LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As showing the scarcity and clearness of timber in England a New Plymouth merchant yesterday received goods in a box which he found te bear the mark "Midhirst Dairy Company." It had been sent home with butter and returned with manufactured articles. The Minister for Internal Affairs <Mr. J. B. Hine) will be in Eltham on Monday, and the various counties and boroughs of the province have been invited to meet him to protest against the Taranaki County Council imposing its proposed wheel tax. A Coastal draper, who recently placed an order for flannel with a wholesale firm, has received advice that there is absolutely no hope of the southern 'woollen mills being able to deliver any flannel this season or for next winter. Later on, they may be in the position to manufacture flannel at the Onehunga mills. The mills were at present completing orders for rugs, tweeds, and blankets, and it would be quite twelve months before they were free to make up any other material.

A man named George Henry Harper appeared in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning on remand in connection with a charge of vagrancy. At Eltham on September 17 he was found wandering about with bare feet and Saying he was too ill to work. He was brought before the magistrate and pleaded guilty, but was remanded for medical observation at New Plymouth. The medical certificate showed that he was a malingerer, but, in view of the fact that he had been on remand for over a week, the maiistrate (Mr. T. A. B. Bailey) convicted and ordered him to come up for sentence if called upon.

Says the Christchurch Sun: 'Christchurch is progressing. It has now at least one claim to being in advance of any other city in the whole of Australasia. Running on its streets now is an electric taxi cab, the first of its kind in either the Commonwealth or the Dominion. For absolutely comfortable travelling by taxi —for the comfort and pleasure that gives the passenger an atmosphere of reaj Uixuriousiless —there is nothing to equal the electric car. It runs without nffisc or vibration—so smoothly that it gives the very poetry of motion—and without sudden jerks of starting or ' stopping, and it does not offend the nostrils with the fumes ot petrol. There is no more pleasing way of getting about•the city, and its environs than by the electric taxi now on the streets, for, apart from the fact that it is such a smoothly-runn/ig, odourless, vehicle, it is a particularly comfortable car, of a type which is in dose approach to the limousine.

In order to fill the vacancies in the New Zealand Army Staff Corps, applications were invited from amongst officers ot the Expeditionary Force, and 300 were received. A board consisting of MajorGenerals Robin and Russell and Briga-dier-Generals Richardson and Hart reviewed the applications, and forty-eight officers were selected to proceed to camp at Treulhnm to attend the qualifying course. In the past it had been the practice of tiie Defence Department to recruit its stail'-otticers from young oflicers who had completed a course of training at Duntroon, in Australia. That practice was still being carried out, but im account of war "wastage" of stall' officers a greater number of vacancies had been created than in peace time, consequently it was decided to draw from amongst officers who had seen service. A number of senior ollicers offered their services, but it was decided to select younger men of lesser rank on account of the prospect of their greater length of service, which was an important consideration. The applicants have been selected principally on their war record, and will require to prove their litness before appointment. Among those selected is Second-Lieutenant W. I l '. Cornell, of New Plynioutn.

Tiie trials of "washing day can be relieved by the use of "FAIRY WONDER" Cleanser, the new scientific washing powder. TJiis compound, put upi in handy packets, can now be had of all grocers and wholesalers throughout the North Island. Housewives are delighted with it. Washerwomen swear by it, while laundries buy it in wholesale quantities. They know which is best.

A 300-acres mixed farm is advertised for exchange by W. H. and A. McGarry, EUAsai.

At &ie Stratford Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, before Mr. J. McCluggage, J.P., Raymond Sheaves, a young man residing at Ngaere, was charged with breaking and entering and theft at Mr. Arthur's store, Ngaere, on the 2nd and 18th inst. On the application of the police accused was remanded to appear before the stipendiary magistrate next court day. A well-known Auckland business man, writing from London under date July 23, states: "This is not the time for enjoying a trip to London, as everything is very unsettled. What with strikes and labor troubles generally, I, personally, shall be glad to get back to New Zealand, but how to do so is a positive conundrum, as there are no passages available until January and February, 1920. I hava haunted every shipping office in London in the endeavor to got a passage, but without result, so if you know anyone contemplating a run Home just put them wise as to the difficulties, I and tell them to postpone it until things are normal, or at least better."

