LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 December 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During an auction sale at a house at Charleville, the back verandah collapsed, precipitating seventy women to the ground (says a message from Brisbane). Several were taken to hospital suffering from severe injuries. Employers are reminded ot the meeting to be held in the Borough Chambers this evening for the purpose of forming a local branch of the Taranaki Employers’ Association. An offer has been made for the purchase of the whole of the Wellington Meat Company’s plant and business, and an extraordinary general meeting will be held this week to consider this proposal (says a Wellington Press Association message). There is also an alternative proposal in respect to raising additional capital to carry on operations.

The annual garden fete and sale of work held by St. Mary’s Church, Hawera, is always a suceesfiii affair, aud this year’s 1 unction, to be held on Wednesday next in the grounds of Mrs J. F. Pease’s residence, Manawapon Road, is expected to exceed all previous records. (Given line weather, there should be a very large attendance of visitors to the beautiful gardens, and the programme will be both large and varied. Stalls of many descriptions .should create much interest to. the shop - per, while numerous competitions should prove very attractive. Special amusements have been arranged for the children, and tennis and nailMriving competitions will be indulged in by the adults. Prizes have been offered for best decorated vehicles, including motor cars, bicycles, tricycles, perambulators and dolls’ prams. A fancy dress competition for children is also annoi'nced. It has also been arranged for free cars to convey visitors from numerous points of the' town (advertised elsewhere) to the fete. At a conference of executive officers, inspectors, and engineers of the local bodies in the No. 9 Heavy Traffic District, at Wanganui last week, the chairman (Mr. G. Murch) stated that the Highways authorities were most satisfied with the manner in which the local bodies in their district were interpreting and enforcing the heavy traffic regulations. It was ior them to continue to demonstrate that they had the interests of the local bodies at heart bv setting an example to other districts. Mr. G. Darbyshire said there wa.s no doubt that they were interpreting the regulations correctly. They had collected nearly £3OOO in fees, and by the time the loads were properly adjusted the amount would he increased to about £SOOO. Recently, when one of the oldest builders in Onehunga was discussing the question of house rents, he said it was quite true that for 50 years rents were cheaper at Onehunga than in any other part of Auckland, hut that was not the case now, and people had to nay as much for houses there as anywhere else in Auckland. He remembered the time, as late as 35 years ago, when he took contracts to build six five-roomed houses, labour only, for £3O a house. i Barraclough’s Magic Nervine stops toothache; 1/6. —Advt.

Anomalies in insurance policies affecting motor-cars were cited at the meeting of tlie Wellington Automobile Club. It was stated that a damaged car must be removed at the insurer’s expense to the nearest garage or railway station. In a recent case it cost £3O to remove a. “ditched” car to a railway station. It was also stated that- if a car went over a precipice into n river, being practically lost, the insurance company could insist upon its recovery and removal to a garage at the insurer's expense before considering a claim. Co-operative insurance was hinted at, but if the above anomalies were removed the present joint stock company service would be quite sufficient.

The Bruce County Council has made am emphatic protest against the use and working of motor-lorries in the county on Sundays. A councillor, at a recent meeting, said that, it had become tlie practice for Lorries to cart wool and other merchandise all day Sunday, and he considered that, apart from being -a desecration, of the Sabbath. this traffic tended to “cut in ’ on, the railways. Another councillor remarked that lie could not understand why the drivers of these lorries were not penalised, “Why,” he asked, ‘Vshould Chinese be fined for working in their gardens on a Sunday, and these men be allowed to work in full view of the public ami have nothing done to them?”

Fruit export from New Zealand, commencing about the end of January, is liltelv to reach a total of 400,000 cases. ” Preliminary estimates placed the figure at 350,000, but largely increased demands for space from Hawke’s Bay and Auckland and the first appearance of Gisborne district in the export trade will swell the total. The past few months have been most suitable for fruit-growing, particularly in the Nelson district, where very little rain has fallen. Mr. Campbell, director of the Horticultural Division, Wellington, states that he has just returned from a visit to the Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay districts, where the indications were that a most prosperous season would be enjoyed by the fruit growers.

