LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 April 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-morrow (Anzac Day) will be observed as a close holiday. There will be no newspapers, no traffic on the railways, and no postal delivery.

Meetings of householders in the Taranaki Education district for the election of school committees in tne respective districts, will be held to-night.

The contemplated erection of a further number of workers’ homes in New Plymouth under the Government scheme is reported, about seven houses to be erected at Fitzroy and a similar number on the Veale estate property.

Another outbreak of fire occurred at Eltham in the cordial factory owned by Mr. Riley at ILIS on Friday evening (writes our correspondent). It was extinguished before any material damage was done.

The Taranaki County Council have received forty applications for the position of inspector, the enquiries coining from all parts of the province. At a 'meeting of the council on Saturday the plumber was narrowed down to four for consideration on the 26th inst.

Advice was received by the New Ply mouth police last night from the Stratford station that a young man named Stanton, who resides at Mangorei, sustained somewhat severe injuries through a mishap while motoring and that he had been admitted to the Stratford Hospital. Cliurch services which will be held in New Plymouth to-morrow include the unveiling of a roll of honor in the afternoon at St. Andrew’s, in memory of the men connected with the church who made the supreme sacrifice. At St Mary’s Church there will be a celebration" of Holy Communion at 8 a.m. and. also a short evening service at 7.30, when Archdeacon Evans will give an address.

Reference was made to communications with the Ohura and the Main Trunk district by Mr. W. P. Kirkwood at the farewell function tendered to him at Stratford on Friday night. He said that nothing else was as important to Stratford as the linking up of the Main Trunk-Stratford railway, but in the meantime a good road should be built and a subsidised motor service instituted, which would induce a large volume of traffic to take that route.

The Department of Industries and Commerce wrote to Saturday’s meeting of the Stratford County Council stating that it was alleged that local bodies, in m/iking arrangements for supplies, especially of iron work, do not give due'consideration to New Zealand products. The department asked the council to furnish a statement showing to what extent iron work supplies were purchased from local manufacturers and from outside the Dominion. The clerk was instructed to supply the required information.

j The question of straying stock was i discussed by the Stratford County i Council on Saturday. The ranger re--1 ported that during the month he had | found 45 head of stock on the roads. He asked the council’s attitude regarding the herding of cattle on the roads. I Some discussion took place on the legal j position of people herding stock on the roads, doubt being expressed ass to the ; value of a prosecution as the offender usually had the excuse that he was driving the stock to a definite destinaj tion. It was decided to instruct the ranger to report any cases about which

I A military funeral was accorded Mr. I James Watson, the victim of the Pariitutu quarry accident, yesterday. The Fourth Battalion Band was in attendance, whilst a firing party was pro vid* ed by a body of returned soldiers. A large number of the deceased’s comrades ■followed the cortege to the To Henui cemetery to pay a last tribute to him. Mr. Hoover, the United States Secretary of Commerce, is reported to have stated that nearly two million men and women who would otherwise have been without work are employed today in the United States owing to proposals made by the recent conference on employment summoned by President Harding.

“The runholders about the Haast and that part of South Westland.” said Mr. T. E. Y. Seddon. M.P.. after his recent trip, “are now beginning to complain that the deer have become so numerous that in six or seven years they will have eaten out/ fhe feed from the forests which previously afforded sustenance to herds of cattle. Unless something is done the deer are going to be a serious menace.”

Messrs. Henry Gudde and M. Berjse left Sydney a few days ago with tne object of circumnavigating Australia on bicycles. The two machines were joined together by a steel framework, and the equipment is carried between them on this framework. After returning to Sydney, the two adventurers propose to explore China on the same machine.

In various parts of the world there are deposits of shale oil from which it is possible to distil oil on a commercial basis. An improvement on the usual proceses has just been introduced by a British engineer. The shale is powdered and heated until it is just about to give off vapour. It is then mixed in a retort with hot sand, which thus raises it to the temperature required for complete carbonisation, but does not raise it beyond the point at which all the volatile constituents will be_ distilled off. Tests made of this process show that no clinkering of the material takes place.

