LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 274, 29 April 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The name of the Mohakau School is to be altered to Kiore School. On a charge of drunkenness, a first offender was fined 03 at the New Plymouth Court yesterday. It is estimated that fully 1000 men are being employed on building contracts in Hastings at the present time. • A sitting of the Maori Land Court is at present being held at Opunakc. Judge J. B. Jack is presiding. There is a big attendance of Natives from all parts of Taranaki. 'A local farmer informed a Manawatu Standard reporter on Saturday that the shortage of rape seed would not so serionsly affect farmers in that district as 111 other parts. The sowing of Cape barley and oats would provide a good deal of winter feed. During a discussion at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterdav, the opinion was expressed by several members that children should not be kept in school during the dinner hour. No matter what circumstances arose, children should have a full hour at midday for dinner. The war is not affecting or holding up trade here to the same extent that it did some months ago (states the Dunedin correspondent of the Christchurch Press.) It is estimated that in big jobs alone over £IOO,OOO worth of work is in hand, or about to be started. "We are getting more like Taranaki every day," sajd Councillor Hodgins at a Lower Ilutt Council meeting. "Property throughout New Zealand is 300 per cent, above its real value, and to say that land at Mungaroa is worth £4O per acre is absurd." Tie death occured at Palmerston on Saturday of Mr. James Henley, a former old resident of the town. Deceased, who was seventy-one years of age, left three sons and one daughter. He had been living for the past two years with his son in Pahiatua, and had been an inmate of the hospital for the last month. A local farmer, wlio lias been on a visit to Canterbury, states that the pastures are very dry there. He saw more grass in a paddock in the Manawatu than in the whole of that part of Canterbury over which he travelled. Good sheep, he states/were being sold at Amberley for 4s. a head for the wool only and it was even very hard to obtain bids for them. A child, seven years old, named Jack Evans, son of Mrs. Evans, of Inglewood, had a narrow escape fram a serious accident at Inglewood on Saturday," being knocked down and run over by a motorcar. Fortunately, he fell between the wheels, and thus escaped serious injury. At yesterday's meeting 01 the Taranaki Education Board, a letter was received from the Technical School Advisory Committee, recommending that Miss Margaret Menzies be appointed assistant mistress in French and commerial subjects at the Technical School. The board agreed to the appointment of Miss Menzies. One of the bridges near the Opua Bond, on the Main South Eoad, between New Plymouth and Opunake, bears every appearance of having suffered by some heavy vehicle, probably a bullock waggon, having collided with it, as the whole of' the hand railing and supports have been completely torn away. In its present condition the bridge is a danger to traffic.

-dominations for the vacancies in the three wards of the Parihaka Eoad Board closed on Tuesday. Messrs. J. Young and T. Harvey, the retiring members respectively for Oaouui and Pungarehu U ards, were returned unopposed. For the Rahotu Ward, Messrs. A. F. Chapman and S. M. Willoughby are contestin;.' tlie seat with the retiring member, MivC. 0. Green. Not wealth, hut selfish wealth, is the present danger of society. Capitalism, as most political economists hold, always has been and still is necessary to tilt full activity of labour. But Christianity lays an imperious obligation upon capitalists. It teaches them that riches, if not sinful, arc yet spiritually dangerous. It declares that they are" not justified in acquiring wealth "by any means which degrade and demoralise their fellow citizens.—Bishop YV'elldon. In a letter from the trenches, one writer says: —I want to warn you against the average ''letter from the front," where Private T. Atkins writes home to admiring friends of his thrilling I experiences and hair-breadth escapes. I assist in the censoring of our men's letters home, and if this company had gone through one-tenth of the experiences related I herein 1 am sure every man would lie covered with decorations for bravery. What it will be like when we really span the distance between us and the trenches T shudder to contemplate. W. If. and A. Mcfiarry, of Eltham, advertise a fresh li»t of dairy farms for sale or exchange. The Melbourne Clothing Company's stock of colonial white blankets aliords the finest selection and lowest prices obtainable on this coast. All wool threequarter size blankets, 18s Gd per pair. Full double bed size blankets, 23s 6d and 2Ss Cd per pair. Extra large blankets, finest quality, 28s 6d and 34s fid per pair. Ail from the famous Bruce, Petone and South Canterbury woollen mills.

