LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2343, 18 October 1921, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Strong westerly gales are blowing throughout this district. Mr J. Hodgson, postmaster at Otaki, and late of Foxton, has been promoted and transferred to Carterton.

In honour of Trafalgar Day, the (lag will 'be saluted at schools throughout the Dominion on Friday next.

The local Horticultural Society’s Summer Show will be held in the Town Hall on December Ist and 2nd. Schedules will be ready for circulation this week.

Ainoug the recent post and telegraph appointments announced last Saturday, Mr A. H. Hawke, local postmaster, has been promoted to a similar position at Levin.

At the recent musical examinations held in Palmerston by Dr. T. Haigh, examiner for the Royal Academy of Music, Miss Madge Patterson (Convent), of Fbxton, passed in the elementary section. The curator, of the Wellington Zoological Gardens writes, ( asking if we could secure one or two pairs of mynahs. We should be pleased do hear from any local boy who knows where mynahs are nesting. “If I can get a fool to give me £IOO per acre for my land, I would certainly take it,” said an objector in the Assessment Court at Kaikoura, who considered his land worth about £45 per acre. The Department’s valuation was sustained (states an exchange).

Mr Bert Botton, advance representative for the famous N.Z. Diggers, was in Foxton yesterday, making arrangements- for the production of the Company’s grand revue of laughter, “Box o’ Tricks,” on Thursday, 27th October. Says the Taihape Times: While Mr Say well, the contractor for the construction of the new bowling green, was operating on the second green two days ago, he came across' a burrow with six frisky young rabbits in it.

A service for Chinamen was conducted by a Chinese missionary in All Saints’ Church, Palmerston N., on Sunday afternoon. There was a good attendance, and the service, which was conducted in the Chinese language, was most interesting.

Judge: You say this man stole your watch. Do I understand that you prefer charges against him? Plaintiff: Well, no, your honour, I prefer the watch, if it’s all the same to you.

Counsel become accustomed to some queer forms of address. “Have you ever seen the accused man before?” queried counsel at the Wellington Magistrate’s Court. “Not that I can recollect, sonny,” was the gaily familiar response of the witness.

Donald Scott, charged with the manslaughter of James Abraham, at .Christchurch, who was fatally injured in a collision between a motor and a bicycle, pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s ' Court. He was committed to the Supreme Court for trial, bail being allowed.

“Owing to the curtailment of expenditure necessitated by continued drought an'd .financial stringency, due to the price of meat and wool,” the Patangata County Council (Waipukurau-) has to sell a nearly new motor truck and a stone crusher.

One of Ihe larges! landowners in the Wairarapa, speaking to a “Mann walu ’rimes” representative oil Saturday, staled Hint unless (lie price of wool and slock substantially improved during the next six months many of the settlers in the Wairarapa and in Hawke’s Bay would be absolutely ruined.

“Under the new regulations, any hairdresser or barber applying petroleum spirit to the hair of any customer or person commits an offence, and is liable for every such offence to a line ol one hundred pounds.”- —The above is a clause in ihe new regulations in connection with the Explosives and Dangerous Goods Act.

The Prime Minister was reading some figures in the House of Representatives last week as to the number of accounts in the Rank of New Zealand. He quoted the* figures of accounts under £3OO in credit. “Mine’s one of those,” interjected Mr Veiteh, (lie leading champion of a State Bank. Then Mr Massey rimd the number of accounts under £3OO in debit. “Mine’s one of those,” was the chorus from all sides of the House.

When it was reported l>y the medical superintendent Ip the Pnlmerston North Hospital Board meeting last week that there had been 18 eases of diphtheria in the hospital last month, the ehairman (Sir James Wilson) suggested that some special provision he made with regard to the question of diphtheria, which was becoming far too prevalent. Of late they had had whole families coming into the hospital afflicted with this malady. “I think we should ask the Health Department if there is anything, we can do which is likely to help in reducing the number of cases,” he remarked. It was decided to act on (he chairman’s suggestion.

Replying to a question by Mr E. Newman (Manawatu), the Minister of Health (the Hon. C. J. Parr) said that the Health Department had framed a scheme for superannuation for nurses. It involved a considerable capital contribution from the State, and Cabinet was doubtful whether at the present time it could finance a scheme that would be sound financially. It was no use starting a scheme unless it were sound actuarially. Every member of the Government was sympathetic with the proposal to make provision for superannuation for the nurses, but the question which was not yet settled was whether the country could stand the capital expenditure at the present juncture.

