LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mayoress of New Plymouth wishes to thank the Okato Sports Committee for a donation of £2O towards the upkeep of the Soldiers' Club.

In connection with yesterday's entertainment of the school children, the Mayoress (Mrs.. C. H. Burgess) desires to acknowledge her indebtedness to the Taranaki Amusements, Ltd., for the use of the two theatres, to Mrs. George, for arranging the music at each place, to the Citizens' Band for its assistance, and to Mr. R. Day, who undertook the marshalling of the procession and the allocation of the children to the separate theatres.

Giving evidence before the Military Service Board at Palmerston North, a flourmiller said that the Government should prohibit the making of white flour, and people would then all be compelled to eat brown .bread. In this way experts employed in flourmills would be released for military service. Witness added that the Government seemed to value the flourmilling industry, as his firm had been requested by a Government official to be specially careful about fire.

Tho following is the full programme given at the patriotic concert at Pungarelm last week: Overture (piano and violin), Mrs. Pope and Mr. Norris; song, "The King's Messenger," Mr. Knight; song, "Till the Sands of the Desert Grow Cold," Mr. T. Hughson; recitation, "Timmie's Ball," as encore "Alexander," Miss Ida Hedderwick; song, "Will o' the Wisp," as encore "The Diver," Mr. A. Smith; sons. "Mother Machree." Mr. Knight; song, "Thora," Mr. S. Goodin; recitation, "Drifting Out to Sea," Mr. R. Hughson; song, "When You Come Home," Rev. C. Addenbrooke; song, "There's a Ship that's bound for Blighty," Mr. Mackay; recitation, "Handed Down," Miss Hedderwick; song, "I Wish I Were Single Again," Mr. Wall; musical revue by the Wim Warn Niggers. The accompanists were Mrs. Pope and Miss Hughson.

Reports received by Mr. W. H. Skinner, Commissioner of Crown Lands in Canterbury, show that lteas, in spite of the price on their heads and systematic destruction, are increasing in numbers and are taking unDrecedented toll from (locks in the high country of this province. In the Lees Valley, between the Wairnakariri and Hurunui Rivers, there has (been heavy destruction, and the manager of the Esk Head Station, south of Lake Sumner, states that about eighteen months ago an expert trapper employed by him to decoy and kill keas was paid for (100 head. . Mr. Skinner's information shows that the birds have become a serious menace to sheepowners in some districts.

A town of "about a dozen people and five hundred folks'' is the witty description applied to the plaee where "Sudden Jim" goes to fight for the existence of his business position, and learns the stern truth about life. However, by virtue of boundless pluek, and after many bitter days, the young man flnd6 both success and happiness with the girl JmJotm. To-njgfct at the Empire,

"ir Robert Stout had a very doughty letter in the London Times recently, giving certain cogent reasons why lie regards the retention of Samoa as necessary, not only from the liritish point of view, but from that of the natives themselves.

A splendid record of school attendance was recently reported to the Nelson Education Board, it being stated that a child six years of age walked twelve miles daily to and from the little Wanganui School.

In addressing the Farmers' Conference in Masterton, the president said: City people complain that the cost of living baa increased very considerably, and apparently many think that the farmer is to blame for this. My experience is that the farmer takes what is offered him for bis produce; the actual selling price is settled by the law of supply and demand, and if a producer goes for less than the ruling market price the only result would be that the middleman would make a larger profit, but the consumer, in most cases, would pay exactly the same.

A startling announcement .in respect to the depredations of rabbits in parts of the King Country and Waikato is contained in a remit drawn up by the Maihilii branch of the Farmers' Union for consideration at the Provincial Conference, now sitting in Auckland, The remit states llmt in the district under review the nuisance has reached such a stage that if special legislation be not enacted to meet the trouble, the rabbits will put many farmers entirely out of business This has been 'brought about, by the large number of sections left vacant or neglected owing to the war difficulties, having become breeding grounds for the. vermin, and exaggerated a situation already intolerable. As a means of combating the evil, it is asked that Government be. approached with a view to getting legislation passed, empowering local bodies to borrow money for the nurpose of supplying settlers with the netting necessary to fence their sections, rating the sections to pay interest and sinking fund.

