LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 5 August 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The vital statistics for Manaia for the month of July were: Biiths 7, deaths nil, and marriages s.—Witness. A first offender for drunkenness, a native, was fined 7e 6d and costs 2s 6d by Mr J. S. Barton, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court this morning. An epidemic of petty thieving appears to have invaded Opunake lately, thefts from stationary motor cars and shopkeepers being most numerous (says the local paper). The body of William Bruce, formerly a well-known international cricketer, was found floating off Point Ormond (says a press message from Melbourne). The Wellington Show art union will be drawn on the loth of this month, and the results will, be advertised in tho Star early the following week.

There is every indication that the Mountain Club, which was in vogue in Stratford in previous days, will be re-established.

An endeavour is being made io have the official opening ceremony in connection with the Stratford A. and P. Show performed by the GovernorGeneral (Sir Clias. Fergusson).

An unusual theft has been reported at Gisborne, the minister of a local church announcing that his Bible had been stolen off the reading desk. It was announced in the British House of Commons the other day that the Rodney perpetual pension would be commuted in January by the payment of £42,000 to the great-great-grandson of the famous admiral. Mothers! Don’t mass the boys’ cheap shirts advertised in the Melbourne Ltd. ’s fresh budget of bargains. Other wonderful bargains for boys are all-wool tweed shorts, 5/11 for sizes 4 to 6, C/ll for sizes 7 to 12; boys’ lovely raincoats in wool gabardine, 23/6 size 000, rise 2/- a size; boys’ school hose, 2/9 and 3/3. —Advt.

After having deserted two wives and having gone away to Auckland with a third woman, R. E. Hooker, a middleaged man, was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment at Christchurch yesterday on a charge of disobedience of maintenance orders. His first wife divorced him. —Press Assn.

A crowded public meeting at Rotoma last night unanimously supported a rating policy of the Borough Council to develop a publicity scheme at Rotorua. Much enthusiasm was shown, and a committee was appointed! to carry out the scheme.

A London cable message says that the Government give a reception to the delegates to the International Prison Conference at Lancaster House. There were 1000 guests, including many representatives of the Dominions. A mass meeting of the Seamen’s Union at Sydney decided to accept the terms of the settlement of the strike. A complete settlement is expected, by the end of next week, when all idle vessels in Australian ports will be working again. A witness in a case heard in the Taihape Court said that he was engaged in cutting wood and selling same and his earnings during fine weather amounted to £2OO per month. Expenses in connection with the getting of the wood, etc., only totalled £75 per month. There was an eclipse of the moon last night, which, however, was not visible in Hawera on account of a thick mist intercepting the view. The moon entered. the shadow of the earth at 9.5/ p.m., the greatest phase of the eclipse being at 11.12 p.m., the moon leaving the shadow completely at 47mins. after midnight. Farmers predict an early spring in Hawke’s Bay this season. In one or two eases fruit blossoms have already appeared, and trees are showing signs of bursting into leaf. The present weather (says the Daily Telegraph) is ,p:-ing-like in its mildness, and there are perhaps many grounds for confidence that the coming spring will be a fine and early season. Lambing lias commenced in some parts, and there is every indication of a good percentage ewes appear to be in the best of health.

Much dissatisfaction is said to exist among farmers in reference to the quality of some manures. Mr Lye 'Waikato) referred to this in the House when he gave notice to ask the Minister of Agriculture would he amend the law so as to provide that all rock phosphate and mineral phosphate be ground to a standard of fineness as recommended by the agricultural chemist, also to require all invoice certificates to show what was the phosphatic acid content, and what percentage was soluble.

Giving evidence in support of an application to the Tariff Board for a neavy increase in the duty on foreign pianos, the representative of the Associated Chambers of Manufacturers at Melbourne stated that since the embargo was lifted in 1922 German pianos imported to Australia increased from zero to 4 6.) per cent of the total sales, and unless adequate protection were given Australian piano makers the industry was doomed.

“I am not going to close this inquest yet. I will adjourn it for a fortnight, and the police can make further inquiries,” said the coroner (Mr H. Y. Widdowson) at the inquest at Christchurch yesterday into the circumstances surrounding the death of an unknown male child, which was found on the bank of the river .Heathcote at Beckenham on the previous day. Evidence was given by Dr. Pearson that death was due to heart failure following exposure.

About a dozen young men and women have offered to give their blood to the anaemic patients at the Christchurch Hospital* in response to an appeal by the medical superintendent, Dr. \V. Fox. Once upon a time, the house surgeons used to be called on to supply a pint of blood or so, to patients who were debilitated, after operations, but a few months ago Dr. Fox asked young people in the city to volunteer lor the service (states the Christchurch Press). After tests had been made, a register of twenty persons was compiled, and those people were called on from time to time. Another appeal was issued a few days ago, and as a result Dr. Fox states that h e has now enough volunteers for the immediate needs of the hospital.

