Local and General.

Waikato Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1401, 20 January 1914, Page 4

Local and General.

The late Captain Scott’s journals have been presented to the British Museum by his widow.

The Rev. Canon Goodyear, Maori missioner, died at Tauranga on Sunday.

About 17,000 people attended the Auckland Exhibition on Saturday night.

The number of lunatics is increasing in Great Britain at an alarming rate. Cabled item.

Two thousand bales of wool were damaged by a fire in a store at Port Ahurirl on Saturday afternoon.

Live so that you can go to the pictures without making your grocer mad.

A London cable states that Mr Jesse Codings, M.P. for Birmingham, is resigning at the general election.

A kit, containing £SB in notes, was lost on the Northern wharf last week by a lady who was visiting Auckland.

At the Cambridge stock sale yesterday several buyers lor export were operating.

A Hamilton message states that a young girl named Yates was drowned in the Waikato River while bathing yesterday afternoon.

President Huerta is said to be reorganising his forces with a view of wiping out the Mexican rebels at tne end of the month.

The Government’s methods in South Africa seem to have knocked the fight out of the threatened general strike.

Mr J. J. Hammond, in the Dominion monoplane Britannia, made a successful flight over Auckland city and suburbs on Sunday morning. The noise of his engine drew thousands of eager gazers into the open air.

The Prime Minister will turn the first sod of the Waiuku branch railway line about a month hence, and the line to connect Whangarei with the Main North Auckland railway will also be commenced in a few months.

Reformed barmaids will serve coffee in a cafe the Salvation Army has opened in London, and converted music hall artists will contribute items.

The canteen scandals in the British Army have resulted in the charging of sixteen defendants—eight non-commissioned officers and eight civilians.

The next ordinary meeting of the Cambridge Borough Council will be held on Friday, 23rd inst., at 8 p.m. A special meeting df the Council will be belt} at 7.45 the same evening.

The wholesale quotations for butter and eggs in Auckland for the week ending January 24 are as follows: — Butter, factory Is Ojd per lb farmers’ 8d per lb eggs, lid per dozen.

The star film for Hawken’s Pictures on Thursday evening next will be one great dramatic masterpieces, “Shipwrecked,” described as a picture-play with a purpose* The full programme is published in another column 1 .

A good general programme of pictures was screened at .the Town Hall last evening before a fair attendance. The star film, “The Phantom Thief,” was a very cleverly conceived plot, serving to introduce the great detective Nick Winter. The Cambridge croquet lawns continue to be well patronised bv members. Recent games in the merry-go-round competitions have resulted : -Mrs Nixon (received 1) defeated Mrs Butler, Mrs Richardson defeated Mrs Bell, Mrs Hopkirk defeated Mrs McDermott (received 1),

Some excellent pens of weaner calves were yarded at the Loan Company’s sale in Cambridge yesterday, from many of the principal dairyman in the district, close on a thousand head being yarded. All sired by Shorthorn bulls were keenly competed for, prices ranging in almost every instance from 35s to 41s per head. The lots from Messrs P. lari, H. C. Bertelsen, N. Banks and J. S. Fisher realised top prices.

A sad accident occurred to Jack Hooker, a clever young Australian, who was to have appeared in the revue Come Over Here ” at Sydney. In him the management cOn* sidered they had another Fred Leslie He was some time ago put on a contract and trained as an eccentric dancer. Ten minutes before he was to make his debut he met with an accident in his dressing-room owing to the explosion of a soda water bottle, which led to his face being badly cut and a serious injury to an eye. He was immediately taken to a private-hospital. Much concern and anxiety is now being entertained as to whether he will retain his sight.

Girls and young women haymaking and driving hay-rakers were to be seen in paddocks between Norsewood and Ngamoko during last week.

The Cambridge Brassßandrendered a number of enjoyable selections in f the Domain on Sunday afternoon. There was a large attendance of the public.

It was his first morning in his holiday apartments, and the landlady had just come up with breakfast* As he began the meal she opened the conversation. ‘lt looks like rain,” she ventured. “It does,” replied the lodger—for one week only, “although it smells rather like coffee.”

The Oamaru Mail says that excellent authority is given for the stated" ment that Sir Joseph Ward, whilst in England recently, was offered by the British Government ahigh,offi'Cial position, and that he defined the offer.

Residents *of this district have ‘ received communications from a certain firm in Switzerland lately purporting to be a sweep on the ' English Derby. A recent cable : " from Sydney stated that the police in that city had declared the sweep a, fraud, being on a par with the opanish treasure swindle.

In an address at Sheffield reeently on “ Cockney Humour,” a speaker, recalled a striking clause in an agreement drawn up by two' - Jews who were partners. It ran ; In case of fire or bankruptcy, the * profits to be divided equally.”

Those interested in libraries- ■ would do well to note that the sum of £4OOO has been voted by Parliament for distribution to public ' libraries, and no claim,will b© entitled to consideration that’ shall not have been sent in due form x and received by the Secretary for Education, Wellington, on or before January 26th. 1914.

I am not in Parliament with any axe of my own to grind. I have be- • come disgusted at seeing the struggle of snobbery to get titles, and likewise the not very edifying scramble of a shoal of lawyers whose main object seems to be to secure: positions with salaries attached to them of any- v thing from £2,000 to £5.000 or morh* 1 a year.—Mr William Young, M.PI for Perthshire East.

