LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Education Board and the member for Egmont have been pressing for more accommodation at the Geo School, and the Minister has now approved of a grant for this purpose.

In yesterday’s Court news it was shown’ that judgment was given against W. Archibald for £2 Is Gd. Defendant informs us the amount had been paid, and lias shown the receipt therefor. Judgment was given in error.

A protest that the report of the Tourist Department contained scarcely anj r reference at all to Taranaki was made in the House last night by Mr. S. G. Smith (telegraphs our correspondent*. Mr. Smith pointed out that the district attracted thousands of tourists. “I have been arbitrator in many of these cases,” said M,r. R. Day (borough inspector) at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth yesterday, when giving evidence in a motor collision case. “It is part of my duty to take notes and measurements when there has been a collision and they all seem to take my word for it.”

It is said that two amateur trappers, who had their first experience among the opossums at Parnparaumu, collected a cheque of £153 Ils for the skins they secured during the recent season. As their total expenses were only £22, the month’s work was a most profitable one. The more experienced trappers cleared £lOO and over per man in the same time.

When Greek meets Greek. Thus a witness of Gaelic extraction in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth last night concerning endeavors to obtain a reply to telegrams and letters to a land agent. “He sent him a long wire—cost three and sixpence—and they had to pay for it at the other end; and he told them to ‘please reply to future correspondence.’ ”

On Thursday a large haystack standing in a paddock in Nolantown, at the back of the railway engine shed, was destroyed by fire. How the fire originated is not known, but it is thought that the stack had been in existence too long for spontaneous combustion to be the cause. The stack was owned by Mr. Harrison, proprietor of the Ravenshoe Dairy, who. estimates his loss at £l5O. There was no insurance.—Star. After a retirement of a little over two and a half hours the jury returned a verdict for defendant, awarding him £375 damages on the counter-claim, in the action brought by Edward Jackson against Arthur John Smith for £750 damages, arising out of a motor collision on the Waitara-New Plymouth Koad. The hearing occupied two days, and yesterday the jury inspected the scene of the accident before hearing counsel’s addresses and the Judge’s summing up.

Local importers were very satisfied with the way in which the goods that came direct from England by the Kaikoura opened up. Everything was in first-class order, there being no breakages or damage, contrasting strikingly with the condition in which goods transhipped at Wellington generally arrive in New Plymouth. The extra handling, it is clear, is the cause of the damage and breakage which seem to be inseparable. from goods coming via Wellington. This in itself is a great advantage, not to speak of the saving in the Wellington charges—which seem to be ever-increasing—and the coastal freights, the extent of which is burdensome to importers, who are naturally delighted at the prospect of obtaining the bulk of their requirements in the near future by direct steamer from the United Kingdom to New Plymouth. Sensational bargains continue to be sold at the Melbourne’s Great Sale. Lovely 10 momme silk blouses, 16/9; 10momme crepe de chine blouses, 22/6; Horrockses’ famous twill flannelette, 36 I inches wide, 1/11; 27-inch nursery flan- ■ nelette, only 9d yard; colonial all wool i grey blankets, single bed size, reduced to 23/6 pair. Don’t miss this great econI omy sale. I Entries for the Waiwakaiho horse fair are advertised in our auction columns of issue.

A Pukearuhe farmer took 17,400 lb of butter-fat last season from 68 cows on 109 acres. A friend of his, who gave the News this information, asks, Can South Taranaki beat this?

uawahia on Thursday ot last week. Mr. A. Westcott, a married man with two children, residing at Papa toetoe, was working on the NgaruaWfthia Bridge, when he slipped and fell into the river. There was a strong current running, after the recent zains, and all efforts at rescue proved fruitless.

To meet the convenience of counsel and witnesses, Mr. Justice Chapman consented to sit at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth last night, although, as he explained, he had been kept busy continuously since February 1 without a day off. He would, however, do his best to meet the wishes of counsel, who expressed appreciation of the burden which fell on His Honor’s shoulders.

“I don’t know whether you know anything about motors,” said Mr. Justice Chapman when addressing the jury in a motor collision case at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth yesterday. “I don’t know anything about cars,” continued His Honor, “but seeing that this is my fortieth case, I think I should be called an accident expert. I think that this is one thing in which I should be able to call myself an expert.”

