LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On the motion of Mr. Quillia.ni, probate of the will of the *ate Gunner Thomas Victor Feakhis has been granted by the Supreme Court to Mrs. Ellen Anne Feakins, the executrix" therein named.

Advice lias been received from tlie Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Public Health, that billiard rooms may now be opened. Local saloons will accordingly re-open to-day.

On the motion of Mr Quilliam, probate of the will of the late Gunner Thomas Victor Feakins has been granted by the Supreme Court to Mrs Ellen Anne Feakins, the executrix therein named.

The influence of the epidemic on the marriage rate is apparent from the fuct tint the number of licenses issued in Auckland during November fell to 00, as compared with 80 in October, and 73 in November of last year. An Auckland message reports that tlie steamer Arawa, from London to Australia, has one case of sickness, not influenza, on board. She will remain at anchor for a few days. She brings 60 passengers, including two military jnen. —Press Assoc.

Dr. Cooper informs the Eltham Argus that out of those who have attended the inhalation and have developed influenza, the attack lias not, except in one instance, been attended by any pneumonic infection. That means that there has been one pneumonic case out ol the 1600 (including 40 at the Boys' Home) who have received inhalation.

Owing to the depletion of staff, the haulage of timber on the Main Trunk lines has been stopped by the Eaihvay Department since about the middle of November. This has seriously r.ffected the building trade in and around New Plymouth. It is expected, however, that the Department will be able to take up at least a portion of the accumulated load in about a week's time.

The Auckland branch <sf the Enginedrivers', Firemen's, and Cleaners' Association passed a resolution to demand that immediate effect be given to the proposals for improved conditions. The branch asks the executive to fix a time limit to the negotiations, so that, in the event of no favorable reply being obtained, suitable action can be taken to enforce' the demands.—Press Apsoc, A peculiar after-effect of influenza, particularly in the case of women, is for the vocal chords to be affected. Such people may be able to speak quite clearly in the daytime, but after dark the voice commences to get husky, possibly through the added moisture in the air after sundown. This affection of the voice gradually wears off with complete convalescence.

On Thursday (says the Dominion) ® traveller from Napier by the express train had his journey unexpectedly interrupted at Dannevirke. It appears that he arrived in Napier from Gisborne by the Arahura, and was attended there by a doctor, and was found to be suffering from influenza. However, he felt well enough on Thursday morning to travel, and loft by the express for Wellington. The Napier Borough Council, learning of his departure, communicated with the police in Dannevirke, and on arrival of the train here the "'sick" traveller "was removed and escorted to the hospital. Apparently there was little wrong with him, as he received his discharge from the institution on Friday, and resumed his interrupted trip to the capital.

Nearly fifty of the toys who are boarders at the New Plymouth High school returned to town about the end of last week, after a stay of a fortnight at the North Egraont hostelry. Shortly after the outbreak of the influenza epidemic the school was closed and moat of the boarders returned to their homes. The others proceeded up the mountain in order to be isolated from the danger of infection. The headmaster (Mr. W. IT.* Moyes) was with them, He being accommodated at the main hostelry, while the hoys had their quarters in the cottage and the old house. That the step taken was a wise one was proved by the fact that only one mil 3 case of influenza was reported among the boys. Some amusement wa3 caused among passengers on the Makura on Sunday morning, when the three health officers I ascended the gangway of the Vessel as she lay at anchor at the quarantine station at Motuihi. With a view to minimising the risk of taking influenza on board, each officer attired himself in a linen overall, which had been thoroughly fumigated. Passengers lining the vessel's side failed for a lew minutes to realise that this unusual attire had been donned as a precaution in their interest. The general impression was that the doctors were afraid of getting influenza, and smiles appeared on every face as they halted at the top of the gangway and ordered the passengers to stand back. Ttie amusement quickly disappeared, hoWever, when it became known that those on board were to spend seven days in quarantine in consequence of the influenza in their midst.

