Local and General.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8003, 7 September 1906, Page 2

Local and General.

j?A br.ck house for removal is advertised 1 y Messrs Davis and Co. to be sold at auction to-morrow.

" More liberal than his leader, he more frequently votes with this side of the House than most Opposition members."— Auckland's new Minister on Mr Herries.

Two prisoners named Weston and Smith, who escaped from Waiotapu on Saturday, have been recaptured by the Rotorua police. As the c tpture was uiaoe on Sunday, the prisoners were only a fow hours t largo. The North Otago Times states that the area going into potatoes this sea-on will be ■ xfeptionally large, and sh iiiid th- re be no destruction by blight there will be no necessity for an outcry against thn duty on Australian potatoes, for with the ordinary yield there should be a considerable surplus for export. A report from Turangarere, the railhead at the south end of the Main Trunk line, states that a strike occurred last week, nnd that 50 men left the works. The cause of the strike is stated to be tint labourers working at night under Ruapehu, exposed to cold winds and bad weather o mditions, considered their wages too low. One gang, it is stated, received 8s Id, and another 7s Id per day, and they considered the work worth 10s.

'! he lollowing are the handicaps received by the New Zealand riders competing in the Wf.rroambool-to-Melbourne Roid Race, to be held on September 22: Mehrtens, lOmin ; Smith, lOrain; A. Birch, 24min; T. Campbell, 28ujin; Boyce, 40min. R. Rogers, of Timaru, will be the third official representative from New Zealand. Arast and Henderson being unable to go. Rogers' handicap has not yet been received.

A petition has been presented to the House of Representatives by Mr Massey from 13 owners of interests in tho Te Akau Block, praying that no further legislation be passed disturbing the finding of the Chief Judge, on April 27th, 1905, which it is stated was expressly intended by the House as a " final settlement" of the Te Akau tribal partition. They also ask that no further adjournments of the hearing of the application for partition now pending in the Native Land Court be allowed.

Mr H. H. Shaw, secretaay of the Waikato Beekeepers' Association, recently wrote to the Minister for Agriculture (Mr R. McNab) and Messrs Greenslade, Massey, Herries and Poland, M.H.R.'s, transmitting a resolution of the Waikato Beekeepers' Association in support of the Apiaries Bill, which it is hoped will be re-incroduced and passed this session. The Minister has not yet replied, but the other members appealed to have sent sympathetic answers and made promises accordingly.

In connection with the request for telephone connection between Hamilton and Auckland, Mr F. Maxwell, secretary of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, is canvassing among local subscribers to obtain the necessary information as to the Dumber of times each would be likely to communicate with the city during a day or a week. More than the business required has already been promised, thougii .Mr Maxwell has not yet asked half the subscriber!.

During the financial debate, the Premier, referring to Mr Massey, asked if the hon member was not in a sort of dilemma. In one breath he declaimed against borrowing, and in another he said "Give us the mouey to spend in the country." Why did he not stand up and say "I would like to admit the Budget proposilsare reasonable; " then he would be in a position to pave the way for the happy tima whan his party could dissolve, and one or two of them be able to be included in the ranks of the party now in power. (Laughter.; A middle-aged man named Isaac Watts was admitted to the Waikato Hospital yesterday, with his right leg broken and his back severely bruised. He was working on Bartholomew's tramway, near Ngatira, in a cutting, when a fail occurred, sending.him down the 3hoot and burying him completely. Some Maoris helped to dig him out, and four of lus mates had to carry him on an improvised stretcher for four and a-quarter miles of rough bridle traci? in 45 minutes in order to catch the express at Ngatira. A deputation from the Waikato Coal Miuers' Union waited on Mr W. J. Ralph, managing directur of the Taupiri Coal Mines, at Huntly on Wednesday, in order to ascertain whether the proposed friendly conference as to an advance of wages and other matters was likely to take place at an early date. Mr Ralph assured the deputation that he would use his very best endeavours to bring about a meeting as soen as possible. Personally he was, lie stated, in favour of such conferences, as being much more effectual, and certainly less costly, thf.u was the growing custom of taking all existing or supposed grievances before the Arbitration Court for adjustment. A member of the deputation pointed out that the prices for tli-3 necessaries of life, as well as of coal, were going up ail round, and the time was coming when slackness of work might be anticipated. Many of the miners, he continued, were just " full up" of the delays of the Arbitration Court.

