LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1729, 3 February 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

At billiards Fry scored 2000 and Wood 139 G, states a London cable. About 6000 bales will be offered at the second wool sale of the season at Wanganui on Friday afternoon. At the Police Court yesterday morning two first offenders for drunkenness were each fined the amount of their bail, 10/. At a meeting at Wellington South Mr Howard Elliott said -he hoped the League of Nations would be smashed as "Papacy was in the middle of it." No resolution to that effect was carried.

Speaking at Takaka, the Minister of Internal Affairs said he hoped to increase very considerably the vote for scintilic research. He referred to the Cawthron Institute of Scientific Research as "the pride of New Zealand and a credit to the man who endowed it."

Present weather indications are for moderate to strong easterly winds, backing to freshening northerlics. Fair and warmer weather may be expected, but with haze and cloudiness increasing generally. The barometer shows little movement, but is falling shortly in the South. The Moana will be despatched from Sydney this week for Wellington with passengers and cargo. The Manuka leaves Sydney on Thursday for Wellington and Lyttelton. The Maheno will probably be despatched from Sydney next week for Auckland, while the Paloona, Cosmos and Wanaka will be recommissioned at Port Chalmers this week.

A local record in book sales was attained by G. H. Bennett and Co., on Monday morning, when over 1300 children's books were selected by the South Wairarapa School Committees, ■(Vho have federated for the purposo of forming a circulating library. Tenders were called, and the order was obtained here. Two selectors effected their choice in three and a half hours.

The work of dismantling the unsightly network of wires and the substantial poles, which in many places appreciably obstruct the traffic in busy streets, is now being carried out. To see the effect which the work has been done is to appreciate the change. Our telephones are now connected through the underground system, where it is hoped there will be less induction, and certainly less risk of "faults" during heavy gales. One side of a brick building in Palmerston North, the walls of which had reached four feet high, was recently pulled down because it was found to encroach eight inches on a neighbour. This recalls an incident of the early, days of Feilding, where an owner was charged £lO per annum because his building overlapped about twelve inches. The impost cetiscd only when the building was, many years later, destroyed by fire. A prohibition rally at the Sydney Town Hall passed a resolution of emphatic protest against the postponement of the prohibition referendum, declaring that the action was unconstitutional, undemocratic and an example of lawlessness to be strongly condemned. A feature of the demonstration was the reading by the chairman of a letter from Mr W. A. Holman, wishing the meeting success, supporting them and condemning the Government which had flouted the law.

The annjual meeting of the Palmerston North Friendly Societies' Dispensary Board was held last night at the Dispenstry. The annual report and balance-sheet, particulars of which have already been published, was adopted. The election of officers for the ensuing term resulted as follows: —president, Bro. F. J. Oakley (H.A.C.8.5.); vice-president, Bro. J. Ax (Orient Lodge); secretary, Bro. S. J. Watson (Loyal Manawatu, 1.0.0.F.M.U.); treasurer, Bro. H. Sharman (Loyal Manawatu Lodge, 1.0.0.F.M.U.); trustees,/ Bros. J. S. Munro (1.0. R.), F. Buck (Orient) and C. S. Rush (LT.A.O.D.). Mr F W. Connell was reappointed auditor. It was decided to make Bro. W. F. Cut,ler, one o'f the founders of the Dispensary, and who has been a member of the Board ever since its inception, but has now retired, a presentation in recognition of his part services. Several persons who have been subjected to or inflicted serious inconvenience upon friends who travel by train, draw our attention to the question of non-admission to the railway platform. The'position is that the narrow platform became congested by the presence of a crowd of oidookers, and now no one but a traveller is admitted. This has also produced a serious drawback, of which two typical cases may bo cited. An old lady in charge of two little ones and her luggage was obliged to get them out of the carriage and out to the gate as best she could. Her son was unable to help, and no porter was available. A professional man wished to consult a client passing through, but could not be admitted. It is suggested that Mr Nash, M:P., might bring about a welcome relief by obtaining the issue of platform tickets at a small charge. This would be a welcome and convenient change and would produce not a little revenue.

