LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A tin of boiling tar capsizing in close proximity to the outbuildings was the causo of the Fire Brigade being called to a house in Court-nay street yesterday morning. The resulting blaze was extlnguished before any damage was done.

When the prisoners at the New Plymouth Gaol was going out to work m the quarry yesterday morning one of tho men attempted to escape, but was cleverly caught by the warders before he had got very far, and was back in gaol within a few minutes.

At the Eltham Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, Vincent John M'Kenzie, horse trainer, was convicted and fined £3 for assaulting two youths in the waiting rooms of the Coronation stables.

"Who aro the candidates?" This was the question addressed to a member of the Citizens' Committee who had called upon a local ratepayer to take him to the poll on the loan proposals on Tuesday. This ignorance after all the publicity given to the proposals! The Minister for Internal Affairs, in announcing the Government's scheme for the peace celebrations, mentioned that he was arranging to get 225,000 medals for presentation to the children of New Zealand in commemoration of the great day. It seems rather a pity that the preparation of these medals has not been entrusted to a committee of artists. The Zealand Government has struck medals on other occasions and has produced very poor results.

Waiter Mary Hailes, of Balfour, sheep farmer, recently deceased, left £ 1000 to the Roman Catholic Building and Furnishing Fund, at Gore; £IOOO to the Littlo Sisters of the Poor at Anderson's Bay; £IOOO to the Home of Compassion, Island Bay; £>looo to the Con« vent of Mercy, Gore; and £.500 in the discretion of the bishop of the diocese, for the establishment or endowment of a conVent school, either at Balfour or Ifiversdale- The estate has been sworn at £55,000.

At the Eltham Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, in a ease in which V. J. MeKenzie, a powerfully built man, was charged with assaulting two bovs, the evidence adduced in Court was" what Bret Harto would term "painful and frequent and free," reports the Star's correspondent. In the same case of the witnesses, a diminutive if somewhat precocious youth of 16 summers, admitted that he had on a recent occasion been under the influence of liquor. Constable lownsend said that he was investigating the matter. i In the Hawera Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, a man named Stephen Carl Linsay was charged with being an idle and disorderly person, and also with the theft of a rug, valued at 30a, the property of Nelson Morrin. The accused had nothing to say in regard to the first charge -but he pleaded not guilty to the second. He was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently. At the conclusion of the business ac Wednesday's meeting of the Hawera Hospital Hoard the chairman (Mr G. W. Tayler) took the opportunity to reply to some criticism which had been levelled at the Board in connection with the purchase of a new site which had been made l>y a member of the ISlthain County Council. The site was purchased for the purpose of erecting a new up-to-date hoa■pital, and was not bought for dairying purposes, as had been stated. When the new hospital was erected, with all the necessary outbuildings, etc., there would ue a few acres to spare, which would be utilised by the Board for running a small number of cows only. The Department was quite satisfied with the site, which was approved iby the Minister for Health after his personal inspection of the property. The quiaker the new hospital was built the better it would be for all concerned, and he hoped in the very near future to see an institution erected worthy of this large and prosperous hospital district.—Star. Some interesting photographs have been sent by Mr. A. Varney, national secretary to the Y.M.C.A. in New Zealand, to the Mayoress of New Plymouth to be handed ■to the Cwjial School. Last year sums of money sut* scribed by the pupils at the school were frequently handed to the Mayoress for vise in providing comforts at the front and when £lO had accumulated the Mayoress forwarded it to the Y.M.O.Ain France. The money provide,*! free refreshments at a New Zealand Y*M.C.A. hut for a week, and a calico notice to this effect was signed by several hundreds of the men wlio received the benefit. This notice is being forwarded to the school, but the photographs of it have come to hand earlier. The notice is headed with two circles containing respectively drawings of a fern-leaf and a kiwi wearing a peaked hat, and the following words: "This week's Tmcksheo stunt' has been paid for by pennies collected by the children of the New Plymouth Central School. Merci beaucop?" Among the signatures which cover tin space beneath are several of mert belonging to this town. The wags also did their bit of writing, as witness: "Bill Massejr, l-2345fi/7890)2345fi. the last man." and "Sir J. G. Ward, 123456/ 78991234607"

Entries for tin: Taranakl A. and P. Society's Autumn 8 how will be rtveiveif up to Saturday uoxt, 22nd Inst, No en try can be accepted after this d*U.

In connection with Urn f'lunM, Day which is to bo hold on I ft, tint Women's Patriotic (MtmrnMu* b«.v<s mmdertakKU to run tlio faicy *»') fii/w«r stalls.

The Devonport Iloroiigh ''""» HI pawed a resolution urging tin Ih/vrnliuuil immediately to ri> patriate all <krui*n prisoners, a number of »1 i'iiii »re confined within that borough, ■ Association.

