LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 July 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Lyttelton Police Court on Friday two Justices of the Peace sentenced Thomas Reeves to twelve months' imprisonment for using obscene language in a public place. He has 48 previous convictions against him for various offences. The Army Council has refused General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien permission to reply to the allegations made by Lord French in his book on the early part of the war. The last peace celebrations in New Zealand prior to those recently concluded occurred on June 2, 1002, when news was received that the South African war, which broke out in October, 1S!)9, had been terminated by the signing of peace terms on May 31. The Anglican Synod carried a resolution constituting licenced clergy and two laymen from every parish and district as the Auckland representation on the ffaranaki Bishopric scheme, and providing for representatives already elected by parishioners continuing to sit. There are 602 solo teacher schools in New Zealand, and of these no fewer than 525 are in the charge of uncertificated teachers. It was stated to the Otago Education Board the other day that these figures had come before the Council of Education last month, and the council was strongly in favor of increasing the salaries at single-teacher schools. The object in view was to attract to these ooluntry schools more highly qualified teachers and make the uncertificated teachers find their way (o larger schools, where they would have the advantage of working under experienced, headmasters. A Christchurch man, Mr. A, D- Ford, has put forward a housing scheme to be worked by municipalities, based on loans from the Government, free of interest, totalling £2,000,000. To meet the loss on letting the houses at 15s per week and provide necessary interest and sinking fund he proposes, that Parliament should put an extra duty of 20 per cent, on tobacco and cigarettes. It, would mean an increased price of three-fifths of a penny per plub of tobacco, but he thinks consumers would pay it willingly in the knowledge that the payment would make it possible to erect 3000 sanitary homes. Dame Nellie Melba is credited with the discovery in Lancashire of Thomas Burke, the new tenor, who made a great impression at Covent Garden on the opening of the opera season, His voice is described as of beautiful, rich quality, wi,th ringing upper tones. He has a pleasing stage presence and finished methods. At the end of the duet in the first act of "La Boheme" the tenor, instead of taking the usual high note with the soprano (Melba), left it to her entirely, taking a note an octave lower—a charming piece of gallantry from a newcomer to his 1 famous partner. "FAIRY WONDER," tlu wonderful clothes washer, is absolutely free from any deleterious matter that will injure clothes or hands yet it will soften and remove dirt like magic . Even clothes that have, become a bad color will, when washed with "Fairy Wonder", quickly regain their original snow white color. Ask your grocer for it. Sold in large and small packets. "Perfection," the famous blend that is "All the name implies!" Entirely free from that "bite" and crudence so pronounced in immature and unskilfully blended whiskies. It possesses a pleasing smoothness that makes instant appeal to the discriminating palate, whilst its unvarying excellence makes it a revelation to even the connoisseur. Bottled only by the proprietors, D. and J. McCallum at their distilleries, Edinburgh, Scotland. Wholesale distributors for Auckland province, Cooke and Co., Albert street, AUCKLAND. 2 MOVING IN WINTER. Short, cold days and weather often unfavorable make it specially important to get experts to move your furniture. Our experienced men economise time, do the work carefully, skilfully and inconvenience you as little as possible. The special vans also protect the furniture splendidly. The New Zealand Express Company, Ltd. • Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, for Coiw&s ajid Colds, never faili.

