Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3927, 6 April 1929, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To date, |IT9O dogs have been registered in the Taranaki County. Elthani claims the distinction of being the first borough in Taranaki to 'possess a mayoral chain. The local golf club has engaged the services of a professional coach foi' Monday and Tuesday. It is estimated that 40,000 ions of stone will be required to complete the repairs to the eastern extension of the Tiinaru breakwater. Seven bankruptcies were recoiled in the iPahn'erstdn D.O.A.’s district during the quarter ended March 31. We are reliably informed that at the forthcoming local municipal flection a lady candidate will lie among the nominees. The next municipal elections at Christchurch are to he conducted on the proportional representatiun principal. There arc over 50,000 names on the city electors’ roll. Proposals for the further development of the port of Wanganui, submitted by the. chairman of the Harbour Board at a special meeting on Thursday were agreed to by the (board. The scheme involves the expenditure of £200,000, which will be raised by a loan. The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. P. A. de la Perelie) left Wellington this morning and called at 'Otalki, Levin and Foxton and at each place visited the racecourse’s. He was accompanied by the inspector of totalisators. Later he proceeded to Palmerston North.

A revaluation of the City of Wei linglon has been made, the first since the year 1921. The aggregate increase has not yet been computed but the amount is substantial. Many individual valuations are heavy. The valuation of one city building has been raised 75 per cent., and residential and suburban property is affected to the extent of 30 or 40 per cent.

A story of dire hardship and teaching on an empty stomach was related to the Auckland Education Board yesterday by a young teacher recently transferred to an isolated settlement on the Coromandel Peninsula. He complained of lack of accommodation, and. declared that the living conditions generally were absolutely impossible. There was only one white family in the district. The board was sympathetic, one member stating that the conditions were shameful, and decided to urge the Education Department to erect more suitable accommodation.

A message from Christchurch says the skeleton of a child, probably a. Maori, was found in a small cave near Sunnier on Wednesday. The bones are undoubtedly very old, for with them was the skeleton of the now extinct Maori dog, which was seen by Captain Cook when be visited New Zealand and which was introduced to New Zealand by the Maoris about 500 years ago. The cave was high up near the top of a cliff and the entrance had been closed by wind-blown sand and earth.

The quietness of ilie Magistrate’s Court at Invercargill was disturbed a fgw days ago when an indignant witness was giving evidence in a small civil claim, reports the Southland Daily News. Under cross-ex-amination she became more and more restive until at last her feelings found vent. “If you were a gentleman,’’ she said in answer to o. question by counsel for the plaintiff, “you wouldn’t talk to me like this.” “I just want to ask you two questions,’’ replied the solicitor. “Questions!” came the irate rejoinder, “I had enough of your questions .when I was in your office. I’m not going to speak to you any more, so there.” Shortly afterwards the husband of the witness and the defendant in the action rose from the body of the Court. “Gome down, wife,” he said, “you’re getting all excited. Let me talk to them.” Order was finally restored, hut the •witness at the conclusion of her evidence marched from the witnessbox' with a step that still betokened fbarely smothered indignation.

It is stated that General Booth is losing ground >and is suffering a return of sleeplessness. His strength is not: maintained. A message from Berlin says the secretary of the municipal gaswodks is conducting important experiments to extract poisons frpm coal gas, to prevent asphyxiation thereby, which is probably the commonest method of suicide in Europe. At a meeting of the Palmerston A'or th Unemployment Committee yesterday, Mr. P. T. Robinson (secretary of the Flaxiworkers’ Union) stated that lie understood the Minium flaximill would be closing within two weeks’ time.

Thomas Tuoliy, a middle-aged man, was charged in the Auckland police count yesterday with carrying on the business of a bookmaker in Auckland. In August, 1927, the police said, accused suddenly left Auckland and -went to Sydney ,biit had lately returned. A fine of £3O was imposed.

The Legal conference at yesterday’s sitting passed a resolution viewing with grave concern the dangers arising from the provisions regarding the customary hire purchase agreement in the Chattels Tansfer Act, and urged that means he devised to protect the purchasers of chattels to which such provisions apply.

