LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

When the tarring of Gover Street is carried out tlie main entrance to the New Plymouth racecourse will also be tarred, the Jockey Club having agreed to pay the whole of the cost.

The total sales of Glaxo for 1914 (prewar) were £109,303. The total sales for 1919 were over £BOO,OOO, and the estimated total sales from all sources of supply for 1920 is £1,300,000. *

The New Plymouth Borough Council last night endorsed a resolution pasaed by the Waimairi County Council, urging the Government to promote legisiu-. tion to allow hospital boards to borrow money for permanent buildings, the Government to grant a subsidy on all money so Taised.

Five captured, German machine guns have been allotted to New Plymouth, and a committee, consisting of the Mayor, the district M.P., the chairman of the Patriotic Society, and senior territorial officer, has been appointed to select sites on which to place these war trophies. While the new system of rating on the unimproved value in New Plymouth has brought relief to some, it has increased the burdens of others. This was illustrated at the meeting of the Borough Council' last night, when the owner of a farm of 40 acres wrote stating that hi--? rates had increased from £22 to £5.4, and he asked for some assistance. This the Council cannot see its way to grant. It was fortunate that the clerk to the Stratford County Council (Mr. C. Penn) had reason to visit the county office? somewhat earlier than usual on Saturday morning, for when he arrived thert shortly after 7 'o'clock he discovered an incipient fire in the council chamber, tiie flooring in front of the fireplace having a large hole burnt in it. Mr. Penn threw water on the fire on the hearth before leaving the office on Friday evening, but nevertheless a. spark had apparently been projected on to the floor, and the latter had smouldered all night. The council chambers had A narrow escape from destruction.—Post-

The New Plymouth Borough Council has decided to inform the Taranaki Hydro-Electrie League that, while the Council would be pleased to- see any available power in Taranaki satisfactorily developed, it cannot, in view of the fact that it lias already incurred heavy expense for raports, etc-, in connection with the development of hydro-electric power in North Taranaki, see its way to contribute towards the cost of obtaining further reports which the League proposes to obtain. The League intimate! that the Council's contribution would be £7O, which would be refunded if a power board was formed.

In connection with the motor mishap in Brougham Street 011 Saturday night, Messrs Snelling and Andrews desire us to state that it was not one of their cars which was responsible for the damage. „ Mr. Newton King is holding a speciil sale of dairy Jieifers in his Bahotu yards on Thursday next. The enjry, comprising Jerseys, Shorthorns and Holsteins, is' large, and the cattle on the whole show good quality. Dairymen wanting goo J heifers should ntWnu this

If the relative wealth or generosity of a district may be gauged by the average gift, this comparative table of contributors at the last Ave Y.M.C.A. campaigns is significant. The average contribution at Richmond was £O, Timaru £7 10s, Napier £ll 18s, Wellington .£l3, Pa).merston North £ls 12s.

At the opening of the new Foxton school, Mr. F. Pirani stated that £SO worth of material had been stolen from the school property while the building had been in progress. The news came as a surprise to his hearers and the h'ox'ton police have had no complaints in regard to the matter. A strange story of the recent flood in the King Country is told. A Maori boy travelling on horseback to Pio Pio was carried' away by the current, his horse becoming entangled in the wire on the fence, and the boy reaching a willow tree a chain or so away. The horse ultimately freed itself and swam straight for the boy, who mounted, and after a hard tussle, got safely through.

In consequence of a refusal on the part of mine-owners to grant an increase in wages (states the Christchurch Sun's Greymouth correspondent), the deputies of the West Coast mines have given the companies a fortnight's' notice, which will expire this week. The demand of the deputies was for £7 a week for day shift, £7 10s. for afternoon, and £7 15s. for night. The owners at Westport lately offered £O, £6 10s., and £6 15s. respectively for the three shifts, which would equal a"n increase of 024 per cent, upon the prewar rate for day shift, and (ig| per cent, on the other two. The offer, however, was declined, though it is understood that a further conference on the matter will be held.

The very nature of his calling makes the dairyman a thrifty individual. The man who has to get up at 4 a.m. an.l wash his milk cans by the "straggling moonbeams.' misty light and the lantern dimly burning" not unnaturally looks carefully at both sides of a bawbee before he parts with it. Some amusement was caused at the meeting of dairy-farm-ers at the Druids' Hall/Eltham, yesterday to discuss the scheme for marketing New Zealand produce at Home, when u dairy-farmer naively asked what the producer would get for his butter-fat if the scheme were carried. Mr. R. Ellison. Home representative for the National Dairy Association, smilingly replied that that was rather a difficult question. It reminded him of a query put to him at the Dunedin meeting, when a dairy-farm-er gravely asked him to be supplied with a description of the 23 million customers trading at the C.W.S. stores.

"The greatest problem the country will have to tackle in the future is that of an increased pension rate.'' said Dr. E. Boxer, in delivering his presidential address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association. "If we can push that thing through—and I hope you push for all you are worth —we will do an incalculably good thing "for the pensioners. I am convinced that £2 is not a living wage, is not a moderate pension, and. does not fill the bill.'" The general indications he had personally received from members of Parliament were to the effect that they recognised that £2 was not enough for a totally incapacitated man to live on. He believed that the country would be behind their demands and that Parliament would be forced by public opinion to make such monetary provision that it would be possible to increase pensions on an all-round basis. He hoped that such a demand would go through with no uncertain voice.

Since the announcement made a few days ago (states !ke Hawera Star) that the Department, was proceeding with tlie erection of ten workers' houses in Hawera, and that a further 2f> houses weve to be erected later, applications for these houses have been coming in very freely, and Mr. Pettett states that the applications now number nearly 50. As the houses will be of concrete the deterioration will not be so great as with wooden structures, and the period over whien re-payments are to be spread will be Uli years. Mr. Pettett is of the opinion that the weekly payments will not exceed 17s 8d or 18s. A man who takes one of these houses will therefore be in a very happy position. While making a modern house with all conveniences his own ho will actually be paying less than would be asked as a ren.tal from a landlord for the same class of dwelling- It is quite resonable to suppose that the whole of the 35 houses allotted to. Hawera will lis erected within 18 months or two years, and there is some speculation as to what the effect will be on property values within the borough, which are generally conceded to be excessive at the present time.

The N.Z- Loan and Mercantile draw clients' attention to their Mat.au Sale, which they are holding in their Matat> yards on Friday, 25tli June, at 1 p.m. Full particulars will be found in this issue.

From present indications there is every prospect of thje New Plymouth Bowling Club being able play on the new green early next season. , A full report will be submitted to the annual meeting, to be held in the Club's pavilion to-morrow night. On the motion of Mr. Hutchen, probate of the will of the late Miss Emily Eliza Kingcome Crocker has been granted by the Supreme Court to Miss Elsie Jane Reid, one of the executrices therein nairied.

"Fairy Wonder" Dry Soap washes everything washable and cleans everything eleanable. The "Fairy Wonder" way saves coals, saves time, saves labor, save> money and saves wash-wear or clothes. All grocers and storekeepersAll eyes are now focussed on the Melbourne, Ltd., whose great Winter Sale lias just been launched. Enthusiastic crowds revelling in the bargains thronged the firm's store on the opening days of sale, and as the offerings are plentiful this state of affairs is likely to 'continue throughout the three weeks of sale.