Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3176, 23 March 1911, Page 4

Local and General.

The Horticultural Autumn Show oiiens this afternoon, at 2.30 p.m. The profits are to be added to the playground improvement fund or the Uisborne School. Speeial_ stalls for the sale of refreshments have been _ai ranged for. Upwards of 300 entries have been received and every effort has been made to make the show interesting to patrons. A pretty compliment was paid the Poverty Bay district by bis Honour Mr Justice Chapman at the Chamber of Commerce banquet last night. He said “iliat residents had no idea how fresh and productive this district looked compared with those district which had had the misfortune to experience drought. “It is,” he said, “refresliin cr for me to come here to look on your green hills.” His Honour went on to sav that Poverty. Bay reminded him of what Mark Twain had written i n respect of an American town which he visited. “The people are Scotch, and they stopped here on their way from Home to heaven. They thought they had arrived 1 .” His Honour added "that he was quite sure if Mark Twain had come to Poverty Bay lie would have said some tiling nearly as nice as that. He could not have said anything prettier. The Tokomaru fieezing works are exceptionally busy, and orders have been booked which wilt keep the works going at full pressure until June. “Sixty thousand pounds’ worth of timber is coming over our wharf every year, when we ought- to be sending timber out and bringing in at least £'60,000 everv year.”—Mr AY. L. Rees at the Chamber of Commerce dinner last night. The annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, which was to have been held prior to the banquet last night, was adjourned until 4 p.m. to-morrow at the Borough Council chambers. “Fox-hunting” is the title of the star film of the. Pathe Picture new programme for to-night. This film has broken all previous picture records at Home. At one AYest End electric theatre people were offering os for a place in the queue. Shown first on 25th January, it is still drawing immense crowds.

The box plans for Amy Castles’ concerts will be opened at Air. AY. Aliller’s at 10 this morning. 'Flie Patho Picture -.0. gave an exhibition at the Tokomaru Hall last night. There was a good attendance, and the capital programme submitted was much appreciated. This evening a bazaar will be held In the Tokomaru Hall in aid of the Tokomaru Anglican Church, the only church in the township. The ladies of the parish have been working hard for some months past in preparations for the undertaking, in which a great deal of interest is being taken, and which promises to be something quite out cf the ordinary.

There appears to be little difference of opinion on the question that in years gone by the opening up and settlement of the East Coast district has for some reason or another been greatly retarded. Till© meal reason for tins was fully explained by Air John Townley at the Chamber of Commerce dinner last night. “Alany years ago I tried hard so get the Native Alinister to help to get the district opened up, and what was his reply?” he asked.

“Taihoa!” came a chorus from among those present, but Air Townloy dispelled sricb a base explanation byT pelled such a base suggestion bv explaining that the Hon. Air Carroll always declared {Shat- he was utterly unable to obtain sufficient assistance in the matter from southern members. Tokomaru Bav was quite busy with shipping yesterday. In addition to the arrival of the South and North _steamers, the s.s. Ngahere, of the Westport Coal Co., was in the bay discharging coal for the Tokomaru freezing works. - The distribution of census papers in the Borough will be commenced on Monday. The census will lie taken on Sunday, April 2nd, and the papers will be collected on the following Monday

An adjourned meeting of the directors of the Gisborne Oil Company was lield yesterday, there being present: Alevssrs W. D. Lysnar (chairman), Clark, Harris, Anderson, Barry, Oman and Adair. It was decided to send the manager to Sydney to expedite the shipment of the plant that is being ordered for the shallow boring. It was also decided, in view of the number of requests by shareholders for further shares, in the company, to make a further issue of 1500 shares upon the same terms as the last issue—2s per share on application and Is a month thereafter. The shares will be offered to the present shareholders until the 22nd of next month. If they are not all taken up up by then the remainder will be open to the public.

In responding to the toast or “Our Guests” at the Chamber of Commerce dinner last night, the Hon. R. AlcKenzie gave some most amusing instances of his experiences in receiving country deputations. On a recent occasion he was called away from a social late at night to meet what proved to be a deputation of one, and h© a gentleman who wanted the route of the railway from Mot-u to Opotiki altered, in order that it might pass through his section! On another occasion the Alinister had been explaining to a deputation along the route of the railway that the line was beiiiir pushed on rapidly towards their district. One of the members of the deputation—a youth of IS summers and apparently somewhat incredulous — asked the Alinister if he thotight the line would reach them “during the life of their leases.” This naturally elicited the query from Mr AlcKenzie: “AYliat is the term of vour leases? ’ and the'hon. gentleman admits that he was quite taken back with, the reply: “999 years I’’ ' To get up in the morning and be faced with the necessity of shaving before leaving home for work, is an experience which most men have. A local gentleman who had slept in rather long the other morning hastily jumped out of bed with half an hour to shave, dress, have breakfast, and reach his place of business. His razor was not in the best of order, and be regarded the operation of shaving with no favor. However, to his utter surprise and joy his good wife had, cn the previous day, had the foresight to purchase one of Morse's patent “Safacto” razors, which she there and then presented to him. He tried it, and reached work in time and smiling. Call and see the “Safacto” at either of Morse’s shops in Gladstone Road. Twelve months’ guarantee given and setting free.*