LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The New Plymouth Central School children are to be given an excursion outing to Hawera on Thursday. next. A recent regulation by the Postal Department provides that correspondence addressed with initials, figures, now de plume and the like, care of a post office, will not be delivered.

A man named J. Neilson, while working on a contract for the Stratford County Council at Huinga the other day, was kicked in the face by a horse, and now lies in the Stratford Hospital suffering from severe facial abrasions.

A reduction, of 10 per cent, in the salaries of the councillors .and office staff of the Eitham County Council was decided on at Saturday’s meeting. This reduction will also apply to travelling expenses, but does not affect the council’s ordinary employees’ wages, which were reduced some time ago.

“One of the biggest curses we have in this country is the men who gamble in land,” said Mr. W . A. lorns, at the meeting of the executive of the Wairarapa Farmers’ Union. Several members signified their cordial approval of these sentiments.

The famous Taieri Plain (Otago), once noted for its productiveness, is now a dreary-looking spot whereat has been continuously flooded of late years (says an exchange). Weeds galore—thistles, docks and other noxious plants flourish on every hand, and good crops are few and far between.

Advance payments for dairy produce supplied to factories of the South Auckland Dairy Association during. February have been fixed as follows: Cheese, lid per lb; butter, superfine 9d, first grade B*d, second grade 6Jd; dried milk, lOd, fess cartage. Cheese is therefore down Id on last month’s payments.

A Dodge car, valued at £5OO, and the property of the Prisons Department, was stolen from a Government garage at Wellington some time on Thursday night. The car, a biack-painted five-seater, about two and a half years old, was in excellent running order.

The New Plymouth High School cricket team, who played a match with the Wanganui Collegiate School on Thursday and Friday, returned home by the mail train on Saturday night. A large number cf their school fellows turned out to congratulate them on their win, and the team were given a very hearty reception. “How do you managed td maintain a wife, yourself and five children on £2 per week?” was the question put by counsel to a witness at the Auckland Police Court. The reply was: “We have to do it somehow.” The witness explained that he was an absolute teetotaller and did not bet on races. lawyer said that under the circumstances he would not ask for any order against the debtor.

A girl was found by a milkman at about five o’clock one morning ’ist week sleeping in her night attire on , the kerb of the pavement of Mason’s Avenue, Herne Bay (Auckland). She was taken to a house close at hand, and put to bed. When she recovered consciousness it was discovered that she had walked in her sleep from her home, a distance of about a quarter of a mile. The girl was afterwards taken home, apparently none the worse for her experience.

The concert in Pukekura Park on Saturday night, which had been arranged by the New Plymouth Sports Ground Committee, was an attraction for a large number of people. A delightful programme was made up of vocal and instrumental items and /band selections, and the audience manifested their pleasure by heartily applauding the singers and musicians. The result of the concert from the promoters’ viewpoint was entirely satisfactory, the receipts amounting to about £4O.

The Ohura district rqll of honor is a particularly fine piece of work, and was greatly admired by the visiting Chamber of Commerce members last week. It is situated in the Ohura County Council Chambers, and bears testimony to the wonderful war effort made by such a scattered district, containing, as it does, 287 names of the men of the district who served abroad, of whom fifty paid the supreme sacrifice.

The Eitham Borough Council notified the Eitham County Council on Saturday that a breach of the traffic by-laws had been committed by the county council in not registering certain vehicles owned by the council. Proceedings would be withheld, however, if the council took immediate steps to obtain a license. The Borough Council also notified that a subcommittee had been set up to go into the matter of heavy traffic by-laws, and it was desired that a joint conference should be held. The chairman took exception to the tone of the letter, but it was decided to set up a committee to meet the borough committee and report to the council.

The New Plymouth Borough employees held their second annual picnic at the Meeting of the Waters reserve on Saturday. The men, with their wives and children, made up a party of over 100, and they left town by motor lorry about half-past nine in the morning. At the picnicking grounds a very enjoyable time was spent, games being organised for the children, and sports held for the adults. The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) and the borough general manager were visitors to the reserve during the afternoon. The return trip to town was made by six o’clock.

The latest in tooth pastes. Pyorrhoea Tooth Paste—a wonderful soothing cooling and most refreshing paste. Post free 2/-, from H. J. Abram, “Mail Order” Chemist, New Plymouth.

Spotlessly clean windows denote a clean home. B BRIGHT Window Polish, if applied with a damp sponge, is most economical, does not leave smudges, and is also an excellent silver-plate polish.

