LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 August 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Wairarapa Age states that more people are travelling from Masterton to Wellington by motor car at the present time than are travelling by train, On this coast, the proportion of the public travelling by motor and train is as three to one.

The collection of material, which may be of value to future writers of New Zealand's part in the war, is now being undertaken by the Defence Department Captain 11. T, B. Drew, a former journalist, is in charge of the work.

Driving without lights at night appears to be very prevalent in the Egmont County at present. At yesterday's meeting of the Egmont Council, the chairman referred to the fact that accidents had recently occurred, and it was unanimously resolved to draw the atten* tion of the police to the practice. During a discussion at the meeting of the Egmont County Council yesterday relative to the difficulty of procuring paddoeking for horses, the chairman remarked that in its loan proposals the Council would also have to, consider the question of raising a loan to erect six workmen's houses, with necessary paddocking. Crs. Green and Sinclair considered that this would kill the loan Cr. O'Brien agreed that the Council would have to provide residences for its men In the course of further discussion it wan pointed out that ratepayers would have the opportunity of voting on this as h separate issue if the Council decided to bring it forward. The question of licensing motor cars was discussed by the Egmont County Council at its meeting yesterday, and Cr. Green pointed out that taxis were not licensed by the County, and he thought it was timo they were, in order to protect them from the farmers, many of whom were now carrying passengers for hire. If taxis were licensed and farmers wanted to carry passengers they would have to pay the license, It was pointe'l out that the Council had no by-laws except, heavy traffic by-laws, and had been waiting for some time for tho uniform by-laws that tho County Conference was introducing and that they desired should be expedited. When the resolution from the New Zealand Automobile Association suggesting that with a view to preventing accidents the approaches of all bridges should be painted white, or, where necessary, boards painted white be erected oil each bridge, was before the Egmont County Council at its meeting yesterday, members expressed the opinion that the upkeep of the roads was the. first consideration and that motorists should go slower. Regarding the suggestion that local bodies should have power to order the trimming, removing, or lowering of trees, fences and hedges at dangerous corners of roads, the chairman stated that the Council had already exercised its authority in this matter.

Ladies! liere's ft quick method of getting your washing done': Get your copper boiling and to each bucket of watur add a t&blespooty full of "Fairy Wonder" washing power and slice in a small quantity of household soap; put clothes in dry and boil for twenty jninutes; take out, rinse and hang on line. You'll bo astounded and delighted. "Fairy Wonder" at all grocers. The Eltham Convent are holding <v monster Fancy Fair in aid of the Building Fund for enlarging the present Convent building. An advertisement appears in Another column.

The sum of £SOOO lias been raised in Hamilton for the erection of a soldiers' club.

At Mangorqi last niglit, Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., addressed, a meeting of about twenty electors and received a vote of thanks and confidence, Mr. S. J. Jackson presided. The president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, stated the other day that the price of shell benzine was only 5s 10Jd a case, f.o.b. Hong Kong, which allowed 18s ojd a case for freight to Auckland. It would thus be seen that an enormous profit was being made. I At the conclusion of an affiliation case hqjn'd at the Auckland Magistrate's Court, the magistrate remarked on the likeness between the child and the defendant who was being sued for maintenance. "You can see for yourself," said his Worship to the defending counsel. "But it has its mother's eyes and eye-brows," said the solicitor. "Oh well, you hud better refer it to the gentlemen of the Press," answered the magistrate. A Nelson lad of sixteen years and nine months enlisted with the Main Body, and returned a few months ago after 1 four years' service. He joined as a private, and he came back as a lieutenant,, wearing two decorations—the D.C.M. and the M.M. Before he became a soldier he was employed in a land ageht's office at Nelson; now he considers that he ought to improve his education by returning to Bchbol. He will, therefore, become a ctudent at Nelson College, beginning in j one of the lower forms.

