LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1924, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The District Engineer of Public Works (Mr. T. M. Ball) stated yesterday that the work of metalling the gap on the main North Road between Tongaporutu and Mokau was progressing well up to sched : ule. Two .miles have been colligated since November 1, and at the present rate, of progress, Mr. Ball aiiticipates that the work will be finished abot£ the end of April.—Stratford Post. Comment on the efficiency and the successes attained in examinations during the year by the junior teachers of the West End School wag made by Mr. J. W. Thomas, headmaster of the school, at the annual prize-giving - ceremony yesterday. He was of the opinion that their success in th e majority of cases was due to the excellent grounding -they received at the New Plymouth Boys’ High School. H.M.iS. Dunedin, flagship of the New Zealand naval command, will leave Auckland on January. 27 on a visit to New Zealand ports, inchidirig New rPIy--mouth. Leaving Nelson -on March 16, the vessel will call a-t Wanghnui before - coming to this port. She is to arrivehere on March 1-8, and sail on March 20 for Westport. A train journey in the South Island is brimful of interest to the traveller at the present time. The countryside is a picture of good crops and growth generally. Appearances point to an exceptionally heavy yield or both wheat and pats which, in the case of the former, will compensate to a large extent for the small area planted. In some of the early parts Algerian oats are. now being cut, there, being several extensive fields in stock in the Hinds district. In North Otago the crops are. not so fAr forward blit they are looking, extremely well.

The question as to whether school prizes should; dr should- not be awarded was given short shrift by Mr. H. R. Billing, chairman of th e New Plymouth High Schools’ Board of Governors’ at the annual breaking-up ceremony at the boys’ school last night/ Prizes had been given at the school ever since its foundation 44 years ago, he said, and as far as he knew neither the principal (Mr. W. H. Moyes) nor any member of the staff or the board wa 8 in favour of that principle being abandoned. Speaking for himself,-he could -remember the days when he was at school, but he could not recall having had any of the horrible feelings that unsuccessful scholars were nowadays supposed to experience when they saw their mates going forward- to receive prizes. When dairy produce matter®, were being discussed at a recent meeting of the 'Cartertoil branch of the Fanners’ Union, Mr.- ll.' W. Kempton remarked that he considered individual farmers could assist materially in improvin'* the quality by exercising cleanliness jn the transit of milk to the factory. He related that he noticed a lorry ioad of cheese passing along the road recently almost completely enveloped in dust. He considered these loads should have some cover. “Tf vve don’t do our bit this end,” said Mr. Kempton, “how can we

expect to place a first-class article on the London' market ?”

The thoughtless act of some householder in depositing, unwanted live rifle cartridges in a rubbish tin might have had-a serious sequel at the rubbish dump on Veale’s Estate yesterday. A fire is kept burning on the dump, and on it along with the rubbish the cartridges were placed without the workmen knowing of their presence until a sharp fusillade made them aware of the fact. The bullets and pieces of the cases were flying about in all directions but, fortunately, the workmen escaped injury. search, however, when the explosives ceased revealed several more clips of cartridges which had escaped the fire, and these were quickly removed. If householders have any such dangerous objects, of which they wish to be ri<3, the unwanted relics should b e handed, to the rubbish collectors personally. “The practice of judging zehoo] by examination results is happily relegated to the Dark Ages,” said Dr. G. S. Thompson (Professor of French<in the University of Otago), at St. Ki Ida’s College vacation ceremony. He mentioned, however, that examinations showed the amount of progress made in the school, though lessons were not nearly everything. Dr. Thomipson then took a tilt at the matriculation examination. “The •matriculation examination,” he said, "is causing grave dissatisfaction right throughout the Dominion, and there will have to be a change within a year or two. ’Examinations are too rigid. Our schools are being riddled by examinations, and the sooner we get more liberty the better.” Three vessels are at present en route from Australia to New Plymouth direct, and between two o f them the race to make port first has reached an interesting stage. The two expected to arrive here first are the H. K. Hall and the Kairanga. The former is a five-masted schooner of 1237 tons burthen. Sh e left Port Stevens (about 25 miles from Newcastle) on December 6 with 1450 tons of cargo, 250 tons of which is for New Plymouth and the remainder for Auckland. With an average passage she should arrive about Saturday, but there is a great deal of uncertainty about sailing vessels’ passages. The Kairanga, which left Newcastle at noon on Tuesday last for New Plymouth, is a comparatively slow steamer, and should arrive about Monday with 1500 tons of coal and a cargo of timber for discharge here. The third vessel is the fourmasted schooner Hoimwood (682 tons) which sailed from Newcastle on December 11 with a cargo of coal fdr this port. She is expected here during next week. Arrangements are now well in hand for the Pipe Band concert to be held in Pukekura Park on Saturday next. Several well-known ‘local singers will render item®, besides the selections to be given by the Pipe Band. The programme will be advertised to-morrow.

Webster Bros, advertise a list of their auction sales for to-morrow. Special mention is made of strawberries for jam. To-morrow will be the last opportunity for these.

Messrs. Sturm and Phillips will sell tomorrow at the City Market, at 8.30 a.m. choice Auckland strawberries; 10.30 am’ new season’s fruit and vegetables, and at 1.30 p.m., Christmas poultry, including fine line of young geese and ducks.

At the Haymarket, New Plymouth, on Friday next, Newton King, Ltd., are selling by auction, without reserve, 650 coils of plain and barbed fencing wire, slightly damaged. This sale should be of particular interest to farmers, for the wire i s to be sold in small lots.