Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1920. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2091, 17 February 1920, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1920. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

All the schools,re-open oij Thursday next. Flight persons were afflicted wilh ptomaine poisoning at Taradale (Kapler)* last week after partaking of boiled ox tongue, several being children. All arc now out of danger. . Air KelliAv informed' (he School Committee last night that owing to his removal to Redding lie would have to tender his resignation as a committeeman, widely would lake effect from the next mooting.

A lire broke out at midnight .on Friday in’the (moling rooms at the Loiigburn Breezing Works. The lire was quickly extinguished,'and small damage Avas done,- There Avere about eight carcases destroyed.

A company, known as tire Aviation Limited, has been registered at Melbourne, Avitir the object of developing aerial passenger services, particularly betAveen Melbourne and Tasmania. It Avill start operations with four machines next month.

The appearance of the elephants in the streets of Palmerston N. reminds a resident that at llawcra an old racei’ doing duty in a cal) fell dead near the railway station when a circus elephant came into view, thus putting Ilawcra’s . last taxi-cab out of action.

The conference arranged'by the Prime Minister for the consideration of the coal dispute continued its sittings at -Wellington yesterday, Mr Massey again presiding. No statement has been issued as to the progress made, but it is generally understood that the discussion may end to-day. There are still, however, some important matters for consideration by the parties.

The German Embassy re-opened ot London on Saturday, and the German flag; was flown yesterday for the first time in England since the war began, after Herr Slimmer has presented his credentials. When the Glennan Charge <VAffairs arrived at Charing C.To.-s, he hurried ofi: the station directly the tram came to a stand.-till, and so evaded a public reception. He travelled by taxi to the old Embassy at Carlton House Terrace.

At last weck'< meeting of the "Wanganui Pmshylery, llie Home Missionary at Apiti reported that land aggregation had reduced the "congregation, but (ho work was being carried on as usual. Owi.ii": to the overcrowded state 01. the College , Street (Palmerston X.) school, St. Andrew's Church schoolroom has been secured at a rental of £2 per week to accommodate the overflow, the Board to provide the furnishing. \

The balance of sexes in New Zealand so long upseDby. the war has been restored during' the past few months by the demobilisation of the forces. On December 31st, 1918, there were in the Dominion 542,04(1 males and 500,327 females.' A year later there were 588,908 males and 575,500 females, a state of affairs which should certainly facilitate llie task of the fair sex! during (he current Leap Year.

A boy aged sixteen years was before the Blenheim Police Court recently, charged wilh shooting Ids father in tin* arm with a pea-rille. It was stated in evidence that the father, while m a stale of intoxication, was savagely assaulting his wife, who was in a delicate state of health, and the lad fired at ids father with 'the view of disabling him, and thus protecting the woman. The Magistrate dismissed the case.

A short time ago the bakers at Marten advertised that on and after Ist -lamiary they would raise the price of the 41b. loaf, delivered, from 5Ad to (id. The Town Clerk, Mr Kniggcv quietly wrote to the Board of Trade,,forwarding a copy of the advertisement. A reply has been received from the Hoard, slating tlmt the bakers in question have been communicated with, informing (hem (hat they would have to revert to their original prices for bread.

it is true that a good deal of land .-•peculation is going- on at the present lime throughout (he Dominion, and, properties are changing hands at inflated values daily. Many of the transactions are on the ten per cent, cash basis, and in the majority of eases the land carries frq,m one to four mortgages, bearing interest up to 8 per cent. This inflation is alright so long as prices remain high, but should the market drop there will be much wailing and gnashing ol' teeth. We are on the verge of strange happenings.

In connection with' the visit of .the Prince of Walt's the GovernorGeneral Jtas telegraphed as follows to some of the local bodies: —“After consultation wilh Sir Francis Bell, I have arranged to detail ' Captain Tahu .Rhodes, my military secretary, to visit various places, on route which the Prince of Wales will travel when touring New Zealand, in order to obtain anVea of what preparations local authorities propose to make to welcome His Royal Highness.” , ■ The King 'inspected motor-’bus B-13, recently, which served on the Continent throughout the war, and is now plying again in London. A brass plate affixed to it shows that it served at Antwerp, Ypres, the Somme, the A more, and Amiens. A number of other"motor-’lmses wilh distinguished war records carry similar plates, and have resumed street (rathe. The Fling, on entering 843, remarked that it was the. lirsl time he had been inside an omnibus.

