LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 8 October 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Houses are dirt cheap inGreymoath, according to the following advertisement in the Greymouth Evening Star: For sale, immediate possession, comfortable six-roomed dwelling (new); a bargain at £225; easy terms."

When supplies of sugar were unobtainable in sufficient quantities in New Zealand, large users had to go elsewhere for their requirements. Java did some of this business at somewhere about £105 per ton landed in New Zealand. There has now been a fall of from. £10 to £15 per ton, due, ft ifs thought, to over-speculation of Chinese merchants in Java, who aire now compelled to unload. Sugar is, however, coining along at the £105 rate, and contracts at that figure are reported as having been made for the 1921 crop. Indeed, the British Government is reported to have bought well ahead at a price equivalent to £105 here in New Zealand.

"It only needs an enterprising man for Canterbury to have excellent supplies of cement," said Mr C. H. Opie at a meeting of the South Waimakariii River Board (says an exchange). Mr Opie was advocating the contribution by the board of £50 to the Canterbury Progress League, and said that that body was endeavouring to have a cement works erected in Canterbury. "We have everything necessary in Canterbury," he, continued —"sand, mud and limestone—and,-if the industry were once started, Canterbury's large demands for cement could be met. The secretary of the Progress League is preparing a report on thia matter." It was decided that the contribution of £50 be continued.

Definite dates have been fixed for the resumption of the wool sales in New Zealand this season. The first sale will open at Christchurch on November 15, and subsequently sales will be held at Timaru and Wellington prior to the opening of the Auckland sales on November 25. Further sales will be held in Auckland in February and March. The representative of a prominent Auckland firm *of wool brokers stated on Friday that it was anticipated that buyers from the United States, Japan, and the Continent, as well as from Britain, would attend the sales. The information that the sales were to be resumed had been widely circulated in the countries mentioned, and it was practically certain that ample shipping space for all wool purchases would be available.

' The Australian and New Zealand Services' Association in London, which is making an effort to raise £2000 to establish a cJub for the use of members of the Australian and New Zealand Expeditionary Force's who have remained in this countjry, has so far collected £300 towards this object (writes a Condon correspondent under date of August 19). Since the association came into being 1000 members have been enrolled, and 'suitable employment has been found for nearly 100 members. A memorial service was also arranged to fallen comrade*} on the occasion, of the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, and valuable assistance has been rendered to the organisers of the Anzac Day Pilgrimage to the graves of comrades buried in England. There still remains in the hands of the Australian Natiyes' Association the sum of £2000 collected by Miss Ada Reeve, when she was touring in the colonies. The Services' Association is now entrusted with the investigation of claims for monetary assistance, and the Natives' Association honour the recommendations in all cases. In this <rsepect it may be said that very few New Zealand men have had to make application for relief. •

"It is not generail known," says Captain Hassell Garland, late A.D.C. to Ix>rd Livei-pool, in his "Vailima Letters," "but I am told on good authority that Samoa is one of . the best cocoa-producing countries in the world. The returns per acre exceed those of any other country, while the quality of the cocoa is proved by the fact that it always fetches the highest prices in the world's markets. The first plantation visited was one owned and managed by a widow. This place is only 250 acres in extent, and the owner has been lucky enough to have always the necessary 48 coolies to work the estate. Undoubtedly the place is in splendid order. On the 250 acres from 60 to 100 tons of cocoa are grown a year, and this is sold at from £90 to £130 a ton. Cocoa requires a large amount of cultivation and almost constant attention to the trees, but after a number of years it pays handsomely. Owimg to the fact that the Hree must have a moist tropical climate, and that it cannot be cultivated outside the fifteenth degree north and south latitude, it is almost certain that the production will never exceed the demand." Captain Garland then writes of another plantation at Tanamapua. "This plantation was producing about 60 tons of cocoa a year until about three years ago, but owing to lack of labour, due to the re- , patriation of the Chinese, the crop this year (1920) will be in the vicinity of eight tons. It has been a beautiful place, with niqe homestead and splendid view. It seems a great pity that this and similar valuable properties hay© gone to ruin. The same remarks apply to many other plantations suffering from a shortage of labour."

