LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XV, Issue 4090, 16 November 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Government is negotiating for the purchase of the Tahoraite block of native land near Dannevirke. Ten horses were sold at the Whangarei pound lately, the sum total realised from the sales being £ls 10s 6d. By 191 votes to 92, the ratepayers of Northcote borough (Auckland), recently decided against the proposal to adopt rating on unimproved values.

The new bacon factory at the Waingawa works will be ready for opening in the course of a few days. The Company is experiencing some difficulty in securing the services of a qualified bacon-curer. A Wairoa resident has patented an apparatus, which, while acting as a filter, will reject and throw away the first portion of the water that leaves the roof, thus preventing the heavy sediment collected on the roof from entering tanks.

There seems to be plenty of scope for women in the Waikato. For years, an elderly lady, a spinster, has been a member of a Road Board at Cambridge, a widow was recently made a poundkeeper, and a few days ago a Mrs Sarah Ann McCann was elected a trustee of the South Hautapu Drainage Board. A Lower Taueru resident had a peculiar experience recently with a couple of_ calves, loth having gone mad. No cause has been ascertained for the occurrence, although it is thought they may have been affected by thundei-stqrms. The animals careered round the paddocks and then butted into the walls of buildings until they fell from exhaustion. Both had to be destroved.

At a recent creditors' meeting ,n Auckland, one spoke feelingly, it'”not exactly eloquently, on some methods in vogue in this country. “It is a most amusing thing,” lie said, “that in this country a man files his petition in bankruptcy, having first to raise the necessary six pounds somehow, though he is penniless, and then he is able to employ a solicitor to turn up and speak for him.” Short hair has been made the ditinguishing mark of the rebels in China. It will be a highiy-effective plan tor enabling the leaders to distinguish their friends from their foes, and the male inhabitants of Hankow, V uchang and other places were therefore given a couple of davs to decide which they should forfeit—their pigtails or their heads. As a result 1,500,000 people in these districts discarded their pigtails. A great deal of labour will be employed in the Masterton County during the summer months. The Engineer of the County intends calling tenders immediately for the following uoiks: Barton s Line fGuveminent, grant), metalling, etc., 33 chains (more or less) ol road: Kiriwakapapa road (Government grant;, 14 chains of road formation, culverts etc.; le Ore Ore-Bideford road, building additions to roadman's cottage; Alfredton-V ebor road (Tawataia to Alfredton section), getting, carting and delivering 940 cubic ' yards oi metal; Alfredton-Weber road (Boustead s to Tiraumea section). _ittmg, carting and delivering 14'. cubic yards of metal; Masterton-Vaimata road (Taueru to Mangapakeha sectinn), getting, carting and delivering 0-0 cubic yards of metal; Blairlogio load, getting, carting and delivering tUiU cubic yards of metal. At Stratford the Magistrate t.Mr Kenrick) had something to sav to a number of defendants at the Court regarding children who were palpably backward in their schooling. The matter first came up (the tb-st reports; in connection with two children iged 10 and 11J who were said to be n tlie hrst and second standards respectively. The Magistrate -aid t 'as sad to see such old children n such low standards, and it was very 'lam that this condition of affairs vas brought about by continued bad iitendance. He pointed out that itter children reached fourteen wars >1 age the State had no power to •onipel them to he sent to schooln. 1 n some of the eases lie had dealt util that morning he was afraid here was a possibility of the children ;rowmg up unable to read or write ml a man so handicapped had verv ittle chance of success in this world. The Sydney Morning Herald thus sports .Mrs Courtenay Smith - - ivig at a Women’s Toihihimnee Condition:—“Ah, the young lives that re going under through this aovursea obit of cigarette smoking. There re youths, 1 say, who are slowly dvig from cancer contracted h\ eiga'rito smoking. There are some in our ma tie asylums, whose place will bo cr vacant in their homes. And y< t o are for tlui most part deaf to the ,'ods of instituting work to combat 1C evil. Do von know tlint last war 10,000,000 —millions, mark you f- of garottes were made in New South ales. Of course, some of tlie-,' were ; ported, but an immense number of hut arc called hand-made cigarettes ere imported, so this appalling total net lea Uy represented the annual -nstiniption in the country. Now. 000,000 worth of cigarettes wort* minted into Shanghai last year. For lint, do you think P—to take the nee of opium. This speaks for itlf. What will you do, sisters mid von like your boy to go under am this vice?”

Members of the Woodville Tennis Club intend opening the courts next Saturday. An enormous mushroom, measuring 13in in diameter, is on view at Mr Oxley’s 6hop. We have received a cheque for £3 3s from the North Island Brewery Co., Mangatainoka, as a donation to the Irving fund. Our Palmerston North correspondent’s letter appears on page 6. The report of the Addington stock sale appears on page 7. Messrs Jorgensen and Wesche, of Palmerston North, are the successful contractors for the improvements at the Woodville racecourse. The amount of their tender is £240.

A Devotional Day for clergy of the Wellington Diocese is to be held at St. Luke’s, Grey town, on the 21st and 22nd msts. Rev. C. H. Isaacson, of Pahiatua, intends being present.

Quantities of wool are being brought into the local railway station from Makuri and Pongaroa estates. Shearing, however, has been practically at a standstill lately owing to the rough weather. Mr M. Connor is the contractor for the cartage of wool from the Puketoi station. Taking advantage of the Sabbath peace a burglar, or burglars, broke into a house occupied by Mr Sutton, a railwayman living at Woodville. The crime was committed between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., when the occupant was absent. The “haul” obtained was small —18s in silver and Is 6d in coppers. The marauder, being of a practical turn of mind, also stole a piece of roast beef.

Mr O. E. Hugo, of Invercargill, writes to the Herald expressing amusement at the efforts of the “Liberals” of the North Island to represent Mr Massey as the champion of rich men. It is the other way about, he says. In proof of his contention Mr Hugo gives figures to show the rents drawn by Sir Joseph Ward in Invercargill and the Bluff. We deem it inexpedient, however, to open our columns to a discussion of the private business affairs of any politician. In spite of the boisterous elements, a well-attended meeting of Mr Escott’s committee was held at the Foresters’ Hall last evening. Considerable enthusiasm was shown, and arrangements were made for an active plan of campaign immediately, the district being divided into sections. The assistance of the ladies is also being obtained. The following were elected to the executive committee: —Messrs T. P. Girdwood (chairman), S. V. Rodney, W. Sutherland, P. Stenberg, D. McKay and E. Baucke (secretary and treasurer).

Contrary to the general expectation, Woodville is to have a full company of Territorials, says the Examiner. It had been expected that Woodville would only have a halfcompany, and that the other half would be in Pahiatua, but now it is to have a company with a starting strength of seventy men, while Pahiatua and Eketahuna are to have a company between them. Lieutenant Wardrop is to be in command for the present at an events. Should he succeed in passing his examination for captain he will be permanently in charge. There is also to be a company of senior cadets in Woodville beside the school ones.