LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 27 August 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Reporting to the Wellington Fire Beard, Superintendent Creek drew attention to the prevalence of suspicious fires, seven having occurred in the past three months, four of them in one suburb, Kilburnie. In 'one ease a man v.as convicted, and in another a boy of 14A years of age was found guilty. That the S.P.C.A. is keeping a watchful eye on the way in which the young calves for the local works are handled is . proved by the fact that recently no less than three of the society’s officials, Captains Henry, Johnston, and Tip pens, of the Wellington. Wanganui, and New Plymouth districts, respectively were in and around Patea, says the “Press.’’ The visiting Feilding High School football team and the local .school team and friends will be the guests of the Hawera Rotary Club and South Taranaki Automobile Association on a motor run, which will commence at the school hostel, High Street, at two o’clock tomorrow.

The North Island Motor Union at Napier yesterday referred to a committee a suggestion that steps be taken to set. up a motor service organisation for the North Island for the purpose of establishing (1) uniformity of sign posting; (2) up-to-date and reliable information on all roads; (3) proper sign posting of by-roads; (4) an official guide book and local guide books and maps; (3) other matters in connection with service to motorists. Resolutions carried at Wellington by the temperance and public morals committee of the Methodist Church of New Zealand express pleasure at the favourable reply of the Minister of IntornalAffairs to a deputation urging a tightening up of the censorship of cinema films and posters, and strongly supports the Religious Exercises in Schools Bills,, and urges that the measure be given fair treatment at the bands of Parliament during the present session.

The biggest- civil action heard in Gisborne for many years concluded at the Compensation Court yesterday, after hearing evidence for two days. The claimant. Thomas George Lawless, cairns £28,415 as compensation, for land’ taken bv the: 'Gisborne Harbour Board for the purposes of the new harbour works in G.isbome. The evidence. which was largely on the. value of land in Gisborne, concluded in the afternoon. His Honour, Mr Justice Ostler, intimated that if the court came, to a decision it would be delivered this morning. Reference to the grave danger to motorists and the serious menace to human life constituted by wandering stock was made at a meeting of the North Island Motor Union at. Napier vesterdav. In view 'of the 'fact that the Impounding Act was passed in 1908, since when there have been very fc-w amendments thereto taking into consideration the growth of motor traffic, the union decided to approach the proper authorities with a view to having the Act amended in the following direction: (a) That rangers should receive a regular salary and not to be solely dependent upon pound fees; (b> that pound fees should be increased all over New Zealand; (c) that penalties under the Act should be made heavier, and the powers of rangers incieased: (b) that local bodies should not be permitted to lease grazing rights for main highways, and that the law prohibiting night grazing be enforced.