LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The first payment of soldiers' gratuities to come to Taranalci reached a New Plymouth man on Saturday. A young man named Percy Lewis Ward was arrested by Constable Blaikie at Mahoenui on Friday night in connection with charges of forging and Uttering at Inglewood. He will he brought to New Plymouth early this week. The Grey River Argus, which has been purchased by a number of Labor unions on the West Coast, will pass under the control of its new owners on November 1. It is understood that the new editor will be Mr Holland, M.P. for Grey. The top price for heifers at the pedigree stock sale last week was realised by a two-year-old heifer, Jersey Bank Panzy, which was sold on behalf of Mr A. Hodgkinson, of Takaka, Nelson.. This little champion, which is by Jersey Bank Milk Lad—Jersey Bank Buttercup, attracted spirited bidding, finally falling to the bid of Mr D. Fraser, Leith Road, Okato, at 90 guineas. A list was published in last Saturday's News showing the amounts raised for patriotic purposes by the various organisations in the province of Taranaki, in which some £57,000 was credited to the Provincial War Relief Association. This sum was not raised separately, but was made up of grants out of the other amounts, and should hot therefore be reckoned in the total amount raised in the province.

According to the Auckland Herald, difficulties in regard to obtaining supplies of timber are apparently still seriously hampering contractors in the building trade. The architect to the Education Board reported at the last meeting that no tender had been received for the erection of a school build--, ing at Oparau, or for additions to Motumaohoa school buildings recently advertised. The contractors were tired of trying to secure timber to carry out contracts, and in many cases had given up tendering. The desperate position which the housing problem has reached in Hamilton was shown, by a letter which the Borough Council received at its last meeting (states a local exchange) from one of its employees. The. writer asked for permission to erect ft tent on borough land, as he had bought a house, but owing to its being occupied by a returned soldier, he could not gain possession. ThelMayor said it was a desperate state of affairs, but there was apparently nothing else for them to do but to grant the request, and his suggestion was adopted. A supply of about 28,000 1914-15 Stars for distribution among •members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force is arriving in the Dominion shortly, and will be sent to the holders immediately the name and regimental numbers can be engraved. This work is being done by the Defence Department, and it is expected that the distribution will commence early in November. The New Zealand certificate of service will shortly be available. Memorial plaques and scrolls are to be made at a special factory which is being erested for the purpose in England. When supplies arrive, they will be distributed to the next-of-kin of all deceased soldiers irrespective of whether their service was abroad or in New Zealand. The personal effects of deceased soldiers are still coming to hand for delivery to next-of-kin.

The following resolutions were received at Thursday's meeting of the executive of the Taranaki Farmers' Union from the Dominion Conference for consideration: (1) That in view of the present position, wnereby middlemen are exploiting both the producer and tho. consumer, and the position is eery seriously misunderstood, particularly by the working class consumer, a literature committee should be set up consisting of representatives of Labor and the Farmers' Union to compile leaflets showing the conditions of trade as shown by the cost of production and prices received by producers, to be given the widest circulation; further, that rlio provincial executives arrange for a conference between the Labor unions and the Farmers' Union; (2) that this Union do its utmost to bring producer and consumer together in supporting the co-operative system. After a long discussion at was resolved, oii the motion of the president, seconded b\* Mr Lambie, that a committee consisting of Messrs Maxwell, Astburv, Buckeridge, Mills and the mover be set up to' prepare the material to carry the resolution of the Dominion Conference into effect for presentation in its proper form to the public as a whole, the secretary to convene the meeting. According to Mr E. Crow, engineer to the Restar Company, Wanganui, the chances of Wanganui and district getting power from the Mangahao scheme are pretty slender. Tic says that the population of Wellington, Palmerston North, and their immediate districts, not including Wanganui, was, in 1911, 150,000, and allowing for the natural increase of '25 per cent in ten years the population by the time the Mangahao is finished, say four years from date, will be 100,000. This population, at 2 h.p. per capita, would require a plant of 35,0'00 b.p. to meet its immediate needs, and as the maximum plant possible at Mangahao, after deducting .losses, etc., is only about 2LOOO saleable h.p., it will be seen, therefore, that the chances of getting current from this source are very slight. The Government's estimated cost of Mangahao is £1,210,320. This figure is based by the Government Engineer on the assumption that materials will not rise in price more than 12 per cent over pre-war prices. Materials at the present day have increased 50 to 300 per cent., without any signs of a_ reduction, and as the Government Engineer under-estimated Lake Coleridge bv about 70 per cent there is every probability of the Mangahao scheme costing at least £-.800,000. If 7y 2 per cent is allowed for capital charges and £31,000 for working expenses the annual cost of producing 21,000 saleable h.p. would be £241,000, or £ll 9s per h.p. per annum. If you get a chill with sore throat and tightness of chest, tackle it at once i with NAZOL. It grips it quicker and i more effectually than moat remedies-

The value of building permits issued by the Hawera borough engineer for September was £6241. Six dwellings were included in the list and several additions.

Although last winter was rather more severe than that of the present year, the latter has taken slightly heavier toll of aged folk in the Auckland district (states an Auckland paper). During the winter months, June to September, IC2 old folk, 70 years of age and older, have passed away, the number last year being 160. The last two months, however, •have not been so severe on the aged as June and July, the figures being 73, as against 89. 'There were no nonogenarians jof either sex among those whose deaths •were recorded in August and September; 'only one man had attained the age of over 90 at death this winter, but three women nonogenarians have passed away, 'one being 94 years of age, one 93, ami (another 90.

The Auckland Star will not take the Government's professions of economy seriously ui*.. shows its sincerity in two obvious directons—-the reduction of military expenditure, and the closing of the internment camps. Our contemporary says: It is no use the Government talking about economy while it keeps a small army of doctors in uniform on duty at military hospitals, when these institutions could be run' more cheaply and just as efficiently by a small civilian staff. The scandal of the internment camps grows with every day that these absolutely unnecessary places are and it is a standing puzzle to us why member after member does not rise in th e House and demand to know what earthly good purpose the "Government thinks it is serving.

The legal responsibilities of land agents were referred to at a recent sitting of the Full Court at Wellington to hear an application for rehearing of a case in which a land agent had be,en mulcted, in heavy damages in connection with a land "deal" in the northern district. Mr. C. P. Skerrett, K.C., urged that a land agent had no concern as to whether his client was making a good investment or otherwise—"lt is not his legal duty to advise his principal as to the expediency or otherwise of his actions," said Mr. Skerrett. One of the judges asked what were a land agenrs responsibilities if an owner asked him for advice and received "negligent information"? Mr- Skerrett replied that a land agent was not a land valuer—if a man wanted a valuation he should call in a land valued and employ him as such.

"I want to emphasise the, necessity of your directing your attention to the welfare of the returned disabled soldier," said Brigadier-General G. S. Richardson (General Officer in Charge of Administration) to the members of the advisory board of the Federation of Patriotic Societies last week. "It is not right that soldiers should come back to this country and live in a disabled condition in discomfort, and there can be no question that the full pension does not guarantee them a high standard of comfort. I presume the future work of the patriotic associations will be looking after our disabled soldiers. We are going to have the disabled soldier problem before ug for many years. I don't know if you gentlemen realise the magnitude of the problem, but it seems to me that you ought to look well ahead, for you are going to have work for many years to come. I submit that these organisations should look after the disabled soldier, and that the Repatriation Department should cave for the fit men. All money collected during the war for patriotic purposes should be handed over for the assistance of disabled men and their dependents."