LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Large numbers of fat cattle are at present being railed from the Manawatu to the Auckland district. The price that is being paid for bullocks for home consumption ranges from 15s to 17s 6d per lOOlbs. It is stated that many of the ships leaving England for New Zealand are only one-third full and there is a prospect of other ships being laid up. The balance-sheet in connection with the recent Auckland Winter Show discloses a credit balance of £2603 9/5 The expenditure totalled £3503 10/6, and the receipts £6106 19/11. It is reported from West Australia that, despite the fact that the artificial culture of pearls is not allowed, pearlers declare that 10,000 mi nature pear la have been received at • Broome from Japan as the basis of pearl culture. As a result of complaints by various councillors as to the unfairness of differentiating between the three ridings in the striking of rates, it was decided at Saturday's meeting of the Hawera County Council to strike the same general rate of Ijd in the £ al! over the county.

In the course of the gold-producer®’ deputation to Ministers at Wellington last Thursday. Mr. J. Horn, M.P. for Wakatipu, said that be believed that in the near future, when with the development of hydro-electricity they would be able to get water for sluicing and power for crushing, we could get millions a year in gold, not from the alluvial flats, but from the hilltops of New Zealand. •

The New Plymouth fire brigade were summoned to the racecourse at about 10.30 yesterday morning 1 , a small outbreak of fire having occurred in the outside grandstand. By the time the brigade liad arrived, however, the fire had been quenched. Some footballers were having a practice at the time and had changed at. the grandstand. There was an accumulation of paper lying around, and it is presumed that a match or cigarette, dropped in this paper, caused the outbreak. The damage done was practically negligible.

“To most people.” remarked Mr. B. O’Connell, in his lecture to the Palmerston Philosophical Society, “the telephone is only a place to talk into, and to hold to your ear. As a matter of fact 201 separate parts are needed to make one telephone, not including the dial. This complexity calls for an accuracy in construction comparable with that demanded by the finest watch. Remarkable precision is necessary, because your telephone must catch a most elusive thing—the subtle difference in inflection of the human voice.” A Palmerston North authority on the i questions of. Maori history, character, ! customs and" language assures the “Manawatu Times” that although the old time Maoris . were an estimable people, there was no sentiment or praeti ice among them which could be accounti ed as “gratitude.” He points to the | proofs as being in the three circumstances mentioned here. There is no such word in their language. When making a present they invariably expect to receive one of equal value. Their laws and habits being communal, . mutual service is regarded a® a matter j of duty. I “I think this county is maintaining ■ too high a standard,” said Or. C. Hawken at the meeting of the Hawera : County Council on Saturday, while dis- | cussing the estimates. He said in many I other counties the main streets in the towns were not better than the Hawera County’s ordinary roads. Although they wanted to maintain this standard, the ratepayers could not stand the expense, and he thought they would have to reduce. Cr. Dunlop said he was afraid that the use of too much tar had been running the county into debt. He thought many of the roads could’ be more economically made with ordinary metal. Cr. Hawken said he would like to see a practical test of the respective merits of the two methods. It was agreed that the tar saved money on the roads which carried heavy traffic. Of late there has been something of a slump in the property market at Dunedin, but, according to information gathered by a “Daily Tinies” reporter the übiquitous and energetic agent has taken a new lease of life within the past few days. House properties have made a sudden move upward in sympathy with the increased demand, but yet this is not very marked. The case of some places in the course of erection in one of the suburbs affords an illustration of the tendency. Similar buildings completed within the last few weeks were sold at £950, but the demand was good enough to warrant those responsible for the venture in raising the price for the houses still to be completed by £35, and all have been <old well ahead. Dearer properties, which have been something of a drug on the market, are also meeting with a much more ready sale. Ships have carried cows before now in order to ensure a supply of fresh milk and some carry frozen milk for the run; but the condensed article is popular with the commissariat, but not appreciated by passengers so much, as

Hie milk fresh from the cow (says.the Evening Post). The latest thing in milk supply on hoard ship is the emulsifier. It is used in the preparation of the cream milk powder for making liquid milk. The steamers of the Ne.w Zealand Shipping Company are trying it. A start was made with a. small experimental equipment and was so successful that big capacity plants are now being installed and the .result is said by experts to be an. unqualified success. Unless one know what it was beforehand, it is said that the emulsified article is difficult to tell from fresh milk, and, besides cream can be o.vtracted from it in the process. The trials given have been so successful, it is said, that the great problem of fresh milk on ships is solved, and that tins new treatment of milk in powdered form may presently be adopted on shore to mitigate, if not to prevent the occasional difficulties experienced in obtaining fresh milk regularly and of satisfactory quality.

We have to acknowledge receipt of . £2 for the Starring Russians Fund from “Sympathiser.” On Wednesday, at the Workers’ Social Hall, Webster Bros, are selling on account or Mr. IT. J. Castles, a quantity of useful house furniture and sundries. Particulars will be seen in our auction columns. It pays to preserve eggs with Sharland’s “Moa” Brand Egg Preservative. Last year £300,000 worth of eggs were preserved with it. You try it this year. ( That nasty Cough with thick mucous can be cured by Nazol.

“If 1 were to pack all the starving Almenian children at one table it would have to be twenty-four miles Jong.” So said Dr. Wirt, of the Armenian Relief Commission, at Wellington.

