LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 1403, 30 January 1911, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The country throughout the Fortymile Bush has not for a number of years worn such a parched appearance as at present. One of th© fifty boys brought out from England by Mr Sedgwick is on a farm m the Sandon district and another is in the Oroua Downs. The Oamaru Mail says that the New Zealand £5,000,000 loan was very successful from the point of view of the "undertakers." For the month of December the Cheltenham Co-operative Dairy. Comr. pany paid to its suppliers the sum of £2654, Avhich was at the rate of per lb for butter-fat. The engagement is announced Of Mr H. Robinson, clerk to the Akitio County Council, Hawke's Bay, formerly in the Feilding Borough office, and Miss Pearl Jenness, of Lower Hutt. By the mail train to Auckland on Saturday, the Governor, the Hon. R. McKenzie, Minister of Public oWrks, and the Hon. Drysdale Brown, Attor-ney-General of Victoria, were passengers. Mrs Elizabeth Ami Harris, relict of John Harris, died at her residence, Denbigh street, yesterday morning. She was 57 years old. Coming from the Hokitika district, the deceased had resided in Feilding for nine years. At the Newmarket (England) December sales, Mr Ernest Tanner was one of the biggest buyers, purchasing mostly brood mares, which, it is understood, will be shipped to the Argentine. In the past, Argentine buyers have paid all attention to sires, 1 but now it seems-that they are after mares, judging by the rsoeht sales.

A. London builder had to submit to: being shadowed by a householder whose grievance was that the .contractor's workmen in carrying out repairs to a tenement, had torn down part of the chimney and carried away £122 hidden away there. The hoard was found among the debris afterwards and restored to its owner.

As a result' of. the Chinese Consul's appeal, £214 has so far been subscribed throughout New Zealand in aid of the sufferers by famine in China. £147 has come from Chinese. It is considered th© public might have made-a better response to the appeal, and further subscriptions are said to be iurgently needed.

"The people or Taranaki seem to have struck the best part of the country," remarked the Prime Minister at Inglewood. He had been motoring through the district all the day and had not been able to get out of sight of a dairy. factory. The factories appeared to be finger posts to the prosperity of the district.

At the meeting of the Fruitgrowers' Union of New South Wales, it was decided to request the Minister for Agriculture to endeavour to persuade the New Zealand Minister to permit New South Wales lemons to be landed in the Dominion as passion fruit was— without the restrictions that are imposed on other kinds of fruit liable to be infected by fruit-fly.

It was at Normanby, near Hawera, when three Maori couples were married, that the old custom of using rice as a symbol of peace and plenty could not be followed because on this occasion the supply ran out. Native ingenuity, however, was equal to the occasion. 'A bag of oats was procured as a substitute and handfuls of the grain were hurled at the happy couples.

The Mr Duigan referred to in a cable mesage last week about having invented a successful airship is a nephew of the late Mr James Duigan, formerly editor of the Wanganui Herald. For some time past Mr Duigan has devoted practically all his time and a lot of money to aviation, and apparently not without considerable success. He studied electrical engineering at Home.

Mrs Timothy Ryan, a .resident 62 years of age, met her death on the 14th inst. at Cohuna (Victoria) under peculiar circamstances. She accidentally trod on a pup, which rolled on its'back and scratched her above the ankle. No ill-effects were felt until the following day, when Mrs Ryan complained of pain in the leg. Bloodpoisoning set in, and she died, leaving a husband and one son.

At the Addington yards on Wednesday Messrs H. Matson and Co. sold, on* behalf of Mr George Gardner, of Medbury, a particularly nice line of fat lambs, mostly of the Southdown cross, numbering nearly 500, which realised prices ranging from 16s 5d to 17s 9d. The Hue was one of the best offered at Adidngton during the present season, and. the lambs were fattened on Mr Garner's farm at Medbury.

Th© following incident, chronicled by the Timaru Post, goes to show how scarce labour is at present in South Canterbury. A well-to-do farmer waited outside the Court on Tuesday to see if any of the "drunks" before the Magistrate were likely harvesters. There were three of them, and none had money to pay his fine. Th© farmer inspected the men through the watch holes in the cell doors and sorted out one man, paid his fine, and arranged for his train fare to the farm. The face of one prisoner he did not like, and as the other did not want work the farmer motored away in search of others.