The Earl of Cromer, who has just celebrated his seventy-fourth bjrthday, helps to supply one of the few instances of brothers being created peers. Seven years before he was raised to the peerage, in 1892, Ms brother, Edward Charles Baring, was treated Lord Revolstoke. There are two other peorages in the Baring family, the Earldom of Northbrook and the Baronyi of Ashlmrton. May 1 will mark the 2oth anniversary of the consecration of his Lordship Bishop Julius in C'liristchurch.. It is understood that Bishop Julius has expressed the wish that the celebration should not bo onmte in character, and consequently no public function is contemplated. May 1 is also the date of the Feast of (St. Phillip and St. James. The Bishop will be celebrant at Iloly Communion at 7.1,') a.m. that day. and it is understood that at 12.30 p.m". the sanle day a presentation of a light pastoral staff, to be used in his Lordship's visitations in the diocese, will be made by the clergy of the diocepu.. Among the many distinguished soldiers whose names are published in the official roll of honor, one notes with interest that of Captain Walter Joseph Maxwell-Scott, of the Cainerons. Captain Maxwell-Scott is the fourth in descent from Sir Walter Scott, 'being the eldest son of the Hon. Mr. Maxwell-Scott of Abbotsford, whose mother was Lockliart'a daughter, and the grand-daughter of the great novelist. The military feeling has always been strong in the Scott family. Sir Walter himself was an enthusiastic volunteer during the period when Napoleon threatened invasion. His son, the second Sir Walter, became a lieutenant-colonel in the Hussars, and Lockhart'a only son, Walter Scott Lockhart-Scott, was a cornet in the dragoons at his death. Captain Maxwell-Scott continues the military traditions of the family, while his mother sustains the literary. Exclusive of the Awapuni Home at Palmerston, there are 18 Old People's Homes in New Zealand, and the total cost of maintaining them is £44,582. The average cost per month is £35, as against £lO9 in the general hospital. Nurse Maude, who was elected Queen of the Carnival in C'liristchurch, is to be presented with a motor car. For some years past almost everyone in Christchurch has seen Nurse Maude, bound on some errand of mercy, mounted on an ordinary push-bicycle. It appeared to Mr. W. S. (iodfrc.y, one of the members of the Federal Club, that a more up-to-date means of locomotion should be provided, and about a fortnight ago he initiated a movement amongst the members of the club which was heartily taken up, with the result that contemporaneously with the crowning of Nurse Maude as Queen of the Harvest Festival, the 3um necessary for the purchase of a suitable ear was subscribed.

