LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

London advises that mail for New Zealand was despatched on the Ist inst. per s.s. Ruahine, via Panama.

The Hawke’s Bay district will benefit to the extent of about £50,000 as the result of the wool sale held at Napier last week.

The Nelson Evening Mail states that one of the deputation of tomato growers who waited on the council a few days ago, stated that the value of the industry in Nelson was approximately £30,000 a. year.

The election of the Mokau School Committee on Monday night resulted: Messrs. Henry Piko, Norman Clifton, Peter Hansen, Samuel Whitehead (chairman), John L. MacDonald (secretary and treasurer). A Peking cablegram says that dispatches from Urga report the death of Hutukhtu, the living Buddha. Each lamasery or monastry in Tibet has its “living Buddha” or Grand Lama. A Grand Lama does not die, but from time to time lays aside his human envelope and is rejuvenated. New “living Buddhas” are always sought for and discovered, the choice usually falling on a boy of four or five years of age, who can be trained for the duties of the position.

In speaking at the P. and T. reunion at New Plymouth on Monday .evening Mr. H. E. Fookes said that as the result of the recent rise in telegraph rates business had in some parts of the Dominion decreased by 50 per cent, but in the New Plymouth district the decrease was not so marked, being only from 25 to 30 per cent —nearer 25 than 30. Of course the receipts were very much greater than under the old rates.

A very pleasant evening was spent at the Whiteley Club on Monday. Being the first meeting for the season, it was opened with a social. Many members were present. Musical items were contributed by Misses Arnold, Cooper and Lambert, and elocutionary items by Miss Kivell. Rev. Elliott presided, and Miss Douglas acted as accompanist. Various games and competitions were indulged in, after which’ supper was handed round. ,

At yesterday’s meeting of the Inglewood County Council the chairman (Mr. A. Corkill) gave notice to move at next meeting that the rate be struck at 5d in the £ on the unimproved value of £14'67,348. This would bring in £BO more than the previous rate 2%d struck on the capital value. The state of the roads warranted an increased rate, but in the present financial crisis this was not to be thought of, as numbers of ratepayers in the back country would have difficulty in paying the present rate.

Hydro-electricity was briefly discussed at the meeting of the Inglewood County Council yesterday, when the chairman reported on the meeting between the Progress League and the Taranaki Hydro-electric Committee. Members expressed the opinion that there was a danger of the power being taken right through to Eltham without the Junction Road east of Inglewood obtaining a supply. In further discussion it was ‘stated that the town of New Plymouth would absorb all the energy developed there; in fact the town was growing as quickly as the hydro-electric scheme was being developed.

During a brief discussion at the meeting of the Inglewood County Council yesterday regarding the necessity for a reduction in wages, Cr. Capper expressed the opinion that these reductions should start with the highest paid officials. A' good deal of the trouble on the .waterfront and elsewhere was due to the fact that reductions generally commenced with the man on the lower rungs of the ladder, and the men in charge did not have their salaries reduced. If the cost of living was reduced to the laboring man it was, reduced equally to the engineer and other officials. ’ He would go a little further and say that if the councillors had the welfare of the council at heart they would be prepared to stand a little reduction themselves. Later in the day a resolution was brought forward in the direction of reducing the engineer’s salary by £l9O per annum, but it was defeated.

Following is an extract from a letter dated May 24, received by. a Mapawatu miller from Australia: — t? You say the mills are not likely to re-open unless they secure profitable figures but we very much fear that this will mean a permanent closing down as, at the present time, the. trend of Manila prices is down again, although we are satisfied that pre-war prices will never be realised owing to the high rate, of wages and other expenses which are maintained at present all over the world, yet we are aware that even to-day we could buy ‘coarse’ hemp, which is of a fairly good color and of much greater strength than New Zealand hemp, at £3l, e.i.f. We rather think that unless the Manila plantations close down like the New Zealand mills, prices will recede still further. We are of opinion that ‘coarse’ will generally be procurable at something like £3O, e.i.f. The higher grades will, of course, move downward in sympathy.”

Ua.pt.ain Fisher, of the Salvation Army, will arrive in New Plymouth today and will deliver an interesting address in the Army Hall to-night, choosing as his subject “South Africa.”

The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co.. Ltd., .wish tjo draw clients’ attention to their Tarata sale which .they are holding in their Tarata yards on Friday. June 10, 19211, at 1 p.m. Full particulars of entries will be found on page S of this issue.

The Melbourne, Ltd.’s, stock of blankets has been further augmented by the arrival of a few single bed white blankets, all pure wool from a good mill. The blankets are being sold at 37/6 a pair. The proprietors of “Fairy Wonder” washing powder desire to publicly announce that there is positively no paraffin wax in their well-known household compound. Many inferior washing powders are known to contain this ingredient, which, notwithstanding its value as a detergent, is highly injurious to fabrics.

