LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3394, 27 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

_ Ripe peaches are being sold réfail In Nelson at 2d per lb.

Over 10,000 tons of coal are due arrive in Auckland during t_he “ex fortnight, pl'ovidix_lg that noth.lng goes wrong to hold up the Shipments: which are coming from Westport and Newcastle.

A rather‘ wonderful feat of memory was performed by Mniss Amy CaS'tl9S when taking leading parts oh the Continent.- She had never studied German. and it was necessary that she should sing ‘in that langllage- 111 three months she had learned five Operas in a totally strange language.

Four young fellows belonging ‘to Patea——Waltel' «COl-1-igan (17), Gordon Leslie McAl'thur (L 7), lu‘w.a.rt_ Gorton (19), and Arthur Edw‘al'd Gordon (20) -Daifl dearly for “joy-riding” the other day. They took a motor car on New Year ’s Eve for '2l run and smashed it up. They were ordered to pay 553 each in instalments of £1 10/ per week; and costs of Court. '

Complaints are being made that‘ the assisfniiee promised by the Government for municipal housing schemes is totally insufficient to obtain even 8 semblance of relief for the community.” Auckland alone. desires to build 75 houses, and will require £60,000 while the Government assistance promised is :1 maximum of £IO,OOO, which will not provide for more than Ifwelve to Tifteeii houses.

No further information -had been received from the Imperial Government, stated the Prime Minister on Saturday. with regard to the renewal or d:is.»co~ntinu-ance of the contracts for the purchase of New Zealand meat, wool. and da.iry produce. _. No reply had yet come to hand, though he had more than once cabled to the Secrettary of State ‘for the Colonies on the subject.

A fisherman nam'.cd Thomas Robinson landed a very fine groper ofi Port Levy last week. The. fish measured 4ft lin from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, and weighed 951 b. Mr Lister, who pureillasfiegd the fish, stated that,‘ had it been sold in the. Christchurch fish market, on the prices ruling, it would have fetched about £2 10/. Robinson played the fish for over 20 «minutes before he was able to land it.

Some of the warbrides are warlike. One new arrival, whose brother lives near Palmerston North, was visited by him just at dusk. When he arrived she was posting a letter, but he sallied forth upon her trail, and confldently “bowled u-p_” Unfortunately, she resented -the familiarity, and gave ‘her erring brother an unexpected literal “smack in the eye” before he persuaded her that he was not a. stranger.—Times.

Although prices for second-hand motor cars have advanced to an extraordinary high level, apparently rates in New Zealand lag somewhat beyond /chose ruling in other countries. A man from Australia recently purchased a number in New Zeal’.-Ind as a speculation. He shipped them to Sydney for re-sale. It is undersfood that quite a number of Sr-colul-hzm-d 'cars have recently been shopped to Australia.

Many of the. oflicers and “other raul<s"’ who receli‘i"cly returned to England from North Russia managed to bring home beautiful souvenirs of their visit in the shape of furs, and’ in some cases even pearls. These could be bought from the inhabitan'fs at very advantageous prices, owing to the state of the exchange and the bad state of frtade generally. One remarkable purchase was that of a silver fox, bought for less than a. fiver. It was sold -to a London dealer for 300gns.

A Hamilton man just returned from the United States tells a good story of his stay there. At the time of peace celebrations he was in Los Angeles, and the peace celebrations in that town were of the most elcborate description. Amongst other items in a procession was a number of Yankee soldiers bearing a banner on wh-ic‘h was inscribed “We won the war!”—immense cheering ‘by the‘ onlookers. At the tail-end of the procession was a small party of British bluejackets carrying a simple banner with the laconic inscription “We helped.’:’

For :1 period of a couple of years during the war the iron trade of New Zealand was living from hand to: mouth for supplies, and had it not been that the foundries were able to eke out their slender stocks of pig iron with.scl'i-up iron ‘l‘hCl'Q would have been a cessation of work. Supplies of pig ion are now, however, on 3, more secure ‘basis. Scotch is still shy in supply, but the Lithgow works in New South \Vales are now in 21 position to supply the New Zealand demand. The coal shortage is giving iron masters a little trouble at present, in common with the rest of «the community.

