LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 16 December 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The rainfall registered in Hawera yesterday was .83 inch. An interesting horticultural freak has been discovered in a local grden (says the Wairarapa Times). 'Upon a stalk of a rose bush, there are two roses. One blooni is a lovely pink colour, and the other is white. The roses are also of a distinct shape. The bush was grown from a cutting from a Florence Pemberton rose

In connection with trie licensing case against the licensee of the Waimate Hotel, decision in which was given in the Hawera Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, the magistrate imposed a fine of £5 and £1 respectively on the barman, A. Williams, for supplying liquor after hours. Mr Bailey, in fixing the penalty, said that lie had taken into consideration the inexperience of Williams; in fact,.he was almost too young to be a barman. The painting trade is very busy in Ashburton, representatives of some firms stating tfiis week that they had orders for six months ahead (says the Guardian). The difficulty is labour, and several contracts, especially for house interior deeoratioii had been refused on

this score

There was a. tendency for

the price of paints and oils to fall, this "being partly due to heavy stocks held by wholesalers, who had to unload. Haw linseed oil had fallen in the past five months from 21s to 14s 6d a gallon; in fact, some importers from India were selling at less than landed cost. The fall in the rupee-was a contributing 8 factor, as had been the case in the tea market. At the meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board yesterday, the Inspec-tor-General of Hospitals (Dr T. H. A. Valintine) wrote enquiring if any action had been taken by the Board for the erection of the maternity cottage hospital at Opunake. The secretary reported having replied that tenders were advertised for the work, but the time for closing had to be extended. The Board now had two tenders before it, one for £4860 and one for £6470. As the lowest figure was far more than ten per cent above the estimate (which was the limit allowed by the Minister), the Board had not the power to accept any of the tenders.' The original estimate of the cost was £2800. The meeting finally decided to refer the matter to the Department. A few days ago two young women entered & car and found only standing room. One of them whispered to her companion: "I'm going to get a seat from one of these men.". She looked i down the row of passengers and selected, a very sedate man, who bore the general settled appearance of a mar- !' le Miman- S, he sailed UP t0 him and boldly opened fire. "My dear Mr Green! How delighted lam to see you! You are almost a stranger Will }. accept your seat? Well,, I do feel much' " he Thily **??■ ThW, k *™*° much. The sedate gentleman—a total stranger, of -course—looked, listened, then quietly arose and gave her £irl Se\& ST*r "Sit d0 ™> -SS girl Don't often see you out on i washing day. You must feel tired, xm sure. How's your mistress?" The young woman got her seat, but lost her vivacity.—Taranaki Herald. Stl P +raf laphI aph J eCent? y a PPea«d in the btar to the effect that Mr Frank S Cusada, a wealthy Cuban planter, was advertising for a left ear. The advertisemenf brought offers from Ss parts of the world, but Mr Ousada has encountered an appaientiy insurmountable obstacle just at the time when he believea he had found an ear of sat'stactory dimensions and colour, says' a Aew Tork correspondent. Mr Cusada Jost his own Jeft ear in a motor car aocident in Cuba, and came to New .York in tne hope of fining someone willing to part with an ear for a cash consideration. From hundreds of offers, at prices ranging as high as £20,000, Mr Cusada selected the ear of one David Sinker, a JNew Xork workman, as the most suitable for his purpose, and agreed to pay the £60 that Mr Sinker wanted. Then a difficulty presented itself. Mr Cusada's lawyers discovered a provision in the criminal law which says, "A person who inflicts upon himself an injury Zui ord? r to- obti»n a*ms or any charitable relief is guilty of felony." In addition to expert surgeons, it now appears that Mr Cusatia requires the servjces of some leading lawyers before his ear-grafting experiments are concluded

The Christmas season is approaching and most people wijl now be wondering what to buy their men folk for a Xmas gift. This should not be a very hard task just now, as nearly every man wants something practical, something that he can use or wear, such as a nice pair of hair brushes, in a solid leather case, or on the other hand a serviceable silk shirt for holiday wear. Always, as in other years, "H. 8.,', the great men's outfitting shoe have"gone carefully into this Xmas gift Question, and they'are now in the ttosition to assist you' in selecting suitable g: fts from their large and weil-assorted stock of useful m-esents, and lucky is the man or boy who will be the fortunate possessor of a nice box of hnen handkerchiefs, or a neat tie from this up-to-date house, whose motto is, "If it's 'HIV it's good."-—N.Z. Clothing Factory, i Hawera.—Advt

The shortest complete will on record is that of a lieutenant, who was killed in the war. It was written on the back of the photograph of a girl. It read: "I leave all to her."

The interest that Americans are taking in the Davis Cup contest was strikingly demonstrated recently (says the New Zealand Herald). A cablegram was received in Auckland from a wealthy resident of New York asking that one of the principal hotels in the city be reserved for "himself and his party. His request could not be acceded to, however, for apart from any other consideration, the accommodation had been booked months previously.

"For.my part New Zealand will do me in the future.'' was the comment on what he had seen on his travels by1 Mr. M. Hollander, of Christohurch, in an interview with a Lyttelton Times representative. "The standard of comfort and the home conditions are a delightful change after ?ome of the places and conditions we saw during our twelve months' trip to Europe and America. Altogether, I'm satisfied that the average New Zealander does not know quite how well off he is when his lot is compared with that of the working and middle classes of the countries we have visited."

"There seems to be on the part of{ girls, and perhaps boys, of the present day, a reluctance to deny themselves anj httle thing,', sa id Miss Gibson, principal of the Christchurch Girls' High School, at the school prize-giving on Friday. "If they are asked to a picnic or an entertainment, instead of saying, 'I can't go, because 1 am due at school,' they try to, get father and mother to let them go. When I read1 through the private notes of excuse I a.m very often reminded of the excuses you find in the New Testament parable about the wedding feast.. ,The notes generally end up, "So-and-so has not been quite up to the mark lately, and I thought a motor ride (or a trip to the seaside, or a. concert) would do her good.' So it might, but parents' must realise that everything in the school depends upon good attendance. Not only those who stay away are handitcapped by poor attendance, but also those who attend regularly."—Lyttelton Times.

A curious situation, arising out of the decision of the Arbitration Court that the latest cost-of-living bonus should be 3s .and not 9s, -was" disclosed when the application of the Wellington bakers and pastrycooks came to be considered. Mr A. Collins, who appeared for the workers, soid that the ' result of the Court's judgment was I that the workers owed the employers ! Is a week-. They had received the cost-ot-livmg bonus of 4s a week, and when the next bonus (the 6s one) was awarded, the employers agreed that it should be given credit for the extra 4s when tnet next bonus was granted. This next bonus had now proved to be 3s, and the union, said Mr Collins, must carry out its part of the compact. Win or lose, it would not break its undertaking. "Well, if I were you," said Mr Justice Stringer, "I should not apply for an amendment of the award I should leave it . alone L should suggest that you withdraw' the ' application, and if the employers in-! sist on getting the bonus reduced .to 13s instead of 14s it will have to be reduced. But don't ask us to reduce ! it for you. That is Quixotic." Mr Collins: "I withdraw the application, your Honor." '