LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Satisfactory arrangements have teen made by the New Plymouth Borough Council lor the floatation of the £IO,OOO loan for streets and footpaths. A defendant in a court case at Manaia last week, who had kept a boardinghouse for a brief period, said the meat bill amounted to more than had been received from the boarders. At Waverley on Friday two persons, Higgiiw and Spinley, were fined £f> and costs for shooting game out of season. The total amount payable by each (the Patea Press report says) is £l3~Bs. The first annual conference of the Women's National Reserve of New Zealand was held in Wellington last week li. wa-= decided that the next conference should be held in New Plymouth Authority was given to the tramways manager by the New Plymouth Borough Council last night to run the electric bus on Wednesday, between the tram terminus and the show grounds. An enjoyable and successful golf croquet tournament was played on the New Plymouth club's < ourts on Saturday last. There were 16 entrants, and the prize, presented by Mrs. Haseler, was won by Mrs. A. Fookes, with s, score of 26 (9, 9, 8). Rain fell on four days in New Plymouth last month, the total fall being 1.093 in The wind blew from south 10, south-west 10, south-south-west 1, southeast 2, and west 5 days. There were no strong winds during the month. Notwithstanding that there were two sunless days, the total sunshine was more by 0 hours 4 minutes than in any corresponding month for six years. At Saturday's session of the Methodist Conference it was agreed to sanction the proposal for the establishment of a rural mission in North Taranaki, with an ordained minister a.s superintendent, as recommended by the quarterly meeting of the New Plymouth circuit. Tt was also decided to appoint an agent to cope with the Native work in the Patea district. Sir James Allen states that the Department's scheme for the vocational training of soldiers prior to discharge is now fairly under way. Four officer* have been appointed: Captain Penling ton (Auckland), Lieutenant Wray (Wellington), Lieutenant Moore (Canterbury), Lieutenant Geisler (Otago).— Press Association.

The Custom* revenue and beer duty collected at the port of New Plymouth for the month of February showed a marked increase over the amounts collected for the same period last year. The figures are: Customs £5222 19s lOd (I!M'9) and £4244 Gs 6d (WlS)—increase £O7B 13s 4d; beer dutv, £209 6s 8d (1919), £l5O 4s (1918) increase £59 2s Bd. At last night's meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council a letter was read from the Minister of Public Works in reply to the town clerk, in reference to methods in connection with clean-irp week, in which the Minister stated that he was so milch impressed with the idea that he contemplated drafting a circular to all local bodies embodying the suggestions incorporated in the account of the work done in New Plymouth. When a circular from the Tauranga County Council in respect to the necessity for the proper sanitation of Maori pahs was before the Borough Council last night, the Mayor said he did not think the matter applied very much in this district The Teports he received from those who went out to tho3o places in connection with the recent eptderaic was to the effect that the pahs were not so bad as was suggested by the circular. He pointed out that the- fact that no case of influenza occurred at Parihaka indicated that the conditions were not so insanitary as supposedWhen the matter of confirming the proposed exchange of sites between the Borough Council and the Government with a view to providing a suitable site for a new school to replace the present West End School came before the New Plymouth Council last night, Crs. Hayden and Hill a«ked to have their votes recorded against the change Cr. Haydon said flic council was getting nothing for the four and a,-half acres it was giving, as the public now had, and were always likely to have, access to Ratapihipihi and Hotokare. If the original proposal had been adopted the council would have at least got the siie of the present West End School. A« it was now the council was giving away its property for absolutely nothing, except for the wiviloge of spending money on the two particular reserves. When .the vote wnr. taken, all the other councillors voted in favor of the exchange.

At the last meeting of the New Plymouth branch of the New Zealand Labor I'arty it was decided to ask Mr. P. Frasi", M.P. for Wellington Central, to visit New Plymouth next week. The secretary was instructed to collect infornu.iioi) with regard to the system of municipal control of milk supplies in Wellington and ether centres. The following remits ar» to be sent to the National Conference: That this conference urges Parliament to alter the provision of in-j Municipal Corporations Act, with a view tc extending the trading powers of ln'.nicipalitjes, that the pension given to children whose mother is a widow shall not be reduced, irrespective of the persona! earnings of the mother (Note. — The amount of personal earnings of a widor. over a certain amount, are deducted from the Cs per week allowed her for tiie support of each child.); that the Shoos and Uliiees Act should be amended to b'iiig the hours of employment into eonfomity witli the manufacturing branch of indusliy. An accident involving the total destruction of a motor cai and a narrow escape iroiu fata! disaster befel a partj tnucliing over Mount Messenger on ftauiulay. The facts reported are that .Mr K. Heal left Stratford on Saturday morning on a trip conveying two men, J. Lavin and C. Hall, over Mount Messenger in connection with Public Works business and their return to Uruti. On the return journey, while at the root ol .Mount Messenger, the spokes of the left front wheel collapsed and at the same time the tyre on the right-hand wheel came oli', the car immediately capsizing into a, depression covered with lawyers and fern, where the occupants were pinned down, but eventually escaped, all being bruised about the legs 'und body. The car having taken fire after being capsized, their precarious predicament may be imagined. Assistance was rendered the stranded party by a traveller 1 in a trap and by the aid of four cars at various stages of the return journey home was reached late at night without further mishap Mr Heal, who is lame as the result of the accident, is a heavy losor through the destruction of his car, as it was insured for only a small sum. —Post.