LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 June 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual reunion of the Wellington Mounted Rifles takes place at Palmerston North to-morrow night.

As a result of the increased price of butter on the Home market the retail price in New Plymouth was increased by id per lb. yesterday.

At the invitation of the United Fire Brigades’ Association of New Zealand. Dunedin has accepted the promotion of the next demonstration competition foxearly next year. The Moa Farmers’ Dairy Co. held a meeting regarding the dairy pool on Saturday. They rejected the pool definitely and passed a resolution that they would support a scheme for auction sales to be held in the different dairying centres in New Zealand.

The electrical engineer was instructed at last night’s meeting.of the New Plymouth Borough Council to decline all applications for ’eiectric l power under restricted conditions till a further electrical supply is available, which will probably be in January next. ,

Immigrants numbering 242 arrived in Wellington on Saturday night by the Rimutaka For New Plymouth there were two men, five women, and six children who were nominated by the Government, and six men, four women, and seven children who came out under the Imperial Overseas Settlement Scheme.

Mortgages registered during April in the Dominion amounted to £1,294,20-2. In April, 1920, the total was £4,650,073. and in April, 1921, it was £3,755,804. Mortgages discharged totalled £607,539, compared with £1,354,534 in 1921. There were 9795 mortgages registered in the four months of this year, as compared with 14,993 in the corresponding period of last year, a decrease of 5198, equal to nearly 35 per cent., and the mortgages discharged totalled 4659, against 8687, a decrease of over 86 per cent. A recommendation that a weighbridge should be installed in New Plymouth was made to the New Plymouth Borough Council last night in a letter received from the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce. At the present time, it was pointed out, there are no facilities for obtaining an official certificate of weight except in cases of goods coming through the railway department, in which case importers have no independent means o! checking the department’s weights if they are not satisfied as to their correctness. The matter was referred to a sub-committee for consideration.

“Is New Zealand destined to become a country inhabited solely by lawyers i asks “Mercutio” in the New Zealand Herald. A glance at the results of the last University degree examinations shows that the would-be lawyers not only outnumber the students in • any other branch of higher learning, but almost equal the total of the others put together. And it must not be forgotten that students can qualify to practise law without taking a degree at all. _ too rapid is the multiplication of qualified lawyers that, newcomers into the ranks will no doubt have to content themselves with the reflection that there is always room at the top. That is true of the law as of all other professions, but the rush for the top is liable to become a feverish affair if the present rapid accretions to tliQ ranks continue.”

In reference to the petition which is being circulated in the. Post and Telegraph Service against affiliation with the Alliance of Labor, it was stated, as the result of inquiries, that the new petition was in no sense official. The , opponents of affiliation desire that their i views shall be placed before Parliament, I when the request of the pro-affiliation body is being considered, and accordingly the second petition has been brought forward. Mr. H. E. Combs, secretary of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association, said the statement published was probably an official outline of w’hat had taken place. It still left a lot to explain away, however, before Post and Telegraph employees would be perfectly j satisfied that the petition was not officially fathered by the department itself. Imprisonment for a man using obscene language in the hearing of women and children was the punishment inflicted by Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M., at the Inglewood Magistrate’s Court yesterday. George McDowell pleaded guilty to a charge of .using obscene language in Matai Street, Inglewood. Constable Longbottom said that for about ten minutes accused’s language was “very, very wild,” apparently without cause. The accused said he was “absolutely drunk” and remembered nothing about the incident. In answer to the Magistrate Constable fxnigbottom there were women and children in the vicinity. He added that the case was a bad onein fact it could not be worse. C. Gibbs said Ife was on the scene and heard the language, which he described as vile. He was positive that women and children heard the language. The Magistrate said that had it been a matter between men he would have been inclined to deal more leniently with accused, bad enough as that offence would be, but he would not find any excuse for the use of such language in the presence of women and children. Women had every right to use the street and should not be subjected to such language. Accused was sentenced to fourteen days’ imprisonment.

“The improvement in the number of passengers carried on the Strandon trams is most marked since the inauguration of the new timetable,” remarked the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council.

The hydro-electric survey was mentioned at last night’s meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council. Messrs. Sladden and Palmer notified that they were now engaged on the final report in connection with the survey and hoped to forward their report within a fortnight. In response to advertisements calling upon returned soldiers out of employment to communicate with the secretary of the Palmerston North branch of the R.S.A. with a view to their being temporarily placed under the Poppy Day fund, 77 left their names. Of these 42 are laborers, and the remainder represent all manner of trades and occupations.

The overhead bridge erected by the New Plymouth Harbour Board near the base of the wharf, for the purpose of assisting in construction work in connection with the new wharf, will be inspected by members of the Harbour Board this morning, when it is proposed to run the first truck load of spoil over the bridge.