At the land ballot held in the New Plymouth Courthouse last week considerable disappointment was experienced by many of the applicants who had forwarded their deposits or i>ersonally come to New Plymouth under the belief that the only money required would be the half-year's rent and the cost of the lease. The law, however, provides that an3 r broken portion of the half-year shall also be paid for, and, while many applicants were apparently under the impression that the half-year to be paid for would be from January 1 to June 30, the Lands Department in Wellington had given the ruling that in this case, the ballot being on Januar" 25, applicants would have to pay up the broken period from January 25 to June 30, plus the half year from July 1 to December 31. This fact was announced by the chief clerk, Mr Bannister, who had charge of the sale, >and the result was that a considerable number of winning numbers had to be thrown out because the applications were not accompanied by a sufficient deposit, while in several instances persons who were actually present after having come long distances had to experience the mortification of stating that they had not enough money with them to compete.

News comes trom Rotorua of the death of Mr Herbert Heberley, 32 years of age, a native of Nelson, son of a harbourmaster there, which occurred about three miles beyond the "Rest house" at Waimangu. He was employed by the Tourist Department, amd was cutting a track from Rotomahana to Waimangu. Evidence at the inquest showed that he started for his work at 4 a.m. on Wednesday. His wife became anxious because he did not return, and set out to make ■inquiry. She searched all night over rough scoria, furrowed by mountain storm waters, chasms and yawning crevasses which men are almost afraid to cross in day time. The wife found her husband biu'ried to the hips in an earth fall, having evidently been stunned by a boulder and unable to mov© all day. He probably died through exposure to the terrible heat. Mrs Heberley then ran at full speed three miles for assistance. The verdict was: "That deceased met his death by an accidental fall of earth whilst performing his duty." Great admiration was expressed for the heroic courage and self-sacrifice of his wife.

When tlie members of the Feilding Bowling Club met in the clubroom for their 'usual cup of tea .at 4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon a surprise was sprung upon one of its most expert and popular members, Mr Wm. Iri vine, who leaves to-morrow to take up his residence in Napier. In the name of the Club, Mr D. H. Guthrie, M.P., presented the departing player with a handsome set of pipes and a wellfilled tobacco pouch, and in doing so Mr Guthrie referred to the excellent qualities of Mr Irvine as a player, as an ever-helpful member of the Club, and as a jolly good fellow—a sentiment which evoked applause. "The departure of Mrs Irvine also deprives the Club of a good friend." (More applause.) However, Feilding's loss would be Napier's gain. Responding, Mr Irvine said words failed him. He could not make an adequate reply. Nevertheless, lie acknowledged that ho had had a good time with the Feilding Cliub, and no one could wish for a better green or a' better set of players than it possessed. (Applause.) Mr Irvine lea rued the game of. bowls on the Feilding' green, beginning five years ago, and to-day he is recognised as in the first flight of the Dominion's players. Everyone who knows him wishes him the best of luck on the East Coast.

Interesting possibilities are opened up by a proposal brought forward by Mr J. W. ElhSj of Hamilton, who waited on the Auckland Land Board with an application for some 600 acres of timber in the Piopiotea survey district, not far from Taumarunui. Mr Ellis, who has been making investigations in the United States, is imi porting a complete plant for cutting veneers, and if his application goes through, will commence operations at the place mentioned. Veneered timber may be utilised in a variety of ways—doors, chair-seats, strawberryboxes, and platters being only a few of the articles which can be made from it. The method of cutting the timber (in thin sheets round the log) enhances the beauty of the grain and adds greatly to its strength. Moreover,: when three or more of these sheets, which can be cut to any thickness, are fastened together / with waterproof glue, the combination is extremely strong and not. liable' to warp. It has been shown that all New Zealand timbers are capable of treatment by this process, and it is possible that Mr Ellis' venture wil} be the commencement of an important industry. The which comes in duty free, should be on hand shortly, and will be got to work as soon as possible.

v The inter-State band championship contest at Sydney resulted: Manly 1, Newcastle City 2, Metropolitan 3.

During Draining operations at Hawera on Saturday morning the racehorse Tiptoe broke a leg, and had to ho destroyed. The horse was valued at £250. - ;

Entries have already been received for the Floral Fete at the racecourse on Wednesday, the first two; having bene, made at the .Stab! office this morning.

Mr D. H. Guthrie, MP., left by the Main Trunk train for .Wellington to-day in connection with a number of local matters he wants to bring under the attention of Ministers.

A big fire occurred at Waipukurau at 3 o'clock on Saturday morning, when Booth's coach and engineering shop was destroyed. There is only a bucket brigade in the town, and little effective work could be done. Vacant sections on each side of the building prevented the nre from spreading.

In connection with the Vancouver mail service, Sir Joseph Ward, speaking at. Devonport, 'Auckland, last Saturday evening, said that within a few months New Zealand will have the steamers Makura and Marama and another steamer giving regiular communication between New Zealand and London in 27 or 28 days, or possible less.

