LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mayor of Hastings (Mr lan Simson) has given notice of a motion to urge the proper authorities to appoint General Sir Andrew Russell the new Governor-General of New Zealand.

In speaking at Everybody's Theatre last night, Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., stated that if proportional representation had been in force in England at the recent general election, Labor would have had 300 representatives in the House of Commons instead of 60 There were nearly two and a half million votes cast for Labor, and if the same rate of progress was maintained as had been made during the past few years, the Labor Party would dominate Great Britain in a year or two as it would dominate every other country—because it was founded on truth.

The usual monthly meeting of the Taranaki Workers' Council took place on Friday evening, when the matter of the tramwaymen's demands for higher wages was discussed at some length. The following resolution was passed: —That this council protest against the treatment meted out to the tramway employees by the borough council and heartily sympathises with the men in their endeavor to obtain a living wage. [Strong exception was taken by the council to the attitude taken up by the borough council in trying to introduce what is termed the one-man system on the tramcars without first explaining the benefits of such a system to the public. The possibility of arranging for tea to be provided at the Hawcra station for returning soldiers coining on to !S T ew Plymouth and other places north of Hawera was mentioned at the meeting of the New Plymouth Patriotic Committee on Friday evening. Mr J. Paton referred to the discomforts of the long train journey from Auckland or Wellington and the inadequacy of the arrangements for supplying meals. The Mayoress suggested that possibly provision for tea could be made through the Women's National Reserve. The question was left in the hands of the Mayor (Mr C. 11. Burgess) and the Mayoress, it being understood that the committee was prepared to bear any necessary expense.

"That the Taranaki War Relief Association take into consideration the advisability of providing a soldiers' hostel for the Taranaki district, to be used as a rest and convalescent home for our soldiers, and to be self-supporting as far as possible," is a recommendation that has gone to the War Relief Association from the New Plymouth Patriotic Committee. The Mayoress, on whose motion the committee took this action, explained that the need for such a home had frequently come under hor notice. Soldiers on leaving the hospital very often required continued care, and in many instances had no home to go to and wore forced to "rough it." Something on the lines of the Crippled Soldiers' Hostel in Wellington would be of great assistance to the men, and would show them that the people were trying to do their duty by them

Messrs. Cook and Lister, New Plymouth, notify car owners that they are prepared to undertake all work in reftttiag new to P 9 backs, curtains and enyelogsi ioi' car boud*.

T!ie Parliamentary Industries Committee intends holding sittings in New Plymouth on April loth and April 16th.

A committee from the Eeatherston County Council has arranged to visit IV ranaki towards the end of March, with a view to investigating roading methods. In a letter to the Elthani Comity Council they notified that they would go through to New Plymouth, and would then motor to Eltham.

In referring to the visits of Sir Joseph Ward and -Mr. W. E. Massey to the Old Country, Mr. P. Eraser, M.P., at his meeting last night, said he had no objection to them going away. If he had any objection it was to their coming back. (Laughter.) He said when they returned from their first visit all they had done for the people of New Zealand was to secure a few farthings per pound extra it-;- their produce.

A meeting of the local branch of the Veteran/J' Association was held on Saturday afternoon, for the purpose of arranging for the observance of the adversary of the Battle of Waireka. Only ten members attended, and it was decided that in view of the lack of interest no gathering should be held this year —a thing that has not happened for very mrij years. The sixtieth anniversary fails' i.-ext J ear. A tery enjoyable afternoon was spent at. the ivawa/oa Park bungalow on Saturday, when the local branch of the Wox-wirs National Reserve entertained the mothers, wives and children of nokliavs. There was a large gathering, iiurtie and afternoon tea vere provided raid a short -iddress was ghen by Mr S. 0. Smith, M.P., His Worship the Mayor of New Plymouth (Mr C. H. Burgess) was also present. The Mayoress, who is the president of the local Reserve, distributed greeting cards to the guests. The children received gifta from the Christmas tree, which liad been set up in the band rotunda. The place was gaily decorated with bunting and presented an attractive appearance. Considering the broken year and the ;>ostp<ii!v.ment of the examination owing to the influenza epidemic, the New Plymi'uth High Schools have done remarkably well at the recent junior university scholarship examinations. One lad, Ronahl Syme was successful in obtaining marks thi.„ placed liim fourth on the list for New Zealand, but as he is not yet 18 year? of age he is unable to hold the scholarship. Two lads—D. E. Denny-!'.-.■•-.-,'v. mid D. G. MeKie—were also successful in gaining Taranaki scholarships. At the Girls' High School Leila A. Hurle <wn>.' a Taranaki scholarship. Several candidates from each school raatrieulater! The result of the examinations is published very • late this year, and doer not give the successful candidates mnrii time for preparation, the univer:it:. s?;--.ion opening this week.

The war lias taught lessons of economy in many varied directions, and people everywhere have learned to put to useful purposes things which in normal times found their way to the waste heap. The clerk to a Taranaki local body recently received a communication from Perth (W.A.), which wag enclosed in an envelope which had been made from what would commonly have been regarded as waste paper. On the inside of the envelope was printed a portion of a municipal ratepayers' roll, the envelope evidently having been made from sheets of the work which had been printed on one side only— a praetice which would possibly result in a great saving of paper if systematically carried out.

