LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3387, 16 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ngauruhoe is reported "to be busy, smoke and steam issuing from its summit. Flying Foxes are causing much damage in the New South Walt-s orchards. A drive was made roce,lltl'y by fruitgrowers, and in three hours Ovm‘ 2000 killed. ' ’ An employer of workers in the K - kzu-iki district reports. that he has 110\'c1' during the past 10 years seen so many unskilled labourers applying for Work as during the past two weeks ‘ It was stated at the Oroua Count)’ Council meeting on Wednesday that it had become difficult now to hold surface men at 12s per day. Members Ofithe Council said some labourers in tlxeir experienee would not work under 14/, and they ‘knew of road and shingle-pit workers getting up to 17/ per day.

In regard to the material and do sign of the M-headstones to be placed on the gravestones of soldinrs, no definite decision has yet been I'each.ed. The colnmittoo, however, ;<hould‘pl'e~ sent its final report shortly. For graves in the Dominion the headstonies will be of New Zcaland stone, but it is not. thought possible to mrange for the. same material over the gmV<3.s of vsoldiers buried abroad.

An lvhburton bottle me»rc!l2'».nt worked with profit three days after Christmas, and three days after New Year. He secured in those six days 3000 :b~ottles_ ‘fl am .s:end‘ing away an--o'ther -truck-load of bottles this week," he added, “which will ‘make. the third truck ‘since Ch.rist.mas."’ Judging from the brands on the bottles. with which his cart was being rapidly stocked in his early morning p»3':eg--rinations (observes the Guardian) this must -have been a \'e.l‘y merry Christmas locally.

It is not. generally beileved that horses possess a sense‘ of humour. but an incident that occu.l'x'ed recently in Colombo Street suggests that they have :35 the Lyttelton Times). 1-X'(?{ll\ liol‘Su_ St:lnding~ near an empty motor car began to gently lick the rubber on the motor horn, with the result that the horn sounded. Passers-by stopped to laugh. Again and again the horse, with ears back, blew blasts on the horn until an unimaginativc policeman int'erfel'ed and spoiled the sport, Several of the spectators positively declared ‘ihflll tliey saw the horse smile.

“Confusion still exists in the minds of soldiers recently returned, chiefly as regards war loading on life. insurance policies. Tll'e»l'ecent provision enlalilizig the Government to pay any loading of premium iinposed by tilg Government Insurance Department on’ account of impaired health -occasioned by service in the case of men now insuring is still lgeing misinterpreted to apply to war loading, i.e., loading charged on account of military service beyond New Zealaild.”———Extraet from the latest report of the Financial Assistance Board to the Minister of Defence.

His Honour Mr Justice Stringgr has fleeidecl that the press and the public shall be excluded from the sittings of the New Zealand Railway Servants’ Inquiry Board, which on Monday next will commence an investigation of the rates of pay and the conditions of work. in the railway service. His Honour is president of the B'oai~d, and he Considers t;hzlt~tlle order of referenve. will no? permit -fhe moceetlings to be open to the press and the public. The I‘.'z).<-t that the inquiry is :1 purely (le])2Ll'l1ll1(‘lll‘8l one is, if is understood, an zuhliiional re:>..son for His Honour ’s deeisiou. “I-"”':

Th“ age of giants is not past. "Leonard '.\[-.ison, a youth of 16, who livos with his parents at Loieestmj, turns the .='.(:a].o.uf.29st,&lld is In'obahiy the Iwn\’ie.~'t‘ hey in Great Britain. Some of‘ his nloasul'omenis are: Arm, 32in; Ch('>'i', ti-}._'.in; thigh. 38in; (-1111", 24.‘_.in. Like their paronfs. HlO Oi‘il(‘l' nl(‘:ni)(‘l'S of the f'z‘nnil_\', two ;-i.~'l'el's and a _\f<mn9;or bi-n:]l(‘:'. are normai. l‘.N_n::lr(i him-.-vli’ was quite an ordinary imby. Hmng;h \'m'_\' 0-arl_V in life he hogan f 0 Show signs of exfl'aofdillal'y dool\-'op-m(}nt_ and it may b(‘ said Of this b11(i~ ding Daniel Lambert. that he has never looked back. His health is wonderfully good, and his (‘.olnplP.\:ion is om that indies might envy. ‘HO is a perfectly happy boy. and two of’ his enthnsi:l.snl are nmsie and football. A grainapluone is 0110 Of his most prized possessions, and he goes as often as possible to see the Leicester city matches. Since leaving school some years ago, he has been exhibited in several parts of the ‘country. His Heigh-it. is sft 3in.

