LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 July 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During the past year the Hawke's Bay War Belief Association has received two legacies, one of £3floo bequeathed by the. late Mr, W, J. Matthews, and the other of £SOO by the late Mr. W. J. Tabateau.

At tlie Magistrate's Court, Hawera, yesterday, Howard William Snow, alias Herbert Snow, was committed for trial at the Supreme Court on a charge of having stolen a gold muff-chain valued at £6 10s.

Coal supplies in New Plymouth, which <ire at present somewhat depleted, should be augmented within the next few days. Tlie ICowhai is loading SuO tons of Westport-Stockton supplies for a New Plymouth dealer, and,tho vessel is due at the port about .'Monday, while ft consignment of 500 tons of steam coal is expected about the 12th inst.

The rainfall at Inglewood for the month of June amounted to 10,23 inches, despite the fact that there were sixteen . rainless di!,vs. The heaviest falls were 2.99 on the 21st, 2,23 on the 23rd, and 1.55 on the sth. The rainfall at EltJiam for the same month was 7.90 inches. Rain fell on 11 days, the heaviest fall being 2.80 in. on the 21st. A shooting affair is reported to have taken place at the Waiau Eoad, Waihi. A Maori boy, aged about 10, secured a gun from a house during the absences of the owners, and shot, a small boy, aged about 10, in the thigh. The gun' whijcli tan tamed a icartridge charged With shot, fired at a distance of about 10 feet from the boy.. In Wellington, whenever a man of note visits the city he is entertained to luncheon by the citizens and given a fitting welcome. The need for something of the sort in New Plymouth has been felt for some time, and, after considering the matter yesterday, the council of the Chamber of Commerce decided to take steps to similarly entertain and welcome visitors of standing to the town.

The 'Dominion Farmers' Institute, Wellington, lias offered to the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce space for Taranaki exhibits, views, etc., in the wide corridors of its fine new buildings. At its meeting yesterday the Chamber referred the matter to the local Tourist Association, which has in the past distributed sets of views illustrating the attractions and interests of the province, to tourist bureaux, hotels, etc. These' views have proved an excellent advertisement for the district.

The failure of the Lyttelton-Wolling-ton boafc to connect at Wellington witli the New Plymouth mail train has for some time past caused a good deal of loss and inconvenience to Taranaki, and some time ajro the Stratford Chamber of Commerce drew the attention of the Government to the matter. The Taranaki CEamber, at a meeting yesterdav, decided to give whole-hearted support to Stratford's action to interest the Government in the matter, with a view to ensuring regular connection with the mail train.

"Shoplifters" are a source of much loss to city shops, and, according to an exchange, the stalls at book shops have recently become a favorite huntingground. Enquiries made in New Plymouth by a Daily News reporter elicited a general report that there was not much trouble in this respect here. "'People who read books do not steal," is the conclusion of one bookseller. Another dealer supports this view. "I can only remember one case of a book being stolen to our knowledge, and that book was a Bible!" he added.

On Sunday last (reports the Star) Mr. IHislop" (factory manager) and six others were leaving Ivaponga for Hawera to attend the funeral of the late Mr. >,od Duggan, when, the rim came o!l one of the wheels and the car skidded and turned clean over. Fortunately, the hood was up, which fact probably saved the lived of »me of the occupants, who, one by one\eraw!ed out, each finding the other without a, scratch. With the exception of the wind lamps, and axle, -there was very little damage done to the car. The hood shape, of course, suffered,

"The book world is flooded with novels by unknown writers at present, and the quality of the books ia somewhat poor," remarked a New Plymouth bookseller to a Daily News reporter yesterday. He said the war produced more authors than any period he. could remember, and anything with a catchv title met with a ready sale. Lately, however, there ha 3 been a great falliii.« off in the demand for war books—both fiction and historical—but it is anticipated that a new reading generation which will come along in a few rears will renew the interest in the" war books.

The condition of* the telephone service in Xc-w Plymouth was discussed by the Taraimki Chamber of Commerce yesterday, and. it wa3 decided to urge upon the Department the necessity of installing the automatic service -without delay. Before the war the Chamber made representations regarding the matter, and it was then stated that the telephone board was unsatisfactory and inadequate. Since then, 01 course, a great many extensions have been made, and the pressure is correspondingly greater. At present the service, it was' stated at the council meeting, is far from satisfactory, and an improvement is urgentlv needed. °

. Interest hy "the man in the street" :n economies and similar big subjects lus led to a remarkable demand for books on these questions. A New Plymouth bookseller told a Dailv News reporter yesterday that the enquiry for such books was never so'great as now, and expensive works which'used to lie' (fiffinult to dispose of are now sold lPfulili. "People never recognised so much as now thr.t they must learn to get on; they see the truth of the saying that knowledge is power, and the book world is now witnessing a revolution in consequence," added the bookseller.

Wellington is suffering from something like an epidemic of robberies. In addition to eases previously reported, some £25 was stolen the other evening' from the house of one of the judges <)i th ( . Supreme Court, The monev belonged to the daughter of the houi-e. It is stated that a maid met a strange man ni his stockinged feet ■descending the stairs, that the man put his hand over her mouth, that she screamed, and that he then escaped without anyone else having s een him. In another ewe £2O was taken from a locked drawer in a house. The money in this case also belonged to a woman. There have also been several robbeuies from clotheslines.

