LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 42, 10 July 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The erection of homes for workers is contemplated by the Auckland City Couaoil. A "Ten Thousand Club'' bus been funned at Mastcrton —to help to raise the population of the town to that number. The Grey River Argus states that much satisfaction is felt in the Brunner district at the opening of the North Brunner mine, which is bo take place in the course of a few days, and whicln it in expected will give employment to a large number of men. ''] hear on very good authority indeed," stated a member of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce meeting last evening, "that the Government is very soon bringing down a Bill asking Parliament for £i,000,000 for railway construction, and it iv up to us in Wanganui to get some of that to start the line to. Raolihi." 'Tile correspondence of ;'7 persons or firms was prohibited transmission under xrction of the Post and Telegraph Act, l'.'OS," states the annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department. ".Money orders may not be issued in favor of such parsons or iirms. Letters addressed to prohibited persons or firms withheld from delivery during the year numbered 207~>. Prohibition was withdrawn in ri'ipi.et of nine persons or lirms." Wanganui is apparently a remarkably cautious town. An application for a license to ply fur hire with a motorcycle and .side-ear was received by the Borough Council there last Tuesday night. A smile went round the ta.bl" when the application was read, and the •Borough engineer rose and sa'-j: 'T took it on my own responsibility to refuse the application. I do not consider a motor-cycle and side-ear a safe vehicle.'' A member inquired. "Why nut?" and moved that the application be granted. The engineer pointed out that tint question- of undercutting in prices had to he considered. T,l:e mayor reminded the council that the engineer had to approve of the vehicle, and in this case he disapproved of it. The motion was lost, the engineer's aciion bung supportedA Chinese officer told a writer in the World's Work an interesting .story \)i the fust visit of the representative or Vichers, Son and Maxim to Shanghai. After taking his sample Maxim gun to the arsenal at 'Shanghai, and demonstrating it thoroughly to the Oliinese, he was taken in to a sixtyfour course Chinese feast, that la-ted until the small hours of the morning. Meanwhile, a large party of the best Chinese mechanics in the arsenal, minutely subdividing the lalnir, quietly look the gun entirely to pieces and either duplicated or took templates of every part. The following day the sample, rc-assemhled. was handed back to him with thanks and the remark that China was not in the market fev Maxims just then. The Chinese, imitation, failed, however, to work properly.

At two o'ekek yesterday mornmg there were people waiting to boot seats for the pantomime. When rrofessor Prince's report on the New Zealand fisheries is received, .the Hon. V. M. B. Fisher stated on Wednesday, it is proposed to consider the question of the Government making advances to fishermen to enable them to 'obtain boats, and otherwise to assist them in carrying on the industry, as is done in some other countries. "The raising of the age at which children are carried free over the railways, and the reducing of the, rate for the conveyance of passengers between the ages of five and fourteen years," the Minister of Railways «jtated on Wednesday, in reply to Mr. Myer.% "would involve a very serious loss of revenue, which, in view of the increased coat of operating, the Department cannot afford at present." A Territorial named William Bransgrove was convicted and fined wome weeks ago for not attending parade. Subsequently he appeared in court and explained that he had! put in a medical certificate, and the Magistrate advised him to make an application for the rehearing of th'; case. Trtiis ihe did yesterday, no objection being made by the Defence Department. The Magistrate granted the application, and dismissed the original information. Two oases oi hardships ainder Which settlers in the backblocks labor as regards the education of their children were mentioned at the last meeting of . the Wanganui Education Board (states the Herald). Mr. Harris said he knew of a family of twelve, between Wanganui and Raetihi, not one of whom could read or write. Af ew minjutes later, the case of an up-river settler was mentioned. Thisi man had seven children of school age, and the nearest school is six miles away over impassable "roads."

Every sunny afternoon sees the Victoria Esplanade, between the railway station and th'> municipal baths, thronged with women and children, for possibly in no other spot in New Plymouth arc the condition", so pleasant. Their pleasure and cemfort are not improved by the presence of numerous "deadbeats" who also find this a co-mfort-.o.o haskiag-placo, and if the "move-

•■• i'cr lotion eouM (:-•. enforced In the police there it would be more pleasant for the women-folk and there would be more children allowed ta play there. An automatic signalling-device for use at level crossings has been designed, and has, been undergoing a practical test at Levin during tihc past three months. Satisfactory results having been achieved, 'arrangements 'have been, made to instal the appliances at various busy crossings as apportunity offers. In view, however, of the heavy acet involved, the Minister of Railways informed Mr. Myers on Wednesday, and the fact that the -machines have to be manufactured, it will only be possible to equip a fixed number of crossings each year, but the work will be carried on until all tihc busier crossings are provided for. A correspondent of the Wanganui Utronicle, writing from Marton, says: Farmers in the Rangitikei district will be interested to learn that as a result of the recent visit of Sir Walter Buclanan. and Mr. Foster, directors of t'liD Wellington Meat, Exporting Co., it has been decided by the directorate lo build supplementary works at KaAv rjki, provided the 10,000 shares are subscribed in the district. The director? considered Kakariki site as the most suitable. Tiie promoters will now pos-s-blv get busy, and bv systematic canvassing, make sure that the balance M shares required will be taken up. 1 understand that more than half of above have already been taken up. Says the Dnnedin "Star" .It r,,i?bto be apparent, even to a ministrr 0 f Air. Allen's determined' nature, that i man or woman may be perfectly wi'.liu to vote fo v Bible lessons in schools fror ar authorised text book and yet v strongly opposed to the right "of nclergy to enter the public schools -i.t' , there to order the teacher to separate , tlie unfortunate youngsters into th-l: 'virents' respective "isms." Mr. AU»n''' Bill, however, provides no attentat ivThc voter must either vote for o against the League's scheme. He is no' to be asked: Does he favor Bible ii-.->i>'-mg in schools, but does he favor Tib', teaching plus the right of entrv? Hionly choice, then, is between'a «m imposed disfranchisement and vot.i ( r for something of which- ho does not an prove. Ts that fair? Alexander Webster, who wis arrested by Oonslu'We Brown in New Plymouth on Saturday, 'appeared in the Magistrate's Court yesterday to answer a charg? of having falsely declared that accused was drinking in' the Terminus Hotel on July 4th, and sold fi ■ ticket, to one Edward Alwtk fov 5s Subsequently he made a .declaration before Mr. F. C J. Belh-inger to tlfc of- | feet that lie had lost the ticket, and obtain a fresh one. Accused did mot denv the facts but stated that he had no criminal intent He was drunk when he sold the ticket, and next dav bad no recollection of tlite transaction.' This was contradicted by several and accused pleaded not "uilty He was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. On » charge of obtainin" money under false pretences, ivrouMit against; him under the name of Samuel Finch, alius Alexander Webster, he wo« remanded to appear at Auckland on •Tilly 16th.