“The backbone of all business nowadays is, advertising,” declared Mr V. R. Meredith, in the Auckland Supreme Court. The Levin police found it necessary on Saturday to send back home several natives from the infected areas at Muhunoa and Poroutawhao, in accordance with the isolation regulation. The Rev. Thos. Hailiday, of the local Presbyterian Church, conducted the anniversary services at Pahiaiua last Sunday. The Rev. Mr Welsh, of Pahiatua, occupied the local Presbyterian pulpit. An exchange states that the members of the Opunake Harbour Board, which has an overdraft of £774, have been called upon to pay interest thereon out of their own pockets. The clerk to the board, Mr A. O’Brien, offered to “stand in” with the members, thus reducing the individual payment to £4 0s sd. “We raise the best of sheep,, the best of bullocks, and. the best' of racehorses, but do we raise the best of children? I say emphatically that Ave do not. The reason is that there is too' much neglect of the young children.” —Dr. C. E. Maguire, speaking at a public meeting in Wellington to form a Young Citizen’s League.

It will be somewhaf of a shock to many belonging to the Anglican Church to learn that amongst the hymns to be left out of the new hymnal now in course of compilation for the Church of England are “The Church’s One Foundation,” and Dr. Bickersteth’s “Peace, Perfect Peace.” The latter (says an exchange) was objected to on the ground of the line “The blood of Jesus whispers.” “The Church’s One Foundation” was omitted because it contains mixed metaphors.

The Government intends to introduce a Daylight Baking Bill. Mr J. M’Combs (Lyttelton) had a similar measure on the Order Paper, and he understood from the Minister of Labour that the latter proposed to introduce a Daylight Baking Bill. He' therefore asked that his own Bill should be read a second time and referred to the Labour Bills Committee, Avhere it could be considered with the Government measure'. This was agreed to.

The property owned by Mr Herbert P. Rawson, at the corner of Lambton Quay and Woodward Street (southern side) has been sold to the United Ancient Order of Druids at a price approximating £(500 a foot, on the Lambton Quay frontage of 26ft., says the Post. The frontage to Woodward Street is 108 ft. The price is stated to be the highest paid for Lambton Quay property up to the present time. There stands on the section an old two-storied Avooden building, but it is understood that the Druids intend to build later.

Sunday was the seventh anniversary of the departure from the Dominion of the Main Body of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Two troopships —the Waimana and Star of India (which carried the Auckland Contingent) left Auckland on the morning of September 241 h, 1014, but, under instructions from the Imperial authorities, were recalled from sea by wireless message, and returned to port next morning. They left .again on the afternoon of October litli, proceeding to Wellington, where they joined the vessels filled in Southern ports. From Wellington, at <> o’clock on the morning of October Kith the whole New Zealand force sailed for Egypt, in 10 troopships, escort ml by four warships —t hree British and one Japanese. The Rev. IV. J. Comrie stated, in the course of the anti-gambling deputation to the Prime Minister, at Wellington recently, that, he was a lover of legitimate sport and of horses. What he was opposed to was the gambling evil. Before he had joined the ministry he was engaged in farming, and had won a number of ploughing matches; and even now he owned horses that had won prizes—not on the racecourse, hut at shows. Mr Massey said that he had been very pleased to hear Mr Comrie say that he was fond of horses. So was he; and so, he believed were most people. He recommended the deputation to look up the chapter in the Book of Job in which the horse was described. To his .mind that was the greatest poem in the world. Cakes, jam tarts, cream puffs, and the other concomitants of nrternoon lea are among the latest articles to join the ranks of cheaper goods in Auckland, states the Star. While the best qualities of cake, the “three-decker” for instance, still maintain their prices, several kinds of block-cake, such as Madeira, seed and sultana, show a reduction of 3d per pound. In “small goods,” a trade term which covers a large variety of the delicacies found on afternoon tea tables, there has been a drop of 3d per dozen. Jam sandwiches, jam rolls, are now cheaper by 2d each. While currants and other fruits have advanced in price lately, eggs are decidedly (‘henper, flour is cheaper, and no doubt the forthcoming reduction in sugar next month has been a factor in making a revised list necessary for bakers’ goods.

There was a large attendance of buyers at the Foxton Auctioneering Company's mart sale on Saturday afternoon, and most of the lines submitted were disposed of. A pen of weaner pigs sold at 24s each, and a ben and twelve chickens realised 17s fid. Fruit and vegetables sold well, and several articles of furni’ture and a quantity of sundries were also stfld. Entries for next Saturday’s sale are invited.

The habitue of the racecourse is generally superstitious. A man who was proceeding to the Masterton races on Saturday saw an aeroplane circling in the air. He asked the taxi-driver what was the dark spot under the wings. “That’s a passenger,” wa ( s the reply. He took the tip, backed “Passenger” in the Spring Handicap, and secured quite a haul. Another man who had been drenched to the skin, and was covered in mud, was so satisfied with his lively experience that when he saw the name “Merry Day” figuring in the last race on the card, he invested a pound upon it. He went home quite merry, with over £2O in his pocket.—M.D. Times.