LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mangatoki sports, on account of the bad weather, have been postponed until Thursday next. An English mail is expected to reach Wellington to-day by the Corinthic from London. The lonic, which left London via Panama on March 31 for New Zealand, has an English mail on board. The steamer Lorain, which is bringing 15,000 cases of benzine from New York to New Plymouth, will not call at Wanganui as originally intended. The Lorain is due here from Wellington early on Monday morning, and after discharging, she will sail for Australia.

The Rarawa will be a few hours late In reaching New Plymouth this morning, not having crossed the Manukau Bar until 7 p.m. A telegram received yesterday afternoon stated the bar was doubtful and it was not thought the Rarawa would cross till 10 p.m., but a later message reported her crossing at 7 p.m. While there is keen discussion on the suitability or" Chinese as laborers for the Sainoan plantations, considerable numbers of them are slipping' into New Zealand practically unobserved (says the Auckland Herald). In March the Maheno made three trips to Auckland and brought 1 Chinese on each occasion. The Ulimaroa brought 14 on March S. and the Kiverina 14 on March 23. On Friday last the Makura brought. IS. and the l'jiverina had 12. This gives a total of lftfi Chinese landed in Auckland in five weeks. There ,may be a similar influx at other ports, but even if it is not so the Auckland figures are i-ufncient to demand the attention of the Government. A meeting of shareholders of the Awatnna Dairy Co. was hold recently to consider a local hydro-electric scheme, the necessity for which is making itself felt owing to the acute shortage of coal and firewood, when the directors were empowered to go fully into the matter ami to bring down a report, at next annual meeting. Owing to the precarious state of the labor market it is questionable as to whether the scheme, which appears to be a splendid one with so much water in the. district, going to wa?te, will ever eventuate, as the. company's rebuilding programme is held up for want of labor, says the Star's correspondent. f!um-nut Rabies! Gum-nut Babies! What's your secret, little ladies? Is it true, what we've been told, That you cannot catch a cold? When the weather's' lamp and breezy, Are you really never wheezy? We kindergarten kids are sure Y<J" take Woods' Great Peppermint Cure

Farm lands in this district continue to change hands at high prices, writes the Te Aroha correspondent of the New Zealand J lent Id. it ia computed that over £flftO,OUK worth of land was sold during l'.H'.l. far this season the average is reported to be even better. A narrow escape occurred on the local railway line the other day (the Patea Press reports), when a man named J£nson, who was riding on a jigger, was run into by a train. Fortunately he escaped without serious injury, but the jigger was smashed to match wood. Tins'" is the second accident of a like nature that lias' occurred within a fortnight. A Government architect from Wellington told a Waikato Times reporter that there is more concrete building going on in Hamilton at the present "time than - in any other town lie has visited. He also mentioned that there appears to be more bricklayers in Hamilton than most other places. With so much pumice country around Hamilton, he thought, was in a very happy position for building in concrete. About five years ago the Patea Harbor Board, leased a reserve situated between Normanby and Te KotT for a period of 21 years, without the right of renewal, at a,rental of £&1 per annum. Since then the lease has changed' hands so frequently that members of the Board ■stated that it-must have had nearly a dozen successive owners, all of whom, it is safe to assume, sold at a profit. At its last meeting the Board was asked to consent to another transfer. The owner of the lease had only had the property about four months and has sold, it is understood, his goodwill for £2OOO. This trafficking in the Board's property seemed to hurt the members a little, and it was suggested that, when leasing again, a clause should be inserted providing for payment to the Board of some portion of the proceeds every time a lessee 3old. —Star.

The American steamer Nokatay oil the passage from Panama to Lyttelton stopped oil • Pitcaini Island in response to signals from the islanders, who came out in boats to intercept her (says a Press Association telegram from Ch'risteliureh). The islanders, who reported all well, were much exeited over the possibility of a visit from the Prince of Wales. They announced their intention of intercepting the Renown, if she passed close enough, to beg a hrief halt while they paid their respects to the Prince. The officers of the Nokatav supplied t-Jfe islanders with a quantity of clothing and newspapers, also wheat and Hour, of which there was none cn the island. The Xokatay picked up a mail from the island

Objection has frequently been taken by Maoris to the fact that they are required to obtain licenses to enable them to fish for trout. A resolution was passed at a large Native gathering at Waitnhamii, near Taupo, recently allirmmg the right of (he natives to unrestricted fishing under the terms of the Treaty of AVaitangi, and requesting that the system of requiring the Natives to obtain licenses to fish for trout be discontinued. The support of the Farmers' Union in urging the Government to accede to the demand has been requested by the Natives, and the matter will be considered at the next nicetin" of the Auckland and Suburban branch of the union.

''ln New Zealand," said Mr. T. E. Sedgwick in his address on immigration at Christehurch, "if the population was spread around the coast line there would be only one person to every four yards. In Australia there would be only one in every live yards." If tliev wanted to keep the British flag flyin'rr over these countries they would have to get more population. * A Japanese naval officer had said to him: "You cannot keep a country merely by flying a flag over it; you must people it." New Zealandors seemed more interested in going to entertainments than in what_ concerned their country, but entertainments would not keep out the Japanese and other Asiatics who were overflowing their own countries and increasing at a rapid rate.

