LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9136, 8 July 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In another column Mr John Hunter announces that he has decided to contest the Masterton seat at the approaching general election.

Mr. J. D. McDougall, of Pirinoa, Lower Valley, has decided to join Mr W. H. Cruickshank and party, who leave for Queensland this week. A report from the auditors of the Masterton Fire Brigade was forwarded to the annual meeting held last evening. The auditors referred in high of praise to the manner in which the Brigade's books had been kept during the year. Mr John Yarr, who purposed contesting the Masterton seat at the general election, has found that he will be unable to afford the ner-essary time tD conduct a campaign this election, and he has, therefore, decided to forego his intention, so far as the forthcoming election is concerned.

As the Mayor is unable to act for the Borough Council on the deputation to the Minister for Hospitals and Charitable Aid, to-day, of local body delegates, to protest again*t the joining of the Wairarapa Hospital District to Wellington, Cr J. Hunter lias been appointed by the Borough Council to act on its behalf.

The second annual Show of the South Wairarapa Poultry, Pigeon and Cage Bird Association opened in the Wairarapa P. and A. Society's Agric-ilti al Hall, at Carterton, yesterday. The entries were large in all clashes, and theie was good competition. Mr H. E. Bannister, of Wellingtw, secured the championship in the Indian Runner Duck class. In the evening the annual dinnar was held.

Exceptionally heavy rain Ml at Carterton on Monday night. Yesterday morning the rivers were in high flood, and the water was overflowing the road at the Black Bridge, ai d the Maori settlement near the initio was also under water. At Belvedere, the Hinaki stream ovtrflowtd i.s banks and flooded the land of several settlers, who, had to remove their stock to a place of safety. On Beivedere Road the wat.ir.was sever.il inches hi depth, and completely surrounded one settler's house.

On Friday a meeting will be held in Carterton of representatives fio;n all the dairy companies in ihe VVai ■ raiapa, Pahiatua and Hawke's Ba,districts, to -discuss co-operafi >e measures for placing dairy produce on the London markets. Similar steps are being taken in other c*. litres throughout the Dominion. Advantage will also be taken of tt.e gathering of dairy company iepi\sentatives to sacure evidence an.' take united action before the Arbit-it-tion Court,'to which employees have been cited by dairy factory employees.

The annual meeting of the Permanent Investment and Loan Association of Wairarapa was held on Monday, M> W. 11. Diddarns presiding. The cireetors reported that the amount of mortgage was now £45.230 1a..2d, the securities for which were ample. There were 1,278 investment sharas now current, 237 shares having been paid off, and 153 new one's being taken up daring the year In accordance with the rules, Messrs W. 11. Diddarns and M. lilgar retired from the directory and, being eligible, offered themselves for reelection. Messrs W. H. Diddarns

an J M. Elgar wera appointed directors, and Messrs Mark Maxton and A. L. Webster auditors,.

The following is the financial position of the Masterton Borough Council:—General Account, dr., £7,318 5s 7d; Gasworks Account, cr M £962 Is 2d; Library Account, cr., £152 lis, 2d; Deposit Account, cr., £BB 10s; Watjrworks Account, dr., £llß 2s 9d; Abattoir Account, cr., £l3B 17s 9d; Special Drainage Account, cr., £3l 17s 4d; Bannister stieet Account, cr., £1 2* 4d; Loan, £25,000, dr, £lO2 7s sd. LoansDrainage, dr., £24 4s 8d; Improvement* (£25,000). schedule A, dr., £571 8s Gil; schedule B, cr., £829 0s 3d; schedule E, dr., £BO7 10s 2d; schedule D, cr., £341; schedule E, cr., £lO5 15s Id.

