LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otaki Mail, 3 February 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The vital statistics for Otaki for January were: Births 12, deaths 3, marriages nil. Maoris: Birth 1, death 1. Messrs Abraham and Williams, Ltd., advertise entries for their weekly stock sale at Levin, to be held tomorrow.

At the sitting of the B.M. Court at Otaki on Friday an exemption from vaccination was granted. We wonder how many children are not vaccinated whose parents fail to seek exemption!

The monthly meeting of the Manage incut Committee of the Horowhcnua County Patriotic Association will take place at Levin on Wednesday afternoon next. 4 *’4 >..- rsfy-H-Messrs W. Bull and Co., the wellknown Levin merchants, udvcrliso benzine'for sale at very low prices. See replace advertisement on our third page of this issue.

There are a huge number of visitors staying at Pnruparaumu at the present time. The boardinghouses are all full, and many also are camping. Packakuriki i:s also full of visitors.

Mr W. Rimiucr, a well-known resident of Fox ton, has purchased a farm property in the Bay of Plenty district, and leaves for his new quarters in a few days' time. ' The monthly mo.cting of the Otaki Volunteer Fire Brigade, usually held on the second Wednesday of the month, will be held on Wednesday next, Feb. sth. All members should take notice of- the altered date of meeting this month.

We remind all interested of the unreserved'Hearing sale, to bo held on behalf of Mr P. A. Gillies, at Tc Iloro on AVednesday next! Several fine lines of cattle, horses, sheep, etc., will be submitted, also the goodwill of a verjuice little farm at-Te'Horo. See _our advertising columns for full particulars.

Saturday last saw the opening of Stiles and Matheson’s big summer saving sale. The first day was a huge success — many were astonished at the reductions made. To-day bargains just as big are being offered. The public arc invited to read about the summer dress materials offered, in this firm’s advertisement iu this paper—fourth page.

A person who is in a position to speak with authority asks us to contradict the statement which appeared m our last issue to the effect that on inmate of the Levin epidemic hospital found, on recovery, that his clothes had been used, those in charge thinking him dead. The report we published is being freely circulated, but wc are assured it has no foundation in fact.

Messrs True Light and Co., who opened business in the corner shop in Hannah's Buildings on Saturday last, arc to be complimented on the really magnificent display made, which was fully equal to that* of the best city shops. The firm has had the shop splendidly fitted up, enabling Fttem to make a remarkably fine display. They have a verv large stock, and are out to do business. They certainly deserve credit for their enterprise.

At the last sitting of the Levin S.M. Court, two youths were charged with ill-treatment to a dog. From the evidence it appeared that the two were given a dog to kill, and, armed with revolvers, set out to do the deed.. Three shots wer fired into the dog’s head, but these failed to have the desired effect, and a stout stick was requisitioned to finish the animaL The S.M. thought the lads had acted bona fide in the matter, and dismissed the case. Clifford Wilson, who had failed to comply with a maintenance order, was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment, warrant to be suspended if the arrears were paid. ■ The S.M. refused to increase the payment to increase the payment fixed in the maintenance, order against Fred Coe.

* Some excitement was caused off the Ofcaki beach yesterday afternoon owing to a child who .was bathing getting beyond her depth in the watc-r. Luckily Miss Ria Tahiwi was in tee vicinity and hearing-a c-all for help ru=hr-d in. ftillv dre-‘-ad excepting her boots, to tho.rwece. By the time she reached the ..Ibid she knew ail her strength would be rerjaired to again "reach terra finrm. and it was only by supreme efforts that she. succeeded in keeping afloat. 3fiss Tahiwi,'who distdayed considerable pluck, was helped V,v Mr -Joe Lsnis, who rode a horse into the breakers. The young ieuy was warmly commended on ail-sides for her prompt and plucky action, "ana s reyrzji was politelg But firmly declined.

