LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The one-armed man Leckie, convicted of manslaughter at Hamilton, has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labor.

It is satisfactory to know tliat the gale of the last two days has not materially damaged the vegetation in Pukeknra Park. Some cleaning up mid rubDish burning lias to be done, and will bo proceeded with at once.

Tlie luxuries to be dispensed at the Mart on Saturday, accountants' and land agents' day, wilt include butter and cheese from Oxford, Brooklands, White Clili's, Waitnitoi, Omata and Frankley Road factories. ,

A race track story, with some dandy good pictures of the track, its crowds, and the horses running in the race, coupled with a story of whirlwind intensity, make the Fox feature "Stporting Blood" at Everybody's to-night one of the best of recent pictures. A Maori girl, daughter of Arahori, of F.ahotu, picked up a bottle oil the beach there the other day,. containing names and a message from some of the boys on the way to the front, The message is as follows: "Reinforcements four days out from home, jill well. Will return after a splendid victory. Please communicate with newspapers in New Zealand." The names are: Privates E. A. King, J. K. R. Little, W. Richardson, W. C. McNab, T. J. Malone, R. Redmond. An attempted runaway caused considerable excitement in Devon street yesterday morning. An express owned by Mr. A. Knight was standing alongside the kerbing near Liardet street, when the horses took fright and dragged the express down Devon street, eart-ying away the signpost in front of Mr. J. Abbott's shop. One of the animals fell in the gutter near Mr. Price's shop, bringing the runaways to a sudden stop. After kicking desperately the other horse came down too. A crowd quickly gathered, and the horses .were soon extricated, apparently not much the worse for the adventure.

At a meeting of the New Plymouth Central School Committee, on Tuesday evening, the headmaster reported that the attendance for the past four weeks had been 544, 554.9, 54U.2 and 573.9, an average of 555 for the four weeks, being 91 per cent, of the average roll of 015. The present roll is 019. The number 'on the roll at Vogeltown is 45, with an average of 41. Twenty pupils had been admitted during the month, and 11 had left. It was decided to congratulate the headmaster on the excellent report of the senior inspector on the work of the school. The matter of Bible lessons was left to the Ministers' Association to ar? range with the headmaster. A vote of thanks was passed to Messrs Movcrley and May for a scale plan of the school grounds with suggestions as to the arrangement of flower beds. It was' resolved to apply to the Education Board for additional assistance at the Courtenay street school, where the roll is IS7 ; with two assistants and a pupil teacher, giving Miss O'Rorke a class of 80. It was decided to also ask the board to supply a heater for the Vogeltown school as soon as possible.

The winning number of the Empire Day doll competition is. 152. Will the person holding that number please call at the Women's Patriotic Rooms?

All the proceeds from the sale of "NoBuboiii;; .-iuiiulry ilelp exhibit will be devoteu to the mayoress' Soldiers' Comforts Fund. Visitors to the show are kindly requested to make n note of this in their "thinker" note book.

"I'm done with you; you jar me,'' is Mary Pickford's quaint farewell as she limps away from her horse after her first riding lesson in "The Girl of Yesterday." Mary's quaint actions leave no doubt i about whore she has been "jarred," and 'cause tho audience to rock with laughter. "Tho Girl of Yesterday" will be finally scrcowd at tho Empire to-night. Tho Auckland Auxiliary of the Baptist Union recorded a strong protest against "the gross injustice i being inflicted upon the manhood of military age by the continued exemption of Marist Brothers by military service boards; to these private sectarian schools," it is asserted, "is beI ing extended a consideration which is denied to any other teachers, to the detriment of the Dominion." The auxiliary called upon the Government to lake action at once to remedy "Ibis great wrong to the Protestants of tho Dominion, and school teachers in punicular."

