LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 June 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

About 23,709 soldiers have returned from Europe since the beginning of the fear.

The Dominion Repatriation Board ha; granted 385 loans, totalling £83,547, to assist discharged soldiers to start in business, whilst £37,000 had been paid on behalf of soldiers to buy furniture, tools, etc. The total number of men at present being trained is 530.

A returned soldier recently applied to the Repatriation Committee for facilities to learn a new trade, his injuries at the front preventing him from fol-. lowing his former avocation. A place was found for him in a local manufacturing business, and the manager has intimated that his pupil is making splendid progress. Quite a number of returned soldiers, previously following farming pursuits, have applied recently for assistance to learn electrical engineering. A variation came before the New Plymouth Repatriation Board last evening, when two electrical engineers desired to take up farming, help in connection with which was readily given. ! The secretary of the New Plymouth Repatriation Board reported that, in response to the advertisements inserted, only one farmer had so far intimated his desire to train a returned man- Mr. Rowlands pointed out that this was the off-season, when there was no particular demand for extra labor, but later on there would, no doubt, be a better response. A member said that one difficulty in the way was the lack of accommodation on the various farms, especially for married men.

The annual conference of school committees in the Taranaki education district is to be held in the Technical College on Thursday afternoon. The annual report states, inter alia, that in some respects the past year had been an important one from the point of view of education, by reason of the insistent demand throughout the whole of the Dominion for increased educational facilities, and some of the credit for the results so far achieved was due to the assistance and activities of School Committees' Associations. The activity of branches during the year had not been so marked as hitherto, with the exception of the new branch formed in the Eltham district, but there was every indication that the projected amendments to the Education Act and the general interests of education would see an improvement. The balance-sheet shows a credit of £2 19s Id as compared with 8s fld in the previous year. Subscriptions amounted to £8 2s 3d.

A suggestion has been made that pigeon fanciers should show their gratitude for the coining of peace by offering a trophy, to be called the "Colnmbarium Peace Trophy," which should be awarded either at some fixed central show or at a show to be decided upon from time to time, probably alternately between the North and South Islands. Such trophy to be held from year to year, and to become the property of anyone winning it, say, six tiroes. It is also suggested that the trophy should be awarded in rotation to (a) magpies and tumblers, (b) owls, turbits, Oriental frills, Jacobins and fantails, and (c) any other variety of fancy pigeon Two donations of £2 •2s each have been offered towards the proposal, which emanated from Mr. E. C. Gardiner, of Mahce, who is one of the contributors. What should be done is for those interested in the matter to get together and decide the conditions which should govern the award of such a trophy, and then endeavor to raise sueh an amount as will provide a trophy worthy of the event it is intended to celebrate.

The proposed by-law for the purpose of licensing vehicles in the County of Taranaki came in for further and strong condemnation at the hands of the Ne-v Plymouth Borougc Council last night. The action of the Mayor in communicating with other local bodies and organisations interested in the proposal was endorsed. The Mayor remarked that several of the bodies communicated witn had indicated their willingness to join in the protest against the by-law. It was eventually agreed that a conference of representatives of all bodies opposed to the by-law be held 011 a date to be arranged by the Mayor, and that a strong and influential deputation wait upon the County Council to point out the inadvisability of confirming the by-law. Cr. Clarke urged that the council must fight the proposal at all costs, as otherwise it would mean the isolation of New Plymouth. He urged, if necessary, securing the co-ope-ation of those intorested in the proposed Inglewood County, and endeavoring to have that county's boundary brought right up to the borough boundary as the only means of keeping the road to the south end of the province open. He stated that if a national tax were put upon motor eara no one would object to paying it, but for one county to try and impose it was unfair.

Thase at the Melbourne. Men's ribbed woollen pants Cs lid, heavy make 8s lid; trunk drawers 3s 6d; all-wool cashmere Socks 3s lid; winter-weight neglige shirts 9s Cd; winter-weight pyjamas 10a Cd and 17s fld; children's one-piece combination sleeping suits 3s fld and 3s lid; famous all-wool cashmere stockings 4s Gd and 4s lid.

Attention is called to the sale of pedii gree and grade Jerseys at Manaia on , Friday next on account of Mr Edward ' Long. Mr Long has.' long been noted for ' the quality of his stock, money with l him being no object in the building up > of a first-class dairy herd. An adver- . tisement in our auction columns gives full details of a herd that should command the general interest of dairymen ' throughout the province. Farmers who want a leasehold dairy ' farm as a going concern should read W. i H. and A. McGarr.y's advertisement on ( one.

Eltham is agitating for a continuous telephone service. It is announced that the King has approved of the New Zealand Arli 1 U'l y being Shown in the army list as allied to the Royal Regiment of Artillery. —Press Association.

It was decided by the Now Plymouth Borough Council last night ii at the extra (is collected for Sunday funerals be in future payed to the sexton for the extra work placed upon him The Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce carried i> motion urging that Saturday be made a compulsory lialfholiday throughout the Dominion. —Press Association.

