NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13052, 11 March 1911, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

A farmers' field day, including ploughing matches, sheep dog trials-, dri\inß and stepping competitions, etc will take place at iJr. Max's Property, Brightwafcer, on Saturday April 10. The full programme, together with tiie general conditions is published as an .advertisement on page 6 of this issue.

In another column, Mr. S. F. Bolton of Waimea street,-announces that lie has on safe seeds o-f the leading varieties of sweet peas s imported iroiri England, many of which are lncLntlecl in the National Sweet Pea Society's list published in conjunction with an article on sweet pea culture on page 3,

The annual service practice of the H Battery will take face at Wairoa Gor"-e to-day. Tho Battery, iullj ho A with about thirty men under Captain Grace, left the Botanical Reserve yesterday morning en route or the scene of operations, near Lngntwater. A preliminary practice took place at Mr. Saxon's property, btoKe. A number of men left by yesterday aitemoon's train to join the Battery a.% Britihtwator, and .others, who were unable to got away from business will leave, town this afternoon. ihe i3attery will return to-morrow.

"It is a hard thing to be a Christian," remarked Bishop Julius at the citizenship mooting in Christchurch last week, "and what we want is not quantity but quality. And I tali niv Methodist brothers that if they would take half of my people over to tuemsclves and double tho quality of the other half, I would thank them ior it!"

Members of the Nelson Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society who an taking-part in "Dr. Bill," and a number of bowlers from the Nelson Baling Chub loft by the Koi at midingat last night for Takaka, Matches wil be played by the bowlers against tne local club to-day, and the amateurs will stage "Dr. Bill" to-night. lhe. visitors will return to-morrow a;ternoon.

Mr. H.W. Taylor, orchard superintendent at the Wcraroa Experimental Farm, is reported to have discova'al a most effective treatment for wvte blight. Mr. Taylor pnints the ■•,ffc;:ted parts (in winter time only) with red oil, half a gallon of water and one pound of soft soap. This is diluted forty times with water for spraying purposes, but Mr. Taylor uses tho emulsion without any adulteration and applies to the whorls (the leaves or flowers growing in the same plane round the stem) with a small brush. It is ckimfd that this emulsion thoroughly exterminates the insect.

In the course of an address at tic Methodist Conference the presiJj.it, the Rev G. W. J. Spence, said Hut ho thoroughly appreciated the .-.vcclient work which had been done by the Anglican missioners in their rc-je it loin through New Zealand. Ue h-imid the mission had broken do ■ l a (!•••_''(e of prejudice which had .-;to(.d in m.m w* of icvangelisin^ effort, ami had pa number of then fello.v-^iviM ians an opportunity of eve i;^-.:i;ctil work they never had before. I.he Methodist Church rejoiced with the missioners at tho results of thoir labours, and rendered thanks for the influence, the mission had exerted on tho conscience of the community. The president also referred in very appreciative terms to the work of the Dr. Henry Mission in the Dominion.

A brisk, alert little man, with a keen but twinkling eye. That (says tho Sydney "Te'.ograph") is Australia's new Admiral. Grey suit, grey hat short greyish pointed board, a humour, and yet a- look -of not being too simple, and as though the men under him would halve been well aware that thero is such a thing as dii-.ci-pliuc!. Vice-Admiral G. H. ICing-H.'iil, 0.V.10., the jr.eiv {Ocminandor-i'1"!-Chief of the Australian Naval Station, jumped out of tho Melbourne express at Sydney Inst week, shook hands with Flag Lieutenant Fisher who was waiting to receive him, with his secretary, Mr E. A. Brommer, on the platform. While his luggage was bcitij!; collected, lie found time to say, at ill with that twinkle, that he couldn't very well talk about Australian mi.'. n.' matters. "Chi va piano va sano1' ("slow and sure"), said he, and chue.'vled "You know what that means? Va piano, va «ano!"

Mr Henry, oil expert, speaking at a dinner at New Plymouth, referred to the growth of tho British petroleum industry, and snid they could within the Empire build up an industry which in eight years would be second only to that of America, and ultimately tho greatest of tho kind in the world. The colonies did not naed millions for individual companies. They required reasonable finance, the services of men of real experience, and freedom from thoso petroleum plungers who had worked so much mischief in other parts of the world, and were .not altogether unknown in the Antipodes. He strongly urged the importance of the .Imperial aspect of the industry, particularly the production of British liquid fuel and benzine for use in the .uavy, and the latost type of continual combination engine to be used for passenger steamers. The speech made a great impression on Taranaki oil men.

The Temperature.—At three o'clock ihis morning, tho thermenjeter outside. this olfica registered GO degrees.

It is said that poets «re born, liot made. There are many budding poets in the Dominion, who only require, as the waiters in tho United States say. a "little encouragement" o le velop their latent talents. Byron sends us a poem, from which we quote two verses. The poem extols Lock's Great Furnishing Emporium, which undoubtedly is the cheapest and best place to purchase furniture and furnishings. Lock continues to give big bargains.

"If tables and chairs you are lacking, If a range or stove you desire, Lock's will-chosen stock's at your scr-

vice, He has always the thing you require; If a sewing machine's your ambition, The Atlas is just what you need, And you'll find the old proverb is truthful, For Lock's, is a friendship indeed.

"You may journey to Sydney or London, To Melbourne, Chicago, or Cork, You may ransack the houses in Paris, Or the marts of Berlin and New

York, But you won't furnish better or

cheaper, Nor find any house that can shine With William Lock's Warehouse in

Bridge streetHe's the King in the Furniture lane."