LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“In Russia they are not making a bad job of it in spite of the fact that they have had world opposition for a number ( f years,” said Mr. Jas. Roberts at last night’s meeting in New Plymouth, in emphasising that in the main the New Zealand Alliance of Labor was on the same lines as the Soviet system in Rus-

The quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court will open at New Plymouth this morning, Mr. Justice Reed presiding. Five criminal cases and a lengthy list of civil business are set down for consideration, and the sessions are expected to last a (fortnight. Flags were flown on the New Plymouth Government Buildings yesterday in honor of St. Andrew's Day. The Government offices and banks were closed. The evening mixed train that left Hawera for New Plymouth yesterday was one of the biggest trains that have left for some time, a second engine being necessary as far as Waipuku. The principal portions of the load consisted of 28 trucks comprising cattle from the Wairarapa. consigned to Borthwick’s works at Waitara.

A commencement has been made with the alterations to the offices of the Taranaki Education Board, which are to provide the much needed increased accommodation for the board’s clerical staff. The scheme approved by the board involves a readjustment of the present offices, and the erection of a second storey over a portion of the existing building.

A meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of G. W. Savage, platelayer, of Kapuni, was held at Hawera on Tuesday. The total unsecured debts amounted to £203 3s 7d, and there were no assets. The following is a list of -the unsecured creditors: Dr. Steven (Stratford) £3 13s 6d, Rooney and Co. (Whangamomona) £7O, Masters, Ltd. (Stratford) £ll3 15s Bd, Muscott and Anderson (Whangamomona) £23, A. Manoy (Stratford) £4 13s sd, -'irs. J. Mounsey (Pohakina) £6O, Dr. Walker (New Plymouth) £4 Us, Dr. Paget (Stratfold) £l5. T. Davis .(Kohuratahi) £9. It was decided, on the/motion of -Mr. Thomson, that the meeting stand adjourned to Stratford on a Wednesday to be fixed by the D.0.A., and that Mrs. Savage be subpoenaed to attend.

“.The Constitution and Methods of Organisation of the New Zealand Alliance of Labor” was the subject of a publie address delivered at the Workers’ Social Hall, New Plymouth, last , night. Mr. L. Glover, president of the New Z. aland Waterside Workers’ Federation, who was the first speaker, explained t'v-t the New Zealand Alliance of Labor was the industrially organised one big union on the lines of class, and industry. There were now 76,000 men and women organised, of whom between 41,000 and 42,000 were affiliated with the New Zealand Alliance of Labor. These included the transport workers’, the miners’, the freezing workers’ and the timber workers’ federations. Mr. Jas. Roberts, secretary of the New Zealand Alliance of Labor, followed, and oave an outline of the constitution.

Further consignments of dairy produce arc to leave the works of the Taranaki Producers’ Freezing Company in the near future. This week the epastal steamer Corinna is lifting 1.8,287 boxes of butter and 3019 erates of cheese, which goes to Wellington transhipment to the Home steamer F. ako. The Kamo has already taktn

7000 crates of cheese for the Pinko. The Corinna comes back to New Plymouth next week to load produce for the Matakana, which is to be at A ellington about December 10. Space has been allotted for all available butter and 3500 crates of cheese. Space has been allotted for a further 5000 crates of cheese, on the Port Victor, about December 28. The company has been advised that the. Otarama loads cheese about the end of December for Liverpool and Manchester, and that the Westmeath loads cheese early in January for Avonmouth, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow. In the last two the aaantiky i® not jret known.

An auctioneer was fined in Taumaru nui recently for ringing a bell to an nounce his sale.

It is rumored that another wellknown Hawke’s Bay stock and statior firm have decided to reduce then staff. Several members have been giver a month’s notice.

Telephones will come to hand at the rate of 1000 a month after January tc relieve the. existing acute shortage in the Dominion.

It is reported that, owing to the heavy losses of benzine through theft principally at flag stations, the Railway Department is now having rope nets to cover th«e trucks, the tie rope being sealed.

The Auckland Star: “A devoted swain when asked to explain at the Auckland. Magistrate’s Court why he had failed to attend drill, said to Mr. J. E. Wilson, S.M-, ‘I am engaged to a young lady who resides 20 miles out of town. My only chance of seeing her is during the week-end.’ ‘All right,’ said Mr. Wilson, ‘it will cost you 7s court costs.’”

There is a good prospect of Wairoa receiving power -from the Waikaremoana hydro-electric scheme for the coming winter. A letter to this effect has been received from the Minister of Public by the Wairoa. Power Board. All the necessary work is proceeding satisfactorily, and the Power Board is rapidly pushing its scheme of reticulation ahead, so that no delay should result from that quarter.

A plain and fancy-dress dance under the auspices of the East End Reserve Committee was held in the pavilion last night, and drew a good attendance. The voting on the fancy-dress competition resulted in the following being declared the winners: Ladies, Miss 'Vera Gooday (billiards) ; men’s, Mr. F. Porteous (Charlie Chaplin). Music was supplied by Mr. F. Boulton’s orchestra, and was much appreciated. Messrs. W. Goldsworthy, A. Feakins, and A. Williams officiated as M.C.’s. The ladies’ committee in charge of supper arrangements provided a splendid repast, and also had the supper room nicely decorated.

A Levin business man, who has just returned from the Main Trunk district, states that the mills are all worKing full time, but nowhere are there any large stocks of timber, the outputs apparently being absorbed as quickly as they are sawn, showing that there is little, if any, depression in the timber business. Prices are, however, a little easier, and it is expected that there will be a reduction in wages of the mill hands after the holidays. An English circular to hand by mail states that at present Germany is the chief buyer of raw material. This is considered to *be due to the cheaper labor and less conversion cos. ■. in Germany as compared with conditions iu England. This causes orders to be placed in Germany which formerly went to Bradford. There is, however, the other point df view, namely, that increasing trade in Germany should ultimately effect the rate of exchange, and with appreciation of the mark Bradford firms will again be able to compete successfully in most markets.

