LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the affiliation case of Corbett v. Eaves, which was continued before Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court ye;terday, his Worship reserved decision.

Contributions towards the Salvation Army's Self-denial appeal include the following: Hawera £RoO. New Plvmouth £BGG 4s, Eltham £650, Stratford £530, Patea £309 10s, Inglewood £lO9. Allotments of space for cheese have been made as follows:—Hororata 10,600 cases, Patea; Argyllshire 21,000 cases, Patea; Westmoreland 13,000 cases, Patea; Westmoreland 10,000 cases, New Plymouth. The Wanganui Education Board decided yesterday to support the protest by the Wanganui Borough Council against the re-instatement of Professor von Zeidlitz .as Professor of Modern Language at Victoria College.—Press Association.

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, before Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, three young men, who had been playing cards in a railway carriage, were charged, on the information of the police, with trespassing on railway property. Pines of 10s (costs 7s) were imposed in each case.

The Mayor of Hawera received a telegram yesterday from Mr G. Pearce, M.P., stating that lie had been informed by the Education Department that the architects had agreed as to the Hawera Technical High School, the rough .estimate being £II,OOO. Mr Pearce hoped to have the vote increased by Cabinet.

The possibility of establishing the margarine industry in New Zealand was touched on by Dr. Tliacker, M.P., while speaking at the Industrial Fair. He said that Belgians had been brought into the Dominion to select and clarify the fat which was shipped away to be made into margaiine, and it would be quite possible to bring in experts to make the margarine in New Zealand and then export it to Holland or elsewhere.

It is of interest to learn that only ten per cent of the tobacco sent to England is produced within the Empire. Yet it is asserted there are four million acres of good tobacco-growing soil in Rhodesia and Nyassaland, and that is only a small portion of the area within the farspread country where this plant can be successfully grown. A recent writer puts the case in a nutshell from the British point of view. "The more we can develop the various parts of the Empire, the more we can help to strengthen those Dominions whose strength has been ours in this long day of trouble, the better it will be for us all."

Some moneyed people in Melbourne evidently believe that the future of evening entertainments rests with the moving pictures. Therefore they are prepared to encourage popular taste in that direction by erecting picture theatres such as have yet been seen nowhere outside America. One of these theatres is to be built, on what is virtually an island at. the junction of Collins and Swanston streets. The building alone, which will include a cafe and possibly a cabaret, besides several suites of offices, will cost £300,000, apart from tho cost of the site. The theatre will seat 3000, and space is to be provided for an orchestra of 40 members. The architect is to be an American who quite lately was supervising the erection in the States of seventeen theatres of his own designing. Another Melbourne syndicate is making preparations to build, also in Swanston street, an even bigger theatre with accommodation for an audience of 3500. a large organ, and an orchestra of 00. This place, too, will cost some £300.000. The "legitimate" drama was never housed so elaborately in its palmiest days, before the film play threatened its popularity. Messrs Sole Bros, announce having secured some prime lambs—the first of the season —which will be on sale to-day. It was proved at the Supreme Court of Victoria, at Melbourne, that (1) SANDER'S EXTRACT is much more powerfully healing and antiseptic than ordinary eucalvptus preparations; (2) SANDER'S EXTRACT does not depress the heart like the so-called "extract--" and crude oilsr (3) SANDER'S EXTRACT is highly commended by many authorities as a safe, reliable and effective household remedy. fiet'th" genuine—insist if you have to—and be safe-

Yet another ancesfral home in England has passed into the hands of the nouveau riehe. Lea.thevh.ead, the beautiful Surrey estate of Lord Lovelace, has been purchased for £150,000 by Mr. Sopwith, of aviation fame.

A Napier woolbroker told a Telegraph reporter that the shearing was not well advanced considering the early season experienced. What wool was coming in, however, was of good average quality. Up the East Coast, shearing waa well advanced, being easily a month ahead of the usual.

The fact that every increase in wages contributes bomething to the growing cost of living was mentioned at the Arbitration Court at Auckland last week. Mr. Justico Stringer agreed. "I suppose that every increase adds to the cost of living of every other section of workers," ho said. "It will go on until we 'topple' over the precipice, I suppose." An American woman staying at a hotel where I was dining (writes the Paris correspondent of The Queen) came into the lounge beautifully dressed fo: dinner in what looked like oyster brocade. By and by I saw it was not brocade at all, but a peculiar fabric, soft and pliable which fell In lovely lines. Noticing that I was interested she told me it was paper backed by the softest gauze and that the fabric is expected to compete in the market with expensive satins and silks.

