LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Western Star, 23 November 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual concert and dance in aid of tlie iWiaimatuku children's prize fund takes place in the Public Hall 3 Woimiatuku, on Friday, 36th inst. As a first-class programme is being prepared, there should be a large attendance. A dance will be held after the entertainment.

Mr Adam Anderson, barrister and solicitor of Riverton, has been appointed a Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Victoria for the f>oamn: ion of New Zealand by his Honor Sir John Madden, Chief Justice of Victoria.

A large conhagnmeat of cheese left the Bluff on Monday for Lyttelton, where it will lie transferred to the Home liners. Never before has there been such a large output from -ihj Southland factories during the. month of October. This satisfactory state of things h a s been brought about in a threefold way, viz., by an unusually early season, by at least ten new, lactones starling operation*; in Southland, and by an increased number of suppliers sending milk io the older factories. The consignment starling cn its journey to London is' practically the cheese produced dur. xg the latter half of October.

The s.s Takapuna, whilst steaming from Nelson to Wellington on Saturday, picked up the barque Hippalo 3 in a sinking! condition near Jackson’s side of the French, pass, and took her in: tow; As the barque w a s deserted a skeleton crew was put aboard and pumping operation's resumed. The water, however, gained, and the vessel sank within three quarters of an hour’s run to Pic ton. the crew only just having time to reach the boats. The former* crew of the vessel was picked up and landed ah Picton,

The 'Southland Returned Troopers hold their annual -‘‘smoko” ini Allen’s itali, Inlverciargill, on Tuesday, Ulb December at 8 p.m. All ex-contongoi-. tors and ex-members of His Majesty’s lorccs arc cordially invited.

The annual social of the River ton Wesleyan Church will be held to-mor-ro/w evening in the Victoria Hall.

The anindal e Jiibition of .live stock dairy and farm produce, under tlie auspices of the Western District A. and P. Association, takes place at Thorntbury on Wednesday ,Ist December. The committee of management have the grounds in first-class order for the oon .fenienoe of stock and the general public. The secretary will be at Thornbury from 2to 8 p.m. on the 27th November to receive entries.

'Parliament has decided, to grant a pension to Lfcrth Europeans and Maoris who fought in the New Zealand war. Only those Maoris who fought on the s.dc of the Pakefea will be recognised.

(As * result of the heavy downpour of rain on Thursday last, a largo coin Crete culvert on the South Riverton Leach was 'displaced by the, flood.

Fishermen have been netting largo quantities of flounders during the past week. For one night’s catch three boats obtained sixty dozen.

Mr N. J. Keane, who has commenced business us tobacconist and hairdresser in Saunders’ buildings, Main Street, Otautau, has a announcement in this issue. Mr Keane has spared no expense in fittirlg up his premises on up-to-date lines, dud as announced in the advertisement, ho stocks all sorts of smokers’ requisites To those in quest of literature there is a long list of magazines—English, American, and Colonial—to choose from, A comfortable and well-appoint-ed billiard saloon has also been pio vkled for those who indulge in this fascinating game.

A sharp shock of earthquake was felt throughout the district on Saturday morning, about two miiiut.es to live.

Messrs Hamlilton and Co., sawm idea's Tfe Tua, are preparing to erect a new mill at Papatotara. With two mills running, this enterprising firm's output should be greatly increased.

Another- record has hem created by the New Zealand Dairy Association, When 598(5 boxes .of butter were despatched from OnCluinga 'by tlyi Corrina, for transhipment to the s.s Rim utaka, which leaves Wellington this week for Great Britain. This is. tbi largest shipment of butter over made by <pa Arm from the Dominion. The record was formerly held by the as;oci atiori, and a fresh record, which has in turn been broken, was made & week or two ago by the shipment o$ 51d2 bO'fes, a figure which has now Ijeen considerably improved upojj.

The Or<?pu>i Shale Comp ny ’ms obtained the use of the Groyitrum-.it diamond drill with which l 0 ilioroughly tost the mdiferal deposits.

Many of the fluxuiills about Fox ton and Levin are at present stated to be’ running night shifts, and within "the next two weeks nearly the whole of the mills will double their ordinary capacity, the millers being anxious to take advantage of the present siatisfactory range of prices for hemp. As a result of the rush a considerable num-

ber of additional hands are being absorbed. The fibre .generally is stated

to be turning out in excellent quality and it is anticipated that the output tor the season will be heavier than over before.