It is understood that the Dunedin firm which has an interest in the Campbell Islands has been successful in securing a steamer to make a trip to these lonely outposts to bring back the men eipployed in mustering and shearing there, together with a quantity of wool. It was hoped to bring the men back several months ago, but considerable difficulty was experienced in securing a suitable vessel to make the trip. The arrangements now made involve the charter of one) of the Union Company’s steamers laid up at Port Chalmers to make the trip to the islands. Negotiations are almost completed, and it is expected that she will sail from Port Chalmers about the end of this week. A fine example of that spirit of generous comradeship, so characteristic of colonials, was shown recently in a country settlement in Hawke’s Bay (states the Tribune). One of the settlers had a most unfortunate run of bad luckWhile his wife was lying seriously ill in the hospital his home was burned down, and he and his children were left without shelter. It was then that the neighboring settlers came to the rescue. They provided all the labor for a new house, and subscribed sufficient money to enable him to pay his wife’s hospital expenses and provide for the comfort of his little ones. Such practical charity cannot be over-praised, for it represents in the. truest sense “tne milk of human kindness.”

It is stated that Christchurch hotelkeepers have reversed their decision to charge 8d a pint for beer for sales over the counter. From Monday beer was to be sold over the counter at the old price, the only difference being that pints will not 'be served. The minimum charge will remain at 4d at the public bar and 6d at a. private bar, but no larger measure will be supplied than the ordinary long glass. By withdrawing the pint-size measure the hotelkeepers hope to save sufficient in quantity to defray the extra duty. What .is a billion? The reply is very simple—a million times a million. This is quickly written and quicker still pronounced. But no man is able to count it. You count IGO or 170 a minute; But let us suppose you go as far as 200, then an hour will pr< • uee 12.000, a day (188,000, and a year of 365 days (for every four years you may rest from counting during leap year) 105,120,000. Let us suppose, now, that Adam at the beginning of his existence had begun to count, had continued to do so, and was counting still, he would not even now, according to the usually-supposed age of our globe, have counted near enough. To count a billion he would require 9512 years 3 days 5 hours and 20 minutes, according to the above rule. Now, supposing we were to allow the pool counter 12 hours daily for rest, eating, and sleeping, he would need 19,024 years G 9 days 10 hours and 40 minutes.

Some highly-interesting information has been brought back to New Zealand by Mr. T. U. Wells,. M A., the New Zealand representative at the recent Imperial Conference of Teachers, which was held at Toronto (states the Auckland Star). Speaking generally, Mr. Wells said the thing that struck him most forcibly in both Canada and America was the complete lack of uniformity manifest in education, for there, is no national system as we understand it in either country. In Canada each province has its separate system, and even within the province there is not by any means uniformity. In the States the differences are even more marked. In both countries expenditure on education is mainly a matter for the locality. and lw was astonished to see how willingly a progressive community would tax itself for this purpose. A town of about the size of Dunedin, tor instance, had raised and spent one loan of £8'50,006, and was preparing to raise another loan for a similar amount. Almost side by side with these progressive districts were to be found others where the schools were old ana in rur«-l distriots utterly poor*

The Auckland City Council has rejected a proposal to establish a municipal milking herd, of cows, to ensure a pure milk supply for infanta. It is expected that the view soap factory at the Waingawa freezing works will be ready to commence operations early in the new year.

“This man had 40 shirts for a sixmonths’ trip,” remarked counsel in a Supreme Court case at Wellington. “Forty-seven!” said the person in question, unperturbed. The statement was recently published in Australia that the postage to England and other Dominions would probably be increased at the beginning of the year from 2|d to sd. The Post-master-General in reply to a question said he would make a statement regarding the rumor in a few days. As far as can be gathered there is no likelihood of such an increase in so far as New Zealand is concerned.

The manner in which the Japanese Government displays the attractions of Japan to strangers was placed before the Auckland Chamber of Commerce by Mr. Th. de Schryver as a model that might well be followed by New Zealand. The correspondent forwarded two profusely illustrated and well-written guide books wihch are issued by the Japanese Government Railways Department free of cost, remarking that our Railways and Tourist Departments might take advantage of this scheme of advertisement. “The two Departments mentioned have a gold mine at their very doors, but practically nothing is done to dig up the gold,” commented Mr. de Schryver. Give an enterprising Canadian or American railway man a free hand in this country and he would soon treble and quadruple the income of the Dominion from thie tourist traffic.” Proceeding to make practical suggestions, he stated the railway rolling-stock would have t© be modernised and made comfortable, with parlor and observation cars and improved catering. Accommodation at the scenic spots should be improved, and those places should be made easily accesible by railway. “New Zealand haw in its limited area all the wonders of scenery of Europe and America combined, and with travelling made easy and comfortable it would draw thousands against the hundreds now visiting the Dominion,” added the writer, who concluded by stating that his letter was inspired at disgust at finding the despised yellow man being so much more enterprising than New Zealand administrators.

Notice is elsewhere given that Mre. T. D. Bradford has taken over the Ngamotu Palladium tea rooms for the summer season, and will cater for all patrons.

The furniture now showing at Webster 8r0..’, Devon Street, ie certainly a great credit to its manufacturers, the S. S. Williams Co., Ltd., of Wellington. The delicate finish of the, bedroom suites in maple is certainly the “last word” in furniture refinement.