LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 March 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An English and American mail is due at New Plymouth to-night. To enable persons to reply’ by the mail closing at 6.15 a.m. on Monday, the 6th inst., an over-counter delivery of letters will be made between 8.45 and 9.45 to-night.

A further remand for a week was granted by Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M., in the New Plymouth Court yesterday in the case of H. T. Allen, who was charged with breaches of the Gaming Act. Bail was renewed in the same sureties as previously fixed. The trial of the case will probably be proceeded with next week.

Evidence of the progress of the, hydro works is to ’be seen at the present time on the vacant land opposite the station. The contractors for the pipe line; are delivering some big pipes, which look more like steamer funnels. They are in lengths of 20 feet and 4ft Gin diameter. They are being delivered on the site by motor lorries, two making a load.

The private gardens, “Brooklands” and “Maranui,” will be open to the public to-morrow. The Tourist and ’Expansion League has arranged with Mr. Archibald to run his motor ’bus during the afternoon from the corner of Eliot and Devon Streets, commencing at 2 o’clock, thus enabling visitors to proceed to or return from the gardens, a convenience which should be appreciated. The Wellington City Council on Thursday night discussed the housing Question and eventually adopted the Public Health Committee’s recommendation, granting the request of the Public Works Department to be allowed to construct three pairs of semi-detached buildings at Miramar, tfnder the Dorlonco system, with Bft. stud, instead of the 9ft. required by the by-law. It was pointed out that this was an experiment whereby it was hoped to show that such buildings could be constructed more cheaply than under the present system.

The reflection of a big fire in the dilection of Inglewood was seen in New Plymouth at one o’clock this morning, and the sky was lit up for about half-an-hour, the reflection gradually decreasing. As far as could be ascertained the scene of the fire was somewhere in the neighborhood of Sentry Hill, but up to the time when the News went t,o ’ press no definite information could be gathered.

The present sessions of the Supreme Court at New Plymouth have up to the present extended over sixteen sitting days, during which time there has been a large volume of business to cope with At yesterday’s sitting it was intimated tKat further business would occupy the Court up till about Tuesday next, the principal case being Newton King v. the ship C. S. Holmes, which is to be commenced on Monday. His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman said he desired to proceed with the business as fast as possible, as he had to return to Wanganui to dear up other cases. He hoped to be able to leave New Plymouth by Thursday. At the last monthly meeting of the Central School Committee the headmaster (Mr. H. A. Stratford) reported that the average attendance since the reopening of the school had been 598, and that the present roll was 634; in February, 1921, the roll number was 600. The average number in each standard is 77.6. The chairman (Mr. S. G. Smith) was empowered to make enquiries regarding a proposal to hold a railway excursion and school picnic at an early date. It was decided that the congrarulatione of the committee be extended to Master K. Guiszning, who was awarded first prize for an essay on the “The Merchant Service in the Great War,” held under the auspices of the Wellington Navy League and open to all the primary schools in the. Dominion. A special meeting of the committee is to 'l>e held at the school today to go into the question of ground improvements.

Webster Bros, notify that they have a direct shipment of basic slag arriving by the S.S. Makalla in May or June. The slag is the highest grade so far obtainable, and having only a very limited quantity now available, early application should be made to them.

Farmers realise the need for economising these days, when the price of butter-fat is rather on the low side. For the latter reason it is also necessary that as much intensive cultivation as possible should be carried out. In order to do this economically it will pay to visit the Hawera Machinery Exchange, Nelson Street, when requiring implements, as the Exchange carries good stocks of all classes of machinery and implements, and is always prepared to buy, sell or exchange.

The Minister for Public Works (the Hon. J. G. Coates) wrote to the Clifton County Council yesterday acknowledging receipt of the council’s notification of the damage done by the recent cloudburst on the Main Road between Urenui and Uruti. The Minister stated that the representations made would receive careful consideration. A Uruti settler wrote to the Clifton County Council yesterday asking to be allowed to pay the equivalent of his rates in heavy totara bridge timber, as he was finable to pay in cash, having recently incurred heavy expenses. It was decided to notify the settler that the council could not agree with his request.

In forwarding a cheque for his rates for the year a settler wrote to the Clifton Council yesterday: “This is a tidy little nest egg. I don’t mind paying if I get a fair spin for my money. The ‘duck-pond’ on the Wai-iti Road is a disgrace to all concerned. I would like to know why your engineer persistently refuses to take the very bad corner—which is a perfect death-trap—-from the deviation. A fearful accident was only missed by a scrape last week. If the work is not attended to at once I shall do the work myself and charge the council/’ The council decided to take no action.

