LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 April 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mails which left New Zealand on Feb, 25th. arrived in London on the ath. inst,

London advises mails for New Zealand were despatched per lonic, via Panama, on 31st. ult. The Taranaki Producers' Freezing Works Co. lias been advised that it has been allotted space for 10,000 crates of cheese, which will be shipped by the Kent about April 23. It was stated by Mr. L. Mcllvride at a Wanganut gathering, that a girl at one of the woollen mills in New Zealand bought some material she had helped to make at Ss (id a yard. Later she went to a shop to buy a couple more yards of the material, and found the price was £2 5s a yard. In connection with-the high prices being paid for land in this district, it is well to remember that by a recent change in the inc.'dcnce of taxation, land owners now pay land tax irrespective of i\n amount, of mortgages (says the Manawiilu Times). For instance, £SO deposit on £IO,OOO worth of land, compels the purchaser to pay the whole of the land taxThe two young men who were arrested on Tuesday afternoon In connection with the alleged theft of a, drake from a residence on the banks of the YYaiwakaiho River on Monday night, appeared in Court yesterday morning and were, on the application of the police, remanded till Thursday, the 15th inst. Mr. C. H. Croker appeared for the accused, and on his application, bail was granted. There is a story going round that the miners at Huntly, having had enough, of going slow, are now endeavouring with a misehievious twinkle in their eyes, to make the pace too fast for the Railway Department (says an Auckland paper). It is notorious that there Is no margin of rolling stock o:i the railway lines, and if the miners could hew conl faster than the Enilway Department could carry it away the joke would be on the miners' side.

The Fiji Times of the 18th March made thes? illuminating remarks: "The weight of wealth is worrying the Colonial Sugar Refining Co, and the erratic vagaries of the politicians are causing it anxiety, so the corporation is handing over some of its accumulations to the time of .€050,000 to its shareholder,-,. This represents £4 out el every £-0 share. We feel sure that the sharehoMcrs will not mind. By any other name * divvy will smell a? Bweet,"

The sneak thief is, states the Argns, continuing his depredations in Eltluim. On •Sundny night a number of sheets, etc., were stolen from the drying-ground at the EMiam Hotel.

After a spell of fine weather over the holidays, rain *et in yesterday, and was general throughout Taranaki. Last night's weather report stated the conditions were unsettled all over the Dominion and rain was reported in many parts.

The next hand contest has been allotted to Wellington by the executive of the North Inland Band Association. The contest lias been fixed for November if possible; failing that, in February. Strong representation is to be made to the South Tsland Band 'Association for an amalgamation of interests, so that only one contest shall be held each year, alternately in each island. It is believed that if such an arrangement can bo arrived at the greater competition that will ensue wilt tend to increase the standard of playing, apart altogether from the question of expense to bandsmen attending the contests. A collision between a cyclist and a motor car on ttie Eawhitiroa Koad on Monday resulted in the former, a lad named Thomas Robinson, son of Mr. Robinson, County foreman, being somewhat badly injured. It appears that the lad was cycling round a bend in the road and did not observe the approaching car, which struck the front -wheel of the cycle. Robinson was thrown, and the ear apparently ran over his leg, for on ]>- H. A. Cooper being summoned he found the lad suffering from a compound ■friietur, 01 tftn i e f t i e? am i a f ractUTe( i The injured boy was conveyed t° hospital where he is progressing as'''" as can be expected.—Argun. .r.fjjrpt i= bursting with wealth, accumulated from cotton, says a correspondent of the Daily Express in Cairo. "Illiterate natives living in mud huts have made £2OOO out of cotton deals," he continues. "Rome have made £IOO,OOO. They are'buying land at inflated prices and paying off mortgages, which were regarded as family heirlooms. One British official says the country has made at least one hundred million pounds. Naturally there is an influx of new millionaires into Cairo, with a huge demand for motors, .jewellery, new houses, and all kinds of luxuries, but in the provinces many of the newly rich have not changed their standard of living at all."

That money is not everything in life is illustrate! by a rase which has come before the Taranaki Hospital Board. It concerns a lonely old man—he has no wife or family, no relatives, and, apparently, no friends—and he wants to spend the evening of his life in the comfort of the Old People's Home. He has money; in fact, his circumstances are very comfortable, hut his money keeps him from the comfort of ihe Home and the genial companionship which he seeks, because the Board cannot extend its charitable hospitality to those wfio are well oil'. All the law permits him to do is to make his wealth over to the Board, and then they will care for him, and only (hen will ho reach his happiness by making himself poor.

