LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

E"gs were retailing in Wellington on Tuesday at 2s Id and 2a 2d to 2s 4d in some places. The latest count of votes in the Holiday Picnic Carnival Competition gives the following result: East End (Miss h. Bellringer), 2955; Ngamotu (Miss C. Weston), 2501. _ * "No; ask tte in about three weeks," was the reply given by the Prime Minister to a Times' representative, who asked him whether he was yet in a position to make any statement for publication in regard to Cabinet reconstruction. To-day (January 22) will be the 45th anniversary of the arrival at New Plymouth of the ship Avalanche from London with 260 immigrants. The Avalanche was the first immigrant ship to arrive at New Plymouth after an interval of nearly 20 years. She left Gravesend on October 22, 1874, and she sighted Mount Egmont on January 21, 1875, just thirteen weeks later.

The little schooner Lucy, now due at New Plymouth from Columbia River, has been purchased from the Pollard interests by A. Leboucher, of Papeete, terms private. She is coming to New Plymouth with a cargo of lumber, having sailed from Astoria on November 21. She put into San Pedro on December 3. She is a vessel of 294 tons net register, and was built at Fairhaven, California, in 1890, being 142 feet long, 34 feet wide, and nine feet depth of hold. This season's stock of milling and fowl wheat is now exhausted (reports the ■Dunedin .StarJ, and milters generally have little or no wheat to keep the mills going until next season's crop is available. There are more oats offering now than for some time past. Any B Gartons of milling quality are readily saleable at ss. on trucks." The harvest is going to be late this year, and the general impression is that unless the Government places an embargo on the export of oats, prices will rule high from June onwards.

Some discussion took place at yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board on the question of nurses' salaries, it being reported that there was considerable dissatisfaction amongst the nurses over the matter. The chairman stated that the Board had repeatedly considered the question, but had delayed taking action pending a decision that might be come to by the conference of boards as to some uniform standard of salaries for hospital nurses. He urged, however, that something should be done, pending the decision of the conference, and that any increases arranged should be made retrospective, at least to the beginning of the year. Most of the Board members agreed that the position of some of the nurses should be improved at once, and a committee was set up to confer with the medical staff on the matter, with power to act. The Commissioner of Taxes draws attention to taxpayers to the notifica-, tion appearing in issue that the due date of payment of the Income-tax and Special War-tax is on Thursday, the sth day of February, 1920. Additional tax will accrue if the tax is not paid on or before 26th February, 1920. The demands will be posted from the office of the Commissioner of Taxes on or about 29th January, 1920. It should be noted, however, that individuals whose surnames commence with the letters C, D 11, 1, J, K, Mo. N, O, P. T, W, will not receive their demands until some days later. In these cases a new due dateviz., 26th February, 1920—will be fixed under section 127. Additional tax will accrue twenty-one days thereafter.

The Melbourne Ltd. are shoeing a fine lot of men's natural summer singlets and pants at 3s (Id and 3s lid. With the way things are advancing it would be a wise policy for men to lay in a stock while prices are favorable. Not a few people cannot understand why it is that so many milch cows become debilitated, show a decrease in miik yield, and give way to milk fever. It is through the lack of phosphates in the feed. This is the result of the shortage in phosphate manures. To remedy this deficiency Teed and Co., chemists, New Plymouth, have been conducting experiments, with the result thai to-day the firm have succeeded in turning out a satisfactory phosphatic tonic, which tliev are putting on the market. Full particulars are advertised in this issue.

The average man whose wife docs the washing hardly realises what a, nerveracking job it is these broiling hot days until he comes home in the evening aiid finds lu's spouse's temper ou edge. All this could be avoided by the use of "Fairy Wonder" Cleanser, the new scientific washing powder, which lightens the da.v's labor by half. Take" home a packet from your grocer and try it.

Thousands of mothers know the value of Sharland's Magnesia. They have proved how readily it corrects the stomach troubles of children. Sold everyyrhsre.

An 80 acre farm, purchased; a few months ago at Ngaere, was sold last week for a clear £2OOO profit.

California's latest walnut harvest was the largest in the history of the industry. It is estimated at 48,000,0001b., worth somewhere near £3,000,000. This production was taken over 76,000 acres of bearing 1 grooveß. A poll of ratepayers at Te Awamutu yesterday gave decisive majorities for the following loans: —£10,000 for municipal housing, and £2500 for the acquisition for a site for a war memorial and a town hall,—Press Aasn.