Mr. S. Hawke had an unenviable experience yesterday, whilst returning home' along the coast road in his Daimler car. He was proceeding up the Ahua Ahua Hill, near Tataraimaka, when he noticed flames burst out from under his feet. Fanned by the strong wind blowing, the flames spread with incredible speed. Barely having time to stop the car, Mr. Hawke had to hurriedly jump, slightly injuring his foot thereby. The car burnt quickly, and was soon a mass of twisted iron. He had just a few moments previously set down his passengers, amijng whom was an old lady, and was fortunately returning with an empty car. It is understood that the car was insured for £3OO, but its value was very much over that, so Mr. Hawke is a- heavy loser. At the reception in Wellington to Captain Andrew, V.C., Mr. Massey announced as official the following decorations which had been won by New Zealanders in the war: 11 V.C'sj 134 D.S.O's, including 7 bars; 633 M.C's, including 24 bars; 386 D.C.M's, including 4 bars; 2043 M.M's, including 59 bars; 278 M.s.M's; 1512 mentions in despatches; and 180 foreign decorations, (Cheers). That, he said, was a record New Zealand had every reason to be proud of. The deeds done by the New Zealand soldiers would live long after the present generation had passed away. One of the brightest chapters in the history of the war would be the record of the magnificent response of the soldiers of the overseas Dominions, including New Zealand. Mr. Massey paid a tribute to the work of the mercantile marine, and in regard to the returning Baid he felt sure they would make as good citizens hs they had brave soldier's.

A correspondent writes to a Christchurch paper as follows: During the dry weather towards the end of the winter some of the small peninsula creeks ran very low. I was visiting a friend one evening, and during the conversation my host told me that he had a eat which was in the habit of going down to the creek below the house and catching some young eels. It would then bring the eel home and share it' with a well-grown kitten. Knowing the aversisn of the ordinary cat to water, I thought it rather remarkable, but on parting from my friend later on, I found the old cat and the kitten on the back verandah. They had ari eel about eight inches long, which was being attacked fore and aft, and slowly Jmt surely disappearing. • I According to the Dominion, the employment of girls as telegraph messengers is said to be quite a success. • Between 20 and 30 girls are now employed. Unlike other positions in the post office, which, owing to war exigencies, have been temporarily filled by women to be abolished when the men return, the girl messengers' branch is regarded' as a permanent innovation, not to be dispensed with when more boys are offering. They have a separate department from the boys, and are under the control of a matron. Contrary expectations, the closing of the war has not caused a large number of boys to offer their services. In order to make the service more attractive to the right type of lad, the Department a short time ago increased the salary to 25s a week, but even this additional inducement has not been sufficient to fill the vacancies.

A letter of considerable interest to housewives was recently published in the Christehurcli Sun. A war widow 9tated that she maintained a family of four in every comfort and ample food on £2 10s a week, including 12s fld a week for rent. She said she had no debts, noi was she in any distress and did not complain. "It is needless to say" she concludes, "that there isi no margin." Commenting on the letter in view of the present high cost of living, the editor of the Sun in a footnote adds: Our correspondent deserves great credit for her good mauagement of her little home. It is a well-known fact that bad housekeeping and wasteful methods are responsible for the inability of many families to make both ends meet. The "high cost of living" is frequently blamed, or financial difficulties that arise from the fact that the housewife has never "learnt her job." Seeing that so many of the young women of the present day prior to marriage spend several years in a factory, shop, or an office, perhaps this is only natural.

A Dunedin firm has placed at the disposal of a contemporary an extract from a letter from its London house with ve[ferencc to the state and prospects of the paper market: ''We note you say in reference to paper samples that prices must fall as raw material is coming into England very freely. Well, perhaps this may be so, but for your information wa may state that Esparto is about thro* times the old price and wood pulp is still considerably over double, and instead of these being further reduced the possibilities are—from information we have received—that they will be increased, You may take it that prices are now fairly stationary, and that there is very little prospect of printing papiT being further reduced this year. Everything in connection with the paper trade is agfcinst any further reduction in prije. The hours in paper mills have been reduced from 50 to 48, and this week there is a strike on in all the mills in North Britain for a. further reduction of hour? to 44 per week and an increase in wages to something in the region of £5 a weeif. and when you take into consideration that in 1014 the men in the paper mills were working 50 hours for wages varying from 2. r >s to :iss per week, you will easily understand that any reduction in raw material is going to be more than balanced by the new scale of wages. Coai also, which is a considerable item in paper-making, is now three times its prewar price, so we think that under these circumstances you can safely assume that there will be no further reduction in the cost of printing papers this year."

