LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2077, 13 January 1920, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Jins a. population of 112,000. A (.'counts amounting’ to £.1,1(14 10s Od were passed tor payment at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council* The road through the Manawatn Gorge is in good order. It is hoped when the new Board takes over control that some of the dangerous bends will he widened. A. Levin resident who was unable to obtain a passage from England for at least .six months, signed on a vessel as a baker —Ids old trade —and thus arrived back in New Zealand. There were present at the monthly meeling of the Borough Council held last uighl : The Mayor (Mr J. Chrystall) and Crs. Bryant, Parkin, Baud, Peaivou, Walker, Hunt and Thompson. James Moss, 42, a docker, wear-’ ing 1.1. pairs of corsets, was chased and caught by a policeman in Bristol, who thought he looked 100 bulky. Moss was sent lo prison for a month with hard labour for stealing the corsets from a ship at the docks. The report (hat Sir James Allen is to go to London in some capacity representing the New Zealand Government, probably as High Commissioner, has been fairly general for many weeks. It is understood that although no appointment is likely to lie made for some time, Sir flames Allen is almost sure to have the offer of the High Commissionership, and that he will accept the appointment. An inquest was held a I Palmerston yesterday concerning the death of a boy 1-5 years of age named Hersal Henry Bennett, sou of Mr John If. Bennett, of Kauwhaia, who died at (he hospital last week following on a shooting accident: on December 2!)(h. The unfortunate lad was accidentally shot in the thigh by a cousin. Ppon removal to the hospital an operation was performed, but owing to tetanus' the lad died of lockjaw, and a verdict was returned accordingly.

The average tobacco smoker has resignedly accepted (ho various increases which have been made in the price of tobacco,since the outbreak of war (says the Otago Daily Times ). He has' not inquired very deeply whether or not such increases were justified. Had lie read in (ho balance-sheets of some of the big British and American tobacco concerns —the businesses have now been largely drawn together —of the colossal profits made during (he war, he might not have absorbed the reasons given why’ the advances were warranted.

A hoy mimed Willie AlcTaggart. !H years oh age, was J'aially shot at Howes Valley Island, N.S.W., by his grandfather,, who intended (he bullet, lo lodge in a flying fox.. The child, who lived with his parents, eight miles away, was spending the holidays with his grandfather, and aider tea climbed into a peaeh tree near the house. Tlis grandfather syw a Hying fox, and brought- a gun out. Noticing a movement in the. tree, he fired, a.ml the hoy fell to the ground, ,shot in the tower portion of the face, in the throat, and the. right side of the chest. He died within a few minutes. At a meeting of the Wanganui hrauc-h of the New Zealand Labour Party, it was resolved that, owing to our obsolete electoral system, the present Parliament is not representative of the people of New Zealand, a majority of the members representing a minority of the elector-; that this meeting of the Wanganui Branch of the New Zealand Labour Party, eat Is upon Mr -Massey (1) lo set himself forthwith to reform on electoral system by enacting proportional representation, and (2) immediately thereafter to appeal to the country, and thereby escape from' the false position of ruling a democratic country on a minority vote. • •

A Wellington message states that the troopship Kigoma arrived at noon and berthed at 2.30 pan. yesterday. The whole of the passenger accommodation in (lie .Now Zealand Shipping Company’s steamers from New Zealand to 'England is hooked up to the end of May. The potato crop throughout this district is reported to be very poor this season, owing to lack of moisture. Thei'e has been an absence of blight, but the tubers are small. The revenue of the port of ’Wanganui was a record last year, amounting to £20,229, compared with £21,940 in 1918, and £14,707 in 1912. When returning froqi church on Sunday evenflig, Miss Duncan slipped oil the kerbiug near the Police Station, and was badly shaken. The accident will incapacitate her for a few days. Feed is,plentiful for stock in the Forty-Mile Bush at the present time.' We saw a herd of cows grazing in grass which half hid them. This growth was noticeable on a number of dairy farms in tire Koniui district. Visitors to Fox ton have been very favourably struck with the line asphalt thoroughfare in Main Street. One visitor remarked that it was the cleanest-looking little "(own lie had passed through between Wellington and New Plymouth. Honey exports from New Zealand for the past five years, in cwts., were; —1915, 2,450, value £5,703; 1910, 2,390, value £0,007; 1917, 1572, value £3,552; 1018, 2,819, value £7,992; 1919, 0,019, value £32,018. Our representative was shown a mob of calves at Konini last week, in splendid condition. The owner said he had just, quitted (hem at £1 per head. He added that although the pric(- was low, he would make up the deficiency on pigs.

Sir -lames Allen stated on Saturday that: Hu*, compulsory provisions applying' to non-contributors to the ton million loan —the last of the War Loans —were now in operation. Notices had been sent out, and the result, said the Minister, had been satisfactory. As has been previously stated, the Government is assured of gelling' the full amount of ■I he loan. The .Mayor roporled af last night's Council meeling that the land presented to the borough by Air A. S. Maston for a public park had now been transferred lo the Council. —Tl was decided that (be matter of obtaining estimates for fencing the park and .submitting giUe designs to (lie Council be referred to the Reserves Committee to furnish a, report to the next monthly meeting of the Council. ' A new discovery in connection with linger prints, which is expected (o have a remarkable influence upon Court cases, was announced recently by Professor J. A. Larsen, instructor of physiology in the University of California. The similarity of finger prints among members of a. family is sufficiently marked to (race family groups and determine relationships, Larsen says.

