LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waipa Post, Volume V, Issue 208, 29 April 1913, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tenders are called by the Te Awamutu Town Board for the erection of a shed at the saleyards.

■We understand that Mr J. A. You ns, M.P. for Waikato, is confined to his bed owing toa somewhat severe attack of influenza.

Mr Charlie Taylor, of the Taylor Carrington Company has received a legacy of some £4OOO from family lands in Victoria, and, with Mrs 'J'aylor, shortly leaves on a trip to England.

The fourth crop of lucerne hay has just been cut at Ruakura Farm of Instruction, and, as it may be reckoned that four crops of hay arc equal to six of green feed, the result is verv encouraging.

It is estimated 65,000 people visited the battleship New Zealand during the nine days she was open for inspection at Wellington. This number includes 20,000 children, half of whom came from the country districts.

We are informed that it is proposed to send a team of Boy Scouts to Hamilton to compete in first aid for a cup presented by Messrs La id law Leeds and Co.

An advertisement appears in another column calling attention to the discontinuance of the 11.55 a.m. Auckland to Wellington and the 9.10 p.m. Wellington to Auckland express trains.

Sir Robert Stout and party are at present in Te Awamutu for the purpose ot officially visiting the Tokanui mental hospital estate. Whilst here they will stay at the Te Awamutu Hotel.

A post card to hand from Mr J. Jackson informs us that the writer and Mrs Jackson are having a very enjoyable time in Australia. Mr Jackson’s health is very much improved as a result of the holiday.

In spite of a plentiful supply of forage at Ruakura Farm of Instruction, the dry spell reduced the milk yield considerably, and the probability is that records will not be so high as those of last season.

Private Walker, of C. Squadron met with an accident at the mounted parade at Cambridge on Thursday, his horse rearing and falling on him. He sustained injuries to his back, and was attended to by Surgeon-Major Roberts and conveyed to the field hospital.

The totalisator investments for the Dominion from October I, 1912, to April 2, 1913, amount to £1,889,016, showing an increase of £375,793 over the same period of the previous year. It is estimated that this year the Government will receive £IOO,OOO as revenue from the racing clubs.

We understand that Miss Margaret McKenzie, who has already gained much popularity on the local concert platform, intends to take up her residence at Te Awamutu in about six weeks’ time. Miss McKenzie will receive a limited number of pupil's for voice culture, and is now making the necessary preliminary arrangements in this connection.

A sad fatality occurred at Leslie’s Gully, on the main road between Hamilton and Tamahere last Friday, which resulted in the death of a carter named Sydney James Kirby, a single man, aged 35 years. At the inquest a verdict that death was due to injuri ?s caused by a fall of earth was returned, the coroner stating that he would bring the unsafe nature of the cutting under the notice of the local body.

It will surprise manv to learn ■that an apiary is being maintained with profit in the very heart of London. Within sight of Holborn, on the roof of a block of fiats, a Mr Wakevell keeps fifteen hives, from one of which last year he obtained 53Ibs of honey. The bees buzz as merrily in the London smoke as if they were in a country garden. They find their own food in the summer, but during the winter sugar canes are placed on the roof for them.

In the monthly report appearing in the Agricultural Journal on the condition of the pastures and crops Mr C. E. McPhee, the Agricultural Department’s officer stationed at Te Awamutu, says : March was characterised by exceptional weather from a farmer’s point of view. Twice during the month this district was blessed with splendid warm rains, ensuring abundance of grass for the autumn and a splendid root crop for the winter. Crops have been ha zested in good order, and sto k are in splendid condition, with good markets.

Y/e'are. pleased to be able to rep )rt that the directors of the proposed Te Awamutu Terminating Building Society are now sat sfied that such an institution can be established in this town, an 1 wit!', that end in view they are having a directors’ meeting this week to make final arrangemt nts, and appoint a day on wl ich to hold the general meeting of shareholders and intending shareholders,when it is hoped that considerably over the actual number of shares required will be taken, and for this reason the directors have decided to limit the number of shares to be allotted to six hundred.

