THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday. MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 1920. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 26 January 1920, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday. MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 1920. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An 80 acre farm, purchased a fev months ago at Ngaere, was told la; week for a clear £2OOO profit.

Owing to scarcity of sugar in Christ - church black currants are .celling at 2}d per lb. In Eltham the price for the same fruit is Is per lb. Nominations for the vacant position on the Otaki Town Board close on ■Saturday next before noon, when ir is hoped there will be worthy aspirantfor the position. "No, ask me in about three weeks." was the reply given by the Prime Minister to a reporter, who asked him whether he was yet in a position to make any statement for publication in regard to Cabinet reconstruction.

This year is the jubilee of the initiation of New Zealand -'s . public works policy by Sir Julius Vogel in 1870, and in or.lej' to commemorate the occasion Auckland Haiiway League is proposing to publish a Jubilee Beport. Sir Julius second son is a Tecogai=ed authority on metallurgy, and in 191 S delivered a lecture before a diiiinguished company at Home on tungsten.

Settlement is proceeding apace on the line of the Stratford-Okahukura railway. The line is completed nearly to TaUora, where the terminus-is likely to remain ir>r some years. The Stratford "Post" ssy« that it is evident from the extent of the work- in progress at the nation yards that Tabora will be an important link in the railway syetem even after the connection with the Main Trunk line.

Some excitement was occasioned amongst those camping at the beach at Foxton a few nights ago by the disappearance for some hoars uf two little girls, aged five and seven years respectively, one of them being named Munn, while the other was her cousin, who was there on a visit. They v,-qic sees playing together on the' sand at three o'clock, arui were missed an hour later. A search party was at once organised. and the hunt for the missing children was kept up until nine o'clock without result, although their footprints were

found in the gullies between the sand

hills. At three o'clock next morning the search was renewed tinder The superintendence of Mr W. Tamer, and at six o'clock they were found by Mr G. Hartley about sis miles from the place from which they were missing. The children had not suffered any harm and had apparently slept, for a time during the night. Considerable relief was experienced by the campers at the beach at the discovery of the missing children. "We are now showing a nice range oi ladies' tan footwear at less than town prifies, in court, strap and tact styles. In slock, white cleaners in Bostijek. Nugget and Pacify, al**_ a lice of gent's greeniide ■ working laces. jrnse's Slwe Ctaki>—Adrt,

Silk double-tip gloves and smart frilling for costumes and blouses are two lilies that Messrs Stiles and Matheson, Ltd., of Levin, arc offering at very tempting prices just now.

The manager of the Colonial Motor Co'mpany at Timaru on Friday last paid a cheque for £4OOO Customs duty on 2SO Ford vehicles, which are to be landed at Timaru ex Whakatane from Montreal. The amount equals half the last financial year's Customs at Timaru.

The New Zealand Farmers' Dairy Union has received advice that this mouth the representative of a large American company will arrive in New Zealand to establish plants for drying butter-milk. The company proposes at its own expense to equip and erect plants at each factory where arrangements can be made.

Lord Leverhumc. the great "soap king" Of England, of the house of Lever, advances the idea of making machinery work for 2-1 hours of the day. with three shifts of workers, in order to catch up on war losses. Some cotton mills in Connecticut, U.S.A., have adopted the scheme, and put it in operation.

The Morrinsvillc correspondent of the Auckland "Herald" has the following: The inspector of stock reports that between 30,000 and 40,000 calves have been killed in the Waikato this summer. He states that farmers lind it does not pay to rear calves and pigs while the present high prices for butter-fat continue. New country is not being opened up quickly enough to absorb all young stock, and he predicts a tremendous shortage of beef.

The Taranaki Hospital Board has decided to increase the nurses' salaries as follows, on the scale of a hospital of 150 beds: Probationer, first year, £2-1; second year. £3O; third year. £IS; fourth year staff nurse, £80; ward sister, £100; theatre sister and night sister, £110; sub-matron. £l2O. These increases arc made subject to the decision of the conference of hospital boards, which is to be held in March.

It has been an official secret until recently that the Germans, and subsequently the Allies, used insulated electric cable laid on the bottom of the sea to guide their ships through their own mine fields. It was called "leadergear." Cables up to oil miles long were used, and this device promises to bo invaluable to ships navigating narrow and tortuous channels and entering or leaving harbour in a fog.

An American exhibitor at the recent Motor Show at Olympia showed a London pressman a simple device which make* it impossible for any thief to .-teal a. motor car either by driving it or towing it. On the steering wheel is a Yale lock. The driver before leaving the car turns the lock, and the steering wheel at once becomes useless. It may be turnc-d round and round, but the steering gear is quite useless. This thief-proof device is widely used in America.

The Stratford "Post" relates an unenviable experience which befel two motorists at a level crossing a short distance up the line the other day. A car had struck trouble and was being towed to Stratford, and the leader had crossed the railway when the train was on them, striking the tow rope, which was severed by the impact at the moment when the cars had beea dragged parallel with the train. The feelings of the occupants may be imagined as they sat, shocked, while the freight waggons thundered by.

