LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The arrivals in New Zealand during the month of November, 1920/ exceeded the departures by 3,210. In the corresponding month of 1919 there was an excess of arrivals over departures of 421. Three young men recently cut off the tails and manea of two horses at Awatuna. This cost them £5, paid to the owners, and at the Manaia B.M. Court they were fined 10s in respect of each animal. At the New Plymouth Court this morning Walter Mackay, who was arrested at Oaonui on Thursday, and yesterday remanded, will appear to answer a charge of failing to provide for the maintenance of his two children.

There were 53 men employed on the Opunake railway during the month of October. On the Auckland end of the Stratford-Main Trunk there were sfl men, and 83 at Stratford end in October.

According to the November abstract statistics New Plymouth dropped backto fifth place in the 25 towns listed in the October grocery group. Invereargill, (ireymouth, Wanganui and Ashburton being a fraction cheaper, but only two towns showed a lower percentage increase on pre-war prices.

The quarterly meeting of the Fitzroy Ratepayers' Association was held last night, Mr. R. L. Parkin presiding. The opening' day was fixed for the second week in January, and it was decided to hold a working bee on the beach next Thursday. The chairman reported that the ladies' bathing shed was about completed, the cost being £l4O, and that subscriptions received towards this object totalled £OO. Weather permitting, the Citizens' Band will give their last Sunday recital for this year to-morrow afternoon at 3 p.m. at the East End rotunda. Included in the programme will be the selection "Carisbrooke," "Gems pf Cambria," "The Harvest Moon," and several others. The collection will be devoted to the East End Reserve Committee, and it is hoped the public will contribute as liberally as usual and enable the band to Ifand over a substantial, sum

Exports from the Dominion for the ten months ending October 31 were £39,001,475, compared wth £47,380,870 for the same period in 1919—a drop of £8,289,395 Imports into the Dominion for the ten months ending October 31 were £49,505,890, against £25,268,871 an increase of £24,302,025. For the first ten months of 1919 the value of the exports exceeded that of the imports by £22,110,999, but in the same period this year the imports actually exceeded the exports by £10,474,421.

The fact that he had two '-doubles" at the Lambeth Conference was mentioned by Dr. Averill in an address at Auckland this week. He said a bishop asked him where his decorations were, and when he replied that he had none, the questioner i-aid "Rubbish." "Who do you think I am?" asked Dr. Averill, and the other stated promptly: "Bishop of' Khartoum, of course." Similar mistakes were made frequently, the bishop added, and he was asked many questions about Khartoum. The other "double" was the Bishop of Newcastle, in England. "We had a great deal of fun over it," he said.

To an interviewer in Auckland, Sir jConan Doyle said the three great Dominions were developing new types. Without taking note of uniforms he believed that he could pick out an average Canadian, an average Australian, and an average New Zealander in a London street. Of the three types the New Zealanders most resembled the Briton. He had been struck with the resemblance of the New Zealand. Mounted Rifles in the South African War to the yeomen type of Briton. "But you run bigger," he said, "the result, no doubt, of a more healthy and open air life and better food." The Australian was developing' along different lines. . They were the sallow aquilline type. The Canadian, on the other hand, was developing the square-headed, square-jawed type. Sir Conan added that from his investigation for his history of the Great War he had ascertained, that the New Zealand Infantry Division had the finest record of the British Army in France for the proportion of killed and wounded to prisoners taken.

Residents should note that Monday is elean-up day. Everything in the nature of tins, old iron and glass should be put on the street early. It would greatly facilitate the work if glass and other small material could be put in old tins or bags.

The operetta, "Snow-white," will be played by juvenile performers at the Workers' Social Hall on Thursday next, and the proceeds will be given to the Clarke Memorial Hostel.

