LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 280, 18 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The I'loiir Millets' Association has decided to increase the price of Hour by IDs per ton from to-day. The sheep-gue»rin<j competition in connection with the East Knd Committee resulted iu Mr. Haskell winning the prize. Seven competitors tied and Mr. Haskell won the draw.

A charge of non-attendance was preferred against A AY. Morey in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, but was withdrawn upon it being explained that the defendant had left for the Territorial Camp at Oringi. There were only five applicants for 4 sections in the Spotswood settlement at a ballot held at the Land Bard otliee yesterday. Section 70 went to Mrs. Nellie lirosnan. section 74 to Wm. Quick - fiill and sections 107 and 27 to L. I. Reed.

An application was made for exemp; tion from attendance at the Assessment | Court yesterday morning by Major F. T. Bellringer, who explained that lie was an officer in the Territorials, and on this account asked the Court to grant lion leave of absence. He stated that he would make such arrangements that any information which was required from ]iis department would bo forthcoming asked for. Ilis application was granted. fTlie new tirebcll at lnglcwood justified its existence at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning by clanging out a call to the brigade. The reel was speedily on its way to the tire, which turned out to be a chimney in the Coffee Palace buildings, and was easily disposed of,' leaving the disappointed small boys and lovers of a blaze to disperse with the conviction that there is no faith in fire bells not even new ones.—(Own correspondent.) The efficacy of spraying potatoes with the Bordeaux Mixture has been amply demonstrated by the result of an experiment conducted by tjie Government expert at the, garden plots of the Milton district high school, states the "Otago Daily Times." In February, wlueli must be considered as rather late to spray, two of six plots of growing potatoes were treated with the mixture, and while the. tubers so dealt with have returned good crops, the remaining four plots were attacked with the potato blight and have proved fl n absolute failure.

An enlarged photograph of Sir Joseph Wanl was presented to the officers of H.M.S. New Zealand yesterday on behalf of the citizens of various parts of the Dominion. The Mayor, Mr. McLaren, made the presentation. Captain Halsey, ill responding, made felicitous references to the magnificence of the Dominion's action .in presenting a warship to the British fleet at a time when it was sorely needed, and the effect of that notable fiction on other nations, who might later be Britain's enemies/ It' showed them that in .appeal to arms they would have to meet not Great Britain only, btft the Greater Britain of which New Zealand was a part.—Press Association.

Another story of the tragic Scott expedition has it that certain members of the expedition .held that the, keep, disappointment of Petty-officer Evans, on finding that the party had been forestalled in its discovery of the Pole was n. contributory cause to his illness and death and the resulting disaster to the whole party. The other members apparently were able to take the matter quite philosophically "as part of the game," and felt only generous appreciation of Amundsen's splendid achievement, but Petty-officer Evans took" the disappointment very hardly, and his depression of spirit would no doubt make it much more, difficult for him to face the terrible hardships of the return journey.

A meeting of the East End Bathing Committee was held last evening', and was presided over by the chairman, -Mr, F. ('. .1. lVllringer. There was a good attendance. Messrs. Sanderson and Griffiths, architects, were authorised to call for tenders fur the erection of the pavilion. The. following were elected as it building committee:—Messrs. Rcvell, Gunson. C. Hammond, Fitzsimmons, Flannagan, P. Roulton. and (1 ninths, with the secretary and chairman. It was resolved that the New Plymouth. Borough Council be thanked for their generous donation to the committee. The matter of removing the fence on the railway reserve and also the rustic seats was left to Mr. .T. Buttimoro to attend to. The meeting then adjourned till next Thursday evening.

Indignation is certainly not the most prominent feature of the following letter, written by a Chinaman in Rarotonga to a New Zealand fruit merchant:— "We received yours llith inst. when we read your letters and your account sales. You letters make me sick. Also the account sales. Many years I been start to shipped fruit to New Zealand. I never saw any agent or fruit merchant like yours. Remember the 39 eases of bananas. The whole expenses cost me £7 Ids. What you think that. I lost. It is,no good for me. Well think von can get this lost Of ine. But we read all about yo2r letters.- We know all about write to me and I don't believe what you sav about the boat and you sold Ss per ease. I htiv this fruit here for f.o.b. 4s per cfi'Se:; It is no good for me." •' I >i it ) , ....

