LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, 30 June 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The publication in the morning, papers of the alleged official announcement calling Parliament for July 24, turns out ‘to have no officTEf foundation. The probable date. though not definite, is the middle of August.

Two express trains I'l‘-6‘m Auckland passed‘through, T-aifiape (this; m'orn~ ing, many of the passengers proceeding‘ to their homes in zlnficipation of the curtailment of .the train services, which take place on Y".'edllesday next.

At a Sydney auctioll a few days ago 263. d per lb was paid for a hide from :1 Noumean meat Works_ The gross value of the hide was £7 17/6, which is claimed to be a record for Australasia, for a hide in ordinary condition.

A severe earthquake shock was‘ felt. at Taulna.runui at our o’clock on Saturday morning, a lighter shock half an hour later, and another heavy shock at eight o’clock_ In some c‘ai’ses loose articles "were sh’alqon «from shelves.

M Satui-(lay was -the fifth anniversary ‘of the event which acted as the spark to international gunpowder in Europe —-the assassin’ation'of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, then heir to the Imperial throne of Austria, and his wife_ The Imperial pair were paying a visit to Serajavo, in Servia, on June 28th, 1914, and~‘in their tdrfvewthrough the city were twice attacked. While they were motoring to the Town Hall a bomb was throvrn “by one Gabrina—vich. It missed the Imperial car, but injured a number-‘of bystanders. After the municipal reception the archduke and archduchess were driving to the military. hospifil When~a“Servian student named Princep fired two shots with a revolver, fatally wounding both. The notorious ‘ultimatum to‘ Servia, and the outbreak of the long’-«T planned war -followed within the suc-: cceding month.

School children 11ea,r_Montpe11ier Pm-is, struck recently as a protest against the sch-oolmastcr’s methods of tc-.aching. '

One Mast‘erf.on‘resident has had to remove his chattels four times during the past year, Bwing to his house being sold ‘over his head.

y Nearly a thousand extra men have been engaged by the Public Wol*ks Department since the,_beginning of Ithe year, making over 3000 now employed. The Minister said at Christchurch last week that he could find work for 2000 more.

Mr W. McNickle, who has been in charge of the post oflice, Elliott Street, Auckland, for four years, having been transferred to Taihape, was presented by Mr J. P. Hooton, on behalf of the various business firms in -Auckland; on Friday, with -an largely signed testimonial, also a purse V-of sovereigns, as a mark of appreciation of his uniform courtesy.

The great demand for houses to rent in Auckland at the present time may be gathered from the fact :that a landlord advertised an empty dwelling, and found thirty anxious ladies wait'ing for his office to open the next morning. One more energetic woman had gone to the house and left a week’s rent with the outgoing tenant. V

People who have returned from Paris, where they have -been behind the scenes, are talking about the great strength of the British delegation at the Congress, says the Daily Despatch. To this strength and power the representatives of the Dominions, particularly Sir Joseph VV-a.rd and General Smuts, have contributed in a. marked dcgree.

A giant. thrasher shark, which was caught by the Auckland City Counc.il’s.trawlel- Cowan. was on ‘View _in one of the counc'il’s shops on Friday. It is about‘ 14ft. long and Weighs over half a ton It (Tia not damage the} trawl when caught_ The thrashcr shark is the enemy of the wlmle, which it always attacks. The speci--111011 exhibited is the second one caught "by Aucklalld trawlers within two xvccks. '

A young married woman jumped into the harbour from Stops at the Auckland Queens’ wharf on Friday night, but was seen and rescued by a Customs‘ officer, Mr. T. H_ Hook. The latter, when going along the Wharf noticed a hat and bag on the wharf at the top of some sTteps near the ferry fence, and hastened "to the steps in time to see the woman jump into the water. He hurried down the steps, got hold of the woman in the water, and managed to get her back to terra firma. She was handed over to the police, who ascertained her name to be'Marguerite Roberts (28).