"Hindoos have acquired land, in one instance a deposit of £IOOO being paid, and they have paid high prices for cattle," stated a returned soldier in a letter to the executive of his association, at Auckland recently. He complained that the language test is: learned by Hindoos parrot fashion, and that many of them have no knowledge of English. He suggested that united action should be taken by the various associations to make public the lftenace of Hindoo immigration under the present conditions. The.executive decided to refer the matter to the headquartei's of the association. There is a certain land agent in Auckland who is now looking out all his old holdings, in the way of farming lands as the result of an a {/plication that was made to him this week (says the Star). A young man entered his office with the usual request for description and prices of farming lands.. "Roads are the difficulties thesp days/' said the agent. "Oh, but that doesn t matter," caitie the astonishing reply. "You see, I intend to run an acroplarte just quietly. As long as the old ranch is an hour or so from a village, it'll be.all right" "What do you iftean by an "hour' from a village?" asked the somewhat dazed agent. "About a hundred miles would be near enough," answered the futurist farmer.

Great consignation prevailed at Wanganui East recently when it was discovered that four little children, all under school age, were missing. The frantic parents enlisted the aid of the police, while Boy Scouts and residents joined in the search. After some time had been spent in searching every conceivable nook and corner, the young adventurers were found about 3% miles along ,tho River Bank road. They expressed the intention of making for Auckland, and ohe had taken his little wooden horse to assist them on the way. When found one child was footsore and lame, two were crying and wanted something to eat, while the fourth, although less demonstrative, looked greatly pleased when lifted into a motor-car, at the prospect of a ride home.

Thefts from boardinghouses, usually servants' rooms, have been frequent in Kotorul recently (saya the correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). A few days ago an alleged thief was caught by the proprietor of a boardinghouse, Mr. Tapper, his son, a returned soldier, and Sergeant-Major lnnes Jones, a hoarder. A trap was Bet in the servants' room by placing marked coins on the table- Mr. Tapper watched outside the room and the others concealed themselves within the room. During dinner time, when the thefts were usually committed, someone entered the room and took the money. The light was suddenly turned, on, and revealed a young Maori, who was overpowered and search, ed. Two gold rings were discovered, one reported to have been stolen from a bedroom in another lodging-house, and the other having been taken from a house at Ohinemutu. The man was handed over to the police. Convincing evidence of tho rapid passing of the pioneers of Auckland is contained in the defith notifications filed by the registrar during the last two mbnths (says the Herald)- There" has been a considerable increase in the number of deaths of old folk, 70 years of age and upwards, recorded during the months of Juno and July, as compared with tho figures covering the name period last year. This is somewhat unexpected, in view of the very much finer and milder winter experienced this year. The total number of deaths o[ those 70 years of nge and over during the last two months was 8!)—48 of men and 41 of women. Last year the total was only 88—34 men and 32 women. Mr, William Foote, a retired farmer, who died at Epsom, attained the greatest age record—97 years. He was the only male nonogenarian, nut there were three among the women, one 04, one 93, and another 90.

Concerning the present high prices being given for dairying land, the proper estimate of valuation would appear to be on the basis of the capacity of its production. Thus, a farm which will return a gross annual income of £2O per acre is clearly cheap at, say, £IOO per acre, provided there is a reasonable prospect of the present high prices for dairy produce retaining their high figure. "Teller," writing in the Hawera Star, knows of a small farm in tho neighbourhood of Hawera, a few perches over 25 acres in area, has returned , this Beason (allowing the same payment for butter-fat as last) the gross sum of £519 6a 3d, or rather better than per acre. No doubt there are other returns in the district equally good or better. The difficulty is to get the' actual figures from the average farmer, as he is often inclined to "boost" the roturns far above the actual 'showing. The above, however, ia correct; and is all the more meritorious in'that the eows used were not by any means a -purebred herd, averaging just 2531b. of fat each. With a 280 or 3001b. average, the return for the area would have been quite noteworthy. Also, on this small place no roots or green feed lyhatever was grown, sufficient hay being sayed in the flush to see the cattle -through the winter.