LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1324, 30 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of Cabinet was held vc-l'-i----day afternoon, but the whole of* the busint's.- was treated as conlide.ilial. One of the most thriving industries of Germany last year was thai of loy-mok-ing. Jhe British Vicc-Ci.asul at I.eipzig gives an excellent account of it, and reports that orders were so many I hat Intro was delay in supplying the good.-.. As to fashions in toy.-,, tho "character" dolls replaced the Teddy bear, but aeroplanes and similar goods remained ia great demand. Cheap loys were exported in large rpiantities to the United Kingdom and tho United Slates. The value of the (icrmaii toy trade was no less than .<:\M),om, an increase of half a million on the lotal of the preceding year. The two best customers were tho United States and the United Kingdom, and their transactions look almost amaz--mg considering the articles dealt with, the former country took 17.G91 tons of Gorman loys last year, and 11,7(1:1 tons were imported into Great Britain. France bought 2470 tons, and smaller quantities went to Belgium and Russia. All tho British colonics, British India, and tho South American States mado considerable purcbasos. The statement in a Wakapuaka message that deferred plain-language telegrams could be sent at half rates between Australasia and all British colonies and dependencies is incorrect. Tho rate applies only to countries for which tho ordinary tariff is not less than lOd. a word. The Postmaster-General has not yet succeeded in concluding an arrangement for deferred half-rate telegrams between New Zealand and Australia. Details of tho train arrangements for the New Year holidays will bo found in our advertising columns. The small threeinch advertisement referred to in a paragraph in yesterday's Dominion a.s having been sent to us for insertion in this issue was, so tho Railway Department states, sent in mistake for the full advertisement that appears to-day.