LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2700, 26 February 1924, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A “working bee’’ was held on the local Presbyterian tennis courts on Saturday afternoon and the preparatory work completed. The ladies of the congregation provided afternoon tea, which was much appreciated. The Remuera brought a consignment of live French and English partridges for the Auckland Acclimatisation Society. About 30 were lost by death and escape. The balance, about 170, are in good condition.

“Bad eggs never come from New Zealand,” said Mr Massey, when telling a Palmerston audience that half a million eggs had been sent to England from New Zealand and on arrival in the Old Country only two where cracked, while none were bad. The Manawatu-Oroua Power Board has now nearly 1200 consumers of current signed up. Very few other Power Boards have had such a unanimous response. .Within a two mile radius of the Ashhurst- post office, 130 consumers have signed on.

A prominent resident of Brookside (20 miles front Christchurch), Air. E. R. Drew, has just celebrated bis 100th birthday. He was born in Wiltshire, where he spent the first sixteen years of his life. Mr Drew enjoys good health and takes a keen interest in till current affairs.

“America was responsible for the war because she is the pace maker of the world. The world has for the last two decades been absorbed in commercial competition. The United States has the most highly developed machine civilisation, the most wealth. She has inspired the envy and emulation of the great European powers, and it was she who sped up the tlie mad grower of industrial rivalry which finally brought the nations into conflict. And America stands to-day as the embodiment of the materialistic, unchristian spirit which dominates the western world to its peril.’ So says Giovanni Papini, the Italian author.

The Methodist Church choir are actively rehearsing “The Crucifixion” under the eonductorship of Air H. Osborne, which they intend to produce at Easter. Mrs Gibbs lias disposed of her Park Street residence to Air H. Ries. Airs Gibbs will leave shortly on a prolonged holiday to he spent up the Main Trunk line and New Plymouth.

If is necessary for local telephone subscribers to have to wait at times for connections with outside bureaux —except in the ease of urgent messages. Delays give rise to groundless complaints against the local staff. This morning we had occasion to call up a distant bureau and within 10 seconds the connection was through, which probably constilutes a record.

Owing to the unprecedented rush for bargains at The Store for Value the management has decided to continue the sale for one week more, positively closing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Ist March. This week is clean-up week when the public will be offered some exceptional bargains throughout the house. The C. M. Ross bargains are so well known that comment would he superfluous.

“When Archbishop Redwood has ceased to be an Archbishop, he will be welcomed into the Choir of the Archangels. I can imagine St. Peter looking hard at an archangel posting up on the gates of Paradise an advance bill announcing that his Grace, accompanied by his beloved “Strail,” had arrived to increase the harmony of the celestial orchestra,” —Dr. O’Connor (Armiirlalc) at the jubilee luncheon at Wellington on Sunday.

R. D. Martin, who was convicted of the theft, of trade union moneys totalling £355, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment. Counsel submil led that accused bore an. excellent character. Judge Adams said be could not regard the matter as a light or indifferent one. The prisoner had embarked on a definite scheme of fraud to conceal his defalcations.

A Post correspondent, “Alain Trunk." writes: “Could you 1 ell me I lie fastest time ever made between Christchurch and Dunedin by the south express or any other train?" The railway authorities state that tln l time-table governs the speed of the express train, hut the run through the flat country of Canterbury is mnde at an average speed of from 15 to 511 miles an hour.

A Dunedin market gardener who reckoned to have 12,000 head of cabbage ready for sale in the autumn has bad to plough them in because they took the blight from an adjoining turnip patch. Otago growers have been so accustomed tn get good brassiea without spraying ilia I many of them have neglected that point of tillage in this exceptional season, nnd as a result greens arc going to he at big prie-

At last Borough Council meeting when the Johnston St. tar sealing extension was under discussion, Cr. Alex Ross suggested that an estimate be obtained as to the cost of bitumen. At a meeting of local body representatives held at Carterton recently and addressed by an expert on the subject, who in answer to a question as to the cost of a road coated with 3A inches of bitumen, said, the cost would be about 8/- per yard, or £4,221 per mile for an 18ft. road.

The “Daily Express’s” Geneva correspondent says Helene Muller, having poisoned her mother, who suffered from an incurable disease declared that the act was charitable and humane. Three mental experts declared that they considered Mademoiselle cannot be tried or condemned as she acted under the influence of an irresistable human force. The Attorney-Gen oral consequently refused to prosecute, and ordered Helene’s release.

Referring to the necessity of higher agricultural education, Mr J. Linklater, M.P., speaking at a Palmerston North function last week, said that while the Government had recognised this to a certain extent, lie was convinced that an agricultural college should lie established. If tliis; were agreed to by the Government be suggested that \\ era run would be an ideal place for it, as I here were 800 acres available there and the college boys would have the benefit of a practical as well as theoretical knowledge of farming. In connection with the college he would like to see a dairy laboratory established in view of the dimensions of the industry.

Wliv should a man who is careful 1 e wear and use only Empire products continually cram his pipe full of American tobacco? Keep the money in the country by smoking our very own tobacco, grown in New Zealand. Try it, and you will be delighted with its unequalled mildness and smooth and mellow smoking properties, due to the small percentage of nicotine and to the toasting process to which the tobacco has been subjected. This makes for health, since excess nicotine has a very bad influence on the heart and nerves. Once the smoker gets accustomed to the pure tobacco flavour of the Local product, he will reject all foreign brands with their adulterations, and be will awaken to the fact that he can get better article, grown and manufactured ill bis own country, for less money. Those who like a full body should try Cut Plug No. 10, the Bullhead label, or tlie somewhat milder Toasted Navy Cut (Bulldog) vastly different from the non-toast-ed imported brands, while Riverhead Gold excels all others in mildness and aroma.*

“The town is dependent upon the country,” said Air J. Linklater, ALP. when speaking at a Palmerston N. function last week, “and it was the duty of every citizen and every legislator to endeavour to make the country so attractive to the youth of the Dominion that the drift of I lie people to the towns will be cheeked and the land would he peopled with a large'and contented population.” Mine, de Teleme, who succeeded Mine, de Thebes as the prophetess of France, issues her predictions for 1921: A rainy spring, A summer of heat waves and violent storms. A wet autumn. Trade recovery early in the year, followed by a set-back, with political upheavals. England burdened with “troubles with the people.” Terrible fires and earthquakes in America. Armed revolts in India. A great struggle between President Ebert and AI. Poincare —resulting in a victory for the latter, “thanks to the influence of Mars.”

It is probable that tree planting on an extensive scale has been ximowhat restricted in New Zealand owing to uncertainty as to tlie prerise nature and effect of taxation on plantations, etc. The State Forest Service, however, has prepared a precis of the facts relating to the taxation of all classes of New Zealand forests and forest land. This circular deals exhaustively with the whole question of taxation of land and standing timber in plantations and indigenous forests of New Zealand, and shows that such taxation in New Zealand compares more than favourably with other countries.

The Prime Afinister in the course of an address at Palmerston North, said that the Government was going to carry out what it had promised in connection with returned soldiers’ lands, and every soldier settler who did his best would be given a real chance to make good. It was impossible to have other than a friendly feeling for France where so many of our brave boys now lie, and AI. Clemenceau had personally acknowledged to the speaker Frau* re’s debt to the British Dominions which had sent soldiers from the other side of the world. The sacrilices had not been made in vain, and the deeds which they marked would live for ever.