LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 6 May 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the annual meeting of householders at Makaka. on Monday night, Messrs. H. C. Duckett (chairman and secretary), W. H. Walker, L. W. Johns, iR. V. Grey, and F. J. Aft lock were elected to’ the committee.

At Mangahume, those elected were Messrs. R. J. Morris (chairman and secretary), R. H. Holland, J. M. Hickey, H. McLellan, and F. Gapper.

The Rev. Howard Elliott, Dominion organiser of the Protestant Political Association, who is at present visiting the Taranaki district will deliver, an address at the Foresters’ Hall at eight o’clock this evening.

Flounder catching is usually associated with a ramp and spear or a net. (says an exchange), ibut a fisherman states that he can make equally good catches in daylight and in clear waiter with the line. He uses catgut and worms for bait. Instead' of one sinker at the end of the line, lie use® small' pieces of lead between each hook to make the line lie flat. An outbreak of fire occurred among 3000 bags of copra in an upper cargo space on the, New Zealand Shipping Company’s Somerset, which was completing loading for London. The fire was extinguished before 'any serious damage resulted (states a. Wellington message). An examination' revealed that two or three sacks of copra were charred. The copra was loaded’ at Auckland, and will be dried 'and sent on by another boat. Dr. H. Henseler, a professor of the University of Munich, i,s visiting New Zealand, and is interesting himself in animal breeding, especially for wool and meat purposes. Dr. Henseler, who is one of the world’s authorities on wool fibres, is now calling at various centres in the South island, such as Lincoln College, and later on he will tour the Wellington, Taranaki, and Auckland provinces, with the idea of acquiring further knowledge of New Zealand's flocks. His tour is being facilitated by the Department of Agriculture.

Compulsory swimming in schools is advocated in the annual report of the Wellington School 'Committees’ Association. “The association,” the report says, “is concerned with the large number of deaths by drowning in New Zealand, and considers that the time has arrived when the Government should endeavour to devise some -system in which the children of school age should be taught to swim, and, if necessary, to, make swimming a pass subject.” The popular social evening which marks the close of each term at the Hawera High School was held last evening in the Savoy Tea Rooms, and was largely attended by present and past pupils and friends of the school. A very enjoyable evening was spent in dancing, music being voluntarily supplied by the Central Boys’ Club orchestra. The catering was controlled by the girl prefects, who provided a splendid supper. Mr. R. P. Morrissey, as M.C., fulfilled his duties as capably as ever. The following acted as chaperones: Mesdames Gray, Thomas, Hobbs, Haybittle, and Tait. Before the social closed at midnight the principal, Mr. A. Gray, expressed, thanks to Air. Morrissey and to the Boys’ Club for the assistance rendered. Something like a sensation \va-s caused .in Wellington yesterday when the news became known that Jane Anne Johnston, a married woman, aged 46 years had been arrested on a charge of breaking and entering into the house of ex-Councillor F. A. 'Manton, situated at No. 66, Harbour View Road, Northland, on the night of February 18, and stealing jewellery and valuables estimated to be worth close on £IOOO. Almost all the alleged loot, it was stated, was recovered by the police after a five hours’ search of Airs Johnston’® residence, as a result of which the accused, who is at present awaitin'"’ her tria l on a charge of being found bv night in Te Aro House with the intention to commit a crime therein, was taken into custody and charged with the offence named.—Press Assn.

The Sir Trubv King Karitane Hospital was opened at Wellington yester•day for immediate occupation, and Sir Truby’s emulsion factory was also formally handed over to the Karitane Products Society, Ltd. The Hon. J. A. Young (Minister of Health) reviewed ■ the growth, of the PP.unket Society during- the last 20 years, stressing regret at" the mortality among children through ignorance by mothers of the correct methods of feeding young babies. This mortality had now been reduced from 88 per 1000 to less than 44 per 1000. There are now 60 branches of the society and 100 nurse® throughout New Zealand. Plunliet methods were adopted in all parts of the world.

The Employers’ Federation at Wellington A'■ s terd a y issued a policy (Statement' through its secretary, stating that it was not in favour of the abolition of the Arbitration Court, but stating that employers and workers have made too much use of the Court instead. of facing the solution of their own difficulties. The federation, therefore, although supporting the arbitration system, and approving the present constitution of the Court, strongly recommends that the employers in each industry should devise some method suitable for that industry for payment by results and so encourage greater production. They then should, urge upon the Court in every way possible that such methods be incorporated in awards.

