LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 June 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Daily News will be published as usual 011 Thursday next, King's Birthday. '

The R.S.A. last night passed a resolution of thanks to the New Plymouth Ked Cross Society for defraying the expenses of the funeral of the late LanceCorporal Morrissey.

The Duncdin Customs returns show that for the month just expired the net custom receipts amounted to ,t:!!0,029, which is a record for this port (says a Press telegram), The Ngatoro is expected to load cement, at Whangarei to-day for New Plymouth and Wanganui. It is understood that New Plymouth's quota will l>e »40 tons.

A return prepared'by the New Zealand Rugby Union shows 20,004 players in the Dominion. The Auckland Union with 5160 heads the list, Otago comes next, with 2420, Canterbury 1780, Wellington, 1501, Wanganui 1*204, Hawke's Bay 1120, South Island 1026, Taranaki 959.

The only case dealt with at the sitting of the New Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday was a judgment summons -suit by John Waddle against Ernest George, the debtor being ordered to pay the sum of £lB on or before June 2nd., in default 18 days' Imprisonment. .

Three Royal birthdays will be celebrated during the visit of the Prince of Wales to Australia. The day of his arrival in Melbourne, May 2Ctii., was the fifty-third birthday of Queen Mary; tfime 3rd is the King's fifty-fifth birthday. On June 23rd, the twenty-sixth anniversary of the Prince's own 'birthday, ho will arrive in Launceston. At a general meeting of the shareholders of the Tariki Dairy Company yesterday, presided over by' Mr. W. V. Harkness (chairman of directors), it was decided to instill a butter making plant in the Tariki factory in readiness for the coming season, so that the company may be in a position to manufacture butter or cheese.

A meeting of the executive of the Taranaki School Committees Associalion was held last night, when Mr. S- 6. .Smith, 31.P. (president of the Association) presided. A letter from the Taliora School Committee regarding improvements to the school buildings was referred back to the committee with a suggestion that it should bo placed beFore the Education Board. A number of remits were submitted for the conference, which is to be held in Now Plymouth on June 10th. All members of School Committees are entitled to attend the annual conference.

There are at present (states the annual report of the New Zealand Ketnrned Soldiers' Association) 77,409 names on the register of the Repatriation Department. Over 50,000 men have returned to the Dominion since the inception of the department 14 months Ago, and it is a matter for congratulation that so little difficulty lias been experienced in absorbing such a very large number of demobilised men. This happy result is due (1) to the attitude of the discharged soldiers, who in many cases have resumed their pre-war occupations or obtained suitable positions for themselves; (2) to the» support rendered by the community: and (3) to the general prosperity of New Zealand, There has been a decided drop in the price of pigs during the past week or so. On Saturday there was only a small number of wcaners penned at Newton King's, Ltd., Haymarket, New Plymouth, and they fetched 9s lid, 10s, 6d, and 13s Od, according to quality'' The autograph message of the Prince of Wales to the children of New Zealand was to have been read to all tho school children in New Plymouth yesterday morning, but as the schools are now closed for holidays this could not be done. The function will take place on Tuesday of next week, and each child will receive a facsimile copy of tho message as a souvenir of the Prince's visit.

At last night's meeting of the Returned Soldiers' Association, the president (Lieut -Colonel Evans) announced that a very pleasing and unique function was to have taken place in the shape of the presentation by Bugler Walker of the bugle he had carried so long as a trophy to the U.S.A. Owing to his indisposition, Bugler Walker was unable to attend. Regret was expressed at tin's, and the gift was accepted with the utmost appreciation, very cordial appreciation being expressed of the many little acts of kindness shown to the Association by Bugler Walker, and particularly his attendance at funerals of returned soldiers. A very cordial motion of thanks to Bugler Walker was carried with acclamation.

We have to acknowledge receipt of garden calendar and catalogue from the well-known house of F. Cooper, Ltd., wholesale seed growers, whose head office is at Wellington. This will be found very valuable to farmers anil gardeners all over New Zealand. The firm may be regarded as the pioneers of seed growing in New Zealand, and have done most valuable work along the lines of seed testing, seed growing, itnd special seed selection. Many of their' strains of the principal pea's, vegetable, and farm seeds have been selected from single plants, which have been picked out of thousands for their especially good constitution and healthy cropping qualities. Their trade slogan

"Tiic fciewls' of Success" is known and amply justified from one end of New Zealand to tlie other. The firm wishes is to lie made quite clear tlmt for iniuiy years, every line of seed which conies into (heir store, is imnu'diafely tested for germination, both l)y themselves,and the New Zealand Department of Agriculture, and no line is allowed to he sent out that does not more than fully comply with the highest test of growth standard. In the advertisements, Mr. Renavd announces that he resumes teaching today. Address corner o£ Dawson and Fulford Streets.

A famous nonagenarian, when asked what he Jiad done to be so well and strong at his age, replied: "I was very careful. I never drank much wino. Five or six glasses at dinner, and the same after dinner; but I used to drink punch from six o'clock at night to six o'clock next morning," A careful fellow, indeed ! The New Zealand Pensions Bill for the year ended March 31st last was £2,705,- j 100. This fact is contained in a return received by tlie Minister in charge of the Pensions Department from the Commissioner of Pensions, which gives details of the various items as follows: War pensions .t'1,77.'! ,: i2; old «»e £7<V !!«(»; widows' ,£]«(>, Si. ,; Maori War veterans £45,085; miners' £l(i,(issi. Yesterday morning (states the Star) the Hawera railway platform presented quite a busy appearance for. the time of the year, owing to the number of people travelling. A number of fanners proceeded to Hamilton to attend the winter show, while Taranaki delegates left for Wellington to be present at the Dominion Hospital Boards' conference, which opens to-day. The exceptionally cold weather now being experienced in New Plymouth continued last night, and the heavy coating of frost which covered the ground may be expected again this morning. Yesterday two degrees of frost were registered on the sports ground 111 Pukekura Park, while the terrestrial thermometer at the higher and more exposed level of the station registered one degree. During the night the temperature of the atmosphere, as registered by the screened dry thermometer, was lifi degrees at the coldest period ana 47 degrees at the warmest.

The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd. draw clients' attention to Mr. A. E. Taylor's clearing sale, at the homestead, Opunake Road, Cardiff, on Wednesday, June 2, at 12 noon sharp- Cars will leave the company's office on the morning of the sale. Attention is drawn to a grand return ball to be held in Tariki Hall os Tuesday, June 8. Fox's orchestra will be in attendance. See advertisement on page 1- .

A drop in drapery! Ladies, you are invited to take advantage of an offering made by The Big Store, Waitara, of cosy winter under-garments, marked at less tlian last year's prices, and so prote.it yourselves against the ills and chills of winter.

Men's winter underclothing is in full supply at the Melbourne, Ltd All wool Colonial flannels, 9s Cd to lis 6d; "Doctor" flannels, 12s (3d; Itoslyn knitted shirts anil pants, 8s lid to 13s 6d; beat quality fleece-lined shirts and pants, 8s lid to !)a 6d.

Women. prone to suffer during tli.; winter with chapped and roughened hands, as a result of washing operations, should use "Fairy Wonder" Dry Soap. This invaluable compound in addition to cutting wash day in half leaves tho hands nicely smooth aiul soft after the hardest clay's washing. Sold by all storekeepers.