LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 54, 24 July 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the opinion of many of the older residents of Pulmerston, 'hist week was the coldest experienced for years. Woodviile has decided to 'hold a carnival and to elect a Queen. The funds derived will be in aid of the school funds and for beautifying and town improvement?. The Cabinet has authorised the preparation of specifications for a new Government steamer, to replace the Hiuemoa. She will be a modern twin-sere,v vessel. Her length will be 215 feet, breadth 35 feet and depth 19 feet 0 inches. She will have a speed of fourteen knots and will cost £40,000.' An enterprising Auckland undertaker advertises rims:—"The cur who smashed ray window ■ Thursday nigllit is invited to call at Mt. Eden Police Station for the reward." Then follows name, occupation, 'phone number and full address, «videstiy with the intention of getting fuller value for the shilling invested in the advertisement. "You will have noticed that when tiaele is goed in New Zealand, i-lie price of timber goes, up, and tihia-t this article of production is the first to feci any stringency. No new buildings are -begun, and at once the demand for timber ceases. In its way it is a Hire barometer of the state of trade in New Zealand." This observation was made by Mr. J. G. Wilson in his presidential address at the Farmers' Union Conference in Wellington. In a. report upon a question of home work set foi children attending, primary schools in the Auckland district, Mr Mulgan, chief inspector in the district, states that the amount of home work set is- in the majority of schools tilie reverse of excessive. 'ln schools staffed by inexperienced teachers the settingi off of an amount of home work sometimes obtains. In the report submitted by the Teachers' Institute, the teachers state that the present system of setting home work 13 eminently satisfactory, and should not..bc interfered with,—Pjess Association. At -a meeting of the Napier Harbor Board it was stated that the receipts for the half-year ending June 80 amounted to- £25,993 19s Id, against £23,073 5s 4d for the corresponding period of 1913, while the rates received were less by £IOOO 13s. This result In 1 not been brought about by any extraordinary, incicase in any one department, as practically all departments had siliown improvement. The general account credit had increased during the half-year from £5282 Os 3d to £14,049 lis sd, in addition to which the reserve of coal had increased, and £SOO had been added to the reserve fund for renewals of plant. When addressing the Dominion Conference of the Farmers' Union at Wellington the other day, Mr. J: G. Wilson observed that trade when it slackens, ilais a distinct effect on the price of money. "Bankers have not the same demands made upon them as during a boom time, and as the demand falls off, money becomes cheaper, so that if trade is not so good during the. coming year as it las been in the past, perhaps we shall gett our money cih'eaper.. Some think that cheap money is not an unmitigated good, for it leads to highc.priced land, and general extravaganc > owing to the lesser scrutiny of securities; but most people view the prospect of cheap money with equanimity." A young lady patient at Pulmerston Hospital, irom an outside district, was feeling ionely, after some days' sojourn in the institution without any callers, when slj,e received a visit from two ladies' connected with one of th • cburches wlio in course of conversation enquired where she was from. "From W—,." replied the patient. "Oh," said one of the visitors "J have a grand father there. His name is Mr. ." "Why, he is al.-o my grandfather," said the surprised patient. Then followed j.n interesting investigation, with the result that other relatives were "dug up" in the neighbourhood -of Palmcrston whose whereabouts were not known to the patient, and their visits have so cheered -her that she votes the hospital not such a bad place after all. During the recent cruise of the Southern Cross among the mission stations in the Molanesian Islands (ft-ates tie,- New Zealand Herald), the island of Ambryn, the scene of a disastrous eruption a few months ago. was passed. The volcano was still discharging smoke and great quantities of volcanic dust, whicih almost completely obscured the island to leeward.. ' The people who lied from the scene of the disturbance had not returned. The Southern .'.lross twice passed Tina kola, an uninhabited and active volcanic island, 2000 ft. high. The party on til* steamer first approached the volcano at night, and, although the steamer was 12 mile.-, away, it was possible, with glasses, to clearly see flames belching from the crater and masses of molten lava flowing over the rim and down the side of the mountain. When the steamer returned, a few weeks later, the vcleano was still in violent I eruption.

A very debatable point was raised at Melbourne the other day (according to t.l* Age), when the ltev. Mr Neville, of Fit/j'oy, who was giving evidence before the Housing Commission, rotated that English artisans were not such finished workmen as Australians, and slood no chance with them in the competition for billet's. It appeared, from his experience, that the men who were supposed to be trades.iren had learned only special branches of their business, mid, as a consequence, when they reached Australia, and were called upe.ii to do general work' they went mule. This accounted in a ineasuie for the mini her of immigrants who were unemployed. Physically, also, the men with whom he had come in contact were inferior to Australians, and the introduction of men of this class would not tend to the, uplifting of the nation. The Chairman of the Commission (Mr. Solly) expressed the opinion that Australia was helping Great Britain to j solve a problem wihich Australia .should be unravelling for herself.

