LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 April 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A press message states that the Defence Department has informed the Soui-hlarid War Fund Association that an arrangement 'lias n.-\w been made to inform soldiers who married in Britain of the date of the arrival in the dominion of their wives. In tlie Magistrate's Court yesterday, Mr, A. Cfooke, S.M., gave judgment by default iii the following eases;— Jane Mills and John Penny (Mr. T. P. Anderson) v. James Hall, £26 6s (costs £3 6s); and Edward Vincent (Mr. A. 11. Johnstone) v. Horu Te Wliiti, £4 (coats 15s). At last night's meeting of the Pukekuia Park Board the chairman (Mr. C. E. Bellrihger) reported that the proposal ill regard to the erection of a cobble-stone wall along Fillis Street in plfece of the present corrugated iron fence was held up on account of two of the residents on the opposite side of the street objecting j to the taking into the park' grounds of | the present footpath. It was resolved tj I leave the matter in the hands of the chairman. For Children's Hacking Cough Woods' Great Peppermint Cure.

The merging of the. Parihaka Road Board with the Egmont County Council took place yesterday.

Diptlieria. is reported from Kaponga, three cases having been taken into the Hawera Hospital. One girl of five years hft.s died.

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday a land agent's license was granted to F. H. Jellyman, Mr. A. H. Johnstone appearing on behalf of the applicant. The Minister for Defence, Hon. Sir James Allen, intends visiting Mangatoki on 'Friday, and at 2.30 p.m. will make a public presentation to Mr and Mrs A. 11. Booker of the Military Medal won iby their late son. Rifleman A- B. Booker. He will also unveil the district Roll of Honor The public are invited to attend this function, especially the relatives of soldiers whose names appear on the Roll of Honor. "The rotten character of the Hun," said Mr. F. W. Haybittle, at the Wellington Bowling Club on Saturday evening, "was shown in a little incident that occurred at BapaumC. Three Weeks after our troops took Bapaume, the mayor and a few priests went to the little cathedral—hot a big one—to hold a service cif thanksgiving. They were in the middle of tlie service when a time-fuße bomb went off, the inayor and all the rest of the party were blown to atoms, and the church fell in. There was simply nothing but a heap of ruins when I saw the place." In the past ten years J. and P. Coats, Ltd., have made £30,042,889 net profits, after writing off depreciation, thus averaging a trifle over £3,000,000 a year. It has been a great profit to make out of sewing cotton. The profits averaged £3,000,000 a year lip to the war, but were somewhat lower in 1914 and 1915. In the year to June last they were £3,171,796. The sh&re capital is £10,000,000, and the reserve funds still greater. The ordinary dividend is, as usual, 30 per cent. Replying' to Mr Pearee's statement that Mr P.owdreU was in error in stating that the former owned 4000 acres of first class land, Mr Powdrell writes to the Star:—l will admit I did make a mistake in saying that Mr Pearce had acfuired 4000 acres of realty good land1 1 should have said 5000 acres. It matters little in whose name the iand is held as long as the land was paid for by him, it farmed Iby him, and the profits received by him. Mr Pearce eayß a portion of what lie has acquired Is waste sandhills, but an area of 100 acres of waste out of 5000 is only enough for Mr Peaxce to throw dust in electors' eyes.

At a recent sitting of the Magistrate's Court at Wailara,, Victor Persen was charged by the Inspector Of Stock with removing young cattle across the Mokau River without the same- having been inoculated and a petniit obtained. A plea of guilty was put in by letter. Inspector Sutton said that north of the Mokau was a clean district, and it was considered a seritfds offence to remove cattle in the way defendant had endeavored to do. He claimed that lie was ignorant of the regulation, ai)4 that may have been j«ot as the voung man was a returned soldier, but he had tried .to get the departmental officer to let the cattle through after, being told of the lauf requirements, and on account of thiit action the prosecution was mainly instituted. The inspector added that he did not. press for a heavy penalty, but he wished for publicity, so | that stock owners would realise their responsibility- Defendant was fined the minimum penalty of £2, without costs.

The following letter Is taken from tlie New Zealand Herald: —"My attention lias teen drawn to a paragraph appearing in tlia New Zealand Herald of March 17, headed "Ciai-go pillaging prevalent lit New Plvmouth" As local agent of the Home boat which brouglit. the goods mentioned to Wellington (where they lay for over a week before being transhipped to^ this port) and in justice to the water«ida workers and good? shed staff at New Plymouth. I beg to state that there was not th® slightest evidence that the pillaging was done here, in fact quite the reverse, a? the coastal steamer gave a had receipt at Wellington for the cases affected. thus plainly showing that they had been tampered -with prior t-o arriving here. The other statements contained in the paragraph in question are practically correct, and I may add that T have recently received claims for about £l5O for pillage of goods, ex various overseas steamer;!, and in overv cast- the package's were received by the coastal boats at Wellington in bad order, which is quite sufficient proof that the thWina did not tiike plaoeat this end. —Newton King (ner tVed Watson, shipping d"ryitment)."