The influence of the foxtrot on the appearance of women’s feet is more noticeable every day, even with the gradually lengthening skirt (says the London Times). Anyone who has an eye for a neat ankle has seen that the younger women are walking as if about to dance. They put their feet down with the sliding motion of the favourite step, and have lost the tapping movement that was the smart walk in quick waltz days. Feet seem to have lengthened and grown more pointed to l suit the new dances.

“A fine example of returning good for evil is that of Bishop Selwyn and the noble revenge he took upon the Melanesians for their murder of Bishop Patteson,” said the Rev. J. Lamb Harvey in the course of a sermon at St. Andrew’s (Presbyterian) Church, Auckland (reports the New Zealand Herald). In October, 1-871, the mission schooner Southern Cross arrived at Kohimarama with the news that Bishop Patteson had been burnt to death, while seated in a native hut on the island of Nukapu, and that in rescuing his body, another missionary and a native helper had been shot by poisoned arrows and had died after dreadful sufferings three days later. Auckland was sorrow-stricken by the news, and none more deeply than Bishop Selwyn, who had been instrumental in sending Patteson forth. He resolved that h\s murder must be avenged. What he did was to send his own son to continue the martyred bishop’s work and win bis murderers for Christ. That was the spirit which had changed Melansia.

During the past ten years there has been a good demand for hemp from the United States, and on the strength of this prices advanced to £25 life f.o.'b. for high point, and some business was done at the figure. As a matter’ or tact millers (says an exchange) were able to quit a good deal of their July-August-Sep-tember output. The demand has apparently been fully met, for no further offers have been received since, and prices have receded considerably. On the London marxeb hemp .is worth odly £23 f.ojb. New Zealand ports, and the price would have fallen to that figure, that is to say business would probably have been done at the price, but for the fact that millers are for the moment independent of the market, having made sales to American buyers. Efforts are being made to improve the quality of the fibre v.’hich, according to users has not been up to standard for some time past.

Not long ago a big passenger ship was coming to New Zealand with a full complement of passengers. The voyage was a most enjoyable, one, and there was much fun and dancing on board. One highly cultured man, however, preferred his books and his pipe, and could not be induced to join in the gaiety.x The •voyage was drawing' to a close, and it was decided to hold one big fancy dress ball as a final effort. Every one on the ship was supposed toi foe taking part except the staid M.A., who was given up as impossible. All unknown to the others except the barber on the ship, he decided to be present as an Orinetal. He had hardly ever been in a ballroom in his life, and could not dance, but as an .’Eastern character he could throw his lege about and make himself funny. He got shaved in a suitable way to play the character a® well as possible, and throughout the whole evening he was much sought after, being mistaken for one of the good-look-ing young engineers of the who was on duty. Girls gripped his hand, sometimes gave him a squeeze, and one ■was bold enough to sit on his knee. He enjoyed’ it all and played his part well. Some daring ones, thinking he was still in his favorite place in the smoke room, decided to serenade him, but of course when they went for that purpose he could not’ foe found, and it was thought he had gone to his cabin to get away from the noise, while in reality he was right in the thick of it. The joke did not leak out till the ship got to Auckland, and then the fun was fast and ■furious.

An action typical of the manner in which the Germans treated their Hungarian allies was referred to by Prof. Moor-Karoly in the course of an interview at Auckland last week. In Courland, where the soil is of a particularly rich loam formation, the Germans by means of forced labour had trainload after trainload transported to Germany. The Hungarians hated the Germans so intensely that they would not give them even a glass of water when they entered a restaurant, and would even close it rather than serve the German officers. The professor said he had seen the German soldiery using grand pianos stuffed with hay to feed their horses. By their arrogance and brutal behaviour they were heartily disliked and feared by the people, many of whom welcomed the Italians rather than serve the German officers, among them. He related also how the big organs were depleted of reeds in Austria. in various parts of the country, and in order to supply metal for the armies of their ally, “It was more like a German occupation,” he said, “than to believe they were our allies, though an alliance however, that the Hungarian people never liked.”

■See the nice, warm garments for baby at Morey’s to-day. All prices have been heavily reduced at this popular store. Tariki residents are reminded of the Footballers’ Ball, to be held to-morrow evening, in the Tariki Hall. Residents of Toko and district are reminded of the Settlers’ Ball, to be held in the Coronation Hall to morrow night. Particulars are advertised on page 1. --- There is nothing under the sun like “Fairy Wonder” for bleaching clothes a lovely snow-white. This, too, without any back-breaking rubbing and with less rinsing and boiling when any other compound than “Fairy” is used. Think of this next lime you want washing powder. All grocers stock “Fairy.” The Melbourne, Ltd., have still a few nun’s dark tweed odd vests at 8/6. Other bnr?.?.’nß for men are:—Knitted wool socks, 1/9; fine Mosgiel socks, in black and plain g-.uy, 2/6 pair; splendid quality cashmere seeks, 3/6 pair; famous Shirley police braces, 3/11, and Shirley President braces, medium and heavy weight, 4/6 pair. The N.Z. Meat Packing and Bacon Co. draw clients’ attention to the alteration in the receiving dates for calfskins at Oakura and Okato. Particulars are advertised on page 2.