LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The mails which left Wellington on October 4 per s.s. Tahiti, via Saii Francisco, arrived in London on November 9.

The Prisons Board will arrive in New Plymouth on Wednesday night on its visit of inspection to the local gaol.

The Taranaki-Wanganui Methodist Synod opens at Hawera to-morrow. About fifty clergy will attend and the president of the conference (the Rev. W. Grigg) will preside. The Rev. W. J. Elliott will leave New Plymouth for Hawera to-day.

Whilst discussing tar-sealing, a councillor at the Eltham Borough Council meeting told a story of the misfortunes of a man who had left a horse on a newly sealed street in Hawera. The horse was left standing for some time on the street, the surface of which was not quite dry, and when the owner returned it had moved off, but its two hind shoes were left securely embedded in the roadway.

Considerable damage ‘has been oc* casioned by blight to many of the Auckland strawberry beds, which were attacked during the recent humid weather (states the Auckland Star). In some cases £2OO of damage to a plot was done in a night. Blight lias also caused a good deal of damage to potatoes, tomatoes, and onions, while patches in the same districts have escaped. Members of the Eltham County Council, at Saturday’s meeting, commented on the state of the bridge on the Strat-ford-Opunake road over the Awatuna stream, which, it was said was unsafe for heavy traffic. One councillor remarked that he had seen a driver of a lorry load of Wood fix his steering gear and send the lorry over the bridge by itself, following on foot. “I wouldn’t go over the bridge with a wheelbarrow,” commented another councillor. It was decided to erect a notice calling atten- : tion to the state of the bridge.

A councillor remarked at Saturday’s meeting of the Eltham Borough Council that some one had spilled a can of cream all over a part of the Eltham-Kaponga road, and by neglecting to remove the cream from the roadway had caused a number of accidents. Motor cycles going on to the greasy surface had skidded and three riders at least had sustained cuts and injuries from falls. The speaker had seen a lorry, which crossed the dangerous patch, skid from one side of the road to the other. The county clerk (Mr. A. Tiplady) remarked that the person who spilt the cream should have cleaned it up, and was liable for any accidents which such negligence might cause.

A reference to hotel accommodation was made by Mr. M. Maye, in an aldress on the tourist traffic, before a meeting of the Auckland Advertising Club, states the Herald. Ninety-five per cent, of American tourists, he said, did not care whether the bar was in the hotel or in the next county. The hotel with the real dining-room, with appetite-satisfying viands, served with some degree of care by well-appearing service was what was wanted. The bar had proved, an unnecessary article of fiyniture. To-day with a dry country, New York hotels were clamoring for more room to expand. A line of lambs fed on lucerne held the attention of the whole Addington market on a sale day last year, said Mr. A. McPherson, at Ashburton recently (states an exchange). The lambs were so full of life and vim, so ‘happy, their wool so lustrous, that they were leaping about their pen like racehorses. (Laughter.), Finally some auctioneers inquired what those were (indicating thd lambs). “Just lambs —fed on lucerne,” was the reply. All the other lambs in the market that day, continued Mr. McPherson, were too miserable to stand up; they lay down—coughing. (More laughter.) When the lucerne lambs were put up at auction, although they w.ere not fat, they made as much and more than “prime Canterbury” solely on account of their lustrous wool, wonderful vitality, and general good condition.

The season for the performance of “Billeted” will be November 21, 22 and 23, and will not include November 24 as previously stated. The box plans open at Collier’s on Thursday.

Next Saturday will be children’s day in connection with Plunket Baby Day effort, and a fete will be held in Kawaroa Park. Admission will be free, and all children are invited. There will be a punch and judy show, coconut shies, sweet and soft drinks stalls, and Father Xmas with toys galore. This day should be a red letter one for the children. for Mrs. Standish is being assisted by the ladies and gentlemen’s committee of the Kawaroa Park Society, and, as is well known, they always muks. things go with a mei'ry swing. Don’t forget! Saturday. Kawaroa Park, at 2 p.m. All Plunket mothers are invited to be the guests of the president to afternoon tea.—Advt.

A new heating system has been installed at the municipal baths for the provision of hot baths. The plant has been given a trial and proved entirely satisfactory. Hot baths are now available.

The adjourned annual meeting of the Legion of Frontiersmen (Pari tutu Troop) takes place at the Soldiers’ Club to-night. Frontiersmen are also reminded of the annual dinner to be held at the Kawaroa Park bungalow on Friday, November 25.

An official of the Miners’ Union informed a New Zealand Tinies reporter that there were only two mines in New Zealand that were working full time. Other mines, he said, were working reduced shifts, one particular mine only working three days each, fortnight.

A large crowd gathered at the breakwater yesterday, tempted out by the first band concert of the season and the beautiful sumhier weather. The 4th Battalion, Wellington Regiment, Band was in good form and rendered a pleasing programme of music. The collection taken up in aid of the band funds realised £ll 6s.

