LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 8, Issue 457, 14 March 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Harvest thanksgiving services aro to be conducted in the Salvation Army Hall, Pukekohe, next Sunday and a concert will be held on Monday. A list of dates and places for the attendance of a Government officer next week to inoculate calves against blackleg: will be found in our adverfisingcolutnns. Messrs Alfred Buckland and Sous Ltd. are to conduct stock sales at Glevedon and Pokeno next Monday and at Runciman on Tuesday. Particulars of entries are advertised in this isMie. The annual meeting: of the Auckland hr inch of the Navy League is fixed for Mav fitli and nominations for tho various offices will be ro ceived up to April 10th. For particulars see advertisement Mr 0. K, Lawrie has decided to be a candidate for the Mayoral chair at the forthcoming municipal elections in Pukekohe, and in an advertisement in this issue he appeals to the electors for support to his candidature. Mr H. 11. Pattle, who has just arrived in Pukekohe to take over the management of Mr W. Rouiston's produce and grain department, was accorded a farewell in Dunedin last weak, when he wa r i entertained by members of '' B" Batterv, Second Division Training Class, who took advantage of the opportunity to make him a presentation. Before going into camp Mr Pattle was Dunedin managing partner in the firm of Bray Brothers. He was a member of the Executive of the Second Division League. The Mercantile Gazsttee, forecasting the result of the financial year ending March 31st, anticipates a surplus of about £3,750,000. Added to the war surpluses realised during the three previous years, this should give the Minister of Finance over £1 '>,000,000. Commenting on this the Gi/.ette says : The Finance Minister should at the close of the present financial year have a very substantial nest-egg to meet the extraordinary expenditure that m iy be found necessary during the next and succeeding financial year, which may prove to be the worst periods of the transition from war conditions to peaca conditions In public finance it is a funda mentfl error to extract from the , pockets of the people more than is actually necessary to moef the charges, and therefore a surplus of any dimensions shows faulty e.«ti mating. During the war the Minis ter deliberately set out to build up a reserve out of revenue, and he has succeeded very well. The people have'paid in taxation more than was needed by the Government to properly administer the affairs of the State, hut the people acquiesced in this extortion, believing it was the right course to pursue in abnormal times But care mu c t be taken tlrnt j this policy is not continued when j normal conditions again ptevuil, | otherwise the tempta'ion to squander ' money in politica' adventures will be | more than the average politician 1 could resist.

The N.Z. Co-op Bacon and Meat backing Coy Ltd. will be buying pigs next week as follows : At Pukeiawa and Onewhero on Monday, at ruakau on Tuesday at Papakura and Runciman on Wednesday and at Pitumahoe on Saturday. The N.Z. Loan and M.A. Coy, are to hold a stock sale at Whitford on Monday next, a horse sale at Papa kura on Tuesday, followed by stock sales at Tuakau and Waiuku on Thursday and Saturday respectively. For particulars see advertisements. At a meeting of the Raglan County Council, on Wednesday, Councillor Otway paid a warm tribute to Mr R. F. Bollard, M P. for the district, for the thorough and painstaking manner in which he had attended to certain matters in connection with County affairs. Ambassador James great book, "My Four Years in Germany," transformed intojpgreat and once more brought notice. The picture will in Pukekohe on Tuesdrfp e*^Bi n g nex t at the an»should be witnessed,Cy everyone reach of the haft—(Advt.) A team of bowlors from the Pukekohe club Messrs F. Perkins, 0. H. j Bockett, Duncan Roulston, and C. M. Wright- leave for To Kuiti this evening, to participate in a tournament extending over to-morrow and Monday. With one exception the team is identical with that which made such a creditable showing at the recent Dominion tournament. The following were the winners of the weight-guessing competitions conducted at the recent Pukekohe Show, viz.:—Bullock, actual weight 94libs., A. Lovett (Pukekohe) guessed 9451b5; cow, 6981b5, W. Austin (Clevedon) guessed 6991b5; three sheep 170lbs, J. H Orr (Waimatenui) guessed 168lbs; pig, 65lbs, R McCorquindale (Drury) and J. Beatty (Pukekohe 1 ) tied, each estimating the actual weight. Included in a draft of soldiers returnirg on board the transport Ajana, due to reach Auckland on Saturday of next week, are the following : J. Blank (Clevedon), Cpl. M. 0. Brown (Pukekoha), A T. Bullen (Papakura), M. FWfl, M M., (Pukekohe), J. G. Graham (Pokeno Valley), J. K. G<flall (Otahuhu), J. B. Hartland (Buckland), L. A. V. Hubbard (Glenbrook), T. W. James T. B. L°ath«*art (Waiuku-, H. W. Le Bailey (Buckland), A E Partridge (Buckland), J. Quinn (Drury). E. Rowe (Mauku), C. A. Ryder, M.M., (Tuakau), Cpl R. Slack (Papakura), K. Weir (Otahuhu I *, and G. S. Willis (Pukekohe.) " Licensed to sell spiritous and fermented liquors Who put that label on the public house door ? The publican ? No—no, he doesn't put it there. " 1 vote for continuance." Do you catch the point ? So when you read in the paper: So-and-so was charged with drunkenness, or theft, or assault, or forgery, or attempted suicide, or murder—and he says to the Magistrate : " I wouldn't have done it, Sir, if I had been sober," you must not blame the publican. He is licensed by you—by your vote for continuance —to sell spirituous and fermented liquors." He is not there to gauge the capacity of his customer to carry liquor, not his business to know when his customer