The estimates for th.e tram route to Westown in continuation of the Morley Street route are in hand, the electrical engineer intimated to the New Plymouth Borough Council last night. It would, however, save him considerable time if a sub-committee of the council went into the question of the route to be adopted. The question of the route will be gone into this week. “You see all kinds of freak clothing on babies,” said Dr. Thacker, M.P., in addressing the meeting of the Plunket Society in Christchurch. “You see thick elastic bands tied round their thighs and bare legs, and socks tied on tightly at the ankles with hard cords, and comforters tied tightly at the % wrist. Don’t have tight constrictions round the legs or arms; they are no good.” A suggestion that first aid boxes be installed at the New Plymouth Borough Cpuncil’s yards, crusher and depot was made by Mr. R. G. Brabyn on behalf of the Workers’ Council in a letter before the council last night. The engineer reported that an outfit had been installed at the abattoirs for some months and that,i, so far as the yard was concerned, he did not think it was necessary so close to the town. The council intimated that it saw no necessity for the provision suggested.

“The point is that the council is not going to pay accounts which are not authorised beforehand,” said the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council, when a letter was received from Archdeacon Evans and Rev. F. G. Harvie, on behalf of the Anzac Day Celebration Committee, stating that they took it for granted that the council, as on previous occasions, would defray the cost (£4 10s) for printing the order of service papers. In conclusion the letter stated that, if the Borough Council persisted in its refusal to pay the account, several patriotic citizens would consider it a privilege to do so. It was resolved to adhere to the previous resolution of the council that the committee be informed that the council could not pay accounts which had not been authorised beforehand, it being pointed out that the Returned Soldiers’ Association was the body liable for the expense. 1

When in Nelson a few days ago, Mr. W. G. Morrison, of the Forestry Department, in an interview with a Mail representative, said: “That every county and city council should have its own forest for future timber supply cannot be denied in view of the trend of modern events. Not only will it prove a profit- ‘ able and lasting investment for the ratepayers’ money, but the time is coming when it will be one of the most, necessary and plea sure-giving adjuncts to a city’s environment. Most councils have, at the present time, quite large reserves vested in city interests, and which are not bringing in adequate returns in their present state, and which, in many ! cases, are overrun by noxious weeds, ■ constituting an eyesore rather than otherwise. Now is the opportunity to j turn them into revenue-producing forests which will stand as a monument to the foresight of the councillors of the pre- | sent day.” Notice of motion to rescind a resolu(tion of the council passed in 1919 in reI ference to the erection of public convenieneies was moved at last flight’s meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council by the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wil- , son). The resolution was one approving of the plans for the erection of the convenienciee in the middle of Brougham Street, the council being of the opinion that their erection would not impede traffic. In explaining his reasons for moving to rescind this resolution Mr. Wilson said he was opposed to the conveniencies being put in the centre of a narrow street, as there was a slight risk ! of accidents to people crossing the road ! from the footpaths. Farther, if a j vehicle got out of control coming down I the hill there should be nothing to ob- ‘ struct it. In reply to a question Mr. ! Wilson said he was in favour of the conveniencies being erected on the side of the street. Cr. Blackball opposed the Mayor’s motion to the effect that the plans be referred back with a view to their being re-designed, whereupon the Mayor gave notice of motion to rescind the previous resolution. ! A gun platform is to' be erected at Kawaroa Park, a tender of £2O for the work by A. Hooker being accepted at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council. The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., will hold a stock sale at Tar > ata on Friday next. Particulars are ad vertised on page 8 of this issue. The sale of Mr. S. J. Sutton’s herd of ! pedigree Jerseys will be held to-morrow. See advt. Newton King, Ltd., draw attention in our auction columns to springing heifer fairs, which they are holding at Stoney River and Rahotu. Grocers and storekeepers will be. consulting their own interests, as well as their clients, if they recommend “Fairy Wonder” dry soap to their customers. There is nothing like selling a good article at a moderate price to build up business. Handling “Fairy Wonder,” both buyer and seller are mutually satisfied. “Fairy” performs all that is claimed for it and more. Cold nights mean extra bed-clothes, and those requiring blankets cannot do better than make their purchases at the Melbourne, Ltd., where only the best colonial makes are stocked. Roslyn, Kaiapoi, Petone, Bruce and Ashburton blankets 35s to 655, according to size. Travelling Rugs from 23/6 to 90/-. Cold feet are impossible with a “Unique” Hot Water Bottle —makes the whole bed warm. Make sure you get only a genuine North British “Unique” 1 Bottle.