Monthly's rain brought flooded riverj in 1 its train, the Waingawa running very high indeed, while the Ruamalianga, Waipoua and Wangaehu rivers also rose to flood level. K'b serious damage is recorded, although an anxious time was spent by settlers in various part* through the heavy rain continuing when the rivers were at thoir highest. The warmth of the rain was spring-like, and must have melted a considerable proportion of the snow on the ranges. The vicinity of the Park Extension yestarday morning was a picturesque sight, the low-lying country Deing inundated. The Park Lake was not in the least damaged by flood water.The rivers in the Lower Valley were also swollen to abnormal heights by the continuouh vain, the LU aiohine overflowing its banks in places.

A good piano is a. om.-tiut joy. A bad piano is a chronic irritation. From the good instrument you gel delicious music, lr.un the hid, distracting ja iglo. If yon want a bad piano— not tliau you ever would—you can't trade, v-rilli the Dresden Piano Company, Limited. If you want a good piano-—an i \hat surely is your re- ■ liiirouiHiit —these urn the people to go to. Tho.ro is nobody who can belter put. you in the wayoi' gutting the cheapest instrument consistent with go.)d workmanship or the most expensive instrument your luxurious fancy prompts. The Dresden Piano Company Limited has perfected its system of business. Perfection lies in an infinite capa:;i;;v for ta'cing pains to please the public in llio matter of Pianos. Terms, spot cash, it preferred or extended payment, arranged to suit yourself. See the company's Ljeal Agent, T. B. Hunter or wiito to Mr M.'J. Brookes the North Island Manager, in Wellington. Beware of the dealer, salesman, or traveller who oasts reflections upon his competitors. Ho does so from interested motives—perhaps to back up his own weak position. Our Agents iiro instructed not to discredit opposition firms. They are to rely solely on the merits of the Company's instruments. NOTE. —Annual Sale now on at all Agencies and Branches.

The overdraft of thu Masterton Borough Council is £6,163 16s.

Seven new active members were elected to tha Masterton Fire Brigade during the past year.

Very heavy rain fell at Eketahuna on Monday, and 2.93 inches were registered for the 24 hours. The low lying country is covered with water. No damage is reported.

At the next meeting of the Y.M.C.A. Debating Society the subject for debate will be "Should the totalisator bo abolished." Mr L. Daniell will lead in the affirmative, and Mr J. Alpass in the negative. Heavy rain has fallen in the Pahiatua district riruing the past two days. The Mangamahoe river and several other rivars are in (loud. The lowlying cou-itry about was under water yestj'day.

The Acting-Borough Engineer reported as follows to a meeting of the Borough Council Works and Finance Committee on June 30th :■ —I regret, tu report that weather conditions necessitate the abandoning of csrtain works under the loan schedule, such as tar paving, which would otherwise keep the present number of men employed fully occupied, and the direct result nf that position is that I have to-day dismissed seven of the casual labourers, and which, I fear, will have to be followed in the course of a few days by a number of others.

Secretary Pragnell's annual report submittad to the annual meeting cf the Mantertcn Firs Brigade, last evening, showed the total musters of the Brigade for the past year to have be2ii 65, clasaifiej as follows:—-Meet-ings 26, special meetings 11, fires in buildings 10, grass fires 9, chimney fires B,'false alarms 1. Branchman Selby attended, the maximum number of musters. Superintendent Jenkins and Foreman Jenkins tied for second place with 63 each.

Nominations for the vacancies oi: the Wellington education Board, left hy the stitutory retirement of members from three wards, have closed. Messrs J. 11. W. Aitken, M.P., T. W. M'Ujiiall and A. H. Vile, the retiring members, ar-j all seeking reelection, 'lhe new candidates are' M' S3t-a Abraham Barrell (Mangatainoka). Richard Brown (Masterton), and Angus John M'Curdy Hutt). The election will take place on the 27th instart, and the result will be announced about fifteen days later.

The ordinary meeting of the Masterton Rechabite Tent was held in the Dominion Hall last evening. The Chief Kuk'r (Bro. D. Threadwell) presided over a good attendance of members. The balance-sheet for the previous quarter was presented. A large amount of routine business was transacted. Three new members wc;j initiate! into the Order and seven friends were proposed for membership. The visiting members reported that no sick pay had been drawn since last meeting. The receipts for the availing amounted to £2 12s 6 1.