The elaborate policy of insurance devised for the -airmen' was described in an action between an insurance company and the - French pilot Vedrines. For the loss of a lower limb, two-thirds of the amount payable on death is allowed; for the loss of an arm, half the amount: for permanent injury to the face,' such as the. loss of an eye, a quarter: and for the loss of a finger, a twentieth: 1

The political orator of the 20th century has to face an ordeal which is severer than that of his predecessor on the platform. In the old days the audience seemed to admit the speaker’s claim to superior knowledge, arid listened with becoming reverence. In Linlithgow and South Lanark (says the Glasgow News) there is no Such humility, as a speaker in the former constituency found to his cost. He had delivered a highly-seasoned oration, and near the close he, exclaimed', Arid now I shall ask myself an exceedingly simple question!” .Immediately there came from the rear \ of the hall the far from cheering joinder, “Yes, and you’ll get a ■ silly answer!”

A sidelight on land value iri the Hawke s Bay district was switched on at the meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Land Board (says the HawkeVßay V Herald). An application was made'"'” to transfer 1977 acres at Ngatapa to a youog settler 21 years of age, the consideration being set down at £19,772. The board considered this was very high. Obtain John Tom bleson, father of the transferee, waited upon the board and explained that he was placing his son upon the section to give him a start. *J)o ypu not think the consideration is a bit high ? asked the Commissioner. You can t get good land any cheap* er,” replied Mr Tombleson, “and itis no use buying rubbish. lam quitq satisfied that a good margin can be made off the property at the figure*” /

An Opotiki land agency firm has a card in its window bearing an Inscription that savours suspiciously of a matrimonial .agency. Apparently, the members of that enterfirm, although both bachelors recognise that a home is not complete without a wife, and in at least one instance they undertake to supply a wife without extra charge. The following attractive prospect opens out ■'before the eyes of the F. e^f r ; of tte card in question Why remain single? Here’s a chance! A pretty,- five*roomed house, completely '.finished, with quarter-acre section, fowl-run, fowls, and watch-dog—all except the wife. Price £550; easy term. Wife supplied. if necessary—-freeT’ ’

For Children ? B Hackia*G<xich atßfffh»L Woods’Great

There is a rumour of a possible byelection for a South Canterbury seat, as a result of financial troubles.

A gazette extraordinary, issued yesterday, further progues Parliament until February 13th,

The Tauranga Chamber of Commerce is advocating the establishment of a chief post office at Tauranga for the Bay of Plenty districts.

The Waikato Argus understands that Mr J. M. McCarthy has disposed of his Daradale estate. The exact price has not been disclosed, but we understand that it is in the vicinity of £30,000.

A farmer, near Mangaweka, has informed the Mangaweka Settler that an experimental patch of lucerne, which he had sown twelve months ago last November, has been cut eight times, on each occasion the fodder being about eighteen inches high.

, The agricultural motor is now giving evidence of its further usefulness on the farm by its work in the harvest field. An Ivel motor is to be seen on Mr G. L. Stead’s Brackenfield Estate, Amberley, hauling two standard a McCormick, and a Massey-Harris, and cutting at the rate of nearly six .acres per hour.

A Palmerston grain dealer states that the wheat market is easing owing to the prospect of southern crops being heavier than was anticipated. He states that a Southern firm reports that the heavier yield will be sufficient to counterbalance the 30,000-acre deficiency. A good outlook exists equally at Masterton, Blenheim, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, and Rangitikei, and chaff promises to be plentiful.

During the visit of the Hon. W. H Herries to Tauranga last week, \ihe Mayor made representations regarding a mail service between Tauranga and Matamata, which he said would be of great advantage to the district. Mr Herries intimated he would lay the request before Hon R. Heaton Rhodes.

The chairman of the Tauranga County Council pointed out to the Hon. W. H. Herries or Friday, at Tauranga, that the Kaimai Road, on the Matamata side, was in a bad state, and required attention. Mr Herries said there wa§ a vote of 13500 for the road and -be advised Mr Southey to see the District Road Engineer (Mr Bard) on the subject.

The number of pounds of butterfat received at the Cambridge Co-op-erative factory during Deoember> 1913, was 202,352, which at lid per lb gives a monetary value of £9274 18s 2d. The figures for the corresponding period of 1912 were 195,7131bs at lid. £8970 2s lid.

The Borough valuer has completed his annual review of the valuation list, and it has now been deposited at the Borough Council Chambers, where burgesses interested may inspect it during office hours. Mr Brooks informs us the annual value, shows an increase of ever £I3OO this year . ’

The Hon. R. Heaton-Ehodes Postmaster General, announces that arrangements have, now been made whereby rural mail contractors may obtain money orders and postal notes on behalf of any settlers residing on the route of delivery. Rural mail contractors may also carry for sale a stock of postal stamps, sufficient to meet the demands of purchasers.

Writing to friends in Dunedin, an officer on one of the''cfuisers belonging to the Australian Navy speaks rather dolefully of the service Isays the “ Otago Daily Titties ’’). He says it is most galling to serve under some of the officers, largely owing to their incompetency, the result being over eighty desertions from one of the cruisers within a period of eighteen months, whilst the percentage of desertions from the other vessels 6f the fleet is also high. The cost of maintaining the Australian fleet ap* pears to be causing a good deal of misgiving in quarters, with the result that spasmodic attempts tio curtail expenditure in certain directions are regarded with disfavour by those who clamour for efficiency regardless of expense.