LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 November 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuesday next, St. Andrew's Day, will be a Government holiday. It cost the Dominion £G;">00 to charter the s.s. Prinzessin for the conveyance to Wellington of the stranded New Zealanders at Sydney last year, owing to the seamen's strike at the port; The promised shipment of 80 tons of cement for Taranaki was brought to New Plymouth yesterday by the Earawa. It is hoped that a further ICO tons will be landed here next week. The postal authorities ajdvise that the s.s. Canadian Exporter sailed from Sydney at 5 p.m. on November 23 for Auckland. She carries a small mail for New Zealand, including several bags from the East. Respecting the rata tree 88ft in circumference, detailed in yesterday's paper, Mr. J. R. Hill writes to say that at Kaimiro, Egmont Road, in the old days there was a rata tree a chain and' a half in circumference. This would mean that the tree was some .'l3ft in diameter. In forming the road divcision had to be made on account of tlw size of the tree. A mishap to the engine of a goods train bound from New Plymouth to Hawera. caused the mixed train which is due at New Plymouth shortly before 11 o'clock from Hawera to be over half-an-honr late yesterday morning. A pin on the driving wheel of the engine broke when the goods train was at Brown's siding a mile north of Inolewood.

A motor cyclist, Mr. E. W. Carr, who was proceeding from New Plymouth to Hawera yesterday morning, met with an accident near the Durham Road station, through one of the mudguards on the machine breaking. He was thrown heavily to the ground, being rendered unconscious, antf sustained cuts on the head and body. He was brought into New Plymouth by a passing car. and is now an inmate of a private hospital, where he is progressing favorably.

Mr. W. Goodfellow, managing director of Zealwidia Milk .Food, Ltd., at a meeting of Morrinsville farmers, stated that in view of the unsatisfactory financial position in the United State's and in other parts of the world, it would not be advisable to proceed with the project to erect a dried milk factory at Morrinsville, but to defer the erection of thje factory for twelve months, or until such time as the position improved. This course has been decided upon. The following are the results of the weight-guessing competitions held at the Stratford Show: Fat bullock (correct weight 8115% lbs.), E. A. Mander (Stratford), 817% lbs. 1, G. Curtis (Stratford), 810 lbs., and W. K. Baker (Bird Road) 821 lbs., tied for Becond and third prize money. Sheep (correct weight, 17fl lbs.), A. J. Quinn (Eltham) 17r> lbs., and P. Wisnewski (Ngaere), 170 lbs,, tied for first and second prizemoney. Pig (correct weight 130* lbs.) J. B. Richards (Stratford), ISO* lbs., 1, W. Ridland (Tuna), and W. K Flower (Durham Road), who each guessed 130 lbs. tied for second prizemoney.

| The Prisons Board sat at the New Plymouth prison vesterdav, and eonisidered the cases of a number of the inmates, admitting a prooortion of them to probation. The Board, as is known, exercises its functions throughout the Dominin, and pays at least one visit to each centre in the course of the year. The members present were: Sir (ieorge Fenwick (who. in the absence of Sir liobert Stout, acted as chairman), Messrs. (\ li. .lonian, C. E. Matthews,' W. Recce, E. Hall, and Dr. F. Hay, and Ihey were accompanied by Mr .T. Sniyibe. secretary. They proceed lo Auckland this morning to hold sittings at the prisons in Auckland and Walkeria.

Providing' the wea'her keeps 'iiv a ;,irge errwd should be present at *l.e Band recital to be giveji on Sunday afternoon at Kawaroa Park. The large lawns and grounds are in fine order, and afternoon tea will be procurable at the Bungalow. " ,

Very little business was transacted at the Auckland hide gales on Tuesday, and market conditions continue to be dull, with prices showing a downward tendency. Stout ox hides sold up to 9Jd per lb.; medium, 8d; light, Gd to 7d; cow hides, fid to 7d. There was no demand for second-class or damaged hides.

A most romantic marriage is reported to have occurred in Hastings on Tuesday morning. A young lady, who was being taken by rail to Wellington in order to wean her afTeotions from a certain swain, who found no favor with her family, covertly made her escape from a ladies' compartment on the arrival of the train in Hastings and, joining her waiting knight, they both speeded to the place made and provided, where they married with all convenient rapidity. Tn the meantime the train steamed south on its way to Wellington, bearing in a smoking compartment the unsuspecting escort of the enterprising maiden. —Tribune.

