LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The rates of the Waihi borough have been increased to 4s fld in the £.

The total amount involved in the repatriation of New Zealand returned soldiers to date is £20,403,159.

A telegram from Timaru reports the departure yesterday of the ship Pampa for London direct with ten thousand bales of wodl.

An experiment in the building of earth houses in Auckland has proved unsuccessful, the climate having been found to be unsuitable.

A returned soldier got a windfall recently in the form of over. £4OOO from a popular lottery. The digger dropped the pen with which he battled for a living, and is now on the land. At the Taranaki School Committees’ conference yesterday a remit from Stratford suggesting that all inspectors’ reports dealing with the progress of schools be handed to the Press for publication was, after a brief discussion, withdrawn.

Shortly before four o’clock on Wednesday morning a fall of meteors was witnessed from Palmerston North. About half-a-dozen shot across the western sky in rapid succession, creating a magnificent spectacle, and illuminating the whole landscape. The men employed on the railway staff had a particularly line view of the meteoric display. Finance and other matters concerning the New Plymouth Borough Council were dealt with' at Wellington this week by a deputation comprising the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) and Mr. F. T. Bellringer, who returned last night. Mr. Wilson told a Daily News representative last night that there would be nothing. to report for some days yet. The building permits issued by the New Plymouth Borough Council during the month of June numbered 14, the total value being £9680, whilst the fees collected amount to £3B. This shows an increase of 3 permits over last month and an increase in value of £3BO. Since the beginning of the year the value of buildings for which permits have, been issued amounts to £52,780.

Yesterday morning the harbormaster (Captain Waller) showed Captain Philipps, captain of the s.s. Peshawur, and commodore of the P. and. G. fleet, round the sugar loaves in the launch. The party included Mr. Lockhead (chief engineer of the Peshawur), Mr. Newton King (chairman of the Harbor Boat'd), Mr. C. E. Bellringer, and the president and members of the council of the Chamher of Commerce. The launch went out as far as the Seal Roeks and encircled the island of Moturoa twice, the harbor improvement scheme being explained to the visitors by the Harbor Board members and the historic associations of the various sugar loaves by Mr. W. H. •Skinner.

Mr. A. W. Burrell, of the Stratford Observatory, writes to the Post under yesterday’s date: —Owing to unfavorable weather conditions and lately bright moonlight, I was unable to get a view of the much-talked of Pons-Winnecke comet until 3 o’clock this morning, when I found its position to be approximately, Right ascension 0 hours 184 minutes, South Declination 16 degrees 38 minutes, so that it rose at 11.25 p.m. 13 degrees South of East. The comet was quite easily seen in the 5-inch telescope, and should not be difficult to find with a good pair of field-glasses, When one knows just where to look. To-morrow morning it will be found a little to the west of the 2.2 magnitude star Bela Ceti.

In this issue Messrs. Harrison and Co., land agents, Eltham, advertise a handy little property in the famous Mangatoki district that should be well worth perusal. The Okato Methodist Church Bazaar is to be hold in the Hempton Hall on Saturday, July 9. Particulars appear in our advertising column*.

By means of a floral queen carnival the householders of the Bayfield district, Auckland, have raised over £lOOO for improving the school grounds.

The bodies of 900 American soldiers left Antwerp on May 3 in the Red Star liner Wheaton for the United States.

One party who went out from Palmerston captured over a hundred opossums at Paraparaumu in three days. Opossum hunters have been making great wages since the season opened.

An advertisement appeared in the Dunedin Evening Star a few weeks ago, wanting a young lady for office work, with a result that 100 applications were received.

“In my public life I am called a wowser, but if a wowser is the definition of one who accepts and acts up to the Christian faith they may call me a wowser and I. raise no objection.” The Mayor of Wellington, Mr. R. A. Wright, speaking at the Sailors’ Friend Society. A remit by the Pembroke Road SchoolCommittee 'suggesting that the Education Board be asked to revert to the former practice of granting a fortnight’s holiday to the schools in the month of June was lost at yesterday’s conference of Taranaki School Committees.

“With the coming of electric power,” said Mr. E. Newman, M.P., at Rangiotu, the other day, “we will get rid of the tyranny of the coal-miner; under which this country has been suffering so lois. He mentioned, in this connection, that £750,000 had gone out of the country in the past year to buy coal, which was a thing to be deplored when there were such large quantities of it available in the Dominion.

