LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 May 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Taranaki Daily News will be published as usual on Saturday, King’s Birthday.

Mails which left Auckland on April 25, by the R.M.S. Niagara, via Vancouver, arrived at London on May 28. The price of cement will bg again reduced as from to-morrow by nine shillings a ton.

In the Supreme Court, New Plymouth yesterday. Mr. F. C. Spratt (Hawera), announced that a settlement had been reached in the case of the Farmers’ Co-op. Organisation Society v. Thomas Mercer, a. claim for £290 and interest on the purchase of a motor car.

The Auckland oyster season opens tomorrow. ‘ Reports of the Fisheries Department,” stated the Hon. G. J. Anderson, Minister of Marine, on Monday, “are to the effect that the supply of oysters this year from the beds about Aucklanl, and as far as Whangarei and the Bay cf Islands, is likely to be more plentiful than in previous years. Each year the Department by artificial sowing, is putting down fresh beds, and they are proving a great success.” Reference to the poverty of the unemployed class which exists in some of the cities of England was made to a Manawatu Standard reporter by Mr. T. E. V. Tilworthy, an English commercial traveller who is touring New- Zealand. He said that great distress had existed in Leeds among a large number of mill operatives who were unemployed when he last visited that great centre of industry. “Many of the poor wretches,” he said, “were literally starving —dependent upon charity for a meal—moved or by policemen, buddling on doorsteps or sleeping in old sheds, with’ newspapers for a covering; young men, old men and women and, most appalling sight of all, little bluefaced children, barefooted and pinched with want. In New Zealand you don’t know what the words ‘poverty’ and ‘unemployed’ mean.” Public works were dealt with by the Minister for Public Works, Hon. J. G. Coates, in the course of a speech at Dargaville last week. At the outset he said the Government had made all arrangements in 1920 to show what could be done in quick and complete construction of railways. The policy of concentration was laid down and then the slump came, and they found they had less money while relief works had to be undertaken. It was therefore impossible to carry out complete concentration. The most important thing was to know that the people had sufficient to eat. The Minister submitted figures dealing with the expenditure on railways, showing that £3,41X1,04)0 had been spent on construction work last year as against £1,000,000 odd a year previously. This showed progress and did not reflect parsimony. The Government had made a great endeavor to link up the great centres. He had laid down a policy for each year on these broad lines.

One of the longest lists of applications for relief that has yet come ‘before the Relief Committee of the Auckland Hospital Board occupied its attention at the fortnightly meeting on Thursday. Many of the applications arose out of cases of wife desertion, and some of the cases were pitiful in the extreme. The condition of many of the deserted 'families was shown to be deplorable, their sole source of income being the allowance from the board. Now that work was scarce the husbands thought of no one but themselves, and the suffering caused was not easily described. It was stated that there was a similarity about relief work in all the large centres in the Dominion, and that often the second and third generations applied for aid; it seemed to run in the blood of some families to rely on the bounty of other people for support. “Everyone expects that the boys of this school will faithfully carry on the traditions of the parent school,” said Lord Jellicoe, when opening the new Mount Albert Grammar School. “Tradition is one of the greatest things in a school. Such a great deal depends on those who lay the foundation of a school —a great responsibility is theirs. I would like you boys to start this school with the best traditions of the old Grammar School—emulate them and try and beat them if possible. They will have a great influence on your future life as citizens, and on the future life of the community. Build up character, for it is of the greatest importance, and one of the most important functions of a.school to develop. I do not think that New Zealand boys are lacking in character. It is essential for good citizenship and Empire building. The good work of the pioneers of this country must be an incentive to you. Well did they do their work. You have a grand little country, and it is up to you to develop it in the way they started it.” (Applause.)