Owing to the scarcity, and high price of paper, the Post and Telegraph Department has found it necessary to exercise economy by reducing the size of the forwarded telegraph form. The new issue, states the Post, is half the size of the present form. The reduction has been made by cutting down considerably the space devoted to instructions, with a lesser reduction of the message; space. Five lines are given for address and message, which may also be continued on the back, as the printed regulations which formerly covered the back of the forms have been cut, down to two lilies. The new form will shortly be brought into use.

One of the features of the proceedings in connection with the Peat divorce action in Wellington was the large attendance each day. The accommodation of the small Court room was sorely taxed, hut not by the people who usually attend (o eagerly scan the parties most intimai.'ly concerned and to listen intently to the evidence given. No! Young barristers, solicitors, and law clerks predominated. The explanation of their presence was simple. It lay in the personnel of the Bar engaged, Sir John Findlay, K.C., and Mr. C. P. Skerrett, K.C., were retained by the contending parties, and they were on opposite sides, and so the young students of law were afforded an opportunity to study under eminent authorities, whose exposition of law and eloquent, addresses to the jury made for a mental treat that was unique.—N.Z. Times.

Amendments to the Marriage Act of 1908, made in the last Parliamentary session, affect certain regulations in connection with the conduct of marriages by a Registrar. The Act as amended provides, in effect, that where persons intending marriage dwell in the districts of different registrars, it is not necessary to give notice of marriage to the registrar of each district. It is sufficient if one of the parties to a marriage has resided in the district in which the marriage is to be solemnised for three days immediately prior to the day on which notice of the marriage is given to (he registrar. An important point in connection with the length of residence required is that the three days count from midnight on the day of arrival of one of the contracting parties 111 the district where the marriage is to take place. Another amendment extends the hours during which marriages may be perfornul until "eight o'clock in the evening," except in the case of the registrar's office, where marriages may be solemnised '"at any time while the office is open for the transaction of public business."

The New Plymouth Returned Soldiers' Association last evening tendered a social evening to the ladies and gentlemen who assisted at the recent ball and other functions. There was A, good attendance, and Captain McDiarmid presided. A capital musical programme was submitted, those taking part consisting of Mrs. A. B. McDonald, Messrs. H. Morev, A. B. McDonald,, Hooker, Okey, A. L. North, ,T. Lovell, Roy Murphy and Howlett. Supper was handed round, and an enjoyable evening spent. During an interval, Mr. G. Roper expressed the gratitude of the returned men for what had been done by the people of New Plymouth during the war and since, and said that the local returned men intended to make a big effort in the coming year to revitalise the- Association in several directions. Concert and card evenings would be inaugurated in the winter, and he hacl no doubt that the Association would receive a full measure of support. He also referred to the erection of a suitable memorial to Ihe North Taranaki soldiers who fell in the war, and expressed the hope that something would be done in this matter during the year.

The growingly popular monthly service will be held at the Whiteley Memorial Church to-morrow evening at 7 o'clock. The subject of the lecture will be "Anything Wrong With Two-up, Turf, and the Totalisator?" An orchestral selection, ''The Star of Bethelem," will be given, the cornet solo being taken by Mr. N. Lovell. The Anthems arc Mozart's "Gloria," Su)livj<Pa f'Q, Gladsome Light," and Elvey's "A'.ise, iShine, for thy Light is Come." The large choir and orchestra, will be under the skilled direction oi Mr. R. La'irie Cooper, while Mr. G. H, White will pieiudq at the organ. I The large contingent of immigrants who arrived at Wellington by the lonic included SO skilled mechanics and three coal-miners, dairy and other farmers, grocers, bootmakers, carpenters, butchers, wood-workers, builders' labourers, railway labourers, painters, house decorators, etc., as well as two specialists in straw-hat making, whose services were already retained by a Dunedin firm. Of the women passengers, there were n number who had come out to marry returned soldiers. "A very charming set of girls," was the matron's description of the detachment of domestic servants, a class of immigrant for whose services the Immigration Department, has received many applications. Further parties of immigrants ttro pxpuclod to - 1 ward the end of December. The Dorset is expected to arrive at Auckland about December 21 or 22, and the Arawa on Christmas Day. while the Paparoa is due at Wellington about New Year's Day. On each vessel there is a small number of domestic servants. The New Zealand Farmers' Bacon and Meat Packing Co. have resumed bu.vigii pigs. Details of receiving dates will be found in our advertising columns.

Our art' asked to lip on the look-out for a special announcement on Monday next regarding Manchester goods, damasks and ladies' Irish liarnlembroidered voile blouses. Large stocks of these goods are to be sacrificed, and buyers will be enabled to effect great savings on their Christmas requirements of these ge.edt