LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 May 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A boat belonging to the missing scow Kahu was found on Little Barrier Island. The Kahu left the Bay of Plenty recently just before a very heavy gale prevailed.

During a thunderstorm at Riverlea the other day a haystack, valued at between £6O and £7O, the property of Mr. Symes, was destroyed by fire. 'The fire i 9 said to have been caused by the stack being struck by lightning. A middle-aged man who was a witness in the Supreme Court at Palmerston was unable to either read or write. Inquiry by the judge showed that he had been living in the backblocks of hew Zealand, where it was imposeible to get education.

It. is understood a conference took place last night between representatives of the New Plymouth tramway employees and the Borough Council to consider an application by the men for an increase in their wages. The proceedings were not open to the Press-

A return recently called for by the new Minister for Education has disclosed the fact that, there are in New Zealand 166 teachers' residences in the country not at present occupied by teachers. The reason is not given. Is it that they are uninhabitable? Further cases of influenza in Taranaki since noon on Monday are:—.New Plymouth, 12 mild; Inglewood, 1 mild; Opunake, 5S mild;" Stratford, 23 mild, 2 serious; Hawera., 6 mild; Eltham, 52 mild, 4 pneumonic; Kaponga, 27 mild, 2 pneumonic; Manaia, 3 mild; and Waverley, 5 mild.

Wns. Stubbis, who was before the New Plymouth Court on Thursday morning ou two charges—one of drunkenness and the other of committing a grossly indecent act—appeared again yesterday morning before Mr. H. It. Cattley, J.P., charged with being found drunk in a public place. He was fined £l, in default 3 days' imprisonment, and the presiding justice warned him that if he came up again lie would not get the option of a fine-

Says the Palmerston Tmies;—lf the Mayor can go to New Plvmouth .io much the better. He will see there the last.Word in petrol-driven busses run bv private enterprise, . not as an experiment, hut for profit, and he will realise how materially this form of traction is bringing the coijptry into intimate touch, with the town, and "boosting" our northern neighbors, while Palmerston North, less wide-awake to this modern method of development, is practically standing still. In the course of a case which was heard in the New Plymouth Court on Thursday, the Magistrate (Mr. T. A. B. Bailey), commented on the fact that there should be a by-law under which persons committing acts of indecency could he prosecuted. The matter was referred to the borough solicitor who stated there was a by-law which met all the requirements of such cases.

A man named Harry Lavcock had a narrow escape from drowning in the VVanganui River the other day. When Constable Johnston was cycling lie lieard cries for help, which seemed to come from someone in the river near ITatriek's slip. He accordingly cycled at top speed to that locality, when he discovered that the cries came from the other side of the river, in the vicinity of Hntriek's Wharf. By means of his acetylene lamp lie saw the body of a man in the river, the fingers 'of one hand mechanically, clinging to a sleeperThe man's head was practically under water, and he evidently was on the verge of being drowned. The constable got two men to hold his feet while he ining head downwards over the wharf and grasped the drowning man, who was eventually hauled to terra firma. He was drunk as well as half drowned, and two bottles of beer were in his coat, pockets. A peculiar position avose in the Divorce Court at Wellington in regard to a case in which the respondent, the husband, is an inmate of a mental asylumBeing in an asylum an application had been made for the Solicitor-General to act as his guardian, and Mr. J. Prendeville, Crown Solicitor, said that at present the office of Solicitor-General was vacant, Sir John Salmond (who was hearing the case) having been appointed a Supreme Court iudie. His Honor held that by virtue of the retirement of the Solicitor-General, the appointment previously made lapsed, and he considered that in the circumstances a fresh appointment should bo made. He suggested to Mr. Salek, who represented the petitioner, that the difficulty could be overcome by the appointment meanwhile of an acceptable guardian. Subsequently an order was made by His Honor appointing Mr. Bedward, Crown Solicitor, guardian of the respondent, and the case was proceeded with-

Tho secretary of the Plunket Society writes that a slight mistake was made in the report of the last monthly meetins of the Plunket Society. An average of 40 mothers and babies visited tho rooms during the seven preceding days, instead of 40 mothers, as stated. In reference to the retirement by rotation from the Taranaki Education Board of Messrs. Masters, Lee, and White, each of these gentlemen is seeking re-election.

Those on the look-out for good cheap land which leaves a big margin for subdivision, should, note an advertisement in this issue'by Messrs. Darby and Findlater, of Matamata, Waikato, who have for sale 043 acres within two miles of a Glaxo facotry, at the low price of £35 per acre. The winter underwear in full supply at the Melbourne comprises the following well known lines:. Mosgiel flannels, !)s fid; Kaiapoi and Boslyn sinjrlcts and pants, 11(1 to lis Od; Mosgiel Canterbury and Tloslyn fine woven pants and shirts, in natural and fawn, 13a fid to 10s Cd.

"Fairy Wonder" Dry Soap continues on its triumphant way into' the homes of the people. Day by day, month by month its merits as the premier washday help are extolled by satisfied users, until at last it becomes an absolute necessity in every house. All grocers stock it.

The six trophies which are offered for competition at the poultry show, which takes place in conjunction with the Taranaki A. and P. Society's Winter Show, are at present on view in the window of Mr. H. Cocker's shop in Devon Street.