A journey from To Kuiti to Waitara duri.':g tie past few days, in rain, wind, and inzd, was the experience 0 Mr W. T. Jmrings, M.P., who arrived at Waitaru on Tuesday evening, and went on to Wellington on Wednesday morning to meet his son. The member informed a. Sflatord Post I'ol-:|scn’mtive that he never saw the main road right through the journe in such :1 bad condition—— tfie portions of Pio Pio, the whole" of Tauinatamairc, and Mount Messenger, as well as the flat leading to Urnti, being in a shocking condition. Two motors on the flat at Uruti came. to grief, and it is cruelty to hvorse-flesh to make the animals work over Taumata-é mairc and Mount Messenger under pré- ‘ sent coriditions. i

‘ The following from a Christchurch icexclmnge may afford a little consolation to local applicants for telephones. There aer’ at present some hundreds of applicants waiting for telephones, and some applications almost a year old have yet to be dealt with. The large increase ill applications, the lack of material, and the state of the labour market are the main cause of the delay, and although the opening of the automatic exchange has relieved the situation considerably. It has been impossible, so far, long standing applications. The public will really not 3be 'propel'l_V catered for until the underground system is put in hand, and the authorities hope to get it under} weigh in the early spring_ ; I

The sign, “A House to Let,” ap- ’ pouring in Oama.i'u at the present time, iis like a red rag‘ to a, bullflicausiiig a Q commotion of some m:l'g'n‘it.ude_., :md.the ruslling' hither and I'hit;l_ler to find ifs ioxvnor, and at‘{'(=z'\'.':ll'(ls to \'ie\\' the ipremises (.<:l_*.';7. the Ca.xfifl'i-‘u Mail). Thehouse shortage is ext.z-einely’]'severe_, and mxytliing with four walls is being used for living purposes. One local resident had reason the other day to" feel the full weight of the shortage. The mistress ‘of the house had occasion ‘to remove her curtains for the purpose of washing. andqati the same time do.fitached Ethe blinds for renovating. Hardly had these drapingg, been lowered when the rush set in, and "throughout the day the time was occupied in answering calls to’ know when the house would be vacant-. Needless to‘ -say, she wasted no more time in hanging the articles again as, a. visible} sign that the place was occupied.

The following vessels will be within wireless range fio-night:——Maorl, Wainiana, Paloona, Arawa ‘and Armagh. ~ Another of the German mines laid in Cook’s Strait has ben washed up on the coast near Levin. This latest specimen came ashore about half a mile south of the mouth of the‘ Ohau river, where it was found ‘two days ago. On Wednesday next Messrs Ward and Co. will sell by public auction «a. valuable buildixlg"section on‘tlle eastern end of Carve'i'”Str'cct. The section contains two roocls 32 perches, and contains a. well-built two-roomed’ house, constructed in such a manner” as to allow addifions being made effectively. The sale takes place at 2 p.m.

A correspondent wrote to the London Evening News of May’ 9: Sir Thomzts Mackenzie, the able High Commissioner for New Zealand. who has represent"-' ed his country so wéll here, is, I £llll told, to return home before very long. It is, I believe, the intention of Sir Thomas to re-enter the political arena when he gets back", and it. is likely that he may_be New Zealand’s next Premicr.

During the recent heavy rains had at Featherston the low-lying lands were inundated. The main street at. Featherston, separating the hospital and the soldiers’ quarters, were under water_ A ‘wooden bridge had to ‘be erectd and even Maori canoes had to be requisitioned. Not only did it rain, but hail, thunder and lighfrTin'g played their part ,and the wind blew to a hurricane force. For’rllnatel}§r no material damage was done. \

Pillaging cargo whilst in .*transit from the manuafcturer to the importer in New Zealand. has become so common a crime and so serious a menace to- trade that drastic means will have to abeitaken to'pr‘evcnt as far as possible, the system of Wholesale theft. A conference of rcprcseiitativcs of chambers of commerce, harbour boards, shipping companies, and in surancev companies is‘ to-be ‘called by Wellington Chamber of Commerce. to consider the trouble in all its'aspectsand :to try to devise ‘means whereby pillaging may be prevented, or at least checked. 7 = l