LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 215, 19 February 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A number of tlic visiting Masons are to lie taken for a trip to the Mountain House by local members to-day. A Christchurcli resident lias received a letter from the British Consulate-Gen-eral in San Francisco which shows 'how generously the Californians are assisting the Belgian Fund. In that city alone £17,800 was subscribed in cash, and £20,000 worth of foodstuffs was contributed. A largely-attended meeting of the Napier and Waipuknrau branch of the Engine-drivers, Firemen and Cleaners' Association passed a resolution asking their executive to impress on the Government the urgent necessity of giving effect to tiie recommendation of Parliament for an increase of pay* Adjutant Home, of the Salvation Ai my, has received word from Wellington to say .that Commissioner and Mrs. , Hoddcr will visit New Plymouth for j Saturday and Sunday week, and that they will be accorded a public welcome on the Saturday night in the Armv Hall, while the Sunday's services' will be held in the Good Templar Hall. Elthum and Midhirst schools picnicked at East End beach yesterday in glorious weather. The visitors appeared to thoroughly enjoy the outing, making use of the many fun-making facilities provided by the enterprising East End bathing reserve committee. The townspeople were present in large numbers, and the scene in the afternoon was animated to a degree. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday, Geo. White, of Koru, was charged, on the information of the Noxious Weeds Inspector, with failing to clear noxious weeds. Defendant, did not appear, and after evidence had been given as to service of the summons oil his wife, he was convicted and a fine of £2 and costs 7s was imposed. A young Maori named McWilliam Eopia was charged at the Magistrate's Court yesterday with having stolen from Smart Road a motor-cycle, valued at £7O, the property of Charles E. Street. Sub-inspector Foully, who appeared on behalf of the police, stated that accused had only been arrested that morning, | and applied for a remand, whi h was i granted until Monday, February 22nd, at IV a.m. There is remarkably little sickness at the front, which fact is due, no doubt, to the ample <juaiitity and excellent quality of the food. Hot baths are being arranged for the men when their turn of duty is over. The arrangements for bathing made at one place are such that after bathing a man can rest, drink a cup of coffee, and smoke a cigarette. ■ , j A serious accident occurred on the Public Works about half a mile from Kohuratahi on Wednesday morning. Several men were working in a cutting, when a slip came away and caught a workman named Jack McLaug'lilan. about a ton of earth enveloping him'. Mcliaughlan (who sustained a broken leg and severe injuries to his spine) was attended to by Br Hitchcock, of Whanga-l-iomona, and taken to the Stratford public Hospital by th« afternoon train. '.I lie injured man had been on the works for only a few days—Post. Patea bids fair to become unpleasantly notorious in connection with NewZealand hangings (says the Press). It is a well-known fact that some years ago a local resident forwarded an application to tlie Justice Department for 'Permission to act as hangman in the case of Bosher, the Petone murderer, and even went so far as to forward samples of knots and running nooses with tiie application as evidence of liis skill in the hanging line. On Monday night another aspirant for the office of Lm;d High Executioner for the Dominion waited upon the local representative of the law with the request for information a? to the best means to bo adopted to oiitam the appointment. The office is one that we should have thought would not be run after; however,'there is-no accounting for taste. I

In a letter to the Wanganui Herald Mr. A. Tlatrick says it is time an attempt was made to awaken the - ratepayeis of Wanganui to some sense of their own responsibility and duty to the town in which they live, and to themselves. The fact that the rates are now ,1s 4il in the £, and that there is a total loan indebtedness—including loans (deposits) at short call—or nearly £450,000, coupled with another wild'proposal to borrow a further £07.000, making a total of over half a million (£.100.0(10) sterling, should bo siillicinnt to wake up the most somnolent ratepayer in our midst. _ If it docs not. then the almost certainty of a further increase in rates of from Dd to Is in the ;E, making in th c latter event 4s -Id in the £, or nearly 22 per cent, of the rental value of every property in 'Wanganui, should surely do so. Wo hear of the serious unemployment of carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers, in fact, all associated with the building trade. Is it any wonder, in the face of such rate figures and prospects, that no "lie unless compelled will build ill the. borough? Immediately he doer, so the borough at once claims 17 per cent, of the annual rent or rental value of the premises. The administrafion of the last eight rears, ho eon:ends, is entirely responsible for what io terms an unfortunate and wretched ' losition.

Si am is making rapid headway, according to Mr. Gerald Morris, a representative of the Eastern Tin Syndicate, an 'Australian concern. He has just returned to Sydney after securing a concession of territory there. A railway line. Which would ultimately run from 'Bangkok to Singapore, was being i>uilt by tile Siamese Government an l the Federated Ma,lay States.. One pe--uliar feature was that, though it w ; being built by British capital, the «•;*-- jority of the sectional engineers were Germans. The Siamese were inclined to side with Germany mainly on account of their antipathy towards France arising from the boundary dispute, and the Germans were, of course, not slow to take advantage of the current in their favor.