An amusing story of a police blunder was told recently m St. Petersburg. M. Valdimir.off. a student at tie St. Petersburg University, is a sou ol a prominent and zealous officer of political police and « pillar of the Government's League of Students, an organisation of a very conservative character. Yourfg Vladimiroff was returning from the country one day and in the train he mnde the nerniaiiitanre of a charming girl who received his attentions with marked favour. When she blushinglv presented him with a red rose, he placed it in his coat and vowed to pursue the quicklymade friendship. H e was too much occupied with pleasant thoughts to notice that a group of alert men closed round him as soon as he alighted on the platform at St. Petersburg, but directlv lie •Climbed into a -all a stiver s-.,t dnn-„ beside him and remarked abruptly. "To the police station." Valdimiroff kicked tne intruder into the roadway without a moment's hesitation, and immediately the air was filled with the shrill sound of police whistles. The voitng man was seized violently, hurled to the ground, bound hand and foot and conveyed to the police headquarters, where he :nipeared in a damaged condition before his own father two hours Inter. Then it was explained that the no]ice had learned through one of their spies that a famous revolutionary would reach St. Petersburg thai, day and would wear a red rose.

It was a fearful shock to see His look of pain and misery; His cough, it made the houses quake; His wife, she wept disconsolate. His children joined the mournful throng, And said: "We won't, have father long." But all is changed, his life's secure— He's taking. 'Woods* Great Peppermint Cure. Ift

Auckland has exported 320,358 boXM. of butter this season, as against 286,080' last season. '

One hundred children from the Tlawert , District High School, and twenty from the Hawcra Convent School left fof Wellington yesterday morning to visit the battleship New Zealand. The Stratford Co-operative Dairy Company pays out 011 Saturday next C 0072 for March milk, Xgaire distributes C 2717 among its suppliers, and Cardiff and Lowgartli Cl7lß and £11)82 respectively.—Post. The Eltham County Council has resolved: ''That tollgate fees to the amount of £2 14s incurred by the motor ears 011 the occasion of the visit of the Hon. Y\ r . F. Mnssey and the Hon. W. i'raser, lie paid by the Council." A brewer's drayman who went into a hospital in Berlin suffering from acute abdominal pains was examined by Rontgen rays, which revealed the presence of a foreign body at. the seat of the din-, order. An incision brought to light a pair of artery forceps, which must have been left behind at one of two previousoperations, carried out respectively ■even and three years ago. For at least the shorter period the man had been following his strenuous occupation with this instrument in his abdominal cavity. Many farmers and produce merchants would be much happier than they are nt present if there were this year a recurrence of the Australian demand last year for New Zealand potatoes (remarks the Dunedin "Star"). The best price locally is £5 10s per ton, while the average l rate in Sydney is ifl, leaving a fair margin of profit to growers ancT shippers. But there is no indication of the withdrawal of tlui Commonwealth's stiff regulations as to the importation of New Zealand potatoes. Meanwhile, farmers are holding on to their yields, hoping for an Australian demand. If it docs not come, says a merchant, there will not be many motor-cars bought year.

The Pukekura Park Board, in making their annual appeal, rely confidently upon the support of the public. The response last year was so satisfactory that a great weight was lifted from the shoulders of the members, and they felt encouraged to proceed. However,, a year has passed, and not only lias all the money subscnoed, together with the ordinary revenue of the Board, been expended, but the Board hjis had to borrow from their bank, and are now much overdrawn. Under tliis condition no new work can be attempted, and it will be difficult to keep the grounds in order without the subscriptions now asked for. The work of the collectors would be facilitated if those intending to subscribe would have ready the amount of their donations.