LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 August 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The New Plymouth Bowling Club has accepted the tender of Messrs. Boon Bros, for the erection of a concrete pavilion on Its new property in Courtenay Street.

Two quarter-acre sections at East End were offered at auction by Newton King, Ltd., at the New Plymouth mart yesterday, but were passed in at £llO. The sum of £l3O was offered privately, but was refused.

A coastal property (470 acres in the Warea district) was sold by Newton King, Ltd., at New Plymouth yesterday on behalf of a deceased estate, and brought £3O per acre, the purchaser being Mr. P. Brophy.

Speaking to the soldier settlers of Fairfield and Kopane, General Sir Andrew Russell said:—“You are fortunate, and ought to succeed, in that you have taken on dairy farming, instead of sheep. Being a sheep farmer myself, I am one of those who are in the soup.” “We should have a record of the state of health of every child on leaving school,” declared Dr. Herbert, in the course of a lecture at Wellington. “What is the use of a child leaving school with a certificate of efficiency if, at the same time, there, exists a small tubercular focus in the lung?” We had, he added, missed a great chance during the war of initiating and afterwards keeping up to date a health record of every man in the country. A touch of humor was imparted to the proceedings at the Stratford Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when a claim was. preferred against a tailor on the grounds that a suit which he had made for the plaintiff liad not fitted him. Mr. E. H. Young, who appeared for the defendant, said that he had a non-suit point* which he would like to submit. “This was a ‘non-suit’ apparently,” remarked the Magistrate with a smile, in ordering the case to proceed.

Chief Scout Captain W. D. Crossgrove arrived in New Plymouth by the mail train last night from Auckland and was welcomed at the station by a parade of about 70 boy scouts. Later in tjhe evening there was a large and enthusiastic gathering in St. Mary’s Hall, when the Scouts and Girl Guides were addressed by their chief on the advancement the movement had made in various countries, and he outlined the future hopes of the Scouts in New Zealand. At the conclusion of the address, which was eagerly listened to by every Scout, supper was provided. Captain Crossgrove leaves New Plymouth by the mail train this morning for Hawera where he will spend the week-end. It is fairly generally known that severe influenza epidemics are periodic, invading the world at intervale of, roughly, 30 years. Thus there was a seyere epidemic in 1890 and the following years, in which New Zealand suffered to some extent; and 29 years, later came the scourge whose marks are not yet effaced. The epidemic preceding that of the ’nineties occurred in the ’fifties, but that was not very severe. Probably few reports of its having touched New Zealand are easily available, but one came to light recently in an oiu weather record which is now in the hands of Mr. D. C. Bates, Dominion Meteorologist. The record is from Dunedin, and was kept by Dr. Burns. In October, 1857. Dr. Burns Wrote that the weather was cold and the season backward. There was much sickness, colds, and shivering—influenza, accompanied with vomiting and bleeding at the nose, and a number of sudden deaths.

A Wanganui resident, who is favored with sufficient cash to lend to friends in need at moderate interest, assisted a lady client who, it is alleged, was rather long-winded in settling up. The lender, according to the Herald, decided to send the bailiff along to take possession of the furniture and other effects, but the bailiff was promptly locked up by the lady. The lender, when he heard of the plight of his agent, then issued instructions for a carrier to be sent to remove the furniture. The lady was most amiable, and invited the carrier inside, and, having shown him into one of the rooms, promptly turned the the key, leaving him to keep the bailiff company while she kept guard. After- a two hours’ wait the carrier called out: "Look here, madam, I am not in this joke at all, and as ray horse and cart are waiting outside you had better ring up the boss.” The lady refused to •entertain his appeal, and later he found a means of escape, and the neighbors state that he wasted no time in whipping up the horse and getting away from the locality. What became of the bailiff has not been stated. The sequel of the story is that the lady still retains her furniture, and the carrier has sent in an account to the money-lender for the time wasted.

An important clearing sale is that at Rahotu on Thursday next on account of Mr. Tom Fleming. The cows are a splendid lot, mostly grade Jerseys, all the vendor’s own rearing, in great nick, and calving latter end of August and September. The sale is worthy of keen attention from intending cow buyers. By mistake the name of Ed. J. Baker appeared in a report of the Magistrate’s Court proceedings on Monday. The mistake was not ours, the case having been settled without notification.

One of the Pahiatua cheese factories has disposed of the whole of its mediumsize cheese at 14d per lb, at the factory door.

People who follow football as a pastime do not inind getting wet, but from choice they would remain dry. When the rain fell heavily on Saturday at Hastings one brainy ‘individual secured a large piece ot galvanised iron, which he held over his head. There was a big pile of these iron sheets, and, as the idea was not patented, imitation became universal, and the edge of the football field was lined with iron, four and five people standing under each sheet. The danger of sucking or eating ice picked up at random is emphasised by a fatality at Putaruru. Two young children of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Shaws, on the way to school, picked up some ice and sucked it. Shortly afterwards they both became ill, and had to be removed to the hospital. They became worse, and one of them died, whilst the other is seriously ill.

To obtain the services of a washerwoman was a matter of real difficulty a few months ago (says the Wellington Post), but the position is now different. On Wednesday a resident of Northland inserted an advertisement for a washerwoman, and within ten minutes of the publication of the first edition a woman was engaged’ by telephone. During the evening the advertiser was communicated with by nine other women, several of whom stated that at the present time there were many women looking for work. All these applications were made by telephone, and in addition other women applied by letter.

Of Caruso anecdotes there is no ending, but one may be quoted which displays the gifted Neapolitan as a pretty shrewd judge .of the value of applause. When he was staying in Naples he was almost idolised on account of his bonhomie. He would enter a little restaurant and .sing in the most glorious manner, between the courses, songs for which in opera he would be paid hundreds of pounds. The cook used to come from the kitchen, the padrone from his office, and all the women folk of the place from their various occupations, and would stand around enraptured, and sometimes with moist eyes, listening to the wonderful notes. After the applause one day, Caruso turned to a friend, saying, “That is the praise I prize. If I can draw tears from the eyes of the man who cooks my macaroni then I am sure I am in voice. Women will weep because it is Caruso who sings, but the cook will only do so if his heart is really touched.”

A warm tribute to the. New Zealand police force was paid by Mr. V. R. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, at the farewell social to Inspector Johnston in Auckland. Generally speaking, he said, the public did not realise the value and importance of the work of the police. The people lived in safety and security, but usually the public did not recognise that the security and safety was ensured by an efficient and responsible police force. When trouble arose the police dealt with it firmly, tactfully, and quietly, but the force did not advertise, and therefore these services were often overlooked by the public. They had in New Zealand a police force of which the community had every reason to be proud. It was a force which would hold its own with the finest police in the world. It was highly efficient, and was free from any breath of scandal, because it was officered and manned by men whose integrity was beyond reproach. For the efficiency of the police force such officers as Inspector Johnston were responsible.