LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 24, 22 July 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In our report of the West End School concert in yesterday's issue iwe omitted, to mention the accompanist (Miss DowJing), whose playing came in for much praise. The Stratford County Council has resolved not to support the proposed alteration in the running of the early morning train from Hawera to New Plymouth,

The sheep-guessing competition at the poultry show was won by L. Holmes, of Bell Block (98y,1b.), and C. W. Waldoek was second (99'7 2 1b.). The exact weight of the sheep was 981b. National Prohibition will not be earriedl this year and Stars will not beat Clifton next Thursday were two of the answers given by the spirit ball at Nicola's entertainment last night. Legal argument in the civil case of Leonard Agis, nigbt-porter, v. Walter Little, proprietor of the Imperial Hotel, Neiw Plymouth, a claim for £5 16s 3d, payment for 155 hours' overtime at ninepence per hour, was heard by Mr. H. S. Fitzherbert, S.M. yesterday. The magistrate reserved, liis decision. Hares aire very plentiful in some parts of Taranaki, and with/ the present shortage of pasture are making inroads into the carrot, mangold and other crops. In the Midhirst district a few days ago a farmer decided on a shooting expedition to thin out the pest. Three grins were employed, and for one hour's shooting in one padidock 32 hares were bagged. There Is every prospect of an early season this year, as the milk supply ia already on the increase. The Mangorei Dairy Company finds it necessary to resume running the Albert road creamery, which hafl been closed for a month, to-day, as so many cows have already commenced milking. At present Mangorei is turning out eleven boxes of butter every alternate day. The recent frosts in Taranaki have without doubt been of gTeat value in destroying a vast number of germs, parasitic life amd grube that have, owing to the mild autuimn and winter, infested the pastures. The frosts have, however, arrived 1 late, nnd many farmers will be hard pushed to make the winter fodder last until the isprintf (flush »f grass comes. There has been practically no rough weather yet to speak of, and should August and Septemilrer be as wet, cold and boisterous as usual, dairymen whose herds are coming early to profit will be very short of feed. The Harbor Board yesterday agreed to allow the Taranaki Producers' Freezing Works Compa-ny to remove 150 yards of gravel from the l»each for the purpose of laying the foundation of ail extension of the works for the .purpose of providing for the development of the portv export trade from. South Taranaki. In connection with this it is worth noting that the shrewd fairmers of South Taranaki are endeavoring to work the pork and bacon industry by the co-operation of the co-operative dajry companies, and that many of them are looking to New Plymouth as their port of shipment in view of the recent big development here. C. S. Rennell, secretary to the J<ew Plymouth Harbor Board, presented an interesting return yesterday of the comparative cost of elections- of members under the present and previous systems. _ The present system entailed the following expense:—Eltluiin County Council, £5!) 3a (id; Taranaki County Council, £92 7s. (id; New Plymouth Borough Council, £43 4s Id; Stratford County Council. £8 Os 3d: Stratford Borough Council, £ll 7s fid; Waimate West County Council, £l9 15s 3d- a total of £233 18s Id. The cost of 'the previous six elections was £577 7s, the average for «ich election bmn« t'9(i 4s Cd.

Sheep fanners in South Tnranaki have J been annoyed considerably of late by dogs worrying the sheep. The canine's usually do the hunting at night time, and prefer a moonlight evening. One farmer, whose property is close to a Maori pah, had several valuable ewes done to death, ajid with vengeance in his heart declared annihilation to the mongrels. He carved into joints one of <tho worried sheep a.nd after poisoning the moat strewed it along the boundary fence. In a day or two the joints had disappeared, and there were something over twenty dogs to ]>e interred around' the native villages. Tn addition •to these, five or six dogs were outdistanced ami given their quietus bv a charge of buckshot from a fowling piece. The Park Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club's social last night was the most successful function of tho year. The todies' committee must Ih> congratulated on its success. -Mrs. George's' orchestra provided tho music, and Messrs. Trilx! and Staples were M.C.'s." Miss H. L. Ainsworth, the secretary, worked really hard, and her efforts and flmse of the committee were fullv rewarded by tho enjoyment of the. 150 people present;. The .supper arrangements wre a revelation to many, the management obviating the rush and Im.stle bv a pre-arranged plan, so that overv one was refreshed in coniifort. Miss O. Buckman and Messrs. R. IT. .Toh n «ton and R Bary favored the club with some splemlidlv sung items, which were nil heartily aiiplnuded. ' I

