LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3532, 21 July 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

France now hopes to reduce her debt to the United States, according to report, by the sale of potash deposits, recently discovered in Morocco. The value of the deposits is said to be 20 times the expected German indemnity to France.

An enormous, absolutely flawless black opal, proclaimed as the largest uncut precious stone in the world, has bee n recently discovered in the United States, and is now in the office of a’’Government official in Washington. The gem contains approximately 21 cubic inches, and is valued by the owners at £50,000.

Yesterday (says the Greymouth Star of July 13) a writ was delivered to Mr Thos. P. Williams, manager and publisher of the Westport Times, citing him to appear at the Christchurch Supreme Court on the 4th August, 1920, to answer alleged contempt of Court by publication of articles advocating the abolition of compulstory military training

The Municipal Corporations Bill now before the House will mean, if carried, a consolidation of all the Acts and the introduction of many decisions arrived at by the Municipal Conferences held from time to time. A special committee of the House, consisting of those who have had experience in local government work, has been set up to go fully into the question with the Minister of Internal Affairs, and report to the House.

During the voyage of the Mahana, which arrived at Wellington with immigrants last Friday, two women fell overboard, and one, Miss Saack, was drowned. The other was saved by members ,of the Mahana/s crew. An elderly woman who was making the I trip for the benefit of her health died when the vessel was a short time out from Liverpool, and an infant also died There were three births on the voyage. This from a Los Angeles paper: Federal prohibition officers found 12,000 gallons of mash ready for whiskymaking on a farm near Peoria. The farmer said he needed a little of the stuff for medical purposes for his family, but the officers thought that baby might get au overdose and so they destroyed it. 'Twelve,- Thousand gallons is a lot of whisky, even when there are several chronic ailments in the family. But around Peoria they get so used to it that it. is a wonder they don’t try it for bathing purposes.

A woman’s fur stole fell accidentally into the arena at the Berlin Olympia, and caused a tragic interruption to the first motor cycle races since the war. The fourth race was for a prize offered by the United Automobile Clubs of Germany. Retienue, the winner of all the previous races that afternoon, had developed a tremendous speed by the fourth round. The stole became entangled in his machine, and he crashed on a steep curve. Birkahn, of Dusseldorf, close behind him. lost control of his machine, and rushed headlong among the spectators. He broke his neck.

An Auckland man recently gave to a New Zealand Herald reporter his impressions of industrial conditions in the United States. “T found that while piece-work on machines, is not universal, it is very general, and the fast man gets the benefit of his expertness,” he said. “They have no minimum wage scheme in the United States; if a amn is good he is paid well and encouraged to excel. Whereas in New Zealand ‘one man one raaStates; if a man is good he is paid man on three machines, and each machine turning out more in an hour than the-* one man one machine in New Zealand* and that. too. on identically the same machine as used here.”

The Wanganui trains were installed pre-war. They have broken down, and a public infinity is to be held into t lie circumstances. One engineer insists tbal to carry on with the present plant will be hazardous. He advises laying up the system till the power plant is overhauled. Meantime this is what the Chronicle says about “the magnitude of the ratepayers’ liability in connection with* the trams: “As a matter of fact the tramway loan account stands at £104,000, and including the loan recently authorised for £140,000. carried a few years ago, of which £4OOO, roughly, has been spent. It is estimated that the £160,000 will not cover the cost of the steam plant and extensions, and that probably a further £30,000 will b-o required—a grand total of £294.000.”

A Palmerston North resident who was in Hastings last week, was desirous of returning without delay to attend urgent business, and offered a flying school officer who happened to be there £2O for the trip; but £35 being the price, he came by train and his fare cost one and fourpence less than £l. vvueji into grauaig scutum was beiug uiacUoseu oy icitCuero at lUe i\eW iemciuu JnuuualiOiicn ii.i*Lltutb nmet-j nig on -Vronuay evening, the opinion | was expressed that teacimrs should be j given some uegree by which they' could be known, as doctors and law- ! ytxS are known. As things stood, unqualified people could call themselves teachers. Claiming to be the loueiiest Britisher, a member or tne Overseas Ciuo and Patriotic League, who lives in the Paumotus Archipelago in xLuPaciflo, writes m "Overseas”; h\othing grows here but eocoanuc, absolutely uotnnig. No soil, no sand, no trees, no bird life, no cattle, no sUeep. One must even import soil if he would grow a dahlia, and fruit and vegetables have to be brought from Tahiti, hundreds of miles away.” He is the only Britisher on the island, which is forty miles long and twenty miles broad.

There is a general idea that very little wheat is grown in India, It will be news to learn that the Indian Department of Statistics estimates that the area under crop in that great country is over 27,000,000 acres. As the area under w r heat in Australia is only about 12,000,000 acres, that muchheard of country is a very "small potato” after all where wheat-growing is concerned. The iaverage yield per acre in both countries is much about the same, say, 11 bushels per acre. Australia produces little more than 2 per cent, of the world’s production, and about 11 per cent, of the British Empire.

Mr J. McCarthy, who is well known as a designer of freezing yrorks, said at Christchurch that New Zealand led the world so far as freezing works were concerned. In Canterbury some of the old freezing works were worked more economically than some of the new ones in the North Island. In some instances North Island works were using three to four times as much coal as was the case in respect to some Canterbury works. He urged that a return should be made as soon as possible to the standard of grading established prior to the war, and spoke strongly against the_ cutting up of carcases. He warne*d Canterbury farmers that the North Island would soon outstrip the South Island in the production of mutton and beef.

The majority of the immigrants who arrived at Wellington by the Mahana are from Scotland and the northern counties, though a fair sprinkling of Londoners are among them. Some of the younger men have, exaggerated ideas of the prospects ahead, but generally there is a fair idea that only solid work will bring due reward. One man with a family of seven had booked to Dunedin, having been advised in England to do so, but he was early ashore, and was making inquiries as to work in the North Island, for he had heard of the better prospects it offered. Questioned as to their immediate requirements, the majority of the immigrants appeared to be well satisfied that proper provision had been made by relatives.

Some information of interest to widowed mothers and other dependants of soldiers who served in the late war is contained in a letter received from ihe Defence Department by the Soldiers' Mothers’ League. Prior to last year, widowed mothers were entitled to receive an allowance in respect of one son only, irrespective of the number of sons who were on active service The regulation now in ior r imposes no limitation as to the number of sons, and provision is made for tbe consideration of applications for the granting of retrospective allowances. Each case will be dealt with on its merits under either the old or the amended regulations. It is stated that when a payment is approved it will he made under the set of regulations that will be most advantageous to the applicant.