LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10671, 18 July 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mr J. G. Boddington reports the rainfall recorded at the Upper Plain for the 24 hours preceding 9 a.m. yesterday to be 1.75 inches. A number ci Hawke's Bay and Manawatu shootists arrived in Masterton by the afternoon train yesterday from tire north.

A recent visitor to Taranaki states that land in that province has risen £lO per acre within the last three months.

A yellow-bellied wha,le, about <0 feet long, was yesterday washed up on the beach at Lyall Bay. It hafl evidently been dead for some days.

Tlie Masterton Gun Club holds its £IOO champion pigeon match on the old showgrounds to-day, and the New Zealand Clay-bird Championship tomorrow. Shooting will commence at 9 o'clock each morning.

The English and American Minstrel and Vaudeville Company will show this evening at Featherston, Friday and Saturday at Grey town, and on Monday at Carterton. Dr. Palmer, of Featherston, who left New Zealand some little time ago for a trip to the Old Country, has taken with him 30 pure white canaries bred in New Zealand on the Mendel theory. It is the doctor's intention to ask King George to accept a pair of these novelties for the Royal aviary.

Mr H. Inns' orchestra has been ongaged to supply the musical items at the boxing tournament in Masterton next Wednesday.

Owing to the roughness of the weather there was no tree-planting done at the Lansdovvne school yesterday (Arbor Day). The ground at the school is being specially prepared, and at the first opportunity the plants will be put in.

Several minor burglaries having occurred within the lest few days at Gisborne, the police yesterday arrested on suspicion a man named Arthur Turner, a recent arrival from the south. He was remanded until the 23rd inst.

The total door takings at the Masterton competitions this year amounted to £146 8s lid, against £l6O 9s 3d last year. The members of the Society this year, however, more than accounted for the difference in the takings.

A visitor from the South Island is responsible for the information that wallabies and opossums are very numerous in the Waimate district. The animals generally frequent the higher levels, but the cold of winter has driven them in large numbers to the lower ground. Sportsmen from all parts of the South Island visit the district, and report excellent sport.

The chairman of directors of the Baliance Dairy Company (Mr A. McFarlane) has received a letter from an English dairy expert, well-known in New Zealand, stating that he had examined some of the Company's butter in London, and found that although the sample was three months old it was of excellent quality, and would grade about 91 points. The Rev. J. Dawson, Secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, giving evidence before the Education Commission, said the Alliance had urged the necessity for compulsory scientific instruction in public schools regarding the effects of alcohol. If the truth about the taking of alcohol were taught officially and systematically only good would result. Temperance wall-sheets alone did not meet the case.

At the inquest on Ernest Turpin, who was killed on May 10th through a traction engine crashing through a bridge near Havelock, the coroner returned a verdict of accidental death, adding a rider that it should be unlawful for local bodies to build heavy traffic bridges without first submitting the plans and specifications to the Public Works Department and such bridge must be passed by an engineer. A Taihape telegram states that on Tuesday afternoon, while a team of six horaes was hauling timber logs over the Gibbs suspension bridge across the Otaihape river at Utiku, one of the side cables gave out, tip.ping all into the river, a drop of about 200 ft. Up to the present no trace of the men and horses has been found. The men were Ernest Pink and Richard Hopwood, both single.

Referring to junior cadets, the report submitted to the annual meeting of the Taranaki brought under the notice of teachers the apparent indifference which characterises the administration of the junior cadet movement. For many years this movement had done a great deal of good for the senior boys of the schools, but lately very little interest seemed to have been taken in it, and the latest move, the demilitarising of the junior cadets, would not, it felt sure, meet with the approval of teachers.

It was George Barr, of Masterton, wlio defeated Digby, of Christchurch, in the featherweight contest at the Wellington boxing tournament on Tuesday night. Referring to the setto, the New Zealand Times says:— Barr ducked and slipped, using left lead and fighting well in clinches. Digby used a right hook and uppercut. The second round was spoilt by too much in-fighting, although the work was always warm. Ba<r outfought the Christchurch man, buti Digby shook him up with a heavy upper-cut. Barr increased his lead in the third round, which was very fast, both working well. Barr had rather the best of the close exchanges. The verdict for Barr was warmly received.

A meeting of the committee of the Masterton Competitions Society was held last evening, Dr. P. R. Cook presiding. The Secretary produced an interim balance-sheet, showing the receipts for the competitions (including members' subscriptions) to be £312 5s 7d, and the expenditure £3OO. 18s 2d. The art exhibition, however, will show a loss of about £ls. The Committee decided to have the bal-ance-sheet prepared and presented to the Trust Lands Trustees on Friday evening, with a( request for financial assistance. The Secretary was instructed to write Mr Harofd Gregsou, of Auckland, and ask if he will act an vocal and instrumental judge at the next competitions, and Mr J. F. Montague, of Auckland, if he will act as judge of elocution. Hearty totes of thanks were passed to Messrs Baeyertz, F. J. Hunn and R. J. Young, and also to the Trustees of the Methodist Church, for ' the use of the schoolroom.

