LOCAL AND GENERAL.
Following the settlement of the dispute in the freezing industry, the Patea works wjll re-open to-day. Mails which lelt Wellington on November 8 to connect at Auckland with the Waitemata for San Francisco, and mails which left Wellington on November 18 per R.M.S. Tofua, via San Franeisco, arrived at London on December 28.
The great factor in the cost of timber is wages (stages the Dttnedin Star), On ■fills point a well-verified experience may be quoted. A certain sawmill manager has kept figures which show that in 1915 iiis fourteen men put out 150,000 ft in a mouth, and drew as pay £l4 per man. In 11)19 he had twenty-seven men working, and they produced between 80;000 ft and 100,009 ft, being paid £3O per month. The pay in*eaeh case included housing and firing. Among the remits to be submitted to the New Zealand Women Teachers' Conference this week, is the following: "That the poor physique and manifest delicacy of several recent entrants i to the teaching profession is a matter of grave concern; in the interests ,of the school children, of the candidates themselves, and of the ratepayers of the Dominion, therefore, this association urges that the preliminary medical examination be of a more searching nat'tre." Parts of Canterbury were visfted, by a heat wave during the Christmjis holidays. At Ashburton on Christirlas Day the temperature w»3 9;li degree;) in the cliade, and on Sunday it was 87 /degrees. The heat, which was accompanied by a strong north-west wind, was considered likely to have a serious effect on the standing crops. At Christehurch on Sunday'it was 84* degrees in the shade, and there have been six/days during the month on which the) temperature has been over 80 degrees /in the shade. At Rakaia 98 was registered on Sunday. ) A special attraction at Ijlic New Years picnic on Ngamotu beach/is the ju jitsu competition. Twenty competitors from the steamer Tamon Mam will take part, land as the Japanese are, experts in this class of wrestling, a line display is asI sured,
Notification lias been received of an increase of £2 r ton in the price of cement as from January 1. The present price is about U\) per ton, and the advance will make the coat in New Plymouth about £ll ss.
It is reported (says the Wanganui Herald) diet three prosecutions are pending by the Health Department against manufacturers of butter who are alleged to have added more than the regulation quantity of moisture to the butter.
During the last ten days there has been a marked increase in the number of visitors to the New Plymouth saltwater baths. Yesterday was the busiest day, and the dressing-box accommodation was taxed to the fullest, a number of visitors having to be turned away. This is the first occasion during the present season that such a demand has been encountered. As yet the number of swimmers during the evening hours has been small. Negotiations have been opened by the chairman of the Wanganui Harbor Board with the Public Works Department for supplies of stone from the Department's quarry at Mt. Egmont. The Board's engineer pronounces the stone to be suitable for the Board's purposes. Should a reasonable price be agreed upon, the stone from this source will be used on the north mole. The Board will continue to develop its own quarry and will use stone from that source on the south mole, so that this important work can be pushed on rapidly.
Hamilton was named after the late Commander Hamilton, who lost his life at Gate Pa, according to a statement made by Mr. C. J. Barton, at a meeting, of the Hamilton Borough Council, Mr. Barton said there had been other suggestions made as to how Hamilton had gained its name, but from extensive inquiries he was satisfied it.was named after Commander Hamilton, of H.M.S. Esk. At Mr. Barton's suggestion it was decided to endeavor to secure a photograph of Commander Hamilton, to be hung in a prominent position in the town.—New Zealand Herald.
An acute domestic crisis exists at the Dannevirke Hospital. A News representative who visited the institution found that the domestic staff of six h:id been reduced to one,, und this solitary maid (Ui(' given notice to leave on th • 21st inst. This state of affairs has been in existence for about a fortnight. The matron (Miss Hopper) has been doing the cooking and with the nurses have been struggling along with the domtßtij work as best possible. The nursing staff has now reached the limit of endurance, and if domestic assistance i 3 not shortly forthcoming, the authorities will have to seriously face closing down some of the wards. This would be a serious matter for the 'patients, but to go on under the existing high pressure means the eventual complete breaking-down of the nursing staff. The only part of this institution that has its' domestic complement Is the laundry. The Arawa's complement of immigrants appeared to be a thoroughly satisfactory class of settler (states the Auckland Herald). They were a welldressed and well set nip looking party. Here and there the gleam nf a medal ribbon on a man's vest showed his war service. The testimony of the ship's officers was that they were the beat lot that had been carried. The vessel was a happy ship, being favored with good weather, particularly after leaving the Panama zone. Christinas Day was celebrated on board on the day on which the ship made port. There were plenty ot sturdy, happy-looking children among the party to make the Christmas seem a real one. The arrival of those new settlers who were awaited by friends already in the country occasioned a number of happy little reunions on the wharf immediately the vessel berthed. A large crowd gathered outside the wharf gates as the Arawa was moving in. By the time she was made fast there was an animated scene at the ship isiie, with the exchange of greetings. The Customs officers had gone aboard earlier, so that all was in readiness for the disembarkation. The gangway was promptly let down, and an immediate rush shoreward began. Party after party came down with their luggage, passed the examining officers, arid were promptly swallowed by the growing crowd. All the arrangements worked smoothly, and, amid scenes of greetings from the shore crowd and farewells among fellow-passengers, the ship was speedily cleared of those whose home she had been for just over six weeks.