A curious fact, of which even the oldest Maoris in the district cannot account, is that near Te Teko, logs and tree trunks in a remarkably well-preser-ved condition are continually being dug out of the ground. The Maoris have no records of anything larger than manuka and scrub having ever grown in that vicinity, and no theory has yet been advanced. to account for the existence of the logs in that particular place. The majority of these logs have been found lying in the one direction.

In Christchurch some of the manufacturers and merchants, unable to unload through the retailers quickly enough, have commenced selling direct to the public. The retailers affected are hitting back by offering their goods at “cut” rates. Here’s the threat in one advertisement: — “We’ve undercut every wholesale price. Where they sell a shoe for 18/6, we sell it for 13/9. Where they sell a boot for 32/6, we sell it for 26/3. £30,000 worth of stock to be sacrificed to teach some people what ‘cricket’ means in business.”

A cable message from Sydney on Monday (says a Wellington journal) stated that the Profiteering Court had reduced the price of kerosene and benzine by Is a case, making the prices 19s and 29s respectively. These, of course, are wholesale prices. Inquiry was made as to how Wellington prices compare with those charged at Sydney. It was ascertained, that the wholesale price of kerosene was 21s per case, and benzine (good standard grade) 31s per case. Prices in Sydney recently were on a par with those in Wellington, but will now be 2s less per ease.

An amusing incident is reported from Patetonga, owing to a fractious horse getting out of hand. Fortunately the most serious injury was the loss of a pair of trousers 'by a local, resident. He was visiting the gangs engaged in the district, and, when mounting his horse, the animal attempted to bolt, and reared in the air. In attempting to disengage himself, the rider was precipitated backwards, and became entangled in some barbed wire. The close proximity of the horse, which was in an excited state, made it necessary for the man to extricate himself with rapidity, which he accomplished, minus his trousers. A cold walk over the hills completed his discomfort. After some difficulty, he was able to procure a pair of trousers and proceed home.

The present winter season has brought to many farmers in Auckland hardship and distress such as they have not known for many years past, telegraphs the Post’s Auckland correspondent. The city’s social workers have had an increasing number of visitors seeking help. Among them are women who have had nothing to give their children to eat for a week save bread and thin stew. Oldage pensioners, feeble with infirmity, wearing brown paper in their boots instead of soles, widows with families of five or six little ones, and nothing but a small pension to meet all their wants—these are all actual cases vouched for by workers who are striving valiantly to carry on' their good work against odds. These and other stories of distress were borne out by the relieving officer of the Charitable Aid Board, who stated that the board was at present aiding 200 families, all of them in dire need.

A sensatibnal occurrence took place in the Court of General Sessions before the luncheon adjournment in London last week. Vincent L. Tlyndes, a former officer of the Victorian branch of the Returned Sailors’ and S/ddiers’ Imperial League of Australia, when the foreman of the jury returned with a verdict of guilty against him. produced a revolver, which he dramatically turned to his temple, and pulled the etrigger, the cartridge, however, failed to explode. A harder and a constable rushed at the prisoner, who was in the flock, and seized him. The trial, which occupied nearly three days, was heard before Judge Williams. Hyndes pleaded not guilty to having on or about November 27, 1920, with intent to defrad,, forged and uttered an authority or request for the payment of money purporting to have been an authority or request from John McKenize, president of the Melbourne branch of the league.

The North Taranaki Hunt advertise an alteration in the fixture for to-mor-row, which will be at Mr. Nuku’s, Waihi.

Entrants for the Practical Examination of the Royal Academy of Music should note that entries close to-day, Particulars are advertised in this issue.

The sale of property advertised for July 8, under instructions from the Public Trustee (as administrator in the estate of T. K. Harrold) will now be held on July 15, one week later than the date originally advertised. The auctioneers will be pleased to show intending purchasers over this farm.

For washing silks, georgettes, crepe de chine, etc., “Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap is “out on its own.” A tablespoon of “Fairy” added to a basin of hot water makes a creamy lather, into which place the soils'll garments, Soak and squeeze them through the lather a few times, and they will come out spotlessly clean, and with all traces of perspiration odor removed. All grocers stock “Fairy.” At the Soldiers’ Club, New Plymouth, this evening, Mr. W. J. Penn will deliver an address to members of the Tataraki Chamber of Com mere-. upon his experiences in and impresisions of Canada.