LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 8, 28 May 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A South Taranaki farmer who sold hw farm of 200 acres the other day, gave the purchaser £750 cash to "cry off" the deal. We are in receipt of a copy of tie annual report of New Zealand Society of Accountants for 1914. It contains ft good deal of information of interest to accountants. Mr J. Paton haa donated a special prize of 10s for the best boy's poster dresa at the Fire Brigade ball, and Mrs. (Dr.) Home a special prize for the girl's best poster dress. A large number of Swiss are arriving |in South Taranaki. They are financed |by their compatriots already domiciled there and Who have "made good." The Swiss fully understand intensive farming, and make ideal dairy farmers.

There was a full attendance of ladies at the committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon in the Town Hall for tho purpose of making final arrangements for the Fire Brigade's annual ball, to be held on June 3. The reports of the lady canvassers were very satisfactory. Tho tickets are selling well, and the ladies are preparing for a big night's work. As everyone says, "Of course I'm going to the ball; wouldn't misß it for anything."

'Tot the circulation of foundation!?® falsehoods, Mr. T. 0. Gregory stands unrivalled. His latest statement ia conclusive of tho assertion." Thus summarily does Mr. Mackenzie reply in the London Daily Citizen to a letter by Mr. Gregory, waruiug England against the proposal for a niunber of Boy Scouts to emigrate to New Zealand. Mr. Gregory (referring evidently to Mr. Sargood'a stiheme), says: "Is it not one of tihe »V jects to feed the conscript army, now very much shaken owing to the opposition displayed by the passive resisters ?"

A passenger by the mail train nortli 011 Monday complains bitterly to us of tlio way in which the passengers arc treat6d in respect of accommodation. At Wanganui, carriages were taken off, though more passengers got on there than got off, and it was impossible for all first-class passengers to find spats. At Hawera otlier carriages were taken oft', and tlio congestion was increne-i. Two Australian passengers, who tamo on at Marton, failed ',o find seats till Inglcwood was reached. It is really time some consideration was shown to travellers on this line by the Railway Department. A valuable and interesting presentation has been recently mado by Mr. H. Brett to tlic Auckland Museum in the slhape of one of the kakukura cloaks made by tlio Maoris from the feathers of a rare variety of the kaka parrot. Tn the ordinary kaka the general tint of the plumage is olive-brown, flushed on the lower parts with dull red; but in tilie ka'lmkura tlio greater part of the plumage is of a brilliant reddish yellow, the bird thus being extremely handsome. In olden times, when the >kaka was much more plentiful than now, and when the art of cloak-making was commonly practised, this variety of t!hc kaka was carefully sought for the sake of its plumage, although it frequently happened that several years would pass before a sufficient number of fclie feathers could be obtained to cover a cloak. The speci-' men presented by Mr. Brett was pur-. chased by him some years ago to prevent its sale for export to Germany. It was ■ originally made by Makurata T'ailini, of Ruatahuna, one of the last of the really accomplished cloak-makers, and is in a perfect state of preservation. So far as is known, tiliere is only one similar cloak in the Dominion, and as t*lu< skilled! clo>ak-makers are already extinct, it is exceedingly doubtful if another will ever be made.

When the judgment summons case of A. S. Brooker (Mr. Nicholson) v. Charles Rogers, which at the request of the debtor was recently adjourned for a month, came before tin- Magistrate's Court again yesterday, the debtor was : subjected to a lengthy cross-examination us to his earnings since the dale of the judgment, November 25, 1013. He told Mr. Nicholson that he had earned on an average £1 per week while in the employ of the A.M.P. Society, and had received besides a pension of 10s per week, lie staled that he could not say definitely how much lie had earned in any particular month, because his earnings fluctuated from time to time. He knew that lie did not average more than ■CI per week, because it was on account of this scanty remuneration that he resigned his position. Mr. Nicholson stated tlmt he had reason to believe that the debtor bad given misleading evidence as to his earnings, and he was granted a week's adjournment in order to call evidence on this point. Mr. Nicholson also explained that since the adjournment, the original judgment summons was withdrawn and a distraint issued. Then a new judgment summons was issued for £2 17s. the balance due after the distraint. The costs, on the first judgment, summons, were not added to the) second.

