Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1918. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1895, 26 October 1918, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1918. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Monday ik'x l is Labour Day, ami will be observed as a holiday.

Tim triennial deal ion of Trustees of the Mouloa Drainage Board will lake pla.ee on Monday, November 4!h. Nomination of eandulate.s close on Monday, at 12 noon.

Included in (he list of serious eases received yesterday appears the name of J. Hcmmingway (30038, Buxton. The name of Pie. Noel Bryant also appeared among those listed as wounded.

“Now, wind about (Ids line madeira cake?’’ said the salesman, at the school fair. “Madeira cake?” said a. female authority on domestic cookery, “why, he don’t know the difference between a nm’deira cake and a Chinaman!”

The Jlaxmills in the district are closed to-day fur the half-yearly meeting of the Employees’ Union, which is being held in Palmerston North. A holiday will also be observed on Monday( Labour Day).

A terrific thunderstorm was experienced at Queenstown (Otago) on Thursday night. The storm lasted from eight o’clock until midnight. Lightning struck the Bowen Peak, which overlooks the town, and masses of rock were displaced and scrub fired. Fortunately, no damage was reported.

There’s mueh guessing as to the probable date of mlkpior poll (says the Post). Sir Joseph Ward’s recent words have raised a hope among Prohibitionists that a poll will be taken before Christmas, Iput it is extremely improbable that such, a course will be taken this year. However, the war is proving that the age of miracles is not yet past.

The official' opening of the local tennis courts'took place this afternoon. A lump of ambergris worth £I,OOO was found recently by a Maori in the Bay of Islands. In the Taranaki election, Mr Smith’s votes were cast in the proportion of, town 82 per cent., and country 18 per cent., Mr Connell’s being- 07.1 town, and 32.9 country. Mr and Mrs J. Salmon, of Himatangi, Foxlon line, have received cabled advice stating that their son, Trooper B. G. Salmons, has been transferred from hospital to a convalescent home in Palestine. Government returns just published show that in the year 1910 poultry of all classes in the Dominion totalled 3,468,000, bee hives 57,540, honey produced during the year 1,363,3341b5. The Wairarapa Daily Times says that “Peg o’ My Heart” was enthusiastically received by a large audience at iMastertou on AVeduesday night. Miss Allgood scored a great success in the principal part. Air J. A. Nash, during the course of his remarks at the school fair on Thursday, said ho regretted the loss of the Foxton school. No doubt the new building would be in brick, and would be one of the most up-to-date in the district. He said it was a pity that the lire (lend-had not given his attention to one or two school buildings in Palmerston N., instead of destroying the Foxtail building. In his reply to a deputation at AA’ellington yesterday, Mr ■ Massey remarked that while ho was utterly opposed to any of the Pacific Islands (formerly colonies of Germany) going back to Germany, he was also opposed to any system of dual control. His wish was that the islands conquered by the British should remain wholly under Brills!; control. Air \V. T. .Jennings, AI.P. for Taumarunui, interviewed by the Auckland Star with reference to the re- ;• cent New Plymouth hy-election, said he had gleaned, in conversation with a number of farmers, that the change of opinion in the electorate was owing to the National Government not commandeering the whole of the products of the Dominion and also of failing to deal drastically with the imports of articles used by fanners and the pubjie generally. .In Air Jennings’ opinion, Mr Smith, after gaining experience, will become a valuable public man and an asset to Parliament. Hays the Ghineinuri Gazette: ‘‘The !a-4 meeting of the Paeroa Borough Council constituted a record for late sill lags of this Council, and wc arc strongly of the opinion sonic heller method of dealing with the Council's business can he found.” The Tauranga Times, commenting, says:'“The Pacma scribe should count himself fortunate in not having the Tauranga Borough Council for company. Every meeting constitutes a record for its ridiculous waste of time. Meetings in tho'daytime might prove a help in curing the evil.” At (he conclusion of a case at the Wellington .Magistrate's Court ye--(erday, Air F. V. .Frazer, S.M., gave some valuable words of warning regarding the adoption of infants. People who signed papers of adoption drawn up by lawyers' clerks and others who knew less of law, only built up trouble for themselves. Premiums could be paid by parents only lo (hose persons in charge of a duly licensed home, otherwise a serioijw breach of (he law would be committed. In any case, the premium pai-d had to be appproved by I lie Court. .in l)ic course of an address at Napier, Air J. W. Poynlon, S.AI., referring to the present Chief Justice, said: “When Sir Robert Stout was Premier in JBS6, he introduced the Civil Service Keform Act, and opened the doors of the State to every child in (he country. All they had to do was to pass an examination which, with a little application after they had passed the Sixth Standard, (hey were easily able to do. A\ hen I was in AA’ellington I was delighted lo see so many working men’s children coming into the department. Some of them are now' in very high positions.” Farmers-in the Auckland district appear to he divided in opinion regarding the advisability of undertaking a campaign for the destruction of-hawks (says the New Zealand Herald). A letter from the Te Awamulu sub-provincial executive read at the provincial executive mooting, slated that in localities where rabbits were numerous hawks were useful in combating the rabbit pest, and they also destroyed many small birds that were a nuisance to farmers. Members present stated that the question had been discussed-by various branches without any decision having been arrived at. i In a sermon at AAMstininster Abbey, Bishop John Taylor Smith, Chaplain-General to the Forces, told a story of an Australian family's sacrifice. “A wounded soldier in hospital, questioned about his home and family in Australia, said: “There were six of ns lads and mother. AVe all enlisted, and left mother alone. It was her wish. She said she hoped no boy of hers would hold back when the Alother Country called. And now five of us are asleep, buried on the battlefields of France, and I am the only one left.” There were a few moments of silence, and then the soldier added: “But I have not told you the worst. Alien I got this wound, someone cabled to my mother that I had been killed, and that telegram killed her.’ ”

