LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 250, 28 February 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the local Police Court yesterday morning an inebriate (a first offender) was convicted and discharged. Mr. 11. F. Russell, J.P., was on the Bench. Owing to the late arrival of the Maheno at Auckland, from Sydney, the incoming Brindisi and Australian mails will not reach New Plymouth till tonight's express. , The Works Committee of the New Plymouth Borough Council has decided not to employ a working overseer at present, but the borough engineer has been authorised to engage an assistant for one month on trial. The irony of fate! During the recent fires a farmer on the Kent road opened his pig-stye and liberated his hogs to give them a fighting chance for their lives. One of the animals crawled into a hollow log and was roasted. The stye escaped the fire. The average age of the hippopotamus, a specimen of which was on view at the circus last week, is 20 years. The lion lives to 40 years, the bear to 20, ana the tiger and leopard t0 ; 25. The average age of the whale is somewhere between 100 and 200 years. Cuvier, an authority on the subject, asserted thav ■it is probable that some whales attain the age of 1000 years. A subscriber suggests that the New Plymouth Borough Council should invite Mr. Lysnar, Mayor of Gisborne, who has just returned from a visit to America, where he saw the Edison storage battery tramcars in operation, and had a long conversation with the great inventor himself, to come to New Plymouth, and give his views on the subject to local ratepayers. People who think they know, say that the Wanganui Band, which was piaced last in the second test piece at the recent Band contest, should at anyrate have been second on the list. The judge, however, thought differently, and he suggested that the Wanganui players had "lost their heads." Possibly they had—possibly they hadn't. At anyrate, the King's .Trumpeter is not being invited to inspect the scenic beauties of the Wanganui river.—Wairarapa Age.

The sections of the Ncwall road and Maori run submitted by the Public Trustee in November last, under conditions which were regarded as highly unattractive, and as such condemned in toto by the Farmers' Union, have all been disposed of, the original conditions not having been varied. There were eight sections, averaging 182 acres. Two were taken up at the time they were offered, and the others since. Another section of 120 acres, near Opunake, has also been disposed of. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Egmont Lodge, 1.0.0. F., M.U., was held last evening, Bro. C. A. Matheson, N.G., presiding. There was a fair attendance of members, and one candidate was initiated, visiting P.P.G.M. Bro. Roberts, of an English lodge, acting ns Lecture Master. One candidate was proposed for membership,. P.P.G.M. Ainsworth, P.G.'s Butler. Matheson, and Webster were appointed delegates to attend the district meeting at Hawera on Thursday next, March 2. The secretary was instructed to forward a letter of condolence to the relatives of the late Bro. C. W. Hursthouse. A meeting of shareholders of the Hurworth Co-operative Dairy Company was held at the office of the Liquidator, Mr. R. Peppered, on Saturday afternoon to receive the. final statement of the liquidator. The statement showed that each shareholder has received £1 4s 8d for each £1 share, partly in cash, and partly in fully-paid-up .shares in the Mangorei Co-operative Dairy Company. The following resolutions were carried: "That the liquidator's statement, as read, be approved," and "that a vote of thanks be given the liquidator for his satisfactory winding up of the company and for the manner in which lie has served the shareholders' interests."

A bush settler a few miles north of Uruti recently liad a rather exciting experience with a wild boar, an outcast or "lone-hander," that occasionally is met with in the country roamed over by wild pigs. He came across the "Captain Cooker" whilst on his horse. Fearing that the pig, which look up a menacing attitude, would injure his mount, he jumped off and made for a tree, but it was hardly strong enough to bear his weight, and down he came, very close to the pig, which, fortunately, was temporarily frightened by the thud of the broken tree. The settler, somewhat badly shaken up, hit out for a neighboring stump, the pig after him. He reached a point out of harm's way. and then drew his revolver and began peppering his antagonist. He might have saved his cartridges, for all the effect the bullets had upon the abnormal "poaku," who did sentry duty around the stump for nearly three hours afterwards. The settler was glad when the pig turned his hack upon him and he was :ible to catch his horse and leave the locality.

The bursting of the Kent Terrace culvert in Wellington takes old colonist's back to ancient days, for the "culvert" carries a creek that formerly ran through the capital city's Basin Reserve, dribbled by devious routes through the toi toi swamp that is now Kent Terrace, and so found its way to the sea. Wellington Basin Reserve was, in the early days, a swamp, and it was reserved for the making of a shipping dock, although it is three-quarter* of a mile from the centre of the city and the sea. The nearest street is'called "Dock street," emphasising this point. In the early days Wellington's important citizens used to cha»e a cricket ball among the rushes that covered what is now the people's chief playground. These citizens used to flup into the creek that is now asked to run underground, but which has lately burst its hounds. When the electric car service went to Wellington, it was necessary to control the underground creek, and so Wellington carefully confined it in concrete corsets, piled two hundred ton* of railway iron on it, placed ironbark blocks on top, and ran the trams over it. The creek has insolently burst out of ils ancient bed, through concrete, iron, ami wood-blocks —and nature frequently shows what a puerile thing man's engineering efforts arc.

