LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The soft goods imported to New Zealand last yeai* were valued at £7,250,000.

The bodies of the victims of the surfing tragedy have not yet been recovered (says a telegram from Greymouth).

If the man who stole the life-line and reel from Grey mouth beach has a conscience there is something on it today.—Dominion.

“I don’t want to hear children,” said Mr. A. M. Mowlem in the New Plymouth Court yesterday. “I don’t think it is a wise thing that they should be brought into court.”

The children of the Opunake public school held their annual picnic at the Ngaere Gardens on Thursday. The weather conditions were perfect, and a very pleasant day was spent.

The ladies’ committee formed in connection with the Taranaki Agricultural Society met yesterday afternoon and discussed preliminary arrangements for the catering at the Society’s show to be held on March 8 and 9.

The value of butter exported from New Zealand in 1921 was £19,368,713, equivalent to over 43 per cent, of the total exports; £44,828,827. This enormqus figure was more than double the corresponding total for 1920.

As showing that keas are still / very numerous in some localities, a bag of 29 of the birds by one settler in the Wairau district was announced a few days ago (says the Marlborowgh Express). The heads were purchased by the Wairau Road Board, which has forwarded the successful hunter a cheque for .£l4 10s.

Mr. C. Paterson, of Kapunl, was very successful with his -ponies at the recent Feilding Show. He scored the following wins: Open jump, Flora I, Bonita 2; pony jump, Flora 1; pony (12 hands and under), Flora 1; harness pony (13 hands and under), Flora 2. In the hunters’ leaping (steeplechase style) Tofua secured second place.

One case called on in the New Plymouth Magistrate’s Court yesterday was dealt with in Very short time. A man named Thomas S. Rolland was charged with deserting from the snip Kia Ora at New Plymouth on July 10, 1921. On behalf of the police SeniorSergeant McCrorie said he had no evidence to offer in this case as the ship had now left. “Dismissed” said Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M.

A proposal that next-of-kin of deceased soldiers should receive certificates of the soldiers’ service similar to the certificates awarded returned men was made in the House on Thursday by Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South). The Minister of Defence (Sir Heaton Rhodes) stated the next-of-kin received what had been thought more appropriate —namely, an illuminated scroll and a bronze memorial plaque. If the House cared to vote another £6OO or £7OO he had no doubt the certificates could be distributed. He wov put the v opes al before Cabinet.

The Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Nosworthy) states that the current season’s wheat of under milling quality must not, when sold by the grower, exceed 2d less per bushel than the equivalent price of Tuscan good milling wheat. Brokers will be entitled to z a penny per bushel in excess of the growers’ iirice with the addition of the cost of transit, while the retail price may allow a margin of not more than 15 per cent, on the broker’s price with the addition of the actual cost of transportation.

A piece, of decayed wood, stated to have been taken from the collapsed wheel of a waggon bought by a farmer from the Defence Department, was produced in the House of Representatives on Thursday by Mr. W. T. Jennings (Waitomo), who wished to know what redress the farmer was going to get. He thought that manufacturers who put inferior materials into military equipment ought to be punished severely. The Minister for Defence replied that he had invited the Imperial authorities tq write down the waggons to a very low price. The farmer concerned was being supplied with a new wheel. The Hon. G. J. Anderson stated in the House of Representatives on Thursday, in reply to a question on the subject, that the Minister for Customs expected to visit Australia during the recess and would discuss with the Australian authorities a reciprocal pensions scheme. An agreement providing for such a scheme had been drafted in 1913 and had been given legislative form by New Zealand in 1914. But Australia, owing to a change of Government, had not yet moved in the matter. Several representations from this end had been made without effect.

In seven years a North Canterbury man gave his wife the magnificent sum of £4 with which to pay household expenses. In. the Rangiora Magistrate’s Court last week the wife's application to have a prohibition order issued against her husband was granted. The applicant stated that she had been married seven years, and during that time her husband had given her £4. All his earnings—when he worked —went in drink. If it had not been for her father and brother keeping her two children she. would have starved. Defendant had been prohibited previously, and convicted for a breach of his order.

