LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 434, 13 December 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the Christmas and N- \v Year holidays there will be no iss-ie of the ''TntEs" on Tuesday, D>c 24th, or on Tuesday, Pec. 31st.

A list of date 3 and places for the attendance nest week of a Government officer to inoculate calves against blackleg is advertised in this issue.

The Eight Rev. Dr Aveiill (Bishop of Auckland) will vis t Pukekohe next week and will minister confirmation at St Andrew's Church on Thursday next, the 19rh inst. at 2.30 p.m.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company are to hold ; a clearing sale on behalf of Mr Geo. E. Morgon on his farm at Manurewa on Saturday of next week and also their ordinary monthly stock sale on the same day at Waiuku. For particulars see advts. The Rev. J. B. Suckling, who preceded the present Pastor (the Rev. J. F. Martin) in the charge of the Pukekohe Methodist Circuit, has died of influenza in Fiji. The late Mr Suckling left Auckland in April to take up foreign mission work in Fiji He is survived by Mrs Suckling and two children.

Messrs Alfred Buckland and Sons sales for next week include their ordinary monthly stock sales at Pokeno and Runciman on Monday and Tuesday respectively, with special entries of dairy cows and heifers at Runciman, a clearing sale at Mercer on behalf of Mr E. Hallett on Wednesday, and a stock sale at Tuakau on Thursday. Particulars of the various sales are advertised in this issue. The timo had arrived when tho Government should inaugurate a national roading policy, said Mr J. A. Young (Waikato), when discussing the Public Works Estimates in the House. Year after year the Government pursued the name old policy. When a local district was prepared to expend its own money on road-grading and forming and metalling, and the permanent metalling of existing roads, the Government should recognise it as an established principle that in the rural districts it should subsidise all such works on the basis of £ for £. The Minister interjected that he was prepared tc grant subsidies for metal ling, but not for repair work. Continuing, Mr Young said he considered that all repairs should rightly be a charge upon the local districts. Some funny experiences are related by tho medical assistants. It was on one of the country roads, and the lp.dy of the house was reported to be very ill. The medical assistant looks her up and takes her temperature, etc. Just then in comes the daughter of the house, who promptly proceeds to sit on the bottom of the bed The old lady lets out a scream. " What's wrong ?" meekly asked the M.A. "She's sitting on the chicks!" Sure enough, in the sam» bed as the patient was a brood of chicks, put there to keep them warmNo amount of expostulation on the part of the M.A. would make tho old lady remove the chicks, which are still there! Taranaki News.

One of the discoveries of the war has been the number of defective teeth among men otherwise fit. England (says an Fnglish journal) is ( the worst dentmed of any civilised nation. An authority states that one-tenth of our armies are constantly incapacitated through teeth troubles. This figure might be less but for the fact that the soldier has a prejudice against army dentistrylie lias an idea that it is rough and ready. Trench mouth makes ravages among British soldiers, whereas among others—the Canadians, for instance -it has been practically eliminated. A dentist j-uggests that we should have panel dentists like panel doctors, and he would take the evil at its source by beginning with the children.

With the general impression that the epidemic that has recently swept over the country should be diagnosed as something more than influenza the naive ingestion was put forward by Bishop CI envy at the protest meeting of citizens in Aucklandjon Tuesday evening that if it were styled " Niagara " such would be a more correct description of the disease. A roar of laughter greeted the witty manner in which tho Bishop thus had " a ilifj " at the authorities.

i " I am consistent" s iid the Labour representative, Mr T Bloodworth, at the public meeting held in Auckland on Tuesday in protest to tho at'ack mado ou tho Mayor of Auckland by the Minister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W Russell, MP) He continiKd : " I have for some time argued that the Government should not be in office as the time For which they were appointed by the people has expired. What I now suggest is that Mr Uussell -should be called upon to resign and that his fellow Ministers should resign in sympathy with him " Then the audience laughtd.

" Even Ministers of the Crown must learn that they must observe tho ordinary amenities of social intercjurse" said Bishop Cleary at the citizens' meeting in Auckland on Tuesday in reference to the Hon. G. W. Russell's discourtesy to the Mayor of Auckland.