“Two-uppers,” enjoying a quiet gamble on a vacant lot near the Nlorth Melbourne Railway Station a -few I weeks back, were constrained suddenly to do some disagreeable cross-coun-try work. Two constables climbed a picket fence. and stole ,onj the lawbreakers from the station side (the Age reports') while another two crept carefully through the long -grass from the other side. Thus they 'had the I tncnj between a swamp, a canal, and a barbed wire fence. The players "’ere Lo busy “hoi'din’ 'em” that the constables igot very close before they were I observed. Suddenly one of the ; ang veiled “Yow !” and a rush to escape was made. They had to face either the canal or the barb-wire fence, and they chose the latter. Four of them got stuck in the fence and were caught, I and when the rest got through it the barb-wine fence was garmshod like a washing-line with scraps of a’-cue. r L’hc police oolicctod a sackful of MW LrmfflU, iom olotte, KgS, etc!, to serve lo M®** *e IW Us of the “school.”

The potato blight has made d'ts reappearance jn the Aucklan is nc ■Up to within a fortnight ago -he potato crop showed great promise, bu now some of them are reported to be affected by the blight. Instances have been reported of potato patches that would he apparently in splendid condition) one evening, being next motn-ino-Slackened with the blight. Crops at° Putcekohe, Panmu.'c, and 'in the Northern Waikato e» sW to be I amourst' those smitten with the di | ease. Spraying is being indulged m a a remedy agamist the evil.

According 1 to a letter written by _ a friend by one of those in Her Majesty’s suite. Queen Alexandra .(says the London correspondent of the Birmingham Post’:) is taking the keenest inter est in radium, in its application to lupus, cancer, and kindred disease# and is in constant communication with certain Danish professors who make a special' »tudy of those matters Her Majesty, with the assistance of an expert, ha* also been experimenting in coloured photography, and already a number of excellent and highly interesting views of Copenhagen and the surro uni Jiang doun'try have been produced.

The Vicar Q i Lancaster, whose ‘.'two glasses a night club” was a successful experiment, has just made a tour G f t : - e bars and vaults in his parish. '“ln every house I shodk hands with, 'all. die occup. a uts,” sais. the Vicar, 'and although the houses were crowded this was between 9• 1 a and xl o’clock -’the behaviour was splendid, and there were riot more than two, oases of people the least worse for drink. We came upon-the house without any prearrangement, finding them just as one might expect to Arid them any Saturday night, , a nd we were agruicataly surprised' by the decorous behavioUr." There was a record attendance at the men’s meeting next day.

The Maoris who are appearing at the New York Hippodrome have been playing football, and the results have not been pleasant to their opponents. t> lule engaged in a game between a team of the Maoris and the employees of the Hippodrome, John McMouigie, of Shoopshead Day, was, seriously injured. MgMonigle was the Hippodrome quarter-back. In the second half ho attempted a flying tackle against Ture oa, the biggest oi the New ijZJcaland native players, and w,as thrown heavily. Hie was unconscious when picked up. Two other players were slightly hurt in the game. •

“fhe third ~ heat of the Presidenfc’s Fours between Bulman and Beer’s crews will be rowed on Thursday even i»g at (quarter, to seven. The semi-linul will be rowed on Saturday night.

There was a crowded attendance at the opening night of the combined Bowling and Tennis Clubs’ Carnival in the Town Hall, Otautau, on Wednesday evening. Good business dm all departments whs done, close on three Dgures being taken,

The Wallace County Council advertise in this issue a number of contracts throughout the county.

A team from the Riverton Bowling Club will visit Otautau to-morrow to play a match there.

At ’a special meeting of the Otautau School Committee held on Monday evening, at which all members were present, called for the purpose of niom injkt : nig a candidate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr Oowie from the Education Board, it w, a s moved by Mr- C. D. Mills (chairman), seconded by Mr J. Swap, that Mr HArchdall be nominated. On being put to the meeting the motion was carried unanimously.

A report conwte from the halve s district -that Mr W. Stevenson of •ArroW’town, is a likely candidate for the vacant seat on the Education Boarc.

The USverton* Hhrricr Club will be represented .at the Lux light sports in Invercargill on Wednesday when seven of their members will compete in the four eVen'ts, viz.—Campbell (Oraki), T r. Robertson, Johnston, D. C. Robertson, Harwood, Church, and C. E.. Hobtertteon. As 1 - the handicaps had liven compiled ■ when ■ the entries from the last three were received, Mr J. Bell stated oer the wire that they will recei'f their starts at the sports.

