LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 75, 15 August 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The general election for members of the Sti Aubyn Town Board will be held, on .September 1,8. , i Tie Southland Sawmillers' Association, in order to harden up the Dunedin Timber Merchants' Association, which has been falling to pieces lately, have resolved to reduce the pric.e.s of tjmber by 30 per cent. j" The Berlin Directory of Millionaires of I Germany has just been published. It ( shows that the fortune of Bertha Krupp von Bohlen,' daughter of the great gun--1 maker, increased in three years from ' £9,000,000 to £14,000,000. J Together with Crs. Clarke and Mannix, j Mr. 11. \\. Climie, consulting engineer ito the Borough {Council, yesterday visited the borough electric light works, and was much impressed with the progress being J made with the extension.

I _ The Latest..extravagance in foot-wear ■is seen in a L»ndon shop, where shoes j •made of the breast feathers of the hum- ■ niing birds are exhibited, priced at £506 , the pair the highest price 'known for j shoes without diamond or jewel settings. The making of a pair of humming-bird j shoes takes six months. J An award has been made in the arbitration case of Boon Bros. v. Luscombe, by which Luseombe is adjudged indebted to the first-mentioned parties to the j amount of £451..2s 9d, together with ' interest and costs amounting to £O7 3s. | The arbitrators were Messrs. F. P. Corkill and W. Goodland, and the award was finally made by the .umpire, Mr. J Austin., •David Belasco. owner and manager of the two New York theatres bearing his name, is once ihore leading the way in theatrical reforms. Five years ago, wften j the Musical Union began dictating to j him, Mr. Belasco promptly hurled° the orchestra into outer darkness. Now he j has decided to abolish hoarding ailverj tising. The money thus saved will be I used to increase his newspaper advertisj '"g- He says lie is satisfied that much I bettor results will - be secured by giving ■ his shows fuller publicity in tiie daily j press.

At its last meeting, the St. Aubyn Town Board accepted the tender of'S. Hurlestone, at £333, for work required to complete the formation of the South and Moturoa roads. Mr. Iluilestone's tender'at £137 -was al.so accepted for the Lorna street formation work. J. G. Russell's tender of 25rf per concrete Orossing was accepted, and jt was decided that he be asked to do the following additional work at the original price of £4 flj per chain:—(Jiine street, from Belt road to Outfield road, both sides; Belt, road, on the south .side of South road, both sides; and the south of South I'oad from Belt road to Bayly road.

Bearing upon the Greater New Plymouth scheme the St. Aubyn Town Board has decided to forward the following resolution to the New Plymouth Borough Council:—"That the St. Aubvn Town Board regrets that they or anyone else should be allowed to have an opinion, as they are not on the New Plymouth Borough Council, and regrets having, by their action, blocked important 'schemes' (according to the Mayor) in connection with borough improvements. Our portion of the Main South road will noi be graded and metalled for a few months, and tlie borough is not far enough with their tram proposals .to take a poll, and at the present rate of progress, judging by public works which have been in hand for many months past in different.parts of the borough (and are not likely to be finished for some months), St. Aubvn will have merged long before the borough ia in a position to give the ratepayers a lead as to which tramway system is the best. In the, meantime, if the Mayor will be good enough to inform the.St. Aubvn Town Board ill what way the boaril can assist them or push forward the tramway proposals, ,we will be only too happy to help in every way."

Waverlcy has some public-spirited sottiers. An offer has just been made by Mr. D. S. Taylor to present the local Territorials with a valuable three-year-old hotsc of a good remount .stamp as a prize for any examination or competition the officers may decide upon.

The new boarding establishment attached to the New Plymouth High School differs from other like institutions iu that its youthful inmates are allowed two helpings of pudding! This much was gleaned from the report of the Principal 011 routine matters, which was submitted to yesterday's meeting of the Board of Governors. He did not know, he inferred, whether the Board was in favor of continuing this indulgence. This quaint piece of intelligence was greeted with some little display of hilarity 011 the .part of members. "Shall I put it to the vote?" facetiously inquired the chairman. Needless to say, "returns" are still the order of the day at the establishment.

The High School Board met yesterday afternoon, when a report .was submitted by a special committee on the workiug of the new boarding establishment. 111 it, it was stated that there were thirteen boys putting up at the hostel, in which accommodation could be found, when necessary, for 32 boarders. The inmates comprised eight permanent boarders at £34 10s per annum (the school year is of about nine months' duration), and five weekly boarders at £27 15s per annum. The weekly boardera go home for the week-ends. In addition, there were six day boarders at £G Cs per annum. These boys merely have their dinner at the establishment. Touching on another matter, the Board decided to object to the proposal of the Borough Council to deviate Hendric street. Accounts amounting to £679 Os 7d were pased. for payment, and the purchase of a lawn mower was authorised.