LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 January 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The New Plymouth Caledonian Society intend in the near future to form a Highland Pipe Band. Tbey have been fortunate in securing the services of Mr. H. S. Sinclair, for many years a member of the Wairarapa Pipe Band, which was the premier pipe band in the Dominion for some years. Full details of the commencement of a class for beginners will be published at a later date. “I never saw the King Country looking better in all my experience of many years than it was recently when I passed through,” said Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P., yesterday. He added that if money was short Nature was compel sating by providing good grass in plenty.

A resolution winch was passed at a meeting of Fitzroy residents recently, asking that the proposed dissolution of the Fitzroy Fire Brigade be reconsidered, was discussed at a meeting of the New Plymouth Fire Board yesterday. It was decided to forward the resolution on to the Inspector of Fire Brigades, at Wellington, for his consideration. The new proposals for increased amusement tax now include a ievy on agricultural societies, who were previously exempted. This matter was discussed at the meeting of the general committee of the Taranaki Society yesterday and members were at variance on the issue of Whether the tax should be paid by the public or not. Some though that patrons would not mind. “They will either swallow it or stay at. home,” said another. Eventually, decision was deferred. During the discussion it was stated that the tax would probably not affect members’ tickets.

“Some months ago,” writes a correspondent, “Taihape residents were getting their meat at lower prices than prevailed. anywhere else in New Zealand, but prices were raised again until they were probably higher than they were anywhere else. A price-cutting competition is now threatened, as a local farmer, rather than accept Id per lb for his stock., decided to deliver meat at 5d per lb for lamb and 3d per lb for beeff and mutton. The three local butchers threaten to reduce prices to a lower level than the farmer is selling for, and next week the people of Taihape expect to get their meat at a lower price than, that ruling elsewhere in New Zealand. At present the butchers have been selling lamb at lid and beef and mutton at an average of about Sd per lb.” Why New Zealand, rich in coalfields and having possibilities for hydro-elec-tricity, is so expensive in running power for factories and other places of industry is a question' which puzzles Mr. W. McMaster, a large Canadian manufacturer. “Why is your coal so dear?” he asked a Press reporter on Saturday. He said that the Dominion (Canada) Coal Company sent coa l by boat to Montreal for 1000 miles, and in that city its cost was only 25s a ton. This coal was bituminous, and. while not as good as Westport, was quite suitable for the furnaces. Mr. McMaster, speaking with regard to hydro-electric power,.said he had not seen anywhere in Europe or America a country with such potentialities, and he was surprised that New' Zealand had not gone further in harnessing its water power, which was now running to waste. The current from the Canadian electric works, on the Niagara was carried to towns and farms up to 200 miles away.

The West Coasters’ Association advertise in this issue the picnic which is being held at Kawaroa Park to*day.

At Hawera yesterday Edward McMillan, of Normanby, was sentenced to seven days’ hard labor for being drunk and using obscene language on the Ketemarae road on New Year’s Day.

It is definitely announced that the New South Wales Orchestra will give a performance in Hawera on Thursday, January 19. Easier money and a sounder wool market appear to be in prospect for 1922. From cablegrams received from London recently it is 4 to be inferred that the Bank of England discount rate is about to be reduced from 5 to 44 per cent., and that there has been great activity in the investment market. In addition, Bradford and French wool topmakers are reported to be barely able to cope with the demand (for fine wool tops, and the authoritative Yorkshire Post predicts that “we are steadily nearing a sounder condition of affairs generally.” —Evening Post. Discussing the proposed meat pool at a meeting of producers at Hawera on Thursday, Mr. G. V. Pearce said there was no doubt that a pool which could go to the shipping companies and say that it had control of the whole of the meat would be able to make a better bargain than separate companies. If they did not get a pool and the present system continued, he was satisfied that 50 per cent, of the sheep farmers would be in bankruptcy iu a very short time. To arrange the shipping was one of the main things for the pool, not only with regard to freights, but in reducing the time put in at different ports. It was the producers who paid for time lost in this way. He was satisfied there were brokers in London whose systems were antiquated, and the board at Home might do good work in enabling them to select the best brokers. He believed that in shipping, grading, and limiting the amount of lots released in London the pool would do an immense amount of good. He thought it would be a good thing to have a board of, say, three men to advise them not only in’ regard to meat, but dairy produce; but he warned them and the Government that if they tried to kill the brokers in London they would cause a slump here, because the brokers would get their meat elsewhere, and the market, instead of improving, would get worse. Mr. Pearce was appointed to represent the district at the Wellington conference on the 10th inst.