LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 April 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The figures in respect to births registered throughout the Dominion show that during February Grey Valley Borough with 2.30 had the highest percentage of birth rate per 1000 of population, Palmerston North being next with 2.16. New Plymouth, with a total of fifteen births during the month, had an average of 1.36.

Mileage travelled by the Eltham County Council s lorries during the year 1920-21 totalled 31,659, as compared with 13,362 miles in the previous twelve months, and 19,538 in 1918-19. In a report presented to the council the engineer (Mr. E. Fitzgerald) stated that the lorry mileage was an approximate indication of the comparative amount of work done from year to year.

When speaking at Hawera on Friday night Mr. Massey advised the farmers in vigorous language not to be discouraged by temporary financial troubles. He remembered a time in the ’eighties when he had been a struggling settler and had scarcely known how to keep on his feet during a period of severe .financial depression, but he and other men had not lost heart, and they had Avon through. If the men on the laud today kept stout hearts and turned deaf ears to counsel of gloom, they would emerge safely from their present troubles.

“Fifty-one” writes to the Hawera Star: —Away back in the seventies, when Poharima’s people still occupied the old pa at Moturoa, it was proposed to “blow up” Paritutu. A drive was put in and a charge of explosives inserted, but the result was a puff of smoke only. At that time many of the early-day Maoris were still alive, and they entered vigorous protests against any attempt to demolish their old landmark, <fnd apparently the authorities sided with them, for no further attempt was made until it was found that harbor improvement works could not be satisfactorily carried on without the immense quantities of stone contained in Paritutu. Those who have looked upon Paritutu with almost as much reverence as Mount Egmont will no doubt regret that necessity requires the demolition of the former; but new generations are springing up, and they will not miss what they have not seen.

“The question of making our -new roads with a thicker coat of metal than heretofore 'needs consideration in view of the extensive use of motor lorries on all roads,” stated the engineer to theEltham County Council (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald:) in reporting to the monthly meeting on Saturday. “Roads made up with a’thin coating of metal over a clay or other soft formation will not stand up to present day traffic let alone what may reasonably be expected to come upon them in the future. The metal moves under these heavy loads, forming inequalities in the road itself, and disturbance of the tar carpet, necessitating frequent repairs.” In dealing with loading generally the report remarked that the metal obtainable from the various rivers dotted about the county was not of so uniform or good a quality as could be wished and the re-opening of the Mt. Egmont quarries would be a solution of the problem. The engineer expressed the opinion that once the reopening was assured serious consideration should be given to the question of holding up a proportion of the road work until the better material (from the quarries) was available for use. Speaking at the Hawera Jersey breeders’ demonstration, Mr. Watson mentioned that many men remarked that they always liked a cow to “handle well.” In this they were quit?! correct, but many of them were unable to explain why. They were ignorant of the fact that a nice soft skin with a silky coat indicated good digestion on the part of the animal, and without this a dairy cow could not do her best. A harsh wiry-like feel and tight skin indicated the reverse, and a cow that was unable to properly digest*'her food was unable tq be as profitable in the way of milk,production as she might be. Mr. Watson was very insistent on “the-rea-son why” for every assertion or opinion, and incidentally mentioned that breeders at shows did not insist half enough on the judges explaining why they placed animals in a particular order. He strong!v urged all exhibitors to ins ; ft on the judges explaining why they had made their awards in a particular order. If they were much more insistent in this matter they could probably learn a great deal and be more contented with the decisions. The judges were there partly for that purpose, and should be made full use of.— Star.

The latest list of the number of men employed on public works throughout the Dominion shows that during February 134 were working on the Strat-ford-Main Trunk railway. They were distributed as follows: East end, 65 laborers and 12 artisans; west end, 61 laborers and 6 artisans. On the Opunakc railway 43 men were employed., In the Stratford public works district the number engaged in reading work was 355 laborers and one artisan.

The head of a Taranaki commercial house, who has recently been in Wellington, states that since the March balance things commercial and financial in the Empire City are more buoyant than was the case when he was down a few weeks before. The public are buying again, and confidence is gradually being restored, whilst the possibility of the resumption of buying of meat in the country districts is making for an improvement in trade. The fact is many of the commercial and financial concerns in Wellington became “panicky” in February really without .justification. They have been used to good times, and when a lithe reverse came they ost their faith and courage, thinking that the bottom was about to fall out of the country. In point of fact New Zealand is in a

A telegram from Westport says the Commonwealth carrier Biloela, with 5771 tons of coal —a record for the port of Westport—and drawing 21 feet 11 inches—also a record —left for Sydney at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday. The output of coal this week is the be§t since pre-war days. Examination of the New Plymouth town clock, which stopped on Friday simultaneously with the explosion at Paritutu, disclosed that a plate near the pendulum had been shifted an inch to one side, interfering with the pendulum. It is stated that the plate is fixed in such a manner that prevented it from shifting and a shake of some kind would be required to displace it. A Masterton student who is attending the Oxford University, writes to relatives in Masterton to the effect that living is very dear in England (reports the Wairarapa Daily Times). Large numbers of students in England had during the Christmas vacation gone to France, Italy and Vienna owing to the fact that living was far cheaper in those places than in England.

