LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otaki Mail, 31 December 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

$ The "Otaki Mail" will not be pub liihed on Friday next, January 2nd this step being rendered necessary ii order that our staff may enjoy the Net* Year holidays. The offices of the Otaki Town Boarc Trill be closed till Monday next. Messrs Bill.-: and Moore annonnci that their aim during J 920 will lie V give entire satisfaction to their numer ous customers, combined with higl quality goods and better selection. A man wrote- to a Sydney paper th< other day: "A pair or boots costs mi 3.js. A horse-collar 255. The leathe in the collar weighs four times as mud as the leather in the boot-. Has fhi price of cardboard gone up?" That margarine ha- not thr> sam< nourishing qualify "as butter, and tha the scarcity of butter is a contributor cause of increase of tuberculosis, i. the opinion of Dr. Holliday Sutherland consulting tuberculo.-i- officer a Marylebone, London. The "N.Z Dairyman " is informed 03 a* correspondent that a settler at Man gaonono. sheared his sheep th< first week in beCf-mbcr. found no le* than seventy dead tfcfc-BSft morning The severity of the weather' tuis .sea son has been most unusual. A party of local residents, intends tc climb the Tararoas during the New Year holidays, and will leave Otaki tomorrow afternoon. Some of the party hope Jo go right through to Grey town, while others will journey to Mount H 'tor and then back to ptakk The parry will include several ladies. An amusing story is in circulation on the Coast touching the advice given by a lawyer fsaya the" "Poverty Bay H'-rald"). At one of townships a let of driftwood was washed on to the beach. Many of the residents, including the lawyer, piled up the wood and songht ■vehicles to take it away. One man took another's pile, and the man whose pile had disappeared sought advice from the solicitor regarding the i possibilities of a successful action for j the recovery of the wood. The solicitor i advised that he had no actio-, r.nd the ' man paid his fee. Straight ..-.-;" \e xasn whose wood stack tad been taken got a tart and appropriated the -jliei•tor's pile of wood. ■What ma is Ciere ivao has not whilst in a desperate haste to k.ep an appointment experienced tfce annoyance of having to wrestle sriifa. a tie that is difficult to ad;---.-', ft will not slide, in fart it afcsofoteJy refuses to badge. Sueh. 3 situs ::•■■■■ is 2 .strong incentive to isdulg's is ..-. polite expressions. An t-Seet:' c sray of obviating all this has bee* i ••_■_ d by GEO. FOWLDS, LTD of Man.n*rs Str&at, STelliagios:; whf.-<5 shipment iacludes £ £p.oic? s?~ii .tion of Mitchell slide-easy ****• "■'"•*''' 5 * J - -* s smartest —see these. : A/ -, u

Tho Kuku Dairy Company's present output is nearly 50 cheeses per day—a decrease on last month's supply.

Tho "Levin Chronicle," now issued thrice weekly, will shortly be published daily. Wu congratulate our contemporary oh'such an important undertaking, and wish it success. Tho Central Development: Farm has offered tho Horowhemiu A. and P. Association padelock accommodation for stock in connection with the coming show.

If you have receiveid an unexpected gift from a friend, and intend to give a rcmrn present for the JS'ew • year, take advantage of tho reduced prices at Stiles and Mathcson 's Christmas bargain carnival. Suitable items for ladies arc listed in their advertisement.

The leap-year dance to be held at Te Horo to-morrow night should draw a crowd of terpsiehoreaus. especially as the affair from a social point of view promises to be a great success. First-class music, floor and supper will bo provided.

A frost after Christmas is a rare thing in the Hutt-Valley, but growers of French beans ami pumpkins had reason for complaint against the cold snap experienced on Saturday night. One grower states that, this is the thirel crop of beans that litis been destroyed this season by frost. —"Post."

We are fitting round rubbers freo on ladies' footwear uutil the new year. Just arrived new lines in suede, patent and glace shoes. You will want a pair for the holidays, and you will save> money by buying from us. Inspection invited. Irviuo's Shoe Store. Otaki.— Advf.

On Monday afternoon (says the "Lyttclton Times") Mr and Mrs Alexander Orr paid a visit to the Rev. J. K. Aitken, chairman of the Mcthven School Committee, and presented him with a cheque for £IOOO, as a gift to the- school, in consideration of the good work that the committee and the teaching staff had done and were still doing. The donors have not yet indicated the precise objects to which tho money is to be devoted, and they have asked the committee to confer with them on the matter.

A sad drowning case occurred at: Lake Bruuuer on Saturday. Two brothers, Ernest and Lewie Goodwin, went goat shooting, sotting out in a frail craft. As they did not return in the: evening, search was made, and the boat was discovered washed up on the beach, ami the body of Lewis was discovered in Oft of water. There was no trace of the o£her brother. Ernest was 23 years of age, ami was a returucel soldier. Lewis was 17 years of age. Great sympathy is fell, for Mr and Mrs Goodwin, who have already lost two sons on active service.

Ivwong Young Lee, an elderly Chinese, who kept a greengrocery at. Newtown, Wellington, was discovered on Monday in. a room behind hi«

shop unconscious, with his head badly battered. The till was found open, and only a few coppers were remaining. Lee partially recovered consciousness, but wu-' unable to give a coherent account of the bappeniDgs. lie fancied that he must have been nttacked rr«in behind. As far as he can rcmcml r the till contained about. £t. It was reported last night thai the man's condition has greatly improveel, and his recovery is likely.

Rumours arc current that the Turkish Government, which is steadily ncaring bankruptcy, and has been living lately on tho proceeds of sales, proposes to sell a number of State treasures, among them the famous Peacock Throne brought with the loot of Delhi to Persia by Nadir Shah, and afterward* captared ity th? Turks. Several newspapers nver that the: Government had an offer of 2,500,000 liras, equivalent to about £750,000, for this precious and historic relic. While the figure appear* to be exaggerated, it is undoubted that in this and otfaer antiquities Turkey still has some assets. The Peacock Thono of Delhi used to *taad in tb': magnificent Diwan-i-Am, or Hall of Public Audience, in Dedhi. It was described by a French traveller who saw it in 1065 as of the shape of a bed. six feet by four feet, supported by four golden feet from the bars, above which rose 32 columns fo support the canopy. The bars were decorated with rubies and emcrtld--, and the columns with magnificent pearls.

An "important factor in the great building activity in AiK'kland at present is the large amount of toZSyation work that is being undertaken (say: the "Herald"). According to one large employer engaged in the trade, more repairs are being done now than at any time daring the last ten year-:. This i'3 attributed to the fact that during the war people put off making alterations to their buildings, and, in particular, much-needed painting was deferred. The consequence is that painters are now exceptionally busy. "At present," one employer said, "wc are taking one-third of ihc work offer*! to ua, and as for looking for new jobs, it is quite out of the question." He had enough work in hand and in sight to keep him going at fall pressure until the end of nest March- In regard to prices, thfcre was no prospect of a decrease, a?, the eo.'t of white lead. Jir> seed oil, and wallpaper tad recently risen. In common with other ports «f New Zealand, there was a great, scarcity of labour in Auckland, and if was very difficult to get competent men. Apart from repairs, the principal work in which builders are engaged in -the construction of asoieraux warehouses.' factories, and $&&*&. Ike price of asw boots is prohibitive ■a many families, and in consequence , it is advisable to' h.avg J "old boots' re- 1 paired. Take them ,to F. Barratt. who , makes them as new with the b<si of j leather and urorkmnnship. Don't delay, j scad yoiir boots and shoes at one* —F. ! Barrai-f.,. Bsnsrtait fere©*., Otaki .Bail-j prey.—Advt.