L0CAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 December 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

.Advertisers are reminded that there will be no issue of the Taranaki -Daily News to-morrow (New Year's Bay). The latest report of the voting in the New Plymouth Seaside Carnival Queen competition is: Ngumotu (Miss Claudia Weston) 1453, East End (Miss Lilia Bellringer) 938. The bell at the Central Fire Station rang out »t 5.30 o'clock last night. The call came from box No. 4 at the intersection of Devon and Eliot streets, but the alarm was a false one. The result, of the recount of the voting for the Waitomo seat, announced yesterday, is:—W. T. Jennings 290G, C. K. Wilson 2529, Elliott 332; majority for Jennings, 377. Major Sandford, who is on trek with the Boy Scouts, telephoned from Uruti yesterday morning that the bovs were all well and in fine form. The weather was almost too hot. The boys were going on to Pehu (about 12 miles inland from Uruti) in the afternoon. Ecclesiastical circles in Rome are very much alarmed over the question of celibacy, which has been raised in an acute form in the Czechoslovak countries. Six hundred Catholic priests in Bohemia (the Central News states) have asW ncrmission to marry, while another SOO have passed over to" the Reformed Church in order to hasten their marriages without waiting for authorisation from Rome.

A Hawke's Bay farmer savs that pretty well "the whole of the district is in a bad way for feed, and the outlook for January is the reverse of cheering "The trouble is," he said, "that the growth in the winter was much poorer than usual, and following that the spring rains were very 'right, and there was no recovery in consequence. Now the whole district is suffering from n general dryness;, which may become n drought before the summer is through.' 1 The accommodation question continues acute in New Plymouth. It was thought that after the races more beds would be available, but the local Expansion and Tourist League is being hard put to it to find rooms for visitors, who continue to arrive in increasing numbers, mostly by motor. The League has exhausted all the accommodation Onblo, and is now appealing to householders to put whatever beds they can at the disposal of the League. ■Sergeant Tano Fania, of the Diggers' Pierrots, has an idea which he commends to official quarters. During the war, when the wounded "Diggers" from the Kew Zealand Division were pouriiiP across from France to England and the hospitals were full, well-disposed people furnished their names as willing to take m convalescents or men home on leave. Thousands of New Zealanders took advantage of this opportunity of seein" something of English hospitality and home life and were immeasurably benefited by the experience. Sergeant , arrm p aid the lists of these people are in existence and suggests that the Government. should recosnise the country's to them by sending them each an official souvenir, say, a brochure of views of New Zealand with a suitable superscription. A plea for more sympathetic treatment m the matter of pensions for war .i»iiitie,; of soldiers was made by General Sir A. Russell, when speaking at a civic reception tendered to him at Wangjimu iio admitted that pensions should ue laid down on a broad but hard and fast basis, but he pointed out that the loss of two fingers might not affect one man very much yet it might mean that another, who earned his living with his fingers, would have to abandon Ins old occupation and learn a new one. There were some, though fortunately not many, who had lost botfi hands. How could men in that condition be compensated by a pension? General Russell considered that after all tile men had been dealt with on the broad and hard and fast basis, special cases should be dealt with by a sympathetic board.

Any returned soldier who can give information respecting Private K. .7 (Jim) Maddoek, at one time a well known member of the Ilth Taranaki iuies, 13 requested to communicate with A. E. Haddock, Bristol Street Lower Hutt. Private Maddoek took part 111 a laid in Franco en the night o- 13-14, in IS, an;i was the only man who -lid not return avd has not since been Loai'l oi".

Everything points to the Ngarootu picnic to-morrow proving a record. The total value of tlio goods in the treasure mint, which commences at 2 p.m. is easily over £2O, and is distributed into i)U pnzes. The upheaval at Moturoa "ill take p:ace at the close of the treasure hunt competition, and the exact time will be pasted up 0 n the beach in plenty of tunc to gain points of vantage. Over ISOOlbs of gelignite is bein.!? used, so it should bo "some" explosion. The Wanganui band will commence their programme at 11 a.m., and heir reputation .should ensure a delightful day t,o all lovers of music. < lu Mren s sports will be held practicali.v 11)0 wholo day, and these will include pillow fighting on the beam, swimming and iOof, racers nil competitions, There is also fun for (lie grown-ups, including cocnanut shies and novel sports, and hot water and milk all dav long. The weather points to a perfect day, which has not been ■ the case for three years, and this will enable the committee to continue the.-r progressive policy, which has been delayed owing to bad'weather and the war.

