LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 220, 17 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the Magistrate's Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, before Mr A. Crooke, S.M., a first-offending inebriate was convicted, and as he failod to appear was fined sb. Not for the past, twenty-live years bas the water in Lake Rotorua been at so low an ebb as it is at present (says the Rotorua Chronicle). This is due to the dry weather of the last four or five months. The Uruti cottage hosj ital fund has just been benefited bv the sum of £> 7s (id, proceeds of tlm sa.o of ten stray sheep put into the local sale bv Mr. Greenwood and auctioned by Mr Newton Kijtg. "I am travelling for my health's Bake," Earl Grey Baid to an interviewer in Wellington. "1 have come, to New Zealand because there is 110 other part of the world 1 more wished to visit than this country. The width of outlook maintained by your people, and your rapid progress, has interested me greatly." An old Maori woman, named Mrs Mary Renata, between 80 and 90 years of age, who resides on the Smart Road, was present at the landing of the first white people at New Plymouth, and was one of the first to welcome the pakehas to New Zealand. His Worship the Mayor discovered this historic old lady, and will endeavor to persuade her to attend the anniversary picnic at Moturoa on Marck 91.

Last week a Wellington firm advertised for a junior clerk at a salary of £2 per week, and ninety applications were received. The ages of the applicants ranged up to thirty-five years. The lucky man was thirty-five years of age, is well educated and can speak two languages, yet he was willing to accept a junior's position—one that youth could fill. He received the appointment, and was glad to secure it. Is this a sign of the times?

Said Mr C. E. Bellringer, at the New New Plymouth Harbor Board meeting yesterday, in discussing the question of better facilities for waterside workers at Moturoa:—"l should like th» members of the Board to be down at the wharf when a southerly 'ale is blowing and sleet is falling. One experience of what the men kave to put up with would be enough. The Board, as controlling authority, should do all in its power to better the conditions of the men, even though they may not all be employees of the Board."

A curious growth of mushrooms may be Been in an engineering shop in Dunedin. just now (says the Star). The floor of the shop is laid down in asphalt, and has a thickness of fully three inches Yet, despite bo atony an obstacle, several mushrooms, from two to three inches in diameter, have forced themselves up into the light of day. The asphalt in the near vicinity of the mushrooms looks very much as if a pick had been at work, and it seems hardly credible that the tender and succulent mushroom possessed such a forcing strength as is displayed. t

The thirty members present at MsT night's meeting of the Bast End Bathing Reserve Committee were well -nleaaed j with themselves and with the financial result of the recent bazaar and fete, which resulted in a net profit of' £lO3. ' Out of this it was decided to vote flO to the XI. Regiment Band. The committee now has it 3 buildings and improvements free of debt, exceut for a pound or two, -and it is expected »~ finish the year, with-all ..assets and no liabilities. It was decided to hold weekly dances in aid of the fund for pushing the chances of the committee's nominee in the "Carnival Queen" competition. A committee was set up to arrange for and manage the tug-of-war competition on Easter Monday, and it wa3 decided to offer £lO i> prize*. The equipment of the new bullion refinery in l'aeroa by the National Bank of New Zealand has now been completed, and within the next day or two operations will be commenced. A formal opening of the refinery will probably be made after the plant has been running for some time. The practical value of the refinery (the. Auckland Herald states) will he appreciated throughout the goldlields, for with the exception of the Waihi Company, which haa its own refinery, all the companies have found it more economical to ship the bullion in the condition in which it conies from the smelting furnaces Means are now available in the Paeroa' refinery by which the companies may have bullion separated into pure gold and pure silver, so that they may realise the full value of the gold in New Zealand.

Comment has not infrenuentlv been pasßcd concerning the manner in which youthful members of the postal staff at New 1 Plymouth career round the streets on motor-cycles supplied by the Department. Yesterday morning, at five o'clock, one of these youths was riding an unlighted motor-cycle, when he was hailed by the Borough Inspector, who demand' ed the why and the wherefore. The cyclist proceeded on his way, until he ran into an elderly man named Sliarroek, who was eneaged in sweeping Devon Street, and who did not see the cycle in the dim light. The old man sustained a damaged arm, and was so dazed that he could not give a collected account of what hannened. Medical attendance soon made him fairlv comfortable, but the gay cyclist is to be asked to explain the matter in the Police Court.

At the meeting of the New Plymouth Harbor Board yesterday, Messrs. H. fioodacre and Thcs. Avery waited on the Board as a deputation from the Employers' Association, to ask that the Board set up a sub-committee to meet the Union Steam Shin Company, with a view to fitting the shed ou the wharf used by the waterside workers with electric appliances for supplying hot water and lighting for the men while waiting on the. wharves, in winter especially, for the arrival of boats. The cost was estimated at about £B. The deputation pointed out that the men had to put in much time there in the worst of weather, and had no chance of getting hot water and conveniences for warmth. Further, that although the men might not be the direct employees of the Board, still the buildings 011 the wharf were the Board's oroncrtv, an( j a s the Board would not allow fires to be lit there, it was only fair that it should fit up the buildings which the workers occupied so that they would be working under decent conditions. After the deputation had withdrawn, it was decided that a committee, consisting of tho chairman and Messrs. Bellringer, Dockrill and King, be set up to report on the matter to the next meeting.

