LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 31 December 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will'be no issue of the Wairarapa Ago to-morrow (New Year's Day).

A Sydney cable states tliat the Tahiti's departure has been postponed till 5 o'clock on Friday evening. Collections hi Dannevirke on Christmas Eve for the local hospital and Phinket nurse fund totalled £B3. The annual Sunday School picnic of the .Mastertoln Baptist Church will take place on Mr Macara's farm on January 22nd. At the Masterton S.M. Court yesterday morning, an offender was fined 10s by Mr Eli Smith,- J.P., on a .chargeof drunkenness. : The Masterton, Municipal Band will play a number of selections in Queen Street to-night from , 8.30 to 9.30 o'clock, and from 11 to 12. The sum of £13,000 wa* paid out to suppliers on Wednesday by the Eltham Go-operative Dairy Company. This is : at the- rate of Is per lb for butter-fat supplied during November.

Vital statistics for Masterton for ,the month of December are as follow: —Births 18, deaths 7, marriages 9. Totals for the year: Births 277, deaths 69, marriages 78. La&t year's totals were: Births 250, deaths 67, marriages 74.

One bankruptcy was registered in the Wairarapa during the month of December, as compared with two for the corresponding month of 1912. The total numher of bankruptcies for is fifteen, against fourteen last. year. ,

A meeting of dairy company delegates will be,held in Pahiatua on January 4th for,the,purpose of'considering the question of contributing towardsi the expenses occurred by the Citizens' Strike Committee in WelUngtcm during the strike.. * Many people who drive or who walk, upon town and country rouns complain very much of the annoyance and danger caused by the -use of dazsligjn headlights on motor xjars. The Local Government Board'in London has taken the matter in hand, and the result of experiments! has shown' the practicibality of reducing the glare without interfering with the use of a sufficient light fof safe motor car driving.' : - v . ' . : - .- ,:

On Monday evening a motor;., car, coming from. Wellington, owned, by Mr White, hote'lkeeper, of Greytown, and driven by his chauffeur, went over.the hillside at the spotknown , a.s Drake's Elbow, 'on the 'Rimutika,; ;."the. > accident •?&»ng / caused . ,byyshe /steering''gear /filing:, The driver, who was itijhe'. /ptily occupant, caught by one ;of the fitthigs,'>bnt managed ;tto>jump clear. :He ; was, however, seriously injured, and, was taken to the Greytown Hospital, 'Die overturned ear afterwards took fire, and \vas badly burned.

The Invercargill correspondent of, the Lyttelton, Times says that a peiv formance which is' probably without parallel in the history of any school since the institution of proficiency examinations has been put tip by Mr j Andrew Bain, first assistant at- the invercargill Soutfh ISbhool. . Last year he sent forward 61 pupils. Or these, 60 gained proficiency and one competency.- At the recent examination Mr Bain's contingent numbered 65, and once again every one succeeded in passing; 64 gained proficiency and *one>a competency certificate. Although the strike is tain little incidents tend,to show that ex-strikers are not amiably disposed towards members of new unions. Yesterday (says.- Wednesday's Auckland Herald) a prominent member of the oldLWaterside Workers' Union and a member of the old, Seamen's Union visited th 6" steamer Whangape at the ( King's Wharf in search of work They encountered two members of the new Seamen's Union and an altercation is said, to have taken place, in which the new unionists received* blows. Subsequetly the two members of the old unions were arrested oil a charge of assault. That not every locality lias staffer* ed from the recent spell of unseasonable weather is evident from the following paragraph in the Dunatah Times: "The year now rapidly drawing to a close is probably the best Central Otago has ever experienced. The rainfall has been a Irecord one, while there has been almost an,entire absence of those hot drying whicls which have been s* disastrous m former years. Fortunately, too, the : country has not been , overstocked.. and all sorts of grasses have .seeded generously—the .ulterior advantages of which should be considerable. Given a few more seasons like the present, there would be something of a transformation in Central Otago."

Napier's first Mardi Gras festival proved successful beyond the hopes of the most sanguine, says a Press message. The masked carnival on the Parade was a distinctly novel and gay sight, hundreds promenading in fancy costume; The festival closed with a, magnificent display of fireworks. The weather was perfect throughout, and Visitors to the town unanimously acclaim that the procession was the finest seen in the Dominion.' The gross revenue from the carnival was over £2OOO, and although the preliminary expenses were heavy, over £IOOO will accrue to the funds of the Thirty Thousand Club for "boosting" purposes. During Christmas week just on 42,000 people were carried on the trams, the revenue being nearly £3OO. The need for the new cars recently ordered isi badly felt.

A Wellington telegram states thftt at the wool sale to be held theie next week, between 11,800 and 12,000 bales have been catalogued. A young lady who was going out to New Zealand to get married went to a West End (London) diessmakcr for her trousseau. The dressmaker suggested a warm one. The young lady asked why, seeing that the climate of New Zealand is a beautifully mild one. The •dressmaker replied ■ "I .assure -yoni, madam, you me mistaken, for that is where the frozen meat comes from." "*

A laundress is wanted immediate!} for. Greytown Hospital. Madame Soma'. Egyptian Palmist, may be consulted for a few days in the shop in front* of Wang's motor garage (next Dalgety's), Queen Street. -

A fecial meeting of all faim labourers, with a viewtoforming a Farm Labourers' Union, is advertised foi Saturday evening next at 8 o'clock in the Druids' Hall, Masterton. The W.F.C.A., Ltd., are successful in landing their first shipment of choice new season's* Spanish muscatels, which ■ .without..doubt is a very fine sample and just the thing for the New Year. '

The Gastlepoint County Council I give notice of a, poll to be taken on j Friday; January upon the proposal to rebuild the County bridge over the Mangapakeha stream on the Master ton- Waimata road, known as Bclliss' Bridge. V Mr A; T. Dickason reports having had a good entry of poultry at the sale at the Queen Street Mart yesterday; Prices ranged as follow: — Laying liens la 5d each, young cock 1 eirels Is each, young ducklings from 4s 3d to 4s 9d pair. , 1 A special display of Highland goods is being made by'/Messrs J. L. Murray, Ltd. , Included are' full dress Highland cpstuines in Cameron, Mci» Kenzie, Stewart and Gordon Clans to fit girls' and boys from 3 years of age to maids and youths of 18 year!*. including Glengttrry caps, •sporrans, brooches ",■.-. lotions , be sAippliJed. \ A;fullvrang6:^iTaMhL; f wide end and Paris 1 Derby* ties of all clans hava just been direct post, and are goffered jft reasonable prices. --■ .; "> '""• ' '""■ ',"■

No need to worry over those Customs entries until your brains are fogged. Pass them alopg to Messrs J. J. Curtis and Co . Ltd.,—they ar* experts .>at • the. game. . There's sxo, •time to" be lost (and time as <moasr •to vou) when >your entries are pass; ed V -Messrs J, ...JF, Curti»*;aßd j-Co<, AMj, Cnatomnoiise-quajv W«JKrigt<m•Their charges* very\n»ode-