Notice is given in our advertising columns that certain roads situated in Hunua parish have been stopped in terms of the Public Works Act and also of intention to take land, as specified, at Purapura and Puni for the purpose of a road. Attention is drawn to the clearing sale as advertised in this issue to be held on Wednesday next on the farm at the Elbow, Puni, by Messrs. J. T. Stembridge and Co on behalf of Mr C. A. Kidd, who is retiring from dairying. The Jersey herd of cattle to be offered are specially commended by the auctioneers,

"A degree of cunning that would do credit to a Boy Scout," was the comment passed by Mr C. J. Tunks at the citizens' meeting in Auckland on Tuesday relative to the action taken by the Chief Health Officer (Dr. Valentine) in regard to the landing last Sunday of passengers from the Makura. Bishop Cleary subsequently characterised the inci--1 dent as the " secretly engineered vanishing trick '' of a conjuror. 1 The influenza epidemic, as far as Pukekohe and the surrounding districts are concerned is now well under control. At noon to-day there were 16 cases (9 males and 7 females) in the local temporary hospital, but none are of a serious nature, and there have been no admissions since Monday. Mr Wallace, the Chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, is expected to visit Pukekohe next Sunday, and a date for the closing of the hospital will probably then be arranged. There was a large and enthusiastic attendance at a social and dance held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Pukekohe, last evening in honour of Sister Tozer, of Auckland, who has been in charge of the local temporary hospital and who will shortly be departing from Pukekohe. During the evening Mr J. Dent, on behalf of these assembled, bade farewell to Sister Tozer and in so doing eulogised the excellent work accomplished by Sister Tozer. He assured her that she would leave Pukekohe with the good wishes of all. Unlike last year when yields and returns for potatoes were comparatively on the low side growers in the Pukekohe district are more than pleased with results this season. Yesterday's values were in the vicinity of £ls per ton or more and crops are averaging eight tons to the acre, whilst Mr James O'Connor on a acre patch has had the satisfaction of obtaining as much as 13 tons to the aero, which substantial yield furnishes a record despite his many years' experience as a grower. "The Mayor of Auckland has been attacked by a gentleman" formed the opening words of the speech delivered by the Labour representative, Mr Bloodworth, at the citizens' indignation meeting in Auckland on Tuesday in reference to the Hon. G. W. Russell's notorious telegram, whereupon several members of the audience loudly signified their disapproval of the Hon. G. W. Russell M.P. being styled a gentleman. " Pardon me," continued Mr Bloodworth, "Mr Russell is a gentleman by Act of Parliament and Ileave it at that." Derisive cheers greeted this announcement. At last Tuesday'B meeting of the Manukau Council the folio wine resolution was unanimously carried: "That this Council p'aces on record its appreciation of the valuable services rendered to the citizens of Auckland and the surrounding districts (in the strenuous fight put up against tie present influenza epidemic) by the Mayor, the membtrs of the various committees, DrFrengley, and lastly but not least, the nurses, many of the latter having given their lives in the most heroic manner and worthy of the highest traditions of the Empire to which we belong." There were no flights of oratory at the citizens meeting held in Auckland | on Tuesday in condemnation o! the hostile attitude of the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell M.P.) towards the Mayor of Auckland but the speakers, if lacking in eloquence, impressed the audience by their sincerity. The Mayor (Mr Guason) detailed the action he had taken, such being entirely unattended by the introduction of personalities on his part, and the ovation given him when ho rose to speak, as also the enthusiastic way in which his remarks were received, afforded proof, if any was wanted, that the full confidence of the people of Auckland was reposed in His Worship. The death occurred from natural causes, on Sunday last, at the residence of her daughter (Mrs F. C. Bluck, Karapiro, Cambridge) of Mrs Sarah King, widow of the late Mr John King. The deceased lady, who was 76 years of age, was bom at Portadown, County Armagh, Ireland, and she came out to New Zealand 54 years ago with her first husband, the late Mr John Cowan, in the sailing ship Ganges. After landing in Auckland they made a short stay at Onehunga, and then came on to Pukekohe, eventually settling on the farm on the hill now occupied by Mr John Bilkey. Some six years later Mr Ciwan was accidentally killed | whilst bush-falling on the property, and after four years' widowhood the deceased lady married the late Mr John King, who pre-deceased her 36 years ago. From Pukekohe hill Mr and Mrs King moved to Pukekohe East, and Mrs King had been a resident in tho district ever since until recently. She is mourned by four sons and two daughters, namely Mrs Storey (Taniwha), Mr George Cowan (Ngaruawahia), Jas. Cowan (H irsham Downs), issue of the first ma riago, and by Mrs F C. Bluck (Kirapiro), W. King (Pukekohe\ and Robt. King (Buckland), of the sec >nd marriage. The funeral took place at the Pukekohe cemetery last Tuesday.