirke on Saturday..;. The results wore not obtainable in time fV our issue to-day. The Masterton Brigade is represented by Foreman Bra>gins, Firemen, Hadley, Moor, ,l)ixon., Jenkins", and H. Braggins. The Masterton men were not successful in* the opening events.

Under the auspices' of the Baptist Church, -special Easter 'addressee were given by Pastor Swinerd.in.Murray's- Hal!; Masterton, yesterday .. \^The,lnfallible ;PJwfe: r of Resurrection of "Jesus Christ froiii ; the .Dead,''was the. basis of ing and.evening sermons. .The preaalier sppke in a .convincing scriptur.il: maimer. : , '','". ~ •• ■

Two minor lhisbaps occurred;on theroad from Masterton to Tauheienikan on Saturday. One party of "sports"" had the misfortune to have their vehicle break down at Greytown, -v.d it ■was-' only'aftei'v considerable difficulty; that a second conveyance- was~ secured. The.second party was being driven ina cab, and its,horses, came down/'.aiicjL had their knees badly cut, .making- it, impossible to continue the journey.' In regard to the agitation for tho removal of tbe.Pahiatua railway station to a site nearer the town,'the 1 president of'the Progressive Association (Mr W.Toss.will) points,out.-that' the proposal to have the railway st-if*'" tion in tho borough can:hornet- by iu short line" from the present railway station to the:borough, constitutiriir the first section of the Pahiatira-P6u-garoa line. This proposal will 'be. brought iip. at the next meeting of theAssociation, when the matter is : discussed.

On one or two stations in tli'o _ Wsii^ram pa where red deer are to .' b» found, the. owners employ rangers to protect the gaino from trespassers, and tlie excitement of deer-stalking is no doubt added'to-by tie fact that may at any time rxm tip against n ranger. • Two well-known SJaitortbii sportsmen had the pleasure a 'fow.'diiys !ago of being chased by two of the fraternity, which,' lioweyer, did jiq't prevent the stalkers" from .' securing u, couple of ii'ood "heads/' "■'.','.' The tMa'sterton Picture Ooi«pa:iy'' : iri-' vite tenders for the supply of •rtiusi'e six nights'per- 1 -week. >' An advertiser wants a situation, as. fencer or ploughman. Has boon'•'-. 3J-. years in present position. Special value is offered in knivos. forks and spoons by The Sims Hardware, Cuba Street and LamMon <?iTa\\ Wellington.;'. Full particulars appear in a change advertisement on .page "ft of this morning's issue. . Messrs McGruer and Co., drapers, Queen Street, draw attention in a replace advertisement to their- fine range of dress tweeds for winter wear. •Prices are quoted of some of the leading lines. The call of the season is one of protection. Jf the feet are sliod the Vest of the body will take care of itself. The new shipments of fashionable footwear just opening at Mr J. Carpenter's are correct in style and just the class of goods needed for winter. : ". Mr E. Petersen, who recently ; took over the Kuripuni store, has an an- - nouncoment elsewhere in this issue. I'ull stocks of the best groceries -are kept, and in addition there is a fin* , assortment of crockery and fancy glassware, at lowest prices. There is every prospect that this winter will be a gay ono as far as evening functions are concerned, and . Avith most young men it means getting ') a dress suit. Yew men will care "to run any risks over such a suit, and there need be no risks if orders are', placed with Alex; Donald, the tailor. Mastertoii; ...-.•■