References to the commemoration of Anzac Day made at the Whiteley Memorial Churcll last night, when the hymns and anthems were appropriate to the spirit of Anzac. The preacher, the Rev. W. J. Elliott, remarked that Anzac Day was at hand and it was another reminder, if such were needed, that the real effects of the war were with us still. Vacant places were in almost every land. They remembered with profound gratitude and pardonable pride the eagerness of the men to respond to the call of the Empire, and their hearts would throb with sympathy for those who had suffered bereavement. Maimed men had still to discover an effective way of making a living for themselves and their dependents, and the people were in honor bound to help I them. The many eyeless and limbless I workers presented a pathetic spectacle of the havoc wrought by war. The time of its glorification by the Christian Church had well nigh past and all efforts should be directed to bring in a •warless world.

Proof of the popularity of community singing was afforded at the Wellington Town Xlall during the lunch hour on Wednesday, when a gathering took place which must be unique in the history of the building. The two former “sings” were held at the Concert Chamber, and on each occasion the hall proved much too small fo seat all who attended. On Wednesday on account of the chamber being booked, the weekly midday “sing” was held in the main hall, which has seating accommodation for 2600 people, and the big auditorium was filled in every quarter, including the tiers in front of the organ. Some hundreds of people were obliged to stand around the walls. It was estimated by the. custodian that quite four thousand people passed in and out of the hall during the hour.

A member of the News’ staff had. conclusive proof of the value of shelter trees on farms demonstrated to him recently, when he visited, a farm the owner of which had for years been systematically growing shelter trees. The difference in the conditions was most marked. Outside it was cold and lioisterous; inside the tree belts there was warmth and tranquility. The cattle were grazing contentedly, whilst on the next place, in the bare paddocks with no shelter, the cows were pucked up and looking the picture of misery. The farmer with the trees estimates that the protection and warmth given by the trees represents 20 to 25 per cent, of an increase in hie butter-fat production. In addition, the trees supply him with all his posts and rails and firewood. The growing of the trees he regards as the best investment he ever made.

An inquest was aeld at New Plymouth on Saturday by Mr. A. M. MowJem, S.M. (coroner), concerning the death of James Watson, who met with a fatal accident at the New Plymouth Harbor Board’s Paritutu quarry on Thursday night. Evidence for the police was led by Senior-Sergt. McCrorie, and Mr. M. Paul, of Wai'hi, Inspector of Mines, represented the Mines Department. Mr. R. H. Quilliam represented the Harbor Board and Mr. C. H. Croker watched proceedings on behalf of the widow. Mr. J. Lyons represented the General Laborers’ Union. After hearing the evidence, the coroner expressed the opinion that the occurrence was accidental. The medical testimony. by Dr. Home was to the effect that Watson was in a bad state of collapse after the accident, and the finding was that death was due to shock.

Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Second and Third Groups) are notified that sub scriptions will be due and payable today, Monday, April 24, 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. A first-class programme is being arranged for the concert in aid of the Convent School carnival to be held in the new t<heatre, Opunake, on Thursday next. A dance follows the concert..

A meeting of directors of dairy companies will be held on Wednesday next, in connection with the proposed dairy produce pool. The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., wish to draw clients’ attention to their Tc Wera sale, which they are holding in their Te Wera yards on Friday. April 28, 1922, at 1 p.m. Full particulars of entries will be found on page 8 of this issue.

Chrysanthemum growers are reminded that to-day is the closing day for entries for the Horticultural Society’s show. The secretary will be in attendance at Mr. L. M. Gavey’s shop till |7.30 p.m. to receive late entries. Competitors who desire to keep their blooms should be careful to fill in the necessary form, as otherwise the society desire to sell the blooms.

Details of an exceptionally choice, dairy farm of 45 acres are advertised in this i*sue ; - ~ •