LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 7870, 4 January 1904, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At Waitotara sports on New Year's Day S. E. llealop won the 100 yards and was second in the 220 yards. An effort will be made to introduce poi dancers frsm Parihaka at the Hawaii i£xiuwiaon. Te Whiti has not yet given his decision. The Railway Department have granted cheap fares for the Hawera Exhibition on February 3, 4, 5, 9, and 10. . • A strong body of musical people has taken up the Negro Minstrel side show at the Haw-era Exhibition. The conductor has special ability, and will proht by the experience of the latest developments in the art of entertaining. ' A million ova of American white fish ordered by the Government is not expected to arrive in the colony before the end of February, but Mr Ayson, Chief inspector of Fisheries, has been busily engaged making arrangements for its <ecep tion. .At the Wairarapa Caledonian Society's sports, L. Berg, starting from scratch, established a world's record by chopping through a 4ft.-Biin. log in the extraordinary time of lmin. 55sec. Basmussen, who was ■ second, was lmin. 24sec. behind. Subsequently Berg won from scratch the underhand chop in lmin. 43sec. Berg is 27 years of age, and lives at Konini. A boy of six years was charged in Auckland last week.' with having stolen a horse and cart, valued at £20, and also ten packets of cigarettes. The conveyance had been taken possession of while stand ing unattended in the street. The case was, dismissed, and the boy ordered to be sent to the Industrial School. The Wanganui Chronicle has an article in which it refers, with great regret to the projected rempval to Auckland of Judge Kettle. The removal would also be much regretted in Taranaki, for during the many years that Mr Kettle has conducted, the Magistrate's Court an 2 District High Court in tax's district he has earned a high reputation for ability and fearlessness in tha administration of justice. Ten. ions of Tayanaki .Jronsand have been shipped to Melbourne to 'bo treated by the special plant of a firm, there. This plant, it is claimed, has th© virtue of 'being able to treat ironsand economically. It is said that t n & nrni has applied for ijho lease of some miles of beach at Mokau. The proposed mjunioipal theatre fqr Oatnaru -will cost £9000, provision being made for the accommodation of 1250 people, a social hall fqr 500, and the municipal .chambers. A, _ total revenue of £600 a year is anticipated, and steps are being taken to get an expression of public opinion the method of financing the scheme. With i egret we reprint the following from the 'J'aranaki News: — Another old Taranaki settler passed away on Saturday evening in the person of Mrs C. Tait, at tue age of 67 years,. Mrs. Tait arrived >at Hawera with her husband nearly forty years ago, and sin.cc that time they have been farming around Hawera and on the Waimato Plains, • where (jjiey were very well known and highly respected. About two years ago Mr and Mrs Tait settled in New Plymouth, The deceased lady leaves three daughter^ and four sons to mourn their loss. * The daughters are Mrs McNie, of Wanganui; Mrs, Davidson, of Kapum; and Mrs F. W. Watts,* New Plymouth. The sons are all settled in Taranaki, engaged in farming pursuits. The interment will take place at the Manaia- Cemetery on, Wednesday. < "Although we have Jiad a long, busy, ' and tedious session," said Mr Seddon. when interviewed in Nelson last week, "the work, in my 'opinion, has been the I best for many years past." Continuing, he said he felt sure that when the ~vessnren of the colony got hold of all .the Acts and studied them they would ar rive at the same conclusion. There was no session since 1877, as regards business, that could compare with the number of important measures put through last session. During the past session 25 Acts were passed, "and all of them were important, and some of them dealt with large questions which made important t'terations in 'existing conditions. - Returns collected by Beerbohm make the world's visible supply of \vheat on November 1 only 14,290,000qr5, a quantity much smaller than it gas^ been. In. nine out of the eleven preceding years at the corresponding date. The deciease is due to a great falling-off in the stocks held in elevators in the United States, where the farmers appear to be ho'ding thoi? wheat with a tenacity, seldom equalled. They are probably right in b. • lieving that the crop of their own country has been much over-rated; but, perhaps, they do not take sufficient account of the increased shipments from India to Europe, or of the extra quantities expected later on from Argentina . and Australia. A loaf of bread has been on exhibition at Mark lane, which was the result of a racord-making experiment at Blockley, in Worcestershire. At half -past 8 one morn ing Messrs Taylor and Sons, of the faneafhouse Farm, Blockley, started to cut a field of wheat. As fast as the sheaves were cut tney were carried tp, the granary, and there thrashed and wintiQw'ed. These operations took 6£' minutes, ''ihence the wheat was taken to the mill of Mr J. H. Painton, and thera ground and dress-ed in 5£ minutes. At the adjacent bakehouse the flour was made into dough, and moulded into cakes and loaves, teven ■small loaves were taken from the oven at 9 o'clock — 30 minutes from the time the wheat was standing unout. The lorger loaves were finished in 40 minutes. The effect of .salt on the health of the sheep is not generally .understood. Its effect is to give tone to ijhe organismi. The ash of the blood of a healthy sheep 'contains about 60 per cent salt, and. the ash urine 33 per cent. Tho scarcity of such an important constituent in the blood means a relaxation of vital energy. The moment this takes place the opportunity for the development of parasitic organisms comes. , Salt should be given at least once a week freah, and be available at all times.. , Though sheep take very Uttlo of it at a time, they show great eagerness for it, if they have not had I it for a few <Jay{j. ■m^beat plan of breaking a horse p,f in a stable js to exercise uppn. swing

The New South Wales Government statistician has ißSued his preliminary estimate Of the wheat and bay crops yield. For the present season the bushels, which is 12,570,000 in excess wheat yield he places at 28,570,000 of tho previous record in 1901. Allowing 10,000,000 bushels for home consumption, feed, and seed, this will leave a surplus for export of 18,500,000 bushels, a greater quantity than over i previously produced in the state. The acreage under grain was 2,485,000 acres, and the average yield therefore is 19.2 bushels l per acre. The yield of hay is also exceptionally heavy, being 599,000 tons, which is nearly twico as largo as previous record in 1901. The acreage under hay was 343,000 acres, and the average yield 1.7 tons per acre. Good action, size, and great endurance are the demands for the highestpriced horses now. Any fair success in growing horses requires that pur© blood and good breeding must be supplemented with good teare and proper feeding. It is folly for the general farmer to breed to anything but the best draught sires and grade up to that useful type of the industrial £orse which always commands a good price, • with, good action, style, and beauty, the best skill can produ'ec. Such, horses are wanted now, and the fair prices are i getting better. The Scotch say, " Bet- ' lor pay a good price for a good sire than have a poor colt to sell." The | comimlon horse no longer pays, and the range of value between good horses, which are increasing in price, and the comlmon, which are not, is growing constantly wider. Lady Stout has contributed an «rticle to the Australasian Eeview of Reviews on the subject of "Co-operation in Domes tic Life." Th 3 writer suggests that cooperative laundries and co-operative kitchens should ba established, and with these she would combine a system of reLef work. "In such laundries," says her Ladyship, "the corporation would employ the labour of women who would otherwise be a burden upon the charitable a*d of the city. Women who were unskilled in any industrial employment,, .deserted wives, and widows who were unable to obtain private work, and who were in receipt of aid, could, with- /very little trouble, be trained in the use; of washing machines and other appliances *of the laundry. Lady Stout considers 'that (h^ existing trouble of the housewife Is' due to the difficulty of obtaining competent help, and she is of opinion that domestic half-holidays are not practicable.