LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 51, 21 July 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The supply at the Riverdale dairy factory has been lower this winter than it has been during previous winter months for the last twenty years. The Ngaire Dairy Company paid a bonus of l'/sd on the past season's working, making a total payment of .Is 1 Avith a likelihood of a further bonus. The New Zealand Herald says that it is understood that a well-known farmer will oppose the Prime Minister 111 the Franklin constituency at the next election. The Mayor looks very lit and very well. He's laughing at the daily growl about bad streets, and says that even in the Queen City of Auckland the streets are 110 better, except in the ecutral business thoroughfares.

A proposal i-' 011 foot to ho d a pubuc mooting with the object of obtaining support to tin; His' l """-'bool Boards application to the Kdueat'on Department for a grant for the extension oi the and girls' schools. The 3mic fate of a, sovereign dropod by a wealthy merchant down a street drain on Monday morning (w»y* the North Otago Daily Times, Oaninru) led him to ruin a new £0 suit and a 15s (id hat, without recovering it. At t'he meeting of the West I'.'id school committee, held last week. -Mr. A. K. Smart was appointed to ,represent the committee on the Technical Coiiege Advisory Board. Sympathy was expressed with 'Mrs. l)o\vling in her illness and with Miss O'Hrien on the death of her father.

An amusing story is told by a Devonshire man who invited a Socialist to visit his estate and see what he Kd done for the villagers. As they drove about the men touched their bats and t-lie girls l <nul boys "bobbed" mid curtsicd. Soon they passed a man omokiiig liis pipe, who took no notice ot squire. "Ah!" said the Socialist, '"thata tie sort of man for me. No I>owing_ or scraping." "No," replied the squire, irfflf-ge idiot,"

The Taranaki Education Board will hold an enquiry at Huirangi on Thursday into the outbreak pf fire which completely destroyed the school buildings on Priday night. The London Times, in a summary of the recent Salvation Army International Congress, says that "next to the Americana, the New Zealand delegates made the deepest impression with their plain, solid, undemonstrative faith."

'Plie annual marriage fair, at "which eligible young men are the guests of unattached spinsters desirous of matrimony, was held at Ecaussines, in Belgium, 011 Sunday, May 31, when 67 youths were entertained by as many maidens at sin al fresco banquet. The Hon. W. Eraser, Minister of .Public Works, turned the first sod of the l'Vatherston-Martinborough branch railway at Martinborough yesterday afternoon. There was a large assembly of settlers, and townspeople. The new line will be about - 11 miles in length, and will serve a large tract of country. A visitor from London has written in the record hook at the Wellington Tourist .bureau that 'lie was delighted with the thermal wonders of New Zealand, and was astounded by the courtesy shown by all tourist officials, but adds that "tiie railway time-table would puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer."

The laun.'h Jean Wilson, which left Lyttclton sixteen days ago, had an exciting experience. Heavy gales started on the return trip from Ivaikoura witn a second launch, the Kingfisher, in tow. The gales increased and tihe crew had to cut the Kingfisher adrift. Later when the .Tean Wilson was in peril she. was sighted by the steamer Pel one. which towed her to Lyttclton. A feature of the garden cities at Home is the pleasant accommodation provided for old folk. Not so in New Zealand. Here, says, Mr C. C. Reade, the town-planner, speculation has raised Dire values of suburban land to such an extent that poor people cannot afford to pay the rent. In one bedroom in Auckland ten old-age-pensioners slept together—from .economic reasons! Some time ago it was stated that a new by-law was to be adopted, to prohibit the all too frequent practice of the motor-cyclist in opening his exhaust and making a deafening row as he rides through the main street. The by-law is. long overdue, and the practice is increasing. Wonder how some of owl motorists' would like to be in 'New York, where even a smoky exhaust renders them liable to a stiff fine.

The usual weekly meeting of the Egmont Lodge, No. 112, T.0.G.T., was held last evening in the lodge room of the Good Templar Hall. The members of the Juvenile Temple entertained the senior members, Who thoroughly enjoyed the programme rendered by their young friends. After light refreshments the junior members dispersed, and the usual business of the senior lodge was attended to, which included the initiation of two new members. New Plymouth golfers have been singularly unlucky lately. Last Saturday week Mr. C. Denny-Brown was just starting a game on the Taraliua links when he slipped 111 driving off, and put his knee out. A more serious accident happened on the Witiora links on Saturday last, when Mrs. Clinch, wife of Mr. Clinch, of the Post Office, fell wlien descending a hill to look for a ball and fractured her leg. Mrs. Clinch was taken to the hospital.

The ilembers of t'lic Public Service Appeal Board who arrived in New Plymouth last night for a sitting to-dav, are as follows; Messrs Peter Basrr, Dunedin (chairman); J. 11. Richardson Commissioner, Government Life Insurance Department); F. M. Scuilv, Ne.v Plymouth (elected bv officers "of the postal branch of the P. and T. Depart n.ent); Alexander Mill. Auckland (elected by telegraph officers); Arth-ir Marryatt (Government Life insurance Department, Dunedin). The first two members were appointed' by the Government. and the last two were elected bv the remaining officers of the Public Service.