The difficulty of obtaining bouses to rent was exemplified in the Magistrate's Court in Wellington, where nine cases in which people brought actions to gain possession of premi-Oi

we're heard by Mr E. Page. S.M. la each instance the tenant was anxious to vacate ihe tenement, but had found it impossible to obtain another house. One witness stated that she was advised by several house agents that she was only putting herself to unneces-

sary trouble in looking for a house to rent, as one did not exist in Wellington. The time occupied, the witne* was told, would be more profitably and enjoyably spent in a picture theatre. It f- perhaps, not generally known that Sir .Jamc= Allan has a "double." .V reporter was made acquainted with the fact last week &-- '.he outcome of hearing casually that the Minister of Defence and of External Affairs was in Christchurch. The information wa? soraewhat circumstantial. Sir James hud been seen in the lobby of one of ■}.-• city hotels, and had been turned av.av as "there was no room in the in-." The clerk at the hotel partly' co Irmed ibis: at least she stated ■ c imeni had been made on the fact i th : Sir Jaiie- Alien had been turned ! a". :y. Extensive inquiries failed to 10-. ate the Minister, and ultimately the presiman learned that a visitor from Nelson had been mistaken for Sir James. The question of whether sugar was being hoarded to any extent was put to a leading merchant i:: Auckland (states the "Star"), who espressed himself emphatically of the opinion that many people who had got in early were hoarding considerable supplies. H« expressed the opinion, too, that in three months, if present continued, there would be no sugar at all. The remedy, he- contended, lay in raising the prices, and thus compelling people to draw on supplies

which they have hoarded. Meanwhile the development* of the text few months will be watched with interest.

not to say anxiety, by the people generally, not only in Auckland bat throughout the whole of the Dominion.

The priee of new boots is prohibitive in many families, and in eoniequ.eu.ee it is advisable to have old boots repaired. Take them to F. BarrcU, who makes them as new with the best of leather and workmanship. Don't delay. send year boots and shoes at otee—F. Bsrratt, "Dansiss Street, Otaki Bailway.—Advt,

There will be five Sundays in the ! month of February, which will not j occur again until 19±S. An Order-in-Council prohibits th« j exportation of preserved milk, con j densed milk and dried milk, save with j the consent of the Minister of Cus- j torus, on the recommendation of the j Board of Trade. Judgment was on Friday giver, at i Levin in the Court case W. B. Mcintosh v. J. F. Smith, claim of £33 for damages sustained to plaintiff's car iu i collision with defendant's cab. The j S.M. awarded £2O as damages and S 3 j 13s 6d eosts. Supplies of the new "Victory" stamps of CTenominatious id, Id. lid. { 3d, (id, and Is will be issued this week. \ and us soon as they arrive they wii! be j placed on sale in conjunction with the j present issue'. The Jd. 3d, 6d, and Is ] I denominations are in sheets of 14.0. j whereas the Id and ljd denominations I are in sheets of 100.

A fisherman named Thomas Robinson landed a very fine groper off Port Levy, Bank's Peninsula, last week. The fish measured 4ft Ilia from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, and weighed 051 b. Mr Lister, who purchased the fish, stated that had it been sold in the Christchurch fish market on the prices ruling it would have fetched about £2 10s. Robinson played the fish for over twenty minutes before he was able to land it.

For groceries, meat and dairy produce Palmerston North is the fourth dearest place in the Dominium In. rcargill having increased 01.47 per cent since July, 1014, Dunediu 50.03 per sent, Greynioutk 59.03 per cent, Palmerston North 55,38 per cent, and Hamilton 55.37 per cent. Grermouth (39.76 per cent) shows the lowest increase. Hamilton and Palmerston North show the greatest increases in the cost of dairy produce, and Palmerston is one of the dearest_phices for groceries,—Palmerston ' • Times.''

The beautiful, copious rains of last week have completely transformed the appearance of the country. Pastures that were becoming brown and bare have been freshened wonderfully, and the whole countryside is now as gTeen as during springtime. Grass is coming on apace, and there is every prospect of farmers having abundant feed for the autumn, a happy state of affairs that is seldom experienced. The week's rain has undoubtedly been a God-send, and has benefited iko country to the extent of many thousands of pounds.

The possibilities of intensive cultivation on small areas has been domenstrated by a man who makes a good living off 12 acres on the line of the Gisborne-Motuhora railway. Mr C. F. Bennett, of Auckland, who recently motored through that district, states that the man in question milked no fewer than 15 cows on his 12 acres, He accomplished this by growing lucerne, which he cut and fed to cows in the paddocks. Similar production, added Mr Bennett, was possible by intensive cultivation on the Hauraki Plains.

