Local and General.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 29, 20 March 1906, Page 2

Local and General.

:0: Annual meeting of subscribers to the Waipukurau Library takes place to-morrow evening, when important business is to be transacted. Mr Faulkner, dentist, visits Waipukurau on Thursday next. One or two of the local businesses were closed yesterday, in honour of St. Patrick’s day; the rest kept opeu, though business was dull. It seems that a holiday association is uurh needed here, in order to obtain unanimity as to closing.

Speaking at a meeting at Taihape, a Mr Aldridge said there were several other blocks adjacent Taihape. One on the other side of the river from Ohingaiti, consisting of 8000 acres, was owned by one man, and supported a man and a dug at present. Cut up into 200acre blocks, it wold support 40 families. Idle lands, and especially those belonging io natives, were responsible for the growth and spread of the dreaded Californian thistle.

Mr A. St. Clair Inglis, formerly Waipawa county clerk, died at Pahiatua recently, aged 77. It is rumoured that one of the local shops is about to change hands.

Pirani on Seddoii: —The truth about our educational administration, as far as Mr Seddon is concerned, is that he spends so much time gadding about the country opening schools, shedding lustre on Maori weddings, airing his eloquence at football receptions, and chasing one chimera after another, that departmental matters are almost en< truly neglected, and to save his own face he tries to throw the blame for his own “Inches” in matters he is well paid to attend to on to the shoulders of tl e men who are carrying out particularly irksome duties faithfully and well, without fee or reward, because they recognise the necessity for the performance of the work. After this month the trains at present leaving Napier for Waipukurau at 11.20 a.m. and Waipukurau for Napier at 2.50 p.m. will not run. Many people will no doubt regret to hear of the intended suspension, as these trains are popular through convenience. With potatoes so dear, it is surprising to find that 13 tons, valued at £139, were exported from this colony last month. February’s exportof butter was worth £340,697 and cheese £54,520.

Mr Bogle, local stationmaster,will be taking his annual holiday so soon as a relieving officer is available. Mr R. Johnston recently found on the site of Te Ngutu-o-te-Mauu, near Hawera, the lock of an old muzzle-loading rifle. It was at the battle fought there in 1868 that Major von Tempsky was killed.

In Morocco to be beautiful it is necessary that a woman should be fat and comely —especially fat. If a girl is to be married, and thought to be too thin, she is put through a course of “ stuffing,” just as if she were a turkey meant for the Xmas market. This process is achieved by swallowing, after each full meal, a few small, sausage-shaped boluses of flour, honey and butter, flavored with aniseed or something similar. A few months of this treatment gives a marvellous rotundity to the figure, thus greatly increasing her charms to the native eye.

A meeting of the cotn mil tee of the Waipukurau Football Club was held on Friday evening. A balance sheet of the social was submitted, showing a credit of £1 Is 6d A draft balance sheet of the club was submitted and passed for audit, and the draft report approved. Arrangements were made for the annual meeting to be held on 27th inst.

Campbell Island, away to the south of New Zealand, which is held under lease from Government by Captain Tucker, of Gisborne, is evidently excellent sheep country, though wind-swept from the Antarctic. It has an area of 85 square miles (544,000 acres), on which there are now grazing 6000 sheep. The increase last season was equal to 95 per cent, which would be reckoned satisfactory on the mainland. A recent visitor informs an Invercargill paper that the stock is in splendid condition and heavily fleeced. Mr J. Maher got badly bumped by a horseman at Friday’s horse sale. It appears that Maher was walking out of a gate, and a man who was sampling a nag cantered or galloped over him from behind. Maher had some teeth knocked out and his face otherwise badly damaged, also awound on the chest. He was rather bad on Saturday, and the doctor attended, but is now improving. The largest of the islands forming the Three Kings, north of Auckland, is about three miles long and of irregular width. There are only goats on the island. They were landed from the Government steamer Hinemoa by the late Capt. Fairchild in 1889. There was never any settlement on the Three Kings. The Rev J. Pattison preached vigorous sermons at the harvest festival celebrations of the Methodist Church, Waipawa, on Sunday. There were large congregations. Mr A. Lomas has arrived from Wellington to superintend Mr G. Lomas’ vehicle and implement department. The hat of a certain short-sighted master at Eton blew off one day, and as he started in pursuit a black hen dashed out of the gateway. The schoolmaster saw the hen, and thought it was his hat, and all Eton was electrified by the spectacle of a hat I ess and breathless reverend gentleman hunting a black hen from one end of the street to the other. Edwin predicts fine weather.

