LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 16, 19 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wethers from the Opotiki district, in Poverty Bay, realised from IDs to 22s 3d at a recent Auckland sale. There must have been malice in the heart of the southern compositor who described the New Zealand as "our bottleship." The Town Clerk requires owners for two cloth overcoats , and one small wicker luncheon basket with contents left at Moturoa on Tuesday. A further sum of £2o has been granted by the Now Plymouth Harbor Board to the Harbormaster for the purpose of planting sand grass on the western side of the Breakwater. It was not Detective Boddam who laid the information against two men charged on Monday with shooting native pigeons. The arresting policemen were Constables O'Neill and I. McLean.

The growth of the drum and fife band movement in Auckland may he gathered from the fact that there are now no fewer than seventeen schoolboys' bands, with a membership of not less than 850.

It is proposed to hold a re-union at a convenient centre of the surviving members of the 43rd Regiment, on the fiftieth anniversary of their landing in New Zealand, December 11th. Mr. G. A. Adlam, of Oakura, invites survivors to communicate with him.

The immigrants are making their preference felt in the domestic help direction. A local lady advertised in the "News" not long ago, for a servant. Next day she received eight replies. Judging by the number of "Situation Wanteds" in the Auckland papers, the experience is not confined to Taranaki. For the first time for twenty-one years the New Plymouth Hosiptal and Charitable Aid Board's meeting was faced with having to lapse for want of a quorum. In the morning one member was required to allow the meeting to be held, but in the afternoon another member arrived, and the Board was then able to proceed.

During the six weeks ending June 14, 30 ships of an aggregate tonnage of 33,303 tons worked the port of New Plymouth inwards, and 38 ships of 33,207 tons outwards. Imports amounted to 8405 tons, of which 1G77 tons were coal, 1137 tons for private use, and 540 tons for the Railway Department). The amount of produce and sundries exported was 1222 tons, making a total of 9207 tons handled.

At the meeting of the Harbor Board this week, Mr. V. Henderson, Superintendent of Works, reported that during the month the Paritutu had dredged with the buckets on 23 days, the net time being 202 hours, and 54 loads, equal to 12,000 tons, were removed. Sixteen days of the above time were occupied in deepening the approach to the west side of the whav'", and 7 days at the 33ft depth on the cast side. Six days were lost through wet weather. At the last meeting of the Harbor Board, the Harbor Master stated that he had recently taken soundings and found that the' approach to the wharf in some places showed deeper water than when he last reported. Owing to one or two heavy gales, sand banks inside t'ne Breakwater had increased, and lie suggested that the Paritutu should be started on it at once with the sand pump, as this would soon remove it. The Board decided to adopt the recommendation.

Undesirable immigrants were the subject of a short discussion at the meeting of the New Plymouth Hospital anil Charitable Aid Board yeesterday, a member remarking that though for years past the Government had legislated against the arrival of such persons, only the fringe of the evil had been touched. The chairman stated that the matter was a very serious one. Only recently they had had to refuse a Hawe'ra patient admittance to the annexe, yet that institution contained many persons who were recent arrivals from the Old Country.

The local Maoris were intensely interested in the warship on Tuesday. But one old rangitira, who had been prevailed upon, evidently against his will, to go along to Moturoa, did not enthuse. "That poller," he declared, 'ho no good. Ti wakanui o ti Maori (the Maori canoe) beat him epery time. Ti old Maori peat him." He grew very excited, and soon had a big crowd around him. The statements of his more up-to-date brethren failed to convince him that H.M.S. New Zealand could have had a chance with the old war canoes that used to be so numerous in the vicinity of the historical spot at Moturoa off which the leviathan was then anchored.

A little girl, barely five years of ag.\, was very nearly killed yesterday afternoon, as the result of'being rim over by a motor car. The accident ocurred outside the West End School, and the child, who is a daughter of Mr. Blant'luird of that locality, was crossing the street to her home, when a ear driven by a Maori, came into sight. The motor was proceeding verv leisurely ink the un'ortunate liUle girl became coniu-d, hesitated, and one of the lamps .if il.p vehicle struck her on the c',-,est, and knocked her under ,lie car. the •■\\ [ ,;-<s of which just gr.i.td : ier ;>\ as t lie heavy motor passed over h« r body. One ot the witnesses of the accident was the ehids mother. P.ys(anuers were horrified, and none expected to see the little girl alive again. The motorist, upon whom no blame could be laid, immediately summoned medical aid, when i( was found (hat the youngster was not seriously injured, but was suffering from bruises, cuts, and severe shock? Dr McCleland attended the patient who was on latest advices, progressing favorably. °

Over the leader, in to-day's issue, will be found an advertisement relating to Byers' high class London-made pianos, which were shown at the recent Winter Show, and created so much interest. They are thirty per cent, cheaper than the foreign makes and are superior to them in every way. A model may be seen at the Hygienic Tea Booms, where information may be obtained. Mr. John (rilmour, of Mann hi, is the provincial agent.

