LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3382, 10 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

It is the intention of the_ Mutual Life and Citizens’ Assurance ‘Co-., Ltd__, to issue a special policy on the life of Harry Herbert Stent, of Ohingaiti, to replace one declared to be lost. There has been no meeting of Cabinet (says the Post) since the report of the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) upon the question of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ war bonus has been completed. It is anticipated that an announcement upon the matter will be made -shortly. - The appointment of Mr J. J. Stevenson to the position of master of agricultural sciencc at the Palmerston North. Boys’ High School is notified. Mr Stevenson is new employed as an agriculturéal instructor under the Auckland Education Board. T-he inspector of stock reports. that between 30,000 and 40,000 calves. have been killed in the Waikato this summer. He states that farmers find it does not pay to rear calves. and pigs while the p”fesen‘t”‘fiig‘h prices for hut-tel‘-fat -continue;"’New country is. not being opened up quickly enough to absorb all young stock. and be predicts a tremendous shortage of ‘beef,

Jellyfish are still so bad in Hauraki Gulf that fishermen refuse to risk the loss; of their nets by putting out from Thames. One launchjfswept beyond Coromandel, ‘and"receivé7d aTéw fish, but others running towards'Waiheke still found jellyfish too thick to risk using their nets. - '

The Christmas gift of John D. Rockefeller of 1-220,000,000 to the welfareand education of mankind (mention of which was made ‘in an American cable several days ago), was the largest single be.nefa.c‘tion ever record.ed.- Altogether he has given away .€‘go,ooo,ooo, considerably beyond the benefactions of Andrew Carnegie,

A new discovery in connection with finger prints‘, which is expected to have at remérkable influence upon Court cases, was announced recently by Professor J. A. Larsen, instructor of physiology in the University of California. The -similarity of finger prints among members of :1 family is sufi"l- - marked to trace family groups and determine relationships, Larsen says, -

“Some of our men,” said lan offieer just home from Archangel ‘to ‘ a London Evening News correspondent, ‘‘lost their ‘hearts to Russian women. A few -married them, and it‘fva-s touching to see the women ’s joy when they knew they ‘Vere coming to England as British wives. Women who had retained some ‘of their riches would beseech some of our 'nlen to marlfy them. There were two or three cases where women ofiered £3OOO to £4OOO to men t.o.~mlake them their wives.”

The price of packet tea has taken a jump since Chri-stmas, and it is a rise which will make the tliriffyl housewife a. deal more cal'eful tlram has been necessary in the past. There is little fluctuation in the price which retailers have been compelled to charge, but, generally speaking, the rise represents a jump of about. 8d per lb. There are teas selling now in Welliriglon at from 3/ to 3/6 per lb that were purchasable a. year ago at 2/ to 2/6. The rise in the price of tea——like everything else—is universal. One tea merchant states thevt for a fair value tea in London 'B/6 per lb was being paid.—Dominion.

Timber prices have been ladvaneed this week, but ‘the scarcity of material is even more serious than the high price (“says the Auckland Star). From present indieationsit will be a long time before suflicient houses are built to meet the urgent requirements of the growing population of Auckland. At the present -moment the. mills are short of supplies, and can only supply a fraction of the orders in ha.n~d. But the‘ temporary nature of a local shortage is nothing c'ompa.red with the ‘serious position of the industry in general.

A quantity of poppy seeds from the Somme Valley has been received by the curatdr of the Christchurch Botanical Gardens, Mr James Young. Aceompa.nying_ the parcel was a. letter from Miss:'E\ttie Rout, hon_ secretary of the New Zealand Volunteer Sisters, who states that the seeds were gathered in the Somme Valley by the schoolchildren of Villers Bretonneux, and asks. the recipient to give a. few of the seeds of the harvest or_ the originals to the relatives of A.ustl'alian and New Zealafid soldiers who fell fighting on the battlefields of the Somme, and to convey to the recipients the deepest gratitude and loving sympathy of the children at Villers Bretonneux.”

