Local and General.

Waipukurau Press, Volume I, 6 July 1906, Page 2

Local and General.

Mackay and Co. have been appointed local agents for the Taranaki Oil and Freehold Company, Ltd., shares in which are now being allotted.

Mr S. K. Tipping, land agent, reports the sale of lease of 150 acres in the Lindsay settlement from Mr E. Beacham to Mr W. J. Carrick, of Hastings ; also the sale of two i-acre sections in Waipukurau to Mr J. Watt. Properties of all descriptions are constantly changing hands through Mr Tipping’s agency, on terms satisfactory to all parties. Changes in the ownership of businesses and properties are always justly regarded as signs of progress, for they indicate healthy interest in a place. Mr J. Hitchins, watchmaker and jeweller, who recently bought out Mr Crysell’s local business, has an announcement in another column. Mr Hitchins is a practical and experienced tradesman. Mackay & Co. sell trees, produce, etc., on 14th inst.

A very suceessful bachelors’ ball was held at Norsewood on Wednesday night, about one hundred couples being present. Wednesday and Thursday’s gale seems to have been almost general throughout the colony. During the three years, 1902-4, forty-seven persons were refused admission to New Zealand. Forty of these rejections were due to failure in the education test, four to insanity, and three to consumption.

Taranaki must be a healthy country for stock auctioneers, and, incidentally, newspapers. A recent issue of the Hawera Star contained the fixtures of special clearing sales to be conducted by three auctioneering firms. They numbered 48 for one month, irrespective of the ordinary stock sales. In Hawke’s Bay the associated stock auctioneers display extraordinary stinginess in the matter of advertising, and a little of their huge earnings which ought to go to the several newspapers as a quid pro quo for services rendered apparently go instead to swell shareholders’ dividends.

Tiiere was a good attendance of brethren at the half-yearly meeting of the Loyal Tavistock Lodge of Oddfellows. Bro J. Bailey was elected N.G., Bro G. Lomas, jun., V.G., Bro Lyttelton E.S., Bro R. Staines G.M. Bro Chambers, P-P. G.M., acted as installing master. The contributions for the evening amounted to £23 Bs.

The total number of sheep in New Zealand on 30th April -last was 20,030,886, Hawke’s Bay having 4,810,266, this province showing an increase of 226,101 over last year’s figures. In 1902 there were 20,342,727 sheep in New Zealand, or 311,841 more than at present. We are informed that a good deal of interest is centred in the plain and fancy dress ball to be held at Wanstead next Friday, and some unique fancy costumes will be worn. A committee (Mr A. Johnston hon. sec.) is attending to details.

Mr Gold Smith, Commissioner of Crown Lands, has left Napier for Christchurch Before his departure he was the i-ecipient of a -memento from the staff of the Land Office.

Two Chinamen from Waipawa are negotiating for the renting of the new shop next the Bank N.Z. “ Glocely and fluit” is their lay. A laundry is more required. Another lunatic has escaped from Porirua asylum, and, clad only in his night attire, is said to be making for Taihape. Perhaps he thinks that’s the place to “ Die happy.” The Governor opened the new hospital at Dannevirke on Wednesday. The Fiji Islands are at present overrun with grasshoppers, much to the disgust of the sugar-planters, who are importing hundreds of turkeys from Sydney to swallow the pest. A gentleman with a keen scent for the bawbees made his appear ance at the Christchurch morgue last Thursday. An inquest was being held on an old age pensioner who had died suddenly, and the individual in question, himself a greybeard, explained how he had met the deceased a day or two before his death, and lent him two or three shillings because he was “hard-up” and in trouble ; “ and now I want the money that was found on him ; I’ve got a claim on it,” he concluded. “ You’ll have to see the police about that,” replied the coroner, evidently not in sympathy with the man’s haste to get his fingers on the couple of shillings found in the pockets of the friendless old man that had died.

Miss Amy Castles sang before the King and Queen.