Loud rolls the drum, with a rum-tum-tum, The bugles blare, lmt our boy's not there; He is home in bed With an aching bead. He did not parade (By the 'flu' delayed), Big musters assure With Woods' Peppermint Cure. 14

Mr Chla®. Keade, organiser of M" Australian town-planning scheme, is booked t/o d'eliver a lecture at New Plymouth in tihe course of his Now Zealand touir. An enquiry will be held to June 12 at Matsuu by the TaJauaki Education Board into 'Curtain charges made :by residents of the district against the methods ot the iteacher of the JMiatau school.

A deputation from ltalhotu complained to the IDduca-tion Board yesterday of tihe methods adopted by the teacher at the Raihotu school. Tlie board decided that there was no ground tor granting an enquiry. The ropont of the discussion will appear to-morrow. Jolhn J amis Moss, a prisoner in the New Plymouth Gaol, came before Mr A. Grooike, 8.M., on a ciuuge of haying broken a windbw of bis cell After hearing evidence, tfhe magistrate gaiid he was satisfied that Rosa did break the window, and that it was done wilfully, and sentenced him to broadi and water for Eve days. With regard to tiho tenure of Leslie M. Allan's national scholarship at the New Plymouth Technical College tihe Assistant Tnspeotor-General of Bofoools hitw written ito the Education Board that the Department has approved of the syllabus of work proposed by tihe Director for this scholar, and accordingly has withdrawn its objection to iWie tenure.

"We understand," saya (lie Public Service Journal, "fcliat the Public Service Commissioner has decided that allowances in lieu of salary far boand and lodging shall be included! as riaiary, so that the officers affected may be (Libia to claim the full benefits under tihe Superannuation Act. The question ol house allowance has been referred to ft committee for Teport to the Ooramisstoier."

The Auditor-General hna written to the Taranaki Education Board m follows: From evidence submitted for my consideration, it ia fairly clear that the charges made by mrioua member« of -tihe 'board as hotel "expenses actually incurred" can hardly be substantiated. He a*ldied that for tho future no expenses arc to be accepted lor mwddt purposes, umle?s duly supported by receipts. In reporting on the need tor additions to the school a.t Punga>rehiu, Mr W. A. Ballaiftyne (Ohief Inspector to the Toranaki Education Board) sayß: "Tho Tillage of Paritaka 19 about 1% miles from the school, ajid 18 Maiori «hWren from til) ere are attending the sclool, whilst there is every prospect of a yearly increa.se, as since the death *t the chief, Te WMji, fho naithres have begun tw appreciate the advantages of free education for their children."

During the coldest of the recent New York nights, when the thermometer hovered about zero, it was noticeable that, many of tJhe electric light signs on Broadway were partly blotted out. The illumination seemed to extinguish itself and then come back fiutteringly after a time. In the day time workmen alimbed on the roofs, where tho signs rest, but could discover nothing wrong, but at night they again fluttered and flickered. Several workmen were then soat 4$ investigate at night, and fchoy found the phenomenon 'had been caused by hundreds of sparrows. The cold had almost frozen them, and the birds s>ad discovered the warmth of the elcstrie light globes and had -huddled round tliem. Their bodies blotted out the lights, ond tfheir occasional movements sanded ihc mysterious flickcrings. What appeared to be a genuine sane of misfortune came before Mr. A. Crookc, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, when William O'Sullivan was proceeded againsJ on n judgment summons. He said that since January *2O he had earned only £lO 18s. He had a wife and five young children. His wife had until recently been in the hospital undergoing an operation, and one of 1 the children Buffeml from infantile paralysis. He paid 10s a week rent, and it took him all his time to keep a roof over his head. Mr. Hutehen, who represented the creditor, said that the debtor had never explained tho «h'eumstiincM to him before. He had ignored applications for payment. It was agreed that tho case Should be adjourned for three months to give liio debtor a chance to get permanent work, Mr. Crookc remarking that 'he could not possibly make an order at present, with which Mr. Hutchen agreed.