A very enjoyable excursion from Inglewood to the North Egmont Mountain Reserve was (states a correspondent) made on the sth inst. by a party of twenty. It was more or less a family gathering, promoted chiefly by Mr. Joe Corney .inn., of Durham Road. Mr. N Curd conveyed the party in his motor lorry, which left Inglewood about 10 a.m. and, on reaching their objective the party devoted their attention to refreshments, subsequently spending the afternoon on the slopes of the mountain, and arrived hack in Inglewood by fI.HO p.m. Inglewood is specially well situated as a starting place for «uch leisurely outings, and it is well to know thnt the necessary conveyances and thoroughly reliable drivers can be engaged in the. place by giving reasonable notice of what is required. Three ITawera motor cyclists—Messrs. Davy, Mollcr and Sykes—acquitted themselves well at the' Napier motor cycle races during the Easter holidays. W. Davy had six starts and was placed each time. He won the fl-lap open handicap, the H B. lightweight championship, the fi-lap open handicap, and the N.Z. lightweight championship. He deadheated for first with Moffett (4J-h.p. 8.5.A., with 70 seconds start from Davy), in the 10-lap handicap, and was third in the open handicap of 5 laps. H. Mailer won the 12-lap handicap, was third in the 10-lap open, first in the H.B. heavy-weight championship, and second in the 15-lap open. ' F, Sykes was second in the 9-lap handicap, second in the 5-lap handicap, third in the 10-lap handicap, and first in the consolation of o laps. Coleman again secured first place .in 'the big event—ls laps—actual time lfimin. 45sec, distance about 10} miles.—Star.

At a meeting of the New Plymouth Citizens' Band Committee the 'following resolution was carried: "That providing satisfactory arrangements can be made to fill the vacancies in the ranks, that the committee will give every encouragement to the band to engage in contesting." A special meeting of past and present members is to be held at the bandroom to-morrow (Friday) evening to discuss this question of preparing for contests and band matters generally! During th 0 past few months the ranks have been seriously depleted, owing to removals and 'sickness, both in the senior and junior sections, and there are now important positions in the band practically vacant. The committee is inviting applications for these vacancies, realising that the absence of players, especially for solo work, is seriously deterring the members from taking up contesting work, which is vital to'the welfare and maintenance of a first-class band. The bandmaster hopes to see a full attendance in order that these matters may be thoroughly discussed. The jury system and the methods employed in the selection of jurymen were criticised by air. 11. Frase'r at the annual gathering , 0 f Justices of the Peace at New Plymouth yesterday. The object of the meeting was to revise the jury list of the district, and Mr. Fraser condemned the system which required these meetings. "Long experience of Junes has convinced me that a system which allows on obstinate man to'stand out against and delay another eleven men while the fate of someone's liberty i* at stake, U:,wrong." said Mr. Fraser. 'And these meetings arc only wasting our tim»." The police prepared a list, of several hundreds of names, and the J.P's were asked to affirm that the owners were all suitable persons to be jurymen. The names were not even read out, but a J .P. misht look over them if he wished. Most of the persons on the list would be unknown to the justices. ,

The NZ Loan and Mercantile draw attention to their usual nionthlv Tnrata sale to-morrow (Friday), Dili April, at 1 p.m. Full particulars will he found on page S of this issue. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, for Coughs and Colds, never fails, 1/9, 2/9.

The verdict of the Samoa Times is rather dispiriting in its pessimism: "We must admit we are rather pessimistic oonceniing New iZealanJl's ability 1 to grapple with our problems and reforms —it is a matter for the New Zealand taxpayer to decide, and when it is a matter touching his pocket there will be a reaction against Ihe mandate." Several farmers in the Manawatu have obtained a few healthy seedlings of the giant redwood of California, , the sequoia. It was grown from seed, lib of which cost £3, Hie high cost being apparently due to the difliculty of gathering it from trees, which attain a height of over a hundred feet. It is believed this tree will succeed in our foil and climate. One specimen in Queen street, Masterton, has attained 70ft in forty years.

Wellington will probably muster 11,000 children in the. Parliamentary grounds on the morning of the second day of the Prince's visit to Wellington, not counting the Senior Cadets, who, it is hoped, will form the guard of honor on the auspicious occasion. The children will commence rehearsing the songs to be sung immediately after the Easter holidays, and when we'll up in them will be taken in hand by Mr. .Robert Parker. The national songs' selected for the occasion are as follows: "Hearts of Oak,'' "God Bless the Prince of Wales," "Rule, Britannia," ''The British Grenadiers," and the. National Anthem.

Archdeacon Evans will open the sale of work at Okato to-day, at 2,30 p.m.—Advt.