GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16721, 2 January 1920, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

0 | Tin) ferry steamer Maori mndo an-, other protractor! trip yc.stcrdav from : Wllmston, arriving :a Lvttefton at : p.til. She l.ad calm weather all : the way but i,<o fault wrs stated to be j '.Jul- to bad coal.

1 Coi;r f vostrrdrr.-, l'«'tort> Mr . . (I. l)::y. S.M., G.-nrpo Kol)inst):i, ch;ir~f'il with lnvin K luva in :* stato oi .;(\rlc\s,s drunkenness, wrs till January Sth. A charge KJinsi. l.tLol I'r.rkor, Hnrcour'

of lin% iri'4 ajinil from the Salvation Aimy 11 omo v. h:!o s!:o uii.i .nil ininato uudor thu ]>oforin:itnry Prisons Act. v. as :uljouriud till January Sth.

Fault was found with tho "School i 01 "? 3 ' to the Women I earners' .Association Conference at ■ U oUinjiton on Tuesday, and it was stated that the J'.iifriish in the journal was often and that in<tort. Inf interesting t!:e children tho lengthy articles sometimes merely lored ill c:n. Several considered that tho journal was quite unsuitahlp as .? school reader, and it wr.s to he hoped that a much needed improvement would he brought about.

Tlie weather for Now Yrar's Dav holiday was cool and pleasant, and tho day turned out a good deal better than was exported from the overcast naturo of tho sky early in the forenoon. Tlio city was very empty all day. and there were largo outpourings "of holidaymakers to all tho recognised holiday resorts. Sumner and Now Brighton were both well patronised, tho more energetic people tackled tho hills in considerable numbers, Lyttelton's regatta drew a fairly largo crowd— though not as largo as in pre-war times—and, of course, there was a dense throne: at the trots at Canterbury Park. Taking everything into consideration it was a good holiday.

A few days ago a well-known Pahiatua resident V.'-ennie pos?<\=*od of a motor-car. Tic learned to drive it and contemplated a tour during tho holidays. On Boxing Day, however, tho ear refused to move, and no efforts on its new owner's part had any effect. On Saturday ho sot in touch with a mechanic nor telephone, and received Iho suggestMn that perhaps tho car needed l>onzino with relief. However, tho c-ar still refused to go (says tho "Herald''). Tho mechanic turned up once ngain to nut things right., and fooii discovered that, as lie had thought, tho benzino tank was enrnty. A few enquiries then elicited tho fact that tho new owner had poured his benzine into tho radiator!

Nobody can say definitely whether it was lost, stolen, or strayed, but tho Defence authorities havo deelired that somebody has captured a Herman maeliino gun in Molhqurno (says tho "Sydney Sun"). Frantic haste has not been observed in the search for it. as tho gun disappeared on July 19th, when th" Peace TV.iv procession was held. A collection of guns eantured l>y the Australians from tho Huns attracted much attention, and tho soldiers of tho 58th Battalion, and their relatives and friends looked with particular pride on ma-chino-trun 10129. It had boon taken in battle by tho .>Bth from the Germans, and was one of 21 that bad been on loan from the Australian "Wor Museum for display In tho peace celebrations.

Tho box respirator, so much used by our troops who had to face the deadly German gas, saved many lives. It is interesting to learn that the same appliance has been found of great benefit to a "fighter" of peace times—namely, the fireman. Tho 3>unodin City Brigade (says tho "Star") possesses ono of the latest types of these masks, and on tho occasion of a recent firo tho appliance was put to an exhaustive test, and in conscquence of tho highly satisfactory results attained Superintendent Napier intends to apply immediately to the Homo authorities for a mipply. The mask can be quickly adjusted, -which is a most essential point for a fireman, when lives may bo in dancer in a building ftlled with smoke. Tho appliance is n most valuablo acquisition to fire-fighters, ns compared with tho old stvlo of smoke helmet. Superintendent Napier hopes to equip every man in tho brigade with a mask.