The official opening of the Cecelia Whatman Home, a handsomely constructed, equipped and endowed orphanage, handed over by Mr A. P. Whatman to the Salvation. Army, was performed- on Saturday by the Prime Minister (the Hon. .T. G. Coates). • The building, which will accommodate 60 children, is of the latest type of concrete construction, and is surrounded by residences for the manager and the schoolmaster and the sehoolhouse, all having been erected by Mr Whatman at a cost of £30i,000. Besides furnishings and the buildings, the honor has endowed the home with £20,000 which produces sufficient for maintenance. This is not Mr Whatman’s first gift to the children of New Zealand, as on a former occasion he gave a beautiful house at the Bay of Islands to the Salvation Army to he used as a children’s home,' During the war and postwar.period Mr Whatman also displayed a commendable spirit of generosity and loyalty, giving freely both money and property for the assistance of returned soldiers.

Commenting on the new Bishop ol Christchurch, the London Truth says : “In nominating Dr. West-Watson, Bishop of Barrow-in-Furness, -to the New Zealand bishopric of Christchurch, the Archbishop of Canterbury has made a. useful addition to the comparatively short list of ■ English suffragans who have gone to substantial dioceses either in the colonies or in partibus infedelium. The most striking instance was the appointment of Dr. Boutflower, suffragan of Darlington to be Bishop of South rLokiolie is now Bishop of Southampton. Di. West-Watson is one of those New Evangelicals whose standpoint is, on the whole, nearer to that of the original Tractarian than that of the oldfashioned high and dry “No Popery Protestants. His predecessor at Christchurch, Dr. Julius, having been much of the same type, there are unlikely to be any disconcerting changes in the diocese—the second m point of age in New Zealand. Dr. WestWatson was a “boy bishop,” haying been consecrated at two and thirty. He is now only forty-eight.” In conversation with, a Star representative, Mr. E. Griffiths, the stud stock expert on the staff of Messrs. Newton King, Ltd., who last week paid visits to some of the Jersey herds m the Ivaponga district, expressed himself as agreeably surprised to have found so many first-class specimens of the breed. ' Mr. Griffiths further said that he had seen many excellent types, and the notable butter-fat records of some of the herds gave unmistakable evidence that the effect of high producing Jerseys was undoubtedly resulting in greater production throughout the 'district. Commenting on the complaints made by farmers throughout the Dominion concerning the backward season, Air. Griffiths said he had found that the better Jersey herds were not so seriously affected, thus evidencing the wisdom' of breeding the host Jersey blood. Further evidence of this was given on one farm visited where the production of a Jersey heWl had averaged 2001 bs. of butter-fat per acre over the previous season.

When the Thannas Hotel, at Auckland, was taken over by the conifcraetons some time ago for demolition, so that-a fine bilock of buildings might bo built on this valuable corner «.ite, the hotel did not actually cease business, for a temporary bar vans erected right at the corner of Queen Street, and Customs Street. In this one bar beer ivas still! drawn from cellar cool until one day hast week, and when this section of the premises was demolished the Licensing Committee, when it refused to grant Mr. Gleason Vs application, for removal of the license, adjourned the application lor renewal of the license until December 16. The effect of this decision in reference to the removal of the license will, no doubt, result in the license lapsing, ais the police opposed an adjournment or continuance of the license. In regard to lapsed licenses, the law provides that any vacancies, which might arise may be filled up by the Licensing Committee at its annual meeting in June. This would have the effect, if the Thames Hotel license lapses, of enabling .application to be made in re,spent to any suitable premises which comply with the law, and which are situated within half a mile of the present Thames Hotel site.