A mooting of the Ta.ran.iki Provincial Executive of the New Zealand. Farmera' Union was> held* on Thursday. Pros'ont: Messrs-. ,T. W. .Tone; (president), Virgin, Voullaire. Lambie , Cleavor.' Davidson, Dunn. Rogers, Forsyth. Swindlohurst. Thomson (treasurer)", and Sim (provincial soeretarv). Leave of absence was granted Messrs. Hunter, Maxweill. Preeco, SwadJing, Mnrlield, and Williams, Some time was .spent in committee discussing the financial -position. iin<l in open meeting it wa= reported that a resolution had been parsed asking the Various branches for assis'i-nee. The remainder of the business tranwieted was puirelv of a formal nature, and included consideration of the agenda paper, comprising 132 remits, for the Dominion Conference, to be opened in Wellington next wo"k. The executive's deletes will be Mes-irs. J. W. ,Tones (president) and K. Maxwell.

Business men wanting billheads, letterheads. or anr other description of printing. cannot be b«Uer served, in price, oualitv or despatch, than bv the Daily News Printery. Try as. Call, ring up, or write.

The building in Eketahuna known as Hie Railway Hotel was sold last week for £450.

Four half-sovereigns were found in the unsold piece of cheese left over from (lie Palmerston winter show. The oldest coalmine in New Zealand is that at Motiipipo, Kelson, coal from which was being sold in Wellington in 1848 at 25s a ton. That mine was being worked so long back as 1843. The Brunner seam was discovered in 1848.

Mr. Johansen, a prospector, reports having discovered gold in a reef near Pigeon Bush, Lower Wairarapa, and is confident that the find is a valuable one. The merits of the discovery will be determined at an early date.

Libel appears to be in the air just now. Instructed by Mr, C. R. Wilson, of Hastings, Messrs Dohui and Ferguson, solicitors, have issued a writ claiming £SOO damages from the Bay of Plenty Times for alleged libel.

It seems that Australia will have none of New Zealand potatoes. A merchant states that -the objection is said to be due to a scare of disease, but gives it as his opinion that it is a matter of retaliation against New Zealand's refusal to admit Australian potatoes free of duty. He mentioned that whereas potatoes only realise from £3 to £4 per ton in New Zealand they would, if al« lowed entry, fetch from £0 to £7 in Australia at the present time. A meeting of farmers and other interested in the co-operative handling and marketing of pigs was held at Manaia on Tuesday afternoon (reports the Star). There was an attendance of about 40, and after hearing an address by Mr. Powdrell, who presided, and discussing the matter at some length, a committee, consisting of four representatives from each of the dairy factories—Joll's, Kaupokonui, Hawera and Riverdale—was appointed to meet at Hawera on Tuesday next at 11 a.m. to prepare some definite scheme with which they would all be in agreement. French scientists are dong useful work in demonstrating the necessity for and the efficacy of disinfecting places of public entertainment. The modus operandi is by means of sawdust steeped in antiseptics, keeping windows and doors wide open in the intervals between the performances, sponging the cushioned seats with antiseptics, the cloak-room attendants to be medically inspected from time to time, and the air of the building to be sterilised once a week by means of steam charged with formaldehyde.

