LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 245, 25 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The opening date of the Australasian Premiers' Conference in Sydney will probably be May 10th, says a Press cable. The Board of Education yestorday decided that schools could be closed on Easter Tuesday in lieu of Wednesday -4jext, Anniversary Day, if deemed' advisable.

secretary of the Fitzroy School Committee notified the Education Bba?d yesterday that the improvements to the ground cost £72 10s, instead of £6O, as estimated, and they asked the Board 1 to grant £lO in addition to the subsidy of £3O promised. The Board decided' to grant an extra £O. The Chairman and Mr. Masters were yesterday appointed a committee by the Education Board to bring evidence before' the Commission set up to define the boundaries of the new education districts in accordance'with the new Act, if it should be necessary to give evidence.

■ "The Government has got a new regulation. We can't pass any expenses for ourselves."—Complaint, in a reproachful voice from a member of the Taranaki Education Board, which evok T cd considerable laughter. "I'm not even allowed a glass of refreshment on the road," he added later..

Mr. William Waswo has been appointed by the Taranaki Education Board to the vacancy on the Carrington School Committee, caused by the resignation of Mr. Frank Baker. Mr. Jas. Phillips was also appointed a commissioner to act with Mr. P. R. Spttir on the Mimi Committee.

The annual meeting of householders within the Taranaki education district for the purpose of electing school committees will'be held on Monday, April 2fl, at 7.30 p.m. According to the nnw Act, the various education boards have to appoint the date. Formerly the lime was 7 p.m., and the extra half hour should be much appreciated. At the end of 1014 there were 100 schools in the Taranak i education'; district as against .07 twelve months pr.s-i----ously. The teaching staff consisted of 200 (205 in 1012), comprising 90 head teachers (06), 80 assistants (81), and 30 pupil teachers and probationers (28). The roll number was 6:180 (6108), and the average attendance 5807 (5496).

While talking to a reporter at Gisbornc a visiting wool buyer gave it as his opinion that the present'high prices of wool would prevail as long as the war lasted. The manufacture of khaki was responsible for the abnormal rise. Six months after the war ceased, he considered, would see an appreciable drop in the price of wool. The letter from the Taranaki Hospital Board, covering a report bv the Health Officer on the state of the Waitara school as submitted to the last meeting of the Hospital Board, was brought before the Education Board) yesterday, when Mr. A. H. Halcombe stated that the Waitara School Committee had now made satisfactory arrangements for the future cleaning of the school. At the Magistrate's Court yesterdav morning, before Mr A. Crooke, S.M., two first offenders were convicted of drunkenness. One was fined ss, in default 24 hours' imprisonment, and the other 10s,' in default 48 hours. For the use of obscene language in Devon street on the 22nd mst,, Thomas Harvey was convicted and lined £3, or in default one calandar month's imprisonment.

During the fighting in German East Africa the soldiers were oftimes alarmed by the wild beasts of the forest. The beasts in the great menagerie procession at New Plymouth on Easter Mond.iy are quite harmless, and at the conclusion of their march will be liberated in the fun furore of the West End Foreshore Improvement Society. Trains ston at Morley street, at the entrance to* the park.

There was on view- at the Education Boards oflice yesterday a sample of the work turned out by the boys of the engineering class at the New Plymouth Technical College, under Mr. Kirkpatriek. Samples included planing, turning, and screwing work, and a number of useful tools and other articles were displayed Numbers of the Board took great interest m the display, and tlie useful nature of the work, with its excellent finish, was favorably commented on.

At tlie Education Board meeting yog. terday it was resolved to inform the Moa School Committees' Association that the new regulation with regard to school grounds merely brought the Board's regulation into line with the Education Act. and that it was not the intention of the Board to interfere at present with any existing arrangements, which may have been made by school committees, and that the attention of the Association should be drawn to the fact that revenue derived from rent of school sites oii"ht legally to be paid to the Board. °

Fashions come, and fashions go. Tha prevailing fashion is "West Kurt," and the West Knd picnic promises to he absolutely the greatest Easter attraction the province has ever seen. The attendance will certainly be the largest on record. The attractions this year include a great novelty swimming "carnival, a whole day of fun in one of the line-t enclosed saltwater baths in thn I'oniinion. In Kawaroa Park, at which the south trains stop, will be held a Scries of running and other races, fun-rais-ing competitions, games of skill, and so on. Afternoon tea will be served at the bungalow. '

'Ehc Education Board decided yesterday to advertise teachers' vacancies in thea Stratford Post, and in alternate years in the Daily News and the Herald! According to a Wellington telegram, at the conference of representatives of the Wellington, Auckland,! ami! Canterbury Industrial Associations held on Tuesday evening a long .'dfecuasion* took ]>lacc on the question of the lack of '.upport to New Zealand industries -uul amended recommendations proposed' by the Canterbury Association regarding the appointment of a Now Zealand Board of Trade and Industries were approved. Owing to til*, apathy of shopkeepers it was decided'to abandon the New Zealand industries week, which was to have been held from May 21 to

_ A great deal of interest is being taken in connection with the pilgrimage which takes place at Moluroa this ot'tcrno-in. In addition to the ordinary 'bus service, arrangements have been made whereby a 1 big char-a-banc will make a special trip out, leaving Amlmry's corner at 2.30. Other arrangements can be male re the return trips. Addresses will be delivered by the Revs. T. 0. Hammond and -P. VV. Fairclough. Tim-meeting- will take place on the beach, near the obelisk. A special address will be delivered in Church in the evening by Mr. W. 11. SKihner.