Members o£ the Hawcra branch of ths ] Efficiency League attempted to address a erowd-sd hull at Manaia on Monday nightj but when speakers started the meeting soon got out of command, and by continued stamping, hooting and shotting, the first two would-be speaker' could not he beard. After repeated attempts by the chairman' to keep order. Major BiiV.op got up to appeal iot fair play, and especially appealed to some of the returned men, Init he, too, met with little -better success, owing to continued hooting and counting-out. Ev-entually, at.r the request of the chair' man; ,1 mail was removed by the police. A well-known farmer then got up nn.t stated that this was .1 returned soldier, who could not be shifted on Gallipoli, hut the police could remove him from the hall. (Uproar.) It was demanded that the soldier be readmitted, and Major Bishop agreed to this, conditional on better behaviour from the rest of the meeting.' It was then demafided j that the chairman who had ordered ihirti out should go out and' bring him in | again. This was refused, of course, 1 and another returned man was cautioned, The Star's correspondent savs the disturbing element was not Mann to, residents, but person** from outside districts.

A very interesting competition in recognition of the peace celebrations, lifts been inaugurated by the Ardath Tobacco Company of London, mates of the world-famous "State Express' cigarettes. It is not customary for this firm to embark on any venture of this kind, but to stimulate interest in purely British trade, employing only British labor, the Ardath Tobacco Company is running this competition itf New Zealand. Full details aijd a list of prizes are advertised in another column. The Melbourne, Ltd., have opened new lines of men's and boys' tweed hats at the following prices: Men's, 8s 0d and 8s 6d, in good variety of patterns; boys, 2s lid, 3s lid and 4s fld. The firm is also showing a fine range of men's gaberdine raincoats atid trench coats at 06s. Every mehiber of the Pierrots is urged to attend to-night's meeting in the old electric light, station, Liardet Street, when important business in connection with the Peace Day gymkhana, etc., is to be arranged.

A Perth cablegram states that three boys were {tidying at tr€neh tunnelling when the tunnel collapsed and smothered them.

lieutenant A. IT. Grietsoti has issued a writ for £2OOO against the Napier Daily Telegraph on account of a statement published concerning him on Februai'y 18, 1918.

The poll mi the proposal of the New Plymouth Harbor Beard to borrow £300,000 will be' taken on April 30, the same day as the municipal and other local bodv elections.

The Greymotith Patriotic Association passed a resolution: "That the Minister be wired requesting that the condition preventing soldiers using their privilege passes during Easter or any other holiday be withdrawn, and if, asi the Tailway authorities assert, there is insufficient accommodation for soldiers in addition to th'.t general public, Boldiers should hare the preference."—Press Association. ,

Mr Wilson, Mayor of Marton, asks the Dominion to contradict the report as to cases of influenza there, which he says is untrue stud alarmist. "There have been," he states, "only three or four eases of mild influenza in this town and district during the pftst month or more. The death specially mentioned in the telegram was from meningitis, following on influenza of three months ago." At last night's meeting of the Pukekura Park Board the curator reported that one of the black swans presented by Mr. Cody, of Foxton, had died during the same week that they were received, and the other one had since disappeared, and no trace of it had been found. He Mf. Oody would send another pair later on, There Was a good response last night to the invitation of those interested to meet and consider the matter of giving Mrs. Dowling a fitting farewell on her retirement from the position of head teacher of the West End School. After some'* discussion it was resolved to hold a suitable fufietifin On May % and coinmittees were appointed to arrange the details. For a considerable time minors have been afloat iii shipping circles to the effect that the Union Steamship Company ititeildS to considerably increase .its fleet of ships. Proposals have been already draWft lip with that object in view, but any projected increase of tonnage tfai held up dnring the war. Now that certain Imperial Government restrictions have been Withdrawn, the Lyttelton Times says, the Union Company is able to go ahead with plana already formulated. ThfeSe consist of the addition to the fleet of two new sliipß, and later two or threte mbre. it is anticipated that within a Very few Weeks a definite annouflCfetaent frill be made regarding the company's proposals. „ Satisfactory progress with the scheme fot an Anglican cathedral for Wellington "w&s reported at a meeting of tho committee. Gash received to date amounted to £9463. In addition to this tlifite are dfeftnite promises of payments by instalments spread over five years of £25,000.' An amount Of £30,000 in connection with a bequest will probably be ihide available before the building is started. This gives a grand total of over £OO,OOO in sight for the building fund- The two acres owrffei by the church in Taratifiki street, which were to have Iwen uwd for the early Cathedral, are worth £20,000. and the revenue ;is to be used as an endowment for the maintenance of the cathedral on St. Mark's site.

