GENERAL NEWS

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXV, Issue 4254, 3 July 1895, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

Some of the newest evening dresses have hand-painted satin skirts. It costs for food about £5 Hta a week to 1 keep an elephant. We occasionally hear Tuapeka residents grumble übout the amount that they are compelled to pay annually for rates. Bat ' according to tho " Patea Press" the farmers in the Taranaki district are getting the taxation agony piled on rather thick just now. In one lucky road district the residents pay five rates, as follows : County J rate, ro*d district rate, special rate,harbour rate, and charitable aid rate ; and in addition to this they have to pay an annual J wheel-tax, for each vehicle they wish to use on the road, even if they only want it for one day : aud with all this burden, they can't get into the town of New Plymouth from any direction without passing through 1 a toll gate. Surely that takes the cake for taxation. The Hon. Me Reeves is greatly pleased (says the New Zealand " Times") with what has been accomplished at the State farm at Levin. 410 acres of land have been cleared of bush and sown in grass, 1 which is coming up most promisingly. The schoolmaster has made a good record. At the last examination 21 children were presented for passes, and every one of them passed. Mr J. D. Ritchie while at Auckland visited the Government plantation at Wairangi, iv the Waikato, where 600 acres have been planted with wattles. The trees are thriving, and another 200 acres are to be similarly planted in October next. On his return overland Mr Ritchie visited the experimental farm at Momohaki, near Waverley, v/here experiments in the treatment of Bheep are being carried on. The live stock on the West Coast is so healthy that it is a matter of difficulty to procure any diseased animals to operate ou.