A recital was given by the New Plymouth Citizens’ Band at the Inglewood sports ground yesterday before an attendance of between five and six hundred people. There was a muster of thirty-one players under the conductorship of Mr. R. Taylor, and the programme rendered was generally appreciated. A collection taken up on behalf of the band funds realised £ll. At the conclusion of the performance the Mayor of Inglewood (Mr. J. Sutherland) expressed the townspeople’s thanks fop- the band’s visit, and Mr. E. J. Sole (chairman of the New Plymouth Citizens’ Committee) responded. A prediction comes from an American paper that the country will be flooded with twins, triplets and quadruplets during the next six years. Professor Charles Kirsclioff. a Milwaukee astrologer, states that the conjunction of •certain stars with the new moon shows conclusively that the world will be startled by the fecundity of all human races, during the next four years especially. The premises on which these conclusions are founded, he said, were laid down by the ancients. Professor Kitschoff said he some time ago gave up his contracting business, and now devotes his entire time to study of the stars in the attic of his home at Milwaukee.

A Palmerston North man who recently had his bicycle stolen made a remarkably lucky recovery of the machine the other day, and incidentally proved the truth of the adage, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good” (says the Manawatu Daily Times). He was motoring through to Wellington, and at Levin met with misfortune in the shape of a bad puncture. Leaving the car in a. garage, he went in search of a cup of tea. W'hat was his surprise to find the missing bike leaning against a post outside a shop. He immediately unscrewed the tyre valves and then called up the police on a ’phone. A constable was soon on the scene, and, standing petdue in a porch, presently saw a young Hindu come out and take possession of the bicycle The ermistable in burn took possession of the Indian, who* has now to answer r. charge of stealing the bicycle or in the alternative of converting it to his own use.

Speaking at a meeting of the Taranaki Metropolitan Agricultural Society on Saturday, Mr A. Turnbull expressed the opinion that the society should do something towards encouraging reafforestation, and he stressed the importance of keeping before farmers by Press publicity and lectures, the necessity of carrying out tree planting wherever possible. He remarked that there were pieces of land on every farm which could be utilised for planting out trees which would later become profitable. Mr. Turnbull said it was not long ago when the native timber resources of New Zealand were estimated to last seventy years, and now it was stated they would all be used up within the next twenty-five years. A timber famine would be encountered in New Zealand before long, he said, if forestry work was not taken up more widely. At Saturday’s meeting of the Eltham County Council the engineer (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald) stated that he had tested the Egmont quarry stone and found it was a uniform volcanic stone and was much better suited for making tarsealed roads than river-bed stone which they were using at present. The riverbed stone was two soft for making into chips and had really been a nuisance to them because of its unsuitability, as many of their troubles were due to the use of these chips. They needed hard chips for this purpose, and as he believed there was a reasonable chance of the Egmont quarries opening within the next eighteen months he..did not think the council should purchase a chipcrusher because of the unsuitability of river stone.

“I noticed the growth of a revolutionary spirit amongst the peoples of all the countries I visited recently,” remarked Colonel G. F. C. Campbell, in a speech at the annual meeting of the Wellington branch of the Navy League recently, “and the danger. 1 take it, to our Empire is very much more serious than a great many people have been inclined to believe. I am not a pessimist. but you cannot read the history of what is* taking place in Russia, Ireland, and other places, and yon cannot read of such acts as were reported in Melbourne the other day, without recognising that there is a spirit abroad which fe a very serious one indeed ; and each one of us should do his very best to try, if possible, to neutralise the poison that is being spread by certain propaganda —propaganda that Navy Le.iizuers should try and induce those with whom they associate to oppose in every way possible.” 4

At Hawera on Friday night Mr. Atmore, M.P., showed how absurd was the belief that there were enormous stores of wealth held by a comparatively few people*, which, if tapped, would place all in comfortable circumstances. On tho authority of Hoban, a leading political economist, and Hecht, formerly lecturer on economics at the Cambridge University, the total income of Great Britain before the war was £2,400,000,000, and of this £400,000,000 had to be nut into capital for fresh production. What remained, if divided, would give each individual an fncomo of dess than £43, or something under 17s per week. Goods, said Mr. Atmore, were the only real wealth, and direct action was the road to bankruptcy and poverty. There was no easy way to success, and increased production alone would give the relief which was so urgently needed at the present time. The men’s suits offering at the Melbourne, Ltd., for £4 19s Gd are the finest value in the trade. These are made of pure all wool colonial tweed, and come