.The,dates of the next Winter Show iu Palmerston North are as follow: Juno 17, IS, 19, and 20. •' ' ! Mr Hillard, of Kuku, has disposed o£ his farm to Messrs Horn and Wall, and j has purchased Mr Frank Winter’s farm' property in Manakau. ’’The vital statistics for Palmerston for the mouth ending January 3 were: Births 52, deaths 26 and marriages 10. ] The number of births and deaths show : a big increase over the average. 1 The Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister for Customs, states that the amount of Customs revenue collected throughout the Dominion for the month of January was £322,021, and the excise beer duty £22,912. The figures for the month of January, 191 S, were £320,240 and £23,761 respectively. At Masterton on Thursday Alexander Birss, proprietor of the Taratahi Hotel, was lined £4.5 and costs on three | charges of having sold liquor to soldiers ] for consumption off the promises, and with selling liquor to soldiers to be taken into a no-lieonse district without having obtained a written order. With a view to keeping an organisation in being and ready for any emergency, the Mayor of Wellington has called a meeting for to-night of managers and members of special group committees who assisted iu fighting epidemic outbreaks. Speaking to a ref porter, the Mayor said it was desirable 1 that the organisation which was j brfltfght into being should be retained in readiness for any call that might

come. The Foilding Patriotic Society is considering a proposal for the erection of a cottago hospital as a soldiers’ memorial. It has been suggested that the Minister for Public Health should be asked to allow a portion, of the revenues to bo diverted for the maintenance of the memorial institution. The matter is to be discussed again in a month’s time.

Inquiries made from bank managers in Christchurch by a "Lyttelton Times” reporter, regarding the position of girl clerks now that the war is over, clieited the information that they would not be allowed to stand iu the way of returning members of tlicir staffs. The general opinion was that a large number of the girls would have to go, but the best of them would be retained.

The, disappearance of an Auckland lady from tjic transport Oxfordshire was reported on the berthing of that vessel on Saturday. Mrs A. H. Colville, widow of the late vicar of St. Sepulchre’s, returned from England by the ship with her mother after taking her husband’s body home for interment. The former was missed at midnight on Saturday, and a search of the vessel was fruitless. She was formerly a Miss Olivo Peat, of Foilding.

The Mayors of Wanganui and Palmerston Nortlf and Mr E. 11. Crabb, president of the Hydro-Electric Vigilance Committee, had a talk with Hon. W. Eraser, Minister of Public Works, on Saturday, and received the satisfying assurance that preliminary work in connection with the Mangahao scheme would be catered upon at the earliest possible moment. The deputation promised to do everything possible to help iu securing the necessary labour.

Owing to the unfavourable season and the absence of cottage gardening in Palmerston North the Chinese have a strong hold on the poor white, and they are riding him to some purpose. On Saturday lettuces were being retailed at 3d each; jteas in pods, Jib for a skilling; carrots, 2d a bul neh (used to be Id before the war); tomatoes, 30d per lb cooking, and Is table; French beans, 8d per lb. The luxuriously inclined were charged 2s per dozen for bananas and 8d for apricots. Other fruits ate on a similar basis.

The total rainfall for January for Otaki was 2.G2 inches. Bain fell on 13 days, and the heaviest day’s rainfall was .40 inches on the 20th. Thus there was no heavy day’s rainfall during the month, and the fall was spread in light falls, so there was no talk of droughts on this occasion. It was a dairy farmers month. In January- of last year the total was 3.35 inches, and the January average for the past fifteen years was 2.75 inches.

At a meeting of the Martin Memorial Committee it was decided to hand the balance of the money in hand (about £1450) to the Palmerston North Hospital Board. Already a sum of £OSO had been paid to the board in this connection, and thus the amount raised for the memorial and X-ray and bacteriological department will be £2IOO. The expenses in connection with the raising of this fund were very low indeed, practically the whole of the monev going to the cost of the build-

Japan snatched .the war opportunity by the hair, though Australia missed it. .Japan increased its exports from £63,000,000 to £160,000,000 per annum three years (The value of goods sold to Australia more than trebled); paid off part of its foreign debt; made a revenue surplus of £22,000,000 in one vear to build railways with; multiplied the profits of its shipping trade (partly made by carrying .goods for as) twelve times over; and put up wages to a point never before dreamt of. In its haste to be rich it made £323,000 in one year by the export of toothbrushes. —“Bulletin.”

It is clear that there is widespread misunderstanding of the aims of the Farmers' Union, for which farmers are doubt lev* themselves largely to blame. The. promoters of the lianawata sufe provincial .• cheme trust that the working farmer, whose name is legion, will join, in suMtieai numbers and force io make himself felt "in me Union ffiat.'f* ■his, and prove that the policy- Of. 1 ibis Union of farmers, is r.ot to cctagoniseLahour but rather to be it* ally In* every just tame. The farmer 1 much in the pet.- it lon. of holding the balance off. power between social exiiemiiix.