LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is the intention of the Harbor Board's engineering staff to Are the third tunnel on the Island of Moturoa at 4 o'clock this afternoon. Government offices throughout New Zealand will be closed for the 'Easter holiday.-; from April 2 to April », both inclusive. Questioned about defence matters, Major« General Sir Edward Chaytor, Commander of the New Zealand Forces, said that in respect to territorial training the department was waiting for Cabinet to decide what the policy was to be. In the meantime it was concentrating its energies on "'training officers mid non-commissioned officers. The Gisborne Borough Council discussed a proposal to set up a municipal butchery, with the object of cheapening the price of meat. Councillors opposed the proposal, contending that the competition from the butchers would ontan a loss to the municipality, and that sufficient information as to the practicability of the scheme had not been obtained. Further consideration was postponed for five weeks.

liio curtailment of the Easter holidays in the schools in the Auckland education district was authorised by the board last week. The board carried a motion by Mr. A. Burns reducing the usual holiday vi six school-davs to Good Friday, April 2, and Easter Moilday, April o. Mr. Burns advanced as a reason the fact that the summer vacation had been prolonged owing to the prevalence of influenza, while the schools would have a further holidav during the visit of the Prince of Wales. The secretary of the Taranaki Education Board has received a telecram iron, the Department granting permission to build the Hawera Technical High School with its own staff. The work will be proceeded with immediatey. The prmcipal is a l so advised that by ho eepartmoiit for the purchasing school iC m ° tor for ih " sohiw f6W New Zealand time. A statement dated February |»vestne total as io9, of whom Vii are m the Lmted Kingdom, 8 in France and 19 n hospital, "included in them ■». the United Kingdom are 30 men with wives and family, and 23 w » ™» have boon granted permission to receive irn H?T ???nl m E " glflnd - SiMe the aimU.ce 41,,015 men have, been evacumw ?S. TO u C ? Unty Comcil is ha ™8 pear difficulty in securing benzine for its lorries. The foreman reported at baturdays meeting of the council that if some benzine did not come to hand soon, the lorry carting shingle for tarrin* purposes would have to cease running He was keeping the small lorry running on the benzine that was distilled from the far, winch was mixed with refined spirit. This had resulted in a saving, but unless more benzine was obtained the position would become serious. At the meeting of the Moa Read | Board on Saturday, the chairman, Mr. A. Cork, 1, referring to the fact flmt on March 31 the Board ff0 «!.l m ™ do the new Inglowood County, M ?d hey had had two years or fighting and hard work to obtain the county 11,. thought it would 1,0 fitting to celebrate the formation of the comity. It was deeded that the celebration'should lake the form of a dinner, and a committee was set up to make the necessary arrangements

