LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2642, 6 October 1923, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr and Mrs Firth, of Wellington re spending the week end at Fox

At the meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce on Thursday night one member said that be strongly objected to the erection of baths on the river bank. lie wasn’t prepared lo “see about £7OO go floating down the river.”

At Thursday night’s meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce one member said that be could remember the time when two special trains would leave Foxton practically every day besides the two ordinary trains, loaded with coal principally for Palmerston North.

The body of the man found in the harbour on Wednesday, at Auckland, has been identified as that of William Rule, aged 87, single, of' Ponsonbv. Tie |md been missing since September 2. TTc was horn in Australia, and came lo the Dominion as a boy, but spent his manhood in the Commonwealth, returning to New Zealand three years ago.

A nasty accident occurred at Waikokopn (Wairoa) last night. A returned soldier employee of the Harbour Board was stepping into a fishing launch when he fell on a sheath knife, which penetrated bis stomach.'- An operation was performed after a long journey to Wairoa hospital where the patient lies in a critical condition.

Speaking on railway matters at Thursday night’s meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr 11. CFbornc said that there was a great deal of delay in the sending forward of goods arriving on the boat to (heir destination at- times. Tie cited one instance when the boat

arrived on the Monday morning and the goods for Palmerston North djd not leave Foxton until the Wednesday morning arriving in Palmerston that day, but owing to* Wednesday being a half day the goods were noi lifted from the Palmerston stntio i by .carriers until the Thursday. To test the feeling of the meeting, one of the members of the Chamber of Commerce at 'Thursday night’s meeting, asked for an expression of opinion as to whether members considered il advisable to take a poll of the ratepayers on the question of electing a rest-room an I public* library when the poll walaken on the question of erecting swimming baths. By taking the two together a considerable saving would result. The meeting unanimously decided that il would be in (lie best interests of the borough and ratepayers to combine the two matters and put them before the ratepayers at the oiu- poll.

Judgment was delivered at Daigaville on Thursday, in the libel action, Sydney Lawrence Spanhake, . onnfv engineer, versus Rollert Eduard Ilornblnw, Mayor of Dargaville, involving a claim for £IOO. The rase arose out of statements nllegfdly made by the defendant after the declaration of (lie poll at. the last election. Judgment was given for plaintiff for £5 and costs £4 10s. The magistrate said plaintiff had not -ufl'ered material damage and was not entitled to substantial damages. The amount was subscribed by defendant’s friends within a few minutes after the decision bad been given. The Natives are holding a large, meeting at the Boro Boro Pa. About 40 Wanganui Natives are present. They are considering the question of removing the bones ot Tv Kooli, the famous outlaw of fifty .wars ago, to (iisborne. This is right against the wishes of the Gisbiiiue Natives, who say they will resist il l»v force, and will use guns ii necessary. Negotiations are going on to try to overcome this oppoiiiui) (writes the Whakalane correspondent of the Auckland Star). A new prophet has arisen at the porn Poro Pa. Tie is going to find a piece ot'radium about lew!. When the radium has been discovered a great trek is to he made to Gisborne with the hones of To K'ooti.

“I am satisfied” said the Minister of Education at a conference of senior school inspectors at Wellington, “that the consolidated school will probably prove Ihe host and most economical method of dealing with the rural education problem, although we have to recognise that in Mime cases consolidation undoubtedly would be more expensive and might result, in very little increase in efficiency. What 1 desire is to ire able to bring the children of a remote district to a central school. I may ask the country to close down certain schools in order to do this. Some expense may be involved, because we will have to have motor transport. It is difficult at times to get a good contract for motor carriage. The alternative is for the Department to own three or four motor cars, operating them themselves. 1 am not keen about l-hat; 1 would prefer to leave it to private enterprise. It may be a slightly increased expense, but something will have to be done.”

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Borough Conm-il will be held in the f'onneil Chambers on Monday ( veiling nl 7 o’clock. At Thursday’s meeting of the Chamber of Commerce strong exception was taken by members to the Borough Council's proposal to eonMriict swimming baths at the river side.

Miss Blandford was entertained by a number of her local friends at a “cup and saucer” evening, at Walls’ ten rooms last night, in honour of her approaching wedding. Mr Davidson, on behalf of those assembled, extended good wishes for '.lie happiness of the guest along life’s matrimonial wav.

This is a genuine schoolboy howler from one of our local institutions (says the New Plymouth Herald): Proverb- was the subject of the lesson, and tin* question was asked if anybody could complete: “Alan proposes —” “Woman accepts,” was the startling reply from (.lie liny, evidently the possessor of very modern ideas.

There was a good atlendance nl the united meeting for intercession at the Methodist Church on Tuesday night. Airs Ensign Tluston gave a helpful address from Aets 1.8: “Ye shall receive power,” and several persons engaged in prayer. The singing, as usual, was most enjoyable. Tin* next meeting is to be held in the Salvation Army Hall, and is to be addressed by the Rev. J. Boothroyd. The Afanawntu County Council have for some time been engaged in opening up a piece of timber hush on tin* Alain Trunk line, called Pokaka, for I he purpose of supplying themselves and the settlers with silver pine sleepers and posts. Photographs displayed at the last meeting of the (.’ouneil show that the tramline has now been laid into the timber-bearing country, and, apart from the natural beauty of the scene, there is plenty of work ahend for the sawmills. In this connection, a letter was read from the Department of Lands, giving the Council power to conduct the business of sawmillers.

The largest gathering of district Freemasons yet held assembled in Palmerston North last nigiif, to receive His Excellency tlie GovernorGeneral /Viscount Jellieoe, in bis capacity of Grand Master of the X.Z. Constitution Representative Masons were also .present from Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington. The Grand Master was received by the Provincial Grand Master and Grand Lodge officers. Subsi quently n banquet was tendered In tin* distinguished guest and visitors bv the Palmerston Lodges, at which the usual loyal and patriotic (i, jj -1 : were honoured, interspersed with a. high-class musical programme.