A Massachusetts man named Walker has just died, leaving £5OOO each to four ladies to whom he proposed and by whom he was rejected. Mr W. A. Chambers was to-day obtaining names for a local telephone exchange. About twenty names were secured, and the petition will be duly forwarded to the authorities. The sum of £552 9s 7d, overdue and irrecoverable rates, has been struck off the Taranaki County Council’s record. America, the home of big things, has added another to its collection, This is a fossilised monster found in Montana, and declared by professors of the American Museum of N atural History to be the Tyrannosaurus tiger. The fearsome beast is alleged to have troubled the earth about 8,000,000 years ago. About forty feet long, weighing 30 tons, with a foot like a bird’s, and with razor edged teeth, several twelve inches long, the monster, quick in movement and of tremendous strength, was the king of the animal kingdom.

The Empire Bazaar at Waipawa was opened on Saturday night by Mr Dillon, M.H.R , before a large attendance of the public. Brisk business has been done since the opening, and the bazaar is an unqualified success in every way. A fair proportion of residents from this town and district have visited the bazaar.

There was a large yarding of stock, especially sheep, at the local yards to day. The attendance of buyers was good. Says the N.Z. Times: —“Hawke’s Bay, in common with other parts of the colony, is at present enjoying a wave of solid prosperity. The season for farmers all round'—-espe-cially sheepfarmers—has been very satisfactory. Evidence of the bright condition of things is seen in the buoyant feeling evinced throughout the province. Settlement around Hastings and adjoining districts is proceeding apace, and new buildings are going up in all directions. At Napier, which had not made a forward move for some time, there exists a building boom on a small scale, particularly in residential villas, and sections on the hills and elsewhere, which for years were allowed to remain unutilised, are now graced with pretty residences. Napier, however, in comparison with other parts of the colony, still suffers from a drawback which is not in keeping with the undoubted enterprise shown in recent times by its citizens—it remains without a free public reading room.” Waipukurau too!

Part of the Oddfellows' building has been let for a commission agent’s office. Quite an unusual sight was to be witnessed the other day at the mouth of the Waingongoro river (says the Hawera Star). The sea was very moderate, the tide at the ebb, and from the mouth of the river to the end of the road line leading to the beach the sea was literally alive with kawhai. The sharks were having a royal time. Many ten-footers could be seen a short distance out, while closer in amongst the struggling fish a few three to five-feet sharks could be plainly seen. The London wool market is firm at the advance, especially for coarse crossbreds of all grades.

In France it is not an unusual thing for men to kiss one another, and in Maoriland the natives salute each other by “ rubbing noses,” as near to a kiss as they can get. The return of the “ All Blacks ” in Auckland showed that the Frenchmen and Maoris do not stand alone with regard to public salutation of the sterner sex, as a noted player was kissed and hugged on board the boat by a New Plymouth enthusiast as to cause wonder among the spectators. The said “ barracker ” was given a free passage to Auckland, in addition to a suit of clothes and a few pounds for pocket money to see the arrival, and so delighted was he to see the familiar faces that he had on many occasions cheered on the New Plymouth rec. that his joy knew no bounds, and an affectionate embrace was the result. It is not recorded whether the footballer reciprocated the “ smack.” The local paper thinks “no sports should be attempted without a band.” Where is the Waipukurau band ? And didn’t the man see the Band of Hope in the flax at Wallingford sports?—N.Z Bulletin.

There was a good attendance at Waipawa sports held yesterday, a good many persons from this district attending. Hitchins and Mitchell were successful local competitors, the first - mentioned winning the forced handicap, and the latter being second in the hop, step and jump — 40ft sin. The Supreme Court commenced its Napier session yesterday before the Chief Justice, Sir Robt. Stout. Sentences in a number of cases were deferred until to-day.

Mr M. Murphy has just received consignments of autumn and winter drapery and clothing. Ladies requiring the latest styles in millinery and clothing should make a point of interviewing Mrs Murphy. Tenders for Waipukurau race privileges are invited.