LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The price of butter has been reduced in Auckland a penny, and is now Is 9d wholesale and 2s retail for first grade.— Press Association.

In 1890 the population of Melbourne .and suburbs was 408,967 and the valuation £6,216,172. Last year the figures were: Population, 702.512; valuation. £9,027,860.

“Aotea,” Messrs. Sole Bros.’ property at New Plymouth, will be thrown open to the public next Sunday. The gardens are reported to present a very prettypicture just now, as the season has been extremely favorable for the growth of the native bush. The Prince of Wales and horse-shoe ferns have benefited particularly, and are a sight worth viewing.

A Pahiatua message says that the Avro aeroplane on Sunday, after making two flights, struck a stone ‘when going to the starting point after landing. The under-carriage was damaged to the extent of about £5O. The machine will be delayed four days. Captain Brake and two passengers are unhurt. A deputation representing the secondary and primary school teachers of Palmerston North- waited upon Mr. Nash, M.P., yesterday, protesting against the Government proposal to reduce salaries. The deputation was assured that, as soon as definite information was available on the subject, the teachers would be informed, and Mr. Nash would meet them again. Injuries to the feet and legs were sustained by an elderly native named Lowry by falling down the hold of the steamer Canadian Pioneer at New Plymouth yesterday. Lowry was admitted to the hospital, and an examination by Dr. Walker revealed that the injuries were apparently not serious, but an Xray examination will be made this morning.

The Prime Minister stated, some time ago, that,' to prevent the people from losing the usual Christmas holidays, Tuesday, December 27, will be declared a public holiday. The same thing will apply to the New holidays, the position, so far as they are concerned, being fully met by t'he existing law. New Year’s Day, which falls on a Sunday, will be Mondayised, and Tuesday, January 3, will also be a holiday.

At the annual meeting of the New Plymouth Girls’ Friendly Society yesterday the following officers were elected: Presiding associate, Mrs. G. Home; deputy presiding associates, Miss Agnes Wilson and Miss McKellar; house committee, Miss Curtis (convener), Mrs. Meale, Misses Mace, Giblin and Wilson. A vote of thanks was 'accorded the proprietor of the Daily News for supplying a paper daily at the girls’ lodge. The Christchurch Sun reports that a somewhat substantial purchase of Australian butter lias been made by Auckland merchants from Sydney. It is understood the price was Is 3d, f.0.b., Sydney, and with a duty of 20 per cent, ad valorem this will mean a landed cost of Is 6d, plus freig'ht. At this figure the imported article will be brought into competition with New Zealand butter. In the North Island butter prices have keen kept on a higher level than in Christchurch, where t'he public has benefited by the fierce competition between factories. It was announced on Friday that the price-cutting will not continue. Various factories supplying the city trade have advanced prices from .Is sjd to Is 8d net, and the retail prices have been advanced from Is 8d to Is ICkl.

With the lonic, which arrived in Wellington on Sunday from Southampton, came 304 immigrants. Of the 800 odd workers who are coming to the Dominion, 1i92 are nominated immigrants, comprising 77 men, 55 women, and 60 children. Sixty-six persons—3B men, .19 women, and 9 children—are coming out under the overseas sett' ment scheme. There are, in addition, 46 domestic servants coming out to enter service. There was one death on the voyage, that of an elderly male passengex- in the third class. Several of the immigrants seen by a Dominion reporter on the ship, stated that the voyage had been most enjoyable, and most interesting. They emphasised that conditions in England were not good. From general appearances, they are of a very fine stamp indeed.

Something unsual in the- way of contests wherein skill, speed and strength mainly govern the issue, was witnessed in the Riverdale factory recently, when two cheese workers decided to “hoop up” against time to settle a friendly argument, says the Wa-imate Witness. To the uninitiated it should be explained that “hooping up” is the shop phrase for that stage in the process of cheesemaking involving preparation of the presses for reception of curd from the vats, the transfer being affected by use of a bucket. Ten cheeses of 801 b. each are made in each press, and a number of important details, including tne arrangement of the fabrics which envelop a cheese, must receive attention. Normally, the time occupied is about one hour, but the winner of our sprint “hooping up” —we might be justified in calling it the championship of Taranaki —won narrowly in the fast time of 21 minutes.

A good deal has been told lately through the Press of relies and belongings of great men that have been handed down from generation to generation, and have eventually found their way to New Zealand. A case of this kind happened at Stanley Bay recently, when Mr. E. -C. Shepherd, a. well-known resident, received through the bond a case of heirlooms from Aberdeen, Scotland, which had been bequeathed to him by his uncle, Sir Charles Shepherd, a Knight of Malta, who was the last link of the older generation of the family, whose record and ancestry could be traced back many hundreds of years in connection with the business and mercantile life of the North of Scotland, and more latterly with Aberdeen itself. Once a very prolific family. It was a strange thing that none of the last generation of the family ever married except Mr. E. C. Shepherd’s father, and soon after he married he came to New Zealand in the very earliest days of the Dominion, and became a pioneer in the truest sense of the word, so that hl* name is still a household word in the district where he lived. The heirlooms are of the most varied kinds, and are to be divided among the surviving members of the family—Mr. E. C. Shepherd, Devonport; Mr. W. Shepherd, Parua Pay; and Mrs. D. Maxwell, Toko. Let your Canned Meat requirements this summer be the “T.F.M.” "brand, manufactured at the Smart Road works: lib sheep tongues; 31b and 61b ox tongues; IJlb and 61bs corned mutton and beef. Support New Plymouth’s own works, and ask your grocer for “T.F.M.” meats.

To the tired, nothing is so refreshing as a cup of delicious Tea. Nelson Moate’s teas, flavoury and choice, are refreshing to those jaded nerves. Always ask for Nelson Moate’s.' i

The new Smyrna sultanas, which are expected to arrive later on, will come in under the new tariff and have to pay 2d per lb duty. Previously there was no duty on foreign sultanas. This additional 2d per lb on the cost will make this particular grade of sultanas somewhat expensive. In the House, Mr. Burnett asked if there was any prospect of legislation to provide that people buying homes for themselves should be able to get possession of them when they wished to live in them themselves. The Hon. Mr. Anderson said that legislation would be brought down this session. He knew there were cases in which returned soldiers and others had bought houses to live in and could not get the present occupants out. The Government proposed to make some alteration in the law to meet such cases. In many cases people with families were dealt with unjustly. At the same time, there were cases in which houses were bought allegedly to live in, but in which the allegations were merely camouflage. Concerning the probability of tapping payable oil in Hawke's Bay the Director of Geological Survey has reported to the Government as follows: “It is quite possible that, as the shareholders hope, oil in quantity will be struck by continuing the bore, and hence the boring operations at Waipatiki cannot be condemned outright. At the same time, the prospects of this one bore considered by itself are not, in my opinion, bright. There is a fair prospect of petroleum being found in a payable quantity somewhere in Southern Hawke’s Bay or Eastern Wellington, but geological survey is the first essential, not boring.” In the House Mr. Statham suggested an alteration in the law whereby rates on soldiers’ clubs might be remitted or power given to the local authorities to remit them. In Dunedin an application had been made to the City Council to remit the rates on the club there, but the council, though disposed to do so, had not t'he power. JMr. Downie Stewart re-. plied that the matter would require consideration from the. local bodies’ point of view. If the application was granted in this case other institutions on the same basis might claim the same privileges. He would, however, look into the matter.