LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 1596, 28 July 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A building of hollow concrete bricks moulded on the ground is being.erected in Featherston Street. The cost is stated to be less than ordinary brick, and about equal to timber. An increase in the freights on merchandise from the South Island ports to New Plymouth of 2/6 per ton will operate from to-morrow. It is anticipated that coastal freights between here and Auckland will also bo increased in the near 1 future.

Mr E. S. Pees, proprietor of the Nonpareil Motor Company, is establishing a warehouse in connection with his business, and lias purchased a central site in Auckland. This has been necessitated owing to the growth of his motor business. The Hon. Sir R. H. Rhodes, Minister of Defence, has undertaken to go into the whole case concerning A. M. Strang, who was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour. The public of Palmerston North will await the result with a groat deal of interest.

A local tradesman is troubled by tire fact that his frequent visitors indulge in somewhat boisterous and even strong language, and has,, devised a remedy in the form of an excellent effigy of a fine young lady seated at. the desk behind the railings. He frequently has occasion to smile at the deference paid to his picture 'dummy.’

Present weather - indications arc for a continuance of fair weather generally, but unsettled in the northernmost districts, and foggy in parts along the eastern coast. Strong easterly winds are probable northwards of Kawhia and East Cape and variable breezes elsewhere, with easterlies and southerlies predominating. The barometer shows little movement. Yesterday Major Rose gave the Luncheon Club a rare treat in the form of a perfectly natural story of his personal experiences in war service, beginning- 36 years ago, and ending at Lemnos Island, preparatory to the Gallipoli lauding. In response to the storm of applause the Major Juts promised to carry on the story right up to the Armistice at Tuesday week's luncheon.

The Napier High School boys, who are to meet the local team at football and in debate, will arrive by the Napier mail to-day. The visitors arc being billclted by the Palmerston North High School boys. The football matches will be played on the Showgrounds this afternoon and Thursday morning, and the debating contest will take place at the High School this evening.

An accelerated shipping and mail service between New Zealand and Great Britain is essential, says .VI r Massey in the Budget. Now that the Panama Canal is available to bring this about, also to secure improved transport conditions generally. I may add that particular attention is beingpaid to the development and encouragement of New Zealand trade with the islands of the Pacific.

It now transpires that a medical certificate was available to the courtmartial which tried. Goo rye King, stating- that the accused was unfit to undergo imprisonment with or without hard labour. This fact was not disclosed during- the proceedings, but in itself it constitutes an additional indictment of the military who detained tlto invalid in tire lockups :-n«? it ,^no! for fifteen days prior to the nial It is stated on good authority that the compulsory military service system has broken down. 1 ctically all the country districts are now exempt from its operations, with the exception of the mounted units. The youths in the towns alone are bving trained —and fined for neglecting parades. And yet there has been no diminution iu the military establishments. There are more “tin hats” than over there were in the history of the Dominion. At their annual meeting to be held shortly the committee of the Calmerston North Bowling- Club will present for consideration a revision of i inrules of the club, which were last revised 21 years ago, and were printed at the office of the “Ma.na.watn Daily Times” in 1S91). The revision was then undertaken by Messrs G tSeot.t and Kenneth Wilson. The rules having been so long- in use give evidence of the excellence of their work. The guarantors of the club have been relieved of their responsibility by the floating of £4OO worth of debentures among the members. Paragraph from the Financial Statement: The Public Works Department has been devoting a considerable amount of attention to the question of construction and maintenance of main roads, and has collected valuable data, from which a. progressive policy will be evolved and placed before the country. As the basis of any such policy is naturally liuaiu-e. it is proposed to provide a subsf.au 1 ial portion of the funds which will be necessary by the imposition of a tyro lux, the money derived iron- such being definitely allocated for the construction and upkeep of main roods. Discussing the delay in dealing with the case of George King, charged with being a military defaulter, this paper said, editorially, yesterday: “The aroused was simply the victim of a castiron system in which humane considerations play no part W hen the court-martial was ready it sat----not an hour or a minute before." It is pointed out that tno court-martial had no option in the matter. U was simply instructed on Saturday to sit on Monday, and did so. B was in no way concerned with the delay m bringing the accused man to trial. Apparently the system and not the court-martial itself was at fault.