I "Von wan: wheat if you would live." say the growers, "and you m- -t pay our price." "You want coal if you would live," say the miners "and you must pay our price." Is there I'any fundamental difference? The community's need is the measure Of demand in both ca.-es. and both wheat - grower and miner call forth the last available farthing from the consumer'* pocket. It probably natural for ■ both these elassesi who control an essential commodity to act thus; but so Jsoon u- everybody acts likewise the social problem will Cave become even more complex than at present, and its solution will depend wholly on a new spirit of service replacing one oi coldblooded bargaining.—Dunedin "Star." It i- not only in New Zealand that sugar i= in short .-upply. Mr J. M. Gibson, writing from America, states that there is a genera! shortage ia !tke United States, and stores sell one pound only, which costs from Sd to lOd. The price is; predicted to reach Is Sd per pound. Price-, generally, he writes, are very high. Butter is 2s per pound, cheese 2s ham ss, pears Od to -Is Sd I each', SpslgiJijojfi web. Salts arc £ls to £2O. He sawTrT Z NfiK ?°* window a blouse ticketed up at £74!). It was rose point lace. A grilled steak costs from 5.- to S* od, and anything else provided is extra, such as bread Sd, coffee 7d, potatoes 30-. A breakfast, on the train, consisting of fish and bacon and eggs, with bread and coffee, costs Ss 6d, besides tip-, to attendant and waiter. If butter reaches half a crown a' pound in New Zealand, as it threatens to do, what then J Many city folk who have Urge families and small in- ' comes will, perforce, have to subsist on margarine ar other substitute*. Bat, in the country, the difficulty could be overcome to some extent by workers joining together and purchasing a cow. There are plenty of available spaces on which cows could be ran, and there is no jes-on why men who are in permanent employment and have families : should be without butter-Snd milk. It is pleasing to be able to state that marked industry has been shown during the Isst year or two in the cultivation of vacant spaces by tfce growing oi potatoes and other vegetables. This is one way of keeping down the eort of living. There are other methods, such as poultry-raising, which might also be resorted to. "Wairar&pa. What man is Qtere who ass sot whilst ia a desperate haste to i.': 1 en appointment experienced the annoyance of having to wrestle with a tie that is difficult to adjust. It will not slide, in fact it absolutely refuses to badge. Such a situation ia a strong incentive to indulge in impolite expressions. An effective way of obviating 'all* this has been found by GEO. FOWLDS, LTD., of Mansers Street, Wellington, whose latest shipment includes a cnoice selection of MiteheM slide-easy ties. The latest and smartest —see this, .. '* ji«a»j

WirJiV circus is to open in Wellingon taitiorrow. Gathering mushrodms has been a avouritt: occupation till along this oast dun :g the past week. The warm ■iiis of U>.st week have assisted tonirds producing an exceptionally fine rtip of mushrooms. » ": b Lawrence, who was ordered i> mourns at Marylebone for theft, vjis stated to have spent 50 of his 75 •cars io prison, his sentences includug three terms of ten years' penal sera'tudc. Mr Massey has received advice that .he Imperial Government will not put•base uozen meat after June 30 next. Regarding wool and dairy produce pur-jba-e a reply will be sent as soon as possioie. The Tourist Department and the police are making preparations for a thorough search for Miss Reid, who was lost on the Milford Track. Mr Samuel Turner, the well-known Alpine climber, and Guide Cowling, of Mount Cook, will assist. Mr A. V. Bright, bind and estate agent, has for sale a number of farms, varying in "size, and some huo ivsiden—tial sites, homesteads, etc. Anyone < desirous of selling should send along, particular:; or consult Mr Bright personally. Replying to Sir James Alien 's iuviA tat ion to accompany the Parliamentary party to Samoa, Dr. 'llhacker, M.P., has telegraphed:—-'.'lt i> not my intention to proceed ou ihc visit to Samoa. I : think it is rjutte unnecessary at this j June;are to incur the expenditure the visit will cost, in view of the visit of the Prince of Wales." Visitors to this district, and Otaki residents who have just returned from Hawke's Bay. report that feed is exceedingly scarce in that district, many of the paddocks being absolutely bare. Rain fell at the latter end of the wsek in various, parts, but: not nearly as much as farmers would have liked. In many parts of Hawke's Bay there has not been anything like a heavy rainfall since the end of October last.

The Government ha.s purchased the property known as Walker's Station, Maruia Valley, owned by Messrs J. and G. Walker, for tho settlement of sol'iicrs (asys tho Nelson "Colonist"). The property comprises approximately TWO acre

iml tho purchase price was 4.-10,000. Mr 11. B. Walker states that the date oi delivery will be about the ,-nd of April or the end of May, It ia understood that the Government has also purchased some 1400 acres owned liy Mr 1). Oxnum, about -0 miles from. Murchison. These (wo properties will be cut up into .sections for close settle-

A movement is at'ool in Labour circles in the Dominion to establish Labour daily newspapers fit Auckland, Wellington, Christchurcb, and Duncdin, *ml a canvass for share capital has boon already utarted. It is considered probable that the scheme will prove more successful in Auckland, arid that !hc Jirst of the four Labour dailies is likely to be established in that city. This is based largely on the experience

f the Labour Party in the northern ity in connection with raising campaign fund- for the recent general lection-. In a comparatively short

pace oi time the >vui of £SOO was cyl

Icctcd tor the purpose, and this i« •liken as an indication that the pronosed Labour newspaper will receive good financial support.