LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3460, 14 April 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A man who went to Masterton with 21 cheque for £75 returned ’fo Wol'k 3' few days afcr without a, penny. The value of food destroyed annually by rats in London is equal f 0 13110 whole cost of 81-itain’s old age Pen’ sions. . A vendor am. the Matauru (O1'1*8’°) stock sale, who sold a line of over 200 sound-nlou’rh ewes, which I'6-'ll‘-SO3 18/1, says he received 2.7/(3 fo!’ the same class of shep last year.

Negotiations are still proceeding _f°l' the pm-ch'ase of the 800 acres of Brancepeth Station, which were 0501'ed by Mr H. H. Beetham to the Govornment some months ago for soldier seffiements in the Wairarapa.

A Mastertonian who recently returned. from ‘Sydney states that candidates for the Slate Parliament were asked to pledge themselves to liberate the I.W.W. agitatdrs, who ‘had been senf to prison. He anticipates the Labour victory at the polls willmean the release of these pristoncrs. ‘

An Oregon fruitgrower has purchased a species of apple which is absolutely devoid of seed. In form it resembles :1 banana.

The Waingawa Frezing Works, near Masterton, is practically working at its maximum. bapacity, and an average of 400 men are employed.

Natives of Motiti Island report that while fishing on Sunday to the north of the island their‘ caught several scfinapper, all of which contained maize grain. Careful inquiries made go to confirm their statement, and the surmise is that the maize is from the missing so-ow Kahu, either from the vessel herself or from stray sacks washed over or jettisoned, as» none was lost during her loading

“The Railway Department now appears to be taking on the business of the Defence Department and the Magistrate ’s Court,” -saited Mr M. J. Mack, general secretary of«the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, in Welington, on Friday. “As shown by the latest punishment sheet,” he added, “the Department is _fining men 5/- -to 10/ for not appearing at Teritorial parades in uniform or for failing to attend parades. This seems to be militarism run riot.”

To have a. snake coil around one ’s neck during sleep is an eerie experience, but this is what happened to the little five-year-old «daughter of Mr and Mrs E. J. Blanch, of Ballina (N.S.W.) recently. The child. was sleeping in a cot, and, aroused by 9. noise, Mrs Blanch made investigations. To -her horror she found .a carpet snake about sft. long, with its coils around the child’s neck, who was being choked to death. With great presence of mind the mother rescued the child,‘ and in :1, few moments Mr Blanch killed the repfile. '

. When the Corinthic berthcd at Wellington on Saturday afternoon, Detective—Sel'geant Andrews executed an old-standing wamnt by arresting a returned soldier named Albert Ernest tKearns, on a. charge of bigamy, alleged to have been committed at Palmerston North in January, 1916, prior to his leaving New Zcaland with the forces. Kcnrns was brought before Mr E. I‘ag'e, 3.31., at the Magis/trate’s Court at Palmerston yesterday morning, but on the application of the police, the_ case was remanded for -a. week, bail being fixed at. £l5O, with two sureties of :1 like amount.

The Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister for Education, in opening the new school at Hastings East, congratulated the parents of the scholars attending the new school, and warned them against paying -the exorbitant prices new asked for land. He quoted the case of :1 dairy farm in another district having recently been purchased for £IOO per acre, and this has no less than seven mortgages inscribed on its title deeds. People should not lose their senses because’ of the high prices ruling for produce. If was the same, he said, after every war. He expressed the hope that people would remember this, and refrain from indulging in reckless land speculation and endangering. the progress of :1 prosperous district.

A remarkaible statement made at the hearing of the moulders’ dispute before the Conciliation Council at Wellington on Friday, was to the effect that there are not more than half a dozen apprentices to the trade in the whole Dominion. The employers’ assessors recognised that that was a fair statement. In every trade the shortage of apprentices is a serious matter, and it is suggested that New Zealand is drifting into such a position that a. few years hence there will he nobody to carry on the skilled trades. In discussing this matter with a Post reporter, a prominent trade unionist asserted that the time was opportune for a conference between the union 'i'€‘Dl‘€SelltatiV€s and the employers in order that the position could be frankly iiscussed.

