LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 8 May 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual general meeting of the Egmont A. and P. Association will be held on Saturday, 23rd inst. “Not long ago,” said the Mayor of Masterton, at a recent meeting, “the Borough Council purchased two stopwatches for the police to catch us motorists. We have made £l5O profit on the deal!”

A wireless message from the Shaw, SaviLl Company’s liner Corinthip states that the vessel should arrive, at Wellington on Thursday morning next, 14th inst.

“So your wife had parties?” interrogated" Mr. Slipper of a witness in the Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui recently. “Where you not present to help your spouse exend the hospitality of your home?” “No, I wasn’t.” “W'hv,” further queried counsel. “Because T wasn’t asked,” was the response amidst laughter. • The bankruptcies in New Zealand for 1924 were 670, a decrease of four on 1923 and 24 on 1922. Debts proved were £703,995 and assets realised £llß, 640. Among the bankrupts were 175 farmers, 81 labourers, 21 agents, 22 builders, 22 storekeepers, 17 contractors, 6 hotelkeepers and 18 butchers.

At the school function at Matapu on Wednesday the kindly hospitality of the ladies’ committee in supplying a very dainty afternoon tea was much appreciated by all, and at the conclusion of the afternoon a hearty vote of thanks was accorded them, proposed by Mr. Corrigan and supported by Mr. Hawken.

A fire occurred at Wellington last night at S. E. Knight’s timber yard and joinery shop in Vivian Street. It had a good hold when the alarm was given. The roof fell in after twenty minutes, and a huge mass of flames shot skywards. Had the' wind been blowing" a number of houses adjoining would have gone. Knight’s premises were completely gutted. No details of insurance are available. >

A.t t)h© -annual meeting of the Taranaki Circular Road Race Committee last night the incoming comimdititee was recommended to consider increasing the distance ojf this year’s round the mountain race. It was considered that the roads would he in excellent order for the next race, and an additional 17 miles would not add hardship to the riders. It was suggested that the route taken might lay through Manaia and then through Kaponga to ELtbaim.

“The Mokaii bridge is to be built at once, and to-day we started the first men at work clearing the site.” This announcement was made by Mr. T. M. Ball (district engineer for the Public 'Works Department) in replying to the congratulations of the Awakino settlers upon the competition of the road formation and metalling between Mokau and Awakino, at a function held at Awakino on Tuesday night. The Dominion conference of the Church of England Men’s Society at Auckland has concluded. Officers were elected as follow: President (ex officio) Archbishop Averill; vice-president, Archdeacon J. D. Russell (Oamaru); treasurer, Mr. J. W. Henderson (Wellington) ; auditor, Mr. R. M. Sunley (Wellington); council, Rev. C. A. B. Watson and Mr. W. M. R-ayner (Auckland), Messrs J. -Snell, W. J. Lees, IV. Nash and H. S. Conderv (Wellington), Rev. W. Bullock (Masterton), Mr. A. E. Harrison (Christchurch).

A most amusing event of the ceremonies- in connection with the opening of the new Rangiriri road in the Waikato last week was the presentation of a nosebag filled with feed to the horse that has pulled many a car out of R-angirir mud. The most fam ous horse that has been used fbr this job was a grey one, but owing to its years, and perhaps heart strain, it died on the previous Monday. Its. mate, a mere youngster of twenty years,, was -brought along for the occasion and it arrived at the place of assembly dragging a mud-bespattered car in which fdur coatless men represented typical distressed motorists of the past.

During the municipal! election campaign ait Taihape, the electors were somewhat amazed to read a letter published as an advertisement over the name of the Mayor on the day before the election. The Mayor pleaded that the electors .support the five councillors who were seeking re-election, but the letter caused something of a sensation, as one paint of it was worded as follows: “And if not over-endowed intellectually, they are at least honest and sincere and are all doing their best for the-' public weal.'’ Next morning a practical joker had parcels of sheep’® brains delivered to four of the five councillors named in the letter, and a. parcel of 'bullock’s 'brains delivered to the* Mayor. A complaint sometimes heard in country districts that country schools were neglected while large brick buildings went up in the towns was rebutted by the Minister for Education (Sir James Parr) in an address he gave at Auckland. The Minister said that possibly, in years gone by, country communities had not received due attention from the education authorities, but this was not true nowadays. In the past few years they had received special consideration, and during his own term.as Minister, which covered the past five and a half years, 815 separate grants,, had been made to education boards for the erection of new schools or of additions to schools already in existence. Of the whole number, 675 grants were of £I(XX) or less. This meant that nearly 90 per cent, of them were for country districts, since £IOOO would provide accommodation for at most 30 to 40 children. Such districts as the King Country, Bay of Plenty, and the backblocks of Taranaki and Westland were receiving special attention. This did not mean that cities were being neglected. More had been spent on new schools in the past five years than in any preceding period of fifteen years.

At the mayoral installation at Christchurch this week, the Rev. K. Archer isaiicl the problem the council ought energetically to tackle was housing. Three things should be done for the children —insistence 1 upon a pure milk supply, provision of more playgrounds, and the opening of a picture theatre. In conclusion, the Rev. Archer said: In many British municipalities a, good old custom prevails. The new Mayor invites members. of the new council to accompany him to bis church on the first Sunday morning after his installation. ! wish to introduce' that, good old custom in Christchurch, and shall be gliad, 'therefore, if mem,hens of this council will next Sunday morning accompany me to our little churc-h in Colombo Street South. You will be wise to make a note of Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 7th, Bth, 9th May. During these three days C. C. Ward Ltd., the Busy Cash Drapers, Hawera, are making special reductions on certain lines in all departments in their big store. Read our advertisement on page 2. You can save on every purchase.—Advt,