"I can never understand why cheese companies do not adopt the Canadian system and carry co-operation a step further bv having the ripening chambers at some central place, or places on the railway, where experts can devote thci'' whole attention to Maturing the cheese, and save a considerable deal in the cost per cheese by the process,'' said Mr. .1. (J. Wilson, at the Fanners' I'nion Conference. "Nor can one quite understand the reluctance there is of tine ladie.s of the dairying farmers, not dcI voting their attention to the better class of cheeses which are so profitable to the maker. Goof soft cheeses, such as Camemberl 'and Pent l'Kvignc. always fetch good prices. Anyone can lear.i to make these as t'H; Department haw in their employment a teacher for the purpose. To tasle the Cruyere cheese which is made in parts of France, .Switzerland, isiijil North Italy is to make certain of its selling possibilities here if well made."

There are sales and sales, hut the sale that starts to-day at Uic .11.1!., Xew Plymouth, is a real sale.. A glance at* thi! special advt in another column will convince anyone of the genuineness o'\ the bargains' in clothing, mercery, hate "aftd boot*.

At tlio Magistrate's- Court yesterday a first-offending inebriate was convicted ami discharged on payment of 2s cab hire.

Accountants and accountancy students are reminded of the meeting of the Now Plymouth -branch of the -New Zealand Society of Accountants tonight, at which papers will be read by -Messrs C. H. Weston and A. Coleman. The subjects selected should be of es 1 - pecial interest to the profession.

A farmer named Edward Bettridge, residing on the Maiigawhero load, Waimate Plains, attempted suicide -by poisoning on Monday morning. He was discovered just in time for a doctor bv stomach pumping to save his life. He was removed to the Ola wen Hospital. To domestic unhappiness the rash act is attributed.

A very pleasant presentation of four medals was made to Misses It. Danks Ouve- Harvey, Alma -Bra-und, an! Master Albert Popperell at the Good lemplar Hall on Monday evening last by Electoral Deputy Bro. N. T. Maunder for prize essays on "The fourfold pledge," won by 'them and presented by Bro. A. B. Thomson, of Wellington as a memorial to the late Bro. J. C.' Lugg, who was instrumental in forming the Hope of %mont temple. . The Numu. natives prepared for a langi over a deceased natve on Saturday night, says the Opunake Times. On Sunday the "dead man" came to lif<; again and the sorrowing rites had to be postponed. On Sunday a number of natives- arrived from other parts of Uu district and a bullock had 'been slaughtered for the occasion and a quantity of provisions obtained. A native was questioned as to what they would do with the stock of provisions." "Oh, we eat him; he die once, he no live now." When subjected to various processes, said- Mr. Strevens at Auckland on Monday night, petroleum could be made to yield 200 different produces among which were petrol, naphtha, kerosene, solar or gas oil, lubricating oil, fuel :oil, paraffin wax and'asphalt. PetroI leum had been collected for asres bv primitive methods, but during the last half century 'boring for petroleum, and its refining when found and the method of distilling it from oil-bearing sjhalos found in many parts of the world ''had become a recognised industry. T» the course of a ease at the Eltham Court ou Wednesday the Taranaki Painters and award was tllne subject of some strictures- by Mr. T. B. Crump and the Magistrate, reports the Argus. The former pointted out that the award was in the in- | .tleawts/of D/eiithor; employer ripremiployc'e,, and said he understood that both would be pleased when it expired. Overtime was not allowed and therefore any time lost could never be made up. The -Magistrate said it was not? his duty to criticise the agreement, but it certainly appeared nnost ridiculous.

We iliave to go away from home to find the truest appreciation of Home A writer in the July issue of the MidPacific Magazine— >a splendid monthly issued at Honolu'u—eulo»iscs Mew Zealand, admiring the great tilings achieved by settlers within ha'f a" century: •Already the standard of wealth and comfort in New Zealand is higher than in any other country in the world." The writer, who foresees in the next fifty years New Zealand -''covered from end to end with well cultivated, highly payable farms," concludes: "If intend ing immigrants from Great Britain and othor north European countries could but realise it, there is no other country in the world which can give so muc-li to men and women who are capable of honest work and willing to perform it. I'.y honc-t work is not meant manual toil. The capitalist has great rich fields' to exploit, but he must confer benefits as well as to receive t!«mi Tr, him falls tin; task of opening out new industries, building up new trade, developing natural resources, and making new land productive. Siu-li men must not be mere money-spinners—Hiey must be captains of industry, capable of leading an -army of workers or organising a complex industry. Such men can. and will, play an important part in shaping New Zea'aud's future."