An "outlaw" sheep, which had evaded capture for three years, and had been living on the sea coast at Point Mataia, Kaipara Harbour, was one of the interesting exhibits at t,he Helensville Show. The sheep, which was owned by Mr H. Mather, of Glorit, was missed from the flock at shearing time three years ago. The flock was sold, and ho refused to associate with the next lot, taking refuge among the mangroves when chased by dogs. During the next two seasons, he was seen only at intervals, and , evaded capture by clambering down' a precipitous cliff to the coast. A few months ago Mr. Mather and his companions waited for a spring tide, and went out with the dogs. The sheep ran for the mangroves, but was cut off by the tide. The dogs cornered him, but could not get him back up the cliff, and were obliged to swim him for a mile. The sheep was of tremendous size, the live weight being over 2001 b, and tho wool, which was clean and free from tangle or 'brambles, was pronounced a perfect fleece, weighing about 351 b. In places it was 24in in length, and unbroken. Mr Mather presented the sheep to the association, which held a guessing competition regarding his weight. Here are four lines of Men's Sox at bargain prices—Black cotton sox, were 4/6, sale 2 pairs for 3/11. All wool cashmere, were 7/6, sale 4/11. Fancy cashmere, were 7/6, sale 4/11. Rib or plain worsted, sale 4/3. —The C. M. Ross Co., Ltd., sale for men.* Let your old False Teeth help to buy you a new summer hat. — Pearline Co., 108 Oneon Street, Auckland.•

Out of 3500 notices sent by the Napier Borough Council to burgesses who did not vote at the last election, 2500 have been returned through the Dead Letter Office.

This season Aucklanders will make butter and cheese and dried milk worth millions of pounds, and it is estimated that the honey yield will be over a thousand tons, says the Auckland "Herald."

The whole of the estate of the late Mrs Mary Soley, the oldest resident o* i.'t.uie, Hawke's Bay, who d.rd at the age of 04 years, has been bequeathed to charitable, institutions, which will benefit to the extent of between £SOOO and £6OOO. Mrs Soley's executors found about £IOOO in notes and cash in her dwelling. The search' for the bodies of the •'lainder of the crew of the Omaka continues daily, but so far with no result. The wreckage and cargo is strewn along the beaches inside the heads. The masts of the ill-fated vessel were recovered yesterday. Strange to say, not a vestige has been discovered on either Somes or Ward Island. A fisherman on the Whareama River (North Wairarapa) a few days ago caught a salmon trout in his net. The fish weighed about 81b, and was put back into the water by the fisherman. This is believed to be one of the first salmon of the kind to be found in any river in the Wellington Province. There are no rivers along the East Coast stocked with salmon trout. ;

The mail steamer Tahiti is the first oil-burning vessel to receive her bunker supplies at Wellington, the oil being drawn from the ex-hulk Addersley, which was converted into an oil tanker by the Union Steam Ship Company some six months ago. The operations were completed in a little under twelve hours. In that time 600 tons of oil had been transferred to the liner.

The stipendiary magistrate at Timaru yesterday dealt with a case, said to be the. first in the Dominion, under the Rent-Fixing Act of last session. The tenant of a house was paying 20/ a week, and the owner asked power to increase the rent. The magistrate found that the capital value was £IOOO, and the owner was entitled to seven per cent, on that, plus £2O a year for rates, taxes, repairs and; insurance, a total gf £9O a year rent. During his remarks at the opening ceremony of Queen's Park school, Wanganui, the Minister of Education stated that out of the 200,000 children attending the primary schools of the Dominion fully 190,000 required dental treatment and were not getting it. The parents must know what that meant to the health of the children. It was necessary that they should have good health in order to have sound minds and strong frames In order to tackle the problems ot life and that was one of the reasons why he was going to have this dental treatment.

The Auckland Prices Investigation Tribunal rarely experiences any difficulty in obtaining the required information from persons applied to for evidence concerning values in connection with cases of alleged profiteering. The tribunal experienced its first refusal of information on Monday, when the head of a dressmaking firm in the city, when asked to give evidence concerning the value of an article, declined to have anything to do with the case. The tribunal intends summoning .her under the provisions of the Board of Trade Act to appear at its next meeting and answer any questions put to her. "Failure to attend will render her liable to the penalty provided for contempt of court.

A number of new complaints were received by the Auckland Prices Investigation Tribunal on Monday. These included one .against a doctor, and another against a city firm of oil merchants in regard to goods supplied to painters. These cases are to be investigated. 'An allegation respecting rent charges, and a dispute over a contract were the burden of two further complaints received by the tribunal, but as it has no jurisdiction in these matters it was decided to advise the complainants to this effect. The tribunal having considered complaints against a local typewriter firm of excessive charging decided, in view of the subject matter of the allegation having general application throughout the Dominion, to refer this case to the. Board of Trade for its decision. the windows bright and early this morning at Collinson and Cunninghame's sale, re-opening at iu. Every window displays unusually Kood price cuts for the sale-end this week Carpets, costumes, blouses, underwear, frocks, etc., while inside half price remnants in every department will prove a tremendous draw.*