LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At its last meeting the Petone Borough Council granted a request for permission to play lawn tennis on the municipal courts on Sunday, the Mayor and one councillor alone opposing the motion.

At Pukcngahu on Saturday morning Constable Townsend arrested a young man named Henry Ernest Lee on a charge of having stolen a pair of shoes, the property of Mr. William O’Neill, from the Central Hotel, Eltham. The accused will be brought before the court this (Monday) morning—Argus. There was a good number of visitors to the East End reserve yesterday afternoon, when the 4th Battalion Wellington Regimental Band gave a recital. The programme of items was appropriately chosen, and a pleasing rendering. of the various numbers was given by the band under the baton of Conductor Lowe. The collection, which will be handed over to the funds of the East End Committee, realised £9.

“Perhaps no institution has helped so much to uplift the masses of mankind as the daily newspaper,” said Mr. R. J. Strong in the course of an address before the Auckland Advertising Club. “It has enlightened them, instructed and by revealing men to men everywhere, has liberated them. The daily newspaper still has a great use to perform in aiding the establishment of the perfect commonwealth.”

Mr. Harold Beauchamp, in his address at, the half-yearly meeting of the Bank of New Zealand, gave an analysis of the amounts paid in income tax by the several classes of contributors, amd it showed that companies contributed 62 per cent, of the total; traders, manufacturers, etc.. 12 l / g per cent.; non-resi-dent traders J / 2 P er cent.; salaried persons, 2% per cent.; professional 2y 4 per cent.; deceased, etc., estates, 3 per cent.; landowners 9% per cent.; miscellaneous 7J per cent.

At the meeting of the Stratford County Council on Saturday the chairman (Mr. E. Walter) referred to the present financial stringency, and advised the council to be very cautious in its expenditure. Settlers might grumble because work was not being aone as quickly as they might desire, but they should blame, hot the engineer by himself. He had asked the engineer to go cautiously, and would continue to do so. He had spoken to the many hardworking settlers—men whom he had known for years —and they had told him that through) no fault of their own they would not be able to pay their rates. The council must only do work which was absolutely necessary until they knew what amount of rates they were going to receive.

At a recent meeting of the Straf ford County Council a resolution was passed asking the Government to remit the duty on cement which is used by local bodies, as their work is really of a national character. The resolution was sent to other county councils, and replies have been received from the following: Matamata, supporting the resolution; Dannevirke, supporting the resolution; Hawke's Bay, taking no action; Fatea, taking no action; Waitotara, supporting the resolution; Makara, supporting the resolution; Waimarino, in sympathy with the resolution; Egmont, supporting the resolution; Horowhenua, agreeing with the resolution. Mr. R. Masters. M.P., wrote enclosing a letter from the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. "W. Downie Stewart) stating that the council’s resolution would receive his consideration. “There is legislation before the House at present which it is necessary to pass into law before we adjourn for the Christmas holidays,” said the Prime Minister when he was asked in the House if he would agree to adjourn on December 21 in order that all members of the House might get home for Christmas. “I would be glad to comply with the wish of members, but the matter does not rest entirely with me. as soon as that legislation is passed I shall be glad to tell honorable members when I propose to take, the adjournment. ” “That sounds like a threat,” remarked the Leader of the Labor Party (Mr. Holland), who had announced during the preceding sitting of the House that his party intended to “exhaust rue forms of the House” in opposing the Finance Bill, which increases the amusement tax and provides for a rebate of the ipeomc tax. Mr. Brandon Holt’s “Robinson Crusoe” pantomime company. which appeared before a largo audience in the Stratford Town Hall on Saturday night, will give another performance this evening. It is an excellent company presenting an enjoyable and highly entertaining version of the well-known book.