In discussing the financial market and tendency towards an increased supply of money, a well-known Auckland bitsinc-s man remarked in an interview : •'Funds are accumulating, and it should now be possible for loc:iI bodies to raise loans at 5 per cent. There seems to ,;e Jittle disposition on the part of holders to invest money in investment stocks o; landed properties, and they must tln'refore allow their funds to remain on deposit in the banks or else seek such first - class investments as the debentures of our local bodies offer. Mortgages for the time being are not in great favour for investment purposes, this being due to an expectation that when the war in over the rates of the interest will be materially increased. In all probability, however, this will not be so. There has been no material rise in the rate of interest since the war began, this being accounted for by the fact that the banks as a rule have not raised the rates on advances." Mr. 0. W. Hcan, who has Just returned to Wanganui from an extended business trip to Australia, says the drought over there has resulted most disastrously. He travelled a thousand miles through various parts of Australia, over the greater portion of which there was not a blade of grass to be seen. In South Australia there has been little .r no rain for two years, as a result of which the once beautiful gardens of Adelaide—the pride ofAustralia—presented a sorry picture. Ballarat, another garden city of the Commonwealth, has also suffered sorely, flowers and shrubs in the gardens are withered or dead, and the fine lake there has shrunk to half its normal size. Over the greater part :■{ Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland there is the same sad story to tell. In Victoria Mr. Hean saw cattle sold it 5s a head which twelve months ago would have bought from £8 to £lO. Thousands of farmers in the several States are receiving assistance from the Government. The drought broke a ago, when copious rain fell in most,parts of Australia. Auskland oysters will be available in New Plymouth next week as the season opens on Saturday. The prospects for tho season are reported to lie such as to indicate a plentiful supply. Arrangements have been made for the picking to commence at Ponui, or Qiamberlain's Island, opposite Waiheke, where the beds were not touched last season, and also at Russell. At Ponui 20 men will be employed, a larger number than last year. The oysters there are described as being excellent in quality and condition. It is intended to initiate the seaBon with a supply of about 50 sacks, half from Ponui and half from Russell. A record quantity is reported to be available from the beds of the Hauraki Gulf and Russell. The prices to be charged have been lived at the same rates as previously, namely, 13s (id per sack locally, and 14s f.o.b. steamer or train for outside districts. Small quantities will also be sold at Is per five dozen, and 3s per kerosene tin full. Compiii' ons are always odious —when tl.ey are wrong! At the last meeting of the New Plymouth Hospital Board, the chairman stated that the proportion of receipts from the patients compared more than favorably with any other hospital in the Dominion. Now, from figures supplied by the secretary (Mr. T. narry Penn) of the Stratford Hospital, it seems that the sun shines more brightly on Stratford than New Plymouth! Always remembering the difference in the scale of the institutions, the following yearly figures do not bear out Mr. : Bo]lringer's remarks:—New Plymouth Hospital, average, day's stay 27.57, Stratford 22.53. Average number of patients in New 'Plymouth 53.4!), compared to 14.4. Average cost per day Os 5%d, as opposed to Ss 3d. Patients' payments 2s 10% d (total £2875), compared to Stratford's 3s !)'/,d (total £!)!E). Number of paticnts,under treatment in New Plymouth 70S ("£4 Is 3d per patient), in comparison with 233 patients and £4 5s 2d per patient in Stratford.—Post.

A Kaimata resident reports a crop of Northern Star potatoes of between l. r > and 10 tons to the acre, and "sound ill wind and limb." in, the ease of one important suburlinn school in Auckland only one man was found willing to serve on the committee Any doubt as to whether, the unfortunate young man, IVarce, reached the summit of Mount Egmont was set at rest by the discovery of a message signed by the unfortunate man, by * party of thirteen who reached taostop from the Stratford Mountain on Sunday, in all, nineteen left the house to reach the summit, which eonstitutcs something like a recor 1 —Stratford Post. Another old identity of this district passed away on Tuesday, when the death occurred at his residence in tfram;!ey Ko.ul of Mr. John Crozier. Deceased, who hud reached the ripe age of eighty-nine years, came to New Zear land in 1545, and to the Tarana'ki district a few years later. He belonged to the 05th Regiment, and on hi» arrival was appointed sergeant of the Militia. He served through the Maori war, and subsequently settled down to business as a butcher, and eventually aa a. farmer in this district. The following telegrams have passed between the member for Egmont and the Prime Minister:—" Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P., Eltliam. Replying to your telegram of the 22nd instant, representatives of cheese exporters duly conferred with me. Subsequently, I brought the matter before the Overseas Shipping Committee, who expect to clear nearly all the cheese next month. April 24, 1915." " Right Hon. W. F. Massdy, Wellington. Your telegram regarding cheese will give great satisfaction to dairy producers in Taranalci Province. I am satisfied that farmers generally appreciate your prompt action regarding shipping matters during the war period.—(J. 'A, Wilkinson."—Hawcra Star. ~ . On the question whether a school teacher could punish a child under seven years of age for non-attendance at school, there was some discussion at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board. A mother of a pupil at the Mimi School wrote, stating that her child had been punished by her teacher for not attending school, but the parent pointed out that the child wag under seven years of age and therefore could not be compelled to attend school. Members discussed what control a school teacher had with a pupil under seven years, and eventually the matter was left in the hands of the chairman.

