LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1938, 11 February 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of the New Zealand Flaxmillors’ Association & being held at Palmerston North to-day. A cricket match is being arranged to be played on the Park pitch on Saturday afternoon, between a Foxtou team and an eleven from the Whitaumu Mill,

Aeeonnts amounting lo £355 13s (id were passed for payment at last nig Id's meeting of Hie Borough Council. _

It was decided last night to order 550 tons of Belmont metal and 200 yards of Tiakitahuna metal for the borough roads.

The annual Presbyterian Sabbath School picnic will he held in Mr 0. Kobinson’s property on Saturday next. The usual arrangements, as in past years, will be adhered to. There were present at last night's Council meeting:—The Mayor (Mr J. Chryslall), and Crs. Coley, Thompson, Henderson, Hannah, Kempsler, 'Bryant, Hurley, MeMnrrav and Walker.

Mr K. W. McVill y, assistant-gen-eral manager of railways, has been appointed managin' from April HOIh, when Mr K. H. Hiley will retire at his own reipiest.

The Minister of education has advised Education Boards that new schools must be erected on the basis of twelve square feet of air space per pupil in average.attendance.

Victims of the influenza epidemic at Auckland are reported to be losing their hair. A hairdresser states that the hair does not come out in the ordinary way, but in liandfulls. Ho is busy shaving girls' heads every dav.

Tlu> Koxton Ride Clul) made application al last night's Council meeting lor ii grant of €ls. —It was decided, on (he motion of (lie Mayor, seconded by Cr Coley, that limber and material to (lie value of £lO lie granted for the purpose of repairing the targets and sheds. The Rev. R, R. M. Sutherland has tendered to (he Dunedin Presbytery his resignation of the-pastorate of Kaikurai, as from April next, when he will have occupied the pastorate for a period of forty years. The resignation was accepted with regret.

At the inquest on George Hally Kirkwood, who died as (he result of injuries susetained by jumping from the window of Dr. Milson’s waitingroom, at Auckland last, week, the evidence showed that deceased had been unable to sleep for some considerable time. The Coroner found (hat the deceased was temporarily insane at the time of death.

The Town Clerk (Mr W. Waters) made application at last night’s Council meeting for an increase in salary. The matter was dealt with in committee, and on resuming in open Council it was decided that his salary be increased to £28(5 per annum, the Mayor slating that he was exceedingly pleased at the manner in which the Town*Clerk was carrying out his duties. A- noted Swedish physician, Dr. Jljoerson, claims that Spanish influenza may be cured by exposing the patient’s back to a strong electric heat and light apparatus, followed by application of heal compresses whereby intense perspiration is induced. Ho claims that numerous patients have been cured in from hu> to live days by this process.

An English clergyman was griev-

ed to Hud his services for men so poorly attended. He expressed Ids regret to the verger. “I really think they ought to come,” lie said sadly. just what I’ve'said to ’em over air over again/’ said (lie verger, consolingly. “I say to ’em; ‘Look at me! Igo lo all them services year after year/ says 1; ‘an’ what ’arm does they do me V ”

At last night’s Council meeting Airs Uamer made"applicatkm tor a permit to erect a temporary storeroom, etc., at the hack of .Mr Oxley’s shop. The applicant staled that the building had already been erected, but she was not aware until it had been completed that it was necessary to gel a permit. —It was decided lo grant a permit for six months, the building to be removed at the end of that period.

The following was received from the Secretary General Post Office yesterday:— “Official advice has been received that it is hoped that all 1910 men of (he Expeditionary forces will embark to return to (he Dominion by the end of April, and IHT7 men by the end of May, ami also 1918 men by the end of June. Correspondents of soldiers should accordingly restrict their posting of parcels and papers.’’ The Hon. J. A. lianaii, Minister of Eduealion, slates that he hopes lo establish a central State store for the supply of school requisites lo Eduealion Boards and School Committees for sale to the children at the lowest possible price. “A similar scheme,” says Mr Hanan, “has been in operation for some years by the Education Department in connection with Native schools and special schools, and it has worked satisfactorily. Further, the establishment by the Education Department of a certain store some three years ago for obtaining necessary supplies for (he special schools has resulted in'a very great financial saving to the Department. Since its establishment goods to the value of £38,000 have been purchased and supplied to the Department’s institutions. The estimated saving on these purchases is £15,200, while the wholesale value of the goods in stock in the store is £7,600 over the prices paid by the Department. The total saving, therefore, can be set down as about £23,000. In the aggregate there should, under the scheme now suggested, be a very substantial saving to parents annually, and a further saving will he effected when the opportunity is afforded of making the class books in use throughout -the Dominion more uniform than is the case at present —a reform that has been repeatedly stressed in Parliament.”

It was decided at last night's Council meeting that the footpaths in Liddell Street and Ravonsworlii Place be tarred and sanded, and that the Avenue Hoad footpath be repaired.

At the Palmerston S.M. Court yesterday a Rongotea resident was lined £3 and £3 2s costs for rescuing three cows from the ranger, and on a charge of assaulting the County ranger was convicted and ordered to pay £1 8s costs. A very sad bathing fatality occurred at Rona Bay, Wellington, on Saturday afternoon, whereby a returned soldier named Dudley .M'lvenzie lost his life, and two friends —Mr Ernest Hunt, a wellknown city accountant, and Mr Wilfred F. Harrison, another returned soldier —very nearly lost their lives in attempting to rescue the drowning man. At (he impiest: a verdict of accidental drowning was returned.

A. pet it ion was presented to the Otaki Town Board at its last meeting asking that a poll be taken on the question of rating on the unimproved value. The Chairman, Mr Byron Brown, speaking in support of the petition, considered all public spirited men should support the proposal: he would do so, although it would double his rates. Ho considered it shameful thal a man who huill a house and improved the appearance of Hie lowa should Ho charged, while those who did nothing, hut rather retarded progress, should get off lightly. He believed in creating a stimulus to improve the township. This view was supported by others, and the clerk was instructed to fake the necessary steps to lake a poll. in a speech at Whangarei, the Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister fui; Justice, said that the problems of the future were fraught with peril to those who did not walk circumspectly. Pre-war problems paled into insignificance compared with the after-war problems, which were already down on the list for settlement. While he wished to see the National Government continue until peace was signed, he would say that no section of the people of New Zealand would in future be allowed to takeffhe whole of the community by the throat. The industrial capitalist would do well to remember that there was little iu his social record to inspire confidence, and that he had a very short time hi which to build up a reputation that would, 11 oat him without disaster into the new era that was surely coming. The people of New Zealand lut'd to decide, first, Hie kind of Government (hey desired; second, the degree of authority they wished it to possess; third, the broad character of the programme they wished it to pursue; and fourth, the type of administration they preferred to have in oJlice during Hie infinitely momentous years of Hie war settlement and peace transition which are straight before ns. Successful repatriation, he said, must he Hie sheet-anchor of progressive statesmanship. in the centres of population (he next war would he a war on hovels that should he homes; on all kinds of misery and their makers. To-day we were Holding postmortems, hut unless (hose post-mor-lems pointed a moral and (aught a lesson, all efforts would he iu vain. (Applause).