LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 October 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There was further delay to the train* yesterday, but the express from Wellington was only about half-an-hour late in reaching New Plymouth last night. A Press Association message from Auckland states that Smeeton's buildings, a 90-feet .frontage to Queen Street with a four-storey brick structure, has been bought by Winstones, Ltd., for £IOO,OOO. , The price for the land represents nearly £BOO per foot. At a meeting of the New Plymouth Hostel Committee last evening, the Mayoress (Mrs. J. Clarke) resigned the position of chairwoman, and Mrs. A. K. Walker was unanimously appointed in her stead. Mrs. H. Baily agreed to continue charge of the arrangements for the Christmas Fair.

The session of Parliament is drawing to a close, and it is expected the adjournment will be made at the end of next week. In the House yesterday, the Premier announced that the House would meet to-day at 11 a.m. for the tnu;i;;;ofcion of business, and also at the, B:uni> hour on the working days of next week. It was agreed that the speeches oil tha Public Works Statement be limited to fifteen minutes.

At the Workers" Hall last night,' the entertainment given on the two previous evenings in aid of the Girls' Hostel fund, was repeated as a benefit for the hall funds, the money accruing to be devoted to the improvement of the stage. There was a somewhat small but appreciative audience. During the interval the secretary of the hall trustees (Mr. J. Clarke), thanked Mrs. Weston and party for the efforts made to help the hall funds. Mr. Eber Watkins, who is well-known in Manaia, and who has recently been residing at Patea, has been missing from his home since Thursday, Ocfofcer 21, and there are little hopes of his turning up alive, says tho Press. Some time ago he became an inmate of the Old People's Home at Wangamii, but he soon left there and declined to return. The old man, who was somewhat eccentric, had been rather despondent of late.

The Patea Borough Council's dam at the hydro-electric station burst on Tuesday night and washed the wharc in which were two young attendants (N. Mitchell and K. McDonald), over the cliff into the sea. Fortunately (says the Press) the building remained in the sandy inlet and the inmates were able to scramble to the shore. Mitchell has a dislocated shoulder and McDonald a nasty gash over the eye. The electric plant was not seriously damage 1, but the dam will take some time to repair.

Albert Harold Arden, a married man, appeared on remand from Wellington at the Magistrate's Court. Hawera, yesterday morning on a charge of being the father o£ an illegitimate child, ared an affiliation order was sought against him. Arden was about to leave the Dominion, but was prevented from obtaining a pass by the action of the Hawera police. Mr. O'Dea appeared for the complainant, and asked for a remand till Tuesday next, If bail was applied for Mr. O'Dea said he would have to oppose it or ask that it be fixed at a substantial amount, as the defendant had intended leaving the Dominion, and ho understood that the passport regulations had now been revoked. Sergeant Henry, on being appealed to, stated that the regulations were revoked from the 22nd inst. The remand was granted, and defendant was bound to appear on hia own recognisances for £IOO and two sureties of £IOO each.—Star.

The largest business deal ever affected in Fiji was completed during the present month. The parties to what was a complete merging were Morris Hedstrom, Limited, and Henry Marks and Co., Limited, which are the two largest concerns in Fiji, with the exception of Burns, Philp, and Co. The assets and goodwill of Marks and Co. are accepted at £337,500, and those of Morris Hedstrom at £420,000. The capital has been increased to £1,000.000, tho sum of £250,000 being represented by 0 per cent, cumulative preference shares, and £750,000 by ordinary and employee shares. The firm has 'lately entered the Tongan field, having bought out Ross and Co.'s interests, and are competitors there against the Bums.. Philp 'South Sea Company, Ltd. "Some regret is expressed," says' the New Zealand Herald's correspondent, "at the disappearance of.the firm name of Henry Marks and Co., Ltd., which, since 1881; has been so intimately connected with Fiji and its history.' Mr. Hedstrom is the senior elected member in the Legislative Council, and represents Leviika, He is a member of the Executive Council of the Colony. Mr. Marks is C.B.E. and one of the M.LC.'s for Suva."

