LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 211, 5 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-day is the fifty-second anniversary of the commencement of the Taranaki war.

It is forty-two years to-day since gas was first used in New Plymouth. Judging by its odor some of that gas must still be dispensed! The London Daily Mail reports that a spectator at a football match, Isaae Mason, aged 70, while shouting, swallowed his false teeth and was suffocated.

The Dunedin Star hazards the opinion that the one outcome of the now-clear-ed political atmosphere is that a number of "calls" to the Legislative Council wiil be decided at an early date. Dr. Fookes has kindly consented to deliver a, series of lectures in physiology and first-aid at the day classes at the New Plymouth Technical College. These should prove of inestimable value to the girls taking the domestic course. After the opening dinner at the Technical College last night several of the ladies remained to discuss the possibility of holding some public function—either a garden party or euchre party and dance—in aid of the school. It was decided to get a full list of parents and others interested and to convene a meeting of ladies at an early date to formulate plans. Most people are aware that the birthrate in New Zealand is falling rapidly, but few realise what a serious effect this has on the increase of population. The birthrate last year was 25.97, or 10 per j thousand less than in the eighties. In other words, 10,000 less children were born last year than would have been the case if the Mrth-rate of 30 years had been maintained.

At a general meeting of the Taranaki Teachers' Institute at Stratford on Saturday the president reported on the negotiations by the Education Board to introduce a different system of payment of teachers' salaries. The new method met with approval from the members present, and on the motion of Mr. Sims, seconded by Mr. Thomas, it was resolved to thank the Education Board. The president also reported on the interview with the Chief Inspector on December 16, and it was resolved to, thank the latter for his efforts to bring about promotion of classes only at the beginning of each year. The president and secretary submitted a report on the proceedings of the annual conference at Timaru, and a vote of thanks was passed to the three .delegates for their services. Mr. Hughes gave notice to move that the spring meeting be held at Inglewood.

The following have been elected unopposed as members of the Taumarunui Licensing Committee:—Messrs. William Birdling, George Pearce, Robert Henry Pigott, Alexander Scholes, Robert Wells. A man named J. James, whilst engaged in loading butter at the Breakwater yesterday morning, met with a painful accident. A box of butter fell corner on to his foot, which was rather badly cut. The majority of residents of North Taranaki know now where ?to turn off the Junction road in order to visit Taranaki's popular tourist resort, the mountain. Visitors, however, do not. With a view to facilitating this, Mr. H. Stocker, secretary to the Mountain House Committee, yesterday applied to the Taranaki County Council and asked that a sign-post should be erected at Egmont Village, pointing out the way. The council, needless to say, willingly acceded to the request. | The usually sedate members of the New Zealand Press Association seem to have rapidly assimilated West Coast methods. It is reported of them by the Greymouth Star as follows:—"The directors of the Press Association then assembled on the verandah and gave a Maori haka, and each and every one showed that he was the possessor of histronic ability and facial expression of no mean order. The proceedings terminated with a Highland fling by Mr. Pirani, who though somewhat handicapped through not wearing the national costume, gained a furore of applause by his terpsichorean ability." The Pukekura Park Board met last evening, and pleasure was expressed at the result of last Saturday's collection, which yielded £lsl odd. Votes of thanks were accorded those who participated in the campaign, particularly the ladies. The custodian (Mr. W. W. Smith) was voted a bonus of £5, and was authorised to employ an extra man for the next four months, chiefly for the purpose of clearing up the old paths and putting them in order and cutting the long grass where there is a danger of fire. After some discussion, it was decided to invite applications for a custodian to run the tea rooms. The question whether the rooms should be opened on Sundays or not was deferred till next meeting. In stating in the course of a report to the Taranaki County Council at yesterday's meeting, that any self-propelled vehicle or conveyance, which had a very heavy weight upon its driving wheels, caused more damage ton for ton than horse-drawn vehicles, even though the width of the tires might be increased in proportion to the load carried, Mr. Sladden, consulting engineer, advanced two interesting reasons, as follows:—(1) The force exerted to drive the load for- ; ward only acted upon a small part of the driving wheel which was touching the surface, and this had a tendency to, destroy any road surface by squeezing the road itself out of shape, and also displacing the materials of which the road coating was formed; (2) observation showed him that the weight on these driving wheels crushed the fragments of stone over which the wheels pass, and had an undoubted pulverising effect upon the road surface, thus rendering the effect of wind and rain more serious.