Joseph Rini, a. sauve and well-dress-ed man, hailing from Baltimore, esoaped from Husting’s Court in: Richmond, Va, after being given three months In gaol and fined 200 d=ollar.s for ilnporting “wet” goods last Summer. Rini “put one over the Court” by walking -out of the fooni, leaving his hat behind, while pretending to be ar-ra-ng‘in.g for bond, pending appeal to the State Supreme Court. Soon after the news of his escape reached the street, someone preten.ding to -be the fugitive telephoned to the Court, asking that his hat be ‘brought to Murphy’s hotel. .Depu'ty-Sergeant Atkinson rushed there with the hat and a pair of handcufl"s, but nothing was seen of Rini. Ititurned out =t.hat he was the victim of a practical joker.

The New Zealand Locomotive Engineers’ Journal, just to hand, says:—— “At the beginning of the year 1919 the Government came forward with proposals which were intended for the betterment of the l:oe'orlnotiv_e men’s position as regards conditions, and it is safe to say that if given the liberal interpi-et'ation which the Government intended they will be another large span in the bridge which requires building to meet the full .requests of the locomotive men, and for which their union was formed in the year 1908. We l10'p(‘ that the proposals will be given «.1 squ'3.'re deal, and that the locomotive men at the close of 1919 can assure themselves that through perfect organisation they are at last on the road to receiving‘ full consideration of their grievances."

Ladies’ Frocks made of Japanese Crepe in smart striped designs; nice15'' made and good fitting. Price 27/6. Collinson and Gifford Ltd.

Two furnished rooms are advertised to let by Mr Fraser, saddle:-, also one single room. ‘ - Tenders are_ invited for grazing about two acres near the Convent School for one‘ year. Tendersu are receivable up to 5 p.m. on Friday, ltitii inst. It is publicly notified by Mr J. F_ Menzies, town clerk, that no electric current will be‘ available on Sunday (‘to-morrow) from 7 am. to 6 p.m. owing to overhaul of plant.

The Pacific Cable Board advises that messages for the United Kingdom are subject to delay of four hours and from the United Kingdom 24 hours. Messages for ‘America are showing a delay ‘of two -days, and deferred mesSages a maximum delay of seven days.

Mr R. Faire, general éarrier, notifies that he has sold hisbtisiness‘ to Messrs Briiges and’ Furber, and he asks from the public Similar li\beral patronage that has been a.cc-Jrded to him. The new firm bom'e to 'l‘a'ih'ape with a. reputation as’é‘2i§'riers and they solicit :1 trial.

It is said that among the Ainus the price of a wife is a bear ham. The Kafiir figure varies from four to eight. oxen, according to the competition for the particular =bride. A score of cartridges buys a wife in Uganda, While the Tartars in Turkestan get as many’ wives as they want at the rate of 3. box of matches each.

The Dominion agents for compa.nies supplying the leading brands of tobaccos and cigarettes on sale in New Zealand state that they have received no information from their head office with reference to the reported ixlcieasie in prices. Stocks are at present low, but the position with regard to arrivals during the ensuing month is hopeful. v

The New Year messages addressed to the German troops contrast strikingly with the unveiled bitterness of the reactionary naval ofiieers. The president of the National Soldiers’ League advises its members not to harbour thoughts of revenge, but to concentrate on working out democratic. institutions. Dr. Hellferich, for-mer Finance Minister, says: “Our motto must be, ‘Work, Hope, Fight.’ ”, ‘ Says lfhe Otago , Daily Times: “About four years ago. the ‘big elephant with Wirth Bros.’ circus, when engaged in drawing the cages of the other denizens of the jungle out of "a railway goods» yard, espied a. water tap which had not been properly turned ofl’, and he promptly turned on the tap to its fullest extent, and drunk his fill. A few days ago the animal larrived again in the goods yard, and, guided by the same wonderful and unerring instinct that leads the toper -to his favourite house of refreshment, made strait for the tap, which he had held in grateful remembrance since,