“Prospects appear to be brightening,” said a well-known estate agent to a representative of the Wanganui Chronicle the other day. “There are more inquiries than there were a couple of months back, and a few properties are changing hands. But the price tendency is progressing steadily downwards. For example, a good place for which £l2O •per acre was offered before the slump is now on the market at £7o—a clear drop of £5O per acre. Another one of the best farming properties I know of is down from £2B to £l7 per acre. The same tendency, though in perhaps somewhat less degree, is noticeable in connection with town property.”

Reference to the work of Ratana is contained in the Maori Missions report presented to the Methodist Conference on Saturday. “Most of our staff have been able to turn the spiritual influence of Ratana’s work to good account,” states the superintendent, the Rev. A. J. Seamer. “He is a son of our Church, and although not in full membership with us ’he has very rightly looked to us for advice and assistance, and we have not failed trim. Our silence regarding Ratana’s work has been part of a carefully considered policy. The executive has received much confidential information, and has heartily supported the policy followed. No. Church has been as closely and consistently in touch with the movement, or done as much to keep it on the right lines as our own. But powerful influences of an unsatisfactory type have been at work, and the real test of strength has yet to coms.”

Have events justified the engineers in taking the railway over the Rimutaka Range into the Wairarapa? This point was discussed by Mr. F. W. Mac Lean, Chief Engineer, New Zealand Railways, in the course of an address to the Society of Uivil Engineers. He stated that as an example of railway engineering the work had been subjected to much adverse criticism. “Over 40 years have elapsed,” he said, “since the Rimutaka railway was constructed, and a deviation of the railwy has -been the subject of much discussion and correspondence, and of extensive investigations, but so far it does not seem -to have been possible to arrive at any decision. From the investigations made in 1899. the slter.natives to the present route appear to be by way of the precipitous Tauherenikau Gorge, or by another route involving a tunnel over 3| miles in length. That a heavy traffic should have been carried over the Rimutaka Incline, with the original engines, for a period of over forty years, seems to afford justification for the decision arrived at in the selection of the incline scheme, and in the design of the work.” Tn recognition of “an extraordinary engineering achievement with great public service,” the. American Society of Mechanical Engineers has conferred the highest honor it can -bestow —its gold medal—on Hjalmar C. Carlson, a sheet metal worker, of Worcester (Mass.). During the war the War Department was worried by the problem of getting out in sufficient quantity drawn steel “booster casings.” The booster casing gets its name from being a casing for the or primary detonating charge in a shell. Carlson’s invention made it possible to turn out 30,000,000 shells with a capital expenditure of only £40.000, and the employment of only 300 men. when largo ’manufacturers, each with a staff of many hundreds of men, were occupied in France in producing the same quantity of shells in the same period of time. Particulars of La mason’s sale of poultry, fruit and sundries, to be held at Stratford to-day, are advertised in our auction columns.

Messrs. Snelling and Andrews advertise in this issue particulars of a motor car trip to Napier on Monday next. ■Early application is essential.

A remarkable exhibit will be on view at the showgrounds next week. It is the petrified body of a young aboriginal woman. It was found in the limestone eaves near Narracoorte, South Australia, and is in a perfect state of preservation. When found it was in a mound and so well was it preserved that tiie wounds which originally caused death are still plainly visible.

It is not often that high grade boots and shoes can bo secured at such reduced prices as Dockrill’s are now quoting, and our readers will wise to secure this firm’s footwekr, as it is noted for its style, quality, durability and comfort.

The Rev. J. P. Perkins, a deputation from the British and Foreign Bible Society, London, will give an address in St. Andrew’s Hall on Monday evening, at 8 o’clock. All interested in the advancement of this great association are cordially invited to be present.

“Fairy Wonder” washing powder once displaces all other compounds.

‘“Fairy” is so simple to use and such a great labor saver that it has been described as the great emancipator of wash-tub slavery. “Fairy” certainly does most of the heavy part of 1 washing quite unaided, and for that reason, alone merits the high position it has attained. All grocers stock it.

The Melbourne. Limited’s great Stocktaking Sale is attracting greater numbers of buyers than during the opening week. This is not difficult to understand, as the public, is fast realising that the huge reductions made on staple lines cannot be continued one minute longer than the scheduled sale period.

Railway arrangements in connection with the New Plymouth A. and P. Show are advertised in this issue.

Newton King, Ltd., advertise the cancellation of next Rahotu sale on account of Thursday being People’s Day at the New Plymouth Show.

On Monday, at 2 p.m., L. A. Nolan & C. will submit to auction the balance of unredeemed pledges on account of the Waitemata Co., Auckland.