LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 223, 26 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The New Plymouth High School Board held a special meeting last night. The deliberations of the governors concerned the matters referred to by "Critic" in his letter to the Daily News, published on Tuesday morning, and the meeting lasted for two or three hours. It is understood that a resolution was passed that the Board communicate with the Education Department very fully on the matter and to ask them to send an expert to report fully on the staffing and instruction given at the High School, with a view of enabling the Board to initiate such changes or reforms as may be necessary. The New Plymouth boot retailers have .arranged to close their premises at 9 o'clock on Saturday evening for the future, commencing on Saturday next The dust nuisance is very prevalent on the railway just now. The person who invents some efficient method of allaying this will confer a boon on a long-suffering travelling public.

As the result of a conference between representatives of the Borough Council and the Fitzroy Town Board, it has been decided to recognise Thursday as the usual half-holiday, as has been the custom for some years past.

In connection with the proposed borough loan proposals the Mayor intimated to the Council on Tuesday night that under the Act, as now amended, there was no necessity for a public meeting to consider the proposals, but, notwithstanding, it was his intention to hold such meeting, of which due notice would be give*, Dr. Findlay told a deputation oi business men at Dunedin, who asked that Inspector O'Brien's services be retained, that his retirement was not due to personal reasons, but to the policy that police officers after their sixty-fifth year should, unless there were exceptional circumstances, be retired so long as they had a comfortable superannuation.

The report of the committee of the Borough Council appointed to confer with representatives of the Taranaki County Council with respect to the borough's contribution towards the cost of the new bridge to be erected across the Henui river on the Junction road was considered in camera on Tuesday night. The sub-committee's recommendation was approved. His Worship the Mayor, who has been in communication with Captain Haseler, Officer Commanding North Taranafo Mounted Rifles, suggesting that the corps furnish an escort for His Excellency the Governor to-day, has received the following wire from Captain Haseler:—"Telegram received. Greatly regret unable furnish escort; notice too short; men very scattered." Some of the biggest and loveliest samples of plums we have seen were left at the News Office yesterday by Mr. B. Enroth, on whose property, "the Grange," they were grown. Three ol them went to the pound, while four others weighed 17% ounces. Mr. Enroth informs us that he must have gathered quite a hundredweight off the one tree, a Japanese graft on a peach stock.

"Visitor" writes:—How is it that the good people of New Plymouth, who have done so much to beautify their naturally beautiful town, allow the top of that magnificent and picturesque vantage and commanding point, Marsland Hill, to be disfigured by the huge pine trees there'; If the top needs ornamentation, and 1 scarcely think it does, why not plant some native trees, such as' the puriri, pohutukawa, etc.? Last evening His Worship the Mayor received a telegram from the Hon. D. Buddo, Minister of Internal Affairs, to the effect that he would be pleased to have Government offices closed on the occasion of His Excellency's visit to New Plymouth to-day. This was in reply to a message from Mr. Tisch, stating that the business people were closing at noon, and asking that the Government offices should do the same.

There are some excellent crops of maize to be seen throughout the district. Farmers evidently realise the value of this corn as a fodder for cattle in the autumn, when grass is growing scarce, as every year larger areas arc being cultivated. It has, moreover, an additional value, as it makes first-class ensilage. Several who used it in this form last year were very well pleased with the results, the cattle taking to it with avidity.

Members of the Education Board have to exercise discrimination in a fine degree when dealing with requests from the various committees, as may be noted at any of the meetings. At yesterday's sitting the Board passed a resolution informing one committee that they were agreeable to "frost" the windows, but could not replace broken ones. Again, they found ways and means of accommodating another committee with window blinds, but it was really impossible to surmount the regulations with a stepladder*

"Inglewoodian" writes:—As you state, there are some extremely beautiful ragwort blossoms in and about Inglewood at present. I am afraid, however, that> the gorgeous patches in your own Carrington road make our feeble show insignificant. I suggest that an appeal be made to the New Plymouth Horticultural Society for the preservation ol some of these beautiful flowers. If some thing is not done soon, some vandal may interfere with them, and in doing so may bruise the prized blackberry bushes, which are so restful to the eye of the dairyfarmer as he drives home along the Carrington road. A letter received by the Borough Council from the St. Aubyn Town Board, stating that the rate i'or the electric light poles would be enforced was at Tuesday night's meeting of the council referred to the Works Committee. This is in reference to a matter that lias been in dispute between the two bodies for some time. The valuations in the town district have been fixed by the Government Valuation Department, and ■the council is rated in respect to the electric light poles in the district, but the council claims that the poles are not rateable property. The Valuer-General has declined to remove the entry from the valuation rate, and the Board has intimated to the council that they will insist on the payment. "This is an urgent case, for the reason that one settler has under consideration the question of leaving his section rathei than the children should go without schooling." With the above appealing sentence Mr. F. W. Simpson, Commissioner of Crowu Lands, concluded a letter to the Taranaki Education Board, after pointing out that he had failed to persuade the Auckland Board to make provision for the teaching of a few children in part of the Waro survey district. "In the interests of the children," he wrote, "I would be pleased if you can assure me that some early and definite action will be taken in the matter, either in the way of providing a school, or, perhaps, what would better meet the case, providing a subsidy for the teaching by some competent teacher." It, was reported that Mr. Kennedy, member of the Board, is at present on his way to the locality and would report upoi, the circumstances at next meeting ol the Board.

