LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"Newton's King's Day" at Inglewood on Saturday realised £l2O. At the Supreme Court Masterton, yes. terday, Albert Jones was found guilty of forging the name of a deceased man to a promissory note, and was fined £6O. The native clematis is blooming exceptionally well this season. In and around New Plymouth portions oY, the bush are quite festooned with the beautiful flowering creeper. Huddart Parker's Wellington manager received advice from Melbourne that the .half-yearly interim dividend to June 30 last has been declared at the rate.of 3 per cent, on preference shares and 4 per pent, on ordinary Bhare3.

At the New Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., plaintiffs secured judgment in the following undefended cases:—J. S. Fox (Mr. A. 0. Lawrey) v. Tautini fiopa (Taupiri) £lO 18s, costs £2 Ss 6d; John Tfiylor (Mr. 11. R. Billing) v. James Fraser. (malinger of Mokau Syndicate, Palmerston North), £4O, costs £2 14s. Tho Australasian invasion of American filmdom continues, und the last star to make a hit is Sylvia Bremer, w>io will be featured with Chaa. Ray in the Triangle success, "The Pinch Hitter." at the Empire to-morrow. Slie is an adorable brunette, with quite a new type of beauty, and she acts with splendid iverve. "The Pinch Hitter" ia'a peculiar title, but means "the last hope of his side" and 13 drawn from the slang of baseball, of which many fine scenes are shown in the picture. Mrs. Griffey, wife of Mr. Griffey, hairdresser, of Waitara, a returned soldier, died at the New Plymouth Hospital yesterday while under an anaesthetic. "She was undergoing an operation for goitre, Drs. Walker, Fookes and Wade being in attendance, and it was just about completed when she suddenly collapsed from heart failure. An inquest will be opened at 11 a.m. to-day. Extraordinarily high wages are now being paid by Swedish and Norwegian shipowners to crews of vessels running the U-boat blockade of the British Isles. In steamers chartered to the 'north-east coast, ports masters are paid £6O a month, chief officers £4O, and second ] mates £3O, while even messroom boys who attend on. engineers receive £2O monthly.

The conscience of a sneak-thief is admittedly of a highly elastic nature, but one would think that when it caino to stealing the property of a returned soldier, even the most case-hardened thief yould have some compunction. However, this was not so at Dunedin recently, when Mr. William Joyce, who has not long returned from active service, .had his coat and returned soldiers' badgo stolen from a hedge, where it had been placed while the owner was assisting a friend to erect a fence on his ■property at the top of Stafford street. At last night's jneeting of tho New Plymouth Patriotic Society, the chairman explained that the money granted by the Women's Patriotic Committee to the Returned Soldiers' Association came out of their own funds, i.e., from the Mart proceeds, etc., and not from |he amounts handed to tliem by the Patriotic Committee. Ho also mentioned that the money being raised by the Returned Soldiers' Association was not intended for tho local Soldiers' Club, but for augmenting the general funds of the Association. Mr. Burgess added that, he was desirous of making these points clear.

Each week new film stars are spring-, ing to the front., and not too slowly but very surely are pushing tho early stars into the background. Yesterday June Caprice and Enid Bennett were unknown, to-day they aro in tho forefront of film 3tars, and others are springing up equally quickly, as shown by Sylvia Bremer's success in her first feature, "The Pinch Hitter." The secret of the new stars' success is mainly that they are bringing brains and variety as tlicir credentials, and twith ordinary opportunities success ia assured. Pictjiro-goers will seo a number of now stars at the top of the film circle during the next 'twelve months whose names at present are unknown.

