LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Samuel John Thorn, who is charged

with the murder of Sidney Eyre at Pukekawa, has been remanded to Pukakobe for trial to-day. ' The situation as to coal supplies in Auckland is unchanged. Trams are idle, gas'is absent, and many are unemployed (says a Press telegram). A couple of Hawera boys, aged 10 and 14 years, wiio had been in the' habit of commandeering push bikes, were recently caught by the police. The Magistrate on Tuesday admonished both boys, and ordered them to report to the police once a week for twelve months. He also ordered the parents to pay between them £l, the coat of repairing a lady's bicycle that had been thrown in the stream, after use. "It is only the young fellows who went away to the war," said Mr. T. Parsons . to the Butter Prices Committee at Palmerston' North, "who will go on the land now and take up the hard work here. A few of them who took up properties in the first instance will do remarkably well. But I fear the greater number will do remarkably badly. People say: 'Why den't the wharfies go and work on the land?' But not they—they know too much." ' A Rotowaro miner was asked if the union could not prevent strikes, and, in reply, he said:—"What can we do when . we don't get a say. If any of us were to try to stop a strike we would only be , bowled down by a few of the leaders and called 'scabs' and 'blacklegs.' I am glad Mr. Massey has taken a strong stand against the State miners. It was • about time he did that. The State mine . has been the cause the trouble for a long time. The worst of it is that ' all these strikes are caused by men who ; have only themselves to care for. We , will have to fry to change things somehow. It would not be so bad if i.t was only the men who caused the trouble 1 who suffered, but'everybody is made to s suffer." , At the New Plymouth Court yesteri day morning, before Mr. H R. Cattley, J.P., William McDermott, a fireman on the Port Pirie, was charged with, assaulting R. J. Hogue by striking him i en the face. Sub-Inspector Hutton stati ed that the men had got mixed up in a . brawl, and Hogue had received some injuries. As the result of medical advice ' *he had later been removed to hospital, • and in case of any further developments , in the injured man's condition, a remand , till Saturday was granted by the Court. ■ Arising out of the same occurrence, another fireman, James Hunt, was ; charged with drunkenness, and was con- , victed and fined £l, itv default 24 hours' imprisonment. One hundred and ten bulls of all breeds and ages are to be sold at the > Waiwakaiho Bull Fair to-morrow. All pedigree Jerseys are being offered at the ; Jersey sale to-day. The catalogue includes some valuable pedigree Holstein ' 2-year-old bulls on account of Mr. A. H. Street and other prominent Friesian breeders, a number of pedigree Shorthorns from Messrs. R. Turnbull and Sons' stud, and also an excellent range of Grade Holstein, Shorthorn, and Jersey animals from very good herds. The possibilities of Fiji, from a cattle- • raising point of view, are stressed by Mr. C. Mackley, Government auditor, who has just returned from an extended tour of the Islands. "An Auckland farmer," he states, "is negotiating for himself and two others the purchase of 100,000 acres of land, on which they intend to graze cattle. Two representatives of Armours, Ltd., are investigating Fiji as a cattle-rearing proposition. The country is very suitable for grazing cattle, the rich para grass growing 3 feet to 4 feet high all the year. Dairy farming is beginning to receive attention—the Government having granted twenty returned soldiers each 3f>o acres of rich land. In addition, tiie soldiers receive fifty cows, and j£ 1500 as working capital. The Government is ereet- , ing a dairy factory, which will be the first in the island, and is now requiring a dairy expert. A syndicate with half a million pounds to invest is acquiring land for cattle and coconuts, the two going well' together. Bananas are likely to be dropped by some growers in favour of other produce, owing to the trouble of spraying and cutting, and to uncertain, shipping facilities. Rubber is receiving considerable attention. One fanner from Ashburton is growing banaaas, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, rice, wheat, tomatoes, rubber, etc." The partnership existing between the Canadian Government and New Zealand, under whicb the Pacific cable and the Vancouver mail service are maintained, las been strengthened by the reciprocity agreement under which Canadian manufacture!; gain preferential treatment under the New Zealand Customs tariff. But the association of*our soldiers during the war has created a new spirit of kinship, which was happily expressed ! in a letter received in Toronto by the chairman of the New Zealand Press delegation, and with which these discursive notes may well be brought to a close. The writer says: "Dear Mr. Leys, —So many pretty tributes have been paid New Zealand by Canadian soldiers .that Canada has a very kindly feeling towards her sister colony. Our Canadian soldiers of all ranks are unanimous •n expressing the high esteem with which they regard all New Zealanders.' This was, perhaps, most typically expressed by a little signaller, who said, 'The English are all right—the Scotch are fine —but every New Zealander is a 1 gentleman to his finger tips!' Wishing you a very, pleasant journey and New ' Zealand peace and prosperity.—Yours truly, A Canadian Girl." Messrs. F. 11. Robertson and Co. have just brought up from Wellington to the ! order of the Mangorei Dairy Company a, Brockway 2i ton truck, similar to those ' in use by the Wellington City Corpora['tiou, ' i

Owing to the cutting off of the gas supply in the city of Auckland, the usual Sunday evening services could not he held in some of the churches last Sunday. In nome cases substitute services were held in the afternoon, while in others they were held at the usual hour in halls that are equipped with electrical installations, A unique petition was received by the Wanganui Borough Council, signed by 75 residents of Wanganui East, asking that a hairdresser in that suburb should be allowed to keep open three nights a week, in order to meet the tonsorial requirements of the residents. It was decided to reply that the council had no jurisdiction, A sample of tawa timber that had been used in a house built at Kotorua twenty-live years ago, and was still as good as ever, was quoted recently at the Auckland City Council's meeting by Mr. P. M. Mackay in support of his contention that in the present acute shortage of timber the City Council should allow tawa to be used in buildings. At present the bylaws prohibit its use, as it is not generally considered a durable Wood. After a loss of nearly 8,000,000 tons of merchant shipping during the war, Great Britain's commercial tonnage is now about 20,, r )00,000, almost equal to the pie-war tonnage of 20,534,000. Of the present merchant fleet, 1,334,000 tons are former German ships. A number of new shipping companies, both large and small, have been registered in the last few months. The sale of New Zealand meat in London was the subject of a letter received by the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce from a former member of the counpil now in England- For some time past, the writer stated, he had experienced great dffiiculty in obtaining New Zealand mutton, and he suspected that Argentine meat was being substituted. He suggested that the matter of opening shops for the sale of New Zealand meat in London, which was the only way in which it; ale could be extended, should be brought before the Government. The Melbourne, Ltd., are showing a specially fine value in cotton crepes, in lovely shades of vieux rose, wedgewood and pale blue, pale pink, helio and maize, at 2s fld per yard. This is just the thing for summer frocks for both, ladies and children. Also very dainty for nights, pyjamas and underwear. Also in stock, white crepe, at the same price, and all 30 inches,wide. Wash-tub drudgery has been banished by "Fairy Wonder" Dry Soap, the washing powder that puts all other makes iu the "discard." The rise of this wonderful new household help has been phenomenal, and its merits are now sworn to by thousands of enthusiastic housewives throughout the Dominion. Obtainable at all stores. Webster Eros, advertise a two-seater motor car for sale on Saturday next.