LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The latest, official figures in connection with the lieonsinjr poll give prohibition a minority of 29Gi). The position of the candidates in the Seaside Queen Carnival contest at the latest count of votes was: Miss C. Weston (Ngamotu) 1457, Miss L. Bellringer (East End) 055. The hospital authorities stated, in reply to an inquiry last evenimr, that the condition of Miss May Coombes, who met with an accident at Mikotahi on New Year's Day, was. still very critical. A meeting of representatives of Taranald dairy . factories, both cheese and butter, is to be held at Hawera on Thursday next to consider the question of the disposal of next season's output.

The vital statistics for Hawera for the montli of December were as follows: Births 28, deaths 6, and marriages 11. The figures for the year were as follows, those for 1918 beihg shown in parenthesis-.—Births 277 (270), deaths 89 (138), marriages 94 (48).

The accommodation on the down express when it reached Hawera on Saturday morning was quite inadequate to the demand, and although three carriages were added the train was packed when it left about half an hour late, says the Star.

A rohbery is reported from Midliirst. It is stated that while everyone was absent at the Stratford races a thief broke into a store m the township and secured £4O in cash from the till. No trace of the thief has so far been discovered (says the Eltliam Argus).

A few days ago Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Orr paid a visit to the Bev. G. K. Aitken, chairman of the Methven School Committee, and presented him with a cheque for £IOOO, as a gift to the school, in consideration of the good work that the committee and the teaching staff had done and were still doing.

The Hon. TV. D. S. MacDonaM, Act-ing-Leader of the Opposition, Mr. T. M. Wilford, Mr. A. M. Myers, and other members of the Liberal Party, met at Eotorua last week for a preliminary consultation, which will expedite business when the party caucus is held to decide its domestic policy, leadership, and reorganisation.

It is hoped that the serious shortage of houses in Wellington will be considerably easier this "time next year. A Wellington resident states that private building, and building operations by both the municipal authority and the Government, would go ahead in the Hew Year, and that at least 450 new houses would be constructed within a radius of ten miles of the city.

Thorn is scarcely any article of coil; sumption Mint lias not increased enormously in price since the war, and whisky is no exception. A brand that before the war could be purchased at Cs fld per gallon, in bond, now costs 455. Nevertheless people still manage to get their "drop of the cratur" when they feel inclined that way. Port wine has increased from 45s to' 05s per gallon. Melbourne has a particularly fine suburban railway service, a good deal of which has been electrified, observes a visitor who has recently returned from the Commonwealth. The Flinders street station is said to be one of the busiest, if not the busiest, stations in the world. There are 10 platforms. The electric trains travel very fast, and only 20 seconds' stop is allowed at stations. While motor traffic predominated in Sydney, the visitor noted a large proportion of the work being done by horse-drawn traffic; a larger proportion, he thought, than in some of the New Zealand cities.

The spell of dry, windy weather experienced in Taranaki, as well as in other places in the Dominion, has considerably decreased the milk-yield this season, and in some respects will affect next season's supply also. Speaking generally, the hay crops have been very thin, and in some cases so poor that fanners have not thought it worth while cutting. There are exceptions, of course, and come farmers have been lucky enough to get in good stacks of hay, but as a general rule there will be a serious shortage, wd this will be detrimental to the condition of the dairy cows coming in next spring. There, are some splendid takes of root crops to be seen throughout the country, but in places chili-root ; s in "evidence. There is some consolation in the prediction of some experienced farmers that wc shall probably liave a more favorable autumn, and it i= to be hoped that their prophesy will come true.—Hawera Star.

Dr. Trilby King paid a visit to Tasmania in the second week of last month. On his arrival in Hobart he was accorded an official reception by the Mayor, who spok« of his great reputation in connection with child welfare work, while the State Premier (Sir Yv*. H. Lee) said his Government was entirely in sympathy with the movement with which Dr. King's name was identified. In the evening Dr. King delivered a lecture, at which the chair was occupied by the Chief Justice (Sir Herbert Nieholls), who said he thought Dr. Kins was the highest authority in the world on a subject which was the most important in the world, and added that Dr. King- had the. unique honor of being sent for by the British Government to show it how he did things in New Zealand. Next day Dr. Truby King conferred with the Premier and. the officers of the Obilfl Welfare and Bush Nursing Association concerning the scheme of bush nursing in Tasmania, and during his stay in Hobart he delivered two addresses to women on the question of child welfare.

