LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2755, 26 April 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Diphtheria is very prevalent in Hastings, and the infection appears to be assuming a more serious form. A Press Association telegram from Oamaru a huge whale measuring eighty-four feet was stranded at Moeraki Heads on Friday. The -whale was killed by fishermen and towed into, the harbour. It is said to weigh about seventy-fivo tons. The jaw-bones aro twenty-one feet in length. All City Cadet Companies will parade r«t Bunny Street at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, For the purpose of lining tl'io streets during the march thVough the City of tho 12th Hcii)forccmci\ts. The parade wi|l be a compulsory one. Butter is now being retailed at Is. 7d. pel lb, in Dunedin, having advanced a half-penny per lb. last, week, and yet tho cold stores contain more butter now than at .any time during the past few years. Our salesmen enjoy booking large orders for "No Rubbing Lanmlry Help," because it lightens woman's toil. Wellington Merchants.—Advt. Why get wet and cold when we offer two good lines of British raincoats at 37e. 6tl. and 555, ?—George Ltd,, Manners Street,—Advt-

Deor are reported to bo plentiful ou the Pelorus side of the Sounds country. The other day a ten-pointer fell to the gun of a sportsman on the hills within sight of Havelock, and oilier good heads have been seoured.

lhe matter of Dr." Sydney Smith's statement, to a press reporter in Wellington, that he 'Iliad seen more fleas in Hastings than ho had seen in any of the slums at Homo. The locality was simply over-run with, them," was discussed at tho last meeting of the Hastings Borough Council. Councillor Maddisou said Dr. Smith's statement Y. a , s a . S6 rious matter, affecting, as it cud, the good name and well-being of Hastings. Dr. Smith's utterances should lie challenged. The Mayor said tlie trouble was that it was-tho doctor's own experience of what lie had come acioss, when he went to Hastings in his capacity of District Health Officer to make an inspection of the borough, it would bo better to let tho-matter alono and not to stir it up again. During his visit there he came across two ? r .H 1 " o ®. bouses which he considered justified his remarks. Couixillor Maddif 011: J hen he damn the whole town. 'lhe Mayor: "Ho does not do so m bis report, which I liave here and which will be read to-night. He scarcely mentions fleas." The matter was not discussed further.

Our latest war economy i s to save all bottles of every description (writes a nd°n correspondent). .Glass bottles are becoming a luxury.- The shortage is so serious and progressive that many big firms supplying beer or milk, or other liquids m bottles, and even chemists and hospitals, are at a loss to meet the growing deficiency. This shortage " lses > is explained, from the faot that during tho years immediately prior to the war a very large percentage of bottles of every description, were imported into this country. Foreign competition became so acute that a great many of the glass bottle factories or the i> orth of England were closed, and many operatives were driven to seek work in the coal pits. Foreign competition was so severe that manufacturers found the industry unremunerative. Home manufacturers are now engaged in making bottles once more.

The New Zealand Educational Institute s Conference was honoured by a visit from the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) yesterday morning. Owing to the reception to the returned soldiers, Mr. Luko said lie had not been able to attend the opening of the conference, but he wished nevertheless to extend to the delegates a hearty welcome to Wellington, and alluded to the good work that-was being done by the Institute in the cause of education. Referring to the war, the Mayor expressed regret that in. the past Great Britain had not taken adequate advantage of the assets it possessed in the discoveries of her scientific' men and their application to manufactures and commerce, particularly mentioning the work done by Sit William Parker in relatioh to the utilisation of the waste products of coal-tar in the manufacture of dyes, an industry which had been enormously developed _in Germany. The Mayor cordially invited the delegates to attend the Anzac' memorial function at the loivn Hall, and later the conference adjourned from 1 p.m. till 4.30 p.m. to allow delegates to be present at the service.

Consequent on the passing of the Education Act (says the annual report of the executive of the N.Z. Educational Institute) the number of education districts is being reduced to nine. It is a matter for regret that this question' should have been handled in so inadequate a manner by the powers that rule us, but at least it can be said tliat a. beginning lias been made, and that the institute has a certain measure of success to encourage it in advocating still further reform in this direction. The principle of'natipnality is steadily growing ;iu educationahaffairs. -A/National Council advises the Minister; a National Inspector supervises the schools; a national system of scholarships dominates secondary and technical " education; staffs' salaries and superannuation are on a national basis; medical inspection and physical education are nationally controlled; and in a few weeks a national graded list- of teachers will be gazetted, winch it may reasc-nably be hoped will bring in its train that na-. tional system of appointments and pro-'-motion for which the institute has striven for many years. Clearly these facts point to a widening acknowledgement of the great - importance of the place that education occupies among tlie national •: functions.

_ A commendable desire that no distinctions should bg drawn between tho hon. our .shown by the National Reserve to departing recruits, whether they be pakeha or Maori, led to an -unfortunate fiasco at Gisboriie on Thursday morning last. When members of the Reserve and the City Band paraded at 7.30_ to farewell a -draft of - Natives leaving to join the Maori Contingent at Auckland it was found that only one recruit had put in an appearance. Rather than overdo the send-off, the parade was accordingly dismissed. Subsequently a second recruit turned up, explaining that lie had "slept in," despite the momentous occasion.

The Rev. J. Paterson, •of Cliristchurch,. who has been for many years Ii specialist in work among boys, is 110 believer in picture theatres a s a form of amusement, for them (says Saturday's "Otago Daily Times"),- He was speaking to a large Dominion. Conference of Sunday School Teachers! in the Burns Hall on Friday niglit, and made it clear that, in this connection, lie was'not discussing the. morality or the immorality, of the pictures at all. "I do want trf say to every parent and guardian," ho said,_ "that absolutely the worst thing physically that the average boy can be made to endure is the picture show. It is a nervo irritant of the worst sort. [ believe, if you took statistics of. days on which you found boys particularly irritable, you would .find that they hail been at a picture show the night before. There is no need to go into: heroics about the immorality of the pictures. I simply say that, if the average parent had any knowledge of the physical condition the boy, or girl is in from 13 tn 17 years of age, they would never let them into such places.?'

A rider disqualified at the last race meeting at Hokitika applied to the Westland llaomg Club for tho removal of his disqualification (says the Greymouth "Star"). Ho mentioned he had offered to enlist- in the Sixteenth Heinforcemonts, hut had not .vet passed the medical examination. The members briefly, discussed the matter, .and while it was resolved not to take any action on the application, the feeling seemed to be general that if the applicant made a good showing with tho discharge of his military duties, tho subject might be reopened at a later date.

When opening the Industries" Exhibition at the Colosseum at Christohurcli on Saturday afternoon, the Mayor appealed to the public not to buy Ger-man-made goods. He added that if he had liis way after the war, he would issue licenses to all wholesale and retail traders. Those who sold- any German goods would have to pay very high, license fees, so high that it not pay them to sell German But the trader who sold British ;toodts only wpultl get his license for practically nothing.

A powerful engine seems to be of tho first importance to the successful n »tor lorry, and this lias certainly not \pen overlooked by the Makers of tho Petrol Motor Lorry now on show at the Dominion Motor \ T ohic!os, Ltd., Garage, 65 Courlenay Place. These machines are built to look after an overload of 50 per cent, on rough country roads, and on hills of 1 and 12 gradient, llie chassis generally is po\urfiilly built, and the Makers have not glectcd flexibility. Intending Purchasers should not miss the opportunity of examining tbi= excellent lorry now in atock.— Advt-