LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2043, 18 October 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A special meeting of the Fpxton Borough Council will be held on Monday, at 7 pirn. Business: Eoy*al Theatre. If "will be of ■interest to some parents to learn that the Government is contemplating the inauguration of a scheme for classes for deaf children in the four principal centres of the-Dominion. These classes will be able to take children wlnv are deaf ■ and partially deaf, and also stammerers. who will receive the attention of expert teachers. Mr W. ll.’Field (Otaki) gave notice in the Hon-e of Representatives on Thursday of his intention of asking the Minister of Labour whether he L aware that eight acres of laud set apart tor workers’ dwellings at Levin i< to be Mild by public auction. He asked the Minister to prevent the auction taking place.

Patrick Walshc, im old resident, was killed on the Cupe Foulwind railway yesterday morning.

Fat bullocks were sold at £lB 10s per head at a cattle fair in Maslerton on. Tuesday. The price of cattle has dropped considerably of late, owing to the shortage of feed in some parts of the district.

Tluk AVangauui Education Board has decided to make application to the'Department for a grant for drainage at the local school. The master's residence has been included in the septic lank scheme, hut whether this will be allowed to remain in the scheme is open to question. The Committee has no .■jurisdiction over the master's residence.

The housing problem is still acute in .Masterlon. Many ■families are living in outhouses and sheds, while not a few have been compelled to leave- the town. The Mayor has written to Messrs Staples and Co., asking for a lease of the old Central TTotel, the living.portions" of which are practically unoccupied, in order that apartments may he provided for- those who desire them.

Mr E. Newman (Uangitikei) has given notice to ask the Prime Minister whether he will instruct the Board of Trade to make a-search-ing Inquiry into the high prices now being charged for benzine and kerosene, both of which are now largely used by dairymen throughout the Dominion in connection with their business, and will take what steps are necessary to have the price of these articles reduced.

A proposal (o build a link railway from Paeugaroa to (ho railhead of the Rotorua lino, a distance of 51 miles, at a cost of about £350,000, undo' tiie Local Railways Act, was discussed by a widely attended conference at Whakalaue on 'Wednesday. The Tuuranga County Council has already unanimously pprovcd of the proposal,, and a committee was appointed to gather information for a further conference.

The Post’s Gardening contributor, who has lately been on. a visit to Hawke’s Ray, reports that Uie orchards in the province are looking better than lie ever saw them before. Two rainy seasons have put strength into the trees, and they show great pro'mise. Orchardists stale that lasi yea) 1 was the best they have ever had, and (he (touting season promises to bo unite as good, or; better.

At this week’s meeting of the Wanganui Education Board the, following resignations were received: —Mr E. B. Jones, Fcilding; Miss Day, Uimvloi; Miss Sandford, Waituna. Appointments confirmed: — Miss liorneman, Queen’s Park; Mr J. Browning, Kakahi; Mr Taylor, Manaia; Miss Donovan, Uliku; Mr Nicol, Pakihikura; Mr Haydon, Kimbolton; Miss Wild, Aramoho.

“The sun’s mood is gradually (•hanging from the minimum to the maximum,” said Mr Clement Wragge, at Gisborne, “and during the years 1!)20 to -lfi24, the, conditions will bo more favourable for earthquakes. IPs nothing to be alarmed at, and 1 don’t say that New Zealand is going to be blown up, but people who live in places where earthquakes occur do not stick to chimneys and let them (umbie'Vlowu on them. It’s good to have earthquakes, and It shows that there is enough energy left to keep the earth and all going.’’ “Will the Prime'Minister prevent land agents acting for two parties in land deals/’’ asked Mr G. Willy (Kiccarlon), in (ho-House on Wednesday. Mr Witty said that more jobbery and swindling resulted from' this practice of acting for both parties than from any other cause. “Abolish them altogether,’’ said a member. The Prime Minister said he did not think they could abolish land agents altogether bylegislation. When the more important Bills of the session had been dealt with he would consider whether anything could be done with the question mentioned by Mr Witty.

“W’hat is going to make a very big difference in conditions in New Zealand is the very alarming increases in the value of land. Such increases have occurred in Australia, owing to the gradual push of agriculture, but not nearly to the extent of the rise in New .Zealand,” said Mr Alexander Macintosh, to a Dominion reporter. “In some parts of flic country land is fetching £IOO an acre for dairying. Now, if people are going to pay that for hind, how is it -possible for the cost of living to recode, seeing that everything comes from the land ? I have seen it worked out-in figures which cannot he refuted (hat it would he impossible for a man who has paid £IOO an acre for land to sell butter at Is 8d per lb. Instead of looking for a decrease'tbe public must rather expect an increase,” a

“Why is there u tendency amongst our people to. Hock to the towns?” asked Sir Robert Stout in the course' of -an address upon “Education in Relation to Future Production,” at the annual conference of the Council of Agriculture, at Wellington on Wednesday. “Surely the lure,of the sun, the pure air iri the country, and •the’ beautiful surroundings in our country districts should cause the dwellers in ! , the 'towns to migrate t'o the country. The tendency,‘.however, is the other way, it ought not; to. be so, for there,are, joys in the country that’cannot be.obtained in the towns.”. Sir. Robert 'did not see why all the enjoyment that was said to be obtainable, in the towns’should not be had in the country districts. Life'in the country' could bo popularised by making more of the country schools, which 'Should be the centre of social as well as Intellectual life. • -

At a meeting of the local Dorcas Society held yesterday, it was decided to discontinue sewing during the summer 'months.