Tin. 1 road between Manawalu and Lower Wairarapa. is in good order J'or mol oriii” 1 , except between Babin - lua and Eketalnum. Ttie pot -boles along (bis stretch rattle the heaviest cars. Yet there are millions of tons of good melal in tbe locality. It seems strange I bat (be best roads are encountered where metal is scarce. Bennett's llaxmill, situated about a 1 mile and a-ball' from Orepuki, bas been totally destroyed by (ire, along' with several hundred pounds’ worth of. (limn A (farreit steam engine, which supplied power to the mill, and which was purchased by .Mr Bennett a few years ago for £450, has sustained damage to the extent of £OO, the lining being completely stripped and the governors rendered useless. All the other machinery necessary to the industry met a. like fate. On. a conservative estimate,’ the resultant Joss is set down at £1,400, and a number of men are thrown out of employment.

At last night’s Council meeting the Council went into committee to discuss matters in connection with the Town Hall. Mr J. IT. Reid, the new lessee, was also present. On resuming in open Council, the following resolution was passed; Thai the names submitted by .Mr J. If. Reid as. guarantors being satisfactory, Mr Reid be granted a. lease of the Town Hall for two years from March Ist, 1920, on the conditions laid’down, except that gas to be paid for at Hie current ruling rates and the hall to be available for Horticultural Shows twice in each year for two consecutive days (Thursday ami Friday). Owing to (he narrow margin against Prohibition, it is considered certain that recounts will be demanded in at least some of the electorates, while it is also possible that, efforts will be made to have some of the polls declared void on the ground of alleged irregularities. One of the irregularities urged will be tlial some returning officers refused to allow holders of absent voters’ permits from no-license districts to vote on the national issues, to a vote on which all European elector- arc entitled. Section ‘I of the 1918 Act provides that where any 50 electors are dissatisfied with the result of tiny licensing poll they may ask for an enquiry into the conduct of the poll. If the petitioners arc able to prove that Ihe poll was materially affected by irregularities, the Court may declare the poll void, ami order a. new poll to be taken. —AJanawalu Times.

Influenza in a mild, f<n m is prevalent in many parts of the Dominion. ' The Town Hull is being freshened up with a new dress of paint.’ - Mr D. J. London, solicitor, of . Cambridge, paid a brief visit Foxton last week. ( . j, There has been a gTC;iPsl,aughtor of rabbits by sportsmen.during the holidays in the. Hinuvtangi district. , ; The friends of Mrs Patterson will be pleased to learn that she' is making good progress towards recovery from her recent illness.., The Main Street footpaths are being top-dressed with tar and sand —to the temporary annoyance of shopkeeper's. • The contractors arc busy on the interior of the State school, it is hoped-that a portion of Ihe school will bo ready for occupation when the school resumes next month. It is rumoured that the Wanganui lawyers have recently increased their scale of charges by about 50 per cent. We presume this is due to the high cost of living!—Herald.’ Archbishop Redwood left Wellington yesterday for Sail Francisco.. He will be accompanied by the Rev. Father Maillard, h French priest who for many years has been engaged in mission work in the. interioT of the island. Councillor A. D. M’Leod, M.P., staled at a meeting of the Feathers-. , ton County Council last week that the Government was seriously considering the question of importing eemenj. from Canada and elsewhere to meet the requirements of builders and local bodies. The wedding took place at Mas-., terton last week of . Lieut. Frank . Hodge, son of the Rev. A. Hodge, of S Napier, and MPs Freda L. E. Redman, daughter of Mr and Mrs F, T. Redman, of Masterton, and niece of Mr and Mrs Ilornblow, of Foxton. Lieut. Hodge is a member of the staff of the Hawke’s Bay Herald. The Prime Minister informed a Post reporter that Cabinet had deluded that restrictions would be imposed upon such industries as brewing and sugar boiling during- the fruit season, which has already commenced, so as to leave as much sugar as possible for the purpose of jam-making and .fruit-preserving. Monday was the .seventy-fourth anniversary of the capture of live Ruapekapeka pah at the Bay of Islands by the British troops under Colonel Despard and the friendly l unlives , under Tamati Wa lea acne and Kawiti. The capture of the pah brought Hone Heke’s war to a (dose. The 5S(h Regiment participated in the operations. Shannon is peculiarly fortunate ,-y as regards eletetric power, owing to | its proximity to-the -Manga hub electric workes. Arrangements have been made whereby sufficient power will be available for SliannWV requirements, direct from the Manga - hao works. A loan-of £2,200 is being asked for immediately for this ' purpose, ami will doubtless be granted, and the Mayor of Shannon hopes that the whole scheme will bo carried out, and the electric, light made ready for use in the town in a few months’- time. It is understood that a high pressure, -water supply can also he secured at .Shannon at a very low cost, the water being obtained from the dams constructed at the electric*works, only some three; miles from Shannon. Shannon will be able to secure water and lighting under • exceptionally easy conditions, and these facilities will confer a great boon on Shannon residents.