At the Tui ~Strcet Mart to-morro.\\', Messrs Wza-rd and Co. will [Sell an In.dian motor cycle, thirty laying fowls. and a magnificent consignment Hf various fruits.

In the I\layor’s statement in connec--tion with the Street l‘l['npl-ovornent Loan it was stated that the Engiuee_r’s report was received 611‘ 2nd October, 1919; this was an obvious error as fhis is the report the loan proposals were based upon. The year was 1918', not 1919.

There is doubt about the imposing chm-ac'tel' of the banking returns for the qtmrtc-.r, ended Decemlber, 1919. The deposit-s, fixed and free combine more than for [1133 corresponding quarter of 1918 (almost all the increase being in free deposits). and compared with combined advanc,es (or Overdrafts) and discounts are stated at £13,46i-3,219 gl'eatel'.

Slieflizglnl is now developing illdustries largely wrested from Germany during thie war. The output of gramaphone needles will shortly 1-each 20,000,000 :1 week. Gramaphone springs are a. war time innovation, and bhousamls are produced we».-kly. Sheffield’s. output of aluminium spoons and forks, an -industry held solely by Germany before the war, will run into millions annually. One firm produces We-ekly 2,000,000 nonslip studs, and 3,000,000 washers for pneumatic tyi-es, and 2000 safety razor frames a day_

Timber prices have geen a.dva.nced this week, but the_scarcit.y of material is even more serious than the high pric,e (says last Thul~.sday’s Auckland Sfar.) From. present indications it will be a long time before sufficicnt houses are built to meet the urgent reqllir-cmellts of the. gl'o\\'ing population’ of Auckland. At the present monirent the mills are short of supplies, and can only Supply a fraction of the orders in_hand. But the tolnporal'_V nature of a local shortage is nothing compared with the serious position of the industry in general.

A,:; San Francisco policeman waded through a crowd at.M-ason and Geary Streets and arrested MarjOrie_ Tyler and Jane McG;ee, two actresses, who took the “bare limb” fad to San Francisco, as the only means of dispersing t-he erowd_ He charged -them with refusing to disperse. “And, believe me, I could m~ak.e_ the charges. “inciting a riot” without hurting my conscience :1 bit,” he declared. “Those two girls hash up trafiic WOI'~SC than a. parade.” The supporters of this “ba.re limb” fad were released on their own recognisance to apfiear at the Police Court

The real. cause of the racial riots in Chicago was explained by Father Dov ran, who recently returned to Sydney from America, to have been the presence of a laige number of blacks who had been brought into the city from -the south as strike-breakers. When the strike was over‘ the blacks were disinclined to go back. They became pos~ sessed of large premises in the best residential quarters, and sublet them. “As. 2. x'e;<ult, values decreased immediately,” added Father DOl-an. “What. made the position worse was the fact that many oifieials who had Certain influence. with the police were either in sympthy with or under the control of the blacks.”

On Wednesday, as Minister of La.bofir, Mr Massey sign-ed agreements for the erection of 36 houses under the Housing Act of last session. Over 200 houses a.re__ now either in course of c.on.=.tl-ucti'on, or shortly to be constructed, to the order of the Government. No decisions have yet been made by the Government as to how the million of loan money provided for under local bodies applying for it. Probably all local bodies will be invited to submit their requiremen-ts_, and then the Government will have to allocate the mone_v as.fairly as Dossflble. 11m‘ E 11“ regard to. the needs of the com—mulli:.' -is cone-nrnecl. Demands fol‘ huge sums by any city or town are not likely to be entertained.‘