The Stratford Post understands that there are upwards of sixty applications in hand for the position of town clerk. : Mr. Newton King shipped seven head of pedigree Holstein cattle by the Rarawa last night for exhibition at the Waikato show. A valuable coach horse died at Stratford through being too liberally fea when in an over-heated condition, which is a too common, but dangerous practice. It is estimated that 20,1)00 acres of bush have been felled in the Te Kuiti district during the past season. The greater part of this area has been burned, and many are already sowing their seeil. A line of four hundred cattle purchased in the Waikato by Mr. Fox Rogers, and intended for the Stratford district, are now on the road, it being intended to get tfiem through by Tuesday next Waitara Mail.

Pheasants and quail are reported to be plentiful in the bush country at the back of Tongaporutu and Uruti. This bush has served as a sanctuary for game for many years, but the advance of the pioneer will no doubt disturb them and have the cfl'eet of driving them to less frequented haunts. On January 31 an Eltham party was on the top of Egmont. As far as the eye could reach, nothing was to he seen but bank upon bank of thick clouds, save for one point, far away in the distance, the summit of Ruapehu. Last week one of the party was in Hawkc's Bay. Picking up the Herald he read that on January 31 a party was oh Mount Ruapehu at almost the same hour as his own party. The only point they could see was the summit of Egmon^"?-Star. The Blenheim rowing enthusiasts who came across in the launch Crescent were in a great hurry to return home on Saturday, says a Wanganui paper. A terrific gale was blowing at the Heads at the time, but, ignoring the conditions of the elements and Captain Mclntyre's advice and warnings, they crossed the bar at 7 p.m. A little while in an oil launch on a much troubled South Taranaki bight made the men realise their position, and the smoother water of the river;: was fortunately safely reached at half-past seven. A mean theft. An elderly resident of Petone spends hjs leisure hours cultivating a small area of ground at Alicctown —the section is likely enough one of the best tended gardens in the district. The other day, as the resident in question was engaged on his land, a message reached him to come at once to the death-bed of a near- and dear relative. He hastened to obey the summons, leaving a portion of his garnered crop of opiniohs on the ground. When he returned it Has to discover that a large portion of the crop had been removed.— Petone Chronicle. The Ohura Valley has been making rapid strides (says a contemporary). It was only settled eight years ago, and some excellent work has been done. The number of sheep is estimated now at 100,000, and cattle at 6000. About 1500 bales of wool have left the district this season. Dairying has also been advancing steadily, and already there are two factories operating, one at Niho Niho and the other at Matiere. The formed one hopes to have an output of 40 4 tons for the season, and if realised wijl be sis tons in advance of last year. A number of settlers are making a lot of separator butter, and it is estimated that a ton a week is being put through the various stores, the greater part of which is being put on the outside market.

On Saturday a laborer residing at Whangamomona, named Eli- Whitley, received" from Mr. J. McCluggage, Whangamomona, a letter to Mr. l'enn (secretary of the Hospital Board), asking that he be admitted to the Hospital, as he had been, ill at Whangamomona for ten days, during which time he had had no medical attendance (says the Post). Whiteley appears to have delayed his visit to the Hospital, and when he arrived there in a cab he was refused admission, the matron being of opinion that he was too much under the influ-1 enee of liquor to be allowed in the institution. Thereafter nothing is at present known as to .his movements; but on Sunday evening the police were informed that a man was lyinw on the road leading to the ford just below the Domain. Constable Bleasel at once proceeded to the spot, and found the man to be Whitley. He was removed to the Hospital, but all efforts to bring him round failed, and he died about one o'clock on Monday morning, •The citizens' send-off to Sir Josepjh Ward in the Garrison Hall, Dunedin, where so many similar functions have been held, was perfect as regards the inspiriting demonstration of the people's good-will toward their Prime Minister, says the Star. When the descendants of the Homeland unbend the welkin rings with fervor. There was not a single jarring note; all was harmony. The function was high above politics and the achievements of parties. The ruling spirit was Imperalistie. The talk was not of "How much we have done for the people," but was rather "What shall we do for ourselves and kindred?" As a mere spectacle the send-off was something to remember; as a farewell to a nation's ambassador it was inspiriting. The hall was filled to the doors, and pleasing decorations lent a brightness. The platform was set about with flowers, evergreens, and pot plants. The stage and stairway were carpeted. In the background there was the symbol of Imperial unity, that Hag of freedom and progress—the Union Jack. Above the platform, in staring letters, was: '•Welcome! God-speed, and safe return." Asked by a representative of the Waikftto Times to give an opinion on the possibilities of the alteration to boundaries, Mr. W. T. .Jemima, M.P., speaking feelingly, replied that with the extensive area of the past three vears he would be very .-lad if some of the ends of his electorate, which is built of \'apier, Wellington and Taranaki districts, were cut off mid given t„ someone who was more comfortablv situated, lie was quite satisfied that as far as the Tannmrunui electorate was concerned there had been a considerable increase in the population withi,, the past live years, and thought this rouM \ n , demonstrated •v tiw fact, that prior, at anv rate, to the asl election there were quite 3000 P<'"Ple in the northern and southern boundaries of the North [stand Main Hunk line, a great majoritv of whom are now away, yet there has been an extraordinary development „< population •I'd bona fide settlement are concerned ">c conjectures that are now freely made in regard to Taumarunui or the lung Country electorate are premises nhii-Ii can only be settled by the takinof the census and the decision of the Hounrtary Commissioners. ' I