LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the prevalence of influenza at Opunake, it has been decided, to close the local public schools. For the same reason the Town Hall is to be closed indefinitely.

In the event of the weather to-day being too wet for the Stratford school picnic to take place at Ngamotu beach, arrangements have been made with the Defence Department for the use o£ the Coronation Hall.

"I have had to say 'No' to all requests that the Prince of Wales should lay foundation stones," said Sir Francis Bell to a deputation. "There may, of course, be occasions on which the Prince may desire to do so, and then no doubt he wiil be allowed to perform the ceremony."

The late Mr. James Young has bequeathed £11,*25-2 to the borough of Mount, Eden for use in the borough, of which he was a well-known resident. The sum of £3OOO is available for immediate lli-C

Between eighty and ninety persons proceeded from .Midhirst yesterday on the annual school trip to New Plymouth. The holiday makers experienced an unpleasant day, the rain only lifting occasionally in the afternoon.'

A representative meeting at Ngatea, in the centre of the Hauraki Plains, last wrek, unanimously deeided for Mr, Ulair Mason's scheme for a deep water harbor. The district scheme has now received the strongest support from Thames to Matamata. and an empowering Bill will be presented at next session of Parliament. The scheme will place Thames on a footing with Timaru and Xew Plymouth as a port (says an exchange).

llow to make money without working. A man bought a dairy farm near Palmerston North just one year ago at £l4O an acre. He has now cold it (says the Manawatu Times) at £lßo—a £4O per acre increase in a year. Better still, a local speculator bought a Kairanga block one morning last week, and before sundown had sold it at a clear profit of £I2OO. These arc not isolated cases; similar instances occur almost daily. However, there are still a few people working for a living—perhaps they prefer it—there's no amounting for tastes.

An unusual case came before the Taranaki War Relief Association at Stratford yesterday. The Emergency Committee reported that it had received an application, forwarded by the Wangantii Association, for payment of an account of £4 7i-; (id. The secretary explained that the account was for 'medical attention,to a soldier's -wife at Wal-ton-on-Tlmmes, England, and the doctor had oeen unable to secure payment of he small amount. Mr. F. Atkinson stated that the committee had declined application on the ground that the man was fit and should be in a position to pay. He had nothing against the man but it was not a case of hardship pay it miln Ul<l ' make Bn eirort t0

ihe remand for Southland timber 01 building purposes is quite beyond the capacity of the mills. The representative of one of the companies opeiating m the district informed a -News reporter that orders ] laV c to be refused because it i 3 impossible to • ecute them within a reasonable time f 'lay, for instance, a contiaetor visited his firm's office asking to be supplied with 43,000 feet of red near T) r 110 , Wanted f °r «■ building neai Dunedm, but as he could not promise to have the timber readv for UV ol f V'tw no , business ' was'done. f„ , , a blllld(,r comes down fiom innedm for supplies shows that generally throughout Otago Z 7' •T. l ; the saniG d ™ an d, ■t l \ . P V ltecl that comc ' s to a «hr,i eX ' r l, ° m retl,rn < , <l soldiers, who have taken »p i and and are ' a > desirous of having houses and

In the course of a sermon at St the Rev r ' Sunday! Kev - Geor S« Budd said the native ace was not dyin, out, and that there n . " ow a,Kmt sO >ooo Maoris in the Dom.mon, all htfng in the North Island ' • ""Pt'on of about 3000, who 0 id",l U ' Is,and - A • ago tliue was a great crv to try and European,se the Maori, and make £ n• Pake,ia ' but th!^ phase of civilising the Maori had passed Not long ago it was freely stated added the preacher, that it was time to knock oil training missionaries to speak the Maori language, but there •vas more need than ever for such work, as the native language was going to live, and it was impossible to get the aboriginal mind quite free from all the customs and traditions of manv centuries of training Some of the native customs were excellent, and it was 011) v -Hit that what was good in native character should be allowed to remain and be saved to the country .which had bred such a noble race '

The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Co., Stratford, draw attention to their Pimiwhakau sheep fair in Mr Tlios. Haves' yards (by his kind permission) to-mor-row (Friday), 27th inst., at 1 p.m. Cars will leave the Stratford office of the company on arrival or the first north and south trains. There are over 4000 sheep to be offered, full particulars of which will be found on page 8 of this issue.

At the Farmers' Co-operative Society's sheep fair at Inglewood, on Monday, there was a good yarding and a good attendance. The demand for lambs and good quality young ewes was specially marked. Ram.? only were n. negligible proposition, though they sold at from a half to two and a, half guineas. Woolly lambs sold up to 19s Od, culls fetching from 6s to 10s. Two-tooth ewes sold up to 275; four-tooth as high as 29s fid; sound-mouth ewees, 2'2s; culled ewes, Os Od to 12s Cd; four To sixtooth wethers found buyers up to 28s. A line of small mixed two-tooths went for 19s. i

Tuesday marked an anniversary of historic importance to New Zealand, being the fiftieth anniversary of the departure of the last, detachment of Imperial soldiers sent by the British Government to tvi/tl New Zealand in the Maori War. On February 19, 1870, the (steamer Hero left Auckland for Australia with the headquarters staff of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Royal Irish Regiment, and on February 24 the evacuation svrs finally completel by the departure of the City of Melbourne Tfrith several officers and 120 of the rank and file of the battalion, after a period of more than six years' service in Auckland.

The lifting of the embargo on the export of hides has had the effect of deciding Christclmrch boot manufacturers against the manufacture of standardised boots. According to statements made by several boot manufacturers, it. Was stated that permits to manufacture standardised boots had been applied for, but unless the Government guaranteed supplies of leather at a fixed price it would be quite impossible for the manufacturers to produce standardised boots. The opinion was depressed that the price of men's boots would be advanced by at least 10s a pair in the near futuje, and the price of women's boots by at least 7s 6d.

The ITawera Technical High School reopened this week with a. roll number of twenty in excess of the opening day last year. One of the most gratifying features is (states the Star) the* increase of the agriculture class, which now numbers ten students. This in a measure is due to the action of the Farmers' Union in providing the necessary funds for an instructor, and no doubt, when the. class gets into full swing it will be one of the best in the Dom'Mon. The Board has appointed Mr. H. Bellshaw, of the Ashhurton High School, as instructor. Miss Victoria McKenzie. of the Auckland Technical College staff, has been appointed assistant on the commercial staff.

The infant brain works in strange circles. The other day the teacher of a kindergarten class fiad heen explaining nil about elyes, goblins and fairies, and at the conclusion asked a little girl what a fairy was. "Please teacher," piped the little one, "it'.< wot does the washing for muvver!" 'the reference being, of coiirse, to a well-known and popular washing powder, having the picture of a fairy for its trade-mark.

[Attention is directed 1 o 0 new arrangements advertised for the Willnrd Day Garden Party, should tlv weather lie boisterous.

At the flood Templar Hall 10-morrow (Friday) Messrs. L. A. Nolan nnd Co,, will submit to auction superior household furniture and effects on account of Mr. W. C. Burrows. Chautauqua is coming.