Local and General.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 251, 8 October 1923, Page 4

Local and General.

The Maoris have disposed of the Matahine Block in the Bay of Plenty to a milling syndicate. The price is in the vicipity of £60,000.

The Wqnganu Acclimatisation Society has obtained a largo supply of pheasants’ eggs and these are being distributed among local poultrymen to hatch and rear the young birds. A supply of mallard duck eggs has also been secured for the same purpose.

Throughout the Dominion extended provision has been niade. for hospital treatment. In 1912 there were 63 institutions, with a total of 3176 beds, and 28,885 cases were treated; while now there arc 67 institutions, with 5989 beds available, and 51,213 cases were dealt with in the past year, and 32,335 out-patients attended the pitals for treatment.

The capital' value of Greater Wellington at March ,31st last was £30,094,093, the unimproved value £14.856,109, value of improvements, £15,197,984. The reserves cover 1613 acres, the buildings in the city number 21,443, the population 92,590, and the length of the streets 244 miles. The area of Greater Wellington is 24J square miles.

A movement is on foot in Auckland to form the Imperial veterans in New Zealand into a unit. All men that have been in the Imperial services, whether they fought in the last war or not, will be available for membership. The idea or organising the men is that they shall be able, to claim the same privileges as any other returned soldiers.

Credit is generally given to the Hon. J. G. Coates for his administration of the Public . Works Department, but a child at Waimauku school has awarded the Mnister a new distinction (says the “New Zealand Herald’’). The school children were being questioned as to who discovered New Zealand. “Mr Coates’’ was the prompt reply from a tiny tot.

The work performed on behalf of returned soldiers in New Zealand was favourably commented upon by MajorGeneral A. G. Wauchope, of the British Overseas Settlement Delegation, who left by the Uulimaroa for Syrney from Auckland on Friday, prior to returning to the United Kingdom. “I have been much struck with what the Government has done for the returned soldiers,’’ said Major-General Wauchope, ‘ ‘ and equally so with the work performed by the Returned Soldiers' Association. In spite of the difficulties encountered during the last three years, I am glad to see so many men doing so well.”

Since penny postage came into opera, tion at the beginning of the week the postal authorities throughout the Dominion have had a very busy time dealing with the masses of correspondence and circular matter, the posting of which was apparently delayed by business firms and others until the reduced rate came into force (says a Press Association telegram). Monday and Tuesday were especially heavy days in the mail rooms. To a certain extent the pressure is still being maintained with the receipt of postal matter from other places which had not been posted pending the change in postal rates. It will be some time before the postal authorities are in a position to state what effect the reduced charges will have on the. volume of postal business. Generally throughout the Dominion it is believed the revenue will not suffer much.

The Mahora Progress League will hold a meeting in the school room to night. All members arc requested to attend.

Henry Houghten, aged 51, married, of Owen’s road, Auckland, committed suicide by sjiooting himself in the mouth with a pea-rifle at his home.

A proposal to increase the capital of the Auckland Gas Company to £1,500.000, by the issue of 500,000 additional ordinary shares of £1 each, is to be submitted to a special meeting ot shareholders.

The P.M.M.U. ladies of the Havelock Presbyterian Church have been busy all the winter preparing for their annual one-day “shop,” which will be held in the Foresters’ Hall on Saturday next, commencing at 9 a.m, There will be a great variety of sewing, cakes, sweets, and produce of all kinds.

The Havelock School Queen Carnival was launched last Saturday, when the senior girls held a flower stall, the results, of which have given their’ candidate a clear lead of over 1000 votes. Between 40 and 50 mothers have signified their, intention of being present at this week’s meeting, at which committees will be formed to help the various candidates.

After a request by Sir Robert Baden-Powell the Danish Boy Scout organisation is preparing a great world congress of Boy Scouts, which will be held in August next year in Copenhagen. Two thousand Boy Scouts are expected from all parts of the world. Sir Robert Baden-Powell himself will attend the congress.

“What do you do with, your cockerels?” was a question asked of a poultry raiser in the Oamaru district. “I kill them as soon as I can discover their, sex,” was the reply. It costs about 4s per head to rear cockerels, and when they ai;e offered at auction, they probably fetch 2s 9d. That is not a paying proposition.”

Butchers state that they are paying a higher price for mutton at the present time than during the war period (says the “New Zealand Times”). The wholesale price of mutton is approximately B|d per lb, and the peak price during the war was flid.per lb. The price, it is said, is so high that trade is being affected.

A welcome will be extended to Commissioner Hoggard of the Salvation Army, at the Hastings Assembly Hall to-night, when thej Commissioner will be extended greetings on the occasion of his visit to Hastings. The Mayor (Mr G. Maddison) will preside and the Commissioner will deliever an interesting lecture entitled “Eight Years in Korea.”

“Have you heard if stoats will attack lambs?” was a question put to a “Wanganui Herald” reporter by a man on the land. He had found a, lamb, still alive, close to a building, with a hole eaten into the flesh behind the shoulder, and by appearance judged it to be the work of a stoat, not of a bird. “It would be rather serious if the stoats took to lambs in the back country,” was the comment.

