LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Taranaki Daily News will appear as usual on Monday (Labor Day). The Mokau River rose sixteen feet within an hour or two on Thursday. One estate on the Mokau River which was formerly devoted to sheep is now running 200 head of cattle and next year the number will be increased to a thousand. As showing the value of sub-divisions, a settler near New Plymouth, who previously had no experience of farming, recently took up 32 acres, which carried a mixed herd.. He milked 21 head of cattle, .vhich gave a gross return of £6OO.

The railway working account showing revenue, and expenditure for the period April 1 to September 17, is published in the Gazette. The revenue totalled £3.034,005, as compared with £2,904,217 in the corresponding period of last year, an increase of ly more than 4 per cent. In urging that more men should join the Victoria League’s reading club, the Rev. O. Blundell at last night’s annual meeting referred to the benefits to be derived from this class of study. In going the round of the schools he had often noticed that the girls read a great deal better than the boys; perhaps, this accounted for the fact that the ladies attended the reading club in such numbers.

It -is anticipated that there will be a rise in the price of loose cigarette tobacco shortly (says the Dominion). The cause is attributed to the belief that the Government intends to considerably increase the duty on this class of tobacco when the tariff is revised. At present the duty on made-up cigarettes is 25s 6d per 1000, equal to about 10s 2d per lb, while the duty on loose cigarette tobacco is 3s 6d per lb. In Australia there is one uniform charge of "12s per lb, and it is stated that the New Zealand Government intends to adopt the same principle. At the instigation of the Health Department a campaign against rats is to be conducted in New Plymouth, in conjunction with the clean-up day on Tuesday next. In a circular letter the department urged that these precautions should be taken in view of the plague in Australia, and apparently the request is going to meet with a good response. The East End committee intend to distribute poison along the banks of the Henui river and several business firms who have properties on the banks of the Huatoki stream intend to do likewise. A fair number of enquiries have been made by persons seeking information as to what course to adopt.

“For some reason or other this is looked upon entirely as a women’s society.” said Mr. C. H. Burgess in speaking at the annual meeting of the New Plymouth branch of the Victoria League last night, and he proceeded to remark that he could not understand the reason for the opinion. The league aimed at creating a closer bond between the peoples of the Empire —an object that ought to appeal to the majority of men, and therefore he hoped to see more male friends join the organisation and give it their financial support. Even if the league was a women’s society they were entitled to all the help that could be given.

Patriotism was the keynote of the Victoria League, said Mr. C. H. Burgess at the annual meeting of the New Plymouth branch last night. He said it was appropriate the league should have its meeting on Trafalgar Day, the anniversary of one of Britain’s greatest sea victories. In the hour of victory the nation lost a great man, Lord Nelson, whose name was honored in history, and it would stand as long as the monument erected in Trafalgar Square to his memory by a grateful nation. To Nelson patriotism meant not merely the waving of flags, but real work. If the members of the league tried to emulate this spirit, if even in only a small way in their work and councils, they would in time achieve something worth while. i Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Second and Third' Groups) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable on Tuesday, October 25, at the Secretary’s Office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 5 pan., and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. —Advt. “He and I can settle a bottle of whisky between us in half an hour,” remarked a son of Scotland, when giving evidence in the Masterton Police Court. The N.Z. Loan end Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., draw attention to their Stratford sale on Tuesday, 25th inst., at 12.30. Full particular* on page 8. i

Lord Northcliffe, speaking in Melbourne, said he was amazed' at the s ze of the Australians. He felt as if he was amongst a race of giants, and he himself was quite a pigmy.

The New Plymouth harbor authorities are again experiencing some difficulty in providing berthing accommodation for the vessels coming to the port. Last night two steamers (the Whangape, from Newcastle, and the Rama, from Wellington) were anchored outside the harbor, and although the Rama will be brought alongside early this morning it is probable that the will have to stand off until the liner Essex sails about Tuesday. The wet weather is delaying the despatch of the vessels in port, with the exception of the Rarawa, which sailed for Onehunga at the usual* time last night. Weather permitting, the Karamu and the Rama should get away this afternoon, thus leaving the Essex and Whangape in port over the week-end.