Owing to the resumption of the train service, Messrs Beu, Snelling and Co notify that they will not run their car to Hawera after this week.

"We were instructed to add 135 per cent, to the net cost of the article," said a witness in the Magistrate's Court M Wellington, in giving evidence in a -civil action. "This would cover the landing charges, our profit, and the wholesale 23 per cent discount.

Commenting upon the recent seamen's Btrike, the Sydney Daily Telegraph remarks: "Fourteen weeks ago tie strike began. It ended at a cost in wages (ilone of nearly £4,000,000. Lobs of Lvude, suffering, and privatiCn have also to be added, making the cumlattfe effect such that even unionists question whether the result has been justified by the means. In all the past weeks the misery of unemployment ha* gripped hundreds of homes in this city, and not even the pathos of the relief committee's work would give any idea of the suffer-

Tliis is how Lord Leverliulme, of Sunlight Soap fame, thinks directors of companies should deal with their reserve profits, seeing that investments in giltedged stocks have proved such a diminishing quantity. He says: "I hold strongly that the best investment for surplus profits is to expend them on judicious advertising, wisely and carefully planned, and executed with originality and forcefulness. These same surplus profits, invested wisely in advertising, then become a real 'gilt-edge' security, and a solid reserve of strength to meet days of difficulty, and to overcome quietly, but irresistibly and'tunlj, the most frenzie'd of coajpetitiop." The occupants of a motor ear lad a miraculous escape from death the other day near Cambridge. Thirty-Are returned soldiers, inmates of Te Waikato Sanatorium, together with fifteen outpatients, were entertained at a picnic at Horahora. On the return journey the car containing Mr E. Roche and three soldiers skidded on the Sanatorium Hill Road, and went over an embankment, the car turning over several time* in the course of its descent. It fell aUrty feet. Beyond receiving a shaking ana skin abrasions, the occupants were uninjured. Through being isolated on Herring Rock, ftt Siypner, by. the incoming tide, two young girls had an unpleaiant experience a few days ago. The girls had been Bitting reading on the rook and had, not noticed they were being cut .iff by the tide till they rose to go, about 2.30 p.m. Efforts to rescue them were made by a number of lads, who secured a long plank and sought to make a pas-

sage across to the rock, but tha effort was unsuccessful. In the meantime a very heavy sea had risen and the rock was surrounded by a dangerous wash. It was not considered advisable .to attempt the rescue by means of a boat and the isolated girls were forced to await the falling of the tide, their position being rendered more unpleasant on account of the cold easterly wind to which they were exposed. About 5.50 p.m. they were rescued by Mr. W, J. Sergison, of the Sumner Life-Saving Society, the tide having fallen by then, and Mr. Sergison was able to wade out to the rock and carry the girls ashore. They were in an exhausted condition, but after receiving attention from residents, were able to proceed to their homes. The summer girl will this season wear short white skirts and smart white shoes; so will her elder sister. You, Milady, who follows Fashion should see the dainty white footwear olfered by The Big Store, Waitara, on page four, at last summer's low prices. Attention is directed to the fine properties advertised by Mr Newton King to be sold by auction at his mart today at 2 o'clock. The homestead ii ideally situated, being high, sunny, and witliin a few minutes of the Post Offlci and in the best residential quarter oTffii town. Tho> vacant section ii .equally well situated and it must appeal to anyone desiring a good building site. The Treasury advises that the time of closing applications for the Victory War Loan has been extended to Thurtday, October, flth.

"The Prison System and its AdminL stratlon in New Zealand" is the title of ™

an address (under the auspices of the Labor Party) to be given by Mr. P. B. Fitzherbert. on Sunday evening at 8.15 in the Good Templar Hall. ;'