The petition of George Miller, of Wellington, for compensation, for wrongful imprisonment while serving in the Expeditionatry Force, was re-, ferred to the Grovernmettt for favourable consideration on the recommendation of the Defence Committee on Wednesday. The chairman of tlio committee (Mr Glenn) and the leader of the Opposition-(Mr Wilford) explained to the House that Miller had served honourably with the Expeditionary Force f«r four years and a half, and had been decorated for his services. He attained the rank of quartermastersergeant. After the armistice he was trie«l by Courfc-martial on a charge of theft, and' fo\xnd guilty and' sentenced to a term of imprisonment. H© was deprived of his rank, and was returned to New Zealand without leave in England. Subsequently, his conviction was quashed. The two members stated that Miller's character had been completely cleered, and he was «ntitled t» compensation for tke hardshio and imjustice iaflicted upom him.

Butter, is now being . retailed in Feildirig at 2s *6d per lb—and there is no sign yet of the threatened revolution (says the Star). i Last night's Taranaki Herald states that the purchase of a site in New Plymouth for a prospective four-storey block of modern offices was completed yesterday morning by the State .tire Office.. . A new discovery in the storing of fruit without the use of refrigerating machinery and ice chambers, so that it may be preserved in its original condition for many months, has recently been made in Melbourne, where tests are being carried out (states the Age). It consists of wrapping the fruit in specially prepared and treated fibre, rolled out and teased from the bark of certain varieties of eucalypti. A considerate and graceful act was performed by the girls in Std. 111. attending the Hawera Main School on Wednesday last. On© of their comrades, Evelyn Cameron, had been seriously ill at the hospital, and learning that her condition had sufficiently improved to permit of her seeing visitors they, at the suggestion of their teacher, Miss Allen, marched to the hospital in the afternoon, and presented the invalid with a book, fruit, etc., for which they had subscribed amongst themselves. This kindly and thoughtful act was greatly appreciated by the ! little sufferer. Seafaring men are known the world over for their humane spirit and generosity, and a ease in point in connection with the visit or the " overseasteamer Westmeath to Dunedin about seven weeks ago is recorded. While the vessel was lying at the Victoria wharf one of the deck boys fell down one of the holds and sustained injuries which necessitated his removal to the Dunedin Hospital/) where he still lies. The ship went to northern ports to load for England, but the vessel's com* pany did not forget the lad left behind. Before leaving Wellington the officers and the whole of the crew subscribed to a fund for the boy's benefit, with the result that a substantial sum of money has been forwarded to the local agents to be handed to the lad. — j Dunedin Star. The Sydney Daily Telegraph states that it is unlikely that a poll on the question of,, liquor" prohibition will be taken in New South Wales next year. To obviate such, a poll, legislation will be necessary;., and it. is understood that in due course* the Government will submit the necessary amending Bill to Parliament. The fact isjthat the Government is hard pressed, for finances foi public works, without running the risl of having to spend £7,000,000 or more in liquor trade compensation. •- Th< State Premier, Mr Storey, when ques tiohed on the subject last week, woulc not state anything beyond that he ha< informed the temperance' people, wh< wisheft to assist in the anti-liquor cam paigns in Queensland and Victoria that if any poll was taken in Nev South Wales, it would not be befor< March of next year.* Marriage in a registry office is apparently not always the "back-door" •function some people seem to consider it to be (says the Otago Daily Times). Four female immigrants by the Mamari last week, coming to New Zealand to join returned soldiers, were wedded in the local office. The registrar concieved the Happy notion of performing the ceremony under the Union Jack and New Zealand ensign, and members of the staff afterwards entertained -the couples at a refreshment room, rising to the occasion, and doing everything possible to crown the function. Th* brides, who made a very good impression upon all with whom they came ii contact, were in raptures at the reception they had met with in the Domin ion, and particularly pleased with the , beauty of Dunedin. None of them art remaining here, the bridegrooms all be longing to country districts in varioui . provinces. 1 In the course of his story of th< 1 flight from England to Australia, Sii Keith Smith states the Vickers [ Vimy machine succeeded in'arriving ai [ Rangoon an, hour after Poulet on hii little Caudron, though the latter ha ' thirty days . start of them in leaving j France. The arrival of two aeroplane: i in one day in a city that had neve? . previously seen a 'plane created enor , mous excitement, particularly amonf 1 the natives. Some hundreds of then waited up for twenty-four hours pre • viosly in order not to miss the firsi ' sight of this newest' wonder, and th< day of the arrival was observed as.j 1 public holiday, wjiich the entire popula tion spent on tne racecourse viewing the two. machines.- Sir Keith Smitl paid a generous compliment to Poule and his mechanic Benoist for getting s< far in their little machine. Poulet wai .attempting the flight to Australia, no as a competitor for the £10,000 priz< (for he wasi not qualified to gain it beirif; other than Australian born), bu purely as a sporting aviator bent oi conquering the world with his wings.