In the Methodist, Church, Stratford, 011 Sunday evening, Rev. L. B. Neale will commence a series of addresses to young men and women. The subject on Sunday evening will be "The Charity of the Eternal Silence." A solo "There is a Green Hill Far Away," by Gounod, will be rendered by, Mr. A. D, Bills,

"I do not think you could buy a ton of coal beyond your daily requirements," said tlie engineer to the Lyttelton Harbor Board at a meeting of the Board on Wednesday. "Until the Government have abolished all restrictions on trade it will be impossible to buy anything or do anything." Franklin John Smith, charged with having committed a criminal assault on a girl was, at Auckland the other day, sentenced to seven years' imprisonment with hard l&bor by Mr. Justice Cooper. Smith lias boon variously known in New Zealand as "Pitt Pott" Smith and "Low Kun," who toured Taranaki some time ago.

"I_ always notice that all those men that i? on the board have a nice road to their homes, arid I don't see why others who have to pay the rates should not have the same for their money,"— Extract from a letter from a lady ratepayer who asked the Clifton County Council yesterday for some work to be done.

Devotion to duty on the part of a constable was shown in a case which was heard in the Hamilton Police Court last week. A defendant's name was called to answer a charge of cycling on the footpath. The defendant did not appear and a constable of the same name proved the charge. The Magistrate imposed the usual penalty, but Bmiled when counesl said that the defendant was the constable's son.—N.Z. Herald. 4

. When tariff matters were, mentioned m the House, Mr. Smith (Taranaki j pointed out- that amount of duty levied on articles of common use such as clothing, boots, and tinned fruits had been increaesd enormously by the rise jn the import prices of the articles. This increase was a serious factor in the cost of living. A tariff anomaly was the charging of -duty on materials for cattle medicines when the made-up medicines were admitted free. Local manufacturers were handicapped. The Minister said all these matters would be considered when the .tariff was under discussion, next session. A piecemeal amendment of the tariff was not feasible.—Own Correspondent. On Wednesday a traveller and a friend were having a joy ride from Manaia to Kaponga, intending to return to Manaia via Awatuna and Auroa. After leaving Kaponga they apparently met trouble at the Mangawheroiti bridge, and had some difficulty in getting out. They seem to have decided to go back Kaponga way, and in doing so rushed into a mob of valuable cows, killing one, which got underneath the car, and injuring two others so badly that they had to be destroyed. The unfortunate part of it is that the owner of the cows stayed, helping the two with the car at the bridge, otherwise the cows would probably have been off the road before dark. The car was pretty badly knocked about, but, strange to say, was not overturned, and, al though the two occupants were thrown clean out, neither of them received a scratch. The car was towed into Kaponga for repairs. A correspondent .writes as follows: In Morley 1 street yesterday afternoon, near the Western Park, there was a gathering of interested spectators, watching, and later on helping, a carter, who, unfortunately found the rear "wheel of a waggon had taken a good grip on Mother Earth. The (partnership- was cemented to such an extent that an extra horse and six men were required to pull, push, and lever the wheel to a firm surface. This is a striking testimony to the state of some of the roads within the borough. 'During the last wet weather a stranger to Belt road (top end) essayed the task of riding a bicycle. He started off full of hope, and finishel covered with mud and slush, having to shoulder the cycle and plough through a sea of clay. What he thought of the municipal .authorities cannot be stated in print, but it was the only safety valve he possessed to blow off Jiis ire, whilst the hose and hoop iron removed the eartiv from clothes and cycle. The monthly meeting of the West End School Committee was held last night Mr. W. W. Thomson presided. The headmaster's report showed that the roll number at the end of June was 516, an increase of 0 on the previous quarter. He drew attention to the over-crowded state of the lower infants' room, wllich had seating accommodation for 88 pupils, whilst the present roll number was 08 At the end of last year the number was 10!), and he had no reason'to believe that similar condition? would not exist at the end of the present year. It was resolved to forward a copy of the report to the Education Board. The Witiora Golf 1 Club presented the school with a championship shield which would be suitable for a dux board. The secretary of the club is to be thanked for the donation.

A final reminder is given of the dairying land sale to be held at the Winter Show buildings, Hawera, this afternoon. The sale will bo conducted by the Farmers' Co-operative Sjocietv on behalf of the executors in the estate of Simon Dick, the property being situated at Matapu. Mr. C. H. Johnston, proprietor of the New Plymouth-Uruti 'bus service, advertises a revised time-table, commencing as from Monday next, July 6. There is nothing ulider the sun like "Fairy Wonder" for bleaching clothes a lovely snow-white. This, too, without any back-breaking rubbing, and with less rinsing and boiling than when any other compound than "Fairy Wonder" ia used. Think of this next time you want washing powder, All grocers stock "Fairy," • Buyers are reminded that the Melbourne's great Winter Sale will only run until 'Saturday, the 10th inst. As all the lin,°s now offered at reduced prices will revert to pre-sale prices after that date, it behovers shoppers to make as many purchases as they possibly can before the sale ends.