LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 18 August 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Building permits of a total value of £IOB3 were issued by the tLawera Borough Council during last month. About sixty Empire Press delegates will arrive in Taranaki jon. Sunday atfernoon after visiting Waitomo Caves. On Monday they will visit Mt. Egmont and on Tuesday will proceed to IV elungtoii by special train.

During the month three cows ancl one hor.se were found straying on the borough streets, according to a report presented to the Borough Council last night by tbe pound-keeper. The population of New Zealand at June 30 is estimated by the government statistician at 1,381.936, and including that of the Cook Islands, Niue, etc., anil of the mandated territory of Western Samoa, as at March 31, the total its 1,431,015.

To .show how high Lake Waikare■moana is, fishing and shooting camps that were supposed to be many feet ■above the high level, are now under 'water, and creeks that were once mere 'trickles have now 15 to 16 feet of •water in their channels.

During the month of July. 18 bullocks. 117 cows, 45 heifers, 396 sheep. 3 lambs, 30 calves and 68 pigs were slaughtered at the Hawera abattoir. Three cows, two sheep and one pig were condemned. Fees and rents totalled £ll9.

.Since the ship Pakelia- st ruck a rock 'in the channel numerous complaints have been received by the Bluff Harbour Board, anil this week the board commenced the first of its operations 'ill cleaning the channel. All the rocks likely to impede the movements of ships have been located and these are to be blaeted down as soon as possible. The improvement in ambulance methods of recent years was stressed by the chairman of the Hawera. Hospital Board at yesterday’<■ meeting, when he oaid that' when lie came to Hawera there wias a house ambulance in nse. Mr. T'avler also recalled that Elltham likewise had a horse ambulance anil that this had been found by public subscription. ' The Aorangi, which is bringing twenty-eight Empire Press Union delegates, had been delayed* by bad weather and arrived about seven on Sunday evening. The party was met by ■Sir George Fenwick, chairman of the 'New Zealand branch of the Empire 'Press Union and other members of the branch. They were accorded a civic ■eeption on Monday, and for the remainder of the day were the guests of. the proprietors of the Auckland dailies.

Every driver of experience .states that the \Y ha kata lie Road at Itotoma is in a dangerous condition. There is hut a wheel width margin between the lake and the cliffs and the road is undermined. Should there be a northerly gale for a few hours the road would go. The lake has risen over *2fit in the last two months. No danger signal's have been put up and the County Council has no money for repairs, which may run into hundreds of pounds. Geoffrey Janies 1 -Shaw, 1 year land 9 months old, a son of an accountant residing at Ackland Avenue, Clarence 'Gardens, Adelaide, was drowned in peculiar circumstances. Mrs. Shaw went to town, leaving her twin children in charge of a lady friend. The 'children were playing on the front verandah, and when one was missed a search revealed the body of the child in a hole in the back yard dug to absorb the soapsuds and water from the kitchen and bath.

The Hockey Club ball, which is to be held in the Winter Show Buildings on Wednesday next, bids fair to be th? best ball held in Hawera for many years. The features include an entirely new decorative scheme and novelty dances, whilst the music will leave nothing to be desired. Every eifort is being made by an energetic committee to cater for patrons, and it is hoped that the public will support these girl sports in an effort to make their first ball one to be remembered. William King, ranger on Mount Wellington, Tasmania, and Mrs. Deegan, his sister-in-law, had a trying experience one night last month. _Despite inclement weather conditions xiiey essayed to- leach the- pinnacle, out a blinding blizzard came on. The miiio-w was that thick that the sightseers could not see their way, and they could make hut little progress. King’s knowledge of the mountain slopes enabled him to find a cave, where they lemaine.l till morning: They reached the Springs Hostel early in the afternoon in an exhausted condition. An unusual story of a man who ‘thought it a joke to .be arrested and •placed in a cell at the lock-up was •bold before a Justice of the Peace at ‘Ashburton the other morning, when a ‘man appeared on a charge of being ‘drunk. TBi<* defendant was a member •of a committee holding a “hard-up .social'’ at A Menton, and was dressed as a very rough customer, explains a 'Presis Association message. The police had been asked to keep an eye on rowdies, and a constable in plain clothes 'arrested defendant, who was standing at the door with another member of the committee. The constable asked, “What are you doing here? 1 ' and defendant's companion, considering it a ■joke, replied. “That's what I’d like to know.” The constable did not know it was a fancy drests dance, and told ‘defendant iu was isucb as he who spoiled dances. The defendant laughed: then the constable called him out, hailed a taxi, and took him to the staition, where, as defendant said, he was •determined to isee it through, .and was •not released till after 2 o’olock in the •morning. After considerable evidence had been heard, the caise was dis•missed, as several witnesses swore to defendant’s sobriety. The Bench said •it was hard to explain the constable’s •actions, but the defendant w-as also to •blame for not doing anything to .stopi the matter going further.