Addressing a youtli who was charged at Stratford with refusing to take the oath under the Defence Act. the Magistrate said: —"You are a Taranaki boy, and you must bear this in mhid. Your grandfather and father have probably fought in this country, arfd made it fit for you to live in. They had to go away from their homes to defend their country, and their crops were ruined. They lost these in defending their homes. I dare say you are a hard-working young fellow, but you must he prepared to put up witlj a little inconvenience. You have the common, fault that you don't prepare for the future. You should get somebody to take your place, so that when the notice does come you can do your duty."-

ANTIKRAK. For the skin there as nothing better than ANTIKJMK. It keeps the hainds iswft and supple, prevents and removes uougflineas, .redness, chapping and cracking of the skin, and; speedily heals up sores.' Tt '.s also an excellent application for chilblains it gpeedilv removes the imitation and redness and .reduces the swelling. Applied ctaily to the hands, it a.Y>o prevents chilblains, farmers and dairymen, and all whose hands are exposed to hard work and expofiure to wet and cold will find Antikrak acts like a. charm. It 'softens inndi heals the sldn. After a hard dav'cj work at tho wash tuh, after and' .gardening, etc.. it is most most economical preparation on, the market: costing Is 6d iper large jar. and a little £oe,s 'ai lonff wav. Posted free to nnv address. aind sold only uy J. Y nrvT?,IX>N. nUipmist and JDruggi«t (b ( y Exams.), Masfcrton.

Traffic between Feathorston and Martinborough was suspended on Tuesday, the mail coach being unable to get through. There is at present a movement in Christehurch towards the establishment of a universal lialf-holiday. The question is creating considerable interest in business circles.

The'midday train from Mangaweka to Utiku was delayed on Tuesday owing to a slip falling on the line. The line was cleared after a few hours delay, and the train proceeded oil it.s journey.

The shareholders of the Masterton Workers' Mutual Benefit Building Society contributed the sum of £2BB at last night's pay night, to enable them to participate in a ballot for £6OO, free of inerest, which takes place this evening.

The Aurora, which recently returned from the sub-Antarctic, brought back a large number of rare exhibits of animal and plant life. Many of these curios will find a home in the Canterbury Museum at Christchurch.

For a number of seasons past, says the Ohristchurch Press, New Zealand tomatoes have been affected with disease to a marked extent. Experiments are now in progress at Christchurch with a view to coping with the outbreak.

The Wanganui Beautifying Society is apparently a live body. Every week working bees, are out tree-planting, and generally endeavouring to make beauty spots of places which are at all unsightly. The Masterton Harriers are going out this afternoon to Mr W. Cameron's, Te Ore Ore, where they will hold a cross-country paper-chase. The drag leaves at 1.45 p.m., and it is to be hoped all the representative team for Palmerston will turn out with'the pack, as it will be a useful gallop for them. The ladies' hockey team to represent Wairarapa at the annual tournament to be held in Auckland should be a very strong combination. The Masterton Picture Company are generously giving a benefit performance at the Town Hall to-night to defray the expenses of the Masterton members of the team.

Something nearly approaching a coal famine exists in Oamaru at the present time (says Saturday's Mail), the coal dealers are hard put't® it in the supplying of orders. Is is now some weeks since Kaitangata became a household luxury, as much so to the rich as to the poor, and now dealers are experiencing difficulty in obtaining supplies of-other kinds of household, coal.

At a recent meeting of the Christchurch Ceachworkers' Union the following resolution was passed: —"That this Union demands the immediate repeal of the compulsory clauses of the Defence Act of 1909-10." A resolution was also passed declining to receive a delegate from the Federation of Labour, and it was resolved not to give any financial assistance iu" T JU'ds the strikers at Waihi or Eeefton.

W. Mack, the Wellington featherweight, who is to contest five rounds with the Masterton boxing champion, George Ban-, on Wednesday next at the Town Hall, is a recent arrival from the Old Country, and learned .his boxing in one of London's hardest schools, viz., Wonderland. His only battle in New Zealand was a fiveround draw with W. D. Shields, which was considered one of the finest exhibitions of scientific sparring seen in Wellington for years.

