LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 29 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Daily News will be published as usual on Monday (Anniversary Day). Mr. G. Coby, of Foxton, has presented to the Pukekura Park a pair of black swans.

The management of the Soldiers' Club wish to acknowledge donations of £uo each from the Women's Patriotic and the New Plymouth Patriotic Committees.

At Masterton, on Friday, Reginald Joseph Devonshire was committed for trial on a charge of alleged theft of monies amounting to £771, the property of the Bank of Australasia,

New Plymouth citizens will have an opportunity of hearing leading South Taranaki farmers speak on the question of the hour, National Efficiency, at 1 o'clock to-day in the Empire Theatre. Full particulars in our advertising columns.

Mr. S. G. Smith, who has been in touch with the Minister of Public Health re the delay in payment of tradesmen's accounts in connection with the influenza epidemic, has received a telegram stating that the delay has been caused through Certain discrepancies, but that these have now been dealt with and that the accounts are with the Audit Department.

Anniversary services in connection with Whiteley Methodist Church will be held to-morrow. The morning preacher will be the Rev. R. B. Tinsley, of Stratford. In consequence of the postponement of the sailing of the.Moeraki for Sydney the Rev. W. A. Sinclair will have another Sunday in New Plymouth and will preach in the evening. Special music will be rendered.

Three small choice dairy farms are advertised for sale by W. H. and A. McGarrv, Eltham, See page one.

Influenza has made its reappearance at Marton, and several eases have beer, reported. One serious case was removed to the Wanganui Hospital, where the patient died. The man leaves a wife and thirteen children.

Taranaki's total annual output (if butter and cheese was roughly estimated by the chairman of the meeting llcid at Hawera on Thursday to be 3,000 tons'to 3,000 tons of butter and from M,OOO tons to 22,000 tons of cheese. There are between 70 and 80 dairy factories in the province. Referring to the New Plymouth workers' petition to the Minister re working the trams with one man, the Hawera Star observes: "If these people had travelled a little they would have learned that the proposed system is in force in many parts of the world, from which even New Plymouth may yet learn something, and where the moving population is very large." The Magistrate's Court at Manaia was occupied on Thursday with the hearing of charges against James Harcourt, licensee of the Commercial Hotel, Manaia, for selling liquor after hours, and exposing liquor for sale. Richard Schultz, Winston Jones, and John Allison Andrew Bain were also charged with being on licensed premises, to wit, the Commercial Hotel, without reasonable cause. A plea of guilty was entered in each case, and defendants were fined 10s and costs. John Meyer, who was similarly charged, pleaded not guilty. After hearing the evidence the magistrate (Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M.) said there was a doubt in the case, and dismissed the information. The cases against Harcourt were then considered and adjourned.—Star. In speaking of the influence of the liquor trade oi-. politics at last night's meeting in the Empire Theatre, Mr L. M. Isitt, referred to the establishment of Bellamy's, by the first Parliament that sat in New Zealand, and recalled the termination of the session at which that was done, which ended in a free fight with sticks and umbrellas amongst members. He characterised as degrading and disgusting the work done by Bellamy's bar, and said something worth while would result from prohibition if that place were closed. He stated, however, that he did not think New Zealand had ever had as so'ber a Parliament a3 the present one, and that there very little drinking there now compared with bygone days. The course of political life, however, was greatly interfered with by the influence of the trade.

At the meeting in the Empire Theatre last night, Mr L. M. Isitt, in Ills inimitable way, dealt with the tactics of the liquor party in prostituting the name of the Chief Health Officer (Dr. Valintine) to the purpose of bolstering up their infernal traffic by seeking to scare people into the belief that he had stated there was likely to be a recurrence of the influenza epidemic and that if they voted prohibition they would not be aide to get sufficient alcohol to combat the disease. "What sort of tride is it," asked the speaker, "that adopts such methods?" Mr Isitt said that two-thirds of the whisky sold was patent distilled whisky, and as long as we had got the trade we should have to Append on the trade for the quality of the whisky sold. He also said that for medicinal purposes alcohol was of no practical value to the man who habitually used it. He was quite prepared, however, to leave it to the doctn: i to decide when alcohol was necessary as a medicine, notwithstanding Dr. Fyfe's opinion, which was against the now altered opinion of practically the whole medical faculty.

The second performance of the programme arranged for the concert given under the- auspices of the New Plymouth Hisih School Old Girls' Association, drew an audience equally large as that of the first night, the hall being packed. The items were practically the same as thoje presented on Thursday night, with the exception that Mr J. Russell Grave played tiie opening pianoforte solo in place of Miss Douglas, who was unable to be present. Miss Morrison was unable to sing on account of indisposition and Lieut. Easther did not appear. All the items were received as enthusiastically as on the first night. The concerts were arranged for the purpose of putting the association's finances on a satisfactory footing, these having been depleted in consequence of all the girls' efforts during the past year or two having been devoted to patriotic purposes. The success of the undertaking was well merited and will be very gratifying to the members of the assoNation. " On their behalf Mr R. W. D. Robertson thanked the public for the support accorded,

The Citizens' Band will give a music recital in Pukekura Park to-morrow (Sunday) afternoon, weather permitting, commencing at 3 p.m. The band's financial year ends on March 31, and as this will be the last recital included in this year's statement, and the officials are desirous of devoting the collection tomorrow to a special purpose, it is hoped it will be well up to the average. .. The New Plymouth Defence Rifle Club are holding a field day on Monday next, on the Eewa Rewa rifle range, as per advertisement. Class firing and both junior and senior competitions are in the programme.

/The Melbourne, Limited, are stowing new stocks of boys' colonial all-woo! grey jerseys with turn down collars and open front at from 7s 6d to 9s 6d. These jerseys are extremely popular on account of their warmth, comfort and splendid wearing qualities. Imported jerseys are "not in it" with them for value. Come early. Quantity limited. The proposal to raise a loan for the metalling of Fraser road was lost on a poll on Wednesday, 17 voting for and 26 against. Fraser Road runs through some first-class land and it is no credit to the settlers that they prefer to be bogged in winter to paying a little more for a decent road.

THE PROHIBITION POLL. Reconstruction needs two thingspopulation and capital. Obviously both will gravitate where taxation is lowest. That being so, can N.Z. afford to carry on, and yearly increase, an avoidable burden of taxation? Obviously No! It is admitted that 55 per cent, of the expenditure on gaols, judiciary, hospitals, police, etc., is directly due to liquor. Thus Prohibition would immediately save £810,935. The £5,000,000 now spent in liquor will be expended in other ways, and it is safe to assume will yield the same percentage to revenue as does the rest of production. This will amount to £780,000. Increased efficiency- will undoubtedly represent a further £780,000 (it would probably be double that), making a grand total of £2,370,935. Place against this the £1,000,000 loss from liquor revenue, plus £250,000 sinking fund and interest on the compensation money, and prohibition gives us a net gain of over £1,000,000 per annum. It's up to us all right, and the day is Thursday, April 10. Strike out the top line, 31