LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

High prices are being obtained in Dun--11 or cauliflowers. Some were sold last week at 3s 6d each.

A proposal made to the Minister for Public Health, that the body of a Mormon elder, who died in the Waikato from influenza, should be sent to America for burial, was refused.

In some of the Auckland country districts considerable difficulty is being experienced in carrying on the dairy industry owing to the prevailing epidemic. At Tu&kau a large butter factory bad to lie closed on account of all the experienced employees being ill. In. tile course of his report to the Rducation Board at its meeting yesterday, the overseer (Mr C. H. Moore) suggested that t'iio present boundary of the Boards office and the Technical College grounds be extended up to the recently ploughed and gTaded part of Wie Central School ground, for the purpose of forming a tennis court for the girls of the Technical College. This suggestion was strongly opposed by Mr Trimble, who thought that no such attempt should be vtnde to. take ground from the Central School since the Committee "had commenced to regradt? the playground with a victf to improving the whote area, He thought it would discourage the Coamittee froia going on with t'heir work, aad if the Board contemplated such a step the? Committee should have been notified before they spent any money on the work. Mr White apposed ■ file proposal, and in doing so pointed oat that tho matter of the future development of the. Technical College was involved, and he thought that it would tm neeesasry for the Board to take into consideration the matter of the removal of its ovnx workshop. The overseer in reply pointed mit thai the girls of tho Technical College wenj entitled to seme consideration, and that if a tennis court was laid down it could be for the use of tfse girls of the Central School as well. It w»s finally decided, on the motion of tile chairman, to refer the matter to Messrs Trimble and White, for s, report on the question of lrying down a tennis court In the Central School grounds for flhe use of the girls of the Technical College and ; the Central Schoe}

One of the most remarkable incidents in connection with the mfluenza epidemic has been the absci<ce of mortality in relation to the nurses of the Wellington Hospital. Many have succumbed to the disease, along with some of the surgeons, hut not a single case has resulted fatally.

A remarkable feature in connection with the epidemic in Dimedin is that none of the employees of Messrs Thomson and Co., the well-known manufacturers of aerated waters, has yet been stricken down. This is, attributed by the principals to the precautions laKen and an abundance of fresh air.

li wa3 decided at yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki Education Board, to hold over the matter of appointments to vacancies until the December meeting of t'iio Board, and to call fresli applications for the positions, m view of the probable early return to tho district of teachers who have been mobilised for military service. It is intended to continue granting 'assisted passages to wives of New Zealand soldiers to enable them to proceed to the Dominion, and in order to cover the increased cost of £l6 of such passages the Immigration Department is co-operating with tho Defence Department, each paying one-half of the Government contribution.

At yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki Education Board a letter was received from the secretary of Taranaki branch of t'be Women's Teachers' Association protesting against tho action of the Board in recommending increases in tho salaries of male teachers, claiming that the results of the teaching by the lady teachers were quite equal to t'hose obtained by male teachers. The Board decided to receive and acknowledge the communication.

At yesterday's'meeting of the Taranaki Education Board the chairman (Mr it. Masters) referred to the vote in the Budget of £300,000 for school build* ing 3 and said it was evident the Department contemplated a distinct forward movement in that direction. On his motion a sub-committeo was set up to go into the matter of plans and applying for a subsidy for the erection of a Technical Hig'a School at Stratford.

A New Plymouth resident received a letter from a friend in Auckland, who is a member of the Health Committee there, stating that some of the cases there have been very pitiful. A little boy went to a butcher's for a piece of steak, and when he got it he asked the butcher how to cook it. The butcher said: "Why, your mother will cook tfliat for youl" The child replied: "My mother and father have been asleep for two days." The butcher went home with the child, and found both parents dead in bed,

