LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 September 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the unfavorable weather last night the meeting which was to have boon held at Ngaere to consider the Harbor Board's proposals was postponed until a future date of which notice will be given. The quarterly meeting of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, which was to have been held last night, had to be postponed, as there was not a quorum present. The meeting was adjourned till next Friday evening. The quarterly meeting of the Taranaki Licensing Committee, which Bhould have been held yesterday, was postponed, on account of there not being a quorum of members present. The meeting will take place at noon to-day. Three small drafts of New Zealand returning soldiers (Numbers 174, 17S and I7il), comprising nine officers and eighteen n.c.o.'s and men. are due to arrive shortly. A Stratford man (H. Kemp) is among the number. A peculiar accident occurred on Sunday to a Patea resident, Mrs. Hunter, who slipped and fell, striking her windpipe on the edge of a bucket, dislocating and almost severing it (reports The Press). She was at once removed to the hospital, where an operation was performed.

At the farewell gathering at Stratford on Thursday evening Dr. Paget, in acknowledging the presents made to him, admitted that K6 had been in a good many strifes and buttles in Stratford, and if there was a row on in Stratford ''The Doctor" ■was generally connected with it. He had gained a reputation for fighting to which he believed he was not .quite entitled, but there it was. At the special meeting of the NeV Plymouth Borough Council held yesterday to consider a scheme for the extension of the electrical power supply for the borough, Cr. Griffiths referred to the advance that was taking place in the matter of cooking by electricity. The electrical engineer (Mr. R. H. Bartley) said lie had installed a complete cooking outfit in an establishment of some size in the town, and had orders for four more, but was unable at present to get the supplies. The Park Tennis Club held a euchre party at the Kawaroa pavilion last evening, at which the club's secretary (Mr. F. Tribe) and three other members (Messrs. (Johnston, Brown and Reader), who are about to go into camp, were farewollod. A presentation was made to Mr. Tv'be of a wristlet watch, and Mr. W. A. Collis I (vice-president of the club) and Mr. T. C. List (on behalf of the guarantors) referred to the prominent part he had taken in, and the ungrudging services he had rendered to, the club, ever since it was founded. Three hearty cheers were given for Mr. Tribe, who acknowledged the gift in appropriate terms. The winners of the prizes were Mrs. Fulton i!ml Mr. Tribe. During the evening Mr. Johnston gave a song, and Mr. Wells a violin solo.

The Xew Plymouth trustees of the Efficiency Board met yesterday, Messrs. T. Furlong (chairman) and E. Wliittle being present, an apology for absence being received from Mr. Hill. A considerable amount of correspondence was received from (lie commissioner for 'the district, who also forwarded a list of military deserters belonging to the local district, and asked that inquiries should be made concerning them. The board dealt with nine applications for financial assistance, two for separation allowances, two for widows' pensions, and one application by the wife of a soldier in France for information in connection with the new regulations for the protection of soldiers' businesses against competition by other similar businesses. Smelting operations at the. Moturoa ironworks are still proceeding satisfactorily. A temporary setback occurred on Wednesday night through a little trouble in the water cooler, but this was overcome on Thursday, and yesterday the furnace was getting back into good, condition. Mr. P. G. Morgan, Director of Geological Survey, paid a visit of inspection to the works yesterday. Inquiries are being made for the output of pig-iron, but until tests and analyses are completed the output will not be offered, the management desiring to know exactly what it has to sell, and also to be able to guarantee the quality of the iron. It is proposed to send some pigs to Auckland by to-day's steamer to be tested.

It is no secret tliat the Kaiser has upward of 10,000 trained agents in-Ame-rica, and they have been in America far months before the war—operating not on!)' as government secret service men, but as agents for German commercial interests. Washington knows facts about the breed that would startle the average American citizen. It is a matter of public information that the designs for the mighty guns used by the Germans to batter down the walls of Leige and Namur in Belgium were stolon from the patent office at the capital. And the German foreign office calmly admitted that it instigated the MexicanJapanese plot against the United States. All these points are covered in the William Fox special feature "The Spy System," to be screened at Everybody's nest Tuesday and Wednesday.

Those who heard Signor Tino Cappelli and the members of his company on the occasion of their recent appearance in Nciv Plymouth, hailed with delight the announcement by the management that the party would re-appear in a final concert in this town on Thursday next, September 12. It is certain that the patrons of the company on that occasion will not miss this further opportunity of hearing for the last time this exceptional combination, and it is also expected that those who were unfortunate enough to miss the previous concerts will avail themselves of the chance to hear these artists. Signor Cappelli has had further conspicuous successes in his concerts in southern towns since he appeared in New Plymouth. He is acclaimed as an artist of the first quality wherever he appears. His rich, vibrant voice makes a wonderful appeal, not only to the musical,. but also to those who appreciate an artist for his merit alone. Those who attend his concert at Everybody's Theatre on Thursday night next may be sure of a rare treat. The prices are the same as for the previous concerts. The box plan opens at Collier's on Monday. Windows are the eyes of your home that smile a welcome to your friends who enter or pass by. Make your windows attractive and inviting by using some of the new spring curtains offered by Rennie's, Waitara, on page four. THE HOUSEWIFE WHO IS "CANNY" WITH HER FURNITURE. Gets us to remove it. Furniture costs money, and iii's just wasting cash to put the work of "shifting" into the hands of someone who haa neither the ability nor the facilities to-do-the work properly. Our hands are thoroughly experienced, and our vans eminently suitable. As a. result you get a splendid "shift" from nw. The New.-Zealatti*Exjtfes» X>» Lt*-'-

