LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVII, Issue LVIII, 9 August 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On Saturday, Waverley Golf Club defeated Patea Club by 11 games to 1.

In a fire at Kumara Junction last week, four draught horses, of a total value of £200, were incinerated.

The Gazette notifies that gorae, oxeye daisy and ragwort have been declared to be noxious weeds by the Taranaki County Council.

A medical man estimates that there are at least 2000 influenza cases under professional treatment in' Dunedin at the present time.

The earnings of the United States Steel Corporation for the quarter ended June totalled £8,000,000, this amount being far in excess of the un; official estimate.

During the period July 16 to 31 there was exported from Patea 2993 cwt; frozen beef, valued at £4211, and 72 cwt. frozen mutton, worth £100. No dairy produce was shipped.

So many ladies are learning skating at the Dominion Skating Rink that another instructor has been appointed. The new instructor has been in charge of two skating rinks in the Old Country. The Wanganui tramway returns contimie to show a satisfactory increase of business, more than 18,000 passengers having been carried in July than in the same month of last year. The revenue shows an increase of £119 over that of last July. At the conclusion of the business at thr. fortnightly meeting of Hawera' Loyal Union Lodge, 1.0.0. F. on Monday evening a euchre tournament was played against the Fire Brigade. It resulted in a win for the Brigade by 45 games to 38.

Mr Geo. Looney has shown the Opunake Times a very fine sample of ensilage made from maize, which had a very appetising look and a very sweet smell. Up has made ensilage previously from various kinds of fodder plants, but has never found any turn out so successful as the maize.

Auroa resfdents are reminded of tiie concert to be given to-night by the Matapu Choir. The cantata "Under the Palms," as advertised, will not be given. The programme will be of a miscellaneous character, and as the Matapu Choir have gained something of a reputation as entertainers, a good time is in store for those who attend.

The students of Hawera Technical School are jusi now busily arranging for a social gathering ' for past and present members of the classes and those interested in the school. At the meeting of the Technical School Committee on Monday afternoon the supervisor (Mr Browne) stated that 'the students wished tlie proceeds to go to a library fund for the school. The committee gave the students permission to use the funds as suggested.

The Taylor - Carrington Dramatic Company, favorites with the theatregoing public, presented in the Hawera Opera House on Monday evening the four-act drama "Never Despair." 'flic members of this clever little company were probably seen at their best last evening, for the pieoe was very well acted and admirably staged. The play was never without interest. There was a light vein of comedy running through the drama which added considerably to the brightness of it. The play, in character, was simple. It contained a plot to defraud the rightful owner of the Heatherton estates of his property. Eventually the villains are forced to admit defeat of their rascally schemes, the hero and heroine— without which no play would be complete — are brought together after the usual separation caused by the evil doings of their enemies. Mr Charlie Tavlor, who took the leading character of Horatio Spriggins, 8.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge, was excellent as a comedy impersonator and really excelled himself. The other principal of the company, Miss Ella Carrington, was well cast in the role of- Jack, "a witty London newsboy." Mr P. Harper successfully took the part of Harry Brierly, the rightful owner of the estates, and Miss Nellie Dal ton was equally good m her acting of Kate Brierly (Harry's sweetheart). Mr C. H. Archer as Desmond Adair, the person who was wrongfully in possession of the Heatherton estates, and Mr C. M. Keegan as Mr Pipps (Adair's agent and accomplice) each played their characters well. The other members of the company carried out their respective parts in a creditable manner. There was a very satis- i factory audience, considering the unfavorable elements.