Sir Ross Smith, in an interview a) Sydney, stated (hat the flight from Sydney to London would, in the near future, lie easily accomplished in six days, (lying by daylight only, and allowing (lie passengers to sleep at the .landing''places. Me suggested the following (light time-table:-First day:, Sydney to Darwin; second day:- Darwin to Singapore; third day : Singapore to .Calcutta; fourth day: Calcutta to Bagdad; tilth day: Bagdad to Rome; sixth dav; Rome to London.

ll wns reported nl Inst night s School Committee meeting that tin' iu-\v school would he ready for occupation in about a fortnight's time. Owing to the Board not having the furniture ready, the building, except for one or two classes, would not bo ready for occupation until this arrived. It was pointed out that the imuse of delay was the inability to, procure timber at the Board’s Avorkshop. In the circumstances it would have been more economical for the Board to have placed the order fur the furnishings Avith private firms.

“The Department is nlive to the situation, and something will have to he done to cope with it,’’ said the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. W. Nosworthy) when the spread of noxious weeds was mentioned to him. “There is not the least doubt that the noxious weeds have increased to a very serious extent during the war. ,1 think that most of. the fanners are fully alive to the danger; But the shortage of labour, whiedi has favoured the weeds during recent years ,has not been remedied, and the farmers, without adequate supplies of labour, cannot cope effectively with the weeds. That is the crux of the matter. Tho position will have to be laced, and, as I have said, something will have to be done. The problem is not an easy one to solve.” The Minister added that increased settlement was one way of coping with the difficulty. The more people there were on the land the less chance , was there of the spread of noxious weeds. But in the meantime he was well aware that plants and weeds-to be found in the schedules, of the Noxious Weeds Act had so firm a.hold upon large areas of land that the farmer scarcely cared to face the cost of. /.•leaning, even if labour were obtainable.

Tito. Parliamentary party to visit Samoa leave Wellington by the Mokoia this afternoon. The friends of Ah- Percy Easlmi will regret to learn that he,is al present confined ..to’ his bed with a serious indisposition. The Manawalu Flaxmills Employees’ Union have given one month’s notice to tormina I e the present agreement.

The local Presbyterian Church has decided to inaugurate a golden Sunday next month, when free-will ollerings will be-made, in lieu of efforts for limmc'ial purposes. In connection-’with 1 lie police visit to the Maslertou Club, two Wellington 1 , (inns were fined £2 and costs (H. Brown and Co.), and £lO and costs (Johnston and Co.). We are asked to"-request, (hose who have promised donations to the Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Kami ty forward same mi or before Wednesday evening nexl. '

Returned soldiers ore invited to attend a meeting in (lie Council Chamber on Thursday evening, to be addressed by members of’the Paliuerstoi||Associa(ion, with (ho objecl of forming a sub-brunch in Foxtmi. See advertisement.

As an export cent re Wanganui occupies the fifth position in New Zealand. The value of the commodities exported from Wanganui during 1919 aggregated £3,975,345. In 1918 tho value of the commodities exported • from Wanganui was h,900,467.'

The head teacher of the local school noticed a person in (he school gardens last night, and informed the police, who, upon investigation, discovered a 'person on the premises with vegetables in their possession. The sequel will he heard before (he Magistrate. Ills Kxveliency the Guvernor has i eiegraphed Mr Tailoko W'eroa sKingi, of’■Rotorua, as. follows: — “The Prince of Wales will visit Rotorua. about the 30Mi April. Kindly arrange for your tribe to lie represented as on life occasion of (he last visit of King George to New Zealand.” '

A. warning to mothers is contained in the fact that recently a little child in Auckland'died jiresuimflily from shock caused by scalding. Tin 1 little one was placed in a bath of the jumper temperature, and the mother had occasion to leave him for a few minutes, lie jml led out the |)lng, and let the water out, and then turned on. the hot water lap. He screamed, but before the mother could-reach.him he was scalded ahoul 'the feel, and died a day or two afterwards.

As a wedding parly Was leaving a house in Auckland on Saturday, the police arrested (he prospective-bride on a charge of having insufficient visible means of support. She a))jieared in the Police Court, when it was stated that the prospectivebridegroom was a man of good character, and that (he couple were about to leave for Sydney, where the bride’s people lived. The Magistrate granted a remand for two weeks, when, if 'everything is satisfactory, the charge will he withdrawn. The couple then left the Court for the Registry Office.