A petition is being prepared to eenid to h : s Excellenty the Governor, praying that, the death sentence on W. J. Roberts lie not carried out. The Land Bill is expected to be introduced into Parliament this evmW ._L.-bw|®

RiegandifSg a proposal by thle Napier Borough Council to exclude C|hmese. from the Municipal baths, the Chinese Consul, Mr Hwang, interviewed by a Times reporter at Wellington, said that the presence of Chinese citizens in Napier was their right to pa-rticipa toon in the municipal advantages to which they as ratepayer^,’contributed. No country in the world objected to privileges' by all citi*ens, of whatever colour or condition, provided that they observed the law. Moreover, this touched the question of national politics.

\\ Jiia,i to do’ with our boys is a question for which the Farmers’ Lnion is ■furnishing a ©atisfaotoxy answer..,At a j recent meeting, of the North Canterbury Executive » boy; seeking country work was promptly, appropriated by i one of the members and the other sun ilar applications f*om three town ion tbs were carefully noted by ° Larmer, .who thought he could place .he lads in 'good country situations M they proved on inspection to be e tight stamp.

The hew process for chilling moat for export tq Greet Britain seems like ly to revolutionise the meat trade (.says the Ranigiitikei Advodote). Chafe, ted beef from Queensland, by the Manat’x n realised one penny per pound ir.orc than frozen meat, and there seems to he no reason, why, the process should not be applied to mutton us V-ell afe hwe£. CBxe.mbat niter slaugh Wring 'is allowed to set for 'the purpose of quartering, but before it i s lioroughly cool it is sterilised, hy beinv put in a chamber in which chy, pure air circulates, and a very Aim nay. of formalin play* on the peat jhe same steriHsrin|g apparatus T fixed to the cooling chamber ouboare the vessel which i« carrying) the moat, and at intervals of say, about twjefe* hours the process is repeated. wtui the isliip reaches liter destination W temperature in the shilling chamber if gradually raised before the meat -A 1 withdrawn, ahd it is claimed tha .he fat, skin and surface of. the mea arc in a condil j . like i- t )t r.c'vJj killed meat and that there is no ten dehey to rapid decomposition- Th whole question of the extension o I the process depends oh the expense in volvcd.

The State coal deposits have resulted in a -loss of £326 for la!st ydar. The apparent profit of the State mined is due to" the fact that the railways pay £1 a ton for .coal, while coal sold at the depots is charged at about i|6s and 'that sold to shipping companies and other private consumers at about 21s a ton.

The Swiss dried milk, mode from separated milk, has for some time past 'been 1 a serious rival to the progiidss 0 f the dried milk industry ita New Zealand. It is stated now, how ep'or, that a Dannovirke firm is arranging to manufacture dried milk bom separated milk and compete against the Swiss article.

Shearing is geneml in 'the Western District, From returns to '’and sheep are shearing well arid heavy; clips are reported, a nid as. present indications point to good prices for this staple, farmers naturally arc jubilant with their prospects.

• Mir Sawyers, Dairy Expert, who has just returned from a visit to the Birch wood district, (says the Record) \v a s very much taken with the splendid grass grown on the land Mr Rodger has limed with lime found on the estate 'ground 'without burning. Mr Sawyers bias a very high opinion ol (lie district as a dairying centre jHe approved of the site chosen by Mr Rodger for his proposed dairy factory It niil be erected quite close to the Birohwood Homestead, on the site known as the ‘four cross-roads.’ Mr Rodger will erect a three ’eight hund-red-gallon vat factory, e nd it wolf bo ready to recoivle milk a t the beginn’ng of next Season.

While a young Russian named Wral-ufl's-y, was attempting with Ms cousin to roach Menaggio, near Lake Com °< from Gr a an,to, by climbing rourid the S a sso di San Martino, jhe slipp;,| and fell over a precipice,, says the Ne%y York Herald’s'-Cabenabbia correspondent. In falling he caught a i*rojccting rock, to which ho clung. Ho w a s l'oyond his companion’s reach, ’ but the latter’s shouts were heard by workmen, an d rescuers started out * with ropes in the gathering darkness. They had almost readied him when bis hold gave way and he fell 750 feet and was killed. He bad clung to the rock for two hours.