has " had enough;" not his business to know how much the victim of the licensing system " can carry 11 without going off his head and doing foolish or criminal things. No, no. YotPare the chaps. You. Be is your' fool, your dupe, your crimina'. It your license that did the triok. Strike out the top line on Thursday, April 10. (Advt) At the meeting of the Manukau County Council held on Tuesday last the Ashburton County Council solicited support to a resolution they had passed to the effect th*t they viewed wirh alarm Colonel Chaffey's statement, which appeared in the New Zealand press, in regard to tho holding of territorial camps. The Council stated that it was s'rongly of the opinion that now the war had ended the holding of such territorial camps would be unecessary and burdensome to the country and they urged that no system of defence of the Dominion should be introduced and passed by Parliament before the electors had an opportunity of expressing their views at the ballot box The Council also thought that the time had arrived when the Territorial system could be advantgaeously abolished and that the Government should be urged to me every means to bring returned soldiers back to civil life —The matter was discussed at some length, Cr Brownhill stating that he was strongly in favour of the Territori d training system but he was not in accord with the remarks of Colonel Chaffey in urging upon the Department to hold camps for four months in the year. He thought the training was very beneficial and a splendid thing for the young manhood of New Zealand-Cr Luke was in favour of supporting the resoluti >n and he pointed out th u from results obtained both in America and in New Zealand it was evident that men could be made fit for warfare with only a few months training Cr Howse was of opinion that as far as the territorial training camps were concerned they were a splendid thing for the men. Apart fiom that ho could not discuss the resolution as ho had not read Colonel Chaffey's statements in the press —Cr Waters referred to the number of men who were turned down as unfh for active service and who were afterwards admitted to the Cl camps where they were made tit. He eonsidered the principle of the Territorial training system as absolutely right. —The Chairman (Cr Beil) said that Territorial training was a good thing in making the young men of the country fit but he did not favour the holding of a camp over a period of four months. —Eventually it wan decided on the motion of Cr Brownhill, seconded by Cr Hattaway, to defer consideration of the matter pending the Clerk making application for information as to tho statements made by Colonel Chaffey. 1

The Railway Department advertise a special train for to-morrow (Saturday) and for Monday for the Paeroa races and also for the Ngaruawahia Regatta on Monday f St. Patrick's Day) Confidence in the future of the Pukekohe district is strikingly exemplified at the present time in the form of very keen demands for farming land, and numerous sales of properties at prices highly satisfactory to the vendors have been effected recently. Alcohol found an advocate at the sittings of the Influenza Epidemic Commission in Wellington in Dr T, H. Valentine, Inspector General of Hospitals and Chief -fcHealtlk Officer. " I consider," he saiaV''jWrt during an influenza epidemicWf should be possible for peopta4B%btain liquor. I would thiLCommission that the Pgjinaent of \he British Med'cal jfcPociation shoild be called to give evidence on tl® subject. There is no doubt that alcohol forms, a very important part in the treatment of influenza. lam certainly of opinion from what I saw of the recent epidemic that alcohol should be made available.'' Remember this on April 10th.—Advt. Mr A. B. Barter, who for the past nine and a half years hat been a resident of Pukekohe, and was previously for some eight years at Mauku, intends as from the end of this month to take up his residence in Auckland. During his stay in Pukekohe, Mr Barter has been prominently identified with local affairs, and for the past four years he has served as a member of the Pukekohe Borough Council, besides holding at the present time the position of Deputy-Mayor. He has also, particularly during the currency of the war, been associated with all local patriotic movements, whilst Mrs Barter has similarly been to the fore in promoting the interests of the Pukekohe branch of the Women's Patriotic League, in addition to rendering invaluable aid in connection with all functions promoted by that organisation. In the departure to Auckland of Mr and Mrs Barter Pukekohe will lose two of the most popular members of the local community, but they will take with them the good wishes of all. Mr Barter's term of office on the Borough Council expires next month, and he will not be seeking re-election. In his excellent book, Lieut,-Col.' Claude H. Weston, D.5.0., of New Plymouth, says " The sorely tried officers asked why the British Army had not dared to do what America has since done in France and in company with Canada in both of their own countries—but that is high politics. As in civil life, crime in the army is principally due to drink." This from a well-known New Zaaland officer who was so long used to club life is surely regarded aft unbiassed Colonel -Weston served on Gallipot &Q& France, where he took part%ra#Jfy of the principal engagement In December last the Austjjmwi Council of the R.S 8. (Returned and Sai' ors ImperiaKLeagne)\ carried a resolution asking for Prohibition. In Victoriasthe Returned Soldiers' National I%ty re turned all contributions from Licensed Victuallers. Thus both of the reconstructed soldiers' bodies are now out for this essential reform. Remove the drink evil in New Zealand. Strike out the top line on Thursday, April 10. -(Advt)