Strong opinions as to the quality of some of the properties being acquired for returned soldiers were expressed at * meeting of the Pahnerston North Repatriation Committee. The president, Mr B. F. Jacobs, speaking of some of the land acquired, said he knew of one settlement where, after men had been working hard for two years, they left the property in a body, being compelled to leave their furniture and their cows behind them, as they were under lien to the Government. He said that on an estate recently acquired he did not think they could keep sheep on the side of the hills even if they were stuck on with glue. Marriages decreased materially in Australia during the war, but in Great Britain they were about 50,000 a year above the average. British soldiers, back on short leave, got married occasionally in London, some because they were bachelors and some because their wives were as far away as Aberdeen. Departing soldiers got married in haste. Canadian, Australian, Maoriland, American and miscellaneous soldiers married in passing. Refugees swore they hadn't left a wife in Brussels or Belgrade and took to themselves daughters of the land. Invalids got married, so that the girl might inherit their property after death, and then either recovered or left no property. Women got married two or three times for the sake of the separation allowances. Life wasn't altogether drab or dull near the Beat of war, says the Bulletin's lady contributor.

Vcale's Estate. Nothing equal to this to obtain a bit of property is offering in New Plymouth. T'ne Melbourne's working shirts are the best value on the market by reason of the firm having held large stocks of material purchased over twelve months ago. The firm also manufactures shirts and thereby saves customers the wholesftlQi'w' profits. It pays every time to buy at Tito Melbourne.

Your Easter suit, sir. You can easily save a pound by getting a made-to-your-own measure Kaiapoi suit at 87s Od; honestly worth £5 lfls, at The Big Store, Waitarn. But you must hurry, as Ave can only take a limited number of orders. See page 4. The Fitzroy Methodist Church ia holding an autumn fete at Fitzroy Hall on Thursday next. WANTED.—BARMAN; MUST BE SOBER. Searcli for the newspapers for this advertisement: "Wanted a barman, must be able to take his nip," or "Wanted, a barmaid, drinker preferred." Yet, if liquor is such a very good thing for the customer, why is it not a good thing for the man or woman behind the bar? Why is it, then, that the hotel-keeper won't have a boozer about the place? Simply because it is, it is—well, it is bad business. Well, if it is bad business for barmen, is it any better business for the business man, or the working man, or the doctor, or any kind of a respectable citizen? Doesn't seem so. If two chaps apply for a job, which would you rather employ, the man who can take it or leave it, or the man who has no use for it at all? Well, then, isn't the publican wise who wants his barman sober? Certainly he is. Everybody is wise who wants everybody sober. The argument is complete. Rescue the publican and all of us from our dilemmas. Close the grog shops. ; Then everybody wiU be sobat,

While the steamer Karu was off Stephen Island, on the way to New Plymouth, last week, one of the seamen caught a kingfisb, which measured slightly over 4ft from tail to nose. The flsh was caught with a "spoon bait," consisting of a table spoon with a double fish-hook attached to the bowl by means of a rivet. The men state that a second kingflsh was caught on another line, but the tackle did not hold, on account of the speed of the steamer imposing too great a strain.

The position with regard to the accumulation of wool in the stores at Auckland has been considerably relieved by the fact that the steamship Livingstonia, now in port there, has lifted some 13,000 bales. There are at present in store at Auckland about 4(i,000 bales, in addition to which there is a big accumulation of scoured and sliped wool amounting roughly to about 15,000 bales. Contrary to all expectations the wool this year, notwithstanding the fact that the epidemic delayed the shearing to a considerable extent, is not nearly as seedy as that of last vear.

There was an exceptionally large congregation at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, New Plymouth, last night, when the Rev. Lopdeli, who recently returned from the front, where lie acted as chaplain for the Otago force, occupied the pulpit and gave a most interesting and imnre.sAJv* discourse, founded on his experiences during the war. After speakin? for about forty-live minutes Mr. Lopdeli remarked that there was much more he could say but his time was up. Whereupon £ khaki-clad member of the congregation promptly in an audible voice 9aid: "Go on,'' and the preacher acceded to the request. Few of those present will forget this memorable sermon.

Writing to the Wanganui town clerk, a sufferer during the local influenza epidemic who recently crossed to Sydney thus describes the capital of the Mother State of Australia, as he found it on arrival: "A city whose streets lack the customary crowds, a city of masked citizens, a city with all its places of amusement, its hotels, its billiard rooms closed; a city of closed schools and churches;, a city without its customary band of music; a ejty of half-deserted shops and restaurants; a city of thousands of people thrown out of work. That is what Sydney is now, and threatens to be for weeks to come. A city with a population, say, of 800,000, that would not escape the plague without having 40,000 new graves. I say nothing of the cities of Melbourne and Adelaide. Surely there is no person in this city who will not willingly suffer the small deprivation asked for by the medical commanding officer, in order to avert that dreadful alternative." It's by your vote that the liquor business is made possible or impossible," say Privates Blak,e and Sim, tlic returned soldiers who speak here to-morrow : - the Good Templar Hall. ]t will be refreshing to hear these soldiers' opinions —too many times the voters are given such opinions at second hand. Get them first hand to-morrow night. The Nelson Evening Mail speaks well of them both. A reminder is given of the sale of a desirable suburban property at Westown, which Webster Bros, are s*n,ng at their rooms on Wednesday next. With the advent of the electric bus this property is placed witliin easy distance of the town, and it is expected to change hands on Wednesday.