A ediifercnce of delegates of county and borough councils was held at Woodvilie a few days ago to consider the question of concrete roads, the delegates .representing' Waipawft, Waipukurau, Patangata, Akitio, liangitikei, Eketahuna, Dannevirke, and Pahiatua. The consensus of opinioii was that concrete roads were beyond the means of local bodies ,and that some cheaper method of road construction should be c6n£idered. It was resolved: "That this meeting urges a joint special Conference of counties and municipal jtsSOciatiohs for the purpose of considering the tiest methods of jnaking and financing roads, each local body represented to request their association to arrange for a conference st, Wellington during the early sitting of the nest Parliament." The engineers of thi? delegation also resolved: "Tlifr present delegates refer the principle of the Victoria system of joint State and local control to the Counties Association." It will be of some Satisfaction to those who initiated the scheme, as welt as to the residents of New Plymuoth generally, to know that the "clean-tip week" scheme. Which has noto been worked 'here with undeniable «ucccss, for tho past two years, has so far appealed to the Government, to whom details of the undertaking were supplied, that they are now. through the. Department of Internal Affairs, urging every municipality to adopt the idea. CireuInrs have been sent out bv the Minister (the Hon. <3- W. Resell) to all local 'bodies setting forth the advantages of the scheme, and the details, as carried out lowilW.'aTe also given, Mr the guidance of those districts where nothing of the kind ha.s been attempted before. As a precaution acrainst the "flu" a crusade against rats i* verv clearly indicated; more cspecialir as it is a matter of comnion knowledge that there is a veritable tili\«me of rut.* at- practically everv port in New 7!et\lf\n<l. and it has been stated tlw't the shin* arriving from overseas are more then lKiflillv infested with rats—Wellington Times.

• THE PROHIBITfON POLL. "I am in favor of Prohibition, but I am against paying a cent of compensation to The Trade," says many a moderate drinker. Tens of thousands of N.Z. electors feel exactly the same way, yet determined to strike out the top lint- on Thursday, April 10 for a very good reason. They realise that compensation is only being paid so that Prohibition can operate immediately instead of giving the Trade the four and. a-half years' additional life provided iirkte the old Act. The Nationol Efficiency Board—a body of keen, shrewd business men, unbiassed by any considerations as regards the moral aspect—after hearing the sworn evidence of both Prohibition and liquor advocates, decided that it was essential in the national interfeat that Prohibition should bt* secured at once. The report is a startling indictment of the liquor trade, yet, despite this fact, the Board also recommended the payment of compensation. Why? Because it realised that Prihibition Should be secured immediately. See to it that New Zealand obt&ifts this gttat ftforM oil Thursday, April 10. Strike out the top line! 3fl I've an antique, brass-bound cabinet Built in my bedroom wall, Wherein I keep—locked up, you bet— Mjr trßasutfeS great ami sittMl— My tobacco-jars and best cigars, And gilt-edged literature! Likewise my cash and Trades Hall sash, , And Wood's Qteat Peppermint Cure.

Some little time ago burglats entered two schools ill PkMeirston -ttftliout an; clue being found in regard to tke ctti> prits to establish their identity, and on Tuesday night the Dirtrto? High Ifrhool at Marton was broken into ififl £A taken from the headmaster's desk. On Wednesday night the headmasters office ■ , at the Feilding District Sigh BohWl tt3 broken into and a stop-wateh, ft eJteqno for £7, and some other article! UJcen away, The same thieves alsfl Tinted the Technical School, leaving there the watch taken frttffl the other school and taking away sortie £l2 odd, which wp obtained by breaking into the used bf the ihsttuctor in eodtatfy.

An unusual case was outlined iu ytyf. Dunedin Police Court recently, Joseph French was charged with wfafc ing £153 by false pretences. It stated by the police that the 4MVIM represented himself as a fslhgte mas. 6fcd obtained various sums fhiM a Jntw, under a promise of marriage. leged purposes for whiih thi aMtf %|| obtained Were for lawyers' esfifiM* iq connection with his mother's fictitious death, the purchase of & wedding dike, to repay borrowed Jtiowy, eto. Ih4 ease was adjourned to enable witnesttt for the defeicfe to Be tailed,

A Gisborne gentleman, says tiki &M» aid, has received a letter fnm ft Ml* tive of an officer in in English ment who iihderwent two yean* captav* ity at the hands of the Hunt, He writes: "I am just getting' over the shook of being a free man again. You can't think what it is to have EngtUh* men all round you, instead of the loath* some Hun. You will hear much of the bad treatment of prisoners of war, remember nothing eatt itt feo fctfcmg to describe the horrors a&d uitenCf the men went through. Otßetil .fekre not only petty annoyances t6 grdntt flfcoot, but the men were starved and Idelud and beaten, and put in salt mftttf and bayoneted and shot In a mWrber WmrtliT of the dark ages, Thousand! W BHtUh soldiers died literally of stafvMHii,' and lie in unkfiown gravis Ift tilt MMlied tjarts of Belgium Mid TfftMe, aSd in East Prussia. I hope ito will iter forget at fargiv« thid. Thope never to see or Bpeak to a Hhh again a» long as I live. It was no ttuftary oligarchy that did this—it Wat the Huh in the street."