It is understood that the wjulriiclion of the To Hoti bridge will t/n commenced as soon as the Public Work* department can secure sulliciifiit labor, When the bridge lias been built there should be no cuuhc for delay in pushing on the Opunako line rapidly. Star. At a meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board the chairman, Mr. W; .<io. gave notice of a motion to secure the immediate erection of an infectious disease hospital to accommodate at least 300 patients. The members agreed, and decided to inspect various sites with a view to recommending one to the Minister.—Press Association.

A youth named Arthur Charles Watkins "was arrested yesterday morning by Detective ffitzgibbon on a charge of breaking and entering the Union Steam Ship Company's office on the previous night. During the afternoon he was brongh'. before Mr A. Crooke. S.M., and remanded until Monday t ~ bail being allowed. Mr A. Bewley appeared for accused. 1

Captain Waller, harbormaster at New Plymouth, considers the Mokau river one of the few in New Zealand that could be improved so as to accommodate fairsized steamers. The natural formation near the mouth, he says, favors improvement works being carried out, and it is his intention in the near future to make a careful survey with a view to recommending the local authorities to move in the matter in order that the large coal deposits up-river may be utilised to far greater advantage than they have been in the past. At Wednesday night's meeting of the N. .li Taranaki head centre of the Royal Life Saving Society, a letter was received from Mr. Wm. Henry, chief secretary, London, stating he had had a call from Mr- N. K. J. Winter, At the time of writing (Dec. 13, 1918), he was In hospital, having been through all the fighting, and at the last moment was taken ill with trench fever Incidentally the chief secretary expresses tlie hope that life-saving matters are "going strong," and stated he was looking forward to the next annual report of thn local Head Centre, which he hoped won til be as good as the last. There is still scope for patriotic effort on behalf of the soldiers who are not yet discharged from hospitals or convalescent homes. While the Mayoress of New Plymouth (Mrs C. H. BurgeßS) was in Rotorua recently she was active in entertaining some of the five or six hundred men who are there. In one party of badly shattered soldiers which the Mayoress took for a motor drive, were several men whom she had met there in similar circumstances a year before. On one day when Mrs Burgess had charge of the refreshments at the Church of England Institute 300 men came in , for morning, afternoon and evening tea. The number served with supper that day was 86—a record.

The New Plymouth sub-centre of the British Red Cross Society hopes to close the sewing rooms in Queen Street at the end of their franneial year, March 31. As thero ia a considerable quantity of cut-out garments, as well as material on hand, the committee will be very grate* ful for help in the matter of sewing, so that by the middle of March they may clear the rooms and have all in readiness for the annual business meeting. Sewing may be done at the rooms, or if preferred, it may be taken home. Thrj committee feels sure that the many kind friends who have worked for them in the past three years will come forward for a final rally to Help a successful end.

The German er-Crown Princes—William and Rupprecht—quickly disclosed the plea by which Germany's former rulers hope to escape the consequences of their crimes. Ludendorff was to, be made the scapegoat. The German exCrown Prince declared in an interview that he strove for peace, and that Ludendorff was to blame for everything. Identical statements were made in an inspired apology for Rupprecht of Bavaria. Tliere is evidence that the whole plan was prepared as soon as the inevitable end was perceived. Ludendorff, who is of a simple merchant family, was almost known until he came into power in August,., 191 C. Court circles regarded him as an upstart, and the ex-Kaiser disliked him. Here was a man mad# for the part of scapegoat. The Chautauquan idea is something new to New Zealand, but the more people know of it, the more they want to know—and when they do know they all want to become Chautauquans. The word is Red Indian, and means something equivalent to "come hero and" gain joy.'' The movement is educational, but its forms differ very widely from those of any of the known methods of disseminating useful and uplifting knowledge. The Chautauqua is not a theatrical company, though they have players, singeis, and instrumentalists. It is something peculiarly itself, but it only has to be known to be appreciated In America the Chautauqua movement has no fewer than 16,000 centres, and it is still spreading. In the course of the local meetings will be heard such speakers aa Chancellor Geo. H. Bradford, of the Oklahoma University, whose speciality is sociology—a sound, gripping, convincing speaker—and the Hon. J. C. Herbsman (who was Roosevelt's campaign manager) will deliver addresses on community-building and town planning. The ladies' silk and knitted sports coats at the Melbourne's great sale are a revelation in'bargain-giving. Before the sale these goods wero cheap, now at the reduced prices they are being rushed. Only a few left bo don't delay. Prices 21s, 2Ss 6d, 29s 6d to 455. Good assortment of colors in stock. Searchers for good farm properties are directed to W- H. and A. McGarry's advertisement on page 1. SUNBURN. May be classed by some as one of the lesser ills oi life, but to the possessor of a delicate skin it is one of the worst modes of torture to be imagined. After a glorious day in the Surf, or a delightful hnsli Picnic, the aftermath of scalding, burning face and hands and disfiguring blisters takes away the happy memory of the day's pleasure. To minimise the after effects of Sunburn, anointing with Rexona, the Rapid Healer, is all that is necessary, and the Skin, soothed and cooled by its wonderful influence, will quickly regain its normal temperature and comfortable coolness. Rexona, 1/8 and 3/-j Obtainable everywhere.