The position regarding the improvement of the northern approach was again mentioned at the Masterton Borough" Council, last evening, when Or Ewington moved that a committee comprising the Mayor and Crs Elliott, Pauling, Hunter, and the movec be set up to renort on the question of improving the state of the approach. Cr Ewinglon outlined the position regarding the liability of the various local bodies upon whom the cost of improvement should fall, and stated that a deputation should wait upon the County Council residing the matter, and, if necessary, a meeting of Lansdowne residents be callad t» bring the matter to a head. Cr Ewington's motion was agreed to unanimously.

The annual meeting of the Master*:on Fire Brigads was held last evening, Superintendent Jenkins presiding over.a good attendance of members. Sick leave was granted to Hydrantman Church, and leave of atsence was granted to Branchman Selby. The secretary reported that the averaga attenJance for the month of June was as follow :—Meetings 2?, chimney fires 10&, all musters 19 :- 3rd. The Brigade decided to challenge the Borough staff tn a return card tournament. A committee, consisting of Superintendent Jenkins, Fire nen Holmes, Duarg.m, O'Leary, and McEwen w«.-ro appointed to report regarding phsieal drill. Superintendent Jenkins presented Branclvnai Fielding with a 'five years'service medal; Foreman Jenkins with an ex*"ra service bar, completing nine years' service; and Firemen Johnston and Jackson with threa years' certificates.

The question of compensating the property-owners in Park Street, who had land taken by the borough Council for street widening purposes, was before the Council last evening. A letter was read from the Council's solicitor explaining that proceedings had been commenced in the ' Supreme Court by Mr A. Hoar, one of the property-owners, to have the valuation made on the property taken sot aside, on the grounds that the assessment was not made on proper inquiry. The Mayor explained that the three propertyowners, Mrs Jones, Mr Hoar and Mrs Cameron were all dissatisfied with the assessment made, and that it would be cheaper in the end for the Council to agree to the assessment Deing set nsi;ie, and a fresh one made, than to contest Supreme Court proceedings. It was unanimously resolved to have a fresh valuation obtained;-! in order to obviate tht! defending cif the action commenced by Mr Hoar, which the Mayor j stated would bt withdrawn.

THE DrtVOIIRING- lADIBS. The great sale at the D.I.C. in Wellington has been };ivuig soau amusement to ilii! mjre ma.i looking on. As pr'ces tor t his etearaiu'. s nave bee.i cut much more than usual, the ladies arrived early, iu thousands and worked hard. During the opening days tho floor groaned with the weight or' wo.nou. Salesmen were harassed to the l;wt extremity. Tiltsrush on tho most popular departments— Dress Materials and -Household Linens—was unprecedented. Meantime, the special stall' that doals with mail ordors had no easy time; for mail orders came in shoals, and it was difficult to fill all of them with dispatch when tho departments were crowded and eager bargainImnters stampeded at all the counters. But, slowly, things settled into shape ; and now, although tho great rush continues, things are very smooth^and comi'jrtable.

Mr J. Trezise has been appointed bandmaster of • the • Pahiatua ; Bjrass Blind, vice Mr J. Mills reaigned. John Dalian, a baker and cook, was. found drowned, yesterday, in the Westport Coal Company s dam at Denniston. The entries for the Nelson Poultry Show number 1,155, constituting the Show the second largest in the Dominion, it being only exceeded by the Christchurch one. An elderly woman named Petersen, a resident of Matamau, near Dannevirke, was thrown out of a trap on Saturday last through the horse bolt--ing, and died in the hospital on Monday night from injuries received. She never regained consciousness. Mr J. C. Watson, formerly leader of the Federal Labour Jfarty, writing recently to his brother at Hastings, stated his intention of retiring from politic and accepting the editorship • of a new journal that is being started in New South Wales. Mr J. C. Watson served his apprenticeship as a compositor on the "Oamaru Mai>." Recent reports from Samoa indicate* 5 - a large inereasa of ttiermal activity at the great voclano in Savaii Island/. Each steamer from the Islands brings., its tale of the ravages wrought by ; the immense river of molten lava flowing from the mountain slopes into the sea. The sight of the burning mountain and the clouds of steals) rising as the hva strikes the ocean are said to be indescribably grand.