It is anticipated that, as. the result of the cpnference held last week ‘be|twc_cn the Board of Trdae, and the cement manufacturers and agents, the shortage of cement, so far, at least, as the more impsortant works are concerned, will be overcome. The Prime Minister ,speaking on the subject on Saturday, stated that arrangements had been made to control the distribution of cement SlO as to enable the most urgent works to be supplied in order of importance. Representa-tives of the cement. industry have informed Mr Massey that they expect, When this. scheme is brought into effect next week, that a great man)’ Of the exist‘ ing d-ifficulties will be overcome.

According to reports received by the police there are Ia number of pickpockets in Wellington at. the present time. A returned soldier who had a considerable sum of money in 9. hippocket, which was pinned up for security, complained tlhlat he had been robbed. A person who was waiting his turn at. the counter to pay a number of cheques info the Bank of New Zea~ lend. discovered that he had also been rs‘-li<i~\'ed of the cheques in some mys?l(‘l'iOus manner. He rushed to another bank to stop pa._vment. of an open cheque. only to find that he was a, few mimltes foo late, as the money had been wi.t~hdr*D.wll. At Trentham races pickpoekets Wt'l‘C‘ 3180 in evidence. and :1 rosiclent. of Mn.=.terton had his ‘pot-.k-rt: picked and ‘the sum of £45 slolefn.

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Dr. ‘Boyd has decided to leave Taihape for his new home at Raetihi on Ist February next.

The following vessels will be within wireless range to-night: Maori, Mara.roa, Pafeona: Gharinda, Mokoia, Bremen, Kauri, Waitemalta, Port Sydney, Moeraki, Kaiapoi and Raikana.

Messrs Gardner and Co. have 9. new advertisement in to-day’s issue, giving further particulars of their annual sale, which is now in full swing_ Ba’rgains are offered in all departments, and a few “pointers” are given in their advertisement on page one, to which the attention of our readers is directed.

The Daily Chronicle ’S Paris correspondent states that :1 reinarkabie war scandal has been disclosed, in which a number of leading manufacturers are implicated. It is alleged that they dcfraudcd the Stale of important stocks of iron and steel intended for munitions, whichthe manufacturers approupriated for their own factories. The frauds commenced in 1917. Finally Foch demanded 700,000 tons of munitions,~which the Government ordered early, and half of which had only been delivered. When inquiries were made it was discovered that the shortage was due to fraud. The account books of the v.a.rious “Paris factories were seized with a view to prosecutions.

Messrs Collinson and Gifford, following their usual custom, are holding their great summer sale, commencing on Wednesday next. Always noted for genuine bargains, this enterprising firm is determined to make this -season’s sale eclipse all its pre(lecessors -in sweeping reductions, Wllich embrace all departments. Many of the lines to be cleared. cannot; be replaced at the prices offered, and the present opportunfiy is one thatshould be taken advantage of to purchase and by so doing in some measure lighten the cost -of living. A few prices -illustrations of the sweeping reductions made are given on page one of, to-day’.s issue, while on the leader page will _'be found a goncise statement of the functions of the sale.

The British Board of Trade Journal draws attention to the wlar-time profits made in Australia on soft goods of; various desc-rfptions, taking the figures} from, the last report of the Inter-State Commission. Taking the 22 woollen mills, their average profits in the four years, 1914-17 were 31.33 per cent per nnnum, though the 191-1 con-tributioni was under 13% per cent. Fourteen hosiery and knitting manufacfories in the same four years made an average not profit‘ of 25% per cent, as against‘ only 12 per cent in 1914, and they all‘ employed imported yarns. Manufac—, tories of clothing cannot be so aeeur-1 atoly me.a.snl'od, but they also made! l:11‘ge profits. Shirts, collars, ¢;—Lndli pyjunra :t’ac-torieg were modest, and‘ only netted some-'tllin'g over 10 per cent. 1 Felt hat factories returned 13:} per cent in. 1915, 14 per cent in 1916, and 'l3 7-8 per cent in 1917. The soft goods ware-housemen in 1916 averaged,;._. 13 per cent._, asd in 191 715 cent, While the reta.il tliapery est'ab.lisllments in 1917 secured 12 7-8 per cent, on an average. These returns were after paying all expenses