LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 March 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Another New Zealand record was : established for calfskins at the Dannevirke sale, (Kid a pound being realised for one lot,, while another lot sold at £1 las per skin. Hides of grown cattle netted up to 24 l-8d per lb. and halfgrown at 2s 9Jd_ Consent lias 'been given by Order-in-Council to the raising of a loan of £72,000 by the New Plymouth Borough Council. The Stratford Borough Council has likewise been granted power to raise a loan of £IO,OOO, and the Awakino County Council £SOOO. Some 2(550 acres of Crown land in the Nelson land district were gazetted this week as set apart for soldier-settlement; together with 1420 acres of Crown land in the Auckland district, S6 acres of land in the Wellington district, and 1000 acres of settlement land in the Canterbury land district. An attempt to burglarise the Foxton railway Btation was made the other night. One of the windows was prized open and a lock broken. Apparently the thief was disturbed in his operations. Th e office of the Town Hall was also entered through prizing open a window, and a cash-box containing 12a was removed. Petty thieving is also prevalent at Foxton. Further inquiries were'received by the New Plymouth Harbor Board yesterday with regard to sites for the-erection of warehouses at the Breakwater by Messrs Masters, Ltd.. Stratford, Disappointment was expressed by Board members that the Bailwav Department's survey was keeping matters in that direction held up for so long and in consequence delaying the development of the port. Preference for unionists is being advocated by the Auckland General Laborers' Union. At a general meeting of the union a resolution was carried ask' ing all unionists not to work with nonunionists. The employment, of prison labor for producing metal was also deprecated by members, and a protest against it is to be forwarded to the Minister for Justice. The protest is based on the ground that private employers are being undercut. At the annual meeting of the North Canterbury branch of the Now Zealand Educational Institute last night the following resolution was carried: "That this meeting urges other branches of the Institute to take united action in demanding a substantial increase of salaries, and expresses its grave dissatisfaction at the failure of the Government to restore teachers' salaries to the prewar purchasing power and restore teachers to their former financial status. The legacy of disabled soldiers, which the war has left, has been prominently brought before the New Plymouth Patriotic Committee during the past month or two. During that period some sixty men have been medically examined and it has bean found that their percentage of disability has ranged from forty to a hundred per cent. Applications, for assistance from six disabled men were considered bv the committee yesterday, and in each case recommendations were made. A meeting of the New Plymouth Patriotic Committee was attended by Messrs W. J. Chancy (chairman), C. H. Burgess, C. E. Bellringer, C. Carter, and Archdeacon Evans. It was deecided to support the proposals of the chairman of the Tajnnaki War Relief Association that permanently disabled soldiers, of between 20 and 40 per cent, of disability, should bo entitled to a grant; and also that a special grant should he made to orpliann and fatherless children. It was decided that a recent loan of £SO to a family in distressed circumstances should be made a grant. During the six months' absence of Mr. Bellringer. Mr. Chaney will act as the committee's delegate on the Taranaki War Eelief Association. A meeting of the Hawera branch of the New Zealand Labor Party was held on Thursday evening. Mr. Saunders' offer of a paper on an economic subject, to be read at next meeting, was accepted, and all sympathisers are to be invited. It was resolved to invite one or more of the Labor . M's.P. to address meetings in Eltliam, Hawera and Patea at a future date. The following resolution was carried unanimously: "That this branch of the New Zealand Labor Party protest against the expenditure of public monev on the occasion of the Prince of Wales' visit, in view of the ever-soaring cost of living and the inability of the present Government or municipal authorities to cope with the housing conditions of the people." Mr. E. Wooldridge, motor car proprietor of New Plymouth, was proceeded against at the Magistrate's Court at Inglewood yesterday, for driving a car on the Mountain Road at a speed dangerous to the public. Constable Longbottom conducted the case for the police, and Mr. Bennett (New Plymouth) appeared for the defendant. Evidence was given in support of the charge by Constable Long'bottom, Guard Bowie and Porter Scorer, all of whom were travelling on the train returning from the Hawera races; while Wooldridge was driving his car, and overtook the train just after taking the crossing at Rugby Road. The witnesses for the prosecution considered that Wooldridge was travelling at about fifty miles an hour; while the defendant and those in his car fit the time evidenced that the speed did not exceed thirty miles an hour. However, the Magistrate considered the charge nroved and fined the defendant £5, with £2 2s Id costs. Special services are being held in Whitcley Church to-morrow. In the morning there will bo a "family service," with a rally of the Young Worshippers' I League. At night the popular monthly service will be held!' when the Rev. j. Napier Milne will specially address himself to the young men of the town. As usual on these occnsions music will form one of the attractions of the service. The choir will be strengthened, and there will also be an orchestra- Mr. A B. MaeDonald will be the soloist and the Lyric Four—the Chautauqua Male Quartette will also take part. The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile notify holding their next Whangamomona sale, in conjunction with Newton King 1 , on Wednesday, 24 th March, at 1 p.m. "Full particulars will be found on page 8 of £his issue. The Melbourne Ltd have opened new lines in men's pyjamas made of Horrockses' pvjama cloth and guaranteed to give long service. Prices 17s Od and 10s (id in good assortment of stripes, Don't delay purchasing. These goods are going to tie much dearer. The annual swimming sports, in connection with the New Plymouth Boys' High School, will be held at the Municipal Baths 011 Tuesday. The championship events (senior, junior, and under 14 years) will be decided at the baths pa Thursday evening.