“As one who lias had five motor ears stolen, I am strongly in favor of making the penalties for thefts of cars more substantial,” said a member of the committee of the Auckland Automobile Association at its last meeting, states the Herald. In the course of discussion regarding recent prosecutions for theft of ears, it was suggested that the New Zealand Automobile Union should recommend the Minister of Justice to make the offence an indictable one.

At the special services held at the Whiteley Memorial Church, New Plymouth, last night there was a particularly large congregation. The church choir and orchestra were in full force, and their work had an appreciable affect. The principal soloist was Mrs. F. C. Ferry, whose rendering of a favorite hymn added additional interest and pleasure. The Rev. W. J. Elliott preached the sermon.

Accompanying Mr. O. Hawken, M.P., to Taranaki for the week-end were Messrs, J. Bitehener (.Waitaki), J. R. Hamilton (Awarua), and T. D. Burnett (Temuka). They visited Dawson’s Falls Mountain House, where they had lunch, and motored over the good roads of South Taranaki and through the rich dairying land, the visit .being an eyeopener to the visitors.

A framed copy of The Times, London, of November 7, I'Bos, containing' ViceAdmiral Collingwood’s dispatches announcing the victory of Trafalgar, was presented to the Auckland branch of the Navy League at its last meeting by Mr. Philip ’ Luckie, states the Herald. The copy is an heirloom in Mr. Luckie’s family, which has possessed it for 116 years. It was brought by them to New Zealand over 50 years ago. The copy is in a good state of preservation, and to keep it in good condition and still permit of the contents being read, it has been encased between two pieces of glass. Dr. Von Rothe, a Berlin surgeon, has invented a kinematograph apparatus which, he claims, will be of the utmost importance for teaching and comparative purposes. Film records of surgi* col operations have been attempted before, but all have suffered from the disadvantage of having to be taken in the operating theatre and disturbing the ■course of the operation. An ingenious device, invented by Dr. Rothe surmounts this difficulty. By means of a circular case let into thff roof of the operating theatre the film can be taken from the same point of view as the surgeon’s, and reproduces his movements exactly as they are made, but enlarged. The necessary rays ’of light are provided by means of reflecting mitrors from outside the theatre.

When passing sentence upon Frederick Courtney, who had been found guilty of theft,. Mr. Justice Reed, Palmerston North Supreme Court, said: “I"think it is. a fair inference that this man was of a gang £f spielers, who came to the show-grounds for the purpose of taking down the public. I cannot understand why the people in charge of A. and P. shows permit men of this class to conduct these sideshows on their grounds. The racecourse authorities are far more strict in this respect.” “I consider,” he added, “that the A. and P. Association authorities should inquire from the police as to the records of such men before granting permits.” Courtney was retried on a charge of stealing £lO in money from Leslie Gordon Bismark. The j» r y returned a verdict of guilty at the second hearing.

The police effected a smart capture on Saturday (states the Tauranga correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). A Maori visited a shop in Devonport Road, and while the shopkeeper’s back was turned proceeded to help himself to the cash in the till. When the shopkeeper discovered the thief a struggle ensued, and the Maori succeeded in getting away. The police were informed of the episode, but, unfortunately, the Maori’s identity was unknown to the shopkeeper. Constables Skinner and O’Neill made a search of the various parts of the borough. When in the vicinity of the public baths they noticed a Native on board a boat that was being rowed by another Native., The police were suspicious, and hailed the Maoris to return to shore. While one Maori seemed willing to obey the police command, the other endeavored to pull further out. For some little time there was quite a struggle in the craft, and the Maori bent on getting away eventually secured possession of both oars. The police, in the meantime, kept the boat under observation, and procured another boat, with a view to giving chase. The suspected Maori then realised that escape was hopeless, so he pulled back to the shore and was arrested. He admitted that he was the “wanted” man. Constable Skinner then took him to the shop, where he was identified by the shopkeeper as the Maori who had inter- 1 fered with the till. The Maori, whose name was Tuhaereroa Tamati, was brought before the Court and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. Chinese frequently attempt to outwit the Customs officers, but judging by the number of schemes for getting sovereigns and half-sovereigns out of Australia that 'have been thwarted during the last few months, they are not all they are cracked up to be in cunning, says the Sydney Sun. During the w r eek the thoroughness of the Customs men was rewarded on the steamer Taiyuan, which trades to the East. The quarters of the Chinese crew were subjected to the usual systematic search. The searchers during the couple of days prior to the vessel’s sailing became suspicious as to the contents of two weighty boxes for which an owner could not be found. The stewards were questioned as to whom the boxes belonged, but the only reply was “no sabee,” so, failing the production of the keys, the boxes remained nopened until the day of sailing. Then the Customs men decided that the chests should be taken ashore, anticipating that the sight of the searchers taking them down the gangway would shako up the man with the keys. The ruse did not fail. Before the boxes were out of the ship's quarters a Chinese excitedly came forward* exclaiming: “Whaflor you z take ’em; they belong to me.” In the boxes were £202 in gold. The bullion was removed to the Customs house.

H. J. Abram, “Mail Order” Chemist, New Plymouth, will mail by return any .-vf vo.ur **».-<*—