'Hie first lesson in wool-classing for second term will be etiven on Thursday, 18th inst., at 10.45 in the Technical School. This will be in the form of a demonstration, and all -interested in sheep and wool are cordially invited. * luresicle Phonograph is the one big bit ; the best seller of the season. Only £6 10s at E. Dixon and Co.'s-

Arrangements are well in hand for the Taranaki Plumpton Coursing Club's meeting; to be held on August 24 and 25, at Whareroa. The nomination fees in all the events have been lowered, and the club are giving £75 in stakes as well as a valuable cup. At the present time there are about 30 hares in training at Whareroa, and they are all in good condition. The club anticipate a couple of days' successful coursing

Mr McGregor, instructor m woolclassing for the Wanganui Education Board, informed the Hawera Technical School Committee on Monday afternoon that he proposed giving a demonstra~ tion in Hawera on Thursday week next, He had received some of the best fleeces procurable from Australia,, and wou'd have quantities of New Zealand wool. The farming communitywould be invited, and he had no doubt that the demonstration would be appreciated, even > by those who did not become members of the classes. The committee unanimously approved the. suggestion, believing it would be an \ incentive to form larger classes. It was also decided to approach the A. and P. Association with the view to having a competition in wool-classing at theforthcoming Summer Show here. A second class in wool-classing had been, formed, Mr Browne reported, but had not yet been started, waiting until a later period so that the final lessonscould be taken in the woolsheds during shearing operations. It was decided to recommend to the Board that the scajeof fees be : First term £1, second 155, . and the third term 10s.

The committee (Messrs J. Thomas, A. Faull, G. Sangster, W. Richardson and T. Webb) set up by the Stratford. A. and P. Society to consider the question of a Utility Herd Book, met on Saturday (says the Post), when thesecretary was instructed to obtain all possible information on the subject from the Agricultural Department. It issuggested that the standard for theUtility Herd Book, shall be : Cows, 12lbs butter-fat per week; 2-year-old, heifers, lOlbs per week. Bulls to be eligible must own mothers and grandmothers who have been eligible for the Utility Herd Book, or whose progeny shall have been eligible. The first 100' cows to be entered in the Book free of cost, and afterwards at fee of 5s per cow to be charged- Tests to be taken from, time to time by some reliable person, and a committee appointed to supervise such. Dairy factories to be asked., to co-operate in testing. As soon as a reply is received from the Agricultural Department, anothjer meeting of thecommittee is to be summoned.

A meeting of the Hawera Technical. School Committee was held on Monday afternoon. There were present : Messrs. E. Dixon (Chairman), T. Gillman, W. Robertson; C. A. Strack, J. Brunette, W. A. Parkinson, R. Browne (supervisor). A request was received from the Secretary of the W.C.T.U. for the use of one of the Technical School rooms, and h was decided to reply tbtit. the committee had not the power to let. the building. The Town Clerk wrote intimating that the Borough Council had voted the school a donation of £20. The Chairman referred to the generosity of I the Borough Council, and on his motion, seconded by Air Brunette, it wasresolved to forward a letter of thanks to the Council. The supervisor reported the state of the classes to be as follows, the average attendance being, shown in parentheses : — Dressmaking 15 (12) ; painting 42 (35) ; bookkeeping 42 (36); beekeeping 19 (13); English ' 25 (20) ; arithmetic 25 (20) ; shorthand, any typing, No. 1 class 21 (18), No. A 23 (16) ; electrical work 14 (14) ; totals 226 and 185. Teachers' classes — Art 22(20); vocal music 22 (20) ; agriculture8 (6). The caretaker was granted an increase in salary. The supervisor alsoreported that the electrical class proHused weH andi that the beekeeping class, after a most successful course, had closed down. "From start to finish," said Mr Browne, "this class has been a credit- to the school./' At the suggestion of Mr ' Browne it was decided to procure a show and museum case for the hall.