Brinsmead Pianos are maintaining the high reputation that they have attained throughout the world. The local agents. Messrs. 11. ("oilier and Co., have during the past ten days, placed a Briiiv niead piano in each of the following halls:—Patea. Opera House. Ing'ewood Parish Mall, Te Kiri Hall, and Franklev

On a recent evening a country resident left his motor car on the Marine Parade, Napier. When lie returned 45 minutes later the car was not to he found. Next morning it was discovered {in Clive Square, and the meter showed that it had travelled 40 miles.

In the course of a few weeks a draft of 40 good-conduct prisoners from various gaols in the Dominion will be sent to Wakeira prison farm, near Te Kuiti, where they will he employed in useful outdoor work, which will be of practical value to them upon re-entering the world.

It is not often that a message from the sea.is so promptly delivered as the following, which reads: "June (i, l!)i:i. S.S. Kapuni. Left Patea for Wellington." The message was picked up on the 7th inst. on the Gtstlecliff beach, having come ashore in a bottle redolent of strong ale. When the chairman of the New Plymouth Hospital Hoard visited the Dreadnought on Tuesday, he took speical interest in the hospital arrangements on the big ship. "I was very disappointed," he said at the meeting of the Hospital Board yesterday. ''The arrangements were not at all up-to-date. If the ship ever went into action, the wounded would have a very poor show. . There was hardly any room at all." No fewer than forty-five land agents arc registered in Hamilton under the new Act. As it is only necessary for one agent in a firm to register, and as the majority of firms consist of more than one member, there must be somewhere in the vicinity of 100 agents practising in Hamilton at the present time. When a further application for a license was made at the Hamilton Court on Monday. Mr. Rawson, S.M., remarked that there must be money in the game, the way men were rushing it. Should the rumor at present being circulated in Kaitangata that a thick scam of coal has been discovered in the Catlins bush be substantiated by fact (says the Kaitangata correspondent of the Clutha Leader) that fact will be viewed with general satisfaction by coal miners, not only at Kaitangata, but throughout the whole of Otago. It is stated that a bushrnan, whilst engaged in hauling logs down a slight incline in the bush, was rather astonished to find that the log dislodged from the face of the incline a large lump of coal which had come off a seam of coal showing upon the surface.

The construction of the Otira tunnel is still being carried on by the Public Works Department on the day labor system. The specifications which arc required for the completion of the work have not yet been got ready, and may not be available for some time. One feature of the present position, the Minister for Public Works remarked,to a reporter, is that the Department is obtaining a quantity of data, which will be a valuable guide when it comes determining whether a tender should be accepted or not. The work has been carried on under the present arrangement of day labor under the direct supervision of the Department for nearly six 'months, and for thepreceding six months operations were continued by the late contractors, on behalf of the Government. The Public Works Department is therefore in possession of full information as to cost and other details of the work during a period of twelve months. The 'Minister is unable to sav, meantime, when tenders are likely to' be called for the completion of the tunnel.

Dealing with the question of the Speak'•sliip rendered vacant bv the death of -r Arthur Guinness, tlie'Auckland Star • vs: "The name of Mr. Fraser was menf''iiied in connection with the Speaker's '•hair on a previous occasion, and it was generally conceded at the time that if anyone in the House possessed the qualifications necessary to succeed Sir Arthur Guinness with success, it was the member for Wakatipu. Mr. Fraser is now 73 years of age, and the demands of such a portfolio as that of Public Works on the physical resources of a man of his age must be particularly severe, no matter how capable his qualifications. It is also well-known that a considerable amount of chagrin was felt by the Tarnnaki section of the present Government's supporters when they were left out at the time ..the Cabinet portfolios were made, so that the situation which has now arisen may afford an opportunity of settling satisfactorily several little domestic differences in the ranks of tli.« Reformers. Should Mr. Fraser be ultimately chosen for the Speaker's chair, it is within reason to suppose that his seat m the Cabinet would go to Taranaki, and Mr. Nine seems to be the man most likely among the two or three aspirants."