LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2280, 24 May 1921, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“What’s your Hurrv?” you must not miss Wallace Reid’s motoring thriller at the Town Hall,. Wednesday, in support of the Lubowskis.

Mr Clement Wragge states that what is believed to be the new comet is, in reality, the planet Venus, which now appears in the eastern sky before sunrise, and resembles the crescent moon.

The Masterton Chamber of Commerce has decided to support a request of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, “that the Government be asked to appoint a Royal Commission to inquire into the proper principles and incidence of the whole of the taxation of the Dominion.”

A child narrowly escaped being run over by a motor car in Main Street yesterday at midday. The child, on being warned of the approach of the car. which, fortunately, was travelling slowly, went forward, and then doubled back, just missing the front of the car. Lovers of music should not fail to hear the famous Lubowski family, at the Town Hall to-night. Mr Reid was unable to arrange a matinee, but in order to allow children to hear this famous family tonight they will be admitted for a nominal charge of 3d. At the Wellington Supreme Court on Friday, Thomas Keen Cocklmrn, manager and secretary of the “Terahidoc Building Syndicate,” who was charged with obtaining money by false pretences, was found guillv on three counts, and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

The public is reminded of the social afternoon to be given to-mor-row in the Town Hall supper-room. 1)v Mrs h\ Robinson, in aid of St. Mary’s Orphanage. A capital programme has been arranged, including a silhouette guessing competition. Afternoon tea will be dispensed. Silver coin collection in aid of the fund. Pahiatua has had another sensation. As the result of an altercation in the main -trecr one evening, between a stock agent and a schoolmaster, a civil action was begun by the former against the pedagogue. The case, however, set down for Wednesday, has been adjourned. The parties have resided in the town for many years, and the affair has been a prominent subject in social gossip. The slock agent sustained a fracture of an arm. which is alleged to he a result of the fray.

The drink bill of New Zealand has risen from less than four and ahalf millions two years ago to over seven and a-lmlf millions last year. Commenting on this, the Otago Daily Times says that the expenditure in a country of the size of New Zealand of over seven and a-half millions in a year upon alcohol furnishes an evidence of “economic madness.”

Two visitors to the Wanganui races on Saturday, a male and a female, secured a substantial dividend without making an investment on the totalizator. As the crowd was surging towards the machine, they made a dive for a roll of notes, which was being trampled underfoot. The female got most of the bundle, and rapidly disappeared. Somebody will probably report that he. or she. has been robbed.

Referring to llie exorbitant freight rates charged by shipping companies, at the Maiiawatu sub-pro-vincial Farmers’ Union executive meeting on Saturday, Mr Gower (Boston) said lie knew of one farmer who had sent Home 100 bales of wool for which he received SUI per pound at Home. The freight came to over 4d per pound, and he had all his shearing charges to pay on lop of of: that. It seemed monstrous that the whole of the profits should be eaten up in this way by overhead expense. Included in the recent fall ill prices of household commodities is starch, about 25 per cent., methylated spirits about 20 per cent., haricot beans about 5d per lb., fruit 3d to 4d per tin, currants about 2d. Various brands of soap have also recently declined, ft

The Ltilnuv.ski i'iunily at the Town Hall 10-nifikt, Tuesday.—Advt. ' ;

At Dunedin on Saturday afternoon, as the audience was leaving the vaudeville matinee, a boy named Edwin Phillips fell from the top gallery to the floor of the stalls, a distance of 30 feet. He received injuries to his head, his ribs, and one leg. Although he was seriously hurt his condition is not regarded as critical.

8 A portion of the huge crowd that surrounded representatives of the religious sect, styled “Israelites,” which propounded its doctrine in the Palmerston Square on Saturday night, listened interestedly to what was said. The majority, composed chiefly of youths, were persistent in their banter, and in attempts to ruffle the long locks of the party. The preachers lived through the pandemonium, but on Sunday night their service was less successful. They were compelled to shorten the deliverance, owing to the continued interruptions, and they beat a retreat. The two representatives visited Fox ton yesterday.

The solemn nature of the marriage service in a Gisborne church lately was given a lighter touch through no fault of the bride or bridegroom, says the Gisborne Times. At the fateful moment, the bridegroom, flushed with pride, was handed the little golden band that was to unite the happy pair. The blushing bride held out her finger, but the ring would, not go on. The bridegroom pushed and pushed, and each member of the wedding party became interested in the proceedings. Both bride and bridegroom were considerably flustered. By this time the whole party were embarrassed, with the exception of the officiating clergyman, whose smile tended to relieve the anxiety of all. After much struggling and pushing, it was resolved, by mutual consent, to leave the ring on as far sis it would go, which was just above the first joint of the finger.. The ceremony proceeded with no further hitch.

At a meeting of the executive of the sub-provincial branch of the N.Z. Farmers’ Union, at Palmerston on Saturday, a remit from the Foxton branch, “that, in view of the falling prices of meat, the lime has arrived when the selling of meat and other products to the Home consumers should he controlled by lhe producers, including shipping, cold storage and the establishment of a selling floor on the English market,” was adopted. Also that the Government he approached with reference to. reducing freight charges on benzine was adopted. —,Mr J. B. Gower pointed mil that the railway charge from Wellington to Foxlon was 5s per-case. This hit the dairy farmer very severely since the spirit was essential to him in his work. The Railway Department considered benzine to he a dangermis commodity, but lie doubted whether there had ever been a serious accident in consequence of its transportation. The matter required the support of the whole Union because it affected farmers very generally.