LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 March 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Some 470 acres of Crown land in the North Auckland district were gazetted last week for soldier settlement; 23 acres in the Auckland land district; 477 acres in Hawke’s Bay; 420 in Taranaki; and 14.000 in Westland; also 998 acres of settlement land in Canterbury and '2078 in the Wellington land district. Orders-in-Council were gazetted last weak revoking the prohibition of the exportation of cheese, frozen mutton and lamb, chilled and frozen beef and veal, and sheep and cattle. A live German mine, about 4ft. in height, with five horns about Oin. long, was found on the beach near Noosa Head (90 miles north of Brisbane) by holidaymakers recently. As there is "a small piece of chain attached to the mine, it is assumed that it was originally anchored, but broke array from the moorings. Oysters found growing upon the mine were estimated by fishermen to be about four years old.

“We have six hundred maintenance orders issued in Christchurch,” said Mr. W. E. D. Banks recently at a meeting there, “and Auckland and the other cities each have an equal number or more.. That shows the number of men in New Zealand who might like to shirk their responsibilities and leave the country. Justices of the Peace should be very careful about signing applications for passports.” Mr. Banks is clerk of the Magistrate’s Court in Christchurch.

From the number o*f inquiries which are received by Taranaki local bodies for information in regard to the working of toll-gates in this province, 5t would appear that local bodies outside Taranaki are fully alive to the possibilities of toll-gates as an easy source of revenue. At Saturday’s meeting of the Hawera County Council, the Whangarei County Council and the Carterton Borough Council wrote seeking particulars of the toll-gates in the Hawera district. The clerk reported that he had supplied the information, but had polinted out that it would not be the best guide fey the local bodies to go upon, owing to the different conditions.

A picnic was held by the New Plymouth Borough Council employees at the Meeting of the Waters on Saturday, a party of 250 making the trip by motor lorry, leaving town at 9 a.m. Under ideal weather conditions a very enjoyable day was spent in real picnic style. A programme of races included twenty-five adult events, which were all keenly contested, while the young folk were particularly well catered for, about 125 prizes being distributed to children under twelve, in addition to which they were supplied with fruit and lollies in abundance. The picnic committee had met with a good response in donafrom the council and public, and an enjoyable day was spent.

It is generally recognised that Ttfranaki has the best main roads in the Dominion, and evidence of the fame which the province holds in this respect is frequently received by local bodies. The. Hawera County Council, at its meeting on Saturday received a letter from a member of the Waimea County Council, Nelson, who stated that he was very much impressed with the progressive work in the Hawera County, and he would be grateful for any information regarding the cost of construction of the splendid tar-sealed roads; also cost of upkeep per mile, and particulars of machinery used. The chairman suggested that as so many inquiries were received it would be a good idea to have a form, printed for the purpose. It was agreed to supply the information.

A remindef is given of the political address at the Workers’ Social Hall tonight by Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P. It is understood Mr. Smlith will reply to some criticism recently levelled at him regarding the Marriage Amendment Bill. Mr. W. A. Veitch, M.P. for Wanganui, will be present at the meeting, and will deliver a short address on State banking, a subject he has given a great deal of thought to.

A final warning! It’s remnant week at Rennie’s. The Big Store, Waitara. The sale has ended and the remnants, oddments and leftovers again been reduced, in many cases to half prices will be accepted. Come and make us an offer. Your last chance, Hurry.

Mails which left Auckland on January 14 by the Wairuna, via Vancouver, arrived in London on March 4. In conversation with an Eltham Argus reporter, Mr A. G. Mills stated that there is every probability of a reduction in the retail prices of butchers’meat within the next few days. A rumor has become current that the Rarawa is to be taken off the New Plymouth—Onehunga service for a time on account of the waterside trouble, but the New Plymouth manager of the company has no information on the matter.

At a meeting of the New Zealand Institute of Architects in Wellington, it was unanimously resolved to petition the Government to remove at once all restrictions on bulilding and building materials on the grounds that these are “now ineffective and merely operate in restraint of legitimate development. , An Invercargill message says that Mr. Samuel Turner and the tourist guides, who were reported missing near Milford Sound, are safe. Mr. D. Macpherson, one of the party, wires that they have been to Martin’s Bay, and are now going back to Milford. They expect to reach Invercargill on March 15. The result of the schools potato-grow-ing competition was declared on Saturday, when the exhibits of the various schools were staged at the local branch of the Farmers’ Co-op. (says the Eltham Argus). The shield presented by the staff of the Eltham branch of the Farmers’ Co-op. was won by Ngaere, with Okaiawa in second place and Eltham third.

