LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 25 June 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An old Maori at Dargaville was fined £5 for cruelty in throwing a live hawk on a fire.

A. Star reporter was informed on Monday afternoon that stock generally are wintering better than they did last year.

How little it signifies what are the special duties to which we are called; how much the spirit in which we do them.

The recently-formed Waverley-Wai-roa Defence Rifle Club has a membership of 44. Mr W. Watkins has been elected president, and Messrs S. D. Johnston and F. McDonald vice-presi-dents.

While lecturing recently at Levin Sir Robert Stout condemned'the use of tobacco by women. He asked, "Where women smoked, what was the result?" Doctors said that there had been a large number of deaths among children in France and Belgium owing to the habit of smoking among women.

While Mr F. Milhan, of Whakamara, was inspecting a crop of carrots on his property on Monday evening, his dog disturbed a deer, which jumped the fence and was lost to sight in the gathering dusk of the evening. As no deer are known to have been liberated in the vicinity, some speculation has been aroused as to how the animal found its way to Whakamara.

The usual monthly meeting of the Manaia branch of the W.C.T.U. was held on Friday at the Methodist Church. A welcome was extended to visitors, Sister Nellie and Waitere. Three members were initiated. A paper on "How to make our Smaller Unions a Success" was read by Mrs Patterson. The subject of "Local Organiser's Fund" was discussed, and other items of interest followed. Two new members were promised for the next meeting. Sister Nellie pronounced the Benediction, after which afternoon tea was partaken of.

The ladies of the Timaru branch of the Navy League have started a movement to .collect funds for the purpose of presenting a silk ensign and Union Jack to "H.M.S. New Zealand," which is to visit the dominion in January next. The idea of the promoters is to make the presentation widely representative of the women of New Zealand and in order to give everybody an opportunity of identifying themselves with the movement, a subscription of one shilling has been fixed. The league is anxious that all girls' schools should be given an opportunity of contributing, either in penny or threepenny subscriptions. Subscriptions may be forwarded to Mrs G. W. G. Croker, hon. secretary to the Navy League, P.O. Box 53, Timaru.

As a result of the inconvenience which he and his tenantry experienced through the failure of the coal supply during the strike, the Duke of Devonshire is having a pit sunk on the moors near Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. Two seams of coal have been found, and the Duke intends to work a small pit for the convenience of himself and tenantry. A line of rail will be laid betAveen the pit-head and the "Palace q\ the Peak."

Mr Thomas Dooley, a well-known Melbourne dealer (says the Orepuki Advocate) visited Otautau recently, and as a result the banking account of Mr Robert Chippies, of Or.epuki, was swelled to the amount of about £400. Mr Dooley loaded on the Melbourne boat leaving Blufi the young stallians Ivanhoe and Tweedside Again.

There is unprecedented competition in England just now among the various countries that are striving to attract immigrants. Peru is making a great bid for <the British immigrant, and 1 is sent to London an orator who holds fo rt'i in Hyde Park daily on the attractions of the" South American Republic as a field for those seeking new homos.

!Nickel as a suitable metal for kitchen utensils is rapidly gaining in favor, and threatens to compete with aluminium. As it is a pure, hard metal it is totally unaffected by food acids, alkalis, extreme heat or cold, nor can poisonous matter such as verdigris accumulate upon it. Nickel pots and pans, when drawn out of one piece of the metal, are seamless, and so, like the best quality of aluminium ware, are practically indestructible. No expense is incurred for the upkeep, as no coating, such as tinning or enamelling, is required, and with ordinardy care, even the services of the tinker are unnecessary, even after years of wear. No special cleaning is needed, soap, soda, and water being all that is required, together with an occasional rubbing with plate polish.

Entries for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile's Kakaramea sale are advertised. Tenders are invited, for ditch and bank work. Gillies and in conjunction with Newton King, will sell dairy stock on account of Mr F. J. Johnstone at Waihi on July 3. At Otakeho on July ?. Messrs Gillies and Nalder will conduct a clearing sale on account of Mr James Smith. A class in dressmaking, under Miss Dempsey, has been started in Manaia, meeting on Thursday at 7.30 p.m. in the school. * The Warea Co-operative Dairy Company invites applications for the position of factory manager. A shorthand and typing class meets to-night (Tuesday), at the Hawera Technical School at 7.15. Fee, 15s for term of 12 lessons. Room for more students. * "How is your wife getting on with her social settlement work?" "Great! She's had her picture in the paper twice this month." For Chronic Chest Complaints, Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is 6d, 2s 6d.—Advt. _

A settler near Masierton has realised this season over £200 off 11 acres of cowgrass for seed.

The half-yearly summoned meeting l of the Loyal Union Lodge, 1.0.0. F., M.V., was held on Monday evening. There was a large attendance, and N.U. Bro. Spragg presided. The following were the principal officers electedN.G., Bro. O.D. Campbell; V.G., Bro' W. G. Brown; E.S., Bro. Bamford. The installation ceremony was carried out by P.G. Bro. P. M. Pratt.

The section of railway between T» Wera and Pohokura will probably be opened on July 1. This will make 31 * miles from Stratford to pass from th« hands of the Public Works into the Ilailway Department's control.

During the hearing of a case in which a land agent's claim for commission was under consideration of the Magistrate's Court, Auckland, Mr C. C. Kettle, S.M., referred to the energy of the land agents generally, and remarked thatduring the land boom at Hamilton he had to go to that town, and as soon as he got off the train he was rushed by men eagerly inquiring if he wanted to buy a farm.

In describing the disabilities of settlers on the Rokai block, near Dannovirke, to the Hawke's Bay Land Board Mr J. H. Escott, M.P. for Pahiatua. said this was the hardest case he had ever known. Settlers were unable to reside on their sections. One man, wiUi h's wife and two children, were living in a tent, the youngest child being Oxily five weeks old. Recently the wife hall occasion to go to Dannevirke for medical: attention, and in crossing a creek fell in and was immersed to the waist. Th& fly of the tent was defective, and during wet weather the only way in which the rain could' be kept off the baby was to fix an umbrella over it.

Last week a farmer of 29 years' experience in Southland told a newspaper man that he could remember five or six such seasons as they are experiencing this year since he landed from tha "auld" country. The harvest of 1883,. he says, was much morse, and he sawwheat being cut on the Gladfield estate (Drummond) on May 24. Six years ago' (the farmer maintained) was quite as bad as this year. Another farmer, listening to the conversation, said he remembered Southland almost ever since it became Southland, and he could not remember a worse spring, summer, and autumn than that of 1911-12.

At Wellington Mr James Bryce is reported to have said that the preservation of New Zealand's forest wealtfc was a very wise and far-sighted policy. There had been great discussion in thi United States, where the destruction of forests went on at a pace absolutelyalarming, and now there was a very strong movement to safeguard the forests and replant in order to provide for posterity. It was a matter of the greatest importance to Canada also. He had observed what was being done in replantation at Rotorua, and he did not think there was anything to which the~ Parliament of New Zealand could better give attention than re-afforestation. "We are trustees for the future generations. We are bound to think of thoso who come after us; 400 or 500 years hence posterity will judge us by the endeavor we make to preserve for them the gifts which God has given us.'*