In preparation for the reception of the Prince of Wales, Auckland is ], c . ing cleaned up. Government House h being done up, and the park-like grounds put in order. During his brief sl.v.there the Prince will be the guest of the Governor, and it is interesting to recall the fact that this historic" old building has housed Royalty on two previous occasions, and is about the only building in New Zealand with that distinction Fifty years ago the Duke ot Edinburgh (our coming guest's <r rei >t uncle) was a visitor to the big wooden building m Waterloo Quadrant, and 19 years back, the present King and Queen were the guests of Lord and Ladv-Kan-t«r y. The house was built of heart ot kauri, and the timber is as good today as when it sheltered the buke of Edinburgh. "The estimated adult population of crnL^ ala " d in last was 0.30,000," says the New Zealand Methodist Times. "The number of names on the roll on which the voting took place on December IT was about (180,000 That means that there were some 30<wo names mi that roll for which there were no legitimate owners. That act is one of the most painfully ominous that the public can face, jt opens up the possibility of roll-stuffing on a large scale ,w'Y ?", far t0 ex i ilai " wl «y ™ tlmt J inhibition was defeated on 17th December. Those 30,000 ownerless names wore open to appropriation bv any persons who were unscrupulous enough to use them for their own ends. • • . The attention now called to the scandal of a poll so enormously in excess of the number of people' in this country entitled to vote, 'bould certain" .V engage the attention of the now Parliament as soon as it meets. It is a question that afreets the right of existence of Parliament itself"

Book your seats sit Collier's on Von■lttJ-, April 12, a t i 0 o'clock, for tl,o liramatie entertainment in aid of tli« t-u-ls Hostel. Programme advertised. To-morrow L. A. JJolan and Co. will oner by auction three splendid nuildiw sj.-es at Chilman's Kstate, Filzroy. p a i° tieulais are advertised. In connection with the Library Art Union, holders of tickets are asked to iorwnrd the butts and unsold tickets bv f'litnrday nc.vt.— * The Melbourne's line of Indies' and men's trench coats are selling rast. Ihere ,s no value oliering anvwliere nearly as good. Materials,' fitting and are right, wliile the prices (S!)s (id M .e,i !!s (id) arc extremely reasonable. On sale at all the Company's branch stores.—" Dockrilt's are selling many of their boots and shoes for less than the price now asked by manufacturers. On arrival, goods ordered since the removal of the embargo on hides, must bear the increased price charged by the manufacturing firms. Wiso people are laying in a stock of Doekrill's superior quality footwear.— *

The Wairoa Harbor Board at a special meeting decided to appoint as a commission at a fen of four hundred and fifty guineas, Messrs. W. Ferguson, J. Blair Mason, and Cyrus William?, now sitting as a Harbor Commission at (.lisborne, to make a joint preliminary report on Waikokopu and indicate the form in which the new harbor should be constructed.

A well-known Wanganui resident the other day expressed surprise at the high price of certaiiti hats in a mercery shop, and loubted whether any man would give Xi 10s for a Stetson headpiece. At that moment another customer entered the shop wearing a new hat, and in answer to a question replied "yes; I gave four-ten for it," the shopkeeper adding that lie had ordered sixty such hats and 'lie expected to clear the lot very soon.—Herald.

Mr. A. Whyte, of Awakeri, Whakatane. district, had a narrow escape of being burnt to death on a recent night while "baching" in his dwelling, which comprised two rooms. He retired about 10 p.m., and some time later awakened and found the place in flames. He jumped out of bed, and loft the building only in his shirt. After watching the building burn to the ground he 'had to walk to Mr. J. Hayward's house, two miles away.

Sir A. Cowly, chairman of the Bank of Queensland, in his address to shareholders at the annual meeting recently, said: "The prices of necessary commodities are high, and are likely to remain so. The reasons are everywhere apparent, and they who run may read. Recriminations will not help any of us. AV'hat is wanted is more work and more workers, less borrowing, and more public and private thrift, more families 011 the land, and fewer young men in the cities."

"Nature," says a London correspondent, devotes over two pages to the New Zealand Science Congress, lill!), ana remarks: "New Zealand occupies a unique and advantageous position for scientific work. Situated in the midst of the vast Pacific, site lias splendid opportunities for the pursuit of the fascinating studies of oceanography and the meteorology and astronomy of the southern hemisphere. Innumerable problems in geography, geology, and physiography, of an entirely novel and supremely interesting kind, present themselves, not only in New Zealand itself, but also in the surroundinß Pacific, and further south in the mysteries of the Antarctic, in the flora and fauna, and native races, in her varied mineral wealth, in her large reserve of water-power, both fluvial and tidal, there are endless opportunitier for the man of science- In hor political, social, and economic institutions she is bound to make valuable contributions to experimental sociology; and it is the experimental side that chiefly matters and stands most in need of encouragement in these days of nebulous theories and unsubstantial visions. It is perhaps only natural that, in her present stage of development, and in view of the smallness of her population. New Zealand should appear to limit her research outlook chiefly to matters of a practical and utilitarian nature." Many a man has developed influenza through catching cold on account of wearing the wrong underwear. You must sec to it that the body is kept warm and at, the same time have comfort. Hr",vell and Howell announce that they have landed all-wool winter weight underclothing which is warm and comfortable and at the same time very durable. These goods will be welcomed by all, particularly in view of the extremely low prices quoted. Don't forget Howell and Howell have the goods at the right prices.— * Quoth the salesman: "I know it is considered bad policy to decry the other chap's wares, but is it not a fact that fl'o-and»so's washing powder rots thfc clothes ar.d such-and-such a powder makes a nnstv. horrible scum?'' "Nothing like that'about 'FAIRY WONDER,' the queen of washing powders. The public soon know a good thing. My sales have trebled in three months."— All grocers stock it.— *