LOCAL & GENERAL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 2627, 25 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The Vincent County Council sits at Clyde on Wednesday.

Mr John Rivers will sell the Clyde Sports Club's privileges in the Dunstan Times Office at z p.m. on Wednesday. We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of complimentary tickets for the Strath Taieri A. and P. Society's show, which is to be held on Easter Mondav.

Messrs Tonkin & Co. will commence the rabbit exporting trade for this season on Sunday next. Bunny is very numerous this year and trappers should put up some big tallies on the low countrv.

Hospital Band Sunday at Alexandra yesterday resulted in a collection of L 5-12-1. With the addition oi' the Government Subsidy the result of the collections at Clyde and Alexandra will be a benefit of L 23-6 o towards the funds of the hospital. Instructor Thorpe, one of the Government fruit-packing experts, is to give a demonstration ol' the methods of packing apples on April roth in the Clyde Town Hall. The demonstration is being given at the request of the local Fruitgrowers Association but will be open to the public and any persons at all interested are cordially invited to be present.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Central Otago Fruitgrowers Association, which was to have been held on Saturday at Earnscleugh, has been postponed to April roth at Clyde, and will be held at the conclusion of the packing demonstration ty Instructor Thorpe,

At last week's meeting of the Otago Education Board the tender of A. and H. Marelt (£280) was accepted for the erection of the Galloway School.

Another record has been established by the New Hudson three-speed motor cycle, a rider in Australia covering no less than 547 miles in 24 hours—a truly remarkable performance. Messrs \V. A. Scott and Son, Dunedin, are agents for this reliable cycle. Brown, Ewing & Co.. Dunedin, are offering bargains in mens' suits and trousers. For particulars see advertisement 011 our front page,

Mr T M. Kennelly, 217 Crawford Street, Dunedin, advertises that he is a buyer of' rabbitskins, hides, wool, etc.

Nominations for the Sheffield and Flying Handicaps and all cycling events to be run at Alexandra on Easter Tuesday close with the secretary (Mr J. C. Smith) on Wednesday, 27111 inst. at 8 p.m. Nominations for the principal events in connection with the Cromwell Sports close with the secretary (Mr Vickerman) on Saturday night.

We learn that a well-known farmer of the district (Mr Wm. Taylor, of Stoney Creek) has fallen heir to an estate valued at ,£5,000,000, left by a near relative who has just died in Holland without issue. Mr Taylor, we understand, has strong documentary evidence to support his claim to be the next of kin, and this evidence he has within the past few days despatched to Holland. Bafclutha 'Free Press.'

A rather unlooked for result of the general prosperity of the town and of the enhanced values of land created by the tramway system, was in evidence at the sitting of the Pensions' Court on Saturday. Several old age pensioners found that their pensions would have to be reduced simply because of the fact that the value of sections held by them had lately increased so much. In one case a section upon which the Government valuation was £9O, had recently been soid for some Another section which was valued some two years at is now regarded as being worth at least .£768. —'Southland Times.'

Considerable trouble is often experienced in keeping poultry confined, and the unpleasant and unsatisfactory method of wing-clipping is generally resorted to. A simpler and much more effective way is now in vogue. Get some one to hold your hen with one hand, keeping he near the body, and hold up one wins with the other hand ; now take a piece o\' tape about ißin long and tie round the shoulder of wing in centre of tape in two knots, allowing about an inch play ; knots to be under the win.s ; next pass one end of tape through wing behind flight feathers, the other around the outside of flights, and tie together, drawing in the flights fairly tight ; now take both ends of tape over the outside of wing and tie to loop at the shoulder, just drawing it taut. You will find by this means you can keep Leghorns in a pen with four feet wire netting ; it is far better than clipping, as it doesn't injure the feathers in any way.

The ' Star ' says :—" The complaint of dear fruit is a common one in Dunedin. The public, however, may not be aware that at present fruit is. as one produce merchant put it, cheaper food than bread or meat. That however is on the basis of the values obtained in the auction rooms. It is very often difficult to discover the relationship between these and the prices charged in the shops. It is common just now to see consignments of apples and pears knocked down for id a lb, or even less. It is sound fruit, but perhaps owing to the cold season not equal in quality to the fruit for which retailers charge the public several hundred per cent more. Whether it is the prices asked by retail distributors or the cold weather, the present demand for fruit is very poor indeed. The general experience is that in warm weather the public rush stuff of the poorest quality, even at higher prices than those now ruling; in cold weather they leave it alone. On the supposition that low prices would tempt them, it has been suggested that weeklymarket days be held in the auction rooms But the auctioneers state that the public would not conform to the conditions on which such business must be carried on. They want their purchases delivered at their houses, and they want the value of them booked."

Method and Men.—The failures of life are mainly due to the want of business habits—to want of method—to a lack of thoroughness. To secure the fruits of a good invention the thingmust he thoroughly protected Go to a reliable firm of patent experts like Messrs Baldwin and Rayward, Joel's Buildings, Crawford Street. Dunedin, who will advise you honestly and fearlessly. Considerable interest has-been occasioned in agricultural circles in France by an invention for preventing the formation of bail. It takes the form of rockets, or hail-dispelling petards, which, exploding at altitudes varying from 1300 feet to 1600 feet, break up the hail clouds. Eighty firing stations have been set up for the protection of 59,000 acres of rich land at Limagne.

