LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-day is the sixth anniversary of the naval battle of Jutland. The general election will be held at the usual time, said Mr. Massey at Christchurch on Saturday. The Prime Minister will deliver a policy speech at Invercargill on Thursday night. . Standing brands of butter have been reduced in. price by Id per lb. by the wholesale butter merchants in Wellington. and as a consequence the retail price of super-grade butter has been reduced from Is 7d to Is Gd per lb. “Your counsel suggests,” said Mr. Justice Chapman to a prisoner in the Wellington Supreme Court, “that receiving is less serious than thieving. I do not agree with that, nor does the Jaw, for it treats the offence rather as more serious than thieving.’ Advice lias been received by Mr. S. G. Smith, New Plymouth, from the Public Works Department, Wellington, that the Minister (Hon. J. G. Coates) had approved of the issue of .€4OO ( £ 1 for £1) for Kirihau Road: £6OO (£1 for £1) for Plymouth Road; and £6OO (£1 for £1) for Te Arei Road. Authority for these amounts is accordingly being issued to the Taranaki County Council.

A little girl aged seven years named Jean Mclndoe met with an accident last week while playing in the Puniho school ground, as the result of which she sustained a complicated fracture of the left arm. Dr. Blackley at once motored out from New Plymouth and attended to the sufferer, who is now progressing favourably.

The opinion that the flax industry of New Zealand was doomed to extinction was advanced by Mr. Donald Grant, a prominent Bay of Plenty farmer. In support of his contention he stated that in his own district hundreds of acres of good flax were being burned off in order to convert the swamps into farming land. On account of the ruinously high freights the millers were not able to offer land owners more than 2s a ton for green flax. With such a small return offering farmers were not going to keep good swamp land for the purpose of growing fibre. The question of the proposal of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association to join the Alliance of Labour was leferred to by the Postmaster-General, Mon. J. G. Coates, at Dargaville last week. Mr. Coates said the Government was quite determined in its attitude not to countenance the union. Referring to remarks in Katipo, he said he certainly took a keen interest in the service, and was fully seized of their difficulties. Any section or man of the service had an open door to him. He regretted that the executive did not always refer, its difficulties to him. .During hi H term as Minister many grievances had been settled, such as annual leave, tellers’ allowance, increments, and other matters. Nothing was too small to put right. If mistakes were made he must see they were not made again. He felt confident that if the association would meet him frankly on all matters many difficulties would be settled without a lot of unnecessary, and sometimes unpleasant, talk.

The action of a certain farmer, who, at a recent show, had misrepresented a pig by blackening its white ear, resulting in the association disqualifying the offender for two years, was before a meeting of the Egmont A. and P. Association on Saturday. The president mentioned that previous to the show the exhibitor in question had been offered a substantial sum for the animal providing it was first “shown.” Not being a pig breeder, the man considered that his pig was too valuable to have in one s.icin, so he decided to close on the bargain. Now, as the result of misrepresentation, the offender had been disqualified by the New Plymouth, Stratford, and Wanganui A. and P. Associations for two years, and the Egmont Association was asked to take similar action. New Plymouth, however, had considered the measure to be a little too stringent. It was decided to endorse , the action of the Stratford A. and P. Association, and also the views which the New Plymouth Association had expressed on the matter. The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co.. Ltd., wish to draw clients’ attention to their Matau Sale which they arc hol-.i-iim in their .Matau Yards on Friday, 2nd June, at 1 p.m. Full particulars of entries will be found on page eight of this issue.

Why not, for safety’s sake, try “Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap? You pay oounds for household drapery, but only a few pence for washing powder. To save a penny or two in soap you risk the pounds paid for drapery. Then you call that economy. Now, “Fairy Wonder” has proved itself the safest and best, as well as the cheapest in the end. Use it and see for yourself.

Men’s heavy, warm coloniiel twieed overcoats are marked down as low as 79/6 at the Melbourne Ltd. These coats were £6 12s 6d last season, and the new price therefore represents a reduction of fully 40 per cent. These coats are in dark greys and browns, double breasted and suitable either for motoring or walking.

Forty applications were received by the New Plymouth Borough Council for the position of tramway ticket clerk. This number was narrowed down to three, from which the final appointment was made last night. The successful applicant was Mr. A. R. Mitchell, Carrington Road. In answer to a number of requests for power for heating and lighting, the New Plymouth Borough Council decided, at last night’s meeting that no -arther connections be made until the available power supply is increased.

“I know from personal experience that parents who go into the backblocks and raise a family are most seriously handicapped—they are not getting a fair share of things,” said Mr. A. D. McLeod, at Carterton, on Friday night. “We •hear on all sides the cry of ‘Go on the land,’ but little encouragement is given in the matter of education to the family of the man or woman who remained away from the towns.”

The Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister for Education, was invited in Christchurch to comment on Educational Report No. 13. concerning the use of alcohol, regarding which a deputation from the Moderate League waited on him in Wellington a few days ago. “I drafted a reply to the Moderate League that will knock them silly,” said the Minister, who promised to make his reply as soon as it. was completed.

A circular letter from the Gore Borough Council read at last night’s meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council souglit support for the following resolution: “'J*hat all the amusement taxes collected in the district be paid over to the local body of that district or town board as the ease may be.” The council decided not to support the proposal.

The general holiday spirit and the prevalence of games on Sunday was commented upon by the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, in a cable message published yesterday. Gn being asked last night for an expression of opinion on this subject, the Moderator

of the Presbyterian General Assembly of New Zealand (Rt. Rev. D. Dutton, F.’R.A.S.), who is visiting New Plymouth, said the matter had been frequently before the General Assembly in this country and was considered at the last meeting, it being generally felt that Sabbath desecration was on the increase in New Zealand.

Plans and specifications for public conveniencies in Brougham .Street New Plymouth, were placed before the Borough Council at last night’s meeting by vhe engineer (Mr. W. H. Cook). Consideration was deferred until the next meeting to enable councillors to acquaint themselves with the plan and the proposals contained in the specifications. In reply to the Mayor the engineer said the plans were designed for the erection of the •eonveniertcies in the middle of the street. The Mayor said this was a question which would have to be settled. He did not favor putting the structure in the middle of what was a narrow street.

For charity’s sake, Mrs. Wilson, J.P., entered a cage of lions in Sydney recently. Her object was to assist an appeal on behalf of St- Margaret’s hospital for babies. A large iron cage was erected on the stage at Wirth's Circus, and four lions were placed in it. Then Mrs. Wilson walked timidly in. Her entrance appeared to puzzle the lions. One hopped off his stool and growled, but a crack from the trainer’s whip sept him back again. Mrs. Wilson walked round the cage, and as she passed the lions they turned their backs. They seemed to be quite relieved when Airs. Wilson left the cage. So was Mrs. Wilson!

Speaking at last night’s meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council, the Mayor (Air. F. E. Wilson) said apparently some comment had been made on the fact that neither he nor Mr. Bellringer (the general manager) had at first noticed the conditions attaching to the land which had been asked for as a site for a war memorial. Mr. Wilson said no trust was shown on the title, and it was only when the Act was turned up that the conditions were discovered. The Mayor’s explanation arose through the reading of a letter from the District Land Registrar, in which the Council was asked to surrender the title to the land in question for the purposes of having it amended.

The driver of a gun carriage at a military funeral in New Plymouth recently has" written to the Nev Plymouth Borough Council with reference to the report that he had rendered an account for £1 for his services. The writer (a borough employee) says the report was not quite correct. His letter read at last night’s meeting of the council, stated the amount mentioned was put. on to his time-sheet as he was instructed to do on previous occasions by the engineei‘ personally for Sunday military funerals, and the amounts were paid as his time-sheets would show. As this matter had caused considerable public comment he thought it was fair to bring out the real facts. The council decided to reply stating there was no intention of casting any reflection on the driver.

“I should like it to be publicly known that the hotelkeepers in Wellington, subject, of course, to advice from the police, have done their very best to discourage female drinking,” said Mr. W. B. Ylcllveney. Inspector of Police of Wellington, to a Times’ representative on Saturday. “As a matter of fact, out of forty-seven hotels in Wellington, there are now only three which will supply women with liquor, even for consumption off the premises. Further, no woman has been discovered on the premises of any hotel while the worse for liquor. As I am speaking by the book, for 1 have at my hand a record, extending over the past three years, of constant visits made by constables to every hotel in Wellington at all hours of the Jay and night. And I could show you time and time again an instance where no women at all have been found upon the premises.”

In a paragraph in yesterday s issue, relating to the visit of the Taranaki Education Board party to the Wanganui district, the name of the architect (Mr. C. H. Moore) was omitted from the names of the representatives. As Air. Moore is directly interested in the building of new schools in Taranaki, he was greatly interested in the details of the buildings in the Wanganui district.

Special lines just opened at C. C. Ward’s three stores: Warm fleecy bloomers, fine knit, only 4/11 pair, o.s. size 5/6 (grey only); large warm cotton vests 1/11. each, extra large and heavy 2/11 each. A new shipment of the famous Botany wool cashmere hose, 2/11; fleecy cot blankets, 30 x 40in., 2/3 each; 54in." Doctor flannel for frocks and costumes, nigger, maroon and. bottle, only 6/11 yard.