The medal instituted in memory of Captain Hutton for the worker who during three years shall have made the most meritorious contributions to science has been awarded by an Australian committee (Professors T. W. E. David and W. A. Haswell, and Mr J. M. Maiden) to Professor W. B. Benham, of Otago University, for his contributions to the geology of New Zealand during the period.

The mother of ex-King Manuel is a fairly rich woman. Her marriage portion was three million francs, and she inherited another eight millions from her father. Her investments were made wholly outside of Portugal. She also benefited under the will of the late Due d'Aumale, and one of these days will inherit a goodly sum from her mother (tho Comtesse" de Paris), who is enormously wealthy.

Mr H. Temple White will commence his 1911 teaching season on Monday. February 6. Pupils are received for organ, piano, singing, and theory, elementary or advanced. Those coming from a distance will be granted by the Department special concessions on the railway. Mr White's musical ability is now recognised very widely, and' he has recently been elected a member of the Wellington Society of Professional Musician's.

Notification has been received by the Zealandia Rifles that the protest entered against it by tho Palmerston North Rifles in connection with the shield which it annexed for most points gained in infantry events at tho Palmerston military tournament has been dismissed. The grounds of the protest were that the Zealandia Rifles had included a sergeant in its team in contravention of the rules of the infantry competitions.

Up Now Plymouth way the farmers have gone in fairly extensively for maize fodder this season. According to the News, some excellent crops are to be seen throughout the district, and every year large areas are being cultivated. The value of this plant is becoming more widely known and appreciated, especially in late autumn when grass i.s scarce. It makes firstclass ensilage and cattle eat it with avidity.

At its present sitting the University Senate had an application from a Russian student, Daniel Boris, for exemption from the preliminary engineering examination, on the ground that, as set out in a certificate from a Russian College, he had already passed in all the subjects of that examination, and was qualified to enter any Russian university. The matter was referred to the Engineering Committee, who recommended that the application should be granted, and the Senate aproved of the application.

The Bushey Park estate, near Palmerston South, the property of Mr Roderick McKenzie (son of the late Sir John McKenzie) is being inspected by the Government Valuer with a view to its purchase for closer settlement. The estate contains 2240 acres of what is considered good wheatgrowing land. Mr E. H. Clark, M.P., is negotiating with the Minister for Lands with a view to arranging that applicants for farms on Bushey Park shall be examined by the land boards nearest to their present places of residence.

He is a prominent prohibitionist, and tells this story against himself. He was walking through a lane down ■at the Te Aro end of Wellington one hot day lately, when he saw a man huddled up on the ground, apparently the worse for drink. Being a good Samaritan, he went over to the man to help him out of his trouble. Putting an arm round his shoulder, he commenced to hoist him up, when the supposed Bachanalian growled: "Hi! What the devil are you doing 1 I'm mending this gaspipe!" He was a harmless plumber, and a sober one, too!

.A picture in the. Daily Telegraph (Sydney) shows Mr and Mrs Charles Oliver, of St. Neot, Liskeard, Cornwall, England-, and their family, who are settling in New South Wales. The children hold the All-England record for school attendance. The record is for attendance, three times a day—morning, afternoon and night. Not one of them has ever missed school not been late on any occasion. Six of them hold a seven years' record, one five veare, and the youngest four years. The whole family will engage in dairying on the share system on the North Coast.

Amongst the parts of the Argentine Republic which have suffered most by the recent droughts, which lasted" for several months, the disaster will be most felt iv the wheat and oats zone in the south of the province of Buenos Ayres and some colonies adjacent to the Central Pampa. In three districts near the Southern Railway, where 41,750 .teres were sown, the whole has been lost, while in other parts the loss is estimated at from 10 to 90 per cent. Means are being studied by the Government to prevent the entire ruin of many of the small agriculturists in these parts. Not a few of these are in a complete state of penury, unable to obtain credit for the means of subsistence, and will have to get assistance to buy seed for next sowing.

"The majority of women are frightened to death when they are called on to wash and dress their first baby," said Mr T. E. Taylor, M.P., in an address at Christchurch. "They are sure they are going to break it in pieces. We have a right to say that we are not going to have the women wailing, as they are to-day, at, the lack of help in the house, when if they were properly educated there would be no need for outside help. The lack of discipline and education in the average house results in disorder and a want of comfort, and in a demand for outside help that ought not to be made if the education system made provision for educating every girl how to do the whole work of a house and handle even very young children."