“In the 1924 Departmental report a most unfortunate paragraph which impugned the loyalty of certain officers (unnamed) to the Department,” stated Mr. H. E. Coombs in his address at the opening of the P. and T. Conference. “It was one of those vague unfair attacks which are so difficult to meet. If it was aimed in any way at the prominent officials of the association, I wish to say, from a very wide experience, that I have never known any elected official with whom I have 'been in contact to suggest, much less assert, that any attempt should be made to do anything that would impair the efficiency of the service the Department renders the public. If the paragraph had reference to the definite and proper stand taken bv association officials in the interests of the members who elected them, then one can only- deplore the standard -of fair play which lay behind its insertion in a Parliamentary paper. The paragraph was seized on l>v the press (I was in one town in which the local newspaper dismissed the full report in a few lines and published this paragraph word for word) _ and certainly gave a wrong impression of the service. The paragraph was the subject of a lenetliv and animated discussion in Parliament; but as this was duly '•eported -in the Katipo, no further reference is required here.”

Complete prpparations are' being made by the energetic hon. secretary, Mr R. Treweek, and his committee for the grand social and dance to be held on Friday evening in the Matapu hall. There will be a specially good programme of musical and elocutionary selections by artists from Hawera and other parts. For the dance, Newberry’s well-known orchestra has been secured, aiul the committee is making the very best arrangements also for floor and supper. It is expected that there will be a very large attendance from all parts of the district.

Mr. L. I. Maxtor, the well-known Hawera cycle agent and good sport generally, has removed his place of business from Princes Street to more commodious and central premises adjoining the Sunny Nelson Fruit Depot in Union St., just below the Central Hotel. OUTRED’S. Just opened all new season’s goods. Spring Millinery, featuring models, smart English and American ready-to-wears, exclusive and original creations. Great variety of smart dressy tunics in serge, gabardine, knitted silk and printed crepe de chines. Latest costumes, showing smart sporting tweeds, gabardines and serges. We invite your inspection. —Outred’s, High St., where the smart goods are. —Advt.

On a call being made for labour at Lyttelton yesterday to discharge the Penmowall’s cargo of guano there was no response. The men demanded 3s 3d an hour and in addition a 15s bonus for the deterioration of their clothes. The disputes committee met and discussed the question for an hour, during which the employers’ representatives offered 2s lOd, which is the rate fixed by the national disputes committee at Wellington for th© discharge of AValpole Island phosphates and basic slag. The Pearlmoor case was further discussed, but the employers’ representatives were informed that the men still adhered to their demand for 3s an hour. As the employers will not pay more than the award rate of 2s 6fd there is a deadlock, and both the Pearlmoor and Penmorvah are idle.

A conference of representatives ol the councils in highway groups 13, 14, and 15 was called together by the Can. terbury Progress League to discuss the dissatisfaction felt at the operations of the Main Highways Act. There were 65 delegates and Messrs E. "\\ . Furkert (chairman of the Main Highways Hoard), F. Langbein (district engineer and chairman of the highway groups), and J. D. Bruce (counties’ representative on the Main Highways Board) were also present It was stated that the dissatisfaction was felt because there was only one board, because they want, ed one in each island. A motion was carried in favour of the subsidy for construction and maintenance being not less than 50 per cent., and that the revenue received under the Act be apportioned between the two islands in proportion to the number of motor vehicles in us e in each island.

Mr. Justice lleed at the Supreme Court in Auckland withdrew from the iury th© case against Stanley Forbes Gough Williams, and discharged the accused, who was on tria] for allegedly defrauding the Crown by selling stock and chattels covered 'by a bill of sale. Williams was a soldier settler who received considerable advances for the purchase of stock and implements in 1920. The following year h© wrote to the Commissioner for Crown Lands, stating lie had exchanged some of his stock. When asked Williams had replied that he had branded his stock as required, but the Ranger reported that some of’ the stock mentioned in the bill of sale were missing. Accused left his holding in 1924 and had sold some of his stock to keep going. The fields inspector of the Crown Lands Office stated that on his last visit to the property there were* nine head of stock loft on the property out of 32 originally bought. Accused stated that during the first years he had showed a profit, but after that he had made substantial losses. His Honour said that technically an offence had been committed, but it was very trival. Counsel for the Crown said he was prepared to admit that the offence was trival and technical. His Honour said lie did not pro. pose to go further with the matter and place the indignity of a conviction on the accused, but would withdraw the charge and discharge the accused.