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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144071, 16 April 1913, Page 2

Tho Stratford Borough Council has voted £lO, towards the cost of a Taranaki court at tho Auckland Exhibition. Pat tho Giant, a bullock weighing over a ton, which was roared in Ireland, has been bought by a syndicate for exhibition purposes in Great Britain, tho price paid being £250. On show at York tho gate money amounted to £IBO,

The Department of Agriculture in Queensland has demonstrated that tomatoes may he kept in cold storage. A consignment recently received from tho Stanthorpe district was subjected to a test of three weeks, and although fully ripe when placed in the stores they came out in perfect condition. The following figures show tho quantity of butter in cool store at the various ports throughout tho Dominion on tho April 15. 1013;—Auckland 21,106 boxes. New Plymouth 10,556 boxes, Patoa 600 boxes, Wellington 16,000 boxes, Lyttelton 5313 boxes, Dunedin 961 boxes, total 54,536 boxes; total at April 15, 1912, 47,036 boxes.

Tho multifarious duties which devolve upon the principals in connection with tho celebration of wedding ceremonies oftimes result in some being left undone. A thunderbolt fell in a bridal camp in a certain Now Zealand town recently when it was announced that tho bride’s trousseau had been left at a wayside railway station, and the anguish was intensified by tho fact that a train would not arrive at the town in question before the ceremony was to take place. However, tho problem was finally solved by requisitioning the services of a motor-car, which restored to the dismayed bride her treasured possessions.

The new rooms of the Wellington branch of tho Now Zealand Society of Accountants occupy the whole of tho top floor of the recently-erected Accountants 1 Chambers in Johnston Street, and consist of a largo hall or meetingroom which extends tho full breadth of the building in front, an office for the secretary (Mr. Ernest "W. Hunt), a handsomely appointed library, and a room for the Accountant Students’ Society. On the opening evening the chairman of the branch (Mr. Robt. Wilberfoss) will deliver a short address, after which Mr. C. B. Robertson will read a short paper on “Tho Granting of Credit in tho Wholesale Trade,” and Mr. R. T. Tosswill will read one on “The Treatment of Small Accounts.” At tho conclusion of the meeting members will be asked to inspect tho rooms and partake of light refreshments. In accordance with tho request made to him during tho sitting in Blenheim, Mr. J. Fawcett, builder, has handed to Mr. W. H. Skinner, Commissioner of Crown Lands, to bo forwarded to tho Forestry Commission, some speci-' mens of the timber obtained by him from tho lino of poplar trees that he cut off Mr. S. M. Neville’s property a few years ago. The samples consist of a box and a plank of considerable width and thickness. It will bo remembered, says the Express, that Mr. Fawcett, in giving evidence before tho Commission, described tho poplar as perfectly suitable for fruit and butter boxes, it being light, odorless, and not subject to splitting when nailed. He also stated that he had made excellent furniture with it. ‘The specimens being sent on to tho Commission certainly warrant these recommendations. The wood is of sound, even quality, obviously capable of high finish, and it has an attractive appearance. Many very serious accidents have boon caused in various parts of New Zealand through dangerous level railway crossings. A patent designed to minimise, if not to entirely do away with this danger, has been devised' by an Invercargill railwayman (says the Times). Tho idea is quite a simple one. A train approaching a railway crossing comes 'into contact with a self-acting switch, which is connected by means of wire ropes to tho crossing gate. The gate itself is operated by .counterbalanced weights attached to these wire ropes, so that immediately the switch is operated on by the approaching train the gate automatically closes, effectually blocking tho crossing from all traffic. The gates are also automatically opened by a projection on either side of the rails, and at some little distance beyond the crossing. These levers so act that tho switch is placed in the same position as it was before the approach of tho train, and,’ of course, also brings tho gate back to its original position. Tho expense in erecting the contrivance would be very moderate indeed in comparison to the cost necessary to keep a crossing-keeper, and should the patent pan out successfully, as many wellknown engineers think it will, not only lives, but money should be saved. The people of New Plymouth will have an early opportunity of knowing the exact policy of, the Bible-in-State Schools League, as Canon Garland, the organising secretary, will bo here, early next week and will address a public meeting on tho matter.

Billiard-players will learn with interest that the Dominion Billiard Saloon (next to Webster Bros.) has now installed ono new Governor Standard Table and a now Standard Table. These, with the three Wellington Standard Tables already installed, make tho roonis most up-to-date with modern billiard requisites. Tho five tables aro all fitted with the Standard cushion, making them equal to the best in tho Dominion,*

The cold weather is causing the milk supply at the different factories to drop. There is, however, a fair amount of feed about, and the stock generally are i i good condition.—Hawera Star. On Monday evening a woman who had been lodged for the night at the Lambton Quay Police Station, Wellington, complained long, loudly, and angrily that she was not getting all the luxuries she wanted. “I’m not drunk,” sho yelled, “and if you don’t give me a bit of dry bread I’ll drop dead! . . . . Why, in Auckland, they give you German sausage!” Under date Wellington, February 23, the London ■ Times published a cablegram as follows;—“A earthquake shock w/ls felt at 12.35 yesterday afternoon, followed by 13 smaller shocks, spread, over 28 hours. Considerable damage was done to chimneys and shopkeepers’ goods. Shocks were also felt from Greymouth to Nelson.” This somewhat alarming statement refers to tho Westport earthquake, but tho name of tho town apparently dropped out of the message.