In th© course of an address to the Farmers' Union at Hastings, Mr A. L. D. Fraser, ex-M.P. for. Napier and one of the strongest Government supporters while in the.- House, gave his opinions on the land question. Mr Fraser stated that he was a disciple of the freehold policy. No mau whom he had seen, or read of, or thought of, was worth one iota who did not live with the wish to have something which he could call his own. Mr Fraser quoted figures to prove that the freeholders are pre dominant in most of the world's leading countries. France has a freehold of its own. Of the landholders in that country, only nineteen per cent, are leaseholders, and to-day France is financing the world. Denmark, a country only one-sixth the size of New .Zealand, but with a population of two and a half millions, is freehold, only 11J per cent, being leaseholders. Denmark to-day attributes its position to freehold, education, and cooperation. It is often wondered why people are so anxious to leave England, and on looking into the question we find that eighty-four and a half per cent., of the land-holders are leaseholders. It. was the land tenure of Ireland that had driven many women and children to their graves,

The scholars of the Anglican Sunday School at Colyton are to hold their annual outing on Mr Hocken's farm to-morrow.

Mrs W. T. Bond, wife of one of the proprietors" of the Uelson Colonist, i$ dead. She was for three years an invalid, and came cut 50 years ago.

Ten tenders were received for the renovation of the brick portion of the Wanganui District High School, that of Messrs Woolston and Hewetson, at £517, being accepted.

Clarence Wilson, the seven-year-old son of Mr George Wilson, a storeman, accidentally well into the Mataura river, adjacent to Wyndham, between 5 and 6 o'clock yesterday evening. The body was recovered.

At the carnival of the Swifts Club at Wellington on Saturday, C. Brice covered 100 yds in 64sec, equalling the New Zealand record. Other good times were: C. Stranger 64 l-ssec, B. C. Freyberg 64 l-ssec, F. Roberts 65 l-ssec, and Reg. Healy 65 l-ssec.

There was a brief flash of legal wit to break the monotony of a case at the Masterton S.M. Court on Thursday. The witness usnder examination was a well-known firewood merchant, and council asked the usual _ formal question: "You are an old resident of Masterton, are you not?" "Yes, and he will be of heaven some day," interjected opposing counsel. "Well, it is to be hoped he hasn't got to follow his usual occupation in the Great Hereafter," replied the first counsel, amid laughter.

It was thought by some at first that Feilding would not be able to run a Show, but, now, after having held six, every one of which was a pronounced success, nobody doubts the capabilities of this district to produce an agricultural and pastoral exhibition that no place need be ashamed of. For the seventh Show, to be held on February. 7 and 8, between £700 and £800 is to be competed for, and there are 1232 exhibits to be judged. That spells success. Farmers will be pleased to know that the stock exhibits have increaed on last year's record, and there are some new men coming forward with entries.

Some two or three days ago (says the North Otago Daily Times) a constable in Oamaru had occasion to visit a neighbouring hamlet for the purpose of arresting a suspect whom he eventually located and handcuffed. No little surprise was created when the prisoner (handcuffed) suddenly attacked the constable by giving him a severe blow in the stomach, and made good his escape in the meanwhile plus the constable's handcuffs. The prisoner took advantage of the constable bending over to secure his bicycle, and after striking him pushed him over the bank, and when the constable regained the road the man had a long start, and could not be recaptured. Active search is being made for the fugitive.

T(he Amalgamated Press, of London, in which company is inoluded the Daily Mail, the Evening News, Home Chat, Answers, the London Magazine, and numerous other publications controlled by Lord Northcliffe, held its annual meeting last month. Mr Cecil Harms worth,., .who presided, announced that last year the company distributed £175,000 for literary oonributions and salaries— over £3000 a week. Afted allowing £25,000 for depreciation in plant and buildings, the profits for the year stood at £259,590, and the interest on preference shares in the company was covered nearly ten times over. As the ordinary shareholders had been receiving for many years a dividend of 40 per cent., the directoro had decided to commence a staff pension fund, and were setting aside the sum of £15,000 as a beginning.

The cocksfoot harvest is flow in its closing stages round the 'harbour (says the Akaroa correspondent «f the Press), and in the bays, and the major portion will be on the sieves during the coming week. In parts of Little River, however, the cutting has not been pushed, and will consequently be later. Buyers are active, and offer 6£d for 121b seed, but growers are holding back, anticipating an early: rise. Small sales for North Island requirements at 6£d are reported locally. Enquiries made in various localities confirm the shortage, and 30,000 sacks is generally estimated as the season's crop. In ChoTlton, a grower of 1500 sacks last season will only have 500 this year. What is estimated the best crop in the bay will yield close on four bags to the acre. At Okain's and Leßon's the threshing is hardly coming up to expectations, and one of the largest growers in the latter bay estimates 1000 rough bags, as against 1500 last year in the same paddocks.