Immediately at the conclusion of the official opening of the Puketarata hall by Mr J. A. Young, M.P., on Wednesday evening, the dance arranged by the committee took place. The accommodation provided in the new building was sorely taxed, upwards of one hundred couples taking part. Dancing was continued until about 2.30 a.m., and for all present the evening was a most enjoyable one. The interior of the building was tastefully decorated with bunting and greenery, and the effect was most pleasing. Supper was partaken of during the evening. The dance music was played by Mrs Holden and Mr Carter. As a result of the dance the sum ot £8 has been placed to the credit of the hall account, and the commit- i tee is to be congratulated upon j the successful nature of the even- j ing’s entertainment.

Weeds are the farmer’s best friends, says an American writer. They force him to cultivate; and lack of cultivation is the crime of modern farming.

A practice match was held at Bockett’s paddock on Saturday by members of the local football club. Some good form was shown by several of the new players.

At the supper tendered to Mr Massey at Te Kuiti on Friday night he stated that the surplus for the past financial year amounted to £709,000. It was his intention to devote some £200,000 of this amount to expenditure on roads.

In the experiments to determine the influence of manures on the feeding value of pastures at the Ruakura Farm of Instruction superphosphate is still at the top, followed in order of merit by basic superphosphate, basic slag, and no manure.

On the 2lst instant, the New Zealand Dairy Association, Ltd., distributed amongst its suppliers the sum of £36356 Os sd. This payment covered butter-fat supplied during the month of March. The corresponding payment last year was £33952 18s 4d. Thus the increase for the month as compared with last year is £2403 2s Id.

The prizes in the competition promoted by the New Zealand Society for the protection of Women and Children and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have been awarded in the senior grade as follow First prize, Jean Entrican, Point Chevalier School, Mount Albert; second prize, Charlotte Nora Wallis, Tauranga District High School ,; third prize, Given Bartlett Miller, Te Awamutu School; fourth prize, Kate Loveday Cleave, Kerikeri School, Bay of Islands ; Cora Moore, St. Joseph’s Convert, Grey Lynn. Mrs Geo-. Fowlds, president of the society, presented the prizes to the successful competitors at the annual meeting in the Town Hall, Auckland, yesterday afternoon.

The results of the manurial experiments on the swede crop at the Ruakura Farm of Instruction up to the present are extremely puzzling, and certainly not what an agricultural chemist would expect, reports the manager. One of the most even plots and the cheapest as regards cost of fertilizers- received a haphazard mixture of basic, slag and basic superphosphate; .f lm. every instance where sulphur was added to other manures, it the rate of I cwt per acre, the germination was excellent, and the plots at the present moment have an exceedingly healthy appearance. On the other hand, where sulphur alone was applied to the mangel crop, at the rate of 5 cwt per acre, the result was not-so good as that of the no-manure plot. In the early, late, and sub-soil ploughing experiments, which cross the mangold plots, the sub-soiling at present shows the best results.

Will Lawson, writing from Sydney, says the Northern Territory is no place for New Zealanders. “As regards the suita- „ bility of the country for white *'

women, every man who has lived or has visited the Territory is of the opinion that it is no place at all for white women. All that are living there are washed out and run down, while the children that are born there are a weedylooking lot, with no brightness about them, no Anglo-Saxon colour and vivacity. Possibly by a slow process of heat-sea-soned Queenslanders and South Australians, the Northern Territory will become populated by a hardy enough class of colonists. But it will take time. At present there are 3000 whites and 3000 Chinamen in that vast Territory. Unless a New Zealander has a large amount of money or a Government billet, he should certainly stay away.”

j For the trials of mechanical I milkers, organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England, which are to be held this month at Grange-hill, Bishop Auckland, county Durham, 17 entries have been made. Scotland will be represented by two machines, England by seven, Wales by one, New Zealand by two, | Australia by one, Sweden by I two, and Denmark and ' the ; United States by one each. All machines competing must be ex- ! hibited in the showyard at Bris|to 1 . Every machine entered | must be capable of milking at I least two cows at a time, and ! the number of cows to be milked I will be left to the discretion of the judges. The following arc some of the points to which the special attention of the judges will be called —(a) Time taken in milking ; (b) weight of milk exclusive of strippings; (c) convenience in attachment to the cows, taking into account ease of replacing where machine has become detached from any cause • (d) security of attachment to teats ; (e) gentleness in operation; (i) ease in regulating speed of machine; (g) condition of milk • (h) ease and thoroughness of cleansing ; (i) lightness of milk receptacles; (j) minimum of supervision during milking, so that man in charge can leave cows to carry milk to the dairy etc.; (k) price of machine, with cheapness of renewal and durability of working parts.