Here are some special bargains for the end of the second week of the Melbourne's great reduction sale:—Ladies' beautiful quality heavy weight dapanese silk sports coats, 27s Od; lovely Fiji silk ditto, 27s Od; ladies fine quality untrimmed panamas, life 0d; mens Horrockses pyjamas, tos fid; boys' college shirts, in navy and grey Doctor flannel, 12s Od and 13s fid; hardware working shirts, lis Od. Dairymen in search of eows should note the date of Mrs. Meßae's clearing sale, Monday lit Xsvembtf.

"Land girl wanted for five cows, pigs, calves, and butter-making," is a san.ple of a type of advertisement that is now quite common in English papers.

It is stated that the increase in butter prices will result in the price of bakers' small goods being advanced. The general increase in prices of all commodities used 'in tWe preparation of small goods is said to have reduced the profits on pastry and cakes almost to vanishing point.

"They say the clergy aren't a hardworked lot," remarked a well-known Wellington clergyman, at the annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children. '"l'tiks to-day, for instance, 1 had a funeral at 10, a weddin :if. 2, a meeting of clergy at 2.30, a i.nlen party after that", about Ave minutes for tea. And here I am, and I've got to give two sermons on Sunday!"

''Alany people say the world is getjng worse," said tiie Rev. \V. Elliott, at Auckland. "But it simply means that more sunlight is being let in. Our fathers never lived in the glare liko we are doing to-day, for there i* no privacy now anywhere. We are all stripped bare, as it were, and the world i* able to take knowledge of us. It is a true fact that mefi cannot hide their deeds nowadays, and the estimate of our character formed by thoso with whom we associate is generally a true one."

A smart piece of work was done bv Constable A. T. Cleverley, of the Wellington Wharf Police, in dropping upon a Buick car, the property of Thomas Flannery, stolen from Masterton on Saturday, and, the police allege, upon the person who wrongfully removed the machine, a young man named Ferdinand Jackson. Constable Cleverley noticed a car answering the general description supplied from Masterton, passing along Brandon-street at about half-past five yesterday afternoon, and was confirmed in his suspicions by the registration number, M.S. 548. The car was pulled up a few yards distant to allow a young lady to alight, but the maehin-j had no lack of a passenger, for the constable at once stepped in and ordered Jackson to drive to the Police Station.

The Timber shortage ia still acute, but hopes are entertained by people in the trade of catching up with 'the demand within six months (says the New Zealand Herald). "One of t,he chief causes of the shortage has be mi the impossibility of securing sufficteot bushmen. More bushmen, it is reported, are now available, and some very large contracts have recently been let. it is expected that an improvement in the output of the mills, or some of them, will be shown within a month or two. It does not follow, or course, that there will bo any surplus of timber, notwithstanding the restrictions placed upon its sale by the Board of Trade.

The management of the New Plymouth Gas Company notifies that through inferior coal the pressure had to be reduced ( for half-an-fcour 'last evening, and regrets any inconvenience caused to consumers."

A big shipment of Turkish and coloured towels is being offered by Morey and Son, at very low prices. Ladies will note that these bargains are for a few days only.

Under the title of ''White man, yellow man, brown man, black man. Are we going to have a race war?" the Rev. J. Napier Milne, at the Whiteley monthly People's Service to-morrow evening, will deal with what is unmistakably one of the biggest of our modern problems, dm the dominance of the white race continue? What ought to be our attitude to indentured labor, colored immigration, and missionary enterprise? There will be a special programme of praise and song, beginning at 0.45, under the direction of Mr. K. Laurie Cooper. "The Sabbath Call" and "The Chapel" will be rendered by a male quartette consisting of Messrs. >. Ho'oker, W. P. Okey, A. L. North and A. B. Macdonald. The anthems are Sphor's ''As Pants the Hart," and Himmel's "Incline Thine Ear," the solosist being Mrs. Macdonald and Mr. Baden Bellringer. There will be a specially augmented choir and orchestra. Wash-tub -drudgery has been banished by "Fairy Wonder" Dry Soap, the washing powder that lias just put all other makes in the "discard." The rise of this wonderful new (scientific house-hold help lias been phenomenal, and its merits nre now sworn to by thousands of enthusiastic housewives throughout the Dominion. Obtainable at all stores.