LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 November 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Paten, Press reports that on Tuesday evening a sneak thief robbed the hen rocst at the local hospital. A man named Donald McDonald, who was brought before Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., on Saturday morning for a breach of a prohibition order, was fined £l, and a first offending inebriate was convicted and discharged. Mr. 0. E. Bellringer was waited on by » deputation of members of the Reform Party in ICew Plymouth on Saturday, and asked to contest the Taranaki seat in their interests at the general election. The proceedings were he'd in camera, but it is understood that Mr. Bellringer ushed for time to consider the matter. Owing to the steady rain which set in a little before mid-day on Saturday, the opening of the inter-club bowling matches for the present season, and also the cricket competition matches had to be postponed. At a combined meeting of railwaymen, held in New Plymouth yesterday morning, it was decided 'to protest against the delay of the Government in setting up the Board of Investigation into the pay and conditions of railwaymen, and to ask that the promise given by the Prime Minister to Parliament, that it would be appointed at once be given affect to. The salvage drapery from Roberts, ltd., Auckland, warehouse fire recently seethed by the Melbourne, will be a boon to the community when offered for sale next week. Every line secured is of a useful character and the public are assured of many sensational bargains when the sale opens. The building formerly used as a public school at Opua road, and in which it was intended to re-open school in the course of a few weeks, was destroyed by fire at 7 a.m. on the 12th inst. The building was the property of Messrs. Cox and Austin. The origin of the fire is unknown.

A Press Association telegram from Blenheim states that the Government has acquired two properties in Marlborough for soldiers' settlement:—"Pike Bros.' farm of 2H acres, Dillon's Point district, and Roskruge's farm in the same locality, of 15G acres. The Land and Survey Department is now subdividing them. Several other properties have been rejected as too high priced or unsuitable.

Much complaint has been made about the cost of living, and without doubt i: had been high (said Mr. Massey at Waiuku on Thursday night). The real cause of most of the increased cost of living was the depreciation of unconvertible paper currency. Once »in France and once in America the remedy was the restoration of the currency to a normal state, and he hoped and believed that this might be done without financial stress. It was the duty of the Government to withdraw from currency all the excess paper notes in circulation in order to re-establish the currency on a gold basis. He said, however, that the cost of living had not been nearly so oppressive as in Europe. Tea merchants in New Zealand have informed retailers that increased prices will be charged soon, says the Lyttelton Times. The position is that the marker, in the Dominion is practically bare. Most packers have been able to fulfil only portions of the orders they received. Last week news was received from Colombo that the market had advanced there 2nd a pound. This advance docs not affect stocks coming to hand at present, ordered before the advance was made, but they also show considerable advance, which will be passed on to the retailers There will, therefore, be increased prices very soon, and further increases when the recent Colombo advance is passed oh It is expected that the market will remain firm until the fine teas are available, about January or February, when prices may soar again. Attention is drawn to the entries of the Farmers' Coop. Okaiawa sale, which takes place to-day. There is not the slightest doub 1 , about the wonderful washing properties of the new washing powder, "Fairy Wonder" Cleanser. Those using it are unanimous in their praise as to its economy and efficacy, and it positively reduces labor and fuel to one-half. Every wide-awake housewife usej it. Ask your neighbors about it.. Stocked b% ail grocers and wholesalers,

I Mr. Henry Ford, the well-known mo- ! tor-oar manufacturer, has been awarded ] a verdict of 3d in a libel suit brought Iby him against the Chicago Tribune, I which, in an editorial article, called him an anarchist. The plaintiff had asked for damages amounting to 1,000,000d0l (£200,000). Preaching the memorial sermon for Trafalgar Day at St. Martins-in-the-Fiolds, Dean Igne, Dean of St. Paul's declared that despite disquieting symptoms there was no proof that the British were a decadent nation, but their best elements must unite and organise, for they were confronted with a hard struggle. Some scoii'ed at patriotism, but what would these scoffers give them instead! „Dean Inge remarked that present-day popular culture had no roots, and one of the most needful tilings in national education was the inclusion of an intelligent teaching of English history. The anti-profiteering tribunals in London have commenced business. ' The multitudinous complaints requiring immediate investigation are connected with every article in household use. Apart from the punishment by fine whi«vi may follow before these local committees, it is evident by the general trimmm" of prices that the moral effect of the antiprofiteering measure will, in itself, prove beneficial to consumers. Among the commodities showing a slump are boots, clothes and hats. Regarding men's suits, West End reductions are, in some cases, as much as 30 per cent., while children's boots change price so rapidly it is impossible to estimate the extent of the decrease. A fair proportion of the membership of the tribunals is formed of women, the male members being largely drawn from the professional classes and trades union officials. The death of Lord Charles Beresford .has led Mr. George Alward, J.P., one of the best known men engaged in the British fishery industry, to disclose something of the secret history of the minesweeping service. "When Admiral Beresford was in command of the Channel Fleet," he writes, "he visited Grimsby in 190G, and we had a long chat about fishery methods, and I explained to him the working of the otter trawl- H? was keenly interested, and asked me many questions, and finally exclaimed, 1 believe I've found what for a loig time I've been looking for in the next naval war.' That conversation led to Mr. Alward placing two of his ships and two skippers (Thomas Roberts' ana ffn. Hood) at the disposal of the Admiralty. The waters at Portland and in St. Andrew's Bay were afterwards strewn with mines, and the fishermen trawled for them, and caught the lot. And those secret experiments led to the establishment of a mine-sweeping fleet.''