“Since I have been in this country 1 have heard a certain amount of complaining in some quarters because the Government has an immigration policy,” said Mr. T. E. V. Tillworthy, an Englishman who was visiting the Dominion, lo a Manawatu Standard reporter. “Especially. in the North Island have I heard expressions of discontent in this respect, and I certainly don’t know what to think of people who talk like that.” he continued. “Coming from the Old Land to your little country I was pleased to find it a progressive colony—much more progressive than people in England think it is. But when I look out of the window in a railway carriage and see miles upon miles of land sparsely settled, I won.ier whv the New Zealander resents the advent of the immigrant. Your country wants more men—-it must have them if it is to develop. Once you let the impression get abroad that the new chum is not wanted —well, immigration will stop. There are other lauds that want men—New Zealand can’t afford to be too independent.”

It was inadvertently stated in yesterday’s issue of the Daily News that a silver-mounted baton had been presented to the New Plymouth Band Contest Committee by the Dresden Piano Co. The name of the firm of donors is the Bristol Piano Co.

Residents of Opunake are reminded of the football dance to be held in the I^o.o*ll to-night.

Captain Brake, who left .Masterton at 10 a.m. on Monday in the biplane “High Jinks,” reached Sockburn aerodrome (Christchurch) at 4.50 p.m., all well.

A deputation of owners of trotting and galloping horses waited on Mr. Massey at Christchurch on Saturday with a request for relief from taxation on winnings, and reduction in railway rates on horses. Mr. Massey said he might as well admit that owners were Very heavily taxed, but he had to find money and he had had to look round for a source of money to make ends meet at the end of the year. At the commencement of the new racing year he would be able to make a statement.

“The most amazing thing to American business men,” says Mr. E. J. Hyams, who has just returned from the United States, “is the manner in which England has recovered herself, and got back, approximately at all events, to the position in 1914, I gathered that the greater number of business men imagined that England was down and out for a long time, if not for all time, and they cannot realise that her prestige is as great, if not greater, than ever it was. I not the slightest doubt that London ‘will become and remain the financial centre of the world. They can’t keep it away from her.”

Investors’ faith in New Zealand was exemplified in. a striking way (writes the London correspondent of The Post, on 21st April). Within nine minutes a sum stated to amount to £8,000,900 was ottered to the Union Bank of Australia as subscriptions to the £293,000 issue of five-and-a-half per cent, debentures by the city of Wellington. Had there been sufficient opportunity this large figure would probably have been doubled or trebled, for hundreds of stockbrokers and others who gathered in a long queue at the bank entrance were unable even to obtain prospectuses on which to make their applications. The bank did not open till ten o clock, and two policemen were needed to keep the eager crowd from rushing the doors. As it was, there was no little disorder, especially when at nine minutes past ten, it was announced that the lists were closed. Two excited investors who succeeded in eluding the police dashed up to the counter and threw their applications and money at the cashier, but they were compelled to take them back. It was essentially a New Zealand day as it marked also the successful underwriting of the new five per cent, loan for £5,000,000 by the Dominion Government.

An unusual incident in connection with Bible-teaching in schools is reported from Rotorua. One morning last week Archdeacon Chatterton and the Rev. Randerson attended the Rotorua public school, where they were met by Mr. Lewins, the headmaster, who formally presented the following protest:. “I herewith protest against the interruption of work in this school during hours set apart by the timetable for secular instruction.” He detailed the instructions given to his teachers, which were, that, after a protest against the intrusion of any member of the committee, they should permit him to proceed with a mole lesson. This was to enable a clear test case of the legality of the proceedings to be set up for decision by the Supreme Court. Archdeacon Chatterton stated, and this statement was endorsed by Mr. Randerson, that they had no desire to interfere with the discipline of the school or to weaken authority, but that they held direct legal authority for their acts as well as a mandate from the parents. The archdeacon then consulted with his colleague, and withdrew. Mr. Randerson entered standard IV. room and gave religious Instructions.

A preliminary announcement of Mr. S. J. Sutton’s sale of grade stock, implements, etc., appears in our auction columns. .

A social and dance in aid of the school funds is to be held in the Mahoe Hall to-morrow (Thursday) evening.