Messrs John and Hames Halfpenny, graziers, of Horton Park, Tibooburra, left homo two weeks ago to visit Boulia, Queensland. They were riding bicycles. Before reaching Miller's Tank their wnterbags were empty, and both were rapidly becoming exhausted from want of water and tho intense heat, which was 112deg. in the shade. "When the men reached Millor's Tank thev found it contained no wnter. They scratched a hole in the bottom, but did not succeed in reaching water. Mr John Halfpenny became very ill, and was unable to proceed further. He asked his younger brother to try to reach Thurlow Downs and savo himself, and ohtain assistanco. Ilames had only gone five miles when he was overtaken by a violent duststorm, with the result that he became lost during tho night. John gradually became better, and next morning ho scrr.fched another hole, and obtained a sorkago. Next morning Mr John Halfpenny started for Thurlow Downs, nnd arrived there after a great deal of trouble, heinc ill, and having been without food for about two days. He then discovered that his brother Had not, turned up, nnd lie proceeded to Berawinnia Station, with the same 'result. The manager of Berawinnia Station got up a search party, and Hames Halfpenny wns found wandering in the sandhills. He was in a very bad state, and unable to take water without assistance.

The scarcity of woollen goods in Now Zealand at present is giving many people food for serious thought, and it would appear that tho question of obtaining a decent suit of clothes at a fairly reasonable price is going to becomo even more difficult of solution than it has been during the past twelve months (says Tuesday's Auckland "Star"). Imports irom England of woolkui materials of a kind suitable for clothing havo fallen off to a very l;u-ge extent, not because of any lack of demand, but becausc of tho high prices that are asked for the goods made at Home. These prices are said to bo so high in many instancoa that it doe 3 not pay to import them and make them into suits here, for tho reason that to do so would mean that tho suits would be absolutely prohibitivo in prico except to a very low. Moreover, the prices are steadily advancing at Home, and there is no guarantee that the prices quoted there, say, to-day, will be tho samo five or six weeks hence. Ono firm in tho city recently cabled Homo for come worsted suitings at a prico quoted. About five weeks later they received advico that since tho order hacl been sent this particular material had advanced 3s per yard. There appears to bo no stability in the market, and those who might bo otherwise inclined to buy are not inclined to take chances on a market the chief characteristic of which is a tendencv on the part of prices to jump higher and higher. Thero are some people here who havo no hesitation in jnying that these high prices are not caused wholly by any increase in wages that mav havo taken placo nt Home, but that some of tho people who have control of the goods in tho Old Country are deliberately profiteering and making the most of the scarcity. °

' The Mokoia will leave Lyttolton on ! Monday nut.ii ht Wellington a> an i extra ferry -'.earner. ' Post and Telegraph officers. their 1 wives and friends, to the number of ; -Vj i. lield a picnic oil Kaiapoi Park ves- ■ terdav, a most enjoyable day bi«:n£ spent. A Palmer*: m North messnce says t : <at a ii 'it driven by a taxi pro- ; ; 'i tor mime 1 collided with a j bridge at A'val'.uri and caught tire. One pa*-er.cr w.is Fcriomdy injured and m hosr.it a!. while another, who suffered a broken collarbone, was pinned ! >■>- ; lvath the e.ir and rescued at the last : moment. The • -<r was insured in the i ofrice for £'J 10. j The holiday pa-sod <fl very quietly at Ranziora. there I eimz no local amuse--1 ments excepting l» v.iin£ errquet. ; Many residents journeyed to S:>ckburn, i I.y! : toil. and Oxford, whi'e ni.'iiii'rwis ■ pi iiic parties made their way to the I \\\r.k:;!.'i lnvich. Ihe St. .Toiin s («irl j Peace S:-out>' C.imn at Ob'.stream ati tra- ted many parents and friends of the

♦ T irls The Stratford correspondent of the "Taranaki Herald - ' writes:—Tho denirnd for n mnpistori:il inquiry into the poll, preferred l.y ilic Hon. Mr Hire's f-npr.orters is. I understand, hnckod by so;nc circumstantial reports of double voting by over-zealous partisans of his successful opponent. A bad feature of this election bns been tho henvy bcttinc, a vicious indulgence of whi'-h each side has. of course, been equally ftiiilLv. People would do well to ionfine their \va?erin£» to tho orthodox four-footed mediums of speculation, and lei ti:o biped competitors for Parliamentary stako3 run untaeked.

