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Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 8981, 14 January 1891, Page 2

A very neat almanac issued by the Natijjial Insurance Company has Tbeen forwarded to us by the local agents Messrs A. C. Fookes and Co. His Worship the Mayor invites the public to observe Friday as a holiday, the day on which the annual Taranaki regatta will be held at Waitara. On Saturday next Mr Newton King will sell by auction at the Haymarket, the well known Clydesdale stallion Laird O'Largo. This grandly bred horse was introduced into the district at the beginning of the past season by Mr Cunnigham, and is now to be sold as the latter is about leaving the district. Pedigree and full particulars may be seen at the office of the auctioneer. SirF. Whitaker leaves Auckland for : Wellington on Thursday. It is stated that this will be the last visit lie will make to the Beat of Government in any political capacity, as he intends to resign. No time has been lost in giving effect to the promise re the East Road' given by the Minister of Lands to the Stratford deputation. Mr' Stanners, Deputy' Ranger, started laying of the workß on Monday morning. ' A telegram from Wellington states that a rather severe shock of earthquake was felt in that city at 11.37 o'clock last night. At the signal station and Heads the shock was unusually sharp, andwus accompanied by a loud rumbling- noise. The direction was uncertain, as it was more of the nature of an upheaval or jork. The forging of the sinker bar, which broke at tho Petroleum Works on Tuesday morning, was not completed so rapidly as was at first anticipated. The broken bar waß not mended until this' (Wednesday) afternoon. A start will be made on Thursday morning. With respect to the quality of the iron in the bar, it is stated that it is inferior. The bore at the works is down about 30 feet. We have to acknswledge the receipt of a handsomely got up date card from Mr J. Gilmour, tli9 local agent of the Shaw Savill & Albion, Steamship Shipping Company, also receipt of a handbook of information for passengers, which gives very fully all particulars that the travelling public desire to learn. The Star whaleboat and her crew came* down by the Gairloch on Tuesday for the Champion Race at the Waitara Regatta. The Star crew are favorites in town for the event. On Friday, next, January 16, Messrs Nolan Tonks Co., of Hawera, will hold an important sale of farm stock on account of Messrs D. and H. D. Coutts, on their farm, Finnerty Road>Ngaire. The stock includes several well-bred horses, and a large number of cattle, besides sheep &c. At the same time the goodwill of lease of a small grazing run in the Kawhia District will be offered. The value of the principal agricultural exports for the years 1889 and 1890 is as follows :—: —

Wool and meat returns do not include sheep and rabbit skins, bacon, hams, hides, tallow, or live stock. Grain does not include bran, chaff, flour, hops, oatmeal, potatoes, seeds, &c. All these smaller items are increasing year by year. There is every prospect that. the large ■shipment of dairy produce, - which leftWellington on Friday by the Tainui, will realise the highest price yet obtained for New Zealand butter and cheese. The pre sent European winter is the severest experienced for over fifty years, and- a considerable shortage in the Continental exports has already been manifest. The cable messages this week tell us that shipments have already been sold at Is per 1b and over for prime quality, and holders of stock should lose no time in getting arrangements made for immediate shipment, as top prices will be reached in about six or seven'weeks' time, and may probably reach 140s per cwt for butter, and perhaps more. Some light is thrown upon the recent, cable message as to the exclusion of frozen meat from Imperial army contracts by the following extract from a Home correspondent's letter :—A deputation, upon which . Messrs Nelson and M'llwraith represented the Australian pastoral interests, and Mr Birkett the meat industry of Smithfield, waited on Mr Ed. Stanhope, Minister for War, to enlist his support in the removal of ; the departmental order excluding frozenl beef from acceptance in army contracts.! A private circular from the War Office had asserted that the meat lost its juices in the process of cooking, and that it had a flavor of tallow. Messrs Nelson and M'llwraith, who were introduced by Mr Archer, Agent-, General for Queensland, stated, in reply to the objections, that the beef was perfectly good, and of excellent flavor, if cooked in the frozen state. The matters of which complaint was made were due to thawing out the meat before cooking. Besides, the' deputation urged, it waa unfair to the colony to give preference to American chilled -beef over its frozen product, the frozen beef being of equal merit. Mr Stanhope declined to give any pledge to the deputation, but said he would give the most careful attention to. the representations made to him. The right hon. gentle- 1 man referred to the question later on in addressing a meeting of farmers at Spilsby, Lincoln-shire. He told his audience that with regard, to beef, they had to look for a strong competition from the large quantity of frezen meat broughtinto England. As a means of .helping the English farmer, he declared himself to be in favour of discriminating the Queensland article from the English product by labelling it." A letter from the Registrar- General's office was posted by a gontleman residing in Thorndon, Wellington, addressed, " Hobson-street, City," and so little do the postal authorities of Wellington know of their own place that the letter was sent all over the colony to find its owner. The Post says :: — i( The missive was posted on 24j;h December, and reached its destination January Bth having during the intervening fortnight travelled over the greater part of the colony. According to the postmarks with which it is spotted back and front, on the 27th December it was in Christchurch, on tho 31st in Auckland, on the 2nd January back in Wellington, and the 7th inst. at Otaki. Several inemos, written and printed, such as " Not found," « Try Auckland," and "Try Wellington again," supplement the postmarks, and to make the decorations complete there is a kind'of gridiron across one end, on which about a dozen initials appear one under the other, probably those of the astute Post Office-officials through whose hands the missive passed." From this it would appear that Wellington is very little known, even by its own army of officials. Neither trickery-nor competition *'has beeo able to affeot the reputation," of

1889. £. Wool 3,976,375 Meat 890,146 Butter • 146,840 Cheese 57,105 Grain 970,659 1890. £. 4,150,599 1,238,644 122,690 84,986 1,007,025, Totals 6,051,125 6,603,844