Provided that sufficient public support is forthcoming, a serious attempt is to be made shortly to determine whether or not.the Canterbury plains are oil bearing. It is proposed to form a prospecting company with a capital of £15,000 to put down bores in Ashburton district, and it is reported that several business men in Christchurch are supporting the project, and backing it up financiullj. The promoters have an option over a large area of country in the Ashburton dis&ict, where the prospecting will be done. Some weight is attached to a report made by an American oil expert who visited the locality last year, and who expressed the opinion that a country possessing similar indications, if it had been in America, would have been teste d long ago.

' The poultry inautry is none too bright at present (iays the "Otago Daily Times"), and particularly a\ regards the table variety there is adecided scarcity. As a result, cockerels for table purposes are now selling at as high as from 6s 6d to 7s par pair locally, and it is doubtful if the same class of birds would bring, any more, if as much, in London. The almost prohibitive price of fowl feed has been responsible for a very limited production, and more cockerels have been killed this last season so soon as breeders were able to distinguish thura from pullets than probably ever before, simply beaause it would not pay to rear them. Those who were fortunate enough to retain the cockerels have, of course, benefited by the high prices which have been created by tna pronounced scarcity referred to. Existing high values will, however, have a tendency to encourage more people to go in for breeding next season,even if feeding is dear.

Bachelors ori fruit farms in Canada have for some time past (Mys an English journal) been in the Irabit of putting missives among the contents of barrels of apples, asking any young woman "who gets this," and wants a husband, to write to so-and-?o. Sevearl couples are said.to have • come together by these means, and had a Newtown Pippin wedding. This plan has now bean adopted by the Canadian dairymaids in not quiteso:harmless a manner. * It seems themaids have been enclosing overtures to marriage correspondence in bottles and embedding them in the hearts of"' Canadian cheese in the making. When a frugal citizen buys half a Cheddar he is not so well pleased with the discovery that he has paid for a love missive in a bottle at the rate of lOd a pound. A Bill has been:, introduced into the Ottawa Legislature to put a stop to "cheese-box romances." So the lovelorn damsels of the Dominion will have to find, some other means of smuggling their love tokens.

The Consul-General for America in New Zealand, Mr W. A Prickett, in acknowledging the many calls made on him on Saturday on the occasion of "the Glorious Fourth,"' has issued a special circular of thanks. Mo rejoices, he says, in the era of good feeling now existing between the two great countries speaking the English language. He hopes ' that all future difference* between these powerful nation** will be settled by arbitration, and that they may always stand together for right, justice, and the peace of the .&■> rertainly augurs well for the future, .] . he continues, to witness the enthusiasm with which the great ■'• Commonwealths' of Australasia are making pivpara'ions to entertain the ~" American fleet which will soon be coming across the sea to greet them. "May the mutual good-fellowship and kindly feeling which will be mani- .» ! fested on this unique and remarkable occasion go far to cement the friendship, of John Bull and Uncle Sam." It's an eminently profitable thing to be able to keep control of one's feelings (says the"Taranaki News"). | A momentary indication of his exuberant joy cost Mr Andrew Kelly, * a well-known Mokau settler, 40s for contempt of Court at New Plymouth last week. Reginal Surrey had just been acquitted of the charge preferred against him, and as he reached the body of the Court Mr Kelly and. some others set up a brisk applause. The clapping was just beginning to spread when the Judge roared to the.' constables to bring the offenders before him. And Constable Mclvor sn.(n had the offender up to the Bench. "Are you drunk?" queried ch* Judge. "No." "Well, how do you explain your conduct?" Mr Kelly replied that he "thought therewa.« r,o harm in it." "Oh, didn't ■„ you. Well, you're fined forty shill-; c ings for contempt of Court, and— (the- " Judge turned to the police)—see that: he pays it!" The fine was quickly paid. Hoarseness in a'child subject to croupis a suro indication of the nJtoroach of the disease. If Chamberlfiflrs Cough • Remedy is given At once or even afterthe croupy cough has appeared it will . prevent the attack*' Pleasant, to t*ko and contains no poison. For sale by all ■■ Chemists and storekeepers.