GiSbonio's storajre battery tramway system has created a great deal of controversy in that town since its inception over five years ago- The Borough Council has been bearing a substantial loss 011 the working of the tramways, and within the last lew months a proposal to scrap the system was seriously discussed. The supporters of the storage buttery system, headed by ex-Mayor W. D. Lysnar, were emphatic that should the track <bc extended to the suburbs the system would be a payable proposition The track at present runs a little over two miles up the main road, and until just recently much leys that distance. So confident was Mr f/vsnar of the future of the system that he made an offer to the Council to complete the system to the suburbs, on lines laid down by him when Mayor, within seven months, at a eosn to the Council not exceeding £ 1 >7,000. Mr Lysnar also offered to pay any difference between the revenue and the expenses, excluding interest and sinking fund, the profits, if any, to become the property of the Council. The Borough Council lias accepted Mr Lysnar's offer, which also includes the placing in commission of three new ears and necessary plant, to bo procured from America within the seven months.

Remarkably interesting comparisons in favour of New Zealand were madle by the Hon. G. W. Russell at tho gathering at the municipal chambers on Thursday afternoon (says the Stratford Post). Speaking of the position of New Zealand and iier prospects, the Minister said tliat Hie mere he studied the progress that had been made by this little country during the last thirty or forty years, the more impressed lie was with the idea that Sew Zealand, next to the Mother Country, was the most priceless gem in the Imperial Crown. When they came, as they might some day, to realise tho reason upon which he based such a conclusion, they would not be surprised at all. In New Zealand they kid' the healthiest country in the world, the death rate being tihe lowest- The country had been settled only seventy or eighty voars, yet it had the largest volume of trade per head of any country in the world. It exported more per head of the papulation in the way of primary products tiian any country in the world. The long list of claims of what it was doing was quite surprising, New Zealand stood as the tenth country in the world for her sheep flocks. .And when he said country he meant ihat he took the whole of the United states as one country, or Russia, or Turkey, or the whole of Australia, and vet for all that New Zealand was the tenth. Further, she was 'better than any of thorn as far as the weight of her wool was concerned- The Minister said he was sure his listeners would be proud to know what the position was, and they should bear in mind that., as part of New Zealand, Taranaki was one of the prize-parts.

The Torquay Times devotes a column or two to the question of the welfare of English girls who are going out to New Zealand as the wives of returning soldiers. Nearly a hundred girls had left the borou°lh under these circumstances In the previous week-end, and the Times was doubtful whether they all understood what t'hev were going to do. Their iinxietv must have been a good deal relieved 'by an interview with a New Zealand gentleman who lives at Torquay, ile painted quite a reassuring picture as far as the great majority of the girls are concerned, provided they go with their minds made up to help their husbands to the greatest extent for a few years with the ofbjeot of becoming independent- Unfortunately, the New Zealand gentleman is made to refer to Maori villages as "warries," and in other ways to show an ignorance of matters, which may or may not bo due to the interviewer. He is, however, confident that English girls arriving in New Zealand as the wives of our soldiers will get a very hearty welcome in the Dominion. Nevertheless, he advises girls who think of marrying New Zealand soldiers to lot them return to the Dominion alone and prepare a home for them, and when if is ready send them the money to go out "If the men are sincere in their love, they will have no hesitation in doing this. If the women are sincere they will be content to wait a little time- I say this because I have my doubts as to how the future is going to 'pan out' for some of those who have already gone to New Zealand."

"The Bains" commence their season of vaudeville to-night at Everybody's. Full particulars in our advertising columns.

_ If you get a chill take X.AZOL immediately. It will prevent sore throat 01 tightness oi the ehec"