The New Zealand police have brought about Hie arrest in Hydnoy ol' a young’ woman named Eleanore Morion, on a charge ol' alleged embezzlement of funds of the Wellington Young Women’s Christian Association ■ to the ex hail; of about £3OO. Miss Morion had been employed in the office of the association for the past three months, and recently left on a trip to Sydney. After tier departure certain defalcations were discovered, and steps were taken to have her arrested. A constable will be sent from Wellington this week to bring her bade to Wellington.

The light-lingered gentry have been particularly aelivf in Taranaki of late. Going down to the Hawcra races the other day, a wellknown New Plymouth resident made room for a (lasldy-ailiml passenger who got in at one of the way-side, stations. "When he arrived at Ids destination the New'Plymouth man found that from his trousers pocket had been extracted a wad of notes for a fairly large amount. The flash joker had been busy. Moral; Which your pockets when t travelling in trains to a race meeting with strangers. —News.

“He is a (jerman,” was the burden ‘vf! a slander which Mr -I. W. IPiynpm, in'the Auckland Magistrate's Court on Thursday, found had been altered against- C. S. Huston, confectioner, of Park .Hoad, by 'Christina Aitkenlioad, of Park Hoad. In delivering judgment, (lie Magistrate said that, owing to (rouble with her former landlord, the owner of the premises now occupied by the plaintiff, the defendant was incensed against Germans. His Worship found that she had slandered the defendant by making an untrue statement that he was a German, and that she had injured his business in consequence. Judgment was given for £lO damages and costs. ,

— 'j —* —“gy Tho theory that a person‘ who ha> had the misfortune to li>se one or more limbs, ■isllikel.vy to .live longer .than if ho had .hot lliem, would seem lo he borne onf by loots. The reason is that the heart normally has to carry (he blood lo the limbs, and that the fewer limbs a man possesses the less work the heart has hi perform. 1 and .the longer, therefore, il lasts.

Elax-euttcrs employed; at the Miranui Mill, Makerua Swamp, have not been working since Thursday. They demanded an increase of Is Gd per * ton on current rales lor green lias. As the employers would not agree the men declined to work at the ruling rale. A large number of men are affected. Scutchers, however, continue sit work, and will remain so until supplies of dried flax are exhausted.

In (he course of bis speech at the Otago University jubilee reception, Sir John Salmoml raised a laugh hy saying that whereas the old professors were, regarded will) venom I ion, he looked mi the new professors with envy. These., men, Avith (behave (o six months’ holiday in the year, .were examples, bo said, lo a toiling, weary world. Whai a destiny! Five months devoted to meditation and prayer! If professors’ salaries wore only computed on as liberal a scale as (heir holidays no reasonable- human being could ask for a better profession.

A narrow escape from :i drowning fatality occurred at I he, Wa,ikawa River, (Mnnakau), on Sunday, when Mrs Mickle nearly lost her life. The lady in question had gone under (wire when Hector Scholes, a lad of only eleven years, hut a. splendid' swimmer, went to Ihe rescue,'and despite the fact that he had a difficult (ask, managed to drug Mrs Mickle to tbrra lirma. Ills act was ia very'plucky one, and deserves recognition at the hands of (he Humane Society. There is not the slightest doubt but that for the lad's act Mrs Mickle wohld have been drowned. Mrs.Mickle is now fully recovered, and none the worse for her unpleasant 'experience. — Otaki Mail.

When a letter was read at the Iforowhenua County (‘ouneii on Saturday from a Redding committee, urging that the Government lie asked to do something lb relieve the present meat position, t'r. P, •). Rider said he considered the whole trouble was money. The prices of meal in the Old Country had been raised to sueh a price that it was not purchasable by the people in any qnantify, and a. glut had resulted. He knew for a fa el that bullock's liver was sold at Hd to lOd per lb., and people hen 1 could form. I heir own opinion as to what beef and million would cost. A serious climax was being reached, and drastic measures were wanted. The chairman (Cr. Monk) said New Zealand meal could have been sold a Cod jier lb. cheaper than if was, hut it had been raised to bring it in conformity with what American meat* was bringing. There was no doubt that the iulluonee of the trusts was largely responsible for the iircsent jiosilion. It was decided to supimrl Ihe Redding commit toe’s represen I a t ions.