GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2136, 5 June 1920, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

The high prices ruling for land were Ihe subject of comment by the lion. C. J. Parr (Minister of Education) at Hawern Inst week.' In that district, he understood, they were paying from £l5O to £2OO per acre, and he hoped the country was not going to suffer through all these high prices. It was a fact that New Zealand had the dearest land in the world. It was (rue that ihe climate was magnificent, hut he hardly thought that quite accounted for all of it. He was not concerned with the people who occupied this high-pric-ed land —that was their own lookout —hut he was concerned with one aspect, and that was what: chance had a man of putting his son on land at such, high prices and enabling him to make good? What was wanted was to get the lads on to the hind, and not drive (hem into the city, and he hoped the high prices would not, have a tendency to prevent them getting on the land.

“Since high wages have been prevalent in Britain the tea-drinking habit, has increased to an alarming extent,” said a medical man who has recently arrived from the Old Country, “but from what 1 have seen since J came to Auckland I would say that tea-drinking here has reached the limit. People seem to drink lea at every hour of the day, and all I can say is that for your own sakes you should Take a pull 7 oh what has become too strong a habit with you, a.nd is already,telling on the nerves of your young girls and women, as is easily seen by even a casual glance at their faces. One of the greatest evils we have in the Old Country,” he added, “is the development. of the cigarette habit amongst girls and women, which is of quite recent origin, and-you should he very thankful that it has not I a lien such a strong hold here. It is only the nerve specialists who come into close contact with the evils of the habit who really know the harm it does and the ills which accrue from it. —Auckland Star.

The various articles which were provided for the use of His Royal Highness the Prince of \\ ales during his stay in Dunedin were pul under ihe auctioneer’s hammer at Messrs Park Reynolds’ room one day last week, and the bidding was brisk amongst the large number who attended the sale. In all some JO lots were offered by i\lr* Geerin, the auctioneer, and the prices paid by people intent on obtaining a souvenir of the Prince’s visit were in some instances in excess of the value of. the articles. Some of the prices obtained wore: A pair of; double blankets £3 10s, a Marcella quilt £4, three pairs of double sheets £2 10s each, two pairs of poplin curtains £3 10s each, two pairs of sateen curtains £5 each, others £4 10s, £3 l(s fid, £4, and £3 15s, and £3 each, quilt £l2 ss, lace curtains £1 17s fid, £1 2s Od, and £1 7s, double kapok mattress £4 1.55, Kidderminster carpet £lO 10s, Axmitister carpet £33, easy (•hairs two at £lO 10s, and two at £lO, sofa rug £5. ■