LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, 14 March 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Reports of the successful athletic sports meetings held on Saturday at Mauriceville and at Kahautara will be found on page 3. Motor vehicles registered in the Dominion at tho end of last month totalled 159,972 (North Island 98,984; South Island, 60,988).—-(P.A.).

Under arrangements made by the P.I.M. Committee, the public are invited to inspect the Masterton Dairy Factory on Saturday afternoon next.

Fourteen children attending the Papatoetoe. primary school (Auckland) have been attacked by diphtheria. The Health department, however, does not consider the situation serious.—(P.A.).

The 220 yards centre swimming championship at Wellington on Saturday resulted: J. Rix-Trott 1, C. Claridge 2, L. Leo.sk 3. Time, 2mins. 35 4-ssecs.—(PA.). About two hundred people visited Mount Holdsworth on Saturday, including* a large party from Wellington. A party of twenty-four went up to the mountain house for the weekend.

The committee for the AhiaruhePonatahi sports meeting bus added to the athletic programme two running events, 75 and 100 yards for ladies. Entries will fye received until Thursday next by the secretary, P.O. Box 25, Carterton.

The Rome <4 Poplo D’ltalia” states, a cablegram reports, that owing to delays due to a strike, the Australian Government has cancelled the contract for a number of aeroplanes ordered from an Italian firm. The Masterton Amateur Athletic Club will hold its usual evening races on Wednesday night, commencing at 5.45 o’clock. The following events will be decided: 50 yards dash, 220 yards handicap, one miJe flat, one mile cycle, | mile cycle and hop, step, and jump. The committee is requested to attend.

Miss K. Miller (Dunedin) holder of the 220 and 440 yards ladies’ swimming championships of New Zealand, added the half mile record to her list at New Plymouth on Saturday night, swimming the distance in 13mins. 13 1-5 secs., thus clipping Imin. 15 1-5 sees, off Miss Walrond’s previous record.—(P. A.).

As a result of a conference on Saturday, a Sydney cablegram states, it is anticipated that the deputies’ trouble which led to a stoppage in the Maitland Coalfields will be settled early next week, on the basis of a modification of existing conditions regarding deputies J duties. Tenders are being called for erecting a two-storied brick and concrete building behind the present Supreme Court buildings at Wellington and adjoining the Magistrate’s Court buildings, to provide a permanent Wellington home for the Arbitration Court. It is understood that the building will form a nucleus for the further extension of buildings in connection with the block. The Court has had no stated home since its institution.—• (P.A.). A considerable number of people took advantage of the opportunity they were offered on Saturday afternoon of inspecting the premises and plant of the Masterton Hosiery Mill. Visitors were shown over the factory by the manager (Mr. J. Groves) and great interest was taken and surprise was expressed at the number of processes that hosiery had to go through in the course of manufacture. Lady visitors in particular were keenly interested and asked many questions. All present admired what they saw, and not least the compact, clean, -and welllighted factory. Mr. G. A. 'Edmonds, Town Clerk of Nelson, while stepping from H.M.S. Renown’s gangway to the .pilot launch on Saturday afternoon, fell into the sea between the warship and the launch. For a moment he was in imminent danger of being crushed to death or being washed away by the heavy sea. Mr. Edmonds attributes his escape to the presence of mind of Mr. Batterbee (political adviser to the Royal party) who at .great risk to himself, grabbed Mr. Edmonds Und pulled him to safety. The Duchess of York the same evening sent a letter of sympathy to Mr. Edmonds.—(P.A.). In a statemnet on the Prime Minister’s unemployment proposals, Mr. Robinson, secretary of the Dunedin Trades and Labour Council, said that Is lOd per hour was set down as a living wage for a man and wife and children, but the Government proposed a rate of Is 6d for married men, and l|d for single men. The effect of the immigration policy had been to create a fixed number of unemployed all the year round. Judging from the statement by the Prime Minister, it looked as though the Government was going to develop the country on a scheme of pauperisation.—(P.A.). *‘l stumped the country for two years warning producers as to the facts of control,” said Mr. C. P. Agar, manager of the Tai Tapu Dairy Company, at Christchurch on Thursday (reports “The Press”), 44 and now, in seeing the realisation of my prophecies on that occasion, I can only regret that my fears were accurate, and express regret at tho effect it will have on the producer and the country. Nothing but the abandonment of control will, in my opinion, establish the goodwill of the trade, without which we cannot look for the prosperity which has attended the dairy industry in tho past.”