LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3303, 14 May 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

It was reported at last night's meeting of the Borough Council that the total value of building, permits issued for the Te Kuiti Borough in the past year was £11,750.

A stroke competition will be played on the Burnside links on Saturday next. Draw will take place at the club house at 1.30 p.m.

On another page in this issue is a report by the engineer of the Waitomo County in regard to works, maintenance, expenditure, etc., in the County "during the year just ended, and also dealing with estimates expenditure, etc., for all County roads in the coming year.

"What about selling your motorcycle?" said Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Traffic Court at Christchurch when a defendant asked for time to pay his fine. "You can't sell them these days, sir, you can only give them away," replied defendant. "Would you like to give it to me?" returned Mr. Mosley. "I might pay your fine then."

Though she had lived in Taranaki since she was four years old (says the News), a woman, aged 72, paid her first visit to Mow.nt Egmont during the week-end. She was greatly impressed by the view from North Egmont.

As showing the demand for work, the Lands Department, New Plymouth, this week, opened tenders for felling bush on 1200 acres of land on the Tapuwae estate, Poro-o-tarao. One hundred and seventeen were received from all parts of the Dominion, the sections ranging from 76 to 175 acres in area, and the prices were cut very fine.

The museum at Hokitika contains among its exhibits several Boer rifles, which were sent there by the Defence Department. Recently a banker from South Africa, while passing through Hokitika, visited the museum, and noted a name engraved on one of the rifles. On his return to South Africa he found that the owner of the rifle had died, but had a daughter living, who expressed a wish to secure the rifle with which her father had fought more than 30 years ago. The Hokitika Library Committee, which controls the museum, desires to hand the rifle to its claimant, and is in communication with, the Minister of Defence to secure his sanction.

It was stated at a meeting of the Ashburton County Council the other day that while a man who owned a small number of acres, not sufficient to maintain him and his family, had not sufficient work to keep him employed at the time, he was not entitled to relief under the Unemployment Board's schemes. Mr. J. Can* said that it seemed strange that the man who tried to provide for a rainy day and had put a few pounds in the bank -was not eligible for relief work, while the man who had squandered all his money was given first consideration. Mr. Carr said that he knew of the case of a working man whose wife conducted a dressmaking business to help out the family revenue. Her trade was practically nil, but because she had a shop her husband was not permitted to undertake relief work. There was another man who had £SO in the bank. He had worked hard for years and had managed to lay up a little "nest egg," but he was told he could not be given relief work until his £SO was exhausted.

In the course of the hearing of an action for damages for alleged infringement of copyright in the New Plymouth Magistrate's Court some amusing references were made to special articles which were the subject of the claim. One such article referred to racing matters, and was described by the writer as "tips" for a coming meeting, arranged "so as not to infringe the law." Counsel for the claimants in respect of the copyright said he had been waiting for a long time to meet a man who had the courage and confidence to publish racing tips before a meeting. Counsel on the other side said the friendship of such men would be worth millions. "They would be worth knowing," he added. The reply to that was, "Yes, but they simply don't know." The court enjoyed the laughter, in which the "tipster" also joined.

"I do not know of any reform that is so greatly needed in our political life as the elimination of denunciation and all forms of verbal violence from public debate," writes Dr. Richard Roberts in the New Outlook. He was thinking of some recent speeches in the Mother Country, but his words are applicable to New Zealand. Dr. Roberts thinks that personal denunciation is always dangerous to the democracy, fie compares it with advocacy of the acts of violence by Communists and Anarchists, and suggests, indeed, that one leads to the other. "There is no difference in principle," he declares, "between the man who hits his opponent with heated opprobrium and the man who hits on the head with a club."

A Waipukurau sheepfarmer, when referring to the prices at Home at the present time, advised a Press representative that he had consigned three bales of scoured erutchings to the English market this season. The gross return for the wool was £2B. From that sum had to be deducted £l4 for transport and scouring charges and £ls in wages for crutching; thus he lost £1 on the consignment, to which had to be added the wages of a drover and also his own time. Had the wool been sold in the Dominion a profit would have been made. "It shows clearly," added the informant, "that the transport charges to England and other costs are far too high." Invariably about this time of- year a number of correspondents want to know when winter officially starts, says the Wellington Post. Conundrums about the beginnings or endings of the seasons .cannot be answered offhand. Seasons, especially in New Zealand of late, seem to do exactly what they like regardless of the calendar, even to the extent of absenting themselves altogether. New Zealand's three winter months, if the year is divided into four seasons of equal length, are generally regarded as being June, July, and August. On the other hand, some maintain that winter should be considered as extending from the shortest day (June 21) until the vernal equinox (September 23), for between those dates the worst weather is usually experienced.

Following upon the reading and adoption of the engineer's report at last night's meeting of the Borough Council, His Worship the Mayor, Mr. W. J. Broadfoot, M.P., remarked that it was pleasing to note that many improvements were being carried out on behalf of ratepayers in the borough. "Wherever one turns, one sees some improvement being carried out," observed His Worship, who stated that though it was unfortunate that this work had to be done by unemployed, it was, nevertheless, very beneficial work. His Worship would like to express appreciation of the work that the engineer has carried in the past twelve months.

As the people ran into the streets a few minutes after Thursday's 'quake, says the Gisborne Times, they were surprised to see a man,hopping and dancing about quite aimlessly, and wonderment gave place to keen curiosity. It transpired later that the man was attempting an endurance dancing record. He had danced continuously for 41 hours as two o'clock struck, and liad set out to establish a record of 111 hours. Liberty Hall cracked and groaned, in common with all other places, and then shook violently. "It's an earthquake; I'm off," said a companion who was also dancing on the floor. The dancer against time looked on nearly petrified, and then hurriedly followed, dancing his way downstairs and into Gladstone Road, where he danced his way back. He states he has been in many countries, but had never experienced a good shake like that on Tuesday. "I've heard quite a lot about Gisborne," he said, "and, take it from me, I'll never forget it."