It was pointed cub at tho annual conference of tho Women Teachers' Association at Wellington' on TuesiT.iv that women teachcrs were placed at a disadvantage as compare;! with men teachers in the matter of superannuation. On hohalf of tho Otago brancli, Miss M. McKenzio moved:—"That in the Superanimation Act an undue handicap is placed on women in relation to their te\ehmg service, and this Association considers that they should bo allowed to complcto forty years' service." Miss McKenzie said that under tho Act men retired at Gj and women at 55. This gave the men an advantage of ten years, in which timo they wcro able to rise to higher positions at commensurately increased salaries. Tho president. Miss E. A. Chaplin (Ohristchurch), said that tho Act permitted tho retireinont of women teachers who had completed thirty years' sorvico, or who had reached the age of 55 years. Some Education Boards, however, insisted on fetnalo teachers retiring at the ago of Go years. In her opinion that was wrong, for if a woman at 5-5 years of ago was fit and well, sho should be allowed to remain in tho service, ©specially when tho cry was being raised that thero was a shortage of teachers. After brief discussion it was resolved that the remit should provide that, althourrh women toacliors might retiro after thirty years' service, in view of tho shortage of teachers, they should be allowed to complote fortv years' service, provided they were e(T:cient. All tho agony of Rheumatism can bo avoided and tho disease itself remedied by ridding the system of excess urio add. For this purposo nothing is so good as Loasbv's Rheumatic Pebbles. Pnco 2s Gd a box, at all chemists and stores, or from Loasby and Co., Chemists (opp. Ballantync's). 6 Ring Drayton's Emporium for jam jars, lib size 5s 6d, 21b 7s Gd. Mason's fruit jars, all sizes, 10s Gd, 13s Gd, lGs 6d dozen. Orders delivered promptlv. 'Phono 2004. G Specially smart, attractive holiday Hats for ladios and girls aro now displayed in tho showrooms of Armstrong's, Ltd., also n late shipment of black trimmed and ready-to-wears, American Jlats. These aro marked, as usual, with Armstrong's famous low priccs. i Pictures for presents. A choice selection at Gibb's Art Depot, Cashcl street, opp. Ballantync's. 4 Floor covering buyers have disoovered that the Congoleum squares, showing at Armstrong's, fulfil the wants of tho present-day housekeeper, by reducing labour, and tho reasonable cost —they aro obtainable in all sizes. 2 Dear Housewives,—To wash clothes clean without rubbing or injury to hands or fabrics, alwnys uso "NO RUBBING" Laundry Help, in conjunction with tlio puro "GOLDEN RULE" Soap. F. A. Cooko, Ltd. 5 THE STUDEBAKTTR HOT-SPOT MA NTFOLD. The tiro greatest secrets in designing an efficient motor aro to secure the best possiblo vaporisation and correct mechanical distribution of tho gases. Studcbakers accomplish this by the devico of "hot-spotting" tho manifold— tho littlo clearing house which distributes to each cylinder in turn its mixture of gas and air. The carburetter delivers a. spray of petrol, which falls on tho hot-spot lilcc a drop of water on a hot stove. Tho result is tho production of a fog of hot gas which explodes on ignition with tremendous force. AH this is done evenly. No starving of some cylinders and overfeeding of others. The proccss extracts the last of power out of every drop of petrol, and the manifold is scientifically shaped so as to compel even distribution. Yon should investigate this at the Studehaker Xmas Exhibition in our High s£rcct Showrooms.—Adams, Ltd. 11