LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, 26 May 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The R.M.S. Moaua arived at Papeete on Saturday last from San Francisco (due elate), and sailed on Sunday morning for Wellington, where she is due next Wednesday.

The transport Puparoa arrived .at Wellington at 7 a.m. on Saturday, and being a clean ship, was berthed immediately, the disembarkation occupying only ten minutes. A trooji train conveying the northern contingent passed through Taihape shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Kent Education Committee is considering a proposal to close what is believed to be the smallest school in England, that of Elmley, a detached part of the Isle of Sheppey. There are Only five pupils on the books, and three of these are children of the head teacher

Referring, at a meeting of returned soldiers in Wellington, to the hardships endured by the soldiers in ithe trenches, Gneeral G S. Richardson remarked: “Some of you men would not have been able to keep alive if you had not had a little tot of rim,” (Loud laughter and applause). The general said that reminded him of a woman who was astonished that the men. were given rum, and asked: “Why not give them hot milk instead?”

The Auckland City Council has definitely decided to purchase the Auckland tramways, subject to the consent of a poll of the ratepayers on June 11th.

The industrial agreement recently arrived at between the employers and the employees in the freezing works and related trades throughout New Zealand is stated to involve an annual increase in wages of about £IOO,OOO. The agreement is for a term of two years, and comes into operation ion August 31st next but the now rates of pay date from April 7th last.

A few days ago Mr. S. Middlebrook, of Waihi, reported having seen an object in the water between Bowentown and Tauranga which he believed to be a floating mine. A party of sportsmen who were subsequently shooting in the vicinity report having heard a terrific explosion just off the coast, which suggests that Mr Mlddlctfrook was probably right iu his conclusion that it was a mine.

“In my opinion rating on the unimproved value since it was adopted has clouo more to destroy the beauty of our towns than anything else,” declared the Hon. G. W. Russell at the TownPlanning Conference. “It has resulted,” he added, “in every possible house being put ’ on every possible inch of land.” Referring to this subject, Mr J. M. McCombs, M.P., for Lytttelton, said that ample protection against the state of affairs mentioned by the Miniistcr would be provided by genuine town-planning.

Luck in land speculation! Some time ago a certain gentleman got options over a block of land which he offered to the Government at £l2, the price of which he conld have acquired being £9 an acre. The Government turned the offer down and as he was unable to hold the land the enterprising one had to lot his options run out without effecting a sale. Another speculator happened along, purchased the laud at £9, waited .10 months, and sold out at a profit of £IOO acre, clearing in -the vicinity of £SOOO.

The rapid increase in the value of business sections in Courtenay Place is the subject of comment by a Wellington journal. Only a few years ago £OO or £7O a foot was considered a high price to give for land in that vicinity, and many shrftvd speculators thought it. had reached the top figure when sections changed hands at £BOO a foot. Yet within a recent period one small section has been sold at £l4O a foot, and. another not far distant from Tory Street intersection, has changed owners at £l5O a foot —the highest figure ever paid for land in Courtenay Place.

Speaking to a Taranaki News representative recently, Captain Atkins, of the Orissa, stated that there should ■be a splendid market for New Zealand butter, cheese and apples in India He had paid 2/4 per lb. for Australian apples in Madras, and considered himself lucky to get them even at/that price, while the Australian butter they paid 3/6 per lb. for, and were glad do get it. The Indian market would absorb all the dairy produce New Zealand could son, and the same applied to apples. It was a market which ho was surprised had not been exploited before.

“We have large quantities of clay in New Zealand,” said Mr. G. P. Morgan, before the Industries Committee in Wellington. “Some of this is available for the manufacture of china ware. There arc methods of purification by which the qualify of the clay can be greatly improved, and I think ithat the prospects of establishing a pottery industry in New Zealand arc good. We have clay suitable for the manufacture of Fuller's earth. There are also large quantities of glass sand, but such sand must be extreme purity. In fact for optical purposes, the glass must not contain the smallest possible quantity of iron.-”

In the course of his lecture in the Museum flail Wanganui on Friday evening, Professor Seager, of Auckland University, expressed the opinion that within a few years there would be a fall in prices. The questions which the wage-earner would at once raise, how was the fall going to affect- his wages? An answer to this question was given by the Professor. Ho said that there might be a substantial fall in money wages. He said that the working men were really no better off; to-day than they were some years ago. for then, although money wages wore low. Its purchavsiug power was greater. As a matter of fact the working man was better off in a period of high prices on account of the increased purchasing power of the money There might be unemployment, but those who were in employment would be better off.

Flags, all sizes, procurable at Somervillefs —(AdvtJ For Chronic Chest Complaints Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.

The M'aoriiand Dairy Co. is paying 1/7J per pound of butter-fat until further notice. Cans supplied. For particulars write box 185, Wanganui.— Advf.

The many friends cf Dr. Boyd will be

glad .to learn that he has quite recovered from his late illness and that he has again resumed practice of his profession The operation Dr. Boyd found it of life importance to undergo was of a very serious nature, and his many old patients and friends will tender him a much more hearty welcome on that account alone.

Evidence given before the Industries Committee showed that the nurseries of the Dominion containd some million apple trees in excess of requirements. These trees, which are valued at £50,000 have been grown at the request of the Minister for Agriculture Witnesses urged that they should he used for planting by returned so'diers, and that the Government, should subsidise two or three ships next year to enable them to dispose of trees in overseas markets. If no use could be found fo r them they would have to bo burned

Sneak thieves arc again reported to be at work in Wellington, principally in hotels and boarding houses. Quite a number of boarders have been relieved of money during the past few days. A -well-known resident of Auckland, staying at a hotel, on returning to his room from his bath recently, found that a wallet containing coin and valuable papers had been stolen during his absence, while a presentation gold watch and chain, as well as other articles of value, were left untouched. Although the papers would be of no value to the thief, they arc of considerable importance to the visitor.

“In New Zealand towns there appears to be a great lack of civic life, ” said Mr. J. P. Mannings, in his paper on the “City Beautiful,” read at the Town Planning Conference. “Our cafes,’, he went on to say, “were mere shops, and as for the hotel bars they were impossible. The idea of introducing cafes with music and other interests might appear fantastic so far as New Zealand towns were concerned; but it was worthy of study, and perhaps if State control of the liquor traffic ever came into force the establishment of cafes as places' of amusement, entertainment, and recreation might he thought of.”

Threepence overpaid into the bank by the Dover Rate Collection Department (England) has proved a costly matter. The Government auditor declined to sign the audit, and nearly three months were spent by the office staff going through the whole rate accounts but the overpaid threepence was too elusive to be traced. Eventually an apepal had to be made to the auditor, as the work of the department was being held up, and the accounts were passed subject to the consent of the overseers which has been given. It is estimated that it cost several hundred pounds endeavouring to trace this overpaid threepence.

Word of a rather startling photographic advance comes from Italy in the submission of an invention to the United States Signal Corps. With the new device it is said to be possible to take excellent pictures of enemy positions from aeroplanes flying at low height on moonlight nights. It is also claimed that the invention can b<> fitted to motion picture cameras, which would permit the photographing for the screen of much of the fighting in the air, the greater part of which takes place in the early morning hours h Up to the present time, the chief obstacles met by daylight aerial photographers is that the anti-aircraft guns force'the flyers to take pictures from a great height, and much of the detail

of the enemy lines is, therefore, lost