LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 May 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Cement is falling in price. A New Plymouth contractor was offered a quantity the other day for £6 a ton. A few months ago it was difficult to get it for over £lO.

The Egmont County Council has decided to "fall in with the suggestion of the Health Department and contribute £7O towards the cost of the salary of p, health inspector who -will be appointed by the Government. The steamer Rarawa, which was barbound at Onehunga on Monday evening, crossed the bar at 8 o’clock yesterday morning and arrived at New Plymouth about eight o’clock last night. The only cargo unloaded consisted of several motor-cars, and after embarking passengers the Rarawa sailed on her return to Onehunga at 9.30 p.m. Another overseas liner —the sixth this year—will berth at New Plymouth this morning. The vessel is the City of Winchester, a steamer of 7961 tons, in command of Captain Hoppins, which has cargo from New York, including 18,000 cases of benzine, to discharge here. The City of Winchester has already visited Auckland and Wellington, and from here she will go to South Island ports.

An announcement made last month regarding the disbandment of the Prices Investigation Tribunals induced many to suppose that the tribunals were going out of business at once. Mr. C. M. Luke (chairman of the Wellington tribunal) told a Dominion reporter on Monday that such was the general impression. What had happened was that the Minister had asked them to try and clear up all their work by the end of the month. As a matter of fact, they had never been busier than during the past week, and it would keep them hard at it to finish by the end of the month.

The Egmont County Council was informed by the engineer (Mr. C. R. Pease) at yesterday’s- meeting that owing to the immediate necessity of building new bridges the services of a bridge foreman were being secured. Several of the main road bridges required renewing without delay, especially the Taungatara and Waiteika on the Eltham Road, and the Oaoiti, Heimama, Ota hi, Mangahum e and Taungatara on the Main South Road. Notice boards governing the limit of loads were also to be fixed to bridges. At a recent meeting of the South Taranaki R.S.A., the following resolution was carried unanimously: “That this association hears with regret that Mr. John Heslop has retired from the Taranaki Land Board, and places on record its sincerest thanks and deep appreciation of his untiring efforts on behalf of the returned soldiers during his period on the board, that in losing Mr. Heslop the returned soldiers have lost a very warm friend from the board,.and that the secretary be instructed to forward copies of this resolution to Mr. Heslop, the Taranaki Land Board and the Press.”

The wandering cattle nuisance again cropped up at the meeting of the Egmont County Council yesterday, when Cr. Chapman stated that the main road between Rahotu and Opunake was in a disgraceful state and would be the cause of a serious accident. Coming to Opunake that morning he had passed fully 70 head of cattle grazing on’ the road and now that feed was short all the roads would be similarly grazed. The council must, he considered, take some drastic action to avoid prosecution, and the only solution he saw was prosecution. He had a man in view who would look after the road from Puniho to Rahotu and who, he felt, would quickly clear the road. The matter was left in the hands of the Rahotu riding members to report at next meeting, as was also the question of a pound site at Rahotu.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Stratford Hospital Board, the chairman (Mr. C. D. Sole), in reply to Mr. E. Marfell, stated that each application for temporary relief would be dealt with on its merits. It was not the intention of the board to adopt any hard and fast system of giving charitable aid, because tlie “dead beats” were, according to the newspapers, being hunted out of the cities, and it was not improbable that some of these men would come to Stratford. The board very seldom distributed money to applicants, the procedure being to provide them with food and lodgings and railway tickets where necessary.

The Auckland city rates are to be increased by 3d in the £, or from 3s 8d to 3s lid.

A member of the Auckland city fire brigade has been .sent to gaol for a month for stealing knives, carvers, and a revolver'when on duty at a fire at Briscoe and Co.’s warehouse.

Two Stratford residents, Messrs. N. F. Thorpe ar. i 11. Chadwick, will proceed to Palmerston North on Thursday in order to take charge of a consignment of dairy cattle which is being shipped to Java. They expect to be absent from the Dominion for about five months (writes our Stratford correspondent). “Now, I have a sneaking regard for the dairy cow, and I want to see her get a square deal and a good feed,” said Dr. Cockayne at a meeting of farmers at Martinborough on Thursday. “She is keeping New Zealand afloat, and keeping me in my billet.” (Laughter. )

Steady progress is being maintained at the Te Roti end of the Opunake line (says the Matapu correspondent of the Hawera Star). The big bridge at To Roti is receiving the finishing touches, and the completion of this structure will allow of the line being pushed ahead. The work at the bridge over the Kapuni stream is also well in hand, and a start is being made with the traffic bridge on the Skeet Road. Further news regarding the supply of metal from Mt. Egmont was received by the Stratford Borough Council on Monday night. Mr. R. Masters, M.P., wrote advising that in connection with the Mt. Egmont quarries he had received a letter from the Minister of Public Works stating that the Government will construct a railway as far as the funds available will permit, but it was doubtful whether metal would be available till next season, as special machinery will be selected, inspected and installed.

