LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The New Plymouth secretary for Dr. Barnardo’s Hornes collection wishes to thank the ladies who so kindly collected for and all who assisted the fund. The homes will benefit to the extent of £144 15s. which amount has been forwarded to London. The Opunake Electric Power Board accepted the tender of Boving and Co., Ltd., for a 220-h.p. turbine of British make at £1155. This price includes all the accessories in connection with the machine, as a guarantee of efficiency. —Tinies. A conference between the New Zealand Workers’ Union, the Minister of Public Works, and officers of the Public Works Department to discuss the making a new agreement covering construction workers in the employ of the department, has been finally fixed for June 19. Tn outlining a new territorial /train* ing scheme before the Stratford Chamber of Commerce on. Tuesday night. Warrant Officer Rowe said that before the war the ammunition required for the trainees cost £28,000 a year, whereas the cost now amounted to £lOO,OOO. “If this country is going to have a good backbone it must come from the farming community,” declared Mr. J. Caughley, director of education, at the meeting at Mount Eden, Auckland. Mr. Caughley was emphasising the importance of a fair percentage of lads taking up a course of agriculture, and devoting themselves to the country life of farming pursuits. The fact that the number <5-f men engaged on public works in Taranaki is to be increased was mentioned by the Hon. G. J. Anderson (Minister for Labor) at the opening of the winter show at New Plymouth yesterday. The Minister said that 561 men were at present on public works (railways, roads, etc.) in Taranaki, and the Government proposed to increase this number to 1623 in the near future. He also stated [ that it was intended to build more . workers’ homes here. “Were it not for the annual meeting of the licensing committee there would probably not be the annual clean-up at the hotels,” said Mr. A. M. Mowlem. S.M., at yesterday’s meeting of the Stratford Licensing Committee. Without disparaging the hotels in the district, he would like to ppint out that they were inferior to those even in the backblocks of Otago. - It had been brought to the knowledge of the committee that trading after hours and trading with youths was going on, and the committee desired that a warning should be issued that the committee views with considerable anxiety that this sort of thing was allowed, and they expected the licensees to take the hint and the warning and do their best to keep their trade as clear from these two matters as possible. Generally the conduct of the houses in the district was good, and the committee desired to congratulate the licensees on their efforts to efficiently carry out the law. The spirit of optimism animating the British race was the subject of some remarks at an Auckland Rotary Club luncheon by Chaplain-Captain James Wilson, M.L.A., of Sydney, who incidentally told a little story, illustrating the spirit that carried the British forces to victory. He said he had noticed that in New Zealand we had the spirit of optimism which was so much needed throughout the world. He was with the troops on the Marne, and had. seen men carrying children to safety with the gentleness o-f women and fighting for them like fiends. He would i not like to say that the British troops ; were braver than the Germans or even , the French, but he would say » they I were always braver for a quarter of ! an hour longer than anybody else. He had occasion to speak to one “Tommy ’ ; who had come out of the trenches of the Marne after ten days of unbelievable horror. When asked what it was like jn the trenches, the soldier replied, “Just like hell, sir,,” and in reply to a further question as to how the boys were getting on in it, he said with a grin, ‘‘Oh, just tip-top, sir.” “After that,” said the speaker, “I had some doubts as to whether I should not change my theology.” The Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister for Public Works) spent some ten days in the backblocks and in meeting country settlers, i while in the North Auckland district reccntly. The Minister has returned with j cheering reports of the state of the conn- I try, and particularly of the spirit in which I the settlers are meeting their difficulties. I Everywhere he stated that he found a disposition to meet problems with a cheerful spirit. Among the returned soldiers this was especially the case. The men there have their trials, as in other parts of New Zealand, but they are not downhearted, and they do not exaggerate their troubles. One settlement, where there are about forty-four returned soldiers, was judged by the Minister to be the most cheering that he had seen. For the convenience of passengers from Waitara to Uruti and return, Mr. C. 11. Johnston intends running a special service under an entirely new time-table. The service will commence as from Monday next, June 12. Full particulars are advertised elsewhere. Webster Bros, advertise a sale of 200 sacks of prime table potatoes, which will be offered at auction to-morrow, at 1 o’clock. Entries for next Urenixi sale are advwtuod-

The oil industry in New Plymouth was referred to by the Hon. G. J. Anderson (Minister for Mines) when speaking at the. winter show yesterday. Fie said he could tell them how much oil they were producing. (Laughter). When people laughed at the idea they did not have the faith of the miner. He believed there would have been a successful oil-field in Taranaki at present if boring had stopped when oil was struck about 2000 or 2606 feet down instead of looking after distant fields and boring further. Faith, capi- , tai, perseverence, and scientific men I who understood the work were needed. Several subjects of interest and importance to ex-service men will be threshed out at the annual parliament of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, to be held in Wellington this week. The business to be discussed will include important matters relating to the policy of the organisation in regard to land settlement, pensions, repatriation and unemployment. A large number of remits have been forwarded from the affiliated associations for consid- ' oration, and towards the end of the Dominion conference the annual report and bal-ance-sheet, which have been prepared in booklet form as a comprehensive record of the work of the year, will be discussed. A Highways Conference, to discuss proposals for constructing and maintaining the main arterial roads of the Dominion, opened at Wellington yesterday. In addition to the Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister for Public Work) and the officers of his department, the conference comprises representatives of the Counties’ Association, the Municipal Association, the Good Roads Association, and the Automobile Association. It is understood that there will be no fixed agenda for the meeting, as it is not desired to hamper the various bodies represented in their consideration of the question. The Minister will, however, have information and proposals to place before the delegates if they desire to proceed to consideration of the subject in this manner. At the commencement, it is intended to hold the conference privately, as in this way it is thought that greater progress will be made than if all phases of the opening stage had to be settled in public. Ladies will bp interested in the special notice which Messrs. McGruer and Co. advertise on the front page of this icisue. The Melbourne, Ltd., Are showing the finest lot of men’s ready to wear suits since 'before the Great War. Prices are extremely moderate, and show a drop of at least 50 per cent, on those ruling for similar goods eight months ago. Suit buyers are* now sure of obtaining genuine value for their money. A comparative trial of all the washing powders on the market will result in a veritable triumph for “Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap, the queen of household helps. It cuts time, labor and expense in half, and, moreover, is a positive pleasure to use. Obtainable at all stores.