. The death occurred at Matakarapa yesterday of Mr John McGregor, one of the oldest and bestknown Natives on this coast. The deceased was about 95 years of age. The Palmerston North Silver Dand. of 27 performers will be visiting Vox ton next week-end. This Band is one of the Army’s best, and it is expected tjial a good time will be experienced. Watch for Special .announcement in our advertising columns next week.,

Au ‘effort is being made to form a Men’s Club in Foxton, and the project is meeting with good sup-, port. A meeting of all interested will be held in the Town Hall supperroom on Monday evening, at 8 o’clock.

Messrs Hamer and Soil notify that although-the'fire'escape provision in the Royal Theatre is three times greater than that prescribed by the by-laws, they have decided to add another in order to avoidditigation, and the Royal will therefore be closed for a few days whilst these alterations are being carried out.

“When in the Old Country,’’ said Sir Walter Buchanan reminiscently, at the Agricultural Conference this week, “I saw logs down by the roadside ready for delivery to the Government —the Imperial Government —the very trees 1 helped to plant on iny father’s property at tlnf of fifteen. It came home to me then that on thousands of acres in the Highlands of Scotland they had been growing I,hc wrong crops for many years. The sheep on such land could mot be many, and‘they were not of the higliesl class. If people had .planted trees on (he thousands of acres (SO years ago, they would have had a valuable crop to-day.”

A very pleasing ceremony look place at the local. Presbyterian Church last night, at the conclusion of choir practice, when members and a few friends adjonrn'ed to the schoolroom for the purpose of making a presentation to Mr B. T. Belly, late choir conductor. After light refreshments had been partaken of, the Rev. Mr Halliday called upon Mr Claris to make the presentation. In doing so, the minister conveyed the thanks of the .congregation to Air Betty for his past services. Mr Claris, on behalf of the choir, said (hey were deeply indebted to Air Bctly fur officiating as choir- master, and for the training the choir had received at his hands. As a slight token of appreciation,.he asked Mr Betty to accept a safety razor set. Other speakers endorsed Mr Claris’ remarks. Air Betty, in acknowledging the gift, said music was his hobby, and any services he had rendered was a pleasure. At the conclusion, those present joined in singing lustily, if not harmoniously, “For He’s' a Jolly flood Fellow.”

Will (lie present methods of soldier settlement increase production materially in New Zealand? Practical farmers have expressed doubts on (he question, and Mr D. M’Clregor, of Gladstone, ventured the opinion at the Agricultural Conference, at Wellington on Thursday, (hat a more satisfactory (dan might have been pursued. Karly in farmers in the Wairarapa had urged that the only fair way of'settling, more closely the large estates was to take proportionately from each holding. There were still large estates. In the Gisborne district one man shore 03,000;sheep, another over 40,000, and several over 30,000. In ' the Wairarapa twelve men owned a quarter of a million sheep bet ween them. Land might have been found in suitable quantity at reasonable prices, and the only way to increase productiveness was to take from those who held the larger blocks, to occupy Crown lands and to improve poor- land. A remit was adopted urging the Government to take steps to purchase more land for the, settlement of soldiers! waiting for the opportunity of going on the land.

In the course of headdress on Thursday night, Air A. C. Hillier, Labour candidate for,the Manawatu seat, referred to the Alangahao hy-dro-electric scheme. He. said, rant unless steps were taken to speed up the work if would be many years before the scheme would be completed. He visited the head works on Wednesday of hist week, and found that there were only ten men at work. The conditions there were decidedly had, and something should be done to improve them. Since the work- was .commenced fully 2,000 men had been sent there,’but a very large proportion of them only remained a very short time. The men on arrival were given a lent and bed to pitch it in the valley, which was' reeking with wet. Mfiny-of the men had had no experience- of pitching camp, with the result that the living conditions were very bad indeed, and the men would not stay, and there was a continual stream of men going to and coming away from the works. This was .wrong and wasteful. The building in which the food was cooked was ten years ago used as a stable, and in front of same there was stable manure and slush knee deep. Unless something was done to improve matters the scheme would-aiot be completed for many years. ‘ A*