LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3516, 30 June 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr Teschemaker-Shute estimates that the loss to Australia and New Zealand on wool sold ta the Imperial Government through the deduction of “draft’' totals £700,000. For the' purpose of erecting homes for its employees the Kiwitea County Council has raised a loan of £IO,OOO. On Saturday the formal resolutions were adopted authorising the lifting of the money, striking the special rate, and providing, for the sinking fund. The latest quotations for rice, to arrive in New Zealand in a fortnight, is 56/ to 60/ per cwt., according to grade; and tapioca for indent parcels to arrive at about £7 to £lO per ton, less than the cost of existing stocks. Sunlight soap has been reduced 2/ per box.

A statement recently made by the Prime Minister regarding the finances of the Dominion and the possible effect it will have On the present scheme of advances to returned soldiers has caused a good deal of anxiety to the Returned Soldiers’ Association. This evening all the R.S. Associations throughout the Dominion will hold general meetings tc discuss the matter.

While a wedding ceremony was in progress in a Christchurch church the bridegroom suddenly fell over backwards in a fit. Restoratives were immediately applied, but it was ten minutes before the man could be restored to his full senses. After he had resD ed the ceremony was resumed, and the couple eventually drove away in the best of spirits amidst the cheers of their friends.

Says the Wellington correspondent oftheN.Z. Herald: There is a movement among the Independents in the House of Representatives to form a party of their own, in which case they will be no longer Independents. The new party will be a mixture of Liberal and Labour Independents. It will, of course, exclude the so-called ‘ Reds.” There will thus be four parties in the House —the Reform Party, the Liberals, and Labour Party pure and simple, and the Independent Liberal and Labour Party. Mr Massey, of course, has an assured majority over the whole of them.

There has been an epidemic of burglaries and robberies in Wellington. In addition to cases reported in the newspapers, some £25 was stolen the other evenig from the house of one one of the Judges of the Supreme Court. The money belonged to the daughter of the house. The story is that a maid met a strange man in his stockinged feet descending the stairs; that the man put his hand over her mouth, that she screamed, and that he then escaped without anyone else having seen him. In another case £2O was taken from a locked drawer in a house. The money in this case also belonged to a woman. There have also been several robberies from clothes Tines

Under the heading ‘ Maoris’ Three* to Prince” the London Star 'of April 25th Publishes the following message from Auckland: “The Waikato tribe of Maoris, formerly out -enemies in the Maori War, refused to be represented at Rotorua in tire welcome to the Prince of Wales, as they would hare had to associate with other tribes. They 4hreatened that if the Prince did not step at their village to receive them they would hold up his train and lie in front of it in qrder to prevent his going to Rotorua. They finally promised not to create a disturbance if they were permitted to welcome the Prince. The willows skirting the Waikato River were grown from willow slips brought by a missionary from Napoleon’s grave at Sr. Helena/' At a meeting of the Canterbury College Hoard of Governors on Monday, the College committee recommended that the Rev, J. K. Archer be appointed tutor for the Sydenham class in economics. Mr Isitt. ALP., asked whether there was any safeguard as to the views Mr Archer would expound. He (Mr Isitt) could not see how it was right under the present critical conditions for the Board to place itself in the position of appointing as lecturer in economics one who was a strong propagandist on one side of the question. Mr S. T. Weston and Mr Archer had been trained at Nottinghcm University, and had been recognised by the Otago University. Air G. T Booth said if a man was a Socialist and disturber of the peace the Board should not put itself in the position of helping to disseminate false doctrines. The Board should not appoint a propagandist to the position. Mr Isitt contended the lecturer should not be a man who held extreme views. Eventually the recommendation was referred back; to the committee for further consideration.

For Coughs and Colde, never fails Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure, ‘ 1/9, 2/9.

It is reported that a Mauawatu farmer last week purchased a draught horse for £22 10/. He bought a canvas cover for it, gave the animal three feeds of chaff, and then sold it for £45. Wanganui is reported to be staggered at the size of the bill which has to be met for the entertainment of the Prince of Wales. The total is £1670 and the largest item is £691 for the long-to-be-remembered supper. Nominations for the various seats on the Wangauui Education Board close to-day, and so far Messrs J. P. Aldridge (Taihape), A. J. Jobliu (sitting member, Taihape), an*l Brown (Manama)" have been nominated. Mr J. Williams, tailor, of Taihape, has just received a shipment of saddle tweeds of very fine quality—quite the best he has handled. This material has been hard to procure hitherto, but Mr Williams has now ample to fulfil all orders for riding breeches.

A public meeting will be held in the supper-room of the Town Hall on Friday evening, at 8 o’clock, to consider the matter of a soldiers’ memorial. At the same time the question of tendering an official welcome home to the returned men will also be considered.

Owing to the stabilisation of the rupee at two shillings the cost of landing New Zealand has been reduced considerably, with the result that prices of leading proprietary blends throughout New Zealand will be reduced as from July 1 by threepence a pound.

The following new books have been added to the local library;—“Corporal Cameron/' by Ralph Gdnnor; “The Broken Halo,” Florence Barclay; “Stevenson’s Germany,” C. Brunsdon Fletcher; “A Short History of the Great World War/’ . F. Waynard Bridge; “The Science of Power,” Benjamin Kidd.

The Government proposes to introduce modified daylight saving legislation, advancing clocks half an hour all the year round. The decision is due to a difficulty in the principal cities over the “peak” load on electrical plants. It is believed that ’ this change will ease the burden sufficiently to enable plants to carry on until the extensions are complete.

A Kairanga farmer who recently felled a grove of tree lucerne, says that in his experience he has never seen a denser or harder wood. After three years' growth it was four inches in diameter, and practically all heart. He thinks it will be valuable rapidly grown, fuel, and may be of service in the place of imported hard woods. Its leaves are freely eaten by stock, and the small pods by fowls

Devotion to duty on the part of a constable was shown in a case which was heard in the Hamilton Police Court on Monday. A defendant’s name was called to answer a charge of cycling on the footpath. The defendant 'did not appear, and a constable of the same name proved the charge. The magistrate imposed the usual penalty, but smiled when counsel said that the defendant was the constable 's son.

A special meeting of the Taihape Chamber of Commerce will be held on Thursday night, at 5 o’clock, in 'the Town Hall, to meet land agents with a view to defining a scale of 'charges to receive recognition by the Chamber, also to discuss the matter of a universal half-holiday per a remit through the Taihape Borough Council as follows:—“That the Government be asked to. take the necessary steps to make Saturday afternoon a universal half-holiday throughout the Dominion.” The sending of a representaive with the deputation to the Minister with reference to the bridging of the Rangitikei river between this district and Hawke’s Bay. will : "so be dealt ’with. Bscr>~ —. T -would like to see some of my priests playing football with yon, for I have'always found that priests taking part, in sport generally have an uplifting influence/’ said Bishop Brodie at the Marist Brothers Old Boys’ Association’s reunion at Christchurch on. Monday. In reminiscent mood His Lordship said he had never accomplished much prowess on the football field, but when as a priest he went to Waihi, almost a complete stranger, he found there was an aloofness among the public, and a cold feeling that seemed to emanate from narrow-mind-edness. He refereed at football matches, however, and soon happy relations existed between him and all sections of the community.