LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

.«. _ The commercial travellers effort at Wellington yesterday on behalf of the Mercantile Marino resulted iu over £.)OO0 bring raised.'—Press Assoc The Gazette notifies that the Government has decided to observe Anzae Day. April '25, as a public holk'ay.—Press Assoc. The Gazette announces thnt the. Mm ister of Customs is prepared to consider applications for exportation of limite.l quantities of oats to the United Kingdom and British possessions.—Press Asaoi In reply to a communication from Mr. 5= G. Smith. M.P., requesting thnt Admiral Lord Jellicoe should visit Tanmaki during his itinerary, the Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen) has written to say that he has given instructions for the request to be noted for consideration at the Broker tim%

Mr R. Day, Inspector to the Borough of New Plymouth, states in his monthly report, that there has been a slight boom in building permits. Plans have been deposited with him entailing an expenditure of £26,000.

the attendances at the New Plymouth hatha la9t month were 1728 men and 1535 ladies, a total of 3263. The revenue was £29 13s lid, exclusive of school children.

A five-roomed cottage at Norraanby, owned by Mr G. W. Bpping, was burned down yesterday morning at about C4O. The building had been unoccupied for some week:;, and the origin of the fire is a mystery. It is not known whether there is any insurance.—Star.

When Daelo Romance Kliaerae—a girl who had been previously before the court on a charge of being an idle person, without visible means of support, canie before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., yesterday, Commandant Rowlands, of the Salvation Army, intimated that she would be taken into one of their homes, and on her consenting to go to such home, the Magistrate convicted and discharged her.

Just before three o'clock yesterday afternoon, a man named Thomas Higgie, aged about 75 years, while sitting on a seat at the Hawera water tower grounds, collapsed and died. A young man who saw deceased, states that he suddenly threw up bis arms and seemed to experience other convulsions, expiring immediately. Biggie was well-known in Wanganui, and papers found in his pockets showed that he had been staying with the Hairs, of Norraanby.—Star. There was slaughtered for consumption in New Plyinoui.ii last month: 102 cattle, 14 calves, 532 sheep, 80 lambs, 70 pigs and 2 sucking pigs. Compared with iast February they show an increase of 23 cattle, 30 sheep and 34 tripos, and a decrease of 4 calves, 18 lambs and 2 pigs. The condemned cattle numbered 3, calf 1, pig 1. The fees were £llO 14s Gd, rent £l3, chilling ; charges £9 IDs lid, fees from other ; works £3 7s 2d, sale of Wood £1 Mis; | a total of £l3B 17s 7d, an increase of £5 18s 5d over the same period of last year.

The Minister for Public Works (tho Hoc. Sir Wm. Eraser) has written to Mr S. G- Smith, MP., with reference to an interview he had with the Minister on the occasion of his recent visit to Wait:ir;i regarding the Stratford post office, to the effect that the matter really concerned the Post and Telegraph Department. There was a vote of £4OOO on the current year's appropriations for the work, and in response to a recent inquiry from his Department the Minister said the Postal Department had stated that .the question as to whether the work was to he proceeded with was being seriously considered, and it was hoped definite information would be available shortly.

The dance given last night at the East End pavilion in aid of the benefit fund for the members of the Citizens' Band was a conspicuously successful function. The room was brightly decorated, and with the 80 couples participating in the pleasures the scene was a most animated one. Messrs Hames, Cross and Hardgreaves controlled the dancing, the music for which was supplied by the bandsmen up till 10 p.m., when" Mrs Oeorg-3's orchestra took the platform. At a suitable interval the bandmaster (Mr F. W. G. McLeod) expressed in a few well-chosen words the (hank's of the band to the public who had supported the benefit fund, and also to the East End Committee, who had given the use of the pavilion, and to the ladies' committee, who generously undertook tha wlm]p of the supper arrangement*. Jlineiiig was continued until a late hour.

An exciting encounter between a housebreaker and Mr Benjamin Edward Minns, a well-known Sydney artist, took place at the Cambridge Flats in Sydney a few nights ago. Tt was shortly after half-past one when Mr Minns was awakened by the noise of someone moving about the bedroom. He discerned-the dim figure of a man standing near the dressing-talMe, but the stranger, seeing him move, rushed forward and held him down. Mr Minns caught hold of the lapels of the coat of the intruder, but almost immediately he received a stunning blow on the head with a piece of hose heavily loaded with lead. His assailant, thus able to break away, bolted down a stairway and escaped into Liverpool [street. MiMinns immediately communicated with the police, after which he was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, where Dr. Maher inserted three stitches in the wound on the head. It was subsequently discovered that entrance to the flat had been secured by some keys accidentally left in the door, and that the man got away with a watch and a pair of trousers containing money, of a total value of about £B.

