LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 6 September 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The total amount of capital invested in the fruit industry in New Zealand is probably £2,000,000, according to a delegate \o the Fruitgrowers' Conferente. After meeting a number of cheese buyers the Kohi Dairy Co. (says the j Waverley Tribune) decided to accept the • offer of Messrs J. J. Lonsdale and Co. (London) for half of the season's output at 6jd per ib, and to ship the balance on open consignment. A miniature cyclone is reported recently from Raupo, Northern Wairoa. It cut a clean track through a wide belt of mangroves, took fences and macrocarpas in its track, whirled.away its debris of sheds, and turned a tworoomed dwelling right round. No ocj currence of the sort has been experienced before in those parts. Although bad weather has prevailed generally throughout the dominion I during the month of August, Nelson continues to maintain its reputation for sunshine. ' On two days only there was no sunshine, while on six days at least over nine Hours' was recorded (says the Colonist). Mr Kenrick, S.M., made a statement at Stratford regarding the fencing of "licensed .premises" (says the Post) when he asked that care might be taken to properly fence any land about which at any time there might be a dispute as to whether or not it was "licensed premises." Owing to the lack of proper fencing, he said, the police were often in doubt when dealing with prohibited parties found in hotel yards. Very circumstantial rumors are (says the Eitham Argus) being circulated in a southern constituency ,to the effect that there is a strong probability of the Hon. T. Mackenzie being back "in New Zealand before the next general election, and being a candidate for one of the seats. The rumor does not seem a very probable one, but the informant is in a position to know something about the matter. At the hearing of a truancy case at the Takaka Court recently, the Magistrate (Mr J. S. Evans) said "it was a most unreasonable thing tto expect a parent to obtain a medical certificate of illness in cases whree children were kept at home for that reason." His Worship went on to. say that such requirement might involve poor parents in heavy expenses in country districts (which they could ill afford) while teachers or members of school committees could just as easily satisfy themselves of the bona fides of parents claiming exemption from the attendance at school of children said to be sick. Something in the way of records in the price of cattle have been made lately in the Waimate (south Island at the a the. Waimate (South Island) district; a pen of 5 fat bullocks, sold by the Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association, fetched £17 2s 6d per head, while a line of 40 head was sold by the New Zealand Loan Company at £17 per head. This, for number and price, should be almost a record for the' Dominion (says ! the Timaru Past).

The question of the issue of conditional licenses is still before the Stratford Licensing Committee. At Friday's meeting Mr Kenrick (chairman) stated that he had been informally informed that Mr. Masters intended to abandon his motion, brought up at the previous meeting, affirming that no conditional licenses be issued by the committee. No formal notice had been received on the matter, and, as Mr Masters was not present, the best course would be to adjourn the motion to the December meeting. Mr Kenrick stated that he had | informed the Department of Justice that the matter was coming up in order to allow the Crown to be represented by counsel if desired. lie thought the Crown would be well advised to be represented from the first in all such matters, as they fiwilly had to deal with them if they got to the Court of Appeal. The motion was, therefore, adjourned till next meeting. Mr Spence, representing the Racing Club and .the A' and P. Association, asked that, the permission previously ..given to him to address the committee be extended. He desired to argue the point whether or not the Committee had power to pass such a resolution. Mr Kenrick said that if it were necessary he would hear Mr Spence.—Stratford Post.

