NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1841, 30 January 1888, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

A combined effort on the part of embarrassed Harbor Boardß to compel the colony to take over their liabilities is (says the New Zealand Times) fully expected to be made|next session, and measures are being considered in anticipation ot such a movement. It is probable that a bill will be introduced enabling Harbor Boards to levy much higher port dues on shipping than at present, but not enlarging their present rating powers. It is considered that the increased dues would not be much felt, while any augmentation of rates would be a very serious local burden.

The American dairy interests are startlingly enormous. They represent an investment of nearly five times as much as the entire bank capital of the country — that is to say, the bank capital is a little less than £1.34,000,000, while the dairy interests amount to more than £600,000,000. Of course our readers cannot swallow such frightful figures in a lump, and we will therefore arrange them in several smaller, but still heroic doses. The number of milch cows is estimated at 21,000,000. They give each an average of 360 gal of milk annually. This would make an aggregate milk production of 7,350,000,000 gal, a minature ocean, a fair-sized Niagara; 4,000,000,000 gallons are used for butter 70,000,000, gallons for cheese, and the remaining 2,480,000,000 gallons pass through' the adulterating hands of the milkman and grocer, and down the throats of 60,000,000 men, women, and babies in that land of freedom. The quantity of butter manufactured and used is about 1,850,000,0001b and of cheese 6,500,0001b. The value of the dairy products for the last twelve months was nearly £100,000,000. This is £4,000,000 more than the value of the annual wheat yield, while it closely approximates that of the maize crop, which is the most valuable of the farm products. To support this immense dairy herd 100,000,000 -acres ot pasture land are required, worth £500,000,000. It is easy enough to see, therefore, that the dairy farmers in ■' the United States are an important element of the national welfare and prosperity.

.. The -"would-be suicide John ' Astley is progressing favorably. He pulled through the shook to the system first rate, and there appears every probability of a speedy recovery. The ball was extracted on Saturday evening. From its appearance, flattened on one side, it evidently struck a rib, but what is most strange is that in its course it must have completely revolved on its axis, as it were, for the back end of the bullet was where the front end might have been expected to be. Astley is receiving every care from Dr. Lightbourne, who is in charge of the case, and Mr. and Mrs. Dalziell are doing their best to make him comfortable. A meeting of the members of the Egmont Racing Club was held at the Hon. Secretary's office on Saturday evening. The principal business was the election of new members, several being added to the list. A question was asked as to whether Germaine had incurred a penalty by winning the Foxton Handicap. The Hon. Secretary said he thought not. The penalty was for a win of a handicap of the value of 100 soys. The Foxton stake was 110 soys., but 10 soys. went to the second horse, and from the 100 leit there was a 5 per cent, reduction. The 43rd rule bore on the question. It set forth that "in calculating penalties the value of a race Bhall be taken to be the amount due to the owner, unless the programme specially provides for penalties being entitled upon the advertised value of a race." A question was raised as to whether horses running at Tauporuhenui would not be disquilifilled at the Egmont meeting unless the programme was passed by the Metropolitan Club. The meeting decided that it had nothing to do with the matter.

The first trip round Mount Egmont, on a tricycle, by a lady, was made by Miss Drew, of Wanganui, last week, accompanied by her father. The actual travelling time for the trip from Stratlord to New Plymouth, thence to Opunake, and on to Hawera, was 2£ days, the distance covered being about 110 miles. Stratford was left at 9 in the morning, and though several stoppages were made on the road, New Plymouth was reached, by the Waitara road, about 4in the afternoon. Two or three days were spent with friends in New Plymouth, and then the journey homewards was commenced. Leaving there at 7.30 in the morning, Opunake was reached at 5 in the evening, though the road was very rough. Next morning, at 7.30, the journey was resumed, and at 2 that afternoon they reached Hawera. The outing altogether was most enjoyable, the weather being excellent, and the ■oenery varied. Though Taranaki roads are hardly suited for cycling, the machine (a Humber tandem) made good time, and proved itself a thoroughly good tricycle on which to make long journeys. The Maoris were particularly delighted with it, and spoke in high terms of the " picamny carriage." — Wanganui Herald.

A very interesting presentation was made at the pah, D'Urville Island, on January 16, in the presence of most of the inhabitants of the island and a few natives faom Pelorus Sound and from the Croixelles, by Mr. Macdonald, to Bella Daniel, a Maori girl, of the bronze medal, accompanied with a vellum scroll of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia, in recognition of the courage displayed by her in attempting to rescue Tepeni Turi and Matthew Rnruku during night time in Cook Strait on Dec. 21, 1885. Mr. Macdonald stated that he was requested by the Colonial Secretary to make the presentation, and expressed the great pleasure he had in handing the award of the society to Bella Daniel, for the brave manner in which she attempted rescue, and hoped she would preserve both medal and scroll, and by showing them to the Maoris, induce them to follow her example should opporcunity offer. On the scroll was written:—" At a general Court of Directors, holden at the offices of the Society, Melbourne, on the 18th day of August, 1886, it was resolved that the courage and. humanity of Bella Daniel, aged 14, a Maori girl, in attempting to rescue Tepeni Turi and Matthew Ruruku from drowning in Cook Strait, New Zealand, on December 21, 1885, oall for the admiration of this court, and justly entitles her to the bronze medal of this society, which is hereby awarded." After some Maori speeches, Mr. Macdonald called for three cheers for Bella, which were heartily given.

Writing about the Btraw band harvester invented by Walter A. Wood, the Mark Lane Express remarks : — The most striking feature, however, of this exhibit is the straw band binder. Mr. Wood did not claim that this machine was sufficiently advanced to put it on the market during last season, but his experience with it in the past harvest gives him every confidence of being able to offer it in Europe another season. The general plan of this machine, the material used in its construction, and the distribution of it, to all appearance makes it a meritorious machine, and we predict for it a large sale, and that it will be still further the meanß of the increased popularity of Mr. Wood's machines, which have for so long a time had the lead of American competitors for trade in Europe. Mr. Wood has given himself very considerable trouble in ascertaining as far as possible the actual amount of twine used for sheaf binders in America during the past season, with the result that his calculation shows that about 33,000 tons of twine were employed at an outlay of not less than which he reckons to average Id per bushel of the grain so harvested. This is a considerable charge to the farmer, and the introduction of a machine binding with straw and making its own band, is calculated to effect a very great saving to the farmer, not only in America but throughout the whole world. After witnessing the operation of this machine at the American Exhibition, where it was driven by steam, it would appear to be a successful machine. It possesses one great advantage, in that it will hiad equally well with straw or the cheapest kind of binding twine, there being no difficulty with the tension, the knotter adjusting itself readily to any inequality in the binding material, or any variation in the size of the same.