LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Christchurch wire states that the scarcity of seed wheat is affecting spring sowing.

A Westport message states that on Thursday morning the snow was lower on the ranges than for many years. It was intensely cold but beautifully fine, clear and frosty.

The New Plymouth Borough Inspector, in his report for the month of July states that permits for the erection of buildings to the value of £I9OO were granted, the fees on. -which amounted to £l9 17s 6d.

The manager of the Borough abattoir (Mr T- J. Bea'kes) reports that for the month of July the stock slaughtered for local consumption was:" Cows 195, bullocks 23, calves fl, sheep 647, lambs 2, pigs 04, being in most cases an increase on the figures for July of last year. The receipts amounted to £137 ITs lid, ibeing an increase of £24 19s Sd. A ballot for the election of five nonofficial members of the Oouncil of the New Zealand Bowling Association representing the North Island resulted in the return of J. 'Kilgour (Aucl.land), Maxwell Walker (Auckland), Colonel Collins (Wellington), A. K- Smart (New ■Plymouth) and A. Coutts (Auckland). — Press Assoc. '

The No. 11 Wellington District Medical Board commenced'a sitting at the Coronation Hall yesterday. The examining doctors were Lieut.-Colonel Peerless/ and Captain H. L. Widdowson, Lieut. Ansell being the attesting officer. Altogether 57 men were examined, the classification being as follows: Fit, 25; CI, 2; C2, '3O. The board will not sit to-day, but concludes its iocal work on Monday. Thence it proceeds to Stratford, where it will be engaged on Tuesday, and Hawcra on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

In referring to the. constant danger of diphtheria, and the necessity for preventing accumulations of rulbtbish. in yards, the Now Plymouth Borough Inspector in his report states that while there has been decided improvement in rtgard to the keeping of fowls, there is still need for more care with regard.to Hins'and bottles and other rubbish under houses. He also referred to the possibility of turning the town refuse to profit, and said that if householders would undertake to keep pig food' in a separate tin to be taken away by the rubbish cart, there would v ie food enough to feed 20 pigs all the year round. The New Plymouth branch of the British Pied Cross Society acknowledges receipt of £IOO from the shareholders of the Mangorei Dairy Factory Company, towards the funds of the society.

The Melbourne's great end-of-season sale is in full blast, and, as usual with the firm's sales, is meeting with exceptional success. Solid reductions on standard lines and up-to-date goods are quickly appreciated by a discriminating public, and the lavish purchases by eager shoppers show commendable foresight in providing against the terribly high prices soon to come.

1 'Ladies about to have new costumes made are advised to postpone their decision until they have seen Kitty Gordon in "Diamonds and Pearls," at Everybody's to-night. Kitty's gowns are just surprisingly wonderful and will cause a furore amongst the female patrtna■«4s§veiffl>wix'a .to-sial*.

In his report to the Borough Council for the month of July the electrical engineer and tramways manager (Mr R. H. Bartley) states the total number of passengers carried wag 106,973 and the fares received amounted to £734) 18s 4d, an increase of £55 0s lOd revenue, and 7302 passengers, over the figures for the corresponding month of last year. At last night's meeting of the West End School Committee, Mrs Dowling reported that the average attendance for the current quarter was 438, and the present roll num/ber 511. With the chairman (Mr A. K. Smarty, Messrs Bary and Howarth, she had met the repreof the Central and Fitzroy schools to discuss the school competitions and it was decided that the entries close on August 21st- The /onereting at the hack had been finished and a shelter shed built Reference was made to the unsatisfactory state of tha out buildings. The spring holidays were from August 30th to September 10th. The telephone had been installed and already proved a great convenience. It was resolved to write to the board re the out offices. Miss Athony was granted three days' leave of absence Mrs Dowling reported that Miss Leach, an assistant at the school, had accepted a position at the Technical College. About a month ago a cheque was handed over to the New Plymouth police by a local townsman which had bean found in the side-channel in front of the Criterion Hotel. It purported to be drawn on a well-known resident of the Otaki district, but no trace could be found of the person in whose favor the cheque was made out. In consequence, the police forwarded jt to Wellington, to be returned .to, the man who was supposed to have signed it. A telegram was received in reply stating the cheque book front which the cheque had been detached had been stolen. The police were also advised that in connection with the disappearance of the cheque-book a warrant had been issued for the arrest of a boy flamed Kerie Hone, aged aboul; 15 or 10 years, who had previously been an inmate of an industrial school, and who was supposed to have come in the direction of . Tamnaki. All stations were notified, and the suspect was arrested at Hawera and sent to Otaki to answer a charge in connection, with the matter.

The strange lights seen on several occasions recently in the vicinity of MtEgmont have exer&ised the minds and aroused the suspicions of many residents of the district. The light was again clearly visible last evening, and number s of .people watched it with curiosity from various vantage points. A local gentlerrmn who takes a keen interest in astronomical matters gave a "Daily News" representative a very feasible explanation of the mystery. He fltated that at tne present season of the year the'stars Can' opus, which is a star of the first magnitude, is just visible directly to the south between the hours of 7 and 8 o'clock, appearing from behind the mountain and vanishing again behind the ranges a little to the right of Egmont. He suggested that the strain of looking at a small object a long distance away would probably account for the swaying movements alleged to have been noticed, and also thjt the atmospheric conditions close to the snow region would possibly account for the seeming changes of 'color in the tight. He was strongly of opinion that the above i s a more likely explanation of the phenomenon. For tho matinee programme at the Empire this afternoon the chief picture will be \ the Metro patriotic drama of mother (love and affection, "Her Boy," supported by the second episode of "A Lass of the Lumberiands" a two-reel comedy, "Blackboards and Blackmail," and the "Weekly Topical Gazette." The same programme will be repeated for the last time to-night and'it's a selection that will entertain and please each and ewry patron who attends this cosy theatre.

A very good programme has been arranged for the patriotic concert, to be given in Whvteley Hall on Monday evening next, under the auspices of the Whiteley Clulb. Amongst the items are piano. forte soios by Mrs R. L. Cooper, songs by Taranaki's favorite tenor, the Rev, N. Papakakura, and elocutionary selections by the Rev. Hv L- Richards. Other of the local popular concert performers will also appear. The proceeds of the concert are to be devoted to the Sodiers' .Comforts Fund. Details are announced in today's issue.