LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2392, 14 February 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At last night’s Council meeting accounts amounting to £3,113 13s 2d were passed for payment. At last night’s Council meeting the borough ranger reported that during the month he impounded two horses and three cows.

We are asked to warn persons against lighting tires in the open, owing to the danger of lire spreading in the dry grass throughout the borough.

The local Fire Brigade has been notified that Superintendent Hugo will visit Foxton on Thursday next, and confer with the Brigade re formation of a Fire Board for Foxton. The areas in orchards in New Zealand are as follows: —Commercial orchards, bearing, 19,603 acres; not bearing, 9.235 acres; orchards for private use only, 5,669 acres; vineyards, 185 acres. At last night’s Council meeting the borough poundkeeper reported that during the month of January live head of stock were impounded, and driving fees to the amount of 3s collected.

The Horowhenua County Council has decided to meet representatives of the Foxton Borough and Manawatu County Councils for the purpose of discussing the question of river encroachments on the road and embankments near the Shannon bridge.

The door takings at the circus, the Opera House, and the two picture shows in Masterton last Saturday night aggregated about £IOOO. —Wairarann Dailv Times.

At last night's Council meeting it was decided that as from April Ist, 1922, the Foxton Borough be a licensing authority under the Explosives and Dangerous Goods Act, 1921.

Some practical joker rang a brief alarm on the firebell shortly before midnight on Sunday, which aroused a number of residents. This kind of joke carries a substantial penalty on conviction, and the sequel may yet be heard before the magistrate.

'fhe fifth annual picnic of the Manawatu Hosiery Factory was held at the local seaside on Saturday. About 100 people, including the staff and friends, made the trip. The catering was in the capable hands of Mrs Rawlins. After lunch a .-.ports programme was held, the many races being keenly contested, and bathing was also indulged in. The artesian bores put down in connection with the Foxton borough water and drainage scheme have already proved, themselves of use. A large number of householders who have run short of water as a consequence of the present dry spell, are availing themselves of the plentiful supply of fresh water from the bores.

Banekham’s Raupai Tea, 2/4 and 2/8, is out on its own for value. ’Phone 52.*

Maize crops have made a phenomenal growth in the Waikato during the past few weeks, on account of the frequent showers of rain. A well-known Ilautapu dairy farmer says that he had maize 14 feet in height —a perfect picture. As a rule, at this time of the year, his maize "is only about three feet in height.

Asked wlmt the probable loss on ihe Paimerston North municipal 'bus service would be, a member of i lie Borough Council ventured the ipinion to a representative of the Maimwatu Times that it would not be more than £1,009 per annum. Indeed, he thought that when the road service was completed and the lighter ’buses in use on the lesspaying sections, there would be little, if any, loss on the whole service.

The cocksfoot crop is coming in quite up to last year in the south, there being some good returns from the Peninsula. The market, however, is very weak, the usual demand from the North Island not developing I his year on account of the small area of new country brought in. Quotations to farmers at wayside stations may be set down at 3:1 to 4MI. The ryegrass harvest is turning out well itt some districts, and badly in others. From 2s to 2s 3d is the average quotation.

The growing scarcity .of whitebait was the subject of discussion at the meeting of the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society. Whitebait in the Waikato river were stated to be very scarce this year, and it was thought that a restriction iif the season might help lo arrest the decrease. Tl was finally decided that the Minister for Marine be urged to limit the whitebait fishing season to August and September only. At present the season lasts for üboul seven months.

At its meeting on Saturday, the Pohangina County Council decided to make all round reductions in salaries. The subject was discussed in committee for almost two hours, and opinions differed considerably as to the extent of decrease to be made. Finally it was announced that a 10 per cent, reduction would be made oa Ihe salaries of the inside staff, viz., engineer and county clerk, and that I lie roadmen’s wages would now be 11s instead of 13s. The leamsmen, who had also been receiving 13s a day, will be paid 11s plus Is per day living expenses. The councillors unanimously agreed to a 10 per cent, reduction on their allowances.