The two lines of men's tweed suits advertised by the Melbourne, Ltd., at 59s fid and 69s Od, are really marvels in present day values. Every suit well cut, trimmed and boxed. The tweeds came from the leading New Zealand mills and are therefore guaranteed all pure wool. Colors mid and dark greys and browns, UNITED STATES AND "U.S." Obviously the great competitors for the world's trade and commerce now are the British Empire and the American Republic, and undoubtedly America has a pretty good start. Her war debt is only one-third of Great Britain's, and her losses in men and material are immeasurably less. In spite of this she is not taking any chances. Both bypurchase and construction her merchant fleet is vigorously growing, twenty-four hours to the day. That Uncle Sam is after commercial supremacy not only for to-day and to-morrow, but also "for keeps," is rather significantly shown in Congress's recent alteration to the Constitution. America was reaping in direct revenue from the liquor business £100,000,000 per annum, and yet decided that it was bad business! Sho evidently decided also that a nation with its commerce to sustain had no time to talk any more about the liquor business either. The trade offered the Treasury £100,000,000 sterling for license for another year subject to the ordinary referendum polls, but Congress, directed by the most astute "big business" brains of the world, said: "Nothing doing!" To save any further waste of time they wrote the answer in the Constitution. Keen business men don't do these things as a matter of sentiment; neither do they take a five-hun-dred-million dollar risk until absolutely convinced. If America, out after our trade and the other fellow's too, can't afford inefficiency and waste—not even for £100,000,000 per annum—New Zealand certainly can't afford the risk at a paltry lone £1,000,000! New Zealand cuts it out on April 10th. Strike out the top line.

The Chief Justice, on the application of Mr Hughes, has granted letters oi administration of the estate of the late Gladys Catherine Harding, of Inglewood, to her late husband, Lieutenant Eric George Harding.

The Maori women of Tautnaranui (Bays the Press) are adopting the American style of hair-cut known as the "buster" cut. What with short skirts and the "buster" cut, ancient wahines are beginning to look quite youthful again. Now in full swing—the Segal's annual footwear sale. A chance to shoe the, whole family at a low cost. Such boot bargains New Plymouth lias not experienced before! Call and see for yourself our doorway and windows are full of bargains. Regal Shoe Store. During the influenza epidemic Norfolk Island enforced strict quarantine. When the Southern Cross arrived there, "No intercourse" was the order, and it was thoroughly enforced. A boat-load of provisions, including a live sheep and some fowls, were towed out, and let float until it was secured by a boat sent from the steamer. Some passengers wore also brought oil' the island and left on an islet, after which they were taken on board the steamer, so there was the greatest care exercised to prevent the introduction of the influenza amongst the descendants of the Bounty. The Argyllshire, at Auckland, is elaborately camouflaged, and has a strong armament against hostile attack. She carries three guns, one aft, one port, and one starboard. The two latter fire what is known as a depth charge, and are used, in connection with submarine attack. They lire a 1001b shell, which explodes under the water. The aft gun is a 4.7 naval one. While at Colomba a Cingalese stowed away in the coal bunkers, and was discovered a number of days out. He was given the work of cleaning the guns, and will be returned to his country at a later date.

Speaking as one who had had experience as a lodge doctor, Dr. Thacker, M.P., at a banquet of the United Ancient Order of Druids, at Christchureh, advocated a change in the system of securing medical attendance by friendly societies. Instead of a lodge doctor being appointed who would have 700 or §OO members on his list, and could not properly attend to them all beyond saying "Good day," he urged that they get the doctors of the city to go on a panel and for a modified fee attend to lodge cases. These doctors should be able to send such cases to a communal hospital where they could personally attend to them throughout. Dr. Thacker referred to what he termed the "come at once sirs," who were the bane of a lodge doctor's existence. In this connection he stated that he had been called out of bed late one evening to attend a lady reported to be dying, but who was suffering from nothing more than indigestion.