One piece bathing costumes at the Melbourne, 3.td.: Small boys', Is lid; b °y»; and youths', 2s fid; men's, 2s lid; men's two-piece costumes, 4s lid and lis (id: ladies;' two-piece costumes, os lid, fis lid to 12s Gd. Buy at. once while stocks are vwll assorted.

The annual "Watehiiight Service will be held in the Whiteley Memorial thurch to-night at 11 o'clock. The Rev. "v Napier Ali!ue will .oivfl ajq adilrwu.

The official count for Patea seat give 3 the following figures;—P. Fitzherbort 458, W. Morrison 3021, G. V. Pearce 144, W. D. Powdrell 3270, informal 154. Lately there 'have been changes in the Hawera railway staff. Guard G. Brown, after sixteen years' service, lias resigned in order to take up farming at Ngaere. Porters Parker and Glover have also retired from tho Department to enter other employment, lioth had about seven years' service, and Mr. Parker had been to the war.

At the November theory examinations of tlie Associated Board of R.A.M., and R.C.M., Eltham, the following candidates were successfully presented by Mrs Blennerhassett: —Higher school harmony, 0. Boeock; rudiments of music, E. Sanderson; grammar of music, Div. 1., C. K. Judd and E. Melirtens.

The payment of the war gratuity has been interrupted by the holidays. The payments are expected to be almost completed by the third week in February, but the work will not be right out of hand until some time later. Many of the claims involve much examination of accounts and checking of records, and the time of the staff is occupied also with the consideration of complaints and the investigation of alleged errors.— Wellington correspondent.

A party of motorists who left Napier for Woodviile on Saturday last had a sensational experience which brought the trip to a precipitate end. Endeavoring to cross the river near Ormondville, to which the approach is a very treacherous one, the car got out of control, with the result that it was capsized, landing upside down on the adjacent bank. Miraculously the occupants escaped without a scratch.

The housing scheme adopted hv Parliament last session is now well in hand, The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. W. F. MasSev, stated that large numbers of applications have been received from local bodies for finance in connection with their building scheriies, and the Labor Department had also let contracts for the erection of about one hundred and fifty houses in different parts of the Dominion. The larger proportion of these were being provided in and about Wellington city, where the need for additional housing was at present more urgent than elsewhere.

Four young men of Japan, educated and of good address, needing no interpreter, recently visited the South Island, looking at the country, paying particular attention to wool growing and the processes of manufacture. Two of the party were in Dunedin. They were not talkative, but it is understood that they are studying the wool industry in Victoria, and just made a short excursion to Kfew Zealand. This is further evidence that the Japanese are alert to the business of the world.

A peculiar divorce case occupied the attention of Mr. Justice Gordon at Sydney the other day. The suit was brought by Claude Horurtz, a dentist, against his wife, Ada Mabel, on the ground of with Robert Edward Marxe, who was joined as co-respondent. Respondent had formerly set up an issue of cruelty against her husband, but at the hearing her counsel intimated that she did not wish to contest her husband's petition. Evidence was given at the hearing by medical men that respondent was in a dying condition, and oould not live till Christmas. Mr. Justice Gordon stated that he thought it decidedly repugnant that, in the interests of fair play and justice, the petition should be determined in the absence of respondent when she was physically and mentally incapable of defending herself. While there were many circumstances which aroused considerable suspicion, respondent was not in a position to give evidence which might explain them away, and as lie was not satisfied beyond all doubt about the charge concerning respondent and co-respondent, the petition would be dismissed.

A high wind which was prevailing was responsible for a mishap at the Sale Street railway crossing in Napier which very narrowly missed having disastrous consequences. Dr. T. C. Moore was approaching the crossing from Napier South just before 0 p.m., nnd owing to the strong wind did not hear the warning hells indicating the approach of the Hastings train, which was running a few minutes late. The doctor observed lm danger just in time to ewerve his car into the cattle stop. It did not clear the train, however, which struck the car, forcing it over the cattle-stop and several yards into tlia railway yard. Three little children who had been out for a birthday drive with the doctor were thrown out, and one (a little daughter of Mr. A. Hobson) was severely bruised about the face, while the others marvellously escaped. Dr. Moore was rather badly bruised about one arm and shoulder. The car was smashed, and several of the cattle-stop beams were broken, indicating the violence with which the car was forced over by the impact of the train. —Herald.