The ways of rats were much discussed in the Wanganui Magistrate’s Court on Monday, when two prosecutions were made by the Health Department in an effort to combat the rat nuisance. One statement made was that Wanganui rats were getting so wily that they avoided all traps set for them. The i value of cats as a safeguard likewise entered into the discussion, but the health inspector had but a poor opinion of felines. The average cat, he said, caught a rat, had a game with it, and then went and had a sleep. “Dick Whittington’s cat did better than that,” interposed Mr. T. B. Slipper, who was defending in one of the cases. “Or the Pied Piper,” suggested the magistrate- “ That's the man they want in W anganui,” said Mr. Slipper. For some time past, eaid Mr. Beauchamp at Auckland, there has been a strong agitation on the part of farmers to control their own affairs and thus get rid of the much-maligned middleman. Experience, however, has taught us that, while a man might be a very good farmer he was likely tof meet his Waterloo ‘when he engaged iri commercial pursuits. Several of the co-opera-tive concerns in the Dominion, which no doubt could have made a success of manufacturing butter and cheese, found themselves in troubled waters by having undertaken the sale of merchandise. In carrying on these undertakings, there had been a lack of business management, which ha-d resulted in a less to many such concerns.

A tragic drowning accident occurred it Pyrmont Street wharf. Sydney, the

other day, when Alfred Henry Hasemer was drowned in a cabin of a launch when, she foundered. The little vessel was near the wharf when the A.U.N.S. steamer was pulling out from the opposite wharf. The wash from the propellers of the inter-State boat fluhg the launch against the wharf. She rebounded’ quickly and was under water within a second. A man named Williams was rescued, but Hasemer was washed back into the cabin ‘by the force of the water. The people who looked on had the tragic spectacle of his hand waving frantically from a porthole, which was near the surface when the launch turned over. They did everything possible, but the boat sank quickly. Two men bravely dived in to force an opening into the cabin, (but they failed. Hasemer’s body was recovered in the day. He was a married man with a wife and seven children.

A New York firm of merchants, in a circular to a Palmerston North firm, dated January 2, says:—“The closing of the year finds conditions affecting trade arid " industry irregular but distinctly on the mend. The textile branch, both cotton rind woollen, has probably the best of it and is now fairly busy. The iron and steel mills are but scantily supplied with orders and working at less than one-hajf their capacity. The position of the manufacturers of machine tools as well as small tools of most sorts is i even worse. Leather products are in Moderate demand, although the radical improvement that seemed to be in sight a month or two ago has not been entirely realised. The great automobile industry, after drastic reductions, is slowly working out of the severest depression in its history, and the same may be aid of the rubber goods industry and many lines of automobile accessories.”

Judging by the interest evinced and the number of entries received the swimming carnival to be held at the municipal baths to-night by the New Plymouth Swimming Chib should be an even greater success than the recent meeting. A nice range of boys’ and youths’ gaberdine raincoats is being shown at the Melbourne, Ltd. These coats have been specially imported to fill the requirements of college and high school boys, and are particularly “dressy” as well as being good quality. Prices range from 49/6 to 69/6. The works of art brought here by Mr. J. M. Schapiro are now open to the public for inspection in the Soldiers’ Chib. The auction sale taues place on Wednesday afternoon next at 2 o’clock. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., Stratford, wish to draw clients’ attention to their Stratford sale, which they are holding at their Stratford saleyards on Tuesday, 14 th in st., at 1 p.m. Full particulars of entries will be -found on page 8. No matter how hard the water, “Fairy Wonder'’ Dry Soap will soften it. This new wonderful soap is so quick in action it practically reduces time and la-bor to one-half. Not only does it loosen dirt quickly, but il also bleaches without injury and keeps the clothes a good color. Vou must use it, All gro--"Srs stock it.