In one pop the British troops killed six hundred Zulu rebels in Natal. One Britisher was killed and a few wounded. It seems to be almost a “moral” that the youthful Seddon will head the poll for the Westland seat, the election for which will take place on 13th inst. Southern papers—' commenting on his first speech—are loud in their praise o*f bis tact and ability, one going so far as to say “ Mr Seddon quite astounded and delighted his large audience by his wonderful grasp of important puplic questions, and the eloquent appeal he made to the electors.” The meeting was very enthusiastic, and the candidate spoke upward of an hour without notes. In the course of his speech Mr Seddon remarked that it had been said he knew nothing of politics Well, as a matter of fact, he had been born into politics, and had had politics for breakfast, dinner, and tea, and ' sometimes for supfiti * the whole of his life. (Laughter and applause.) The atmosphere of his life had been politics, and he had kept in touch with the progress of events. He pronounced himself a straight-out Liberal supporter of the present Government with the right to criticise legislation in a friendiy spirit. He was not a free- 7 holder and was strongly in favour of the Lands for Settlement Act. Mr Seddon thanked his opponent [Mr Michel] for referring to him as “ that gentlemanly young man.” The Marine Department is arranging for a magisterial enquiry, to be held in Dannevirke, into the loss of the launch Akitio, belonging to Gamman & Co., sawmillers. The little vessel, which was used chiefly on the Akitio river for hauling timber down to the sea, went up the coast to Porangahau last week. She left on her return journey, and was not seen again. Pieces of wreckage, evidently belonging to her, came ashore on the beach. Th& Akitio had two men on board.

Heavy winds prevailed in this; district on Wednesday night and Thursday. The newly-tarred footpaths have been swept clean of dust. Some damage was done to property in the town. Half-a-dozen telegraph poles between the Bank and the bridge were blown down and they lay sprawling across theroad. The roof of Mr Fox’s shed was removed without the owner's consent, and Mr J. Staines’ factory sign came to earth. A barrel of cement was blown from the new boarding-house to Mr Seymour’s shop, where it collided with and severely damaged a bicycle. Theforce of the wind yesterday was very strong, and it was not altogether safe for a person to be in the vicinity of tall trees, a fewoftvhich attained a horizontal position. Hats took on a fit of hurried desertion t one bowled from Mr Mitchell’s store to Mr McCormiek’s, another from the Press Office to Mr Lomas’’ shop. Some staging came off thereof of the Presbyterian Church. In the surrounding district a number of sheds, stacks, and trees cameto grief. It was the “best worst” blow experienced for a long timeThe dust I —don’t mention it.

Old residents say it was the most severe “blow” they have experienced. This morning broke calmand serene—just as if the latetempest were all a delusion. Parliament has been prorogued 1 to 31st inst.

Sir William Russell predicts that Sir Joseph Ward will have serious trouble in holding the Liberal party together and leading the House.. He thinks that the critical time will come when Sir Joseph meets; the House in 1907.

Government has completed the purchase of 13,800 acres of 01 rig station, from Smith Bros. Th& property is situated eighteen miles; from Hastings. Possession will be obtained after the end of the financial year. A crib match between representatives of Waipawa and Waipukurau was played in the Oddfellows’ Hall on Wednesday night. The visitors won by four games. A photographer’s notice in Auckland runs as follows : —“ Your own baby, if you have one, can be enlarged, tinted, and framed like the above for 6s 6d.”

For some time the hatchet has been hidden by Taihape and its less successful “ city ” rivals, but cause for another outbreak of hostilities has been given by the Taihape Post, which in a recent editorial said: — The fact of a comparatively new town like this [Taihape] showing a return of 1269 on the census sheet, against Mangaweka’s 609 and Hunterville’s 645, needs no comment, and proves beyond dispute our premier position. It is not bur intention to sound our own trumpet, but. the citizens of Taihape may be excused for showing a certain amount of pride in the stride their town has taken, and if they refer to it as the “ boss ” town of the main trunk line it is, we think, under the circumstances perfectly pardonable.

George White, of Napier, has been adjudged a bankrupt on the creditors’ petition. His statement shows liabilities £13,947,and assets £12,626, unsecured creditors £2759 secured £11,091. The estimated value of securities i5£12,261.