LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 24 June 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

« Yesterday (June 23) was the eighteenth birthday of the Prince of Wales. There are now 43 motor-cars and mo-tor-bicycles registered in the Borough of Oamaru (says the Oamaru Mail). The motor-cars number about 30, and over 20 of these are of American manufac-1 fcure. While speaking to a reporter at Hastings Mr J. J. Mallard, one of the representatives of the insurance companies on the Hastings Fire Board, re- j ferrine: to the fire waste that was going on, said that during the past six years £2,500,000 had been paid by insurance companies in fire claims in New Zealand. A shorthand and typing class meets j at the Hawera Technical School to-night at 7.35. Fee, 15s for term of 12 lessons. Room for more students. * Veterinary science classes are to be taken by Mr Rait, M.R.C.V.S., of Palmevston North, at Hawera, Patea, Eltham,- and Manaia centres. It is hoped to take a week's continuous instruction at each centre. *

Snow fell for several hours yesterday at Daanevirke, and was general throughout the district. It soon disappeared on the flat, however, when the iall ceased.

Jhe To Ngutu-o-te-manu Domaia Domain Board is gazetted as followslhe chairman of the Hawera County Council (ox-offrcio), Messrs T Walsh E. G. Betts, G. Hurley, and G. Preec7

Messrs Gillies and Nalder intimate that clearing sales will be held in July for Mr A. M. Crighton, Te Roti on. July 8 and for Mr W. Taylor, Manaia on July 17. On Saturday these sales wore inadvertently inserted in the June list of clearing sales.

Area-Sergeant-Major Mahony informed a Star reporter this morning that the registration of new cadets liable to serve in the Territorial forces is proceeding satisfactorily. Up to the present .80 lads have registered in his group. Twenty of the cadets in the Hawera company would shortly be posted to F Company, 11th Taranaki regiment.

The weather yesterday was anything Out pleasant. It was the coldest day experienced this winter. A heavy g a l e swept over the district during the day and well into the night. It dropped towards morning, and to-day the conditions have much improved. The gale did not cause any damage to the telegraph wires.

Mr Murray, Chief Secretary in the Victorian Government, is considering: whether the Melbourne police should not be equipped with one or two motor cars.

A resident of Blaketown named John McGuirk, about 37 years of age, died very suddenly on a recent morning about eight o'clock (says the Greymouth. Star). He was playing with one of his children in bed, arid when next seen he was lying back in bed with his arms folded and quite dead. He had been enjoying very good health lately, and his sudden demise came as a great shock to his friends.

The United States Postmaster-Gene-ral has eigned the contract with thsOceanic Steamship Company for the carriage of mails between San Franciscoand Australia. The contract takes effect from July 1.

"It has been stated that I received £4 per week," said Mr H. Hunter, when speaking at a public meeting in Christehurch (says the Lyttelton Times). "I wish I did. I am secretary to th» Canterbury Drivers' Union, the Canterbury Coal and Timber Yard Employees* Union, and the Christehurch Tramway Employees' Union, but the joint salariesdo not amount to £200 per annum, and out of that I have to pay an assistant.'*

At a recent meeting of ibe Reform League in Auckland it was stated that the condition of the electoral rolls was such that they contained in the aggregate 5,000 more names than the number of adults in the whole dominion.

A youth named Courtenay Bowen, son of Mr E. R. C. Bowen, and employed at the National Bank, had his left arm broken in two places (says the Napier Telegraph) as the result of a fall whilst skating in a local rink.

In connection with the coming competitions in Invercargill (says the Southland Times) a suggestion has been made. by a correspondent, who submits for the committee's approval the proposal that provision should be made for a whistling competition. Many young men are quite artists as whistlers, and the correspondent states with confidence that entries would be numerous and that the item would provide good entertainment for the public.

The Canterbury Trades and Labor Council on Thursday evening decided on the request of the National Peace: Council, to ask the Government to provide a return showing the cost of the working of the Defence Act from its inception to the present time. The report of the Unity Conference, which involved the Council's acceptance of the scheme of organisation draw* up in furtherance of Professor W. T. Mills's proposals, was adopted after a long discussion.

In conversation with, a representativeof the Manawatu Standard, several members of the Flaxmill Employees 1 Union stated that it was almost a certainty that at the next general election one of the aspirants for Parliamentary honors (for the Otaki seat) would be a flax*mill employee. There was a feelipoexisting at present, it was stated, among; those engaged in the flaxmill industry, that they ought to have a representative from their own ranks in Parliament.

Mr Arthur Withy has been receiving credit, to which he is not altogether entitled, for his clever commentary on the way New Zealanders are taxed from the cradle to the grave. With the necessary differences in specific amounts a™ m the names of articles taxed, Mr Withy s commentary is, however, a reproduction of a caustic satire written just about 100 years ago by the celebrated Sidney Smith, Edinburgh Reviewer and Dean of St. Paul's

It is reported that Mr Poole, the exmember for Auckland West, has undertaken to deliver 100 lectures on 100 days in America. Mr Poole will probably return to. the dominion in November for a few weeks, afterwards leaving for America, where he will reside in the future.

A Chinaman, v, ho recently died at Arvcnvto\vn,..Otas;o, had been'in receipt of benevolent aid for a period of 12 months and his death disclosed the fact that he had a banking account of nearly £200 1 his case only leaves to conjecture the number of similar cases which may exist, and should cause very searching enquiry to he made in future applications for relief*

One of the cadets selected to go to Canada, m writing to his father, statesthat they are in active training a fc Trentham at present, and that cami> will break up on July 13. Each cadet is to have leave for five or six days prior to departure from the dominion'for the Purpose of saying good-bye to his parents. The cadets are to be measured for' their uniforms in Wellington, where they will be equipped from head to foot In anticipation of meeting cadet foot^ ball teams m Canada, the New Zealand cadets are doing a lot of training, and the 20 cadets from New Zealand exoect to give a good account of themselves when they meet the cadets of the older dominion. Hawke's Bay is the only educational distnct in the dominion nofc represented in the contingent