LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 23 May 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In. connection with a paragraph taiTfen froni|the Taranaki Herald concerning the price of English cement, we are informed that the statement omits to mention that there is a customs duty of £1 a ton on English cement,* plus Is 5d primage. To this have to be added bank charges, which :5» importer has to negotiate, and freight charges. Our informant states that when these considerations are. made the "big margin" mentioned in ; the paragraph disappears. "Travelling through Britain," said Mr D. Buchanan at Longburn, '% found that very little New Zealand ..butter and cheese were to be seen outside London." Why, he asked, could they not ship their produce direct to some Scottish port, because in Glasgow cheese was quoted at 100s to 108s, and London cables quoted 80s to 85s for the same article? So why should they not send their produce direct, to the consumers? To get the best price they must do this. The Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates) stated on Saturday that ■t|-ere ;would be as little delay as possible in the assumntion of cpniplete control by the State Stores Bbard of all supplies purchased for Government Departments. As there are some details yet to be arranged, it may be ,a few weeks before the board takes complete charge, but it has already considered:-methods of administration, and the-Public Service Commissioner will be asked to advertise for an officer Avho will act as secretary and •inspector. Possibly a temporary appointment will be made .in the meantime. It was mentioned at a meeting of dairy farmers at Rototuua (states an exchange^that when a Waikato dairy company advertised "in England for a London manager it recgived 150 replies, tanging from a clerk who would dp the Job for£4 a week to a major-general Kwho considered,iris services worth £3000 per annum. On investigation, however, jio.t one of the 150 applicants proved to be .the man required for the position. A farmer from the north (says the Auckland Star) .predicts a big boom in the matrimonial market as soon as ever the slump depression passes. He has had to put qff his own wedding because .he cannot raise enough money to furnish a house decently and fit for a wife to/ live in. He went the length the 'other day of offering to give the bank the title deeds of his property, worth a thousand or two, to see if they would advance him £200 to .enable him to get married, but the manager said he could not advance him a penny. He believed there .were scores "of young farmers! waiting for the clouds to roll away so! that they might be able to take on I matrimonial bliss; and may that time , soon cpmje. ! .We have received <op:es of the Northlander, a new weekly paper published in Kataia (1 in. the North of Auckland district. The paper is well pjinted and the matter good and attractively set out. In addition to meeting a, local need.- the paper seeks to attract outside attention to the great possibilities of. the winterless north, and impress Upon the Government the iieecT for providing transit and other facilities tnecessary "to its development. Those "fnterested •in the early history of. New Zealand, w:li find a " series of articles 1)y Colonel Allan, Bell not only instructive but very pleasant;^read'-ng. If the present standard of :the*"paper is preserved, future success can safely be' predicted. 'In the Hawke's Bay County Council .Chambers on Friday afternoon a spe-cial-meeting of the Hawke's Bay Hos-, pital Board was held \f or .the purpose of making appointments to' thie clerical staff of the board. In practically every case a ballot was necessary before an was made, and in some in; stances a second ballot was required to reach the final decision.' For the position of managing secretary 57 applications, were, received, the final decision of the=board going to Mr E. T. Rees, of- Napier. The board's appointments^ to the other vacancies on the staff' were: Assistant secretary, Mr P. "R. Smyrk (60 applicants); clerk, Mr R. P. Northe (65 applicants); for the position of junior clerk there was 16 applications; typi|te 27 applicants' and telephoneclerk 37 applicants. The appointment of a house steward, for which theve are 43 applicants, was .deferred pending an inteijview with some of the applicants. 7 -= # "llercutio" writes in the New Zealand Herald: The criticism by the secondary school teachers of common pronunciation would have been of more value if it had been of wider scope. The charge is, made that the pronunciation of some'words is almost Cockney. Cockney may not be euphonious to many ears, neither are the Scottish accents^ rior_some of the English county dialects. .s?ut .who will say that these dialects shotild be banished, if that were'possible? In Otago to-day, and particularly in isome of the country districts. New Zealanders of the second and third generation clearly show their Scots descent in their speech. Who jis to say that their diction is" faulty? ■As to the reproduction of Cockney in New Zealand, is not this inevitable, seeing that —and the Empire has reason to be glad of it —Londoners will not stay at home. Why worry about aiccents when so many pressing problems are waiting for solution? One thinks of King Canute when one sees academic people, who by the way often possess exceedingly unpleasant' accents themselves, reaching profound decisions about our faults of tongue. Home accents reproduced in the descendants of Englishmen, Scotsmen, and Irishmen have at least the virtue of being natural, which is much more Nthan can be said of the imitations? one often hears of Mayfair. 2/- IN £ OFF OVERCOATS AT H.B. This week is Overcoat Week at H. 8., and we are allowing you a genuine reduction of 2/- in the £ off all overcoats in tweed, rainproofs, canvas, oilskins for men and boys. Now is the time to buy your overcoat. Come and buy us out of overcoats. You will save money this week at Overcoat Week at New Zealand Clothing Factory, Hawera.— Advt. Stop coughing! "Nazol" gives instant relief, stops tickling, soothes throat soreness and huskiness.—Advt. <

The Russian Famine Relief effort in Stratford on Saturday, resulted in £31 17s being collected.

The Hawera Borough Council adver-1 tise that the water supply will be cut I off to-morrow (Wednesday) afternoon. "A great dfeal of the unrest to-day is due to the fact that the millions of soldiers who died in the flower of their youth are not here to help us with the work of, reconstruction," said ' Archdeacon Russell at a memorial service at Petohe on Sunday.