The political diarist of the Wellington Times thus describes Mr McN'ab's speech on the land "Mr McNab is clearly a dangerous man to attack. He opened brightly and vigorously aud in perfect humour, but he was evidently a bare sword, ready for damage. Ho pinked aud thrust the leader of the Oppjsition with ski'.i and gentlu firmness, and forthwith plunged into his land policy. Briefly, ho has made the proposal to whittle down bloated estates, the keystone of the land system, and the land-huuger is to be appeased by the land that will come into the market in the pruuing of the noxt ten years. Incidentally he destroyed the soul of ilr Mis>ey's arguments by clearing away the misapprehension upon which they wore based. A child might have understood the polioy, ho declared that lie would have said but that Mr Massey did not understand. His speech, which was uncompromisingly definite and firm, was listened to with absorbed interest, and the applause at its end was a hearty recognition of a strong iujq suddenly come to light." The Poxton Herald publishes the following particulars of a patent, which it is alleged will revolutionise the preparation of fibre —"The new process will entail a considerable saving to millers and will improve the<juality of the fibre. It will do away with the bleaching process and the continual handling and carting. The present mothud of dealing with the fiix is to put it through tho stripper, wash it, cart it to the drying grounds and recart it to the stripper for final treatment. Thi» continual handling onuses a depreciation in the value of the fibre by reason of the tow. Tho fibre treated by the new process does not now leave the mill and within four hours the green blade would be converted into finished fibre. "We thought," said the man experimenting with the new process, " that there would be some difficulty in dealing with the 'tails,' whioh have always given trouble, but the tail, as you see, is as clean as the body. I consider the invention a great commercial success. I could treat the out-put of two mills in one day. I consider the fibre treated at tho trial the best sample I have overseen, both as to colour, quality aud scutching." In the course of his financial debatu. Si: .bi.npli Ward said (ho proposals submitted i.y tho <>overumout formed the basis of a great Liberal hnd policy. It was the wisest course for the Government to make itself clear and to ' disabuse the mind of the colony that it could continue to think that the freehold was possible. What he asked members to do was when tho Bill came down to take its proposals with an intelligent view, and with a wise discretion. The (-Jovornment would not be above taking reasonable amendments when the provisions of the Bill were under consideration before the Waste Lands Committee or in the House, but in the vital priuoiplos no ciiauge would be accepted. The Minister of Lauds would be found to be very reasonable regarding amendments when the Bill name forward, but he and his colleagues hird determined that «<"• far as they werfl concerned tho land (jue.-tiou should no longer be made a political football. They wanted to solva the problem and end the uueatiou, and ho believed that although attempts might be made to bring pressure upon pome members they would remain true to the issu« Let time a" Ive the land question, and in the future they could devote themselves to other great and important questions.

For hitfh-class confectionary try Tidd and St-vnton's Imperial Confectionery and Qrooery Stores, Hamilton. (j For Bronchial Cough« and Colds, Wood's Great Feppemint Cure, 1» 0d »nd 8c W per Bottle,,

'I he Ollicial Assignee is inviting tenders, by advertisfmeat in these columns, for the st"ck and propt-rty and a paical o ! jewellery in the bankrupt estate of Hoyte and Co., of Te Awamutu.

The closing Hand of Hope meeting of the season, before the dairy industry begins, was held st Ohaupo on Wednesday eveuiug last in the public ha 1. There was a very good attendance. The Rev. Mr Davidson, of Te Awamutu, occupied the chair, and the Rev. .Mr Hislop, of Te A w.uuutu, took part in the meeting. An excellent programme, consisting of recitations, and instrumental and vocal muiical items, was submitted. The Rev. Thos Fee, of Hamilton, was there by special invitation, and delivered a stirring teraperan :o address, in which the dangers of alcohol and the evils of the licensed 1 i«|nor traiiio were clearly pointed out. Mr Fee urged his hearers to vote no-lioense at the next poll, and took some piins to prove that in doing so they would noither be interfering with the " license of the publican ' nor the " liberty of the subject." A. very hearty and unanimous vi te of thanks was accorded to Mr Fee, the performers and the Chairman, and one of the best meetings of the kind yet held at Ohaupo was brought to a clote.