The Hon. J. Hanan has intimated that Cabinet has approved of a' grant of £llOO for additions to ,the boarding establishment. at the New Plymouth Boys' High School. On Friday evening, at the Soldiers' Club, Mr. A. MoHardy, manager for the National Bank of New Zealand, read a paper before the New Plymouth accountants dealing with endorsements and bills of exchange. Mr. MeHardy dealt, with the subject in an interesting and comprehensive manner, and was called on to answer several questions. Valuable discussions upon points raised followed. It is proposed to hold another meeting a fortnight hence, when a paper on "The Chattels Transfer Act" will be read. It is expected that the Waipukurau sanatorium for consumptive soldiers will be ready for occupation, though not completed, by the end of August. Temporary arrangements are being made for the water supply, as ( tne machinery for the permanent supply is not yet to hand. At the Cashmere Hills the new building is now occupied. There are twenty men there now, some,from Featherston and some from Te Waikato. This week there will be room for fifteen more, and the week following room for another fifteen. Further extensions to accommodate thirty more are being made. A Wanganui resident who has just returned from a visit to the Main Trunk district told a Herald reporter that he found conditions there ,to be normal. There was, however, a good deal of unemployment among unskilled workers. In the towns there was practically, no building going on, but employers had not yet commenced to put off carpentersDiscussing the coal shortage, he said that he noticed that a good deal of coal was being moved, principally from the north. One morning he noticed two trains composed principally of trucks of coal being sent south alttost together. One direct result of the present shortage of houses in Auckland has been that beach cottages, formerly used by their owners for only a few months in sumher, are now in occupation all the year round. "If owners could only rent these partly furnished for 15s a week during the rest of the year they used to consider themselves lucky," remarked a land agent (states the Now Zealand Herald). "Nowadays, when people are eager to rent anything with a roof ond a floor, they have no difficulty in getting £2 a week, and the tenants are very reluctant to turn out when the owners themselves want to take possession." Speaking at a meeting of the Wanganui Education Board on Wednesday, Mr. P. C. Freeth. who recently investigated school accommodation at Palmerston North, said if members of the board knew the conditions under which the teachers worked and the children were taught they would be just as incensed as the Palmerston North people. Cabinet Ministers had visited there, expressed sympathy, and then went away and did nothing. ne did not -think there would be any satisfaction until the schools were taken out of the present control in Wellington and control concentrated in the hands of the people who understood the wants better. The best school in Palmerston North belonged to the Catholic Church, and that was simply because the authority controlled its own expenditure. The State schools were wretched, broken-down 'shacks" which, compared with the Roman Catholic school were like dog kennels to a palace. No worJs of condemnation could be too (strong. A modern version of the historical incident of King Alfred and the cokes' was enacted in Auckland during the peace celebrations. Fearful of robbery from the person, and equally afraid to consign valuables to an ordinary place of concealment in an unguarded house, an Auckland housewife conceived the shrewd idea of putting seven one-pound notes in a tobacco box and hiding them in the oven. Returning from the celebrations, full of the spirit of rejoicing, husband and wife completely forgot the hidden hoard, and lighted the Are in the ordinary way. Some time lator, recollecting that super-heating is not a desirable treatment for paper-money, the I oven door was hurriedly opened, and the hot tin whipped out. Unfortunately, the oven in this instance was not a typical Auckland one. It had done its work with a thoroughness which would have sent the average housewife into ecstasies under othor circumstances, No.thing but the ash remains were found in the tin—a bitter intimation that burnt offerings are nowadays too heathen even for peace celebrations. A recently-returned Wellington soldier tells a story of Hun incivility and a British attempt to correct it. In Cologne the New Zeaandera were struck by the fact that the German men would remain complacently seated in the -tranicars while the women stood, and that the men would board and alight from the cars before the women. One day, when a number of New Zealanders were travelling by tram, they sprung a little surprise upon the discourteous sons of the Vaterand. They decided that the German order of precedence must be reversed; and for the length of their journey no man was permitted to occupy a seat while Fran or Fraulein was without: No man got out before a woman, and no man boarded the trim before one. Thus, temporarily at least, were the unchivalrous practices of old Cologne improved by contact with a non-German brand of culture and civilisation. The Loan and Mercantile Agency Co wish to draw clients' attention to the clearing sale they are holding on account of Wm. Bellamy, Esq., on the Mangaehu Road, Makahu, 1 on Thursday next (July 31) at 12.30 p.m. Full particulars of stock, sundries, and furniture to be offered will be found on page 8 of this issue. Mails dispatched from New Zealand on June 7 arrived in London on the 18th inst. The box plan for the troubadour entertainment to be given by the Star minstrel tioupe on Augmt 14. in the Good Templar Hall in aid of the man in connection with the St. Mary's peace memorial sunday school building, will open at Collier's on Wefinesday, July 30. The last entertainment given by this troupe was a great success, and patrons of the ooming entertainment can be assured of an enjoyable evening, as a varied musical programme will be given by a full company, including Madame Sophie Carmen, the talented lady comedienne. The mart itself will be held on August 23, and, in addition to the other stalls, the High School boys have undertaken a stall, and they will be glad of donations towards it. The Melbourne Ltd. are showing two splendid lines of men's neglige shirts, in the latest designs, white ground with black or blue stripes in printed cambric, at 10s (td and fine cotton taffeta, at 12s Bd. All shirts «r* fitted with good quality linen neckband and are guaranteed full fitting.