LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Andrew Smith’s property at the corner of Liardet and Courtenay Streets was offered for sale by auction by Messrs. L. A. Nolan and Co. yesterday, The bidding was not very spirited, and the property was finally passed in at £3OOO.

The cabbage trees all over Taranaki are now out in profuse bloom. The Maoris claim that it is an indication of a dry and lengthy summer. If the weather of the last two days is any criterion the Maoris may be right this time.

Stoats and weasels are again causing losses amongst suburban poultry yards. A stoat was seen the other day up a tree attacking a bird’s nest, evidently with the idea of taking the eggs. Unfortunately it got away before the observer could secure a weapon. The new steam shovel recently purchased by the New Plymouth Harbor Board and landed from the Port Denison last week, is expected to be put m commission at the Paritutu quarry by the end of next week. The work ot assembling the machinery is being done by the Harbor Board staff. The chief postmaster at New Plymouth has notified the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce that the WaitaraAwakino line is being relieved by making Urenui a Morse office, and that a little later it is hoped to bring all Uruti telephonic messages through Urenui, thus relieving the pressure. The To Awamutu Chamber of Commerce has adopted proposals for the creation of a Trade Expansion League to promote the greater commercial development of Te Awamutu. The league is to consist of three representatives from the Borough Council, Chamber of Commerce, Power Board, and A. and P. Association. The primary object of the league will be to investigate activity and to endeavor to attract the necessary capital and enterprise. The presence in the New Plymouth Court of several spectators when Charles Goodall appeared yesterday morning to ■answer three charges of indecent exposure led Detective-Sergeant Cooney to suggest to the magistrate (Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M.), that the court should be cleared while the women witnesses were giving their evidence. “I don’t think an order should be made,” saiu His Worship, “but all gentlemen A word to the wise was sufficient, and the spectators’ benches in the rear of the court were speedily emptied. The danger of cattletick being introduced into Taranaki was stressed by a speaker at yesterday’s meeting of the general committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, whose remarks were inspired by a sub-leader which appeared in Wednesday's Daily News. He thought that inquiries should be made into the complaint made in that article, as it was too serious a matter to be passed over. Other members concurred in this view, and it was decided to post a copy of the paper containing the article to the Director of Agriculture (Dr. Reakes), with a request that the complaint be investigated.

The work in connection with the new timber wharf at New Plymouth has been advanced another stage. The locality has been dredged to 33 fee* l.w.s.t. and, taking advantage of the present fine weather the authorities have had several test piles driven. The dredge Paritutu has been moored on the line of the new wharf, and by means of driving equipment placed on board three test piles have been sunk during the last two days. The results, it is understood, have been exceedingly satisfactory, and in a very short time more tangible evidence of the progress of the port should be seen. Recently the Union Steam Ship Company advised that the rates of freight from Singapore to New Zealand outports had been increased. To New Plymouth the rate was 132 s per ton against 80s to the main ports. As the increase affected articles like sago, tapioca, etc., the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce took up the matter with the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. The latter macle representations to the Union Company, which cabled Singapore, when it was discovered a mistake had been made, the rate to New Plymouth being 110 s 6d, less a deferred rebate of 20 per cent. The difference amounts to a substantial amount in the course of a year. Last summer the Inglewood County Council renewed the main road in the vicinity of the Maketawa factory. A» showing how roads that carry heavy traffic deteriorate unless tar-sealed, this piece, though down less than a year, is cracking up badly and developing potholes. The county council is taking no chances, however, with the piece between Egmont Village and the township, for it is being tar-sealed. The intention is to seal the whole of the main road. The Taranaki county is renewing the road between Mangorei factory towards Egmont Village, and propose to far-seal it, so that by the end of tne summer the main road should be sealed practically from New Plymouth to Pa tea.

“Can anything be done to prohibit the sale of useless cows?” was a question asked by the chairman of the general committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society (Mr. W. B. Grant) at yesterday’s meeting. Mr. Grant said he had been asked by the Council of Agriculture to call for suggestions on this important matter, especially as it had been reported that a lot of these cows had been imposed on soldier settlers. Members thought consideration of the matter should be deferred till next meeting, though the opinion was expressed that a. solution of the question rested, as much with the buyer as the seller. If the. buyer insisted on seeing a cow’s record before a sale was effected the sale of these worthless animals would be stopped. Another suggestion was that such cows should be branded. Mr. C. Meuli. “Ferndale,” Tariki, writes: I notice in your report of the. first dav of the Stratford Show that a mistake i«s made in the section for Jersey pedigree heifers born since July, 1919. The very highly commended heifer should read: Meuli’s (Tariki) Oak Farm's Fairy Wonder,” in place of A. Faull’s Wairiri’s Dairy Maid. “British goods for British people,” is the slogan of the firm nf C. A. Wilkinson, Ltd., New Plymouth and Eltham. Elsewhere they advertise Richard Johnson’s galvanised plain fencing and barbed wire ex Port Denison, at low prices. Wilkinson's have a reputation for contenting themselves with a small profit, and ‘’ll! the saving effected by direct shipping from England to New Plymouth is given to purchasers. In buying British goods you help our best customers to buy our butter and cheese. Think it over before buying your requirements, also remember that Wilkinson’s will deal fairly and squarely by you as they have others for thirty years past.