A caso at tlie Central Summons Court in Sydney threw a sombre light on' the manner in winch the pawnshop is used as a medium for procuring ready money in the domestic circle. A l'yrmont pawnbroker was proceeded against for accepting a <pl®dge from a child under tflie age of (fourteen years. It was admitted that the child oarne to the shop with a note and a suit of clothes; and that money was advanced. The broker gave itihrce excuses by way of justification or palliation. First, lie knew the child well; second 1 , lie knew the writing in the note well; third, he knew tile suit of clothes very well. The suit was a periodic visitor. The fine was £3, in default three weeks' imprisonment. The following is an extract from a letter received by a Taranaki gentleman from a friend:—•'! put in fifteen months on the Cheviot railway line. These cooperative work* are not as bad as Mr. Massey and his supporters would have one believe. A man ia paid by results. He makes his own pace, and any good worker can make good wages. Most of my time in Cheviot was occupied in plate-laving and concrete bridge and culvert work. I consider the man who consistently follows up these co-operative works is the best type of workman in New Zealand. I found cleaner and more .true-hearted men 011 these works than a lot of those people who go about with n. high collar and condemn the cooperative system. I am now employed at the Otira tunnel sait wages never less than £3 5s per week; have a lot of overtime, and frequently make ]ss per day. I have practically special work to perform; attending electrical concrete mixers and the making of all the cement bloete for lining the tunnel. Otira is an outlandish place in the Southern Alps, surrounded by snowpeaked mountains."

'Montreal is agitated ovor the »i.tu&tion in the liquor trade. Hitherto the bars iliave been allowed to remain open until midnight .six iluys in t.he week. A ; new law fixes the closing lwiir at eleven five nights in the week and at seven on Saturday. In consequence of this shortening of the hours, the hotelkeepere of Montreal have given notice that the price of liquor per glass will lie increased j from 10 cents to 15 cents. The reason for this addition of 50 per cent to the price of drinks is plainly statin]. The dealers -hy that if another ten hours per week had been cut off it would have made less difference, "but the new rule mil m«ui that the very times when we have a chance to make profits we shall have to stay closed." The natural result is that 'the consumer will have to pay. The .statement tluat Saturday evening and the hour before midnight on other daiys. is the time when there is most drinking is regarded by at least three Montreal journals as a vindication of the regulation. The conclusion appears to be that on the whole it will be better for the people of Montreal to pay the extra price and drink less liquor. It is necessary for the New Plymouth Harl>or Board's new dredge "Paritutu" to go on the slips at Wellington for annual overhaul, and a penalty of £SO a day can be imposed for every day on which the vessel is worked without the certificate of the Marine Department. The Board has endeavored to obtain from the Minister of Marine a permit to work the vessel until January next, and has reported to the Minister the excellent condition of the vessel's hull, as certified by the Board's diver. The report had not come to hand yesterday, and the Board discussed whether or not the vessel should be insured, in the event of her going to Wellington during the coming month. The Board was more inclined to insure the vessel than t'ie risk itself, hut there was no definite information as to whether or not the insurance could be efTectc<l. One company had declined the risk, another company did not take such business, and now another had been approached. In the eveiil <>f it being found impossibJe to obtain insurance, a special meeting of the Board will he held if it is necessary to send the ves.-el to Wellington.

INFLUENZA RAGING. WET FEET | Often result in a heavy oold, neglect of which means pneumonia or consumption. A positive preventative of these ills is Dr. Sheldon's New Discovery for Coughs and Colds. Small dose. Pleasant to take. P-iees, Is (Id and 3". Obtainable rvwhero. NEWS FROM SEA LAKE VIC. We are indebted to Mr Dan O'Connor, for the following leter: "Last winter my son and I were attacked with dreadful colde. My boy was so bad he could not attend school. I decided to give Chamlberlain's Cough Remedy a trial, and it was highly mcessfnl. My cold was cured in one night, and I feel mighty grateful to know that such a Cough Remedy as Chamberlain's can be purchased at such a reasonable price. Sold by all chemists and storekeepers.