Before :1 Professional Orche;<tra"s gcoricert commenced at His Majesty’s [Theatre in Wellington, the conductor, Mr H. Moschini, announced that after playing the National ‘Anthem the 01--cliestra would play “God Bless» the Prince of Wales,” evidently with the idea of i’amili‘arising the public with the old and almost forgotten air. When the Anthem was finished (says ithe Dominion) about a third of_ the big audience sat down, whilst the others remained standing, and while the air was being played people were bobbing up and down all over the fauditogium. As a guide to the public it should be made quite clear that the song "God Bless the Prince of Wales” is not strictly speaking a national song (let alone an anthem) though it might have been at one time, as it lls but rarely included in collections ‘I of the national songs of England It |ls not an air that people honour by standing up to, except perhaps when ulayed or Sung in the presence of the ‘Prince himself

“Worth five times its price,” is what everyone says who tries NAZOL for colds, _ca:tarrh..sor<= throat, and hay fever. NAZOL quickly gives relief. 60 doses cost" 1/6. 1

‘;1.._..,"’ »'A Press Assoclatmn message from

Weningwn ‘to-day, sl;a_tes _t,ha.§ Colonel Campbell, Secretary’ fo the Treasury, is going on leave to England. Ml- - will take over his duties

Mr H. W. Ainger, piano and organtuner, etc., will be in Taih-ape for a few days. Any one requiring: the services of a first-class turner and lepairer, ax‘-e requested to communicate with him. Letters will be received at this oflice.

Following are the quantities of produce in the Dominion awaiting shipment on account of the Imperial Government: Meat, carcases, 5,738,048; cheese, crates, 274,411; butter, boxes, 77,482; wool, ‘bales, 430,145. The return shows the position in regard to meat at March 15 and dairy produce at March 20.

i A cdssignnient of coal from the lohura for trial purposes reached Tarauaki on Saturday morning. DemonStrations al'e'to be given at New Plymouth, Stratford, Eltham, Hawbex-a and Kaupokonui. Trials will be made by the gas companies for gas and tar, and by the dairy companies for steam purposes. '

A judgment debtor at the Wanganui Court on Tuesday morning stated that until recently he had been endeavour:'.l~._g' to keep a wife and four children on 12/ per day, and for this sum he had worked from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m., but had now joined the Railway Department. The cross-examining solicitor stated that he considered it was extraordinary that any man would be willing to work at the current rate of wages for 1/ per hour.

During the ten weeks ended on March 27 a total of 968,000 sheep were trucked in the Canterfiury railway district. This takes no account of the sheep that were railed into the district from the south. In the period under notice over one million sheepvmust have been carried 2011 the Canterbury section of the New Zealand railways. The total is believed to be a record for the province, the Canterbury truckings. alone being 115,000 inexéess of those for the corresponding period of last year.

It was stated by the Prime Minis""ter on Friday that the Board of Trade was engaged in inquiry respecting the prices of woollen goods, and was now investigating the accounts of the var-io-us woollen companies of the Dominion. When the inquiry was completed it was proposed to extend it to the warehouses, tailors and retail shops. As a result of this inquiry much’, valuable information should be obtained, and the Board should be able to check any undue increase in price in regard to locally manufactured clothing.

Ou_r friend the Maori is still delightfully unsophisticated in some ways. Witness the discussion at a recent big native gathering in the Waikato concerning the Maori reception to the Prince of Wales. The question of the part the Waikatos should play was looked at from every possible point of view, and finally it was soberly decided that it would be a good plan if the Royal train could stop at Ngaruawahia so as to enable the Waikatoe to accompany the Prinée to Rotorua.. It was explained that it would be a heinous breach of Maori etiquette if the Waikatos, being strangers, were to go down to the territory of the Arawa and there await the Prince.

’ Discussing business conditions yesFterday with a Wanganui Herald re|presentative, a local merchant pointed lou-t the difficulty of regulating prices E-of imported articles He said that dwhen the armistice was signed corrugated iron was selling here at £SO per ton He had just placed an order with a British manufacturer for Iron at £57 per ton cash. During that time the manufacturers’ price had in--creased by. £23 per ton, and he was certain that increased wages to workcrs .""‘(1 increased prices 01' raw materials would no-t cause‘ suchan increase as that, He expressed the opinion that the Board of Trade should make investigations in the clothing trade of this country, where in most lines the raw material -was produced and manufactured in this country He contrasted the price of a pound of raw wool, say 2/6, with that charged for a lady's Woollen scarf (39/6). in weight just about a nound,\and considered that the cost of the manufacture of such articles should not be diflicult to investigate.