"Half tho world is on the wrong scent in the pursuit of happiness. They think it consists in having and getting, and in being served by others. It consists in giving and in serving others. - ' This, the motto of the late Chief Inspector Richardson, has been adopted by a school in Otago as a memorial to him, and a framed copy has been presented to the Otago Education Board. On Anzac Day, which this year falls on the same day of the week as the original occasion, a reunion of all the oftijcevs of the Wellington Regiment now surviving—about 270 in all—will be held in Palmerston North, On the , following Sunday a memorial service will be held in All Saints' Church, at which the colors presented .to the Regiment by the King will be consecrated. As Palmerston Nortli is recognised as the cradle of the Regiment, it is provable that the colors will be kept there in the future. The Labor Department is experiencing some difficulty in erecting workers' cottages in Christelmrch (as in Wellington). It called for tenders, but all those sent in were higher than the maximum price fixed for these buildings, and the department cannot accept them. Messrs. H. E. Mo&ton and P. H. Graham, who are in charge of this branch of the department's work, are trying to find a way out of the difficulty. They expect to tie able to make arrangements in a few days. These proposals will be submitted to t!he Government, and, if approved, the ■work of erecting the cottages may be put in hahd' soon. Amongst the large number of nameless, graves on both Gallipoli Peninsula and the fields of France there have been frequently picked up keepsakes or other apparently insignificant articles that have led to the identity of the soldier being established. The secretary of the New Zealand Graves Committee is endeavoring to locate the relatives or next-of-kin of an unidentified soldier from whose body has been recovered a large plain button brooch faced with the inscription "Kia Ora." Any communication should be addressed to the secretary of the New Zealand Graves Coraaiittee at *he committee's offices in Wellington. The total amount paid by the Imperial Government on account of New Zealand wool, meat, butter, cheese, and other produce under requisition 'up to February 29th was £128,580,000. Wool was the biggest item, namely, £53,769,590, including freezing companies' slipe wool. Frozen meat follows at £42,748,41)0, and cheese £18,271,124, butter £7,874,837. There ia meat in store equivalent to over 5,000,000 carcases of 60 pounds. Shipments to date are 2,848,407 quarters beef, 12,060,221 carcases mutton, and 13,223,557 carcases lamb. Cheese awuiting shipment amounts to 274,430 crates, and butter 212,573 bqxesi This big business has been transacted by the imperial Supplies Department. A Palmerston resident, whose son was killed in the war, has received a handSome scroll printed on parchment paper, surrounded Oy the Royal Arms, and accompanied by an autograph letter from the King. The words on tin scroll are: "He whom this scroll commemorates was numbered among those who, at ithe call <>t King and Country, lift all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, at 4 finally passed out of the sight of men by the 'path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom. Let those wiio come after us see to it tiiat his name be not forgotten." It is, says the Times, understood that such 'a memorial will be issued to all parents who lost their sons. This is probably one of the very first to reach its destination in New Zealand, having been issued direct from the High Commissioner's office.

There have been certain things said' about the .treatment of Germans interned on Somes Island, but" recently one of their number called at The i.'ost, and said that before leaving New Zealand he desired to state that as one who had been interned since the early days ol the war (having arrived here from San Francisco) he had every appreciation o; the. way New Zealand had. handled the prisoner problem. On (Somes Island there i/ere a numbs? of enemy aliens who were rough seamen, who did not, perhaps, respond too kindly to treatment or discipline, and different usage in their case was necessary. There had been shortcomings on the part of the authorities at times, due chiefly to the fact that Atajor Mathiesun had had to attend to all matters at Kome3 Island virtually singlehanded. He did not desire to do any white-washing in regard to such shortcomings. But in a general review of the whole period he would state that if any German had reason to complain of his treatment in captivity in New Zealand the fault lay with himself and his behaviour. He, personally, was leaving New Zealand with feelings of appreciation of the treatment he had received here as an enemy alien. This is how they deal with purveyors of milk who add water to the nourishment inj South Australia. Defendant was fined in ail £llO, and had to foot the bill for an advertisement in the three daily papers in that city, giving his name, place of abode, and the nature of each offence, of which he was committed, together with the penalty imposed. This treatment will soon end the watered milk industry, Will magistrates please take note ? The difficulty of securing accommodation in Hawera was referred to by the chairman of the Hawera County Council at its meeting on Saturday. He said that the council was having great difficulty in getting a man for the depot, because they had no accommodation for him, and men would not come co the town until they were sure of having somewhere to live. He suggested that a committee should be set up to go into the question of accommodation of the council's employees, and also of providing acoommodation for the plant at the depot. A committee was set up to deal with the matter. A deputation of residents from Tawhiti road, waited on the Hawera County Council on Saturday, complaining of the damage done by wandering stock on flie road. They stated there were some people who used the road continuously for grazing their horses and cattle, which were practically never off the road. 'Die deputation asked if the council could do anything to keep the road clear. The chairman said the difficulty had been that the council had been unable to secure a suitable man as ranger. T'ntil a ranger was obtained the council could do practically nothing to keep the roads clear of wandering stock. Daily NewH' car leaves Publishing Office, Currie Street, each morning at 4.20 o'clock for Hawera, returning from Hawera (L. 0. Hooker's) at 7.0, Elthanj 7.35, Stratford 8.5, and Inglewood 8.20*, reaching New Plymouth (via Egmont Soad) at 9.lo.—Chas. Dykes, proprietor.