• The first general meeting of • the Waipa Hockey Association is called for Wednesday evening in,the public library.

The tender (£215) of Mr W. J. Bickerstaff has been accepted for V-.the erection of business premises in Market Street for Messrs Lawson and Swain.

In the finals of the ladies’ singles championship matches in connection with the Pirongia Lawn Tennis club Miss Fear beat Mrs Sullivan 50—21.

The paddock of tares and barley directly in front of the homestead at Ruakura Farm of Instruction has made phenomenal growth, and is now being fed off with -dairy stock. The success achieved with this crop on raw, poor swamp land speaks volumes for green manuring.

At the annual meetiug of householders held at Paterangi last night for the purpose of electing a school committee, the following gentlemen were elected: Messrs J. H. Webb (chairman), S. C. Macky (secretary and treasurer), G. Finch, C. McCallum senr., W. G. Macky, J. McNaul, ,{ and W. C. German.

Some discussion took place at

■last night’s meeting, of houser holders respecting the advertised time for the holding of the meeting. As a result of this discusssion many of those present gained the impression that a

typographical error had crept into our advertising columns. This is not so, as the advertisement in question was inserted according to instructions given.

An address of special interest to all interested in missions will be given on Thursday evening in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 7.30. The speaker will be Dr John Kirk, medical missionary, in charge of the Canton Village Mission Hospital, China. Dr Kirk i§> a young man of exceptional ability both as a speaker and a worker, and his address should be well worth hearing. At a meeting of th 2 newlyelected Te Awamutu school committee held immediately at the conclusion of the householders’ meeting last night Rev. Clarke was appointed chairman and Rev. Woollass secretary, with vMr von Sturmer as treasurer. The committee decided to confer with the headmaster as to the final arrangements for taking a hundred of the school children to Auckland to see the battleship New Zealand on Thursday, May Bth.

On Sunday evening the Methodist Church at Te Awamutu was favoured with a solo by Miss Margaret Mackenzie, who sang in splendid voice and with much feeling, “He Shall Feed His Flock.’’ Ihe minister delivered a message from the parable of “The lost sheep’’ and “The seeking Shepherd,” and Mrs H. W. Poolman sang “ The Ninety and Nine,” Mr R. P. de Ridder ably assisted the soloists as accompanist, and also

gave as organ solos Mendelssohn’s “ O, had I the Wings of a Dove and “The Lord is Mind-

fuj.'pf His Own.” \ v !/V dog at Dannevirke on Tuesday (says the News) cost somebody about £BO. The dog was lying on the roadway at the junction of Rawhiti and Stanley streets, and a motorist who was returning" to town endeavoured to pass it and then pull over to his right side again. Unfortun-

ately his intentions were mis- - taken by a native —a novice at driving—wlio was proceeding from town ; he altered his course with the result that the cars met head on. None of the occupants of the cars were injured in any way, but the damage to the European’s and native’s cars respectively is estimated at about £3O and £SO.

1 Hugard and his company of entertainers, including Chung Lung Soo, the great Chinese magician, will show at the local Town Hall on Thursday night. The great Oriental act, “ A Night in a Chinese Palace,” takes up the whole of the second part of Hihe programme, during which the stage is a blaze of Oriental grandeur and effect. Hugard, as a sleight-of-hand performer, is said to be superb, and his great rifle act is the talk of Australia. An American musical act of note is included in the first part of the programme by Miss Myra Errington, also humorous items by Geo. Carman, the English comedian. Prices are advertised in another column.