Speaking at the meeting of householders at Stratford, Mr. fckoglund, chairman of the committee, advocated the establishment of a separate High hchool. He said that, as far aa tfle present High School was concerned, 200 ;n;pils were in attendance, and the fact that half of that number came from outside districts showed that people outfii'le the borough recognised the facilities in Stratford, and preferred them to New Plymouth and Hawcra. Mr. Sole spoke of the great success of the propent District High School, and doubted whether the proposed change would be tin advantage. However, the meeting carried a resolution in favor of a separate high school. Writing from Mangaria, Cook Islands, on April 2nd., an Auckland Herald correspondent reports a sad drowning accident. A native boy, about seven years of age, was fishing in a pool in the roof when the tide was out, together with other children, at some distance from the settlement of Oneroa. He went under water, and put his hand and arm in a hole after a fish, when his hand became jammed so that ho could not withdraw it. His little brother tried to help him, but could not free him. Several natives were fishing some distance away. A woman first came to the scene, but she could not get the boy's hand free. She cried for help, and a man came and got him out, but it was too late. Incidents occasionally happen that are calculated to make the average sceptical Britisher wonder whether the shopkeeper-. is sincere when he protests that the only reason for stocking German goods is that the purchaser will have them on account of cheapness. Recently, in a hauling Auckland store, a customer asked to be supplied with enamel cups. On every one of the articles tendered for h'n inspection was the inscription "Made in Germany." The purchaser pointed this out to the shopkeeper and asked for a British article. Thero was no choice in the matter. Even in such a common article of manufacture the buyer, who was desirous of cutting out the enemy goods, could only be supplied with the German article—the only one stocked. Truly, we are a patriotic people. To use a " man in the street" expression, the Rev. G. Dent, vicar of All Saints', has his work "cut out" on Sundays. For some time past 'Mr. Dent has been conducting five servicea on that day, and the parishioner! have felt that that is too much. At last evening's meeting of parishioners Mr. G. H. Buckeridge expressed, the opinion that Mr. Dent should be given an assistant curate. In other places much smaller than Eltham the viear had the services of an assistant. He would guarantee the sum of £26 per annum for the first three years towards -the stipend. The parishioners are to be asked to guarantee the remainder of the stipend, and it was finally decided that the C.K.M.S. and the vestry take the matter in hand.—Eltham Argus.

Aii interesting page out of the histcry of the Maori War is forwarded by a correspondent, who writes a eulogy of the late Mr Felix M'Guire. "Ha did good service in the Maori War," ho writes, "being mentioned in the despatches for hravery in the field, and promoted. He had his last, serious brush with the Maoris in the provincial district of Auckland, at the capturing of the Maori position at Te Ranga on 21st June, 1K(!4. On that occasion tho Natives using their guns and tomahawks, fought with the greatest bravery and determination, but they were unable to resist the torrent of steel that swept upon them like a wave. Most of the Maoris were killed in the bayonet charge, 08 bodies lay dead in the rifle pits. The loss of the Natives was K0 killed and 37 wounded. The Natives who had effected their escape were pursued for several miles by the defence force, who sabered many of them. Numbers of them, however, escaped across gullies and swamps, where they could not be pursued, but doubtless many of them perished in the swamps and gullies while retreating. Many of the leading chiefs were amongst the slain, together with tho flower of the Ngaitarnngi tribe. The list of casualties on the part of the troops consisted of IS non-commissioned officers and privates killed, and I! officers and 33 non-commissioned officers and privates wounded. In recognition of the services performed by the forces, a vote of thanks was passed by both Houses of the New Zealand Legislature." This engagement broke tho back of the war in the Auckland province. The modern newspapor requires very little to recommend it as the advertising medium par excellence. Ita merits are obvious, and are so thoroughly recognised that all the most enterprising merchants consider an outlay on Newspaper Advertising as the first e«sential to success.