The Hon. H. D. Bell has stated that ho had intended to make a statement on the subject of the Amokura inquiry at the time when he received the report, but lie had now decided to hold over his statement until the departure of tho battleship from Wellington, when ho would hand it to the press for publication. Tho Minister added that he might say in advance that the charges of cruelty and undue severity in punishment were completely disproved.

An amusing episode occurred at the Wellington Public Library,' in one of the reference rooms during Saturday’s earthquake. The tremors caused loose books on the shelves to fall over; and some ladies who were quietly perusing tho periodicals on tho tables were visibly alarmed. Then as the fact dawned on them that there had been an earthquake they immediately dropped their books and fled pell-mell from the room. Two or throe afterwards returned, but tho remainder were taking no chances, and chose to remain, in the open-air. It is a popular belief that ivy has a destructive effect on stone work and causes damp, but this is generally duo to want of care in allowing tho plant to choke the gutters. In “Oxford Gardens,” by R. T. Telfer, the author says that ivy roots do not penetrate dry walls; on the other hand, tho foliage protects the masonry against driving rain, and, in town, from the sulphur acid laden rain drops which destroy limestone. Anything that keeps off wet and frost lengthens the life of walls, but when tho ivy is stripped off it denudes the face of the stone, which becomes more vulnerable to atmospheric and chemical changes and soon requires restoration.

In those American States that have given women the franchise the service of women on juries—which seems everywhere to be a corollary of the suffrage—is making a difference to breach of promise verdicts. At Seattle recently a plaintiff brought a suit for £5500 damages against a fickle lover, who wap reputed to he one of the handsomest men i i the State of Washington. A jury of women was empanelled to hear the case. A jury of men, it is believed, would have accepted the plaintiff’s valuation, but this jury of women scrutinised tho defendant fairly and squarely, and decided that losing him would be adequately compensated for by the sum of £3OO.

Tho Auckland money market must ho very “dry.” The New Zealand Herald gives an instance quoted by a wellknown Auckland builder. A few days ago a suburban resident who is the owner of a freehold valued at £250 wished to erect a house on the land valued at £750. He had £4OO cash to his credit in the bank with which he had been dealing for some years, and he was unable to borrow the remaining £350 required to cover the cost of erection. And yet there appears to be money for picture theatres, tor another is projected at a cost of £IO,OOO, to be completed prior to*the opening of the Exhibition- in December; also for a huge grandstand at Eden Park FooibaH Ground.

The Okaiawa correspondent of the Hawera Star is responsible for the following yarn. “Speaking of dairying (ho writes) what I should think would be a record in the keeping of butter was related to me when in Otago recently. A gentleman, who had formerly been in business as a general storekeeper, informed me tiiat many years ago, when butter was very cheap, he bought a large quantity at 4d per lb. The butter was of good quality, but was unsaleable, so he packed it in kegs and buried it in the ground where it lay for no less a period than two years. As a matter of fact the storekeeper had forgotten all about it. Then came a shortage in the butter market, and he suddenly remembered about the buried butter. It was (taken up, and proved to be as good as on the day it was pvA down.”

While householders all over the district are installing grates, where open fires burned formerly, they may find some satisfaction, tho Stratford Post remarks in knowing that even those people who burn firewood by the hundred cords have found the problem of wood fuel a puzzling one. One of the reports presented to the council on Monday night stated that wood fuel for the abattoirs could not ho obtained. Councillor Dingle said as chairman of the Stratford Co-operative Dairy Company he had recently been forced to have grates put in at the butter factory. They had advertised for tenders for timber, and not a single tender had been received. Even before this, they had used tho wood merely to assist the coal, because they had found that the steam producing capacity of the wood was very small. After all, lie considered that coal was not more expensive than wood ,even if the latter could bo obtained.

On Friday next the Pukekura Park Board and tho ladies’ committee will meet to make tho final arrangements for Park Saturday, to be held this year on Saturday next. It is understood that tho board is a little embarrassed by tho fact that some of tho ladies to whom districts. had been allotted and -who had helped last year are cither unable to canvass, or are away. As the success of this annual appeal to the public depends on tho number of colV lectors and their energy and tact in soliciting subscriptions, it is to bo hoped that this difficulty will be overcome. Any ladies willing to help would confer favour by intimating their desire to collect to the chairman (Mr. C. W. Govett), Mr. R. C. Hughes, or tho secretary (Mr. C. H. Drew). The board is well aware of the number of appeals which have boon made to the public recently, but it feels confident that the public; will respond to the appeal on Saturday with its usual liberality.

Although the price of leather has advanced considerably during the last two months, tho quality of the 16s 6d boots at Tho Kash remains tho same. They were fortunate enough to place their orders seven months ago at firm prices; This 16s 6d men's boot can be had in seven distinct shapes and weights, and every month secs a .great advance in tho number of hoots sold. Get a pair. You’ll bo perfectly satisfied with the wear'.* There will be no hot baths available at the Municipal Baths until Friday, on, aocouuic-of rqpairsJ*-