A further stretch of eight miles of jGisborne railway has been opened for I passenger traffic. The Poverty BayHerald says that the newly-opened [section was- perhaps the most diificult stage of the line met with up to thai, point, entailing much brain work and engineering skill. O'toko station, ttfe. present terminus of the line, is bimiles from Gisborne. The next important work will be the taking in hand of the big Otoko viaduct. Someof the formation work, preparatory toputting in the foundations, has already been commenced. The Herald, points out, that the road from Waikohu to X)toko, and from there on to. Rakauroa, is in a very bad condition at present; it is almost impassable, and it is a sorry sight to watch three, four and five horses trying to pull ,a. cart or dray 'while up to their bellies in mud. A man stated that he had' about 20 bullocks to drag his dray, and they had pulled the dray completely off its wheels, and left thewheels behind in the mud. It appears from reports to be quite a frequent occurrence for teams to get bogged and to leave all the spokes of thewheels in the mud, and the good progress being made with the railway isa great satisfaction to settlers. Ifc will be a great clay when the line eventually reaches Bakauroa and Motu.

Mr Stevens, inspector of post offices, present on an official visit to the Jtown. / A successful instruction class for officers and non-coms, of the Hawera Rifles was held by Captain Wright on Monday evening. The annual spring flower show under the auspices of St. Mary's congregation . is to be held on September 13 in tne Opera House. There will be a decorative class for children. It is also proposed to have a section for cakes and sweets only. The proceeds will go towards the Church building fund. The championship golf games were continued during last week and some good games resulted. The semi-finals in the Senior championship have been completed, O'Callaghan beating Stewart aiid^Treweek beating Sutton. The final, 36 holes, between O'Callaghan and Treweek, will be played to-morrow (Wednesday), weather permitting. ' In the Junior Championship some of the games in the second round are not yet ' completed. Chalmers beat Lennon. The remaining games are: Mason plays Tonks, Bright pays Nancarrow. A solicitor, when appearing in a case at the Christchurch court' in which a plea of infancy had been entered, asked the Magistrate to hold that the suit of clothes supplied, wliich was the subject of the action, was a necessity, reports the News. A suit of tailor-made clothes, he 1 ' remarked, was in keeping with the defendant's station in life. The Magistrate promptly declined to hold that a suit of tailor-made clothes was a necessity when the defendant, whe was a 'aborer, could obtain slop- | made clothes at half the cost. f Ihursday's meeting of the Canterbury Coursing Club suffered somewhat through a shortage of hares. There was a remarkable mortality among the hares during the twenty-four hours previous to the opening of the meeting, and when the game was rounded up for the second round of the Maiden Cup only nine live hares could be found. The presumption was that poison had been laid in the enclosure, and a couple of ' dead hares were brought into the city for further investigation. Dr. Anderson, Assistant-Inspector-General of Schools, in a speech at the Auckland headmasters' dinner, said that during the last few years the educational system of New Zealand -had been in a state of flux — had been thrown into the cn.cible with the hope of true metal resulting. The capable teacher had now opportunities of doing work he had never been able to do before. The future was full of hope, and it was to the inspectors and teachers that they looked v for the fulfilment of that hope. He deprecated . the suggestion that free places in secondary schools had robbed them of tone. ' The secretary of the Picton and Sounds Promotion Society, in acknowledging the receipt fo £8 11s from Mr C. A. Strack,, the proceeds from the lecture delivered in Hawera by Mr R. McNab in t'ho interests ol the Cook Memorial, said the amount was a welcome addition to their funds. The writer added that unfortunately Tae weather had been very bad right through ! tli' tour and the attendance was by no I means what it would otherwise have ] been and the fund had not benefited ! as the committee hoped. Nevertheless I it was expected that something in the neighbourhood of £130 or £140 would be collected. \ 1 ; It is announced (says a Christchurch ' ;' J message) that the number of unemk.ployed calling at the Labor Department's Bureau has been much smaller than' it was last winter, but many prominent labor people assert that this is not due to the absence of unemployment. It is stated that large number of tradesmen and laborers are out of work. .Twenty i men waited on the secretary of the general Laborers' Union on Friday last and asked for work. He estimates that 150 need employment. Large numbers of tradesmen also are applying at the Trades Hall. They belong mostly to the building trade, and comprise painters, plasterers, and others. Ten painters have registered for employment, but it is estimated that this is hardly one-third of the total. Reports from country districts state that thcro are many unemployed in the oentres. Ashburton is reported to be I ahve with unemployed.