At a meeting of the Eltham Progress Committee, Mr Moss, electrical engineer, Kaponga, gave a very interesting address on the subject of supplying Eltham with electricity. He briefly outlined schemes for deriving power from the Waingongoro and from the Kapuni Rivers. He gave the committee some very interesting information, from which it was gathered that it is quite feasible to obtalin electric power and lighting for Eltham at a reasonable cost. —Argus.

The Rev. W.» Lamb, at the prophetic conference in Wellington recently, made the statement: “People don’t know half of what is in the Bible. Did you know that aeroplanes are mentioned there? My friends laugh at me about this; but you cannot knock anything like that out of a Scotchman’s head, when he sees lit in the Word of God. Turn to Isaiah 60 and 8: “Who are these that fly as a cloud and as doves to their windows?” The reference here, clearly, is not to things, but to' persons. Who are these? They fly as a cloud. Oh! I saw them at Christchurch and was tempted to take a flight to Timaru. As doves to their windows. The Hebrew expression here can only be translated to-day because of our new word “hangars”. Those of you who have Commentaries, if you look this passage up will find there is no note upon it, because there could be none given till now.”

Preparations are going on apace for the garden party at the Girls’ High School next Saturday, and, given fine weather, it will no doubt be a great success. During the afternoon a number of selections will be played by the Citizens’ Band, the members of which are very generously refunding their fees as a donation towards the boardinghouse fund. The music will add greatly to the enjoyment of visitors, particularly those from the country, who do not have many opportunities of hearing the band. Another great attraction will be the Swedish exercises, performed by a squall of 128 school girls. The exercises are particularly graceful, and the trim uniforms of the girls add the final touch of smartness to the display. The drill will take place at 3 p.m., after which afternoon tea will be available in the assembly room.

Fire blight is playing havoc with the orchards in the Bay of Plenty and other northern districts, states a Taranaki settler who has just returned from a visit thither. The Government regulations for the suppression of the disease are very stringent, and fruit trees are being ruthlessly cut down. The hawthorn hedge is believed to be a “carrier” of the disease, and immense shelter belts of the shrub are being reduced to a height of three feet. Many of the retired people in the Bay formerly augmented their incomes by the sale of fruit, but now they cannot rely on this source. A good many trees in the Tauranga fruit experimental farm have cut down. Seemingly the only fruit worth while at present in the district is the lemon, and that nowadays has not the keeping qualities it used to have. Altogether the fruit industry in the Tauranga district, and in the northern districts generally, is in a bad way at present.

By the direction of the Hon. E. P. Lee (Minister for Justice), the Government Printing Office is preparing for circulation among the officers of the Justice and Police Departments and the Law •Libraries of the .Dominion a report of the trial of Dennis Gunn for the murder on March 13th, 1920, of Mr. Augustus Edward Braithwaite, • postmaster, of Ponsonby, Auckland. The trial took place at Auckland from May 24 to 28th, inclusive, last year, and the report is intended as a textbook in relation to finger-print evidence. Besides a. full account of the evidence tendered at the trial, together with counsel’s addresses, the judge’s address, and so on, the report contains an appendix stating a number of valuable cases dealing mainly with finger-print evidence. Enlarged photographic reproductions of the actual finger-prints in the Gunn case are also given.

Life is evidently short and uncertain for employees in the boot trade in New Zealand judging from a gruesome document produced at the Arbitration Court in Auckland, states the Star. It contained a list of those workers who had died between 1905 and 1914, and 1918 and 1920, excluding the influenza epidemic periods and deaths resulting from the war. Nearly half the deaths were due to consumption and peumonia. The average life of a person in the boot trade was stated to be 44 years. Another document produced showed that among 11 trades the men in the boot trade in the four chief centres had the highest number of rejects from Class A by the military medical boards between 1916 and 1918. Tanners ranked second highest as unfits. Jt’s not too early for those who contemplate an Easter trip to think of travelling gear. The Melbourne’s stock of travelling goods has been considerably reduced to keep pace with the falling market, and leather goods especially have been liberally discounted. Steel trunks also kept in stock. Come and compare values.

The “ wail of the wash tub” is no longer heard in the land since the advent of “Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap the wonderful washing compound that makes light of a heavy wash. Less rubbing, less rinsing, less boiling. The busy housewife realises what all that means. Try packet. Your grocer stocks it.