Best Factory Butter is only 1/4 at Bauckham’s. ’Phone 52.* At a meeting of the New Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association last week, a vote of condolence was passed to the relatives and friends of the late Mr Charles Sul lie, who died suddenly at Dargaville about three weeks ago. Mr R. T. Bell, president of the association, stated that they were all very sorry to hear of his sudden death, because lie was a man of manv sterling qualities, and it was

at all times a pleasure to meet him. The country had lost a great citizen, and his death would be particularly felt by those engaged in the flaxmilling and kiftiri-gum industries, both of which have greatly benefited by his inventive genius. Mr Alfred Seifert stated that he had known Mr Charles Suttie a long time, and be was one of flic finest men he had ever known. As an inventor, he believed he had the best record of any man in New Zealand. He had invented many machines for different industries. In the flaxmilling industry alone he had invented and perfected an automatic washing machine, automatic catchei, automatic scutcher, and tow-cleaning machine. These machines had enabled the millers to improve the quality of the fibre, besides greatly reducing the cost of production, so that a flaxmiller could not go into his mill without remembering Mr Charles Suttie, and realising what a great loss, the industry had suffered. Other gentlemen spoke in a similar strain, and all felt that the country had lost a fine citizen in Mr Suttie.

Splendid line of Sheep Tongues, 1/- per tin, at Bauckham’s. Telephone 52.*

At last night’s Council meeting Cr. Bryant drew the Council’s at-

tention to the way the sand from the septic tank excavation was being dumped on back roads. It was decided lo call the Engineer’s attention to the matter.

Those present at last night’s Council meeting were:—His Worship the Mayor (John Chrystall, Esq.) and Councillors Bryant, Whibley, Smith, Rand, Ross, Martin, Thompson, Coley and Walker. Mr Climie, borough engineer, was also in attendance.

Whilst Dunedin and other cities complain of unemployment, farmers are starving for labour. If city men go into the country they want excessive wages, and they won’t work (states the Tapanui Courier). A well-known employer of labour says that on the West Coast men paid 10s a day before the war would shift thirty yards of soil per day. Now they want 10s for shifting five. An unemployed man living in town was offered £2 a week, with board. He would not go under £4 and preferred to loaf, drawing unemployed money.

At the Magistrate’s Court at Masterton on Saturday, Percq Martin. Carmichael and Erie Malcolm Bell were committed to the Supreme Court for trial on a charge that on or about the night of Saturday, January 7th, at Paekakariki, they did break and enter the railway refreshment rooms and steal therefrom one safe, the property of William Fisher Thomson, containing 127 sovereigns, £sl in silver, two lire insurance policies, one birth certificate, and one proficiency certificate, the total value of the whole being £204.

In his address on the Chautauqua platform recently, Mr J. C. Herbsman urged young men to treat the other fellow’s sister as they would expect their own sisters to be treated. There should be a single standard of morality for boys and girls, and a young man should go to the altar as clean and pure and virtuous as he expected the girl to be that he was marrying. He believed that the day would come when a man would have to have a marriage certificate showing that he was free from venereal disease. “If the doetrine is ‘wowserism,” said the* speaker, “I will be pleased to be called a ‘Wowser.’”

The roads in the Horowhenua County were unfavourably compared with those in the Manawatu County by a member of the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday. He said the roads of his county were a disgrace, and the council should take a leaf out of the hook of the Manawatu Council. The Horowhenua roads were in a shocking state for want of metal, and were indeed a contrast with those of the Manawatu County. The trouble was that an insufficient quantity of metal was used. Other councillors did not uphold the speaker, and the opinion was expressed that with the aid of the'new crushing plant recently acquired the Horowhenua roads would M>on compare favourably with any in the North Island.

“Whenever the Press sets out to publish its views on the follies and faults of the occupants of Ihe Magisterial Bench, it really docs a great service to the public and to the occupants of the Bench,” remarked Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., at a valedictory function at Christchurch. Mr McCarthy added that the Press performed a very valuable service in the direction of educating the public on many public questions.

A Gazette notice states that any person who allows ashes, sweepings, dust, rubbish, hones, waste food, or other rubbish to remain on a property which lie occupies except in suitable receptacles will be liable on conviction to a fine of £5. The regulation applies to boroughs and (own districts where provision is made by local authorities for the collection and disposal of rubbish and waste matter.