LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 March 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The census of population will be taken on the night of Sunday, April 17. A meeting of the Westown Progressive Association was held last night, Mr. J. D. Sole presiding. Sub-commit-tees were appointed to make a canvass to secure candidates to contest the municipal elections in April. The question - of providing a public hall for the district was brought up, the meeting favoring the idea, and a committee was appointed to secure subscriptions. The question of obtaining an improved ’bus service was also discussed by the meeting. At Hawera on Tuesday the hearing of the case A. E; Watkins v. Tiddy, claim for commission on an uncompleted sale of a farm, was- continued. Mr. Beechey, for defendant, quoted authorities in support of the contention that in an agency contract subject to a condition commission was payable on a completed safe, anti until a sale had been completed no commission was payable. The contract made was quite a common one in South Taranaki. After hearing counsel the Magistrate reserved hie decision.

The N.Z. “Diggers,” whose season opens in New Plymouth on Saturday flext, are ahowinut at Inglewood to-night.

A telegram from Christchurch says a world’s record has been established in the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club’s egg-laying competition by a te?.m of six ducks belonging to Mr. W. ’T. Green, which in a two years’ test exceeded the existing world’s record "by two hundred eggs. The ducks in the competition created, a Dominion record, laying 318 eggs in 319 days.

The New Plymouth watersiders held a stop-work meeting yesterday. It was anticipated that the recent waterside settlement and the penny bonus question would come up for discussion, but after the meeting an official of the union stated. that those matters were not considered,, but that the question under discussion was a private union affair and he would make no statement for publication. After the —jjieeting work on the wharf proceeded as usual. According to calculations made by the late Sir David Hutchins, 10,000 acres of rough land, once covered with valuable native bush, turns each year to a waste i of scrub, gorse, bramble, and other noxoius weeds. Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South) has given notice in the House of Representatives that he intends to ask the Government what steps are being taken to prevent this loss. Mr. Mitchell also intends to ask what is done to prevent forest fires. He considers the present law does not adequately protect the New Zealand forests, and suggests thqt the Government should amend it next session.

According to the Dominion the practice of leaving cars unattended in the streets of Wellington is causing inconvenielice to traffic, and a suggestion is made to adopt an American idea of fixing a disc or token to such cars as an indication to the owners that there is something to pay. The chief inspector of the New Plymouth Borough has hit upon a much more expeditious and effective remedy. Power is given under the by-laws to remove to a place of safety guch offending cars, and during the recent holiday season quite a dozen car owners found that their cars had been removed to a garage and that the cost of removal had to be paid before delivery of the cars to their owners.

In receiving a report from the architects as to work on the new nurses’ home, members of the Taranaki Hospital Board at yesterday’s meeting expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of the building operations, and one member said the average number of men which had been engaged on the job (eleven) was, altogether out of proportion to the size of the contract. He believed that if the contractors desired to push on with the work it could be carried out more expeditiously. The board decided that a letter of protest be sent to the contractors setting out the members’ opinions on the subject, and a copy of the letter is also to be forwarded to the architects.

A charming .Eltham home with eight acres of land is advertised for exchange by W. H. and A. McGarry. The Commissioner of Taxes draws the attention of taxpayers to the notification appearing in to-day's issue that returns of land must be furnished not later than April S. Forms of return may be obtained at any postal moneyorder office; they will not be sent to taxpayers from the office of the Commissioner of Taxes unless written application is made for them. Lessees in occupation of land owned by. natives are now required to furnish a return of land so occupied.

At the Haymarket on Saturday next Newton King, Ltd., are conducting a sale of second-hand motor cars. The chance is an. opportune one for intending car owners, as some real good machines are to be disposed of. Particulars in auction columns of this paper. On Saturday morning, commencing at 11 a.m., L. A. Nolan and Co. are conducting a sale of unredeemed pledges on account of the Waitemata Loan Co,. Auckland. The catalogue appears in this issue.

To-morrow a 1.30, L. A. Nolan and Co. are conducting a furniture sale at the Worker’s Social Hall. It is mostly of oak, and in good order. The annual meeting of the Fitzroy Ratepayers’ Association is called for to-night at 8 p.m. in the Fitzroy schoolroom.

A recital will be given by the New Plymouth Citizens’ Band in town on Saturday night and a collection will be made, to be devoted to the benefit fund which is being raised to help the Rogers’ family, whose home on the Veale Road was destroyed by fire on the Sth inst.