IV action brought hy Private C. Hill against tiie Waipawa Hospital Board for £3OOO damages, for injuries alleged to be sustained throufh X-rav burns, after hanging over the heads of the ratepayers of tho hospital district for six months, has been settled bv the payment to Hill of £l?.O0, The details of the settlement have not yet 'been finn 11 v decided, but there is good authority for slating that half the amount is to be paid by the Governmmt and half hy the Board. Private 'Hill was badly burned hy X-rays at the Dannevirke Hospital, and has suffered much excruciating agony.

The value of the gracing industry ol the Dominion of the sending of its produets to the soldiers now fighting the cause of civilisation was emphasised by Air. J. G. Ilorkr.ess, chairman of the conference of North Auckland dairy factory representatives. The herds of Europe, he pointed out, Imd been depleted for immediate, food purposes, and soldiers who had acquired the taste for beef and mutton while in the armies would require those products to be supplied to them in times of peace. For these reasons he anticipated a good market for New Zealand's output for years to come.

The opening of the farmers' conference in connection with the Taranaki Agricultural Society's winter show, was fixed for yesterday, the first item on the programme being an address by Mr. A. Morton on ''The Dairy Industry." Owing to various difficulties arising out of the boisterous weather, the attendance at, the appointed hour was small, and a postpi.,icnient until to-dav was decided upon, the president of the society, Mr ,T. Connett, remarking that it Would scarcely be fair to ask Mr. Morton to address so sparse a gathering, and that there would lie ample time to-day to hear the address lie had kindly consented to deliver, and afterwards deal with the other subjects selected for the conference.

| A meeting of the committee of the New Plymouth Society for tlui Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held yesterday afternoon, and attended b v Mrs. Martin, Miss Wilson, the Rev. Harvey. Messrs ,T. Paton, T. Hirst, E. Lash, and R. C. Hughes. Mr. Hirst was voted to the chair. A letter was received drawing attention to cases of alleged cruelty in ft country district, and it was resolved to confer with the sub-inspector of police. The secretary reported the formation of d Band of Mercy in connection with tho West End School. A report was received from Archdeacon Evans and Mr. ITiiv.t on the proposed series of competitive essays by members of the various Bands of Mercy, and after some discussion further consideration was adjourned. Attention was drawn by n member to the bad condition of Fulford street near the hospital grounds, it having recently taken the driver of a tradesman's cart an hour and a half to get his horse out of a nuulhole, and it was decided to make representations on the matter to the proper authorities.

In the course of an interview in Cliristchureh the following suggestion ■was put to Dr. Truby King:—"One has heard it suggested that in its efforts to keep down infantile mortality the 'Plunket Society may sometimes be instrumental in keeping alive children who it would be better should not survive; in other words, its operation may tend sometimes in the direction of the survival of the unfit or degenerate!" Dr. King answered: "This point was often raised in the early stages of the society's existence, but one rarely hears it nowadays, and never in Dunedin, in connection with the Karitane Hospital. Indeed, one of our rules is never to admit a child known to be congenitally defective, that is, defective in the sense that ,if it grew up it would bo an imbecile or mentally defective. It is very curious how well-meaning people will say onhand about a child that does not happen to bo thriving or who is very ill. wasted and emaciated, that it would be better dead, when they would never think of making such a remark with regard to an adult. John Burns, in his opening address at the great London Conference on Infant Mortality, some years ago, said in his emphatic way; '[ do not belong to the better dead school,'| and received a very hearty round of applause for his remark. The fact is that the experience of all of us 'who have intimately (associated with work of this kind the- world over found that the children whom the people would lightly dub as better dead turn out just as well as others when they receive proper humane care and attention.

More bargains at the Melbourne Ltd's great reduction sale. Large white towels, with red striped border, Is lid pair; men's all-wool knitted socks, two pairs for Is lid; black Mosgiel fine knitted socks, Is fid pair; men's boxed suits, all wool Roslyn tweed, well cut, 455; double bed white marcella quilts, 14s Cd; extra large heavy brown towels, 2s Gd pair. Incomparable bargains.