ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43083, 23 April 1907, Page 4

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

iAi prominent citizen of the Thames was the victim of a despicable theft in Auckland a day or two ago, when his overcoat was appropriated by a sneak thief in a tram car.

An accident of a very painful nature happened to Mr H. Chitty, at Matamata. It appears that he was handling a young colt, when the animal suddenly plunged, and the rope became twisted around the unfortunate man’s thumb, the sudden jerk almost entirely severing it from the hand. He was conveyed to Cambridge for medical treatment.

At the Arbitration Court sitting at Waihi over the Miners’ Union dispute, Mr J. J. Scanlon, secretary of the Waihi Miners’ Union, said there were 1050 members, not including Wailsino. During the last three years the fatal accidents averaged three per year. Sick pay was <£l a week for one year, at death of member £SO, and the proceeds of a. 6d levy were pain to the relatives. Members paid 6d a week contribution.

The turnip disease in the Wairarapa district has been identified bv the Government biologist as phoma-brassi-ooeros, first described in 1893 as destructive to crops in Denmark. Spraying is said to be the only course open, and little confidence is felt that, it will do any good as a, cure once the disease has shown itself, but it will be a moans to prevent the disease spread-

Speaking: at the annual meeting of the Auckland Dental .Association the President, said a, matter that was very difficult to handle, was thie inspection . and treatment of the teeth of school children, though much good could doubtless he done by suitable instruction dealing with the prevention of dental disease, which had been shown ta be a potent faetor in the deterioration of the race.

A, correspondent writes : A Dunedin lady has returned from Christchurch: with an exalted notion of the integrity of “cabby” in the Cathedral City. She left a satchel containing a good many pounds worth of jewellery and a considerable sum of monley in a cab, and a good many hours later was diligently sought at the hotel where she was staying, and the lost property duly returned. Mr T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., chairman of the Otago Education Board, has given notice of the following motion for next meeting of the Board : “That, in order to place the teaching profession on a satisfactory basis, and also to secure for the youth of the colony efficient the Government be urged to introduce' at an early date legislation provding for the classification and promotion, of teachers, together with assured salaries based on efficiency and length of service.” It is expected that the number of the “School Journal,” to be published by the Depai’tment of Education, will Ire issued from thei Government Printing Office about the end of this month Some delay has been caused in regard to copyright matter, but most of the material for the first issue is now well forward. After all the time ‘The Bulletin’ has taken to bring out ‘The Lone Hand,’ something notable ought to be expected. First, the sad illness of J. F.

Archibald, and then the non-arrival of machinery from England delayed .t. The Bulletin tried hard to get necessary machinery made in Australia, but failed, and with a sad heart had to import it. .Still everything is right now, and the magazine makes its bow on the. first of May.

Mr F. M. Fisher, M.H.R., has returned to Wellington from a temperance tour of the West Coast. Like other travellers, Mr Fisher found that Kumarai, once uproariously prosoerous has fallen on sad days. As instancing the decline of the town, he said that during his visit to the coast a firstclass hotel, freehold, was sold, lock, stock and 'barrel, as a going concern, for £l2O. Quite near 'by a quarter acre section, with five roomed cottage, was gladly sold for £3B. Tihe Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Labour considers that the "sweated industries” exhibit in the Labour Department’s court was one of the principal features of the Exhibition. “It is a striking illustration of what New Zealand ought to avoid,” he s;n r s. “It is an object lesson fo people here of what may arise under unrestricted competition.” The Waihi Borough engineer in: his

report to the Council condemned the Waihi Post Office in, the following terms: “Th'e Waihi Post Office is a public building, wretchedly small in proportion to the 6000 of ai population, and for the 18 persons employed, of which there ar© ten to twelve constantly inside from early morning until late at night. The atmosphere inside this public office, caused by such

over-crowding, and the constant stream of the public, jammed into tlie small passage, makes the premises the most unhealthy in the whole district, if not in the (colony.’ Our Waihi correspondent writes : “Mir H. D. M. Haszard, Government surveyor, who arrived in Waihi, having travelled on. hbrsebaick form ißotorua via Te Puke, is somewhat dubious as to ; whether the condition of the, road will permit of vechicular traffic. The last flood caused numerous washouts on> the road between TaWangji and Paengaroa, the latter place being nine miles beyond Te Puke and the point where the road junctions with East Coast and Rotorua roads. Only temporary repairs were effected in connection! with tlie extensive ‘damage done by the floods, and on Friday last, I when Mir Haszard passed over the tern-

porary repaired portions, appearances gave thle impression that anything approaching a flood would cause su)ch damage as to make it impassable for miles. Since Friday we hiave 'had a heavy and continuous downpour, and the probability is that a number of wash-outs and slips will hiave oe-1 curved.” fc