LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waipa Post, Volume IV, Issue 186, 7 February 1913, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be a sitting of the Supreme Court at Hamilton on Monday next. / The Ngaruawahia Advocatecelebrated its first anniversary? I on Tuesday last.

The Waipa Gun Club shoot for Mr Norden's trophy will take place to-morrow.

The regular monthly meeting of the Town Board will be held on Thursday next, the 13th inst. -]

Mr H. J. Greenslade, ex-M.P., and proprietor of the Waikato Times, has purchased the Te Aroha Mail.

Seven rinks from the Cambridge Bowling43lub will visit Te Awamutu to-morrow to try conclusions with the local players. The Te Awamutu players will be picked to-night.

The monthly meeting of the Te Awamutu Chamber of Commerce will be held on Tuesday next, the nth inst in the Cosmopolitan Club room.

Messrs Lawson and Swain announce an auction sale of sundry goods includingladies'costumes and gentlemen's suits at the mart to-morrow. A large quantity of E. P. ware, razors, pipes, etc., will be included. Vr-

The rainfall recorded by Dr Douglas at the Waikato Hospital for January was 3.33 inches on 15 days, the heaviest fall, -93 in., being on the sth. The fall in January, 1912,. was 1.86 inches, and in 1911, .71 inch. Advertising pays! A. bit of logic from an unknown source : " When a duck lays an egg, she just waddles off as if nothing had happened. When a hen lays an egg, there's a whale of a noise. The hen advertises. Hence the demand for hens' eggs of ducks' eggs!"

Girls at Chicago have formed a " £IOOO a year club,", two of the rules being that no girl shall marry unless the executive board are satisfied that the family income will be at least £IOOO a year, and that there is not undue restriction upon the wife's expenditure.

The Huntly Town Board has decided to inaugurate a dust bin service, whereby, sweepings and rubbish may be carted away from the premises by employee of the Board twice a week, The service will be a trial one, and it is proposed to maintain it by voluntary contributions of sixpence per week, to be paid quarterly.

Jhere are some folks who hold that a war-spirit is not good for anything or anybody. How about the trade side of it ? At the present time there are no ■ fewer than 18 Dreadnoughts under construction in British shipbuilding yards. These battleships, only some of which, of course, are for the British navy, >; represent an outlay of £40,000,000, of which amount 70 per cent, will go in wages to English workers.

An enquiry was held at Cambridge on Monday into the circumstances attending the recent destruction by fire of the Empire Street stables before the District Coroner (Mr J. S. Bond) and a jury of six. The following verdict was returned : —The jury agree that the evidence is not sufficient to connect Brophy with the fire, but consider his movements were suspicious on that night, and they therefore return an open verdict. Mr Bell was recalled at the request of Brophy, and he stated that Brophy had proved one of the best stablemen they had ever had in their employ. He was an honest and hard worker and would certainly have no ill motive against him-, self (Mr Bell) or his partner.

At a recent well-attended meeting of the Waikato Motor Cycle Club, it was decided to arrange fori a week-end run to Rotorua, leaving Hamilton on Saturday next, the Bth inst.,, at 2.30 p.m. It was also decided that arrangements be made for a hill-climbing contest on the wellknown Maungakawa road, near Cambridge, such contest to take place at an early date. This event, being the first of its kind in the district, should be of considerable interest to motbr cyclists, and already two valuable prizes have been offered for competition. A committee comprised of the following members,* viz., Messrs Holcroft, Mclntyre, McKenzie, Gregan and Coulthard, has been elected to draw up a set of rules for the club.

" This cry about the increase in the cost of living is all rot," remarked an old timer on Saturday. " Why, in the 'fifties and 'sixties we used to pay £2 per cwt for flour and Is a pound for beef. And the wages, mind you, were only 5s a day, and I guarantee that a man inJ;hose days did fifty per cent more work than the labourer with his union and award does at present. I tell you it is not a question of the increase in the cost of living; it is a question of the way people live Then there were no picture shows and theatricals, cheap excursions, races nearly every day in the week, and other devices for extracting money from the people, and they were far happier without them, too." —New Plymouth News.

It has been decided to hold the aenual State school picnic on 2lst inst. in Mr A. S. Wallace's paddock.

Te Awamutu's A team o,f polo players will meet a combined team picked from the Cambridge and Hamilton clubs at "Bardowie,' to-morrow.

The Te Awamutu Town Band has been asked to assist at the Hamilton band carnival, and has promised to play a programme of music at Hamilton on the evening of the 19th inst.

Just after the finish of the last race at Te Kumi yesterday a horse and gig belonging to Mr Free, of Otorohanga, were precipitated into the river. The occupant fortunately managed to jump clear, but it was only after considerable difficulty that the horse and trap were extricated, the latter being considerably damaged.

For the year 1913 all drivers, of motor vehicles in Christchurch will (says the Press), under the by-laws coming into force immediately, be required to possess certificates of proficiency. In the case of owners and drivers of privately-owned motor-cars or cycles these certificates are called "certificates of ability." In the case of drivers of vehicles for hire they are called "certificates of competency." The former certificates cost 10s the latter is. Motorcyclists pay 5s for their certificates. To carry out the duties created by the new by-laws, a motor inspector has been appointed, Six months' grace will be allowed to owners of private motor-cars and cycles to secure certificates of their ability to drive.

According to the London Times a strain of bees harmless to handle has been successfully hived by Mr Burrows, of Loughton, Essex. The bees, which have been obtained by mating a Cyprian drone with an Italian queen, are very active workers and Mr Burrows claims that they are less liable to disease than the ordinary bees. The new bees are not stingless, but the sting is innocuous. One hive this year yielded over 200 lbs of honey. To those beekeepers who have handled the Cyprian bee and know how well deserved is its reputation for ferocity, and how acute is the pain caused by its sting, it may be permitted to doubt whether the crossing_with an Italian bee would make it innocuous ! We wonder if the editor of the Thunderer personally verifies the truth of the statement before allowing the paragraph to appear in his columns.

In response to the invitation of the Te Awamutu Chamber of Commerce Mr W. A. Boucher, chief director of orchards, has consented to visit Te Awamutu at an early date for the purpose of giving a demonstration on the methods of planting, pruning, and cultivating fruit trees, and dealing with the many insect pests and other diseases which hamper the growing of fruit. We understand that the demonstration will extend over a whole day and in the evening Mr Boucher will address a meeting on the subject of fruit culture. Mr Boucher, who for many years prior to his engagement by the New Zealand Government, was in California and is thoroughly conversant with the world's fruit markets and can explain the commercial value of fruit growing. Having, for many years been head of the Department's affairs in the Auckland province, and therefore, beting thoroughly _acquainted with' local climatic and other natural conditions, Mr Boucher will doubtless be in a position to give some very valuable and reliable information, and there can be little doubt but that his visit will be taken advantage of by all who are in a position to do so.