LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

lii the Magistrate's Court yesterday movning orders were made by Mr T. A. Bailey, S.M., in the following judgment summer '.aaes:—Erad li'ia to pay .Herbert G. Clarke (Mr A A. Bennett; the sum of £44 2s 3d forthwith, in default 42 days' imprisonment; Pouranui Ngawhare to pay H. G. Clarke the sum of £l2 ISs forthwith, in default 14 days' imprisonment.

A lady has written to th e Mayor of Christehureh suggesting that in cases where the sisters of dead soldiers are not receiving pensions they should be eligible for the gratuity in' the absence of their next-of-kin. She states that her two brothers were killed within three months of one another, and she and her sister are the only survivors. The Mayor has (states an exchange) written to Sir James Allen asking for an opinion on the claim.

A conflict has arisen between two cooperative companies,. with headquarters at Gisborne and Hamilton respectively, for possession of certain neutral territory, including Taneatua and Waimana, says a, Press Association telegram. The Hamilton company, which intends to build stores at Whakatane. began canvassing those districts, believing they had been allotted them bv the Xew Zealand Federation of Co-operative Companies. The Gisborne company immediately called a rival meeting. ' A temporary understanding has now been reached pending a settlement. According to Mr Riley, who accompanied Mr Massey as his political secretary at the recent great Peace Conference, Mr Hughes, the Australian Prime Minister, had an extraordinary fascination for the Japanese delegate's at the conference. Mr Riley told a St. Clair audience how on one occasion when the Japanese problem was to be debated all the correspondents in France, and there were MO of them gathered to hoar from Mr Hughes a "neech that would move the stars But,' remarked Mr Riley, ''Mr Hughes is no god, and on that'occasion he waited until the Japanese dele«at'* had finished and then went over" and secured their autographs for hi, wife'"

_ "If his Honor the Chief Justice's judgment is upheld," said the Solicitorgeneral in an appeal case at Wcllilneton recently, "it will strike a fumlamental blow at all charitable trusts of winch the trustees are public bodies." The case under review was one where the proposed sale for £nf)oo by the Wanganui Borough 0 f land alleged to be a charitable trust was opposed. The hohcitor-General contended that if th« judgment was allowed to sland local bodies could play fast and loose with the gifts of public-spirited men. Mr hkcrrett, for the defence, held that the transfer was not a gift, but a business deal, and that the intervention of the .Solicitor-General in the public interest was not justified. Decision was reserved.

tiA case for possession of a dwelling was brought before Mr T. A. B. Bailey &.M., yesterday morning about which there were quite a number of features which told against the plaintiff, and which resulted in a non-suit after the nrst witness had been heard The agent in the case stated that the house was let on the understanding that it was liable to be sold at anv time. The house was subsequently sold and defendant was given notice to quit The agent stated that the notice was made out, but as he had been away for a week it was late in being posted and the defendant actually only .trot throe week's notice. Counsel for defendant said there were othe> points against the claim. The notice was not a proper notice to quit, no time was fixed for tno determination of the tenancy, and the rent had been acecpted even 'after the date suggested in the note to defendant. Further,, the lady who had been cited as defendant was really not the tenant, hut her son. The Magistrate remarked that it seemed usefess to proceed further, and non-suited plaintiff.

The people of Cliristelmrch lm.l once again the other evening to suffer from the vagaries of the Lake Colcridjre <.]<<?■ trical supply system (savs a ' Christchurch paper). A squally rain storm sprang up shortly after 5 o'clock, and at 6.47 o'clock the south transmission line from Lake Coleridge to the city failed. Five minutes later violent' fluctuations' in the north lino manifested themselves, the lights in the city being flickered alternately on and off.'whilst the tramway service was interfered with. The fault was erusfied for several minutes by bringins the voltage up. but finally, at' 7.32 o'clock, the north line failed altogether, and the city was plunged into darkness, except in those places where gas lights were available. Exactly one minute later an extraordinary piece of luck was experienced, the south line being tested "0.K.," the fault having apparently burned itself out. The result was that at the end of another five minutes the current was gn again. Owincr, however, to the constant surges iuierfering with the tramway 'service, it was decided by the tramway engineers to revert to their steam plant, and whilst this operation was in progress, from 5.20 till 5.20 o'clock, everv tram in the streets was held up. The night was a wet. miserable one, hence very few suburbanites elected to brave the elements and walk into the city. The great majority either waited in the tram cars, or returned home. The annual meeting of members of the Tarata Dog Trials Club takes place on Saturday next at 8 p.m. at the Tarata Hall.

A hairdresser's and tobacconist business for sale, and a-'Ngaere farm for exchanee are advertised, on page one by W. H. and A. McQarry, Eltham.;

A cable from New York states that "Canonball" Coleman was slightly injured in a motor-cycle practice race. "What a boon it would have been for for the country if the Government had fixed the price of land for the period of the war when it fixed the price of products of the land," observed Mr R. J. Ambury, chairman of Directors of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Co. "There would have been more producers, fewer land speculators, and land agents, and greater contentment than there is just now."

In the course of his report to the hoard last night the curator of the Pukekura Park stated: "As is usual at this season of the year some person or persons have visited the park for the fourth year in succession, and taken a quantity of cuttings from the finer native plants. The last of the todoas or royal ferns, was stolen from near the lower waterfall recently." Some discussion took place on the matter, the curator's opinion being that it was not children who were responsible for the depredations. It was suggested that some steps Bhould be taken by the board to have a better appreciation of the spirit of the community responsibility developed in the district.

At Otorohanga last week, Mr Burton, S.M., delivered reserved decision, dismissing a charge of working at his trade on Sunday against James Belcher, a local farmer and contractor ,who was drilling oats. In giving his decision, Mr Burton stated that according to English Acts a farmer did not come under the Act's definition of a tradesman or artisan. It was a case of consid erable interest to all farmers, as owing to the late spring materially retarding seeding locally they were taking every opportunity of sowing. Thecase was brought by the police as a test case under the Sunday Trading Act, and had not the case been dismiss, ed many further prosecutions would likely follow.

In connection with the Methodist Home Mission anniversary, which is to be held throughout the New Plymouth circuit next Sunday, it has been announced that the Rev. H. L. Blamires, chaplain with the Main Body Forces, is giving a lantern lecture, "Cairo to Damascus with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles" in Whiteley Church on Wednes day, the 15tb inat. The circuit resolved to take up an offering at the Christmas morning service for the North Island Methodist Orphanage. Cheering reports were received from all the Sunday schools in the circuit.

At the quarterly meeting of the New Plymouth Methodist circuit on Monday, the question of ministers' stipends in relation to the increased cost of living was before the meeting, being introduced by a circular letter from several leading laymen of New Zealand Methodism, and "it was decided to increase the stipend of the superintendent of the circuit by £SO, and that of the second minister by £25.