The voting of the ratepayers in connection with the question of opening up the Lake County roads to motor traffic was :—For motor traffic, 275 ; against, 239. The council will endorse the finding of the ratepayers. Cars are to be permitted on the Cromwell to Arrow road, thence to Queenstown via Arthur's Point, Cars will also be allowed over the Crown Range via the Zigzag. They are prohibited on the Skippers, Macetown, and Frankton to Queenstown roads. A committee haj been m up to fig «p*ed \\m\to,

A four roomed house in Clyde is offered for sale.

The Roman Catholic Durbar Carnival held at Ranfurly last week was very well patronised, the takings amounting to no less than L 250.

The shortage of sacks for bagging the season's harvest is the one drawback lo the complacency of farmers in the Oamaru district. Many of them are in the happy position of finding, their grain thresh out from 10 to 20 per cent, better than their estimate, and their difficulty is to secure sacks on a market considerably in undersupply. North Otago is faring very much better than South Otago in the matter of harvesting, and with reasonablv fine weather for the neict fortnight anxiety about getting in props should be over. Alternating as it did with sunshine, the rain appears to have done very little harm, and both oats and wheat, besides threshing out remarkably well, are said to be a good sample. In South Otago and Southland matters are less advanced and less promising, but (except for some paddocks of ryegrass) farmers hope to get their crops in in fair condition. The rains experienced have been cold, and the grain has come through with comparatively little damage. It is the warm rains accompanying muggy weather which heat the grain in the ear and discolor and otherwise affect it. The standard grades of oats have not yet been fixed this season, but from all appearance the color requirements will be lower than last season. It is expected that once the harvest is over, and labor for digging available, there will be heavy deliveries of potatoes, one reason being that growers are anxious not to repeat the experience which last year befell the large number who held for a rise that did not eventuate.

There is a fair supply of fish on hand at Invercargill at present, in-. eluding flounders, groper, and blue cod, The oyster supply is plentiful, and the oysters are in excellent condition. Merchants state that not for a number of years has the quality been so good, and in this respect they are in marked contrast to those that were placed on the market last year. There is practically no waste this season, whereas last season on an average quite a third of each sack had to be condemned as worthless.

At Invercargill a foolish womarf,' applying for a widows' pension, indulged in misrepresentation. She stated that her children under the age of 14 years numbered three. The Registrar's inquiries showed that .she had only two children of the specified age. The Act allows £lB for two children and L 24 for three, as the • annual pension. The question was clearly put to the applicant, and there should have been no misunderstanding, - The applicant stated that the third child was her daughter's, and, as she had maintained it from birth, she thought she was entitled to an allowance for the child. The Magistrate ;

punished the apdlicant by refusing her the pension, and he pointed out that anyone who made a false statement to obtain a pension was liable three months' imprisonment. In this case there had been a certain amount of wilful concealment, and, had the applicant been prosecuted criminally, she would have had a difficulty in clearing herself. The Otago Caledonian Society have withdrawn the writ issued against Arthur Postle and John Donaldson, in which the society claimed LlO4 for breach of contract in not appearing at the society's fixture on 23rd inst. at Dunedin. * The solicitors acting for the society informed the society yesterday that they had authorised their Auckland agent to settle the matter for LSO if the defendants paid that money over by Thursday night. The matter was settled on those terms.

Socialism, as ascertained by most people is summed up in a story of two Irishmen who were discussing the beauties of theory. "Sure tis the happy time coming," said Pat. "Tis the brotherhood of man and the good fellvship of all. If you had twenty thousand dollars you'd let me have tin of them, wouldn't ye, Mike ?" "I would that," said Mike heartily, "And if you had a hundred horses the half of thim would be mine ?" "Faith they would." "An' if ye had two pigs, sure, ye'd give me one? "I would not. Ye know perfectly well I have two pigs." Notwithstanding the " entete cordiale" with France, that country differentiates between our mutton and that from the Argentine The duty on our mutton is 2 3-i6d per lb, whilst that of the Argentine is only i><d, a difference of not less than 46 per cent. ; naturally the trade goes to the Argentine, In reply to a question in the House o( Commons, Mr Aeland said have already been made to the French Government with a view to securing the benefit of the minimum tariff for frozen mutton imported into France from Australia and New Zealand, and he expected these representations to have the desired effect." France cannot supply her population with meat, and it is only a question of time when the importation of meat ' must be allowed free.

Ernest Frank Boyes, who was arrested at Frankton, charged with desertion from the Navy in 1906, was brought to Lyttelton on Tuesday, and placed on H. M.S. Pioneer. In view of the circumstances, however, the naval authorities have given Boyes his discharge and he returns to his farm.

The propertyin Melbourne, occupied by the New Zealand Government office, with a frontage of thirty-two feet to Collins street, has been sold for L 26.000.

Town T meeting to-nigftft,

• A ccuple of samples of more than ordinarily well-grown local apples are to be seen at Mr W. Sutherland's shop at present. The largest, of the Alfnston variety, grown by Mr T. Wilkinson of Clyde turns the scale at ilb 6 ozs. The other, which weighs ilb 4 ozs, was grown by Mr A. Reid, of Springvale The variety is not known to the grower, but the fruit is highly colored and of good appearance Both samples are rather large for commercial purposes having been grown on young. vigorous trees. Later on when they commeuce to crop more heavily, however, they will most probably lose this fault.

Athletes are reminded that nominations for the principal events in connection with the Clyde Sports Club's aanual meeting on Easter Monday close with the secretary (Mr S, A. Stevens) at 8 p.m. on Saturday, 30th inst. The cycling and running racks are in excellent order, and the ports give every promise of being well up to their usual high standard.