The Citizens of EH'ham and district are looking forward to the annual display of the Salvation Army Boys' Home, which will be held in the Elthani Town Hall on Monday, 20th December, when an interesting and enjoyable evening is anticipated. The programme submitted on the previous occasion was well worth going many miles to see, and all present were well rewarded. The high standard of excellence has been well maintained, and a new feature of the entertainment will be the recently formed boys' brass band. Commissioner Hodder will preside. The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., wish to draw clients' attention to the preliminary notice re sale freehold land on Esk arid Flint Roads, Stratford. No. 52 Lavender Water is famous for its sweet fracrance in all sizes, fj.

"I venture to say that there is not an employer who will tell you that he has had any ttouble with a skilled worker for the last 20 years," said Mr. H. Willis at the annual meeting of the Christchurch Industrial Association. "There is no doubt a state of perpetual industrial unrest in the Dominion, but \ you will find it is all amongst the unskilled workers." Great difficulty was experienced by Dr. A. W. Averill, Anglican Bishop of I Auckland, in securing clergy for the diocese while he was in England. He stated on his return to Auckland this week by the Port Napier that he found a great shortage of clergymen in the Old Country. One diocese, that of Liverpool, was in need of 90 curates. There was a strong wish on the part of married men to come to New Zealand, and the Bishop said he could have secured 50 of these had. he wanted to. He was looking, however, for unmarried men • for the backblocks. Most of the married clergy who wanned to come out here were men who had been to the war, and found it difficult to settle down again to the conventional life in England. In addition, the high cost of living there was a factor, no one having suffered more from that than the cleTgy. The ravages of i,he orchard pest "fire blight," in the North Auckland district (Henderson) are described in a letter received by a Palmerston North resident from his brother. The pest is not killed by spray, the writer says, but takes the form of bacteria, and is carried from tree to tree by bees and other insects. A short time ago a party of orchardists went to Otahuhu, which is about twenty-five miles from Henderson, to inspect an infected orchard. They saw there beautiful pear trees about thirty years old, loaded with fruit, all of which, together with the tips of twigs, was black. On being examined with a glass, a little white ooze could be seen on the pears. This ooze, being carried by insects, spread the infection. "It was one of the most pitiable- sights I ever saw," said the correspondent, and all those beautiful trees had to be cut down and burned." A quantity of superior furniture i 3 advertised for sale by auction on Wednesday next by L. A. Nolan and Co., on account of .1. Blair Mason, Esq. The catalogue, which appears in this issue, is worthy of perusal. % The Uruti.sale advertisement appears in our auction columns. Those in need or»housohold cutlery, plates, cups and saucers, as well- a3 attractive oak chairs and small tables, should make a point of attending the sale at the Marble Bar, New Plymouth, on Monday afternoon, when these and other goods will be submitted to auction by Nolan and Co. A handsome Brinsmead piano will also be offered. ■ ~; The young people's anniversary servie* will be held in the local Salvation' Army Hall to-morrow and Monday evening Major Macauley, of Palmerston North, is coming up to conduct the various meetings. A subdivisional sale of great importance to dairymen is announced to take place at Putaruru, Waikato, on. January 14th. Full particulars appeal', in this issue. Messrs. L. A. Nolan and Co. advertise particulars in this issue of a furniture sale to be held on Tuesday next, at 1.30, on account of Mrs. J. F. Fabion, at. her residence, corner of Gill and Eliot Streets. "The loveliest voile blouses ever shown in town," is the general verdict of appreciation of the Melbourne's display of these goods. Special reductions for the firm's 14 days' sale make these beautiful Irish hand-embroidered blouses doubly attractive. Buyers should anticipate their Christinas wants and buy now The Country Fair advertised in our columns, to be held on Saturday next in Inglewood, in aid of Church Funds, is creating a great deal of local interest. If it happens to be a fine day, there will be a number of stalls in the streets, when a good selection of farm and garden produce will be on sale. The ladies and girls guilds are also plying- their wares, and at the auction a phaeton will be sold. Father Christmas will probably visit the Fair. The children will be on the look out for him. A light lunch and afternoon tea, will be served in the Parish Hall, where the Fair will also be held if it rains on Saturday.