Pahiatua has seen a great resurrection of discarded gigs and buggies since the slump hit this prosperous dairying district. The stables on sale days (states the Herald)"are reminiscent of 20 years ago. f" General orders for the New Zealand ! Defence Forces for May record that the services of Captain W. A. Gustafsen, D.C.M., being no longer required, he has been discharged. Dated February 28, 1922. • At a meeting of the Wanganui Builders' Association held on Friday evenI ing, it was decided that the following reductions would take place in wages as from Monday: Carpenters, from 2s 4d per hour to 2s 2£d; plasterers, from 3s to 2s 6d • bricklayers, from 2s 6d to 2s 4d. . «g& Another £500 grant has been made to assist the. settlers in the Omona district. It will be remembered that £pOD was .recently (grafted to the Mataiwhetu settlers, and this additional grant will more particularly benefit the Moeawiatea settlers. The grant was arranged by Mr. 0. Hawken, M.P., last week. > The Levin Chronicle states that while s6me excavating was being done "by working parties at the lake foreshore portions of a human skeleton were unearthed. The bones were much discoloured, apparently by the moist state of the ground, but the jaw bones and the teeth were almost intact. The remains were only a foot below the surface. The Hawera Male Choir gave a concert at the hospital' last evening, their programme items given at Manaia and at the Opera House being repeated. The quartette gave two; items, and solos were sung by Messrs' Miller, Nowell, and Grace. The nursing staff provided supper after the concert, and the matron desires ,to express to the choir the thanks of the" patients and staff for/the pleasurable evening's entertainment. '~ ■„ , The Loyal Union Lodge of Oddfellows (Manchester Unity) intend celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the opening o£*-the lodge at Hawera with a social gathering on Thursday, June 1. ■ The first N.G. of the lodge, P.D.G.M.Bro. Max D. King, of Manurewa, as expected to be present, and will preside at the function. A good number of brethren from sister lodges have been invited, "and a large is antici•pated. -' ■.; - / "~~;< ■' Huge logs of dry rata, 6 feet : in diameter and 20 feet in-lengthy are being cut'into Bm. by Sin. arms, for hydroelectric wiring ,at Dannevirke (states the WairarajpaT Age). -The industry'is so "extensive?that it will have immediate cliect upon the firewood supply. One far-seeing farmer has taken a contract for the supply of 1,000,000- feet' lieart of rata at a good price.' j. y It was stated by SenioivDetective Boddam when prosecuting inV' a v else heard at. Wellington of faiittfe to register a gun that it is necessary for the person in' possession of a-firearm "when changing his one police district to -another to register'in the district to which he has gone, and to also notify the'police authorities of the district he is leaving of his change of address. ' - % ■ "■' The annual meeting' of"'the- Pateia Plunket Society was held on Friday • evening. The election of olficers re-j suited: President, Mrs C. M, Strouts; f vice-presdint, /Mrs W. F. Shield; secretary and treasurer, Mrs C. E. Ferry; committee,• Mesdames Grainger/ E^O: JJorjier, Mcßae, Sharpe, Crosbie, Christensenvsei., Holtham, R. Hunger, Roberts- and Stephenson; hoiit aaicKtor, Mrs N. C Harding; advisory Tjoardj Messrs Grainger, Strouts. and Goeita>delegate st'o confereiice,« Mrs C. " B. JPerr^f . ; .-: .": •',-, ?;. '"• • k - .■=

Mrs. PhiHp_ Snow den, in refusing an invitation to contest the Suttoii Division of Plymouth, 411 the Laboiir interest, gave her reasons thus: "I would not in any circumstances stand.against Lady Astbr. lam a Labour%oman, ■and will make personal sacrifices for a cause to which I am devoting my life, but the stand -which Lady Astor makes for great moral issues, and the earnest work she- is doing for women and children, both in;.-: Parliament1 and in the country^ mak6 her services invaluable. We could not afford to lose her, and under no persuasion would I lend myself to any movement which might remove her from the British Parliament," ' • ■ ■■; 'p' A correspondent to;; the Auckland Star, whose veracity there is no occasion to doubt,.vouches for the following dialogue which he states took place'a? a hospital door the other evening. The participants were a respectably dressed woman of about 35 and an attendant.,

Attendant: "You cannot be admitted to see the doctor unless you have a proper pass." The wi>man:« "But I must see the doctor; there is something wrong with me; I don't know what it is; r want the doctor to find out and tell me." Attendant: "I am very sorry, madam; but I cannot admit you." The woman: "But I must see the doctor; there is something Very serious the matter with. me. For tM last ■fortnight I have travelled all over Auckland trying to getl work of some kind, but wherever\l go there is always the same story. lam not wanted. I have to go and try somewhere else. So there must be something the. matter with me that makes people turn against me, and I want to know what it is." Attendant: "Well.' madam, I can see nothing wrong with you. I would advise you to see the police." The woman: "But lam destitute; all my money is gone; I have nowhere to ao to. I shall have to sleep out to-night. I must seethe 'doctor." Attendant: "I am very sorry, madam. I can do nothing for you. Next please!" j The Hawera Fire Brigade have fixed their annual hall for Wednesday, August 2. The proceeds from the function, which will be held in St. Mary's Hall, will be in aid of the brigade's funds.