A man named George Hunter pleaded guilty at Waverley on Saturday morning to a charge' of obtaining credit by means of frattd, and was remanded to Wellington for sentence. He engaged a taxi-driver to take him to Patea, where he entered a hotel and disappeared.

The cemetery committee recommende i to the Borough Council last, night that the general purposes committee be requested to tar-seal Watson Street from Lemon Street to the inner gate of the cemetery, and to kerb the footpath on the east side from Lemon Street to a few feet past the gate to the sexton's cottage. The recommendation was approved. A resident of Se&toun Heights, Wei lington, finding it somewhat inconvenient to rely on tanks for his water supply, recently decided to endeavor to provide his household with the precioiu fluid from the bowels of the earth. Being uncertain as to the best place on the section to sink a well, he called in a waterdiviner, who advised him on this point. A deep well was sunk at the spot suggested, and water was obtained.

At last night's meeting of the Borougn Council it was resolved, on the recommendation of the cemetery committee, at the request of the president of the Women's National Reserve, to set aside certain plots in the cemetery as a burial ground for deceased returned soldiers, subject to the right of the council to review the reservation every five years, and that if at the end of any five years the council is satisfied that the plots will never be required for the purposes indicated, the reservation may be cancelled.

The question of the site for the pub lie conveniences proposed t~. be erected by the New Plymouth Borough Council again occupied tiie council at its meeting last night. Cr. Hiyden moved that the engineer's plan be adhered to, and that they be erected in Upper Brougham Street, below ground. Cr Collis moved that they be erected at the foot, of Brougham Street, near the railway yard. Crs. Brooker and Parkin supported the amendment, and Crs. Clarke, Hill, Griffiths and the Mayor supported the motion, which was carried The decision is subject to the report of the finance committee.

On Sunday last the new school room erected at the rear of the i'jtzroy Methodist Church was dedicated for the work of the Sunday school in connection with the church. Special reference was made to the occasion at the morning servic:, and in the afternoon the Rev. H. L. Richards conducted a speeif.t dedication service. Last night a tea was held in' the new room, for the nurpose of honoring those who had assisted in the erection of the building. The story of the building of the room is a record of free and gratuitous, service rendered by a number of the !men associated with the church and a few outsiders interested hi it. In a suitable speech the Rev. H. L. Richards paid a warm tribute to the services rendered. The room is 30 fest by 21 feet, and also has at the rear end a very completely equipped kitchen. The materials for the building cost approximately £2OO, and the only labor to On paid for in connection with its erection was the cost of laying the gas pipes t j the kitchen. Not unly had the building been erected with free labor, but the seats had been provided without cost to the trustees, and a new piano had been placed in the building, and a scheme arranged for payment of the cost of the instrument within two years, without any liability to tfce church authorities. The room is also intended to be used for social purposes in connection with work amongst the young people, and last night, after the tea, the room was formally opened for that purpose by Mr. C. K Bellringer, and a very enjoyable concert was given by a number of visiting friends.

In the course of a speech at the opening of a bridge on the main road between Taumarunui and Okahukura, Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P., made some reference to political matters in the Dominion. He said that while in Wellington a week before, in conversation with a Minister of the Crown, a few figures were pointed out to him showing what the demands of the people of the Dominion meant. The enthusiasts in education wanted £7,000,000 spent; one deputation wanted for a certain school £55,0011 In regard to the main arterial roads the farmer* were asking that £0,000,000 be allocated In regard to tho improvement of the existing railways and station? £3,000,000 was asked for; for pensions, military, and otherwise, over £2,000.000 per annum would have to be provided. For what was, in his opinion, a most important matter—namely, hydro-clectrjc power Government expenses would amount to about £10,000,000. mak ng a small total of £34,000,000. He asked whether the sense of the proportion of things had gone out of the minds of the people Perhaps owing to tho war they hid become so accustomed to hearing thousands of millions talked about that they, too, a sparsely-settled population, could also talk glibly about many million h The increases in the national dobt during the war period were surely sulflcient food for thought. In - conclusion, MrJennings said lie trusted that tho indebtedness of the country would cause some to reflect as to what they should do in the future in ivgan 1 to electing persons to represent them in Parliament. Never was a time more pregnant with meaning for the fi.tiire of the country, a country which should be governed by men who had a love for it. ai d men who had experience and goodwill

A sale of great interest to farmers will be held by the Farmers' (Jo.-op uu Thursday, June 1!), when they will sell pedigree Friesian cows, heifers and bulls on behalf of Messrs Seidel and McCormack. The stock are reported on by the auctioneers as some of the best New Zealand breeds, and selected from the herds of well-known breeders. There will also be a number of choice grade cows submitted. The sale will be held on the farm, Stuart Road, F.ltham, Cars will be arranged by the auctioneers to convey intending purchasers to the sale, and catalogues are available on application to any of their offices.

Messrs Gilmour and Clarke have a replace on page one of this issue which our readers should peruse.

for Bronchial Cough, take ■Woods' Great