Slack time and small earnings are having their ehec-t in the mining districts, and there is an exodus of workers from the State colleries, Blackball, ■and Boa.

The Hangiora Institute Hall and Library were destroyed by fire at an early hour yesterday. The insurance was £1250 m the State Office. The lessee, J. P. Matthews, picture proprietor, lost plant anil machinery valued at £7OO, which was uninsured.

Yesterday Detective-Sergeant Young arrested Noel Mark Fowler, a married man, aged 27, until recently employed as a clerk in the Public Works Department, Christchurch, on a charge of the theft of moneys the property of the department. The charge on which Fowler was arrested referred to an amount of £8 6s Id, but it is probable that other charges will be laid (says a Press Association message from Christchurch).

■ 1 n the heart of a Sydney suburb a man lay imconseimus in a house for several days before he was found. 'Richard Hargreaves was found lying at his home in Neutral Bay. It was believed that he collapsed, and falling heavily to the ground struck his head on an iron stool lying near him. He had been unconscious in .the house for several days. A parrot found lying dead in. its cage had evidently starved to death. Central Ambulance took 'Hargreaves to hospital, where he recovered consciousness .shortly after ailmission.

' There was much amused comment at ‘the Trades Hall, Sydney, over the fact 'that certain .prominent members of the “red'’ element had made themselves 'prominent, also, at. fleet functions, 'although the council had decided to 'bbyi-ott these gatherings. One story told which occasioned much laughter, was that a certain man was seen at 'the fleet ball standing very close to the vice-regal party. It is stated that 'at the council’s next meet several '“reds” would be questioned upon their ‘temporary change of colour. For shouldering two patrolmen from a United States warship and using obscene language on the Christchurch railway station o n Saturday night, Eric Raymond Gerald Dean was yesterday fined £5, in default one month’s imprisonment. Accused pleaded guilty. He admitted that he had had “a few spots,” having just arrived in Christchurch and met his brother. He was rather excited, especially as the station was crowded and he had to push through. “It’s not a general run of mine to use bad language,” he said. “I didn’t push them because they were two sailors. I’m not up against them or anything like that; it’s just that I was very excited and had a few spots. ’ ’ —Press Association.

Two young men from the country had it impressed upon them, that, it does not pay to be disrespectful to members of the American Fleet, says 'the Christchurch Sun When under tfclie influence of liquor they jostled an (American, .ship is patrol and made insulting remarks to him. The American sailor didn’t uue the serviceable-look-ing baton which these men carry, but 'referred the matter to the civilian police, and the men were promptly ■arrested. Wilfred J. Harrison and 'Jack William *Green, whose ages were given as 24 and 21, pleaded guilty, before Messrs. S. O. Bingham and J. Wallace, JiP.’.s, to a charge that, while ilrunk, they were guilty of disorderly behaviour .in High street. Each man was fined £2, in default (seven 'days’ imprisonment Complaints are being made by the seamen of the American visiting fleet 'at Dunedin that class distinction is much In evidence at .several city catering establishments. Several members of .the crew of the U.S.S. destroyer Burins. No. 171,. called at the office of the Otago Daily Times this evening and stated that on entering one of the largest city restaurants they were ’astounded to see printed on a mirror 'the words “Dance for officers only.” The men naturally dill not attempt to tenter the premises, but they resent '“from the bottom of their hearts,” to Use their own words, what they allege te an Insult. The .sailors said that 'they felt the slight all the more beteause elsewhere the men had been received as equals of the citizens of. the 'Commonwealtli, there being absolutely 'no distinction -shown between officers 'and men.

The problem of what happens to the ■superannuated cows which every sale 'day appear in the yards appears to be •solved. Speaking .to a Wellington 'newspaper man recently, a poultry farmer said his 2700 head of poultry •necessitated such large quantities of •meat foods that he had .installed a •special boiling plant in which every •week during the laying season he boiled five or six cows for this purpose. •An eight house-power boiler provides •power for the plant, and from this, jsiteam pipes lead into iron vats in •which the meat is placed, about eighthours being required for the cooking. The bones after being stripped of the meat are used for fuel, the residue, •which is 'practically pure phosphate of •lime, being then •crushed for grit- for •the fowls.

A conference of representatives of •the Masonic Lodges of the New Zealand, English, Scottish, and Irish Constitutions throughout the dominion was held at the Public Trust Office at Wellington last week, the Public Trustee Ip residing. The object of the conference was to discuss the various matters arising out- of the charitable bequests under the toll of the late Mr. •Samuel Kirkpatrick, the well-knonvn manufacturer, whose estate is beiim administered by the Public Trustee! •By his will the testator directed that there be established at his residential (property in Nelson a Masonic institution or boarding establishment for the •maintenance, hoarding, and education .of orphan daughters of deceased Freemasons throughout New Zealand. The estate i>s a valuable one, anti the will 'direfits the residue to be held for the •purposes of the foregoing trust. The -conference was not open to the press ■or the public.