A Palmerston lady who, says the Manawatu Times, is familiar with the conditions on Christmas Island, is highly amused at the story cabled to New Zealand about the finding of starving castaways by H.M.S. New Zealand, and nil the picturesque details connected therewith. Her idea is that some De Rougement has given rein to his fantastic imagination and perpetrated something really worth "telling to the mru\n»s." She says the mission at Christmas Islands is well organised, and that a number of well-fed natives' live there in idyllic content, In a case before the Petone Magistrate's Court, evidence showed that a man, his wife and six children, whose ages ranged from 20 to 3% years, were occupying Wo rooms and a. scullery. It was also alleged that the occupier was not satisfied with the human element, but also kept birds and guinea pigs in the rooms and a dog in the yard. The occupant, who was being asked to quit the premises, said he was forced to take the rooms owing to the scarcity of houses, and that it was impossible for him to find another place to live in. The borough inspector gave evidence, and alleged that the premises were in a very insanitary condition.

A somewhat mysterious accident is reported to have taken on the Awahuri Road, Palinerston, on Sundav mornin" A boy named Frank Sollitt," a son of Mr K. H. Sollitt, of Chaytor Street, arrived at a farm house about half a mile from the concrete path on the Awahuri Load about 5 p.m. on Sundav , suffering from slight concussion. He states that about 9 aim. he was riding his bicycle into Palmerston and on nearmthe concrete patch, lie noticed a motorcar approaching him. From that time he. can remember nothing till late in the afternoon, when he found himself lyinnear some pine trees on the side of' the road Apart from slight concussion, he is suffering from no other injuries. The bicycle he was riding and a portmanteau ho had with him have disappeared and no trace of them has vet been found. ,

i'lie seaside girl in the United States has started a new fad. With the aid ot the friendly sun she brands her pretty arm with the badge of the regiment in which her fiance served or now is serving. The process is simple. The fair damsel fashions her favorite regimental badge from.pieces of court piaster which she presses upon her arm. Then the sun's rays are invited to get busy for a few days. When there is & real deep coat of tan the adhesive plaster is withdrawn, and lo! upon the arm of her ladyship stands out in bold relief the replica of her soldier boy's army emblem.

It was recently printed that a company proposes to build a new theatre in Dunedin at a cost of £35,000. Apropos, at a large meeting of the Hillside branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants on Monday night" the following motion was carried unanimously:—"That we view with deep concern and emphatic disapproval the proposal of a wealthy syndicate to build a theatre in Dunediri, costing approximately £40,000, during the present acute state of the housing problem. We further consider that while our returned soldiers are, owing to the scarcity paying inflated prices for their homes' the wealth (much of which has been amassed during the war) of such syndicates should be used to' relieve the present distress by building houses for the people instead of places of amusement."

Would you be surprised to hear that the trade in second-hand pianos in Auckland alone represents no less a sum than £IO,OOO per month or £120,000 per annum?" writes an Auckland correspondent. "These figures were quoted to me this week by a leading dealer here, and I have no reason to doubt then- correctness. Never was the trade in 'used pianos' so keen as it is at the present time in Auckland, and I have no doubt it is just as keen in other parts of the Dominion. The fact is the prices of new pianos have become so extravagant since the war that lots of people cannot afford to pav them. Hence the demand for second-hand instruments. And the profit to the retailer on these -roods is often pretty considerable. I heard of a case a day or two ago of n householder who sold a piano to a dealer for £i®. Next day the dealer re-sold that -piano for £65. I believe this B ort of thing is quite common."

A New Plymouth business man suggests that in addition to the fire-bell alarm in case of fire, it would be a good idea to have some distinguisbing signal indicating the location of an ; outbreak. He suggests that a spider platform could be erected over the fire brigade bell and electric lights attached giving the desired information. For the central ward, for instance, three lights could be shown, the east ward one light, and the west ward two lights. Such a system would, he says, be particularly useful to business men who live in the suburbs and have their shops or offices in the town. Persons in business are always anxious when a fire alarm is sounded, and it is anything but pleasant to be aroused during the night, sprint a mile or so at best speed, and then find that the alarm has been sounded for a house or chimney afire outside the business area. The suggestion is offered for what it is worth, but sounding the firebell at all is quite unnecessary. It is not the inhabitants that require to be aroused; only the firemen. A system that could ensure this would be miles ahead of the present foolish old custom of ringinsr the bell and disturbing the community-