Mr. U. V. Hudson, of Karori (Wellington), reports that a large and very complex group of sunspots entered the sun's •disc on Monday afternoon, and is now favorably placed for observation. Mr. Hudson states that the length of the group, hich at presejit is considerably fore-shortened owing to the curvature of the sun's surface, must be over one hundred thousand miles. In dealing with a number of oases yesterday in which several Territorials wero charged with failing to attend drill, the Magistrate (Mr. T. A. B. Bailey) gave some of them who appeared a lecture on their duty to their country, reminding them that the obligation was upon them to parade and not upon the Defence Department to hound theni up to drills. To one offender whose work took him about the district a good deal he said he had evidently been too careless in not notifying the Department, and the summons had perhaps come as a surprise to him. Judgment was given at Wellington by Mr. JJ. Page, S M., in the action brought by the police against Anthony Swtnburn, a- newsvendor, of having said an indecent publication (a copy of the Winning Post Annual) to Constable Potter while the latter was travelling in the Wellington-New 'Plymouth express. The Magistrate said that he had examined the publication, and considered the eon. tents such as to warrant a conviction. Swinburn was accordingly convicted and fined £lO, with 39s costs, in default one month's imprisonment. Over one million pounds: worth of herring's have been landed during the present fishing season at Great Yarmouth, a notable record of prosperity (says a recent London paper). The total catch has exceeded 430,000 crans, and prices have been, on the average, much higher than the minimum of 45s per wan. fifty-five thousands barrels of cured fish have already been exported, including two cargoes to Danzig. Before the war Germans bought large quantities of herrings at Yarmouth. At Hull recently there was such a glut of fish that it was sold to manure works at a farthing a pound. _ The fish was quite edible, but and will probably never be seen again even to the end of existence. This occurred in August, 1883, at the Sunda States. The cause was the eruption of a large volcano. In the terrible shock that followed a great range of mountains wfis blown completely into the air. The reader will see what the explosion was like, when it is said that at Batavia, exactly 100 miles away, the street lamps had to bo lit, although the time was not yet noon. The sun up to this time was completely obscured; but towards sunset the sunset that only the tropics know—came the magnificent phenomenon known to astronomers as the Blue Sun. This was seen by everyone within 30 or 40 degrees of the Equator. A reminder is given to ratepayers of the Taranaki County of the poll to-day on the question of rating on unimproved values. The hours of polling are between 9 a.m_ and 0 p.m. Harvest Thanksgiving will be celebrated at the Salvation Army to-mor-row. Major Haines; of Palmcrston Aorlh, will conduct. The Rev. H. L. Richards will preach a farewell sermon in South Road Methodist Church evening at 7, The Rev. J. Nixon will preach in the morning at 11. Owing to the boisterous weather yesterday, the Chautaqua tent, to have been erected near the New 'Plymouth railway station, could not be erected, and the afternoon session was therefore held at the Empire Theatre, and the evening session at the Coronation Hall. If the weather does not improve to-day, the Empire Theatre will probably again be requisitioned for to-day's sessions. "Fairy Wonder" Dry Soap washes clothes perfectly clean without rubbing. With the addition of a littlt "Fairy," partially soiled clothes may be put straight into the copper and boiled only 15 minutes, to come out spotlessly white. Badlv soiled clothes soaked with "Fairy" over-night are nearly clean by morning. "It works while you sleep."