There was a short sitting of the Patea Licensing Committee on Tuesday, the only business being the consideration of an adjourned application for a license in regard to the hotel at Wailotara. It was stated that repairs were to be effected, and the matter was further adjourned until the March sitting. A shortage of labour for work in the plantations in Samoa is a feature of industrial life in the island, according to Colonel R. W. Tate, Administrator of Samoa, who arrived at Auckland by the Navua. He stated that planters 'were unable to secure sufjicient labourers; but, apart from thjf?, trade and industry in Samoa were nourishing. _ For eome time the sale of second hand rifles to rifle club members at a nominal price has been suspended owing to the exigencies of the war. The Defence authorities have now resumed the sale, which is expected to enable many more competitors to get practice for the big meeting at Trentham in March.—Prest Association.

The danger caused by motor cyclists riding without lights was again forcibly illustrated in one of the New Plymouth suburbs the other evening when a lad, aged about 15, was knocked down, and received serious injuries to his head, necessitating his removal to the hospital. It is to be hoped, that an example will be made of the first motorist detected riding without lights, so that the practice, which is too common, may be checked before a fatality occurs. The loss of the French steamer Afrique during a storm off the coast of France recalls to memory the fact that the vessel was torpedoed in the Mediterranean Sea near Malta, while one of a convoy including the 34th Reinforcements of the N.Z.E.F., who crossed from Alexandria to Marseilles in March, 1918. On this occasion the Afrique, carrying African troops, was struck near the bow by a torpedo, and reached the coast of Africa, stern first, in a sinking condition. At Hawera, on Tuesday, Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., in giving judgment on the legal point raised by Mr. F. C. Spratt last week in the application made by him for an order attaching moneys lyinf to the credit of a debtor in the Post Office, said lie felt sure that he could not make an order against the Crown; it could not be made against the PostmasterGeneral. The application would be dismissed. He suggested that the matter should be looked into by the Law Society, with a view to having an amendment in the law to give the~"Magistrate's Court power to make such an order when necessary.—Star.

Says the Manawatu Daily Times:— A Palmerstonian just back from the French Pass reports that, gazing from an eminence into the clear, cool depths of the sea, he witnessed an impressive sight. Massed and huddled along the shallows as far as the eye could reach were myriads upon myriads of herrings, while in the distance, and keeping watch upon them like vigilant sheep dogs guarding their flocks, swnm huge .sharks and kingfish—the profiteers of the ocean. "If I hadn't seen it I couldn't have believed it," murmured the Palmerstonian.

At a meeting of the New Zealand Association of British manufacturers and agents held on the 10th instant, and attended by delegates from the Auckland, Chnstchureh, and Wellington branches, it was resolved to make a request to the various public bodies in New Zealand that in all cases preference should be given (all things being-equal) to British goods in any purchases made either for municipal trading ventures or for other purposes. The Association feels that it can look for support from the public bodies of New Zealand in a matter of this kind.

"There is money to burn everywhere in England and France, and the people seem to be burning it," said. Dr. J. A. Gili-nth, formerly Administrator of the Northern Territory of Australia, who arrived in Auckland from America last week. Dr. Gilruth reached England just in time to see the peace celebrations last July. London was crowded, and there was hardly a room to be had at the hotels. Food and clothing were very dear, costing about three times as much as they did before the war, nevertheless the people did not seem to stint them : selves. He had heard of £IOOO being paid for the option of purchasing a RollsRoyce motor-car. The difficulty of obtaining houses has been recognised by the Public Service authorities, According to the journal of the Post and Telegraph Service, a conference was recently held between the Public Service Commissioner, the secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department, and the General Manager of Railways, at which it was decided that a married officer on transfer, who is unRble to obtain a house within the regulation period, will be granted payment on the uniform basis of the difference between 60 per cent, of the officer's salary and the actual cost of board.

In the course of a-recent interview at Kit-ham concerning the prospects for dairy produce next season, Mr. H. D. Forsyth said the cheese would, in all probability, be placed on the open market, but the general opinion was that butter would be controlled, though a sufficiently high price would be paid to ensure the supply. When he was in England the butter ralion was from loz. to Hosts, per week. The import of butter into the United Kingdom in 1914 was 213 000 tons, while in IMS this had dropped to (0,000 tons, and the shrinkage of the supplies from Ireland had been very considerable. "In fact," said .Mr. Forsyth, 'there is a great shortage of stock in practically all countries. There seems no doubt that prices must be affected."— Argus.

The N,Z. Loan and Mercantile draw attention to the"dates for their sheep fairs, which appear on page S of this issue. Entries are now being taken for all fairs.

The end of the season "special week" commenced at the New Zealand Clothing Factory on the 19th instant At this event many bargains in clothing mercery and boots can be secured by the thrifty parents fitting their "boys" out for the new school term, and they will be able to make substantial savingsAew Zealand Clothing Factory.

Imperfect digestion of food produces acidity flatulence, and sick headache. fMiarland s Magnesia corrects tlu acidity relieves the flatulence, and inimvQß, tke >***s£s>. Sew nv»r ? wi--»