The London police are reported to be faced with the unpleasant fact that the "under-world" of the Metropolis has in the past few months been reinforced by an influx of American "undesirables," fleeing the rigours of the "dry" law, the unweloome visitors including many New York "rough-necks" possessing records well known to the police of their own country. There has also been an incursion of American barkeepers, including many expert cocktail mixers, for whose services there was at first, until the supply exceeded the demand, plenty of employment in London hotels and cafes. Some of these artists have been advertising their proficiency, one gentleman , announcing that he had five hundred varieties on his menu. He was proudest of his "Cleopatra eyelash," an invention of his own, calculated, as he claimed, in speaking' to a prospective employer, "to make your jazz palace the most mighty spectacle of superfluous energy \in this great and glorio-s island." It would not be the first ' ime that Cleopatra's eyelashes had turned men's heads, remarks an exchange. :•

I do not know that the manager of any office is hankering for a girl typist who recites poetry while she ia, typing the copy of a letter at full speed, or who wil carry on a, conversation with another person while lye himself is rapidly dictating to her an urgent letter, states'a writer in. the Manchester Guardian. If such a man exists, however, he can stimulate his secretary's ambition by pointing to the example of Miss Mollicent Woodward, ' champion typewriter of Gr^at Britain. Mis 9 Woodward,- who is quite a young girl with ten years' typing experience, gave an interesting exhibition*, of her proficiency at a West End office. Using a typewriter with unlettered keyboard' she wrote to dictation at a rate that would test the average shorthand expwt severely. When blindfolded; she still wrote with extraordinary rapidity, ( .and'shp finished by typing a memorised sentence repeatedly at a rate of 234 words a minute. The machine and this typist might stand such a strain for a few minutes, but the speed and noise madi© one thankfuV for the humdrum rattling of the ordinary office typewriter. It was, however, an extraor-l dmary demonstration of typist and typewriter efficiency. ,

An illustration »f the foolishness of the wave of lengthy piano playing ivnicn appears. to be sweeping over the jvorkl is provided in the following: Mr k F. Whatham, a Leeds pianist, who attempted at a picture house the task of playing, for 100 consecutive hours collapsed at the instrument after having played for's6 hours without stopping, fie became partly unconscious and delirious, and his friends T fearing that he was endangering his life, carried him away. .To ward off sleep the pianist was shampooed and provided with a strong preparation in the form of smelling salts. He smoked over 500 cigarettes, and his food, administered by his wife and friends, consisted of jellies and milk and eggs. His repertoire included about 4000 pieces. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in the course of an interview after his arrival at Fremantle on September 17, produced a photograph of himself, in which, over one shoulder, could be seen the blurred, but still distinct, face of a young man. "Now there is no fraud about that," he said. "I took the photograph myself, developed it myself, and took particular car©, that the negative was not interfered, with. When I had completed development I held the negative up to the light, and i saw what you can now see on the print. It is my dead son. My feelings, although indescribable, were nothing to what I felt when I met my dear boy later at a seance, when he placed his hands upon my head, caressed it, and spoke in his own familiar voice. I need not say that I exjJect, and am prepared for every form of opposition, but I only ask for a fair hearing and impartial judgment." ■ . '