No, fewer than 27 bankruptcies in the Hamilton district were administered during the past twelve months (states the Waikato Times). Of these bankruptcies 18 were farmers, while .several farm laborers were included, the remainder being tradesmen and business men. The Hamilton district covers a wide area, stretching from Mercer to Te Kuiti and as far east as Rotorua.

The great occasion of Princess Mary’s wedding did not go uncelebrated in at least one part of Auckland (says an exchange), one hotel marking the historic social event by instituting, between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m., that popular function “free beer.” Needless to say, the celebration was immediately popular, and the health of the bridal couple toasted freely. • “Bli-me,” one man was heard to remark afterwards, in deep chagrin, “and 1 never Heard about it till one minute to six.”

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Stratford Football Club, Mr. D. J. Malone, who is president of the Taranaki Rugby Union, said he wished to disabuse the minds of those people who held the idea that the union had a tremendous lot of funds. Certainly they had more now than previously, as in past years they had none at all (Laughter) and had worked on an overdraft. The present position was due largely to the visit of the Springboks and the boom in the game, but their revenue was small compared to other unions, notably in Otago, where the figures he had been supplied with showed a remarkable increase in the gate-money. Taranaki had a few hundred pounds to the good, but he reminded them that the union was sending a team on tour through the South Island this season, and the expense of that trip would soon* eat up their present balance. / To overcome the noise from the tramway traffic in Cathedral Square, which almost prevents members of the Christchurch Tramway Board hearing each other speak at meetings of the board, the experiment has been made of double-glassing the windows of the board room. At the last meeting a decided improvement in the direction of lessened noise was noted. The test conditions were not, however, normal, as, owing to the track relaying work in the square there was not the usual amount of tram traffic in the vicinity of the board’s offices. Under normal conditions it is believed that the experiment will prove to be a solution of the noise difficulty.

The practice of transferring school teachers from one school to another has been condemned by the Petone High School Committee. The chairman, Mr. M. O. Silbery, remarked that frequent changing of teachers was no good to the pupils, and tended to impair their efficiency. It was noticeable that they no sooner procured the services of a good teacher than she was transferred elsewhere. He moved that the Wellington Education Board be notified that the committee strongly objected to this practice, as it was doing no good and would have an influence, no doubt, upon the attendances. Another speaker said that apparently the Education Board was violating its own rules, which stated that no teacher should be transferred for at least twelve months after commencing with a school. The motion was carried. “There was a time when I could consider the fact that a man had several children,” remarked Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court, when dealing with an action brought to recover possession of a tenement. “Now the hardship clause is removed and I have no power in that direction. When a tenant is in arrears the landlord is entitled to an order.” The defendant, who had three children, stated that he did not know when he would be able to rent another house. “Children are a great bar to getting a house anywhere,” he added. The British /Association of Headmasters recently discussed the question of the value of examinations as a test of capacity to profit by the privilege of entrance to .secondary schools. One speaker said that though examinations were necessary as a test for capacity to profit, they were extremely misleading taken by themselves. For example,, he had a small boy in his school who would, he was convinced, be a great man. His form-master had come to him and said: “What can you do with a boy who comes to school with a shilling pocketknife, swaps it immediately for a halfcrown torch, and finishes up by exchanging the torch for a half-guinea fountain Sen?” It could not be said that the boy ad no capacity to profit—but he did not believe he would pass any examination.

Members and friends of the Okato Football Club are reminded that the annual meeting will be held to-morrow night, in the Okato Hall. Our readers are reminded that the Melbourne Clothing Co.’s Great Sale has only another week to run, positively ending on Saturday, March 18. The sale has been a signal success, confirming the firm’s earlier statement that the bargains offered were practically irresistible. “Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap still forges ahead as the premier yaa'hing powder and household help. There is hardly a house now in Taranaki where the popular compound is not used. “Fairy” makes and keeps the clothes a good color at half the cost of time and labor of old methods. Don’t forget to order "Fairy” from your grocer or storekeeper. They al) stock it.

Ladies! Here’s your last chance! Rennie’s Salq has ended. This is Halfprice Remnant Week. You never had such , a chance for bargains in costumes, blouses and. skirts. The early bird catches! You know— , Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Second and Third' Groups) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable today, Monday, March 13, at the Secretary’s Office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.—Advt.

“Am 72 and never expected* to get cured, but yours is a sure cure.” Booklet free to sufferers. Dominion Rheumatic Cure Proprietary, Hellaby’s Buildings, Auckland.