The newly-formed Napier Choral Society will give the first concert of its first season in the Napier Municipal Theatre next Wednesday. Under the conductorship of Mr E. Varley Hudson, the society will give a bright udseellancous programme of beautiful part songs by twentieth century British composers. Honorary members receive special privileges, and all music-lovers should enroll either as active or as honorary members.

With broadcasting now the rage, it has been suggested, by members of those august bodies that the debates in Parliament and in the City Council should be broadcasted for all to hear, blit in each instance the suggestion has been turned down (writes a Sydney correspondent). The general feeling is that what is really wanted is a drag chain upon the tongues of gome of the aidermen and Parliamentarians, and not an additional facility for making their tongues wag harder still.

There is a shortage of buslimeji in the Wanganui .district, although the ruling rates are £1 a day and “tucker.” One veteran bushman (says, the “Chronicle”), has contrasted the present position with conditions of thirty years ago. and said the majority of bushmen at that period regarded work as an opportunity to accumulate a “nest-egg” to buy a small farm. He said he was afraid that the present tendency was to accumulate just sufficient to go to the next race meeting.

If a mosquito is having a meal on your body, let it finish before you kill it This is the advice of Professor Harold Maxwell-Lefroy, Professor of Entomology at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, South Kensington, London, one of the leading experts on insects in England. “It is mor© dangerous to brush off a mosquit than to let it have its fill,” he sair. “If you wait till it begins to draw its proboscis—an elongated sucking organ—out of the skin, it has then probably sucked out all t|ie poison it {ias put into you.”

The Samoans quarrel only at cricket, said Mr. J. Caughley (Director of Education) speaking at the Rotary Club luuheeon the other day. The matches last about a fortnight- One tribe challenges another, and they come along to the match. Every man has a bat, and they take the game most seriously, though they also get all the fun possible out of ahy comic incidents that may occur. The Samoans, he added, are a vep law-abiding people. They do not •teal, because, for one thine there is very little to steal, practically everything belonging to everybody. The annual report of the Western Australian State steamship service presented to Parliament last week, showed that the three vessels comprising the State fleet had incurred a total loss, after providing for interest, depreciation. etc., of £78,757 for the period. The running costs exceeded the earnings by £16.431, to which excess the motor ship Kangaroo contributed only about £lOO. Despite the entry of another steamer into the nor’-west trade, th© State vessels had more than held thir own, but the coast was now oversupplied with shipping, and the issue of a permit to another vessel had not been justified.

Plain talk was indulged in by the General Manager of Railways (Mr R. W. McVilly) in the course of an interview with members of the Railway Officers’ Institute f One of the matters discussed was a proposal that certain officers be granted a till allowance. “There is no use quoting any other department to me, ’ ’ said Mr ( McVilly, ‘ 1 because if it is something I think you ought to get, well then I will give it consideration on its merits. If I think you should not get it, you will be told straight ‘No.’ My advice to you is: ‘ Stand on. your own feet. ’ The attitude I take up in. regard to the Railway Department is that it is not the smallest show in the country, and I want my men to stand on their own feet ’ ’

The Choral Society will resume its weekly practices in bc? Andrew’s school room this evening at 7.30 o’clock. New singing membrs will be enrolled. The opening run of the Napiier Motor Cycle Social Club was held on Saturday. and members were entertained at Arternoon tea by the Hastings Motor Cycle Club. The function was a great success. Owing to the rain yesterday, and the wet condition of the ground, the open air concert which was to have been given by the Hastings Citizens’ Band at Cornwall Park, had to be postponed. Australian mails by the Makura at Auckland will arrive by express to-mor-row evening. The Tahiti will arrive at Wellington at 6 a.m. on Wednesday with the San Francisco mail, the Hawke’s Bay portion of which is expected to arrive by the midday train on Thursday.

The annual meeting of the Hastings y.M.C.A, Tennig CJub was held last Friday evening in tne Y.M.C.A. There was a good attendance of members. Officers for file year were elected as follows:—Patron, Mr. Robert Harding; president. Mr. Geo. Maddison; vice-presidents, Messrs. F. A. Garry, Cecil Duff. H. C. Baird T. Clarkson; club captain. Mr. J. Haynies; vicecaptain, Mr. S. Johnstone; secretary and treasurer Mr. Cyril Pope; general committee, Messrs. W. Newton, N. Wilson. J. Lindsay, D. Maddox,,Misses Burwood^Smith. Gray, Fearn; ladies’ vice-president. Miss Berggren; social committee. Mr, J. Lindsay, Misses M. Gray anef J. Harrison. The club has four courts and a. membership of 50.

A meeting of the executive of‘ the Soldiers’ Memorial was held this morning, Messrs G. Ebbett (chairman), Colebourn©. Hart and Perrin being present. A letter wag received from, the Borough Council stating that the sewer to the boundary of the site in Omahq road had now been Completed by unemployment labour at slightly less than the estimated cost. • The Council suggested men with families the committee might that as the workmen were all married consider the payment of an additional £lO 9s 10d to bring their wages up to the award rates- It wag decided to fall in with the suggestion. It was determined to unveil the monument in Russell street at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 11th, and that His Excellency the Governor-General be asked to perform the ceremony.