The manner in which people behave during the playing of the National Anthem was the subject of comment at last night's meeting of tile New Plymouth Patriotic Committee. Mr. J. R. Hill said that as soon as the first bar was played at the pictures and elsewhere tho people stampeded. Tho chairman pointed out that for a long time the playing of the National Anthem was the sign to "clear out." Now, it had a different significance. At tho railway station on tho occasion of the departure of tho soldiers, the public, after the first part was played, simply tore off and inistied the band in their eS'orts to get away. He intended to ask the public in future to stay on the platform until the Anthem was finished. A member suggested they should start with the children and instruct them, and express*l an opinion that Mr. Hill could profitllily employ some of his time in this •lirection at the various schools. there's nothing like a good lawn to hjirove the value of your property.. Get - '".'STH BRITISH RUBBER CO. garU hose and you can laugh at the driest | 5 All hardware dealera.

It was stilted at a sitting of the Military Service Board (says the Wanganui Chronicle) that owing to the high cost of living the cost of a child's upkeep in Wanganui at the present time was fully 15s a week. The chairman of the board, )l ri ?• Cooper, S.M., said that in Wellington the cost was reckoned at about 10s a week.

Miss Ida Mann, M.A., aged 29 a teacher at the Lyttelton School, who was on two months' sick leave from the Lytteltorf School for A nervous breakdown, was staying at Timarn with an uncle. She was apparently recovering, i'.nd on Saturday evening was quite cheerful. She went to. bed, but during the night she got up without disturbing anyone, and next morning was found dead.

With the calling up of men of the Second Division many problems willeome to light, one of which will be the conservation of tlio businesses of many of the men. Recognising that it will be an undue Hardship to a man who lias spent many years in building up a business here to sacrifice it, and at the end of tlio war to make an entirely new start, the chairman of the Hamilton Patriotic Committee on Saturday sent the following telegram to the Premier:— Hamilton Patriotic Committee desires to know if steps are being taken to safeguard the businesses of the Second Division men. The committee considers that in many concerns an amalgamation of business interests could be brought about that would equalise or prevent unnecessary sacrifice."

A New Plymouth mother with five boys at the front recently applied to the authorities for a widowed mother's allowance. The secretary of the Board wrote as follows: ''l regret to inform you that you are not eligible for the allowance, as you have five sons serving with the forces, all of whom have made allotments in your favor.'' The matter was discussed at last: night's meeting of the Patriotic Society. It was shown that though the allotments had been madp, the sons were drawing heavily by cable upon their allotments, and" the position was that the mother could not meet their demands and support" herself and those of her children left. If the mother only had one or two boys at the front she would receive the widowed mother's allowance without demur. Because, however, she had five, she was penalised. A member stated that the Second Division League were aware of similar cases of injustice, and had passed a resolution that the Government should 'take the places of the soldier son s and give a mother or other dependent the financial help received from them in civilian life, within reasonable limits. The case was referred to the War Mef Association to take up with the Government.

In the course of the breach of promise action at the Supreme Court

ehurch a large bundle of letters was produced, and counsel for plaintiff read extracts. The sentiments and terms expressed were familiar, and consistent wijfi the correspondence of an* engaged couple, but there did not appear to be direct statements as to marriage. Counsel produced from tho correspondence a sketch map showing the course of the "True Love River,'' and the way points well marked, and leading to the "Sea of Marriage." Counsel compared the course with tile development of relations between the parties. Thcrn was "Meeting Point," "Kiss' Ford," "Rich Rival Point," '■ Cove," "Ring Cape," and so forth. "Quite so," remarked Mr. Justice Deiiniston, "but where is 'Engagement Point V' Is that not the point you wish to arrive at?" "Yes," replied counsel, "and it i a marked in the "True Love River' map as 'Betrothal Bend.'" "It is jicll named "Bend,"' replied His Honor, "if it is agreed that all engagements are not 'straight'; but in this ease it is very necessary for you to roach 'Engage,ment Point.'"

Unbleached sheeting, 72 inches wide, la lid yard at the Melbourne's reduction sale. Other Manchester -bargains at thtf sale are Horroekses' 30-hu'h calico, 7s lid dozen; "Advance' navy drill, Is 3d yard; large white and colored towels, lj l'ld pair; Horroekses' pyjama flannelettes, Sli inches wide, Is 3d yard. Buy nyw. You'll not regret it.