In an interview with a Lyttelton Times reporter, a member of a Christchurch tobacco importing firm stated that a rise in price for ail tobaccos was sure to come, but what the margin would be it was hard to say. Another authority on the retail side of tobacco trading straightway gave the opinion that any possible increases would in large measure be. due to the rate of exchange. For every pound sterling tendered the return would be but 17s worth of goods. A rise in prices, owing to this phase in one sense, and ".■<> shortage of stocks in another, had n anticipated for at least six months past. "Don't though, in my opinion, look for anything like a 100 per cent, rise in tobacco, although I can tip vou that after the New Year your smoke will be dearer," he added. "When the blow will fall I cannot say. but I suppose the devotee of My Lady Nicotine will, when it comes, nevertheless indulge just as freely as ever in bis pipe and dear or cigarette puff." Tobacconists assume that an increase of 100 per cent, in Melbourne (if made) will apply to all tobaccos and cigarettes coming ,to New Zealand, as most of the lines come through Melbourne. This will mean more than 100 per cent, in the retail prices, as a proportionate increase must be allowed for the extra capital involved.

"The haphazard manner in which some of the schools are left in regard to sanitation i a regular scandal," said Mr. P. J. Wilson (Grey), at the annual conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute. "The dust is simplv lifted from the floors," he said, "giving the microbes a better jumping-off place." (Laughter.) Mr. Wilson moved: (a) That specific requirements be laid down ;by the Medical Inspector or Public Health Department with respect to the cleaning of schools, which at present does not ensure that the schools are kept in a sanitary state; (b) That provision should be made for paying caretakers a wage that would enable them to conform to these requirements, and in case of the larger schools to give their whole time to the cleaning of the school and the maintaining; of the school promises in a proper state of repair. The remits were adoptef unanimously with(out discuusioji

Complete returns of the output of gold for the Auckland district for the past year are not yet available, as the cleanups for the final four-weekly period from the principal gold-producing properties will not be completed for Borne weeks. The returns available to date show the amount produced from the Auckland district mines to be £414,707- The output for the full year of 1918 was £609,870 15s 10.

The announcement was recently made that the Prime Minister has been advised that the Imperial authorities are prepared to make arrangements for the shipment of 60,000 oases of apples during the coming season. The Nelson Mail states that the guarantee of Parliament means that the grower gets at least 38 4d a case for the fruit, clear cost of case, packing, wood wool, paper, shipping, and all other charges.

Last June a young farmer who had just got married furnished his house at a cost of £6O, and recently he sold his farm, and sold his furniture at what he gave for it to the new purchaser. He took up another place, and thought all he had to do was to repeat his order for furniture and get it at the same price. Imagine his surprise when he was told that the furniture was now worth £9O, or 50 per cent, more, and that it couldn't be supplied for less; also that there was a likelihood of a further rise at the beginning of the year, as a rise had taken place in the best timbers suitable for furniture making.— Auckland Star.

The shortage of bronze is causing much trouble to Melbourne banks, and was keenly felt recently. One institution which required between £IOO and ,£2OO worth of pennies and half-pennies sought in vain for supplies. It is thought that almost the only source from which stocks can be immediately replenished is to be found in children's savings bojjes, and several of the banks are offering t 0 pay something over and above the value of bronze delivered to them. The demand for copper coins was keen on account of Christmas trade, and supplies for shopkeepers had been depleted by the extension of electric tramways and the 2d telephone charges, penny-in-tlie-slot machines, and fractional prices at hotels and restaurants.

It is said that the present serious shortage of cement was not likely to be relieved until the end of February or the beginning of Mareh next. One companywas not now in a position to supply the general public. All the companies were experiencing great difficulty in securing coal. A consignment of cement from England was due in Wellington towards the ' end of February, but the landed cost would be at the rate of 4s 2d per bag dearer than the New Zealand product, and the quality was no better. It was useless to look 'to Australia for cement, as the shortage there was very pronounced, and cement companies declined to sell for delivery in the Dominion. The position just now was a very serious one, as many big contracts in the city were practically suspended. __ Wages for farm labor in the United States have more than doubled since 1902, and have increased 4,'S to G4 per cent, for the different classes of hirings since 1916, or 53 per cent, for farm labor in general. These comparisons are, warranted by the results of a recent investigation made by the Bureau of Crop Estimates, United States Department of Agriculture. For 1918 the wage rate per month with board was 34.92d01., without board 47.07 dol; per day in harvest with board 2.05 dol., without board 3.22 dol.; per day out of harvest with board 2.07 dol., without , board 2.63d01. These are averages for tiie United States. The highest rates were in the Far West, and next below are those of the Northwest Central States. The wage rates of the South Atlantic States were low-cat and were a little below those of the South Centra! States as slate-group averages. A record of 53 years of farm wages places 1918 at the top, and far above the highest rates of the half century before 1910. Wage earnings measured by purchasing power may warrant a different statement. While tin wages of farm labor have greatly increased in only two years, and have doubled in 16 years, it is interesting to observe that from the time of low-water mark in farm wages, 25 years ago in the great industrial depression of 1593-1597, the rates have increased from 16:5 to 229 per cent, for the different classes of hirings. Day wages on farms increased in greater degree than month wages did during the last two years, and this is true for the, last 16 years except for month wages with board. Wages by the day for work outside of harvest have advanced more strongly than for harvest work. Apparently the procurement of month labor is less of a problem to the farmer than the finding of day labor, especially for work outside of harvest.