At all seasons of the yrar CAMROC DRY GINGER ALE is welcomed. In the winter it warms; in summer it cools. It is an ideal beverage, made from a guaranteed original Belfast formula and prepared from the flnst flavourings and purified water. All hotel* and «tores. 17

The footpath in Powderham Street, between Brougham Street and Currie Street, might without exaggeration be called a disgrace to the municipality. According to reports from Waverley, a good deal of anxiety is being experienced at the non-rei'tri of a well-known reaidont, who was las' seen at Wellington.

The price of fresh trout has been reduced to sixpence per pound at the Wellington Municipal Fish Market. A big demand has set in, and at present the market is doing twice as much business as it did this time last year. The Dunnevirke Borough Council iB in the very happy position of having a credit balance of £IOBB Is lOd. YVhen this was announced at the last meeting of the Council a member exclaimed: "Marvellous! Such a thing has never been known in the history of Dannevirkel"

An anti-strike note was struck by the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher in the course of a brief speech at Blenheim. "The Government," he said, "is determined upon this policy. So far afl our industries and commercial life are concerned, no part of the community shall be allowed to paralyse the whole of the community. To express it in another form, we believe in the right of a man to work, and we deny the right to any man to say that another one has not the right to work." (Applause). The opening we&k of the oyster season has been the leading outlet for consumption so far as the fish trade is concerned during the past week (says the Southland Times). The splendid quality of the first of the season bivalves has been noted in the advanced move recently made in delaying the season's opening for a month. Owing to the windy weather in the Earlier part of the week the oyster craft was considerably hampered in getting to and from the beds, and the supply of oysters available was by no means equal to the demand. Latterly, however, the weather has improved and merchants have full supplies on hand. Germany is faced with an embarrassment of riches. Last month it was announced that the Government will have more money than they know what to do witli owing to the unexpected wealth of the German people disclosed by the new taxation law. From the statistics now received it is apparent that the war tax voted in 19.13 to raise £50,000,000 for the proposed army increase wili provide the amount three times over. Two reasons are given for this One is that the authorities had no idea of the real wealth of the German people, and the other is that the penalty of imprisonment for concealment of income, provided for in the new law, has compelled Germans to acknowledge the possession of wealth which haß heretofore escaped taxation. It is stated that the present intention of the Government is, iastead of collecting the tax in three yearly instalments, to stop when they have reached £50,00,0000, but an agitation has already been started for further military and naval expansion.

Chicago claims to have demonstrated that there is a cheap anu easy cure for the cigarette habit. A few years ago it was discovered that if a liw' MWWI w wrnr~a' silver nitrattf, cigarette-smoking becomes unpleasant, owing to the reaction of nicotine on the chemical. At the time the discovery had little more than an academic interest, but since a clinic was established'at Chicago, where all who require treatment may have it, it has attracted a good deal of attention. The action of the silver nitrate is so rapid that the patient throws his next cigarette away after two or three whiffs. Messengers boys, schoolboys aB young aa ll'/i years, business and profession.il men, and actresses, have come to the Chicago clinic in large numbers, and gone away with a strong distaste for tobacco. Men who have been smokers for twenty years hare been cured by this simple means.

Earl Grey, previous to his departure from Wellington for the north, invited Commissioner Richards, of the Salvation Army, to meet him at Thorndon lailway station. His lordship, who was accompanied by Major-General (!o;I----ley, discussed a number of interesting matters with the Commissioner, and evinced a lively interest in all that he was told with regard to the work of the -Army i n New Zealand. The Coramissioncr, who previous coming to the I'ominion was in charge of the South African forces, reminded Karl Grey that he had been the means of giving to the Army a large estate in Rhodesia for agricultural purposes, and explained I that a large measure of prosperity was attending the estate, which, among other things, was yielding 1400 ba<'s oi mealies per annum. A strata of lim« had been discovered, Which enabled three kilns to be run. The income derived fiom the estate paid the expenses of the greater part of the native work m Rhodesia, which was a most important one, and involved increasing responsibilities. Earl Grey, who exprcssod much satisfaction at this information. ipaid a tribute to the general "oik of the Army, and incidentally slated that the New Zealand Government seemed to be using the organisation in a more effective way than was the case in Australia. General liodley also spoke in high terms of the Army a work and stated that the Dominion was the first of the colonies the'forces tion Arm >' chaplains to

The removal of the tariff against th" introduction of foreign wool into the United States is beginning to have a tangible effect on prices. The feature ot the London wool sales lias been I lie competition of American buyers. .Merinos and eroßsbreds, which they iiavo bought most freely, showed on the llrst <la,v of the sales advances ranging from t0 '° ff ft. The third sale of tie Auckland season, held recently tliougli the least important of tile series, reflected the. tone of the London market, and rates ruled above the January level Some disappointment has been felt by New Zealand growers lat the alteration of the American lit i ¥ be fT mn 'ng of December , ' l " t an ""mediate effect on nil Vl * Vl, < ' rt '- W J iS 110 rt ' flSOn to SUPPOSC that the influence of American ompetition would be anything but thl"™ When , t ! ( le dut - V ™nove,l t lere was enough foreign wool in bond o give six months' normal consumn r'r'et'ml -fl'f factors ten(le 'l to retaid the inevitable effects of the . Iteratioii of the tariff. These have not yet been fully felt, but growers should bear in mind that to obtain the u benefit it will be necessary to study the requirements of American The keenest competition cannot be oxLen C w,]'| r (r rn ytllill ",, bl ' t Woo! that h' : - nem well grown and properly Dremr»ri for the market. With th e So We like the «R. and G» brand of hat. for able® lil'l mUch " , The y »« so com fortable, hglit in weight, perfect in stvle and yeiy durable. Ask your local' Mme " " R - and G " brand every