LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2305, 21 July 1921, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The steam plant at Mangaone is of 305 horse power, and the electrical plant develops 250 kilowatts.

Tom Gibbons has signed an agreement with Rickard to meet Carpen tier in October, in a contest for the light- heavyweight championship. The sum of £32,000 odd was invested on the last race on the second day of the recent Wellington race meeting.

At the Police Court at Hamilton, a middle-aged woman named Rachael ltosina Rouse was sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment for the theft of a parcel of clothing from a boardinghouse.

The death occurred suddenly on Tuesday night of Mrs A. R. Atkinson, of Wellington, wife of the president of the New Zealand Alliance, and a well known figure in the women’s movement.

That the land boom in Taranaki has ended is becoming more and more apparent (says the Wanganui Herald). Farms have been sold recently for £2O per acre less than was paid for them 12 months ago. Cr. Coley has given notice to move at Monday night’s meeting,of the Borough Council: “That estimates and plans be obtained for the erection of new Municipal Offices and library, to replace buildings burnt down, and that the necessary steps be taken to raise a loan for the purpose of re-building.” The receipts at the Palmerston Opera House for the (wb nights season during which “Chu Chin Chow was'.produced constitutes a record for Palmerston North. Every seat was'occupied on both nights,, notwithstanding that the prices charged were higher than usual. A fair number of Foxton residents motored through*on both nighls. Only a few shareholders in the West Coast S.S. and Trading Co. were present at the meeting convened by the liquidator, Mr Dempsey, and held in the Town Hall supperroom 1 yesterday afternoon. The liquidator presented, a report upon the affairs of the Company, and it was decided to call up the balance of unpaid shares in order to complete liquidation.

A stewardess on the terry steamer Maori told a Standard reporter last week that many people seemed to lie leaving the South Island to take up their residence in the North Island. In the last three months, she said, there had been an average of four and five families each week, all of whom were changing their abode. A number of women had told her that the, south was too cold, and that their husbands had been offered better prospects across Cook Strait.

The local police were informed yesterday of the mysterious disappearance of a boy named Joseph Neauie. son of Air F. Neame, farmer, of Bainesse. The lad disappeared on Monday afternoon last, and all .-('arch by the boy’s father and neighbours up to last evening proved fruitless. Constable Owen left this morning to organise a search party. The missing boy is described as being 14 years of age, dressed in black woollen coat with two pleats at back, long trousers, which are too large for him, and tweed hat.

A statement that the Colonial Sugar Refining Company has some thousands of tons ot refined sugar in stock at the Chelsea works was made by the works manager, Mr A. Campbell, under cross-examination during the hearing of the sugar workers’ dispute at Auckland lasi week. Mr Campbell said the cause of the accumulation was simply that the public was not buying sugar. The contract with the Government would expire at the end of this month, and what would hapjjen then lie was unable to say. . There was, however, a general conviction, on more or less reliable grounds, that there would be a reduction in the price. In answer to Mr Justice Frazer, witness said Java sugar had also been a disturbing factor, but he did not think it would be so any longer.

“1 have wale lied the passing crowds at the busiest street comers of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. I have observed them, as a whole and individually, very carefully, and I could not do other than estimate that only two per cent, of those who passed carried themselves properly erect. The other 98 per cent, were almost deformed. Hunched shoulders, heads poked forward, hands in pockets, feet dragging, chest seldom thrown out, a careless, stumbling stride —these are the outstanding features of the average New Zealander's poise when on the street.” This statement was made by Mr H. Longworth, chief physical training instructor, when addressing an assembly of school teachers in Palmerston North on 'Tuesday. Properly applied, he said, physical training and certain recognised games, would do much to make the average of properly developed persons higher. It would never do to allow this sort of thing to continue. Greater attention should be paid to all departments of physical training in the schools. Healthy, well deported children would make a bigger, better nation. ' (Applause).

A new .shipping company has been registered in Dunedin, with a capital of £20,000, having for its object the purchasing of steamers suitable for the trade betwgen Dunedin and Wanganui. Speaking at Masterton on Tuesday, the manager of the Springbok football team said: “We have received very serious warnings to the effect that we are going to lose the test matches. . I have doubts myself. But I would like to make this dear: New Zealand has got to go all out to beat us."

In advocating the setting up of district committees in farming districts, Mr If. Mortenson stated in an address to farmers at Levin, that one of the duties such a committee might take in hand was to “keep an eye on the Government.” It would be noticed, lie said, that the Government intended to increase the salaries of heads of departments. Before such a thing was done, the speaker contended that the taxation of the country should he reduced.

Since its inauguration in 1913 the T. G. Macarthy Trust lias distributed £47,907 to various institutions. The Board this week made the annual allotment, the amount being £5,085, of which £I,OOO went to Victoria College and the balance was divided amongst schools and homes of various denominations in the Wellington Province. Amongst the beneficiaries were the following:— St. Joseph’s Convent, Otald, £100; St. Mary’s School, Foxton, £SO; Brigidine Convent, Foxton, £SO; St. Joseph’s Convent, Levin, £SO; Parochial Convent School, Levin, £IOO. “I am surprised a lady of your age can see to write without glasses,” said a Lyttelton woman to a Christchurch dame who was signing a receipt on Saturday for a contribution towards a charitable institution in the city. “Well, 1 could not have done so a fortnight ago,” replied Iho writer with a smile, “hut," she continued, “I wrote to Rataua soliciting his help for my rapidly • failing sight, and I received a letter enclosing a verse of Scripture, and advising me to have faith. Ra-. ' Mia promising to pray for me in the meantime. From that day my sight began ta improve, and Already my eyes have become so strong that I can see sufficiently without the aid it glasses.”

“One of t lie most wonderful impressions of my flight in Fiji was the magnificent view we got of the coral-reef formations,” said Mr L. Walsh, at Auckland. “I have never seen anything more remarkable, from a spectacular point of view, than the sight of the exquisitivelycoJoured coral formation deep below the surface of the water, every imaginable shade of blue. Flying over the reefs, we could see sharks and turtles and cut tie-fish swimming about below, while the water was teeming with small fish w.hose colour we could not distinguish. These encircling coral reeß? were stated to be a feature of particular importance with regard to Hying in the islands. as they ensure a safe landing in the smooth waters inside the reef, mi matter how heavy a sea there mav be outside.”

Efforts arc being made by the Education Department to get into lunch with isolated families who are not receiving education. The Minister of Education (the lion. C. J. Parr) is anxious that the edm-atimi of these families should be provided for, either by the appointment of itinerant teachers, or by correspondence. The itinerant teachers would he fully qualified men, who would travel from family to family. “The other method” (said the Minister) “is by correspondence classes, which Mr Cattghley (the Director of Education) reports is largely in use in Australia, and, according lo my reading, in the prairie districts of America. It is wonderful how the father or mother of a little family, with the Departmental monthly letter and budget as a guide, can do for these little families. The Government desires that no child, no matter how isolated, shall he. without elementary education at the least.”

“After the Bawl,” a comedy included in next Saturday’s programme at the Royal, should not he missed by those who enjoy a good laugh.—Advi. The Children’s Party, under the auspices of All Saints’ Ladies’ Guild, will be held in the Town Hall to-morrow night.