Dr. Buck, Native Health Officer, -is at present at Rotorua, superintending the arrangements for the Maori entertainments for "fleet week." The entertainment proposed will include poi dances, hakas, war dances, etc. 1 Weasels and stoats, according to the "Wyndham Farmer," infest the bush country round about Waikawa and Haldane as jackals do in India. Everything is meat that comes their voracious way. Recently, Mr Isaac Jurt, a Haldane settler, had 15 out of 17 young pigs killed by these rodents in one night. A Press Association telegram from Invercargill states that the police have baen advised that the fisherman who disappeared without any explanation from Pegaus about a fortnight ago, has turned up at the Bluff. Efforts are being made to com nunicate with the search partea who aie scouring Stewart Island.

An announcement is inserted on page 1 by the No-License League. An advertiser requires an experienced housemaid. A lady and gentleman require superior private board and residence An advertiser requires a young girl as under-housemaid. The Committee of.the lata Hospital Ball have a number of dishes on hand which await ownership at Mr Boddington's office Queen Street. Messrs J. Graham and Co. ann::un :e that o i account of the death of Mr J. Graham their premises will be closed all day Thursday. Mr W. Bruce, land ageni Wanpaniii, offers for sale the lease of 500 acres of first-class dairying country. A fi rn of 236 acre 3 is also advertised for sale.' Mr J. V. Gn-don. chemist, of Master.'on, recommend 3 those suffering from weak cheats to use Cre-malt-01, a preparation containing creusote, malt and oil. The W.F.C.A. announce that their stock of seed potatoes is now to band, and includes all the leading'varieties. The spaciality line for this season is the Princess Victoria, pronounced a heavy cropper and a disease resister. A Foster Carnival will bo held at the "Elite" Rink to-morrow night. The costu nes to be worn will represent the majority of the lending business firms in Masterton. Tin M;s-tr-Tton South Band will te in a'.tendanc?.

Messrs Dalgety and C 0.., Ltd.. elsewhere announce that the wrllknown Clydes.hle stallion "Fediration" has been placed in their hands' for private sale. Full particulars as to pedigree can be obtaine.l on amplication to the firm. The Wellington Meat Export Company Ltd., purchase fat sheep and lambs by weight, or at per head. The Company also offer clients every facility for freezing on their own account. Prices and all particulars can be obtained on application at the Company's offices, or from any of the buyeis in the country. The Company als) manufacture various kinds of manures, and special mixtures will be made at any time to suit farmers. A short price list of manures appears elsewhere in this issue., An attactive display of pictures is now being shown in ' Holloway's Buildings, comprising a very wide range of subjects. These pictures are black and white engravings, reprcduced Irom the paintings of leading English artists, several having been hurg in the celebrated Tate Gallery. Included in the collection, which comprises several hundreds of fine engravings, are scenes of English country life, fine pastoral scenes, land and waterscapes, as well as historical events, sporting scenes and others too numerous to describe. Some very prattv panels come in for special mention, "Eventide," and "The Angler's Retreat," being particularly attractive. Mr C. C. Aitken is holding a special sale of the pictures for one week only, and has taken one of the fine new shops in Holloway's Buildings to display the collection off to advantage. All the pictures are being reduced to 2s 6d during the period of sate. An in • vitation in extended to the public to • call and inspect the range of pictures.