In putting forward a plea on behalf of a young man who appeared for sentence in the Supreme Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, counsel informed the Court that prisoner was addicted to reading Hooks of the “Deadwood Dick” type, and also had the 'habit of going to the pictures. This led His Honor (Mr. Justice Reed) to remark, in summing up, that he thought the picture theatre excuse was generally being rather overdone.

The question of a farmer’s earnings arose during a case at the Supreme Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, and counsel replied: "He is in the hands of a financial institution.” The witness stated that he milked 15 cows, but as his stock and property were encumbered, all the income was taken by the mortgagee except £l4 a month, which he had to live on. He had a family of five. The statement indicated the fallacy of the opinions held by some sections that farming is always a very lucrative business.

The problem of heavy traffic on the Egmont County roads was referred to by the engineer (Mr. C. R. Pease) in reporting to the monthly meeting of the council yesterday. Recently, he said, there had been some difficulty on the question, and he expressed the opinion that it was imperative, during the forthcoming winter season, that ho heavy traffic be allowed on any of the by-roads as they were not in a condition to stand it. He also pointed out that heavy traffic was subject to the will of the council all the year round, and not necessarily between the months of May and September. The report advocated that immediate steps should be taken to have, all vehicles engaged in heavy traffic licensed.

The quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court to deal ’ with Taranaki cases opened at New Plymouth yesterday morning before Mr. Justice Reed, who was welcomed by the Taranaki Bar on the occasion of his first visit here as a Judge of the Supreme Court. In his charge to the Grand Jury His Honor congratulated the district on the small number of criminal cases. The trial on a criminal charge was proceeding when the Court adjourned till this morning. A report of the proceedings appears on page 8.

Several hundred tons of railway rolling stock have recently been landed in Auckland by British manufacturers for the New Zealand Government. This includes locomotives, wheels for wagons, and a variety of parts of railway trucks. The consignment is portion of an order placed by the Government in Britain for 2560 wagons and 45 engines last year. When in Auckland on February 27, the Minister of Railways, referring to the abnormal shortage of railway rolling stock in the' Dominion, said that some of the wagon and locomotive parts ordered from Britain had been completed, but would not reach New Zealand in time for use in this year’s busy season. Apparently, however, a great many trucks and several locomotives have been landed earlier (han was anticipated, and as it is now merely a mattci; of assembling the parts, possibly some of the wagons and the locomotives will be available for use in time for the busy period, which commences in the spring.

The warehouse clerks’ dispute was before the Conciliation Council at Christchurch on Monday, The employers contended that an award was unnecessary, as the employees had a guild, which was in complete accord with the employers. For the union it was stated that the guild was not empowered, to originate an industrial dispute, in consequence of which it was desirable that an authorised union should be set up. At present the guild, having no standing, could only make a claim through a union. The secretary of the union said that he was prepared to take a secret ballot on the question of the warehouse clerks joining up. If it was desired by the guild that the proceedings should be dropped, this could be done, and the present arrangement with the employers could continue. This course was agreed to.

“Do 1 you want another chance, Austin?” asked Mr. Justice Reed yesterday of a prisoner of that name who had come up for sentence on a charge of false pretences. Prisoner, who just before. in answer to the usual question put by the Registrar, said he had nothing to say before sentence was passed, looked surprised, and a gleam of hope appeared in his eyes at this unexpected request. “Yes, your Honor,” he replied. “Seems to me,” said His Honor, after perusing the papers in connection with the case, “drink has been your downfall, and that otherwise you are a decent man.” So he gave him probation for two years on condition that he took out a prohibition order against himself, kept right away from drink, and repaid ilje money involved. Austin, who is a miner, stated he could find a job at £5 within a week, and left the Court a different man from what he entered it, thanks to the consideration of a humane Judge.

For Influenza, take ' Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. 2