Si"uwriters arc still amongst the most’ sought after of local tradesmen m Dunedin, and' the acute shortage of the past three months continues. During the rush period of the exhibition, competent signwriters were earning from £ls to £2O a week, and many painters averaged between £l2 and £ls a week. There was an exciting few minutes on the Greymouth wharf the other afternoon, when a successful effort was made to despatch the steamers Kaiupoi and Kaimai, which had been delayed owing to the meu’s sympathy with tlie men of the Poolta, who refused to sail unless the donkeyman is dismissed. The Kaimai got away quietly, but the Kaiapoi was despatched practically by force. Four firemen were missing, and were rounded up in hotels by the police and placed on board. The situation was ugly for a- while, but the fact that the police were present in force had its effect and probably averted a serious clash.

To secure the correct use of the vocal organs,- purity of speech, clear articulation, and purity of vowel sounds is the object of a .special report on speech, training now being issued iby the Education Department. In many infant departments this iis already done, but in. lew schools is the work continued beyond the preparatory course. The report emphasises the desirability of giving further attention to such training in the middle and higher divisions of tlie school and proceeds to set out a syllabus of work for the guidance of teachers. The Minister, Sir James Parr, gives the report his .benediction, expressing the hope that the result will he “the purity of our glorious English tongue in the mouths of our young people.” A very surprised motorist played an unpremeditated part in a little street incident at Dunedin that cheered the hearts of a few spectators. He wae approaching the Octagon up Stuart street in a fine Minerva car, and was about to turn. Intent upon the business of driving, he sounded liis horn vigorously, and swung out his right arm to warn the world of his intentions. A genial gentlemen visiting the city noted the proffered hand of friendship, stepped out promptly and shook hands cordially with the. astonished motorist. The look of surprise on the one face and of mild inquiring innocence oil the other will remain a treasured memory for those who witnessed the' incident. Formerly one of the most popular society girls of New Orleans. Mrs H. Windsor Wade shares with her husband his exile on the lonely leper island of Gulion, 200 miles south-east of Mani'a. Aided only by Filipino doctors, and French nurses, Dr. Windsor Wade, an American pathologist, labours among the colony of more "than 5000 lepers. The island is only visited monthly bv the Government steamei from Manila, but the absence of her own kind does not trouble this America! gir l , who frankly declares that it is her unfailing belief in the value of her husband’s work in leprosy that binds her to the lonely island life. That that belief is founded on sure grounds is proved by the fact that more than .500 ’epers have been cured by the treatment.

The Hon. W. P„ Beeves’ work as a journalist in Christchurch some thirtyfive years ago led 'him, when he was interviewed the other evening in that city, to speak of newspapers in this Dominion. He. said that Mrs Beeves and he, after their experiences with many of" the newspapers in North America and Canada, remarked on arrival in Auckland: “Thank God we have scorne to a country where newspapers are decently written for educated people.’.’ He did not. speak of metropolitan newspapers in North America and Canada, but the. relief after reading the newspapers of the large provincial towns there was almost unspeakable. In a town of 300,000 or larger than any New Zealand centre, there would •not be found a single newspaper that compared in breadth of view, catholicity and interest, or in taste in writing, with this Dominion’s newspapers. In his opinion, the best English newspapers still are the best in tlie world.

The progress of the Bible in schools movement was referred to by Archbishop Averill at a meeting of tlie Council of Christian Congregations at Auckland. The Archbishop quoted from a report of tlie organising secretary of the Bible in Schools League, which was presented to a recent meeting of the executive held in Wellington. The report stated that many Parliamentary candidates who had approved of a Bill for the teaching of tlie Bible in schools had been elected to Parliament. In the new House it was estimated that forty-eight members, including three Alaori members, might be relied on to support the Bill. One member was in favour of the Nelson system, eleven were classed as doubtful, and twenty were opposed to the Bill. It was accidental that a majority of members supporting the Bill were Reform members.