An idea of the health of the residents in the Clifton county is contained in a report to the council of Mr. F. Swindells, inspector of health. The report states that only one case of infectious disease was notified in the county during the quarter ending June 30 last. This was 2.18 per cent, of the total cases in the hospital district during that period. Taken on a population basis the rate was only 0.46 per 1000, which was a reduction of 1.88 for 1000 over the former period. “What is the correct way to give a signal?” was a question addressed to Mr. R. Day (borough inspector) at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth during the hearing of a motor collision case yesterday. The inspector proceeded to give a demonstration as to how the arm should be extended, adding that it should be kept out till approaching traffic had given some sign that it had been seen and that there was no doubt on the part of traffic coming behind. “Personally,” added the inspector, “as soon as I see a signal I act on it.” Yesterday was a busy day at tne Supreme Court at New Plymouth, the Coart sitting at 9.30 in the morning and rising for the day at 10 minutes to 9at night. After the Jackson-Smith motor collision case had gone to the jury, a start was made with the hearing of the claim brought by David Moir and another against Stanley Reed and others for £702 Ils 6d for purchase of stock, a counter-claim for £2OO for reduction in purchase money and interest being put in by the defendants. The hearing was commenced at 5.30 and with a brief interval was continued till the time above stated. This morning the Court will resume at 9 o’clock.

At the annual meeting of the Wanganui Woollen Company, Mr. G. V. Pearce said that if the directors were .contemplating spending £lOO,OOO in purchasing machinery and erecting the mills, the consequent calls on shareholders, who were large sheep farmers, would be very heavy. Mr. Polson replied that the directors had decided not to erect such a large mill as anticipated, but one of about 30 looms. This would be erected for about £70,000 or £BO,OOO. There were £25,000 already invested, financial arrangements had been made to carry on and it was anticipated that the calls would not be very heavy on the shareholders.

“If that isn’t the test of love I don’t know what is,” said Mr. Slipper at the Wanganui Supreme Court on Thursday, when Ivy Mutant, who pleaded guilty to theft of jewellery at Taihape, came up for sentence. Mr. Slipper’s remark referred to a young man who was present, and wanted to marry the prisoner. His Honor said he had given the matter careful consideration. The prisoner had had a warning a year ago, when she was given probation for theft, but it did not have the desired effect. He was not satisfied that the proposed marriage would assist her reformation, and she would be sentenced to twelve months’ reformative treatment. The prisoner sobbed bitterly on receiving the sentence.

The desire of a witness in the Court to repeat word for word conversations that have taken place, occasionally leads to embarrassment when it comes to expressions not usually heard in a drawing room or in polite society. To tone down the expression often leads to it losing its poignancy, and it was apparently with this fact in mind that a witness appealed to Mr. Justice Chapman at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth yesterday during the hearing of a motor collision case. The witness had given a dramatic account of the approaching vehicles until a collision seemed inevitable, and then paused when it came to quoting the remarks of another passenger. “Go on,” said His Honor. “Well, sir, he said, ‘For sake, Bill, do your best,’ and then he jumped,” exclaimed the witness amidst smiles from those who could appreciate the anxiety of the man who thought discretion the better part of valor.

“An ineffieent Fire Brigade is an abomination to God and man,” said Superintendent Rogers at a banquet at Wanganui, Castlecliff, recently. The speaker went on to say that continuous alertness and vigilance had to be observed 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. “Competitions cut no ice.” He believed in Brigadesmen being taught to do what they would be called upon to perform at a fire, whereas at competitions all sorts of tricks were resorted to, which were of very little avail in a case of emergency. The most important thing for a Brigade to acquire was accuracy of drill, which at competitions was often sacrificed for maximum speed.

There are about six Maoris in the Napier district who are usually regarded as “judgment proof” by the solicitors, states a Hawkes Bay newspaper, for no one hAs ever been able to prove to the satisfaction of the Magistrate that they have sufficient means to pay their creditors even a small sum each week. One of the best known ot these debtors limped into the witness-box and said he had had no money since 1920, had nothing now, and did not expect to have anything in the future. The only fact elicited at the end of the examination was that the debtor had come to Napier to attend the Court with a horse and trap. “That trap isn’t mine,” said the debtor promptly. “It’s my wife’s.” No order was made. Special values in household goods at C. C. Ward's: 36in. pure longcloth, Is jyard; colored roller towelling, 7d yard; all-wool Doctor flannel, Shetland and light grey, 2/11 yard; 40in. apron checks I (fast colors) 1/9 yard; a splendid range of cretonnes from 1/6 yard.