LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Some 1410 acres of settlement lands in the Auckland Land District wore gazetted yesterday as set aside for soldier settlement. Some 87,000 acres in Canterbury Land District have been set aside for leasing as small grazing runs under the Land Act, 1908. The four-masted barque Monongahela, due at Wellington from San • Francisco about the end of this month, is bringing 35,000 cases of oils. The steamer Lorain, which left New York on : February 23rd for New Plymouth and pther New Zealand' porta, has, included in her cargo, 90,000 cases of oils. A Wellington Times reporter was informed that the State coal mines bad been compulsorily closed owing to a large number of coal hewers being down with influenza. The mines will not reopen until next month at the earliest. The Westport Coal Company's output has a been seriously affected owing to the same reason-

On Thursday night windows in two places of business, and also in the Waijnate Hotel, were broken and some goods goods stolen. At Mr. Hammond's jewellery store, and at the Chinaman's store, it was found yes>srday morning that the front windows had been broken and an entry made by some one person or more. The proprietors discovered also that goods had been taken, but so far they cannot say exactly how much. At the Waimate Hotel an entrance was made through the billiardroom, the windows being broken, "Accommodation of any kind in America is sky high," said Mr. Harry Cohen, who arrived from San Francisco this week.,"You are fairlv InoSy if you get a room for eight dollars a day. That is not in a first-class hotel by any means, but what would be known as a comfortable second-class place." In San Francisco it was also an acute question, as high as 17 dollars per day being charged in the good hotels. "The cheapest meal T cot paid Mr. Cohen, "was breakfast for one dollar fifty ;fis.)." An inquest concerning the death ot fl. Gilchrist Brown, whose body was found in the lupins near the mouth of the Waitara River on Monday, was held at Waitara yesterday, before Mr. W. S. Jenkins, acting-coroner, and a jury consisting of Messrs E. A. Hawkins, W. B Kvlc, .7. W. Laing, and YV. R. Rouse. After hearing the evidence of Joe Huin as to limliii'j- the bod\, and that of 0. L. Tate and Constable Lapople, a verdict w<>? returned that deceased was found dead, but that there was no evidence to i-.how the cause of death- Advice has been received by the police from Rnetihi. where Brown had last resided, that his age was about. fl,> years and that he was subject to fits. A portion of the Ngatimaru riding of the Clifton County has been merged into the newly formed Inglewood County, and soma doubt exists as to what will be the position of the members now representing that riding on the Clifton County Council after the new Inglewood County comes into existence on April Ist next. It appears that as Cr. Waite will no longer be a ratepayer, his property being on the portion of the riding that Is joining Inglewood, he will have to resign, whereas Cr. Kennington will still hold his Reat. There is some doubt as to whether it will be necessary to elect a successor to Cr- Waite for the balance of the term, seeing that considerably over half of the valuation of the riding has gone.

The necessity for improving the Paranitu tunnel at White* Cliff was before the Clifton .County .Council yesterday. Tim tunnel is" used a great deal ns a stock track nn the journey from the north to AYaitara, and it carries considerable traffic \vhicli_ goes over Mt. Messenger. It was stated that proposals had been made to concrete the floor and entrance, the cost being borne by the Government on a £ for £ basis, the Clifton and Awakino Countv Councils fiiidine the balance. The ' Clifton County engineer (Mr. Dowsett) expressed the opinion that concrete at the entrance would not stand. He suggested that an improvement might, be effected by blasting off a point. .Some discussion took place as to whether it would be possible to improve the grade of the tunnel, which was now one in five. It was decided to write to the Awakino County and ascertain what sum they would be prepared to provide': During the discussion the chairman suggested that it would be better to do awav with the tunnel and_ form a road by blasting a point, known as Rifcby's, away.

"The money subscribed to these societies was never meant to be hoarded up," said Mr. W. P. Kirkwood, delegate from Taripiaki, at a meeting of the Advisory Board of War Relief Societies at Wellington on Thursday. "We have not found that 2 per cent.' of the men dissipated the money given them in an injudicious manner. This .monoy was subscribed to the soldiers, and* when thoy cid give them the monev thev were adhering strictly to the 'objects for which the money was subscribed." This was said in defence of Taranaki's scheme for assisting disabled men, which provides for the payment of lump sums to such men (on the merits of the easel instead of instalments. Mr. A. 0. Leach (Wellington) said' that the Taranki scheme had the one merit that it helped in many cases where a lump sum of money was of service to a man, but he pointed out that under the Wellington scheme, whilst they did not pay out large sums in cash, they helped men in establishing themselves in homes, businesses, etc., and that did not end' their obligation. Probably in the end they would be paying men considerably more monev than was paid under Taranaki'; scheme.

Daily News' car leaves Publishing Office, Currie Street, each morning at i:M) o'clock for Hawera, returning"frpm Hawera (L. 0. Hooker's) at 7.0, Klth'am 7.35, Stratford 8.5, and Inglewood 8.20, reaching New Plymouth (via Egmont Road) at n.lO. —Chas. Dykes, proprietor. Our readers are invited to peruse Mr. J. H. Thompson's land advertisement, in which he offers 47 acres, limestone formation, of excellent cropping qualities. On sale for a limited period.

It is proposed to entertain His Royal Highness the Prinee of Wales at a monster boxing tournament at Hasting*