During the hearing of a noxious weeds case at the local court yesterday, in which a settler was charged with failing to clear noxious weeds, the Inspector of Noxious Weeds stated that the farm had changed hands several times and was in a bad state when tile present occupier purchased it. This caused the Magistrate to ask what induced men to buy land infested with blackberry, which was apparently hard to eradicate. The inspector said it was bard to eradicate, but it might be cleared up i£ the land was ploughed, grassed and stocked, when the blackberry could be kept down with a machine. In reply to a further inquiry, the Inspector acknowledged that they could only expect to get the land gradually clear of blackberry, as it would take a man of capital to get rid of it at once, and unfortunately men of means would not take up blackberry land. Mangatoki residents held a businesslike meeting on Tuesday evening, Mi: E. Gilford presiding, to discuss the advisablencss of establishing a public: recreation ground. Various sections were suitable, and perhaps available, but one on the. Eastings road, next the iuiil. and only two chains from the cross roads, was definitely under offer. Tne probable cost of the undertaking was worked out to be about £2OO complete. The land would cost about £IOO. There would be two asphalt tennis courts, a two or tliree-rink bowling green, and two croquet courts. A committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs Gifford, G. Marx, G. T. Walters and C. 15. McGuinncss, to enquire among the resi- '■ dents as to tha support likely to be given to the scheme, and to report at a meeting to be held that night fortnight. A canvass was taken among those present, with the result that nearly £4O was promised. An amusing situation arose in the Auckland Supreme Court recently, when two young men were brought up for sentence. Mr. J. R. Lundon said that he had been instructed by the .prisoners to appear for them. Mr. Allan Moody and Mr. W. P. Fitzherbert also claimed to be representing the young men, having been instructed by their parents. Thereupon the Crown Prosecutor, the Hon. J. A. Tole, K.C., suggested, that he might as well appear for the prisoners as well'as for the prosecution. Remarking that too many cooks usually spoilt the broth, his Honor Mr. Justice j Stringer said that lie shuddered to think ■ what might become of the young men with so much legal assistance. It would | be much better, ho added, to leave their j case in his hands. This was done, and, j in spite of the absence of counsel's us- : ual appeal for leniency, nothing more i serious happened tn the' young men than an order to come up for sentence j when called upon. In the experience of some firms, wartime is proving less disturbing than strike-time (remarks the Press). It is reported that whilst payment of rents was suspended by workers for a period during the big strike, rents are being paid with due regularity at present. As j to debts, it is alleged that much considI eration is being shown by creditors, and in many instances where; under normal conditions, debtors would be sued no action of the kind is being taken. Generally ; -t is believed that the war has had a steadying effect on domestic expenditure, especially in respect to luxuries. It is interesting to note that, according to some, business in Christchurch is on a somewhat sounder basis than in Wellington, m which city, it is alleged, the custom of living beyond one's income is more prevalent. In support of this contention it is asserted that, approximately t only 20 per cent, of Wellingtonians could liquidate their indebtedness if called upon to do so. This is, probably, somewhat exaggerated, bufc it ia likely that it contains an element of truth.

An ingenious contrivance for the transmission of prompt and accurate notice of the outbreak of Are has been invented by a New Zealander, in the person of Mr. M. Moloney, late electrical mechanician to the Post and Telegraph Department. Metal tube 9, in which am enclosed harder metal rods, adjusted and fixed at one end to the tubes, are placed so that they penetrate to the various rooms in a building, or ot the different parts of a ship, or wherever the instrument is being used. The temperature, acting on one of the tubes, operates a trigger, and makes a contact in a." closed metal box at the other end. The instrument, called the "Vigilant" automatic fire alarm, can be adjusted so finely that the mere warmth of the hand in contact with the tube will set the bells ringing, or it can be fixed to operate an alarm at any temperature short of that which will melt the metr.l. A central switchboard is placed, for instance, in tlin Captain's cabin of a ship, and, on a fire occurring in any part, or on the temperature arising above a certain point to which the mechanicism has been adjusted, a bell rings at the central board, and, by an ingenious arrangement, the exact location of the trouble is graphically registered. Many authorities, including Superintendent Napier, of the Dunedin Fire Brigade, and Superintendent Erck,' of the Christcluirch Brigade, have expressed a high opinion of the invention, which is being installed, amongst other places, in the new Government buildings at

Christclmrch, and ill the vessels of a big shipping company, by 'Mr Maloney for th e company which controls tlic device. The system may also be used to detect and register an undesirably high temperature in a baker's oven, for instance, or in th e ward of a hospital, where swell a state of affairs might have dangerous consequences. Tihe Transport Company advertise special charges for the carrying of fruit on the coast. A special war topical is being shown at the Fmpii'e to-night, "King George at the Front." The Tavanaki Motor Transport Co.. Ltd., will run its big motor 'bus between Fitzroy and town on Saturday evening, leaving Fit'/.roy O-oo and 7.25, and returning from tewn at 0.13 ami 10.13 p.m.