All imported tobaccos are more or less heavily charged with moisture. According to statistics New Zealand is paying annually more than £150,000 for that excess moisture which mainly consists of water. If foreign manufacturers were to send out their tobacco unadulterated and leave it to the individual smoker to add moisture according to his liking, that huge sum could be saved every year. Take for instance our N.Z. product, Gold Pouch |and Three Diamonds. This tobacco as a result of the toasting process is so pure that 2 ozs of it will readily absorb 1 oz of water. The purchaser who adds water at that rate is thus actually getting 3 ounces for Is with no more moisture than contained in most imported tobaccos. The experiment is worth .trying, the more so as the tobacco thus treated will last much longer in the pipe. Mr- J. J. Lomas having purchased the men's and boys' outfitting business known as "The Kash," notifies the public that he has decided to commence a gigantic "change of ownership sale," when the bulk of the stock will be- marked at prices which will effect a speedy clearance and will be a real saving to buyers. "Money taflts," and a little of your money can persuade us to part with shirts, pyjamas, underwear, men's and boys' clothing, etc., at prices which cannot be replaced to-day. Sale commences Friday morning.—Advt. Batepayers of the Borough of New Plymouth are notified that, in order to avoid the 10 per cent, penalty, all rates should be paid on or before 'December 80. After the enforced dosing of shops owing-to the influenza epidemic, there is quite a rush of business reported by the Melbourne Clothing Company, Ltd. The firm's great Capitulation S»le is now in full swing, and the various bargains arc being eageTly snapped TOjjy.entbu»iaaLtieVjisltoppsfg. t

The Taranaki members of Parliament voted as follows on the sis o'clock closing proposal in the Licensing Bill: Ayes, Messrs Wilkinson and, IPearce; no, Mr. Smith. Mr. Jennings' name does not appear 011 the division list. The danger of spreading the prevailing diseaso is a very real one, so far as the Maoris arc concerned, for many will not be convinced that the disease spreads by contact. There was a big tangi on a well-known Maori on the Plains recently, and it is safe to say the whole of the Maoris of that and the Opunake district 'became directly infected in consequence, resulting in several deaths, with more likely to follow. The Kawhia Co-operative Limestone Quarries, Ltd., with office at Hawera, was registered 011 November 3. The capital is £20,000, divided into 20,000 shares of £1 each, and the object of the company is to exercise quarrying rights. The subscribers are as follow: Stratford: W. A. Good, 5 shares. Hawera: Jas, Nere 5, K. W. Foreman 0, Chas. Good son 5. Kawhia: P. J. Cowern 5. Meremere: D. J. Williams 5. Eltliam: Geo. H. Buckeridge 5. Th® position of chairman of directors of a dairy factory, never at any time a sinecure, has had its responsibilities greatly increased during the war period, and now that the war is over the influenza epidemic has still further added to them. One well-known chairman of a coastal company has been, owing to the depletion of the staff at the various factories, compelled to give a hand with the factory work, and, in addition, has had to act as temporary driver of a motor lorry, which his company and a neighboring one conjointly purchased to convey the produce of their factories to the port. With regard to the use of vaccine in connection with the influenza epidemic, Colonel Wylie said that it was .totally incorrect 'tc say that it had proved a failure, for good results had been obtained in some cases. Neither was it right to say that experiments had been made, for the work had been done along well-defined lines. However, although the vaccine had given apparently successful results in some cases, the general results obtained did not warrant a statement being made that a vaccine had been prepared to combat influenza.

"Why, is the publication of vital statistics refused 'by the authorities in Christchurchi" asked Mr. G. Uitty, M.P. for Riccarton, of the Minister of Public Health in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The Hon. G. W. Russell stated that when the influenza epidemio became so serious it was determined that the registrars should not continue to send out from week to week the figures as to the deaths which had taken place for fear of causing a panic amongst the people. 'He hoped that the House would not press the matter, because the leas said about deaths until the epidemic was over the better.

The influenza epidemic had assumed very serious proportions in the United States and Canada when the New Zealand press delegates passed through on their return journey from Britain. Members of the delegation stated that the epidemic had not developed seriously in Britain when they left on their return journey about October 5, but when they reached New York on October ID the conditions there were alarming. At that time there was a daily record of between 600 and 700 deaths in New York. At Montreal between 2bo and 300 were dying daily. The delegates crossed Canada to Van couver, and found that the epidemic had spread across the whole continent. Passing through the province of Alberta every passenger on the train had to wear a mask. At Vancouver the influenza appeared to be less serious, but there were maaiy deaths there also. No part of the United States or of Canada escaped. Some American States report-, ed more deaths within the State from influenza than the whole loss of life to the United States on account of the i war.'

Mr. J. J. Lomas, recently of Wanganui, has just purchased the well-known outfitting business known as "The Kash," from Mr. A. A. Thompson. Mr. Lomas ha 3 lad a wide experience of boys' and mens outfitting business, having ibeen associated with some of the leading houses in the North Island, and by strict personal attention hopes to merit a continuance of the same liberal support which has hitherto been extended to this old-established business by the people of New Plymouth and surrounding district. •