LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 January 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The influence of Ratana upon the Native mind was evidenced by the fact that hundreds 'of Maoris who usually patronise the Manawatu races were absent from the recent meteing.

An allegation, was made during the hearing of a case in the Supreme Court, Wellington (says the N.Z. Times) that a lawyer had received money from two parties, and it is possible that the matter will be a subject of inquiry by the Law Society.

Mr. T. R. Blyth has just completed his thirtieth ascent of Mount Ruapehu, a Dominion record. In gathering data he has ascertained that the crater lake is no warmer than in former years, the temperature being 75deg. Fahr. This will come as a fact to scientists. The lake at one time was consistently decreasing in temperature. —Press Assn. Says the Aupkland Star: In the children’s ward at the hospital there is a little fellow who was sent in because a rat had bitten him on the nose when he was sleeping. The boy’s face became much swollen and the child had what is called rat fever. Cases of rat bite amongst children are not uncommon, and the effects may develop into a serious malady if not taken in time. The war-sloop Laburnum, which has been appointed to the New Zealand station, is now three days out from Aden and is due at Colombo on January 9. After coaling and provisioning at that ‘port she will sail on January 14 and coal at Singapore, Batavia, and Thursday Island. In order to obviate the risk of plague' infection Commander Hotham has ordered her not to call at Brisbane and Sydney, as her itinerary provides for, but to coal at Noumea. The Laburnum is" a sister ship to the Veronica.

A student of bird life who resides in. the south end of the city, stated, in conversation with a Dunedin Daily Times reporter, that a pair of blackbirds which had built their nest in a tree fence in his -garden early this spring had put up a rather unique record. He had carefully watched the birds, and had made the surprising discovery that no fewer than three broods of young had been reared in the same nest. The cock bird, Which was easily recognisable, had taken a very active part in the care and rearing of the young ones.

The gross takings at the picnic and dance at the East End Reserve on Monday were about £llB, of which £5O was paid for admission. The competition for a pen-painted table centre was won by Miss Williams. The weightguessing competitions were won as follows: Lamb (9511 b R. Allen, guessed actual weight; sheep (15811 b A. R. Blanchard, guessed 15Silb., Competitions were won as follows: Boxes of chocolates, D. A. Williams (Inglewood) and Miss C. Spence; engraving (value £5), W. Worn.

“In San Francisco,” said Mf. Yardley, a, returned Aucklander, “you never know when you are going to be stuck up. There are hold-ups nearly every day in broad daylight. They tell you to hold your hands up, and if you don’t they don’t hesitate to shoot; you don’t get two warnings. The very day that we arrived in San Francisco there were seven mdtor cars held up at the point of the revolver, and the valuables of the occupants taken. Wha/tever the original cause of these outrages, my own opinion is that the authorities don’t deal severely enough with crime in tjhat country.” A man who is wedded to a hobby must beware of divorcing his fad and taking a real partner. So a Chicago man said who was devoted to the concertina. “For thirty-five years,” he told the judge of the domestic relations court, “I was happy with my concertina, and then a friend said he would get me a wife if I would give him the musicbox. I took him up. Judge for two weeks I’ve had that wife, by name Sophie. I can’t stand it any. longer. My concertina was worth a dozen women. I could shut it up when I wanted to.” “I am sorry for you,” said the judge, “but a trade’s a trade. You’ll have to do the best you can with your Sophie.” Trade in New Plymouth during the holidays was quite satisfactory. Some businesses report the Christmas week trade to be as good as last year’s, which was a record, whilst others state that though they had as many customers as in 1920 the purchases- were much smaller. One unusual feature was the virtual stoppage of purchasing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the public seemingly having spent during the week before the money they had available, whilst last year the shops took considerable money on these days. The fruit shops report business to have been duller than usual, but this can be accounted for by the big increase in the cost of most fruit, which is now rapidly becoming a luxury. It is not that the shopkeepers are making excessive pro fits, for they are not; the fruit is burdened with heavy charges of handling and transportation before it reaches them. The public therefore are forced to pay heavy prices and the fruiterers are doing considerably less business.

A collision between a motor car and a tram occurred in St. Aubyn Street on Monday night at a point between Dawson and Weymouth Streets, and resulted in the admission to hospital of the occupants of the car, Mr. M. T. Priest, of New Plymouth, and Miss Earp, of Vogeltown. The injuries from which both wexje suffering had been caused by glass from the broken wind-screen. Mr. Priest received a cut on the right temple and was reported yesterday to be in a satisfactory state. Miss Earp, who received a shaking and some minor cuts and abrasions, was able to proceed to her home after receiving medical treatment. When the tram was at Weymouth Street Motorspan Dacy noticed a car coming towards him along the ,traqk, and sounded the gong. The oncoming vehicle, however, kept to its course and he applied the brakes, bringing the car to a standstill promptly. The other driver apparently did not observe the tram approaching until it was too late to avoid a collision, and though lie pulled off sharply the two vehicles struck almost head on. The front of the tram car was considerably damaged by the impact, though the motorman escaped injury. The motor car was also badly damaged, the forepart being buckled and the wheels smashed.

Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Second and Third Groups) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable today, January 4, at the Secretary’s Office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m„ and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.—Advt. Create an atmosphere of Nazol about you, so that you constantly inhale it. It is undoubtedly good for coughs, colds, sore throats, eta

An Eltham resident had several pounds sterling “lifted” from his hip pocket at the Stratford race meeting on Monday.

The holidays ended for most people yesterday, when a beautiful summer's day made outdoor amusements and the attractions of the seaside particularly pleasant. The shops will open to-day, and many other businesses will resume, though many offices do not re-open till next week.

Light-fingered gentry were reporred to be responsible for several losses of pocket-books and money at the »Stratford races on Monday (says the Post). One man lost his Post Office Savings Bank book and about £l2 in notes, anotlier lost £6, a third £2B, while the biggest haul amounted to £5O. The thefts were stated to have occurred when the crowd were sheltering -from the rain in the grandstand. One of the victims has a suspicion, of a woman who cuddled up closely for shelter.

A camp meeting of Seventh Day Adventists opens on the New Plymouth racecourse to-day, and it is expected that between three and four hundred persons will be assembled. Tents and marquees for the accommodation of visitors have been erected for some days. A party of about two hundred, comprising men, women nnd children from various parts of the North Island, arrived in New Plymouth by the mail train last night, and a further number is expected by the boat from Onehunga this morning.

Victoria, as Lord Northcliffe has perceived, wants men and money—the latter to prepare the way for the former (says the London Times). So long as her finances are wisely managed, the capital will be forthcoming from London. We have but one word of advice to offer, and that is «not to use loan moneys borrowed here to pay for material and employment in other countries. There are times when it is not always best to buy in the cheapest markets, and we are living in them. "We understand,” says the Church News, “that one clergyman of this diocese has written to the Registrar-Gen-eral, refusing to enter the certificate of divorce in his church marriage register; we understand, also, t>hat no action has been taken beyond a request to send back the voucher to Wellington to be filed. So this law was to be a dead letter. The Bishop of Nelson stated at the refresher course that he would rather go- to gaol than make the entry.”

The Auckland Star of W T ednesday says:—Tne position at the moment of the market as to ham, bacon and butter is somewhat indefinite, but people dealing with these commodities are agreed that prices to the consmuer will show a decided drop wit-han a few days. Already ham is being retailed locally at threepence -per pound less than was the ruling price last week, and a progressive decline in the prices of bacon and butter is anticipated. It seems almost certain that a drop in the price of butter will be announced next week.

A young elephant is as playful as a kitten, according to an article in Collier’s. It is a far nicer pet than a kitten,” the writer goes on, “for it is wore careful of injury to its play-fellows. Anna May, a ten-year-old elephant much used in the moving pictures, will lie down over a baby, taking the tenderest care not to hurt it.” Some of the animal actors in the movies are jealous as to their baby associates, it seems. Mary, a chimpanzee, who works in a Los Angeles studio, “delights' in dressing and undressing babies, and handles them with tender care. A scene was enacted where Mary was supposed to purloin a baby, and then return it to the mother, who was lying in bed. Mary took the baby and returned it, but the mother thought the baby ought to be covered better and raised one arm to do it. What Mary thought no one knows, bult she promptly bit that extended arm.” The future of the Maoris as a race ivas a subject upon which varying opinions were expressed at the Native School Teachers’ Conference, states the Auckland Herald. Mr. G. M. Henderson, inspector of Native schools, said that, in his opinion, the Maori race would in time be inevitably absorbed with the white race, educationally and otherwise. The idea that Maoris would for all time remain a separate race from the Europeans would be dangerous should the Maori population increase rapidly, though he did not think this development likely. If such a contingency did occur New Zealand might be faced with a race problem like that in America. He did not believe the Native race would die out, but expressed the opinion that it would eventually be absorbed with the Europeans under the best conditions. It was, therefore, very desirable to lead the Maoris to ideals similar to those of the pakehas. The president (Mr. C. T. McFarlane) said he was opposed to the idea that the absorption of the two races in New Zealand should be made an aim. He believed they should strive all they could to make good Maoris and not indifferent pakehas. “What,” he asked, “have we learned in the past regarding inter-marrying? As being closely connected with the Maoris, can we say it is in the best interests of the Maori people? I say, no.” With many years’ experience of the Maoris, he declared he had seen no good result of inter-marriage.

“I reckon the three hardest-worked man in the Empire,” said Brother George Sheat, of Canterbury, at L-he Foresters’ triennial dinner at Wellington the other week, when the Governor-General was the guest of honor, “are Lloyd George, Billie Hughes and Bill Massey. I wouldn’t have their jobs for all (he tea in China and a. thousand a year chucked in. I heard a couple of working men the other day discussing tilings, and you would have thought that they could reconstruct the Empire in two acts. They thought His Excellency could do his part of the job at £2OOO a year, and if the Prime Minister couldn’t do his for £lOOO they were prepared themselves to take it on for less. Now, neither of these men had enough brains to run one of my hen roosts, if I gave them the wheat for nothing. If I’d had a gramaphone record of what they said Mr. Massey would have paid me £lOOO for it. Never in the annals of New Zealand has a Cabinet had such a, trying time as the present Cabinet is 1 having now. We recognise tha/t. That is why I paid my land tax of £l4O Is Id without a growl.” (Laughter and applause).