In.these days of sordid.professionalism it is pleasing to find sport being,followed, for. sport's sake, remarks an exchange. A striking instance of.this was given at. the recent Tolago races, when a lady owner, whoso horsahad; been running without success at the meeting, was so overjoyed at winning the last race on the last day of the meeting that she rapturously ambraoed the secretary and several prominent officials of the club in full view of fcheeorowd on the lawn. The novelty came so unexpectedly to all the gentlemen concerned that they blushed so becomingly, and their embarrassment, was- Highly enjoyenjoyod By the crowd. According to the New. York Times, there are 6(i German and. Austrian merchant vessels laid up in. the.- ports of the United States or its island possessions. Their, gross tonnage is 5i«,708. -acl net tonnage 297,700. Kfty-fiva. of these ships fly the German, flag, while eleven are Austrian vessels. Thirty of the ships are at Now York,, eight at Boston, four each at New Orleans and Baltimore, three at Philadelphia, and eight, at Honolulu. The- Hamburg-Amerika line owns 28 of. the- ships,, and the North German Lloyd owns 15.. The- tonnage in ports of Continental United States is 483,678. They would accommodate 42;1'35 passengers.. The largest in. the list is the 54,000 ton Vaterland, with a crew of j 923 taen, tied up in Now York.

® A. public entertainer who . recently v came through Manaia was discussing the ' charges made by some of the public halls ia Taranaki (says the Witney I. "The prices asked in some instances," lie 15 said, "are nothing less than blackmail. 0 At one place not far from here I was asked £S for the use of the building, a though the entertainment was omy go- ? ing to last for an hour or so, and then there was the charge for lighting, I thought at first he was selling me 3 the - building outright, and I told him 1 s wasn't buying any real estate just then • and I believe it ia still on his hands. a You have in Manaia cue of the best • constructed halls I have seen\jn this J part of the coiiatry, but considering e the expense of getting out "here it would bring more business along if the charge - was just a little more- moderate." , The suggestion was put forward at the , meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterday that children attending the ( the Experimental Farm at Moumahaki . for instruction purposes should be carried free on the railway. It was pointed out by the chief inspector that children J were now carried free to the nearest t primary school, and also to the Technical College, under certain, conditions, 1 and the principle wight be extended to ' the Moumahaki State Farm. Farmers ' were taken to the farm at reduced rates, ! and the boys were taken on the same r terms, but he considered that it was a hardship thj.t the boys should have to i pay their fares when travelling for the . purpose of receiving instruction. The . suggestion will bo brought before the f General Manager of Railways. I Japanese rape seed having recently I been offered for sale in New Zealand, • *nd as considerable doubt existed as ' to_ whether this seed was of a variety suitable for fattening live stock, the . Secretary of Agriculture, Industries, i and Commerce, cabled to the British i Consul at Tokio on the 16th inst. as • follows:—"Is Japanese rape seed for- ! age variety of the annual oil-producing . kind J If both produced cable trade description former." A reply has just been i received from His Excellency the British Ambassador as under:—"Referring to I your telegram of March 16th, Japanese i rape seed mostly annual oil-producing , variety. Hokkaido grows foreign var- ; iety called Hamburg. A British firm in ■ Kobe has been exporting to Australia considerable quantities of Hokkaido seed ; under the name of Essex rape." This ' information should assist New Zealand ' importers to secure the proper variety and should.minimise the risk of getting ■ the comparatively useless bird-seed rape. , The inaugural meeting in connection . with the Wliiteley Club was held or ; Tuesday evening, when there was a very ' good attendance, despite the inclement weather. The Rev. A. B. Chappell piv- , sided, and outlined the work of the club. The enrolment of members, the adoption of the constitution, and the elcetio'n of officers occupied the greater part of the evening. Office bearers were elected as follows:—President, Rev. A. B. Chappell, M.A. (ex officio); vice-presidents, Mrs. W. W. Hughes, Miss Douglas, Messrs J. F. Arnold and

rotary and treasurer, Mr. P. E. Stamton; financial secretaries, Mr. C. Bottrill, M.A., and Miss Dalziel; convenors of committees: Devotional, Mr. 0. Carter; literary, Miss Hodder; musical and social, Miss K. Collis; enrolment, Miss Jemison; pianist, Miss 0. Ambury. 'Appointments to the various committee* were also made. Misses Douglas and Eie played pianoforte, solos during the evening, and supper was served. At the close of the. gathering a combined meetins of the committees was held. _' In connection with the cost of living in England, an amusing story is told of the disclosures of a cupboard, and

what an enraged husband learned when he inquired into his wife's apparent extravagance. One day, instead of sitting down to the familiar leg of mutton, he found it replaced by a wild duck. On the first occasion lie concealed ids

nervousness, but when a pheasant appeared a night or two later, and partridge had its turn, he began to wonder whether he had better see his wife's mother about it, Tlie line had to be drawn somewhere, with the cost of living rising every day. A few days later he was treated to woodcock, oysters, and hothouse pine, and then the surprised and horrified husband gave bis wife a piece of his mind. To his amawment he found that what he supposed to be an absurd jest was really a jood business proposition. Wliitstable oysters, formerly 2s fid per dozen (a coii-

trust to New Zealand prices), were , pleading for purchase at Is. Pines, for- ' nierly prohibitive, ranged from Is up- I wards. The poultry dealer confess! r . that woodcock, usually retailed at as jj each, had gone begging at 9d. Plieas- c ants are 5s !)d a brace instead of 7s fid. a Tvild duck may be had at 2s (id raVn. Fine hares are as low as 3s. Fish, in c spite of the fact that the Germans p. think they command the North S':.i, i was actually cheaper. s