LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3279, 14 March 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The monthly meeting of the Waitomo Power Board will be held on Monday next.

A grand dance will be held in the Parish Hall on Tuesday next, March 17th. The dance promises to be. a popular one, being one of the first of the season's light fantastic events. Phil Swift's orchestra has been engaged and this fact in itself should ensure the success of the evening.

A garden party under the auspices of the Catholic Church will be held in the grounds at Mrs. J. C. Rolleston's residence on Saturday next. Afternoon tea will be provided and a varied programme of games and amusements is being arranged.

The attention of our readers is directed to our advertising columns in to-day's issue wherein appear particulars regarding the issue of railway holiday excursion tickets in connection with the forthcoming Easter holidays. It will be noticed that these tickets may be purchased and seats reserved at any time prior to the date of travel.

A manager of a Christchurch firm expressed himself as very pleased with the suggestion of his office boy that he should deliver all the firm's Christchurch correspondence to save the additional cost imposed by the increased postal rates. This business has a fairly considerable correspondence and when the postage in a single street for one day was counted it was found that the firm v would save £3 in stamps if the letters were delivered by hand.

A resolution that the Southland Pi-ovincial Executive- be asked to bring pressure to bear on the Government to discuss with the Imperial Government the price charged for rock from Nauru Island and, if possible, secure a reduction, was carried at a meeting of the Invercargill branch of the Farmers' Union recently (states the Southland Daily News). It was contended that by reducing the price of this important constituent of superphosphate the price to the farmer would be reduced.

The following paragraph appeared in the ranger's report submitted at yesterday's meeting of the Waitomo County Council: "It has come under my notice that certain lorry men are using their lorries for the conveyance of picnic parties, etc. I presume this is done for payment. Unless these lorries are registered with the post office for such a purpose and a third party risk has been taken out, the practice is illegal. Our heavy traffic license should also be endorsed if passengers are to be *

carried for payment." It was stated that it would be necessary to take action against offenders in the above direction. •

Several persistent rumours about earthquakes to come, fixing more or less exact times and localities, are rife at present, and are causing great mental disturbance among foolishly credulous people (states the Wellington Evening Post). Some of these may prefer to pin their faith to passed-on stories of forecasts based on ideas that smell of witchcraft; but it can be said with the backing of every reliable authority on the subject that nobody can predict either the time or the place of an earthquake, and very few will speak confidently even of the likelihood of one. The circulation of such rumours in a time like the present could only be regarded as criminal, if it were not merely silly. In any case it is productive of much harm.