In his report to the Taranaki Education Board yesterday, Mr, A. J. Morton stated that measures 'had been adopted by which the award of standard 6 ecrtificates would be made as a result of consideration of inspectors' tests, of school records, and of the recommendations of the teachers is the larger schools had nearly all been Waited a fairly accurate award was possible. The reports of the head teachers on the work of pupil teachers and probationers for the quarter ending September ?oth, were very satisfactory in regard to both studies and progress in teaching skill. On Monday an European and two natives were found dead at tfhe To Ohu sawmill, come seven miles out of Xorsewood The circumstances surrounding thi3 case were rather pathetic (says the News). Some days ago the manager, a man named Trounson, a Maori, his wife ana several children, all became stricken, but before they were all incapacitated a passer-by, it is stated, was asked to obtain medical help, but the message miscarried. During t'be week a promise of medical help was made, but it was found impracticable owing, to various contributing causes, for a medical man to proceed to the mill, and it was not until yesterday that the health inspector, Mr Wallwork, and Sergeant O'Halloran, went out. On arrival they found that the manager had died the previous evening, and that the Maori man and one of 'his children had also succumbed earlier in the week. The woman and the remaining children, ail of whom were ill, were brought into Norsewood, and housed in the school, which has been converted into a temporary hospital. The membership of Mie National Provident Fund at the Slst March last was 12,000, and the accumulated funds amounted to ;C190,00'3 (states the amounted to £190,000 (states the Minister for Finance). During the last financial year maternity claims amounting to .-ei7,545 were dealt witfh., of which sum £13,612 was duo to friendly societies' members and £3,933 to ordinary contributors. The maternity benefit system operating, through the friendly societies i 3 working satisfactorily, and the officials of the various societies are cooperating readily with the Department in carrying put the necessary requirements under the Act in order to ensure prompt payment of the benefits to their members. " The Mortality Reinsurance Fund established by the Government in co-operation witlh the societies, for the purpoae of protecting the benefit funds of these organisations from abnormal war risks now absorbs the reinsurance business of practically all of the societies in the Dominion. -On the 31st March last the number of! soldier members reinsured in the fund was 8,521, and the total amount of cover for which these members were insured was £350,002. ' The societies are exiperienoing other financial difficulties, particularly in connection with the contributions 'oi their members who. have gone on active service. Sir Joseph Ward States; am now considering a scheme for providing such financial assistance as may be found necessary in connection with the sick and funeral funds in 'so far as these funds have been affected by the military services of members,"

All imported, tobaccos are more or less heavily charged with moisture. According to statistics New Zealand is paying annually moro than £150,000, for that excess moisture wbidh mainly consists of water. If foreign manufacturers were to sent 1 out their tobacco unadulterated and leave it to the Individual smoker to add moisture {iccovdiflg to-his liking, that huge sum could he wed every year. Take for instance our Jf.Z. product, Gold I'ouch and Three Diamonds, Tlrifl tobacco as a result of the toasting process ifl so pure that 2 ounces of it will readily absorb 1 ounce of water, 'fta purchaser who adds water tit that rate js thus actually getting 8 ounces for Is with aa mere moisture than contained jii most imported tobaccos. The experiment is worth trying, tho more so as the tobacco thus treated will lasl much longer in the pipe. Actual road testa show that the NORTH BRITISH "DREADNOUGHT" MOTOR CYCI.E TYRE outwears all others. Used on Wess***» Front. En£uin as to sizes. 4

During the hearing of a cue at t&fl Central Police Court, Sydney, a police officer stated that the annual losses dna to pilfering from wharves and ships at Sydney amounted to £IOO,OO.

The balance at credit of the Profit and Loss Account of the Public Trust Office for the year, after meeting all ■the expenses of working, and making proper allowance for depreciation of buildings and premises, amounts to £63,603, This constitutes a record

The greatest thing that Germany has done is (says Mr T. D. Leigh, an American professor of dhemistry) to falsify herself as the light of the world. Ho son of hers invented the electric light, the gaslight, the acetylene light, tjhe kerosene light, the searchlight, tha flashlight, i)he safety-lamp, the candle dip, or the friction match. America, France, England, and other "untutored" nations performed the only lights left for Germany's contention, and according to tho Mosaic account the Lord and not the Kaiser made and placed them in the firmament,

The value of minerals produced in the Dominion during 1917 Was £2,589,817, and the value of minerals exported during tho same period was £8,496,870, these figures being respectively £297,018 and £482,105 less t)ian those of the previous year. The State collieries produced 265,267 tons of coal, m'against 277,845 tons during the previous oalen* dar year; while the profit on Btate coal business was £24,466, as against £lB/* 521 for the previous financial year. The total output of coal from the mines of the Dominion for the year 1917 was 2,068,419 tons, a decrease of 188,716 tona as compared with tihe previous year.

This from a northern writer should be pasted in local hats:—The best way that New Zcalanders can celebrate the end of the war is by making every preparation to carry on during peace the game spirit of unity and patriotism and comradeship that has been so manifest during the past four years. Org&nisan tion for national development, co-opera» tion and goodwill among all classes {of national and mutual benefit are better and more lasting evidences of victory than fe as tings and shoutings. New Zea« landers have taken a great and noble I part in the war, and it is to be hoped they will take a great and noble part in working for social and industrial awl, political progress.

In a suggestive article the New Zetr |pnd Times says: There are many thousands of soldiers yet to come to us. AW we making any precautions to see no epidemic of any kind is introduced? Are our quarantine (stations ready? Have we made sufficient provision far carefuj inspection, for fumigation of disinfection or taken other steps' to prevent the microbe of any disease getting a footing here? Are individuals to bo tested to see if tliey are carriers of any disease? If we do not prepare for sucii emergency we may have other epidemics. This present epidemic ought to want us of the danger run,' Will it hare tfhet effect? We hope so. We should organise before disease reaches us, not start to organise when it lias tpreft4 amongst us.