A complete and authoritative collection of Maori legends is being compiled for the first time. Sir Maui Pomaro is interesting himself in the 'work, which has already been started by well-known ethnologists, and the task of preparing the collection, which will contain many legends at present accessible only in out-of-the-way hooks and documents, will take oyer a year to complete.

A local body which claims to have lived entirely within its means throughout the linancaal year just ended is the Tualkau Town Board. In submitting the balance-sheet to the board this week the clerk, Mr. A. H. Tapper, said there was no item for interest on overdraft, as at no time during the 12 months had the board’s account been overdrawn. The year ended with a credit balance of £27.

A Dunedin inventor, Mr. R. Ferguson, has brought under the notice of the Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. B. Taverner, a device for the protection of shunters when handling tarpaulin-covered trucks, says the Auckland Herald’s Dunedin correspondent. The source of danger at present is that the tarpaulin generally covers the li'aiuli ail which the shunter would otherwise grip when he jumps on the brake to bring the truck to a standstill. The invention is being referred to the departmental experts.

The ifirst meeting of the newlyappointed Board of Administration of the Mental Defectives Act took place in Wellington last week. The conference, which 'was Attended by every member, lasted for a day. Under the chairmanship of Dr. T. Grey, members were engaged in making themselves thoroughly conversant with the provisions of the Act and the duties that will fall to them in carrying it out. The only member of the board not resident in Wellington is Miss Jean Begg, general secretary of the Auckland y.w.c.a"

It is reported from the Rangirin district that there has been an epidemic of deaths among Maori children at the Horn Flora settlement on the southern shores of Lake, Wail;are. During the holidays live children are said to have died at Hora Ilora in addition to others in neighbouring native settlements. As far as is known, a doctor lias not been visiting' the locality, and it. is surmised that there has been an outbreak of some epidemic. The police and health authorities are investigating.

What is probably the largest piece of kauri timber that lias yet come to Levin was received yesterday by Mr. J. Harvey (says the Chronicle). It is 15 feet long, by 3 feet across, and 2 inches thick, and represents 90 feet of timber. The value is £7. This tine .piece- of kauri is to be used in making a vat for the' Wellington City Council’s factory at Rahui, where Mr. Harvey is carrying out extensive additions. It is interesting evidence of the size io which the forest giants grow to find a piece of heart timber of these dimensions. The plank has been ■put on view in the vestibule of the De Luxe Theatre, where it may be inspected by anyone interested. -

A policeman who separated two men who were lighting on Lamlbton Quay, Wellington, late the other Saturday night, asked what the trouble was about. Said one of the combatants, pointing to the other “I shouted a pie and a cup er eorfee for him, ’cause lie said he was slonoy and starving, and the blighter goes and tries to pinch my 'bacca —slipped his hand in me pocket, he did, and if I adn’t watched out he’d have got away with it. And its the goods, mind you,—-Na-tional Plug—New Zealand—l’d ouly just bought it and if this here bloko had lifted it, I’d a—(been left all day Sunday without a smoke. So I give him what for.” Combatant, No. 2 had nothing to say. He was nursing a black eye. Robert- smiled. “Go home, both of you,” he said, and the pair promptly faded out. “A mean trick,” mused Robert, as lie resumed his beat, %ut I suppose the temptation rwas too much for him.” Other brands of the same 'manufacturers are “Riverhead Gold,” “Cavendish,” “NavyCut No. 3” and “Cut Plug No. 10.” —Advt.

“The future of this country is in the hands of .tuvo Departments/’ said Air. ['. S. Pope, who recently retired from the position of Assistant Director of Agriculture, at a farewell if unction at Wellington. “It is in the hands of the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture. The other Departments which seem so big' and important are small as compared with these Departments. !lf the education of the young is guided on the best lines, and the agriculture on the best lines, this country is going to continue to prosper and lead the world. You should realise that the .matter is in your hands, that the lowest “understrapper’ is doing tremendously important work, and that on the sincerity and honesty with which lie does his work depends the future of this c'ouu try more than upon anything else.”