The New Plymouth Technical School will be opened on Tuesday, 31st January.

The Inspector of Noxious Weeds had a real field day at the Inglewood S.M. Court yesterday, six settlers being fined, the amounts varying from £5 to £2 with costs.

Some English tourists in New Zealand are enthusiastic anglers, and visit the Dominion every season for that class of sport, fishing in Canada (luring the close season in New Zealand.

Most of the immigrants by recent steamers have found suitable employment, any able and willing to work being engaged at remunerative wages almost as soon as they landed. A man accused of using obscene language in a Dunedin street received a salutary sentence of six mouths' imprisonment. That should he a lesson to him and to others similarly disposed. A conference is to be held shortly by the Stratford, Hawera and New Plymouth Hospital Boards for the purpose of discussing the question of providing for the maintenance of incurable invalids.

The Rev. E. Lipkin, of Oudtshoorn, Cape Colony, lifts completed and presented to the King a remarkable portrait in words of King Edward. The lines which make up the drawing contain about 85,000 words, being a history of the late King's life. At the Inglewood S.M. Court yesterday Frederick Cooper was charged witL stealing 7s from the till of the Moa tearooms. The owner, in his evidence, deposed that Cooper, whom he caught in the act, handed him the money back. Accused, who reserved his defence, was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. •

A valuable thoroughbred mare was found shot dead with a pea rifle in a paddock in the Oamaru district. She had a three-months-old foal at foot by a thoroughbred horse and was also in foal to an imported sire, so that the owner's loss is a very severe one. 'A draught horse was maimed by a pea-rifle a few days previously in the same locality. It is stated that a vegetable war is raging in Foxton between a European firm and one or two Chinese firms. The Europeans complain that their wily competitors have stated \o householders that the European firm will not be able to supply vegetables in winter, and that if the Chinese are not patronised they will hot serve the houselvjoldeus at that time who do not now buy from, them. A remarkable instance of the vitality of disease germs was afforded recently. A family cow was milked by a woman who had had an attaek of typhoid eight years ago. Result, every member of the family contracted the disease, and one died. It is shown that a resident of Taranaki, who is convalescent from typhoid contracted a number of years ago, is still liable to communicate the disease. —Exchange. Mr. Hogg, M.P., referring to a journey through a tunnel on the Rimutaka incline: "We chatted so pleasantly that we forgot to close the carriage door before entering the tunnel. I groped for the latch that held the door, but the smoke was thick and hot, and I was blinded. When I got out of that difficulty I felt parboiled and smoke-dried. I never had such a narrow escape from being converted into bacon!"

When on a trip Homo recently, a resident of Eketahuna witnessed sonic strange contrasts in his wanderings. There wen: evidences, almost side by side, of much wealth and extreme poverty. In London he saw horse-drawn 'busses and the modern electric trams running in the same thoroughfares. In the rural districts could be seen a man mowing grain with a scythe while in an adjacent field a motor plough was at work.

It is understod that the directors of the Kiinpokonui Dairy Company have decided ou the class of building to be erected as factory premises, which will be in concrete. A new feature in connection with local factories is that the cheese curing room will be underground, this being claimed to be a decided improvement on the insulation system. The directors recently visited a number of Taranaki factories to gain information as to plant and fixtures used, and have decided on their cheese, plant, but not as regards butter manufacturing appliances. Between 5000 and 0000 persons find their way into the New Zealand gaols each year, the average number in prison being about 1)00. "If." said Dr. Findlay in the course of an interview, "the new Act is administered as I believe it will be by the magistrates and judges, in the spirit of scientific criminology, there will no doubt be an increase in the number in the gaols nt the end of next year. The reason is that under the new Act n magistrate may add three years for reformative purposes to the determinate sentence, and a judge of the Supreme Court may add ten years. Thus it is highly probable that a large number of the 'floating criminal population' will be committed with a view to reform, and will not, as at present, be discharged at the expiration of their sentence, to commit frosh offences, and after a short space of freedom be committed to gaol again. To achieve good results, ■however, the Act requires time." Dr. Findlay said that lie quite recognised that the question of expense could not be overlooked, but if it resulted in the utlimatc reformation of thousands of people it would surely more than justify such an outlay.