Wednesday next, 15th inst., is the day of the New. Plymouth Jersey Breeders’ sale at Waiwakaiho. The sale is probably the largest of its kind yet held in this district, and with a lengthy catalogue, rich in all tlie noted bloods of Jersey fame, prospective buyers should not have any trouble in securing cattle to please their fancy. Why .is it that particular men. and men of limited spare time, call at Preece’s Hairdressing Saloon? Because of the prompt attention given and the sanitary methods whereby all shaving and haircutting instruments are sterilised. —W. H. Preece, Devon Street Ceni tral.

A Hawera land agent stated yesterday that the land market is showing an improvement which is decided enough to justify the conclusion that a definite change for the better has set in, says the Star. a The clerk of the Patea Harbor Board mentioned at the Board meeting on Monday that there were 201 Maori ratepayers in the dlawera portion of the Patea Harbor Board, and of this number only eleven had paid their rates, “The chosen people” facetiously remarked one member.

The latest consignment of basic slag which is being landed at the New Plymouth breakwater comes from New Orleans and this is presumably the first occasion on which an American slag has been landed in Taranaki. The price quoted is lower by 'about £2 than that which was ruling for the best English slag and represents a fall of about £6 per ton on last year’s quotations.

“I have heard mention about the manner in which the farmer keeps his books,” said Mr. D. G. Clark, Commissioner of Taxes, at Masterton. “It has been my experience, however, that the commercial man is little better. The commercial man is not much better off than 'the farmer, and I express this opinion after long experience. In a good many commercial concerns the book-keeping is very crude indeed.”

The Hawera Returned Soldiers’ Association passed a resolution that, in view of the increasing unemployment, ”the association strongly condemns the action of certain prominent business firms in Hawera in employing military, defaulters and urges all employers of labor to give preference to returned soldiers and loyalists in fulfilment of the promises given during the war.

In conversation with a Star representative, Mr. O. Hawken, M.P., said that the crossbred wool at the last Wellington sales averaged 3%d per lb, or £6 13s 4d per bale. The commandeer price averaged £24 per bale in Wellington, and the pre-war price would be roughly £l9 a bale. Napier a shade better than Wellington, but not |d to Id a pound better, as some papers had it. From this it will be seen what a difficult time the wool growers are having. They will have to sit tight, as thereSs no immediate prospect of much improvement in the prices for wool. At the public meeting called for. the purpose of discussing a war memorial for Kaponga it was decided that a committee be set up consisting of three members of the Town Board, Messrs. Cook, Betts, and Allen, and one member of each of the friendly societies, school committees, dairy companies, and also a returned soldier and the riding member for the district, witli power to go ahead with the memorial as they think fit. \ The meeting was of opinion that a memorial arch and gate at the park should* be given effect to provided fifinda are forthcoming. The Pukekura Park Board met last night. Present: Messrs. C. E. Bellringer (chairman), V. Griffiths, R. C. Hughes, A. T. Moore, H. Dempsey, W. C. Weston, and P. E. Stainton (secretary). The chairman welcomed the new members nominated by the Borough Council, Messrs. Dempsey and Moore. Reporting on work done during the past month the chairman reported that the secretary and himself had selected a number of trees for planting out and this work was being pushed on well. A good deal of clearing up work had also been carried out, and the grounds on the whole were in a very fair condition. The paths in places were rather muddy as the result of the wet weather, but he did not see how this could be improved, as gravelling had not proved suitable where there were overhanging trees, it being soon washed off by the water dripfrom the branches. The board decided to expend £l9 in the purchase of pohutukawas for planting out, and the question of improvements to the rosery was left in the hands of Mr. Dempsey. On the representations of Mr. Hughes it was agreed to donate to the Beautifying Society a number of trees for planting on Baine’s Terrace.

Visitors, and especially fanpiers of the Jersey breed attending the show this week’should not miss seeing the array of photographs at the New Plymouth Jersey Breeders’ Club stall, featuring many of Taranaki’s champion pedigree Jersey cattle, cows, heifers and bulls. That'the cultivation of the Jersey breed is being carried on in Taranaki on both true type and highly productive lines will be seen at a glance at many of the animals shown.

Desirous of devoting his time solely to the breeding of pedigree Jerseys, Mr. John. Poletti is disposing of his very fine herd of grade Jersey cattle at a sale to be held at the homestead, Bell Block, on Tuesday next. Dairy farmers will be favored with an excellent opportunity of securing high-grade dairy cattle at this sale, Mr. Poletti being well anl favorably known throughout the whole of the province as a breeder of grade cattle of extraordinary merits.