The Saturday half-holiday, which had been tried for three months and found wanting, was abandoned at Kaiapoi on Saturday and the storekeepers also have abandoned the late night on "Wednesday in favor of Saturday. \ A record price for fat sheep was paid I at the .Richmond, saleyards (says the Nelson Colonist), when .Messrs E. E. Trask and I*'. \\ . Fancy purchased a line of prime heavw wethers fattened by Mr H. Patton, of Hope, at 3"3s each. Mr Harry Isaac, Evangelist, has returned from a mission conducted at New Plymouth, and is announced to give an evangelistic address at Gospel Jbiall to-morrow (Sunday) at 7 p.m. A cordial invitation is extended to all. It will be remembered that some time ago reports came to hand from Australia that the Norwegian Whaling Co'npany had not done well, financially whilst operating to the west of Stewart Island. Tne report of the New Zealand Marino Department tells a different story. Ihe company captured 45 whales, and from one large sperm whale ambergris to the value of £82,000 was obtained. The Kaponga Methodist services for to;morrow (Sunday) have been specially arranged. The Key. F. Rands will be, the preacher in the morning, and will conduct a special service for men in the evening, when the "Anchors of Life" will be dealt with. The Brotherhood meets at 5.30 p.m., when, after tea, a discussion on the* burning question of "Bible in Schools" will be held. The evening service will commence at 7.30. The housing of country girls who have obtained scholarships entitling them to free places in the Urammar School occupied the attention of the Board of Governors at Auckland at a neeting last week, (says the New Zealand Herald). It was stated that one girl, 13 years of £,ge, came to Auckland and secured lodgings, where she was made apparently very comfortable. Later it became known that the house was on© of ill-repute. In other instances girls, though allowed £1 per week for suitable accommodation, were performing household duties in part payment, and not expending the allowance. Other girls were residing with suitable relations. Apart from other considerations, these practices were not conducive to efficient study. The matter' has been referred to the Auckland Education Board, with a recommendation that the girls should reside only in houses approved of by the principal of the Grammar School. "I am not sufficiently egotistical to believe that I am the only man who can do the jub." This confession was made by the New _South Wales State Treasurer, Mr J. j±. Cann, at a smoke '"social" at Sydney promoted by the Institute of Marine Engineers last week. : So far as the Railway Department is concerned," he said, "I am only a figurehead. There is another gentleman there —(laughter) —and I sometimes tlmnk my lucky stars that he is there. When you are presiding over a department with 40;000 employees there are bou.id to be a few grievances; and with that other gentleman there the position is made much lighter for me. lam quite satisfied he does ri lot of things wrong, just as I do. I am quite satisfied fie does not always give satisfaction, just as Ido not. But I am quite satisfied that we are all trying to do our best. In the giving of answers to any request it is much easier to say 'Yes' than it is to say 'No.' " The audience appeared to' realise the plight of the Minister, and the Minister, in turn, evidently appreciating the sympathetic attitude of his audience, 'did not pursue the elusive topic further. I With regard to exemptions from i military service, the following regulation appears in this week's Gazette.: "A member^ of the military forces, desirous of obtaining exemption from personal service on the grounds that undue hardship is caused by the requirements of such service . . . will first give fourteen days' notice to the officer commanding his unit, and at the expiration of that period the applicant will make written application to the nearest Magistrate's court. The officer commanding the unit will enquire into the merits of each case, and within the fourteen days will notify the clerk of the Magistrate's Court whether he recommends or intends to oppose the application, and the application shall be heard and determined by a magistrate." Says the Taihape Times: "The district of Taihape, famous as it is on its own merits, is likely to become far more so by reason of its having a mechanical genius who bids fair to attain worldwide celebrity. Probably few of ourleaders are aware that the Hartford Newhaven and New York Railway Company offered a 10,000 dollar reward for the best invention of automatically controlling the speed of trains when fixed signals are disregarded. There were 1554 replies from all parts of the world to the company, but only 5 per cent, were found to be near the mark, and these have now been reduced to two. Of the two inventors who are competing for the prize, one is Mr W. T. Ashton, machinist at the Egmont Box Company's mill at Ohutu (Main Trunk line). If he succeeds in solving this important problem his name should go down to history as that of a rare mechanical inventor." A variety er-tertainment will be given at Awatuna on September 16. A euchre party and. danca will be held in the Oddfellows' Hall on Wednesday.

The representative of one firm operating Li the Waverley district states that his principals are prepared to buy up to 2000 veal calves—that is, animals fit for conversion into veal. They are required for export to Canada, and would, of course, be frozen before shipment to Vancouver (says the Tribune). At the Hawera Methodist Church tomorrow morning a service of special interest to young people will be held, and the sacrament service of baptism included. At the evening service Mr W. Hutchens will sing. The Rev. E. O. Blamires will conduct on both oc- | casions.

A meeting of. those interested in the formation of a Baptist Church in Hawera was held in the Oddfellows' Hall on Friday evening. The attendance was not large. The Rev. Alfred North, general organiser of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, and the Rev. F. H. Radfqrd, of AVanganui, addressed "the meeting, and after a conversational discussion it was decided to hold another meeting in a fortnight, when the proposal will be further gone into.

_ A rather ingenious plea why he should not be deprived of his liberty was made by an individual at the Magistrate's Court, Gisborne, on Monday morning. "It would be very inconvenient for me to go to gaol" just now." accused informed the magistrate. "I have several young horses, and t];ey are not properly quietened down yet; in fact, a couple of them are 'roughies.' " The Magistrate informed accused that the next time he came before him on a similar charge lie would have to go to gaol, horses or no horses.

Boot-repairing and music-teaching are the unusual combination of vocations from which a Wellington man secures a livelihood (says the Dominion). The citizen in question appeared in the Magistrate's Court to press a suit for payment of certain money for giving a child lessons in music. It then transpired that he is, also, a cobbler. Apropos of this, it may be stated that many years ago a small house in a v Christchureh suburb had a sign which bore the legend: "Boots repaired and teeth extracted here." Mr J. W. Read, the New Zealand billiard champion, has just completed a very successful tour of South Africa, where he displayed conspicuously even form... Writing; of his- performances, a sporting contributor in one of the Cape papers says that Head "is cer-. tainly one of those who should be heard more of in the future. In his 42 games in South Africa, all of which have been won, he has struck one break of over 300, eight of over 200, 53 over 100, nine over 90, and eight oyer 80, having shown a consistently high level. His future movements are unceratin, the probabilities being that he will not remain m England very long, but return to New Zealand, of which he has been resident for four or five years." The U.A.O.D. Lodge meets on Monday.

A Catholic social will, be held in Riverlea Hall on Wednesday. The capabilities of a high-class modern motor cycle were amply demonstrated yesterday at Inaha. In. drder to convince a prospective purchaser, an agent was requested to drive the machine and side-car with two passengers up Yorke's Hill, from a standing start right opposite the factory. With the majority of the factory staff as a sceptical audience, the machine started away with its load of 37 stone and side-car. Commencing on bottom gear, in 30 yards the second gear was engaged, and before reaching the summit the motor was put into its top gear of 4 to 1 and easily, completed its task. The motor cycle in question was a 5-6 h.p. Royai Ruby with Sturmey-Archer gears, and at the conclusion of the test, needless to say, quickly changed hands. —Advt. Abraham and Williams advertise a clearing sale at Marton. Mrs Blamir.es will speak on "Experiences of Slumdom" to-morrow at 2 p.m. in the Tokaora schoolroom.