“You young ladies are well dressed, in fact, too well dressed,” commented M. S. E. M‘Carthy, S.M., at the Magistrate’3 Court ‘in Christchurch, when three sisters were charged with various theft from the Chl'is‘te.llureh Hospital, where they had been employed. . There are many women in this town in much better positions than you who cannot afiord to dress as you do with the present prices of drapery ,:and soft goods. You deserve to be ‘taught "a severe lesson.” The three_ accused were not imprisoned, but restrictions were placed on‘ their liberty for the next three rnonthscmfwyp odl-beed”i next twelve months. -

A representative of a Canterbury implement manufacturing firm, when asked by a reporter what effect the re?’ cent substantial’ increase in the fprice of farm machinery would have on the farming community and the seller, remarked that it would hit both very hard. A nulm-‘ber of farmers who had placed their orders just before -the rise would have them executed at the old price. The chief sufferers would be the ::ruggling farmers who had recently «bought new holdings, and who were obliged to place wholesale orders’ for nearly -all their implements. The price of seconcl-haind implements would also lnarden, and any old plough, drill, etc., that could be patched up to last a few more -seasons would not now be allowed to rust on the scrap-head for want of being sent to the blacksmith.

One channel through which numbers of undesirable characters might enter New Zealand if a very strict watch were not employed was demonstrated in the Auckland Police ‘Court on Wednesday, when four seamen. from England, two of whom, it Was stated, had been “logged” on their vessel, were brought. before Mr J. E. Wilsotx, S.'M.. on is. theft. charge. After they had been convicted; the master of the ship said he did nof wish them to come aboard again. indicating that it would not matter if, by imprisonment, they missed their vessel. “Oh, that. is very nice of you,” answered the Magistrate, “but New Zealnnd il‘3.pp(.‘lls to want. these men less than you do. I cannot prevent you from discharging them here, but I thin}? you should know that we have no room for them in New Zealand.” The men were not imprisoned.‘ '

eNew Fokker ael'uplan<:-s are being constructed for the East Indies-India, service. Vickers, Ltd., are construct-V‘ ing a similar large machine in Eng. land, four times as large a_q9'any now in existence. ‘ The construction is» being carried o§~lt un«]ol' eonrfitions of fiho utmost secrecy.

Sir James Allen, questioned at Christchurcll as to when Parliament will meet, replied: “It is for Mr Massey to say when Pa.l'lia.m<2nt will meet,. but. I do not think there is any necessity for it xneetling before June. The Government must be given time £0 prepare its, policy.”

All coafyarfis at Palmerston North; are quite out of coal and the po.sits_on is luecoming serious. Some of the hotels and restaurants threaten to shut up their (Einim: rooms unless: supplies are obtainable. The gas WOl-ks has just. enough to laenp going, but the railway yards ha.ve really a good. supply. so there is :no fear of the train s+ervic€§ ‘being curtailed.

Amongst big features booked by the new 'malmgelnent. of the King's Theatre are tlré"fol]owing famous films:--—~ “The Sentimental Bloke,” “Sis' Hopkins (Mabel -Normand); “Regenerates.” “Pair of Silk Stockings” (Constance Talmadge); “Enlighten Thy Daughter,” “Polly at the Cir(3us,’.’ “The Brand“ (Rex Beach); “Sylvia. of the Secret Service,” and “Daddy Long Legs,” Mary Pickfor«l’s rec-ord~— breaker. "

At a meeting of the Wanganui branch of the New Zealand Labour, Party it was resolved: “That the present eiectorai system is obsolete and Parliznuellf Is not I‘e})resclltatiVc or the people, and the branch calls upon Mr Massey ‘TS ?é'fornl the present system by substituting importional representagion, and immediately thereafter aiuieal to the country in order to roctify the présent false position of the Gove?fimenf of a dElllocl'zitic country‘ by a minority vote.”