LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A lady flew by seapkne to a picnie at Auckland on Sunday. She is one of the principals of J. C. Williamson's Opera Company, and having missed the boat, she flew from the city to AVaiheke.

The postmaster, wlio is registrar of births, marriages and deaths for Eltham and the district, supplies the Argus with the following details for the past year, 1919. The figures for 1918 are given in parenthesis: Births, 121 (130); Marriages, 27 (15); Deaths, 27 (35).

Maori curios are realising good prices at the' nuction sales in Auckland. A carved slab was sold for £l6, a kumara spade and god for £7, and meres for £7 to £O. Carved paddles changed hands for sums varying from £2 to £O, while island kava howls brought as much as £4 10s and £5.

About two weeks ago a boy bathing near Calliope dock, Auckland, grazed one of his fingers on a barnacle sticking to a pile, with the result that blood poisoning set in, and it was only with the greatest medical skill that the finger was saved. It is not long ago that a Well-known lawyer in Auckland nearlv lost an arm through the same tiling. " "I have tt> congratulate you on having a 'bone dry' town," remarked a recent visitor to I'atea. "But we arc not 'Hone dry,'" was the answer, "we carried Continuance." ."Oil! I don't know about that," was the reply of the visjtor, "all T enr say is that when I tried to get some water out of the tap for, mv bftt.li thi« morning there was not a drop, and T've not been able to "et n»n- since. What's wrong with your waterworks ?"—Press.

Wool-valuing operations, -which for some time have been at a standstill, are to bp resumed this week (states the Auckland -Star). The bales valued to date number in the vicinity of 15.000, which is in excels of the tally valued up to time last year, when the inRiifizfi epidemic interfered with operations. The balance to he valued is roughly about 25,000 bales. The same conditions as applied during- the last two years are being followed by the valuers.

The United Commercial Travellers' Association of Australasia has decided to recommend to the annual conference, which is to sit at Adelaide during Easter tt eek, that no candidate for membership be admitted who, being eligible, did not offer his services in connection with the war. It has been resolved to approach the Prime Minister for a definite reply to the inquiry made some months ago as to what would be the nolicy of the Commonwealth Government regarding the admission of commercial travellers 0 from former enemy countries. A ti&mcar bound foi the Breakwater came to grief at the Grand Central corner at ten o'clock last night. The car failed to negotiate the points at the I intersection of the lines to the Breakwater and to Morlov Street, with the result that it was derailed. The ear was then backed, but this made matter* worse. Jacks and crow-bars were brought, into play and at 11.45 p.m., after nearly two hours' delav, the car'was set on the rails again. Believing cars conveyed home people who were temporarily inconvenienced by the mishap. .The ±Vew South Wales Orchestra Concert Committee are faced with the proposition of iiuding accommodation for a day and a night, for the members of the orchestra (SO in number), on the occasion of their visit to Xew Plymouth next week, and a notice appears'in today's issue, asking any residents who can .assist in tins matter to communicate at once with the secretary (Mr. R. L. The orchestra will arrive on the Thursday morning (January );>th) by steamer from Onehunga, and they leave on the following morning for Hawera. The box plan for the concert will open at Collier's tomorrow (Friday) morning, for guarantors, and on Saturday to the general public. There have already been a large number of inquiries for seats for the concert.

For ii considerable time past we have heard a yarn, oj n*>'i;itinr{ from America, to the effect that a discovery bad been made whereby motor cars 'and motor cycles could be driven as the result of isortain chemical action on water (says Aiotor Cycling-). Vi e have been rather inclined to take tins tale cum .<*rano salis. There is, however, more truth in it than was anticipated, for Alderman Hall, of Nottingham, father of the late Captain V.C., the famous airman, has used the mixture with considerable success on a motor car. Mr. Ball was '-irM- enthusiastic over (he success, and estimated that, M miles could be run on one gallon, which costs onlv fivepence. The mixture ran be made and stored for any length of time like petrol. If the hand were dipped into the mixture, said Mr. Ball, the water evaporated, and gave off a smell like benzole. Mr. Ball gave several runs for the benefit of scores of enquirers. Webster Bros, advertise a reliable liveseater motor-car for sale by auction 011 Saturdav next at 2 o'clock. Particulars in this issue.

Cotton dress goods for summer frocks are shown in wide array by Morey and Sons. The prices will please' New Plymouth ladies.

A man attempted, to commit suicide in Hastings one day last week by throwing himself in front of a motor car. The ear stopped suddenly, and he still lives.

It is reported from Tauranga that mutton birds are very plentiful this season on Plate Island, near Motiti. Last week a party of Maoris visited the former island and captured about 2000 birds, which were in excellent condition.

Referring to the low birth rate, Dr. A. Pilkington, medical officer of health for Preston, England, in his annual report, says:—"The honor and nobility connected with motherhood appear to be no longer recognised. Home life has lost its charm, swamped by a, feverish desire for liberty, excitement, and unrestricted round of pleasure "

The Victoria Falls, on the Zambesi, in South Africa, are twice as wide as Niagara, and nearly three times as high. These famous falls are over a mile in width, and have a depth of about 4000 feet. While the Victoria Falls on British territory, are the largest, those of 1 Iguazu, in South America, easily take I second place, being two miles in width, j . All the American cities and towns, even down to the smallest, are provid-1 ed with electricity—in fact, according to Mr. H. H. Howden, of Hamilton, I who has just returned from a visit to the States, the whole country is electrified. Contrary to his expectations, however, fully 75 per cent, of the country is produced by steam power, although whatever water power is available it is taken advantage of. • An American inventor has patented an instrument to be installed in a motor vehicle that provides a continuous record of every period of use of a car. In (brief, it consists of a strip of ruled record paper moved by clockwork. A suitable marking device 'ia attached to the speedometer of the combination. The mark left on the record sheet shows the speed at which the car was travelling at any indicated time, as the paper strip is divided into days, hours, and minutes. This device is believed to be of value to operators of taxicabs, and also to owners of automobiles driven by chauffeurs, not to mention its possibilities for commercial motor vehicles. One unexpected result of the war is the presentment in Britain of nearly 3000 ex-officers and men as candidates for Holy Orders. The Church of England is stated to have 2500 vacancies in her ministry, and it is obvious that these could not be supplied by better men than those who, in the sternness of active service, have seen what life and death really mean. The Church, as a rule, offers no more than the barest living, and these men can only be taking Orders because they believe they have a vocation for it. Field-Marshal Earl Haig, with his keen interest in the welfare of ex-service men, is appealing Jn England for the money necessary to complete the education of the candidates, and it will be the earnest hope of all well-wishers of the Church that their entry will bring with it a reinforcement of new and vigorous life. Courtesy is courtesy the world over, but the Australian always was a "casual COV . R '". sidelight on national characteristics was furnished by a trivial street incident recently in Melbourne Three seamen and a so"s-oflieer from the French gunboat Aldcbaran—now at Auckland, on her way to Noumea—were strolling along Swanston-street, keeping well to the left of the road, marching in line, and "doing the sights" after the fashion of the usual tourist-in-spite-of-himself. Suddenly a group of Australians from the Cerberus hove in sight in the vicinity of the Cathedral. The right hands of the Frenchmen shot up like lightning to their quaint bobcaps, in a regulation salute. Not so with the Australians, however (says the A-ffe): they merely smiled, said "Howdo, Frenchy?" and engaged their allies in friendly conversation—to the enjoyment of bystanders, who were able to'overhear stray words of French, English, and ordinary "language."