LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Melbourne cable received last night stated that the city was experiencing a heat wave, the temperature being 100 degrees.

Two men were charged in the Police Court at Auckland on Monday with attempted suicide. Both were convicted and discharged.

A cable from Sydney states that the cruiser Melbourne, sailed from Sydney tor New Zealand yesterday. The Melbourne will visit Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Port Chalmers.

The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new cottage hospital at Opunake will take place on Friday, 27th inst., this date having been fixed by the Taranaki Hospital Board at yesterday’s meeting, in response to a communication from the Egmont Nursing Association.

The restrictions on the payment of subsidies on voluntary contributions received by school committees were referred to Mr. S. G. Smith. M.P., in the House last night (telegraphs our correspondent). Mr. Smith hoped nothing would be done to remove the incentive to efforts for the beautification of school sniTOundings.

“We're having a lot of resignations. Mr. Chairman: what is the cause?” enquired Mr. S. Vickers at yesterday’s meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board, when letters from three members of the stall’, who wished to relinquish their positions, were read. Mr. M. Fraser, the chairman, replied that it was quite right that members of the staff who had completed their training at New Plymouth should take better positions elsewhere if the opportunity offered. He remarked, for the information of members, that throe nurses formerly at New Plymouth now occupied important positions in Auckland and Rotorua, and it was a fine recommendation that such was the case.

While in the South Island recently Captain L. Macintosh Ellis, Director of the State Forest Service, spent some time at the Hanmer Plains plantations a forest which was laid out twenty-fjr-.’e years ago, and in which the trees were now between 50ft. and 60ft. in height. Captain Ellis stated that this was one of the most valuable plantations in New Zealand to-day, and a look-out station, commanding the whole area, had been established to guard agiinst danger from fires. The man in charge of the look-out station sat at a table with a map of the whole plantation before him. On the first appearar.c? ot smoko he communicated with headquar tors by telephone, giving the exact locality of the outbreak, and men were promptly dispatched on horseback to suppress the fire before it got a hold on the forest. The observation station at Hanmer was the first of its kind to be used in New Zealand, but it was intended to instal similar stations in all .the state foreijs.

“He is doing his duty to his country in one way if not in another,” commented the Magistrate at the Stratford Court yesterday when it was stated that a man. against whom a judgment summons was applied for had a family of twelve.

In the House yesterday, Mr. Massey said the suggestion that a daily bulletin giving the prices of meat should be issued was worthy of consideration and he would see the head of the Agricultural Department as to whether such a step could be taken. —Press Assn. “Why do the people in this country allow people to get this kind of credit the way they do?” asked Mr. A. M. Mowleni, S.M., at the Stratford Court yesterday, when application was made for a judgment summons against a man who already had three or four judgments against him. For the month of December the Eltham Dairy Company received 7,619,344 lbs of milk, representing 293,3081 bs buter-fat. The figures for the six months ending December 31, 1921, as compared with those for the corresponding period of the previous year show an increase in milk supplied of no less than 6,759,-794-lbs, representing 284,6131bs butterfat.

,f What has all the talk about the meat pool done?” said Mr. J. A. Nash. M.?., to a Standard reporter. “It has had this effect: Already the price of lamb has an upward tendency and competition is keen among buyers. One well-known Manawatu farmer three weeks ago sold a draft of fat wethers for Us per head, and he has since effected sales at 15s. That is what the meat pool has done already,” Mr. Nash concluded. The officials of the Wanganui Education Board who are on a visit to Taranaki yesterday morning made an inspection of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School and later proceeded to the Waitara and Urenui districts, visiting the schools en route. To-day the party, comprising Messrs. W. A. Collins (chairman), W. H. Swanger (secretary), and E. H Hodge (architect), will pay a visit io the Stratford Technical School on the return journey to Wanganui.

A communication was read at yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board from the Minister of Public Health, the Hon. C. J. Parr, stating that owing to the prolongation of the session he had been unable to visit New Plymouth to officially open the nurses’ home. The chairman of the board (Mr. M. Fraser) reported that as the building was not yet ready to be taken over by the board the quesion could be deferred. It was decided to leave the matter to the house committee.

The question of superannuation for hospital nurses was mentioned in the Legislative Council .yesterday. Replying to a question Sir Francis Bell said that if the financial position improved the Government hoped to introduce a superannuation schema for the benefit of all hospital employees.—Press Assn.