LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 1 October 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

No fresh'news of the escaped leopard has been received at Auckland. How the female animal got away is reported to be still a mystery to the Zoo authorities. ;

During the month of September four petitions of bankruptcy were recorded by the Deputy-Official Assignee. Only one was recorded for the corresponding month of last year.

A new face in Taranaki journalism made its appearance yesterday, when the first issue of the Kaponga Courier was published in th e mountain township. A four-page weekly restrioted to district news, the Courier is printed in Manaia by the Waimate Witness proprietary. The vital statistics for tfie month of September showed a marked decline in both births and .deaths, and even marriages appealed to have been considerably below the figures for the corresponding month of last year. The actual numbers were as follows, those for September, 19?4, being given in parentheses: Births 16 (25), deaths 1 (9), marriages 4 (7). The weather during September was extremely wet, 7.22 inches of rainfall being registered. Rain fell on 23 days. A fall of 1.37 inches on September 11 was the maximum, and was the highest recorded during 1925 to date. Ojlly, seven days throughout the ffieflttfwere without rain, and of those Monday and Tuesday last were included. John Mercer Bruce, a farmer, aged 69 years, is presumed to be drowned in the Punui river (says a message from Te Awamutu). He was missed during the morning, and subsequently tracks were located leading to the river, where a hat was found on the edge of a deep hole. Dragging operations have so far been unsuccessful.

Burglars entered the Working Men’s Club at Christchurch, and after thoroughly ransacking the premises decamped with several pounds in cash and a large quantity ofcigarettes and tobacco. The intruders left some 10 or 15 setfi of finger prints on the white rafters, and the detectives ax*e now following up clues in connection with the case.

Miss Newland has just received a letter from the honorary treasurer of Dr. Bamardo’s Homes, acknowledging the receipt of £3 ss, this amount being donated by a few members of the library and other sympathisers frequenting the room. Hearty thanks are sent to all who so kindly helped towards raising 400,000 half-crowns for the Children’s Food Fund in London. So far neither the Reform Party nor the National Party has selected a candidate to contest the Avon seat against the sitting Labour member, Mi* D. G. Sullivan. It is understood that there is still a possibility that Mr J. A. Flesher, ex-Mayor of Christchurch, who is a i*esident of the electorate, will carry the Reform banner. Inquiries in official circels brought the informaton that so far no candidates have been considered for either Avon or Christchurch East. There is not likely to' be a Reform candidate for Christchurch South.

Manuel Valvoi, aged 23, the prisoner who escaped from Paparua gaol Last Friday, appeared at the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch yesterday before Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., to answer a charge of having escaped from lawful custody. He pleaded guilty, and was committed do the Supreme Court for sentence. Valvoi said the idea of escaping had been suggested to. him by a fellow prisoner climbing through the skylight in the barn . and jumping nearly 30 feet from the rafters to the floor beneath.

Trouble is reported to be brewing on coastal vessels over tbe donkeyman’s duties. Negotiations have been proceeding for some time on the question of certain work being done by donkeymen or by engineers. The trouble apparently reached a climax at Auckland yesterday, when the Richardson Line steamer Awahou was unable to sail for the East Coast bays and: Gisborne. A fireman was told to shut off the valves of the steam pipes leading to the deck winches, but he refused to do so, and the vessel was held up. The Northern Company’s steamer Waipu was also unable to sail for Waiheke on account of similar trouble. In the collection of rates for the current year the Kaponga Town Board has experienced very satisfactory Tesults which may be mainly attributed to the practice of allowing a discount of 5 per cent, on payments made within a specified time. Up till Monday, the 28th inst., the final date for the operation of the discount, the sum of £920 had been received, this representing, after allowing for the discount, approximately G 5 per cent, of the total rates struck. This prompt payment has a desirable reflex in the cost of administering the town's civic affairs, as one result is to place the district funds account in credit, and consequently save interest charges on the fixed overdraft in the antecedent liability account. The amount already paid is £3OO in excess of the amount estimated by the clerk at the last meeting of the board. As an illustration of the benefit of the discount system, it is worthy of note that before it was adopted two years ago the highest amount received in rates during the first month amounted to only 10 per cent, of the total rates.