LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 March 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., granted a renewal of the land agent's license held by Everard Robert Cranston Gilmour, New Plymouth. The secretary of the Home Boat Entertainment Committee will be at the luncheon marquee from noon to-day. Persons requiring luncheon tickets can obtain same from the secretary there. Four men left for camp yesterday morning from Inglewood—Messrs Dodd, Reeves, Hickton, and Harmell. Mr. H. Brown farewelled the men, for whom cheers were given as the train left the station. ' Donations amounting to £9 7s were contributed at an afternoon tea given by Mrs. Corney and held in the Pavilion at Kawaroa Park. The Mayoress gratefully acknowledges this amount, which has been handed to her for the Y.M.C.A. fund. • A Wellington press message states jthat inquiries concerning the Dunedin ( telegram forecasting an increase in coal prices, show that local coal merchants have received no information. It is believed, however, the increase will apply only to New Zealand coal; not to coal from Newcastle. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., judgment by default was given in tne following undefended cases: Cook and Lister v. A. Macfie, Oaonui, £4 (costs 15s); C. 0. Steffensen v. W. E. A. Woolby, £8 3s 9d ( £1 3s 6d); Barney Julian, New Plymouth, was ordered to pay £8 lis 8d forthwith to Marshall and Corey, Awatuna, in default seven days' imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended so long as 2s Cd per week is paid. Mr. 11. L. Spence has received word from the Secretary of the New Zealand Jersey Cattle Breeders' Association that his cow, "Sultan's Lass," has been awarded the gold medal for the cow producing in the four-year-old class the greatest amount of butter-fat above the amount necessary to qualify for the certificate of merit under semi-official test. Her record for 365 days was 580.41b but-ter-fat, the amount necessary to qualify being 314.61b. • Gout and its kindred disease, Rheumatism, are caused by excess urio acid in the blood. RHBUMO will cure you. 2s 6d and & 6d. >. 147

The Homo liner to berth at Moturoa to-day will not arrive till about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The banquet will take place at 1 o'clock as arranged, and tho sports will go on as advertised. On account of the lateness in arrival of the vessel, some of the shops will be open for business this morning. Five pupils at the New Zealand Flying School have passed their flight tests for the Royal Aero Club's pilot's, certificates, namely: TT. 11. Blaekwell (Kalnpoi),',T. Ta Foubister (fepsorn), D. G. George (Wellington), K. J. Gould (Napier), W. F. Warner (Cliristchursh).— Press Association.

The following are the names of the men from the Hawera district who left for camp yesterday:—C. T. Kenny, W. F. James, N. C. Shepherd (returned soldier), 11. J. Sullivan, J. S. Toshv.nl, and Pankhurst (Ashburtor.). There was a good muster of the public, who gave the recruits a hearty send-off. The Mayor officially said goodbye to the men.

The Hish' School Board on Monday made appreciative reference to the work of three or four members of the Fitzroy Fire Brigade. It.was stated that on the occasion of the/ reeent incipient outbreak of fire in the trees at the Girls' Boardinghouse the men .worked with buckets, remaining for several hours until all danger was past. It was resolved to make a donation of £1 Is to the Brigade. ' | 1 jf*;:* Whilst engaged in some excavation work in connection .with the levelling of the grounds at the Girls' High School, the workmen came across the gas pipe leading from the.Mangorei road to a residence burnt down some years ago. They removed a portion of this and the j Board received si claim, from the Gas Company for £5 for loss of gas. The ! Board at once gave the Gas Company notice to remove the pipes within 4S hours.

At Palmerston North yesterday the Conciliation Council sat to consider the Manawatu and Hawkc's Bay butchering trade dispute, in which an agreement was arrived at on all points. It was agreed to increase the wages of the general hands from £2 10s to a week, shopmen and small goodsmen to £3 liis, the hours to remain at 02 p;>r week. The apprentice clause was struck out, and provision made for the employment of boys and youths. A representative citizen, in conversation with a News reporter the other day, stated that ho thought we took our victories too - sedately. There should, he thought, be some little celebration. Important victories, like the capture of Bagdad, Bapaume and Peronne should be greeted with a little flag waving. This would encourage volunteering. As it was not even the flag at tho public buildings was down. He also suggested that instructions should be given to school teachers to give a short address to the children on the occasion of any victory. At the request of the* Citizens' Entertainment Committee, Mr. H. J. Okcy, M.P., communicated with the Minister of Internal Affairs, asking whether public servants could be granted a holiday to-day, in view of the importance of the occasion to the district. Yesterday he received a telegram that the matter was one for the Public Service Commissioner, with whom lie was communicating, f.ater advice was received by Air. Okcy from the Public Service Commissioner that it had been decided to close public offices as from noon.

A public meeting, attended by 1500 persons, was held at Auckland last night to consider the question of ft campaign against venerial diseases. It was resolved that the .serious inroads made ,by the disease on the public health, domestic and social life of the Dominion, require the most urgent step.} on the part of the Government, 'hospital hoards, Christian churches, and local bodies, and a. committee -was set up to arrange for a further meeting in furtherance of the campaign. The Hon. G. W. Russell, in a sympathetic speech, indicated that he was prepared to consider the granting of financial assistance to hospital boards in furtherance of the movement.—Press Association.

An acknowledgment of the parcels sent from New Plymouth by Mesdamcs H. Baily and D. K. Morrison to the Wellington Infantry Regiment in France has already been received from the Second Battalion, and by yesterday's mail the following letter was received by Hugh Baily, from the First Battalion, under date January 17: —"I am very glad to be able to inform you that all the parcels sent by Mrs. Baily and Mrs. Morrison have readied the battalion, and have been distributed to the men. They were very much appreciated, and "enabled the men to enjoy what might have been an unpleasant Christmas.—C. I'. D. Cook, major, commanding Ist Battalion, Wellington Infantry Regiment." Individual ladies who enclosed notes in parcels have also received personal letters of thanks and appreciation from the trbops.

The Shaw Savill and Albion Company's steamer which will bo the first ocean liner to visit the port of New Plymouth is likely to be followed very soon by a steamer of the New Zealand Shipping Company's line. Messrs Stocker & Humphries, local agc-nts of the company, received a telegram from Mr. Bennett, the company's manager, Christchurch, who wires:—''Please apologise to townspeople for the absence of myself and directors; we are having an important board meeting to-day. Captain Bone will probably visit you at the end of the week to report on the harbor. We hope to send a steamer shortly, provided the report is favorable." Captain Bone left Auckland by Tuesday night's express for New Plymouth, and will arrive tonight. Members of the High School Board at Monday's meeting expressed their gratification at the action of the Education Board in. installing a four-inch main along the street leading to the Girls' Boardinghouse. It was stated that the previous inch pipe gave so little pressure that ati times the hot-water service failed. Mr. Sladden suggested that the Board should instal in the middle of the 'building an inich' and a quarter stand-pipe, with .wheel valve and hose attached sufficient to load up and down the passage, in order to check any outbreak of fire. He felt very strongly on the subject, and thought) the Board should not take any risks. The girls were now having some fire drill. The old inch pipe, he stated, would have been of little use in case of fire, whilst 1000 feet of hose would have been necessary to carry a lead from the main. It was decided that the architect should be instructed to confer with the superintendent of the Fire Brigade on the matter, and that the ehairman should be given power to authorise the necessary installation.