Heavy rain, driven by a pitilessly cold southerly, in Huwkes Bay, caused serious Joss to sheep owners, shorn animals having perished in hundreds. One owner at Havelock reports losing 400, and Ongaonga, Waipukurau, Te Ante, and other neighbouring districts suffered heavily, one sheep station reporting 1,000-shorn stock lying dead in the paddocks. Farmers have not laid such a distressing experience for many years. The weather is now clearing, but it is still cold and cloudy. A deputation representing the New Zealand Alliance waited on the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward at Parliament House yesterday, and'presented a petition from 24,200 Europeans and 4,146 Maoris, asking that a poll be taken on the liquor question. Mr Massey wished to make it (dear that he was out for reform wherever reform was possible. At the same time it must be understood there were other petitions coming forward from Labour and from the Trade, all of which he had no doubt would be numerously signed. It was absolutely impossible to deal with the details of these petitions until they had been before Cabinet. When that was done he had no doubt legislation would follow, because he wished to emphasise there was no desire on the part of the Government to evade this legislation. There was, however, other important business to he done by the Cabinet and Parliament, but as soon as that was completed he promised them legislation on this subject would he brought down, and the Bill would receive a .straight run. Sir Joseph Ward said Hie suggestion to give compensation to Hie fradc had simplified (he problem so far as lie was concerned, and had cleared the road so far as many aublic men wore concerned. It ivoukl enable a clear, definite issue being put before Cabinet and the ocoplc, ami he could promise them the fullest consideration when (he time came for Cabinet to deal with The prices Hut I: arc reported as likely to be offered to butter- and chccscmakcrs for produce to be requisitioned on account of the Imperial Government must be regarded as eminently satisfactory from The. producers’ point of view. So far as the butter is concerned (says the Post) the price, 181 s per cwl., is not what w.-is asked for, viz., 166 s per cwt.; hut it is a substantial advance on 157 s per cwl., the price paid for (lie 1917-18 make, [Jus 17s per cwl., representing 50 per cent, of the profit* made on Ihe sale in England, and shared with the producer. The price offered for the cheese, viz., I0 : ;d, is fully up to the expectations of producers. It is probable that an average return (o suppliers taken over (he whole Dominion should he 2s per pound for butter. Costs of production, however, have increased, and these will have to be taken into account; nevertheless, (he “deal,” if it is on the prices above, will be a most satisfactory one to the producers of the Dominion directly raid to (he community indirectly. Taking tlie return to but-ter-making concerns at 1575, and adding say 17s (o 18s as (lie 50 per cent, profits already referred to, (he equivalent of Is 41 d to Is 4;;d per pound is obtained, or 3d per ll>. more limn last year. The producers’ representative will meet the, Prime Minister on Monday with reference to the disposal of their output. Writing editorially on the subject of “The Public Service as a Career,” the Public Service journal says:— “Nearly seven out of every hundred persons who are appointed permanently find that the game is not what it was cracked up to be, and this conclusion is not difficult to understand when we remember that 73 per cent, of the total number employed receive salaries ranging downward from £220, whilst 82 per cent, are unable to go beyond £260 per annum. To nearly three-fourths of the “fortunate” public servants a tramway conductor's job offers better remuneration than that of (heir official positions, notwithstanding the fact that a fairly stiff competitive examination as to educational attainment has to he passed to qualify for appointment to the service of the State. It seems evident that some material improvement in the prospects of public servants is needed at once to stop the rot that is fast pervading the Service, otherwise the business of the country is not likely to he carried on in an efficient manner. The first step in this direction will be for the National Government to repeal that section of last year’s Appropriation Act postponing the re-grading for two years. Until this has been done every public servant who is in a position to do so will seek some other sphere of action where he will have a better chance of earning an adequate wage.”