"All's fair in love and war" is an old say hip; which by long usage has come to be accepted—whether rightly or wrongly—as a truisjn. And this serves to introduce a little story which is now going the rounds of Dunedin (says the Otago Daily Times.) It is said that a gentleman who is wellknown in athletic circles, and a lady who hails from an Otago country town. were, quietly married by the Registrar ono morning last week, and that on the very same afternoon another gentleman waited on the Registrar and applied for a marriage license, naming the lady who had been wedded in the morning as his bride-to-be. Of course, under the circumstances, ho license was issued.

An Auc'klander who has been to Gisborne says it is saddening to switch tlTe discharging of grain from the stranded steamer Star of Canada. The work is providing employment for many hands. so*ie in the holds and same on deck. The loose grain is raised from the holds in baskets and sent overboard. A number of sacks come up unbroken, and they are at once ta-ck-, led by men with knives, who slit open the sacks and throw the grain overboard. It is a terrible waste «f both grain and sacks, but everything is being sacrificed in an effort to save the ill-fated steamer, if such is possible. A number ,of divers were employed in and about the vessel, but there was no chance to learn what their investigations disclosed. The returned visitor does not think there is much prospect of ever seeing the Star of Canada afloat again. The disaster is a deplorable one for all concerned.

The find American Vaudeville and Minstrel Company concluded their Masterton season at the Town Hall last evening. There was an improved attendance, not-withstanding the unfavourable weather,, and those who braved the elements were rewarded by enjoying a very clever entertainmnt. The various items of the long programme were splendidly received, while roars of laughter were created by the acts of the comedians of the company. The and dancing Avere also much appreciated. The company will show to-night at Featherston, on Friday and Saturday at Grey-town, and on Monday at Carterton.

A progressive euchre toutnament was held in the Druids' Hall last evening, under the auspices of the Masterton Druids' Stonehenge Lodge. The attendance was good, notwithstanding the unfavourable weather. During the evening vocal items were contributed by Messrs C. A. Wilson, W. Innes, C. A. Ewington, W. Gourlay, E. Hooper and C. McGaughraun. Mrs Elder presided at the piano. Refreshments were provided by the members of the Lodge, and were enjoyed by all. The following were the prize winners: —Ladies' prize: Mrs .T. Buckton Ist. Booby prize: Miss Shaokleton. Gentlemen : Mr E. Pragnell Ist. Booby prize: Mr W. Tunes.

How ofte.n youths' bright fancies are Dispelled bypassing years; How often troubles come to man, Our jov, with sorrow's tears. But 'midst the changing sceiiea of life Of one thin g we are sure: W#'ire freed from eoughs a#ul colds so rife By Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. 6

The Greymouth waterside worker* have decided to secede from tit© Federation of Labour.

It is officially announced that the for Public Works will visit ie Ivuiti this month.

Important improvements are bein<>ofieeted to the Bacon Company's fa<> tory at Woodvillo. which, when completed, will greatly facilitate the work of yarding and slaughtering.

Owing to the Kaitangata coal' strike, Oamaru is experiencing something approaching a coal famine. Coal, ineichants find it impossible to supply the demand. '

I he advisability of top dressing pastures is recognised by farmers in the \\ oodville district, and in consequence a considerable quantity of manure hasbeen distributed in that locality recently.

As the result of the subdivision of estates in the vicinity of Woodville, says the Dannevirke News, that township is beginning to expand, after, many years of stagnation. The advent of industrious farmers has duplicated the trade of a few years ago. Within the next month or two a considerable area of native land, within, a few miles of Woodville, is to bothrown open for settlement in small: areas. The land is well adapted for mixed farming, and when brought under close cultivation should support a considerable number of people.

The question of setting up an A-d 7 . visory Marine Council is being considered by the Minister of Marine (theHon, F. M. B. Fisher). Such a body lie contemplates, would perform many of the functions of the British Board of Trade, and would probably be of" considerable assistance to the MarineDepartment, especially in with the equipment of passengersteamers with life-saving apparatus.. The Board would consist of mariners,, and its primary duty would be to watch over the interests of passengers, officers and men.

A reward is offered for the recovery of a parcel containing a pair of boots and sox lost between Master ton and; Upper Plain. Public notice is given that on and" after Sunday, July 21st, the name of/ Purakau station will be changed to • Sohvay.

It has been brought under the notice of Mr D. G. Brown, agent for tha'"Bradbury" motor cycle, that unauthorised persons have been endeav--ouring to effect sales of these machines in the district lie is representing, namely from Greytowu to Eketahuna, both towns included. .Hewishes to draw the attention of iwtending purchasers to the fact that he is sole agent for this noted make of* motor cycle. A notice to this effect,, from Messrs E. Reynolds and C 0.,. sole New Zealand agents, appears ift another column.