The attention recently directed t'. the Victoria Esplanade is' likely to have some effect. Prompted by the News paragraph, the borough councillors arc not only considering the advisabilitv 0! improving that portion of the town by doing away with the unsightly fence at the eastern eird of this popular promenade, but arc also face to face with another matter yvliich was only hinted at in the paragraph that dealt wittb the fondness of several unsavory "dead-beats" for U'hc esplanade. Whether the Council' can do much to make this resort more pleasant for ladies and children remains to be seen. Of course, no policeman is allowed to arrest a' tnan just -because a newspaper refers to him as a. "dead-beat," but we know also that if the constable were to include this spot in the area under daily supov-v.'-'ion it would tend to sweeten" tihip atmosphere. so to speak. Tt does, seem ridiculous that the uniformed police are never seen off Devon street, even when a hint is given that their occasional pi esence would be of use elsewhere And who knows what the lynx-eved office;might unearth?

Men who have enjoyed opportunity for studying the Imperial Parliament and the Legislatures of the Commonwealth of Australia say without hesii.itation that the Legislature of New Zealand is incomparably the weakest in practice of parliamentary decorum. As the Hon. Mr. Speaker has to say too ireqliently: "There is too in.uch comers.ithui. Groups of members' on each side side of the House seem to be in Parliament for no greater purpose than to converse with one another. Their competence as talker* rarely lifts them into sustained debate. As regards interjection, which seldom is pointed and polished, there are members on the prominent benches who have 110 rivals--not even in Mr Payne. A scholarly "disturbance" such as that raised in the House of Commons when Mr A. .1. Balfour charged Mr Ure with having concocted "a frig-id and calculated lie." would sharpen political wit and put a'n edge on argument, but what pleasure is there in this sort of personal gibln "Viu be quiet, you big fat baby." But there is 110 occasion for angry scorn "It taketh all the bea-ts in thi> ark to make a good world." I

"J speak as a returning office]- of many years' standing, and I eay that the cross on voting papers is the worst manner of voting ever brought in," said Mr W. 11. Collingwood, of Palmerston Korth, at the recent session of t'he Municipal Conference. lie said he knew of plenty of instances where voters hart declared that they had voted men out by scoring a cross by tins name. They could not get it out of their heads that in placing a cross against the name they were putting a mark against him. Mr C. A. Lewin, Town Clerk of Dunedin. also said that he had had a long experience as a returning officer, nnd would endorse what t'he previous speaker tad said. 'lf necessary, lie could produce conclusive evidence that the cross was confusing to the voter, and not nearly so effective as scoring out the names in the old way.

. Mrs 111 Jenkins, of Raetihi, .is the victim of an unusual misadventure whereby she has completely lost one eye and is suffering greatly from injuries and shock. On Monday morning, Mrs Jenkins, having difficulty in extracting a glass stopper from a small bottle, placed the bottle in an oven, wiliV t'he idea of freeing the stopper. On opening the oven to remove the bottle, t'he latter exploded violently in Mrs Jenkins' face, resulting in shocking injuries being inflicted. The fragments cnt right through the upper and lower lids of one eye, and severed the eye itself, completely destroying it. In this sad plight, Mrs Jenkins, who was alone, had the presence of mind to go to the house of a neighbor, arid Dr. Cftven was soon in attendance. The injured was removed, and at latest reports the patient is doing well as can be expected

Day baking of bread haa only lasted a week in Melbourne, and by arrangement between the employer's and the operatives, night baking is to be resumed, says the Sydney Daily Tclegrapti. Baking by day there was attended with all the trouble predicted when it was resorted to in Sydney about two months ago. The bread could not be delivered fresh on the day it was made, and, worse than that, many people could not get it next morning in time, to cut it fov the day's lunch. Hence, while master bakers report a sort of general backflow of loaves returned because "they're stale," they have found the wives of working men quite vehement against bread that is not fresh. In a few days, baking was becoming a losing business and some employers reverted to night work, for which they paid the operatives as much as 3s 2d "an hour, a rate which -will have to be maintained, at least, for a time.

Mr Dan Crawford, speaking in Wellington, in relating Ms impressions ; n coming out into the world again after spending '23 years in tM< heart of Africa, said that he had been 'struck with the marked change that had taken place in the business man—he Ih'ad lost his smile. When he went into "the long grass, 1 ' 23 years' ago, the business man smiled; to-day there was never a ghost of a smile. Y«t the smile was ther coat of arms of the soul. "No smile, no soul," declared tho speaker, amid applause, Referring to (his impressions of New Zealand, he said he would like to live 1000 year in "dear old New Zealand." It was one of the superlative jestf* of life that no man ever saw his own country, and New Zealanders had not seen theirs. As showing what he thought of New Zealand, lie stated that he had headed an article upon it the other day, "Know me. better —Love me Better —New Zealand." Men to-day were all going fast and, like riding at a furious pace in a motor car, were missing the scenery. They should remember that after all they were only out for a short run.