There are at present four agronomical societies in New Zealand—one at Wanganui, one at Dnncdin, one at Wellington, and one at New Plymouth These bodies, urges Dr. C. E. Adams (Government Astronomer), should have some official recognition in the Astronomical Department of the Dominion, as their cooperation has always been of value to the observatory. He suggests, therefore, that the New Zealand Astronomical Society and the New Zealand Institute should be the nominating bodies for an Observatory Board of Scientific Advice. This method of nominating the board would follow the precedent of that in operation in England, where the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich is composed of seven Fellows of the Royal Society, seven Fellows of the Royal 4*stronomieal Society, the Cambridge and the Oxford University Professors of Astronomy, and the Hydrographer to the Admiralty The New Zealand Observatory Board might, therefore, be composed of three members nominated by the New Zealand Institute, three members nominated by the New Zealand Astronomical Society, and the Naval Adviser to the Government. The functions of such a board would be—(1) To advice the Minister on observatory matters; (2) to consider and advise upon the reports of the Government Astronomer.
Buying gifts at Morey's is a pleasur able 'undertaking, for the variety of se»< Bible and useful articles is most exteir sive. Call and make your selection to, day.
Messrs. Borthwick and Son advertise in this issue receiving dates for pigs during January.
All toys are reduced in price .from 3d to Od in' 'the Is at Rennie's Xmas Fair, which closes down this week, when the offer .of Free Xmas Gifts to all cash buyers spending 10s and over will be withdrawn. Come and get youra. Hurry! Bathing costumes are in full supply at the Melbourne, Ltd. Boys' and youths' 2s 6d and 2s lid; men's one-piece costumes 2s lid; 'two-piece costumes 4s Ud and 5s lid; ladies' two-piece costumes 4s lid to 9s lid; men's all wool costumes 10s (id; ladies' 12s 6d.
Best is best! No two opinions differ when the merits of "Fuiry Wonder" are discussed Everyone who lias used "Fairy" is unanimous in saying it is the best they ever used. ''Fairy' is an easy winner in the household stakes. Don't allow yourself to be. put off it Ml grows stock it.
Large supplies of children's dolls have been secured for the season's trade, practically all being of English manufacture (states the New Zealand Herald). Before the war those important article* for the Christmas trade were supplied almost solely by Germany and Austria. During the war Japan made an unsuccessful atttempt to develop the industry, but within the last two years English manufacturers have come to the fore, and the quality of the goods of this description they are now supplying is giving great satisfaction.
Apparently public bathing is gaining ground in Christehurch. It was reported to a meeting of the Christehurch City Council that the cash taken at the municipal baths in October amounted to £221 12s 6d. In October, 1910, the takings were only £IOB 2s Id. Seven months of the current financial year are now gone, and the bath takings to date total £7Bl 10s Id. For the first seven months of the last financial yea* the takings were £571 17n 3d, and for the corresponding period of the year before that £3BB Gs Bd.
'•Why Fhouhl a policeman rid-- free while a city councillor has to pay his fare on the trams?" wa* the subject of debete at the last Auckland City Council meeting, when the manager of the tramways reported that no fare wa 5 required of police in uniform, or of police in plain clothes who could show a railway pass, this being a custom perpetuated from the time when the trams were privately owned. Mr. M. J. Savage took the view that a policeman was sworn in to be on the job all the time, whether he was in uniform or not, and the police regularly assisted tramway employees in keeping things going smoothly, but others held differently, expressing the opinion that a policeman in uniform should be paid for by the Government, not the council, while out of uniform he was a private citizen. The matter was referred to the Public Service Committee to report.
A correspondent writing to the Christchurch Press has a good word to cay for the magpie. He states that the magpie lias reduced the grass grub and caterpillar pest in a large portion of Nprth Canterbury to a diminishing point, and we are doing Very little to introduce the birds to other parts. The magpie is different to all other birds. You cannot persuade him to eat fruit or grain; early in the morning he sings his lovely song, throughout the day lie keeps h>iiself in good fettle by scrapping with the hawks, but when evening closes in and other birds make for their nests, "Maggie" gets busy. She hear? the crack' of the chrysalis, and with those marvellous black eyes she sees the writhing, crawling forms of our enemies, and before they asisume the form of the, moth, to deposit millions of their eggs in our half-doomed earth, "Maggie" strangles and cats the murderer of mamkind before he flies.
Mainly from China and Australia came the eggs and egg-pulp which were imported into New Zealand between the first day of January, and the last day of October this year (states the Auckland Star). The total value of these importations, according to recent Customs returns, amounts to £41,352, pi which more 'than half are from China. This Eastern country sent into the Dominion 618 dozen eggs in shell, of a value (for Customs purposes) of £2O, while Australia, with only 500 dozen, received £4B. China sent all the desiccated egg white and pulp, which was valued at £11,062, and £13,357 was the value placed lipon 25.000-odd pounds of liquid white and yolk that came from Australia, while" 27.000-odd pounds from CMina were valued at £10,850, but it has been estimated that the cost of all 'these imported products to the users would be about 00 per cent, over the Customs figures, which were themselves based upon 10 per cent, over the fair market.value*) in the country of export. It has been found desirable by the Australian Repatriation Commissioneivs 3i[) jo Smunenu oi[) ■pi.qsoi A|o.iaA3s c) word '"fiancee" to persons who are "soldiers' intended brides." Under the repatriation regulations facilities are provided, under certain conditions, for the passage of a "fiancee" of an exmdmber of the A.I.F. to Australia. Under such regulations many prospective wives have made the journey from Great Britain to the Commonwealth. Apparently, however (says the Age), "love matches" were made on the other side not only by the male members of the A.1.F., but'by several Australian military nurses, some of whom have applied for free passages for their prospective husbands. The authorities take the view that if a man is in a position to support a wife he should well be able to pay his own steamship fare, and for that reason they have stipulated, as indicated above, the word "fiancee" Imust have a '"female" significance only.
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Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1920, Page 4
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2,285LOCAL AND GENERAL. Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1920, Page 4
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