There are '>s,-270,98G sheep in /the Dominion, an increase, on last year's figures. Tim commercial travellers throughout New Zealand have collected over £300,000 for patriotic purposes during the past four years. The New Zealand troops in Palestino recently a cricket match Ease Coast. (Wairara-pa, Hawke's Bay and Poverty 'Bay) v. West Coast (TaranaKi, Wanganui, and Taihape). East Coast had an easy victory, winning by an innings and 40 runs, the scores being: East Coast, first innings, 132; West Coast first innings, 58; second innings, 23.

The Taranaki County Council, at its meeting on Monday last, went into committee to discuss the staffing of the council's office. On resuming, the following | resolution wa3 carried: "That the county clerk be allowed to take on private work, the council to have prior claim on his services." In speaking to the resolution I the chairman stated that the clerk had been offered a more lucrative position j out of New Plymouth, and that both of | the female clerks ha!d accepted appointments elsewhere. Tt was in the interest of the council and ratepayers to retain, if possible, their clerical employees trained to their particular work. Cr. Simpson thereupon moved: "That the council retain the services of Miss Okey, if possible, and that the matter of salary be left to the chairman to arrange." Says the Auckland Herald :—By tiie expenditure of a million pounds the Government, has placed a handful of soldiers on the land, some of whom have reason f/i- satisfaction with their holdings, while some .have not. At the very best the State has a great expenditure benefited only a few men. By laying out the same sum on drainage works or the opening up of idle Crown lands it would have given the soldiers better land at lower cost, and it would have benefited every person in the Dominion- Production would have been increased, and the new wealth thus created would have contributed to reduce taxation and to swell the revenues of the earning departments of the State.' "It will surprise you to learn that of the 40,000 balloted men first examined 1617 were rejected solely on account of flat feef," said Captain Brocks, M.0., addressing the members of the Garrison Officers' Institute, says a Wellington correspondent. "That by no means represents the total number who suffered from that complaint. Many others, also suffered from it, but were rejected for more serious causes. fcdd to that 000 rejected for lack of chest measurement and you have two battalions of infantry lost to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force for defects which could have been prevented by a proper course of pysiheal training. Fortunately, we have been able to recover a large number of these men by the agency of the CI camp." As borough officials are not permitted to reply to correspondence in. the press a News' representative enquired into the statement in yesterday's News made by Mr A. J. Millman regarding the refusal of the Deputy Returning officer to give him a voting paper. As a result lie ascertained that Mr Millman's name is on the roll, his number being No. 3710. When the main roll was made up in February, 1917, Mr Millman was not a ■ ratepayer, and his name appeared on the roll under the residential qualification. In April, 1917, Mr Millman forwarded a notice that. he had purchased a property. His name was therefore struck out of the main roll under the residential qualification and placed upon the supplementary roll under the ratepayers' qualification. The borough officials were in no way to blame for Mr Millman being refused a voting paper. The error was made by the Deputy Returning officer at the booth in question failing to locate • the name on the supplementary roll. |

The Mayoress wishes to thank Messrs Smart Bros., Nixon and Nixon, Abbott and Coppen for generously providing the sticks of spider to do down all the tins for the soldiers' Christmas pack, also the chemists and all those who contributed gifts for the nurses on active service.

The Melbourne's great sale finally closes to-day. Our readers are notified that to-day will be positively the last day on which goods will be sold at the reduced sale prices. Those, therefore, desirous of effecting a saving should take full advantage of this, the very last opportunity. As in other, towns throughout the Dominion, the local judgment is that Olga Petrova.has never appeared to such advantage as in "Daughter of Destiny," the first production by her own company. There have been very big attendances at the Empire during the past two nights to view this picture and it will bs screened again at the matinee to-day and finally to-night. On Monday night" the eagerly-awaited serial "The Great Secret," with Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne in the leading parts will commence at the Empire.

The Women's National Reserve invites all soldiers' mothers and wives to the "Mother's Tea" in the Whlteley Hall, this afternoon at 2 o'clock. Members of the reserve are asked to help towards providing the afternoon tsa. The service at Whiteley Memorial Church on Sunday evening will be of a musical character. The Rev. W. A. Sinclair will be the preacher, and will take as his subject; "The Crown; What Is It?" The fascinating Pathe serial, "The Neglected Wife," is drawing to a close at Everybody's and as the end is Hearing the interest is increasing. To-day and to-night the fourteenth episode of the picture is showing and on the same programme there is a brilliant Pathe feature, "The Fires of Life."