The revenue from - the Howard Estate, Hawke’s Bay, and the use to which it should be put, was discussed at a. meeting of the Dannevirke A. and P. Association yesterday, arising from a letter suggesting that a portion of it should be allocated to the Manawatu Agricultural College at Palmerston North. Mr. E. A. Ransom, M.P., who submitted the letter, said that at present research work was mainly directed to the improvement of agriculture and dairying, whereas, in his opinion, a subsidy might be provided by the Howard Estate for re*search in regard to the improvement of meat and wool. He moved: “That this meeting of the executive committee of the Dannevirke A. and P. .Association urge upon the trustees of the Howard bequest the desirability of centralising their efforts in the direction of scientific agricultural research in the new college to lie established at Palmerston North, and that the trustees he urged to set aside a portion of the revenue from the estate to establish a department of research in respect to the growth of sheep and wool, and the betterment of this most important branch of our primary industries.” The motion was earned unanimously.

Tramears in most American, cities are heated in the winter months.

A business deal running info four figures has just been completed in Auckland over the week-end by one of Hawera’s leading furnishers. Mr. DMcCormick, who left for Auckland by boat on Friday night last, has successfully tendered and contracted for the supply and delivery of the whole of the furniture, uphoistery, carpets, bedding, table linens, etc., for the new Central Hotel at Cambridge. *

Air Hope Gibbons incidentally mentioned! at a council gathering at War no-anui that the first year he was in office as Alayor it cost him £IOOO, and for the subsequent years not less than £SOO per annum. At the meeting of householders at Te Roti on Alonday night there was a poor attendance. Three committeemen were elected, viz., Messrs W. Todd, H. Barnett and M. Condon. They were given power to add to their number. At a meeting of the Greymoutih Patriotic Society, a motion was passed in favour of returned) soldiers being granted old age pensions at 55 years of age, irrespective of any war pensions paid to them. An indication of how school attendances are affected by a moving population is given by the fact that at the Fairfield school, Hamilton, where the average school- roll stands at 290, no fewer than 360 children were admitted and' transferred to other schools in three years (reports the ‘ ‘New. Zealand Herald”). During that period the average roll number has increased only slightly. Some 24 years ago Mr E. W. Paine, of Dunollie, discovered a lode of a tin-bearing nature in the Reefton district (states the “Grey River Argue”). It is one of six feet in width, in granite country, and if it is proved to be payable it will be a big thing for the West Coast, as tin, is a.t present a very profitable commodity, fetching about"£3oo per ton. It is a metal for which the present demand is exceptionally keen, "while its production calls for a lot of labour.

The Christchurch City . Council as now in the potato business. The other morning a start was made with the digging of a crop of potatoes on the limes Road reserve. It is a very fine crop, esti matedl 'by Air J. S. Young, the Superintendent of Parks and. Reserves, as likely to yield 10 tons’ of table potatoes to the acre. _ The potatoes are not to be sold straight away; they are td be pitted in anticipation of a move in the market. Even a Labour council seemingly does not mind a little speculation when there are profits close in sight, re-marks the “Sun.”

Twenty-seven unenqployed l men whose necessitous condition was made the subject of representations to the Prime Minister declined to accept work which was offered to them by the Government. All of them reside in Auckland, states an exchange, The 27 '-ase-si were taken, up a few weeks ago by Airs Emily Nicol, who has interested herself in the condition of the unemployed in Auckland, and were referred to the Prime Alini-ster on the ground that they were typical oases of hardship in Auckland deserving of the Government’s assistance.

The Raupatu Commission concluded its Wairoa -sitting on Wednesday. It dealt with Nuhaka No. 1 block, the Alangaopuraka block, and the Mahia block petitions. The claimants alleged that their lands were wrongfully included in the sale deeds. A further petition was heard from 153 natives who asked payment o-f a fairer price for the land sold at Aloha,ka in 1851, .involving 86,000 acres, alleging that the price paid, 2jd per acre, was a ridiculous one. The commission adjourned until Tuesday next, when the final sitting will be -held in Wellington. Swagmen are- plentiful in Central Hawke's Bay just now, and ancient “knights of the road” are frequently seen along the main roads in the district. No less than a dozen called at one house in the Tatunna district last week. An -ancient woo-lshed near the Orauwba-ra property at Taka-pau, locally known as the- “swaggers hotel” had its accommodation taxed to the utmost over the week end and a motorist passing that spot noticed seven of the vagrants who had sheltered in the building for the night. -Sheepfa-rmers on the flats of the Poverty Bay district have disquieting news in that large numbers of hoggets are being found dead in the paddocks. It is usual for sheepfarmens to lose a certain number of these young sheep in early winter, but the mortality at present is said to be much heavier than usual, and is commencing earlier than in past seasons. The cause of the large number of deaths is not known: that it is not due to the recent cold snap is evident by the fact that before the cold, wet weather set in there were large number® of dead hoggets in the paddocks. Curiously enough, the trouble appears to be confined to the flats, and fortunately not -a very large number of sheepfa-rmers are concerned. The position on the hill country is much better, and few deaths are reported.