LOCAL AND GENERAL

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 4019, 8 June 1920, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Charged with drunkenness at IMyth, Northumberland, a man said that lie drank daily a pint of methylated spirits, which he bought at a chemist's shop. In a Feltham, Woking, application fur an ejectment order, the landlord said that the tenant had eight peop.e sleeping in one room. "I have been in a place where 23 .slept in one the tenant told the Bench, \vho~issued an ejectment order. A rabbit purchased a few days ago, on 'being opened for dressing (says the, Taihape Timeg) was found to be infested with a parasitic syst of tape.worm. Persons purchasing ?a.bbit.s would therefore be well advised to make a careful examination. "Concrete ships are a complete failure. They cost twice as much-as steel vessels, and take twiice as long to ; build," said Sir G. H. Hunter, bead of the great ehip-buildng iirm of Swan, Hunter's, in announcing the abandonment of the scheme to build concrete sliips on Wearside. "Or such prices in lieu thereof- as the Controller shall sanction," are the important words that are being added by amendments (in the Gazette) to tiie terms and conditions under which butter will be. purchased. by the New Zealand Government for His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom. A released prisoner, returning home from a Kentucky, penitentiary, found tliat the value of his farm had been doubled by the building of a railway through it while he was in prison. He also found that coal had been found on the land. A coal operator was waiting to pay him. £300 for the mineral rights with a royalty of .Is 3d per ton for all coal mined, assuring him an income for a long time to come. . : In view of the altered conditions, at Home, the Mnister of Internal Affairs proposes to permit church, collections, lectures and public gatherings to supplement the funds for the relief of the starving children cf Europe, but all moneys must be remitted through the Department, which will cable it direct for .distribution, through the best ascertained channels. No art unions or street collections ' will be permitted. \ ."'.' :y \ Residents of Uhle borough of Sfiramar have had no milk for five days. Invalids and children might have been in the backblocks, or 'at sea, instead of the suburb of a big city in their reliance on the condensed article. There was no explanation, no beg pardon—simply,;no milk and empty billies, day after day. Efforts to obtain, supplies in the city area, were fruitless, as there is -ai shortage of milk there too, due to the firm demand of a body of directors at Featherston for Is' 6d per gallon, ex the factory. The wliole milk business of Wellington and suburbs is now •'becoming a scandal, says the Post.

People in New Zealand who are of Jugoslav nationality, and are desswms of returning to their native land, have hitherto been Held up by the necessity of obtaining a passport from Britain before leaving New Zealand, in order. that they .'.might land in their natove coiiirtry 'in,a position to get past v the passport' barriers', which have hedged all' ; European countries very closely since the outbreak of war. This is a very long, tedious land unsatisfactory been besieged by Jugoslavs applying for some more direct way of getting back home. The difficulty lias been to some iextent overcome by permission being granted the Jtfew Zealand Government to issue to each individual Jugoslav ia certificate of. identification, which will enable him to land in Britain and establish this bona. •fides wjth the consular, repreeentatives there of the Jugoslav Government. v M What struck me ■as. one l oi the fairest /taxation propos&ls I-,, have T seen was ■ contained •in ' a manifesto issued some tamo ago:by.the British Labour Party," said Mr James Begg at"the Conference* of the Otago Farmers' Union last week. "It was to tno effect/ continued Mr B'egg, "that income tax should.be levied not on men but on families. Under this proposal a single man would pay .the full tax, and -a married man with the same salary,- biit with a family of seven, would ■have this income divided by seven whieh ; would-mean that'he would pay no tax at all." Tihe principle enunciated met with cordial endorsement at the hands of the meeting, one.speaker remarkng: "That idea wolild suit me splendidly, as I have a family of eight," and another: "It would certainly give a, great invpetus to the national birthrate." A slight rise in the price of butter was forecasted in a. statement issued on Saturday by the Director-General of Agriculture. In this statement Dr. Reakes'says that all butter of this season's make now in store, including whatever small quantity anay be made between now and July 31, will be made available for consumption within the Dominion at fixed maximum prices which will be Is 5Jd peivlb for butter ex store arid Is 9d retail. The Order-in-Council ..necessary for giving effect to this is now heing prepared, and when this is gazetted the new prices will come into operation. This emojL increase in prices is necessary in order to meet extra charges entailed by storage, handling, interest, etc., over the period during which, the supply 'of Iratter now in the Domin*ion will <be available for local consumption. The present controlled prices, are Is 54: per lb for bulk butter ex store and Is 8d retail.