LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

According to a Press message from Auckland the retail price of butter there has been raised, a penny per lb., being now 1/5. A children’s picnic is to be held by the Fitzroy school committee during this month,, and at yesterday’s meeting of the general committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, the Fitzroy executive was granted the use of the showgrounds for the purpose. The Lincoln Road School Committee held its monthly meeting on Monday night, when the usual routine business yvas transacted, and it was decided to join in with Inglewood and the other schools for the annual school excursion to the seaside on Thursday, 23rd inst. “I really think that the birch is an excellent old instrument for keeping a boy in order,” said Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., at the Juvenile Court at Christchurch on Saturday morning. He expressed the opin\pn that not enough use was made of the birch nowadays. There was a somewhat unique quartette of bowlers at one rink; Messrs S. Rundle,* R. Dingle, J. Veale and A. Black, on New Plymouth green yesterday, inasmuch as they were all sons of pioneer settlers in Taranaki who arrived by the Amelia Thompson in 1841, and it is significant of the quality of the stock that they proved too strong for their opponents in the matter of scoring.

Writing in reply to a letter from the engineer of the Clifton County Council. Mr. Ball (resident engineer) stated that it would be six months or more before the department was in a position to supply metal from the Te Wera quarry. The price o be charged for the metal had not definitely been decided and he had referred the matter to his head ' office for a decision and would notify i the council of the same in duo course.

! The New Plymouth Fire Brigade received a call to a fire in the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company’s building in Liardet Street at about 11.30 'last night. The small fire engine was i promptly on the scene, but the use of (the hose proved unnecessary, as the fire was confined to some fuel lying in the boiler-house. The chemical’, extinguisher quickly quenched the flames and no damage was done. A sharemilking dispute, which occupied two sittings of the Opunake Court at the latter end of last year, was concluded in the New Plymouth Court yesterday. The plaintiff, Samuel Brbich, of Puniho, claimed from J. C. O’Rorke. of Opunake, the sum of £63, being, it was stated, his share of factory bonuses during the period of the sharemilking agreement with defendant. The latter counter-claimed for £2OO for damage alleged to have been suffered by him owing to breaches of the agreement committed by Brbich. Mr. Mowlem, S.M., reserved decision, which will be given at Opunake. Mr. R. H. Quilliam appeared for plaintiff and Mr. P. O’Dea for defendant

On all sides local bodies are being inundated with letters from ratepayers •who, owing to the slump, find it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to pay their rates and asking for time or some other concession. The Clifton County Council had a batch yesterday. One man stated that he was hardly able to pay for his groceries, let alone his rates. Others asked to be igven work on the roads, while one correspondent suggested that the date for adding the 10 per cent penalty should be extended from February till March. He pointed out that the wool was, practically unsaleable now and that their sheep -would be sold at the end of February, so that the extension would help farmers considerably. At yesterday’s meeting of the Clifton County Council a resolution was received from the Waimea County Council urging the Government to amend the Rating Act by inserting a clause enabling local bodies to make a rebate of 5 per cent, to all persons payliieir general rates within thirty days from the date on which such rates become due. It was decided to receive the resolution, the chairman stating that it was a matter which had been brought up for years without result. The Government granted rebates on income tax, etc., but would not permit local bodies to do so as regards rates. A councillor considered that this was differentiating as between the rich and the poor.

There was but a poor attendance and oply a small entry for Newton King, Ltd.’s Inglewood mart sale last Saturday, an unusual state of affairs, accounted for by the desire of farmers, during such broken weather as we have been having, to miss no opportunity for getting forward with their farm work; so they stay at home. Also money, as is well known, is by no means plentiful, though had more lots been put forward for sale the attendance would have been much as usual and a good sale have resulted. As it was, prices were satisfactory. Only weaner pigs were submitted, and they sold at 10/6; ducks 1/9, new potatoes Id per lb., apples 3s, per bag. and other sundries at usual rates. —Ingle’yood correspondent.

Preliminary notice of a sale of rare antiquities appears in our auction, columns. Mr. Schapiro who has long been connected with this business is paying New Plymouth a final visit prior to his return to Petrograd. Further particulars will appear later. The annual meeting of New Plymouth Choral Society will be held in Whiteley Hall on Tuesday next at 8 o’clock. A full attendance of active and subscribing members is urged and a cordial invitation to be present is extended to those desirous of joining the society and to all interested in iU work.

A settler of Gladstone (Wairarapa) this week drafted 1800 fat lambs, which were sold at 28s per head. A man who appeared before the Court in Christchurch recently persisted in addressing the Magistrate as “My dear boy.” He later got “dear boy!” According to a message emanating from Detroit, Mr. Henry Ford has reduced the price of farm tractors by 230 dollars, the new price being 395 dollars (roughly £80).

A visitor from Levin stated to a reporter that whilst he was travelling in the South Island he saw a rather unusual aspect of farming near Ashburton, where a light plough was being used, the motive power being supplied by a farmer and his wife in double harness.

Of £lO,OOO spent for advertising, the last thousand will bring many times the returns of the first thousand. That is because of the cumulative effect of this great power which, like a snowball, magically increases as it is kept in motion. And just as the snowball melts in the warm sun, so does the prestige and good will established by advertising vanish when a firm ceases to keep its product before the public.—Business Chat.

A Wanganui resident interested in the grain trade, who paid a recent visit to Hawke’s Bay, states that the heavy rains and gale of last week played havoc with the grain and hay crops.. The standing crops had been flattened down in all directions, and- there was also evidence of smut and rust. He was afraid that the chaff from that coast would not he of nn&h use this season. He also noticed grass growing up through hay which had been left cut in some of the fields. A fair amount of damage has been done to some of the crops in the Rangitikei district, but it is very light compared with Hawke’s Bay.

On the night of Wednesday, January 1, a Ford car was taken by a gang of robbers from Ngaio. Efforts to trace the robbers and car for some time proved in vain. Last Thursday the owner grve a description of the car to the Motor Garage Proprietors’ Association, soliciting the efforts of the organisation to trace the missing motor. Mr. Cousins, the secretary, despatched a circular letter to members of the Association in different towns in the North Island, giving a description of the wanted car. Later he received word that it had been found at Taihape, and handed over to the police there. A final reminder is given of the band recital (including dances on the green) at Kawaroa Park to-night, at 7.45. Another recital will be held at the same place at 2.45 to-morrow afternoon. Collections will be, taken up on behalf of the contest fund, as the Regimental Band leaves for the Wellington Contest on the 11th inst. The contest marching evolutions will be included in to-mor-row’s programme.

Popular opinion is a matter that cannot be trifled with. The public being once convinced that an article is a good lone, will not be put off by accepting any “just as good” substitute.] Thus it is with “Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap, the I well-known’ popular household help. ' Housewives will not accept substi- ! tutes.

An easy way to save money is offered on page four of this issue by Rennie’s, of -the Big Store, Waitara. Housekeepers will rejoice to read that drapery is down to old-time prices, and your money will buy far more than you expected. Special train arrangements in connection with the New Plymouth races are advertised in this issue.