A sensational robbery took place at the suburban branch of a local bank the other morning (says the Dunedin Times). It appears that a young man went into the banking chamber and was given permission to use the telephone, whidh is situated in close proximity to a desk whore money to be transferred to the bank in the city is counted. When the money was brought as usual to the city it was found that the sum of £2OO was missing. Suspicion rests on the young man wbo used the telephone, as, while he was doing so, the clerk’s attention was diverted from the desk for a short space of time, and in the interval the user of the telephone disappeared. . Tuesday next will be “clean-up” day in New Plymouth. This is the fifth occasion on which the practice has been carried out. It originated in New Plymouth and has been a big success in the matter of cleaning up the borough. After the initial trial in New Plymouth the idea of holding a “clean-up” day was taken up by most municipalities in the Dominion and was also endorsed by the Health Department. Householders are requested to have all refuse dumped on the kerb outside their respective dwellings before eight o’clock on Tuesday morning. Motor lorries are to be used in the work of collecting the rubbish, and a start will be made from the centre of the town, the vehicles working towards the borough boundaries. The work necessitates the employment of seven or eight laborers in addition to the drivers of the lorries.

(Enquiries at the Labor Department’s Bureau, New Plymouth, from men seeking work amounted to *2l during the last fortnight. According to the experience of the officials there is a surplus of unskilled labor, the general rule being that tradesmen can be placed in a position without much difficulty. Most of the men came from other towns in the Dominion; two had walked from Wanganui and one other was a recent immigrant, having arrived from Ireland about six weeks ago. One applicant was placed in work and some were offered farm positions, but were either inexperienced or did not wish to take up the vacancies. The department still has four farm positions available, and one case was mentioned in which a farmer has been seeking the services of a ploughman since August last.

The work of the Victoj-ia League in collecting and despatching books to the backblocks was referred to by the president (Mrs. C. H. Burgess) at last night’s annual meeting, and said this was one of the branch’s chief tasks during the year. They had packed and forwarded 45 benzine cases full'of books, packages being sent to far back country schools and lonely settlers, and they had to thank many folk in the backblocks for sending these books still further on. The names of different settlements to which books had been forwarded were mentioned by Mrs. Burgess, and she hoped the work would be carried on with even better results. Th,e league were indebted to many people who forwarded parcels and always would be pleased to receive more. The branch had a file of letters of grateful thanks from many who had received books through the league.

Newton King, Ltd., are conducting a sale of good second-hand timber and iron at the Bell Block factory on Wednesday next. See advt.

Th’ guid folk o’ St. Andra’s Presbyterian Kirk are handin’ a muckle Scotch Fair in’ th’ Workers’ Ha’ on th’ 27th an’ 28th o’ th’ present month. Scots an’ ither folk will be weel advised tae pay th’ fair a vesit, an’ they’U gang hame lightsome baith in heart an’ in pouch. Dairymen and pig-raisers of the coastal districts who were looking forward to hearing the address on the future of the pig industry, postponed a fortnight ago, will be pleased to learn that the addresses are to be given at Omata, Warea and Okato during next week. ■ The lecturer, Mr. T. C. Baron, is the general manager of the N.Z. Mea.t Packing and Bacon Co., and his experiences in pig-raising and the bacon industry generally make him an authority on the subject. Farmers will find particulars of dates and places of addresses on page 1 of this issue.

Men are notified that a few more suits at 69/6 are left at the Melbourne’s sale of salvage goods. These suits are in quite good condition, and are guaranteed to be all pure N.Z. wool and made and finished in best colonial style. These suits cannot be duplicated under £4 10s.

“Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap has taken pride of place as the premier household help by what may be termed “right of conquest.” In the battle of supremacy all other washing powders have proved so much inferior that grocers and storekeepers will tell you the public now ask for nothing but “Fairy.” It’s all right.