LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3454, 7 April 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An army of 10,000 men. is engaged in speeding up the New South Wales election returns. -

Up to the present nearly £100:0°0 has been subscribed to the Hawke’S Bay War Memorial Fund.

A Masterton settler has received 3. M letter from a friend in Canada, stating ! that -he is selling out his holding in that part to come to New Zealand]

with a few thousand pounds. He states that flour in Canada, is selling at 28/ per 1001 b, butter is 2/11 per lb, Sugar 8d per lb, and potatoes 12/6 for 60lb.

The verdict of the Samoa, Times is rather dispiriting in its ‘pessimism: “We must admit that we are rather pessimistic concerning New Zeala’nd’s ability to grapple with our problems and refol'ms——it is a matter for the New Zealand taxpayer to ‘decide, and when it is a matter of touching his pocket, there will be a. reaction against the mandate.”

When releasing the Grand Judy at

the Masterton Supreme Court the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) said ——“You win .110 doubt be very pleased to be relieved of this work, especially in these days when‘ the thought of

work is a. very great evil to every

body-".’

A new form of vandalism and desecration has appeared in Christchul'ch——robbillg a. grave of its wreath ribbons. Recently about 50- wreaths were placed on -3. grave, and an hour later it was found that e”very piece of valuable ribbon had been taken from the wreath.

At the Kakuhi chopping and sawing‘ carnival on Saturday several Taihape competitors were successful in various events. Messrs Gregory and Neal won the double-handed saw, Torrey and mate being second; Gregory angi Neal also annexed the maiden riouble-handed sawing. J. Neal, with ssecs, got. third on the single-handed saw. In the Farewell EH-andicap Chop, 14in.b1ock_, Gregory secured -second place, Neal filling the third.

General Mangin, writing in the Dieux Mondes confirms Field-Marshal F‘rench’s account that General Lanrezac’s unannounced retirement at Mons compelled the British to withdraw. He condemns his own staff which was responsible also for not surm-ounting the misunrlex-standings‘ which were inevitable early in the campaign He extols Britain's assistance as invaluable and morally effect.ive beyond any question of numbers.

An advertisement in the Hastings Tribune says-: “For sale, fur coat, worn three times, ibargain, £3O; apply Broke}? This pat-hetTé note is out of place ill a colonial paper——it is familiar enough in a London journal. Who is 81-oke——a man or a woman? Must be 'a Inall—a«woman liever confesses in‘ print that she is Broke. Looks as if his other name was Bloke. But what a bargain in coats, even if worn three times by an unknown.

Though cabled advices as to rabbit skins convey a suggestion that. values may drop, the taking of rabbits in Otago is being pursued with more ezigel'nes_s-than at any previous time. Men are out everywhere trapping, poisoning, ferreting, and catching bunny~ by. all sorts of devices. As a result rabbit. traps are not to be bought %econd-hand traps recently auctioned fetched more .:than new ones sold :1 year or two ago. The rabbiters do not fear :1 fall in prices, knowing that even :1 big depreciation-would leave them. a handsome profit.

l\=lrs Richard Oliver, fornierly of Dunedin, who died in England on December 27th, left unsettled property to the value of £127,547, with net personality £125.«.t03. Respeetixig numerous personai legacies made by her, amounting to between £50,000 and £60,000, Mrs Oliver stated in her will that she desired to place on record that the bequests were in remembrance of happy friendships. The bequests to elmrities or public institutions were “in recognition. of the past good work of the 'instit.ution, and to“help in its continuance.” The legacies included £2OOO each to the trustees of the Dunedin Hospital and the Ot-ago University, and £2OO to the Dunedin Hospital Guild.

} Egypt is bursting with wealth, accumulated from cotton, says :1 correspondent of the London Daily Express in Cairo. “Illi'tel-ate natives living in mud huts have made £20,000 out of cotton deals,” he continues. “Some have made £IOO,OOO. They are buying land at inflated prices, and paying oft‘ mortgages which were regarded as family h§;il'loolnS'. One British official says that the country has made at least one hundred million pounds. Naturally there is an influx of new millionaiies into Cairo, with a huge demand for motors, jewellery, new houses, and an kinds of luxuries, but in the provinces many of the newly rich have not changed the, standard of living at all.” '

L “We must produce more and conisume less)” said Mr Harold Beauchmnp, chairman of the Bank of New Zealand, in discussing the inflation of currency. There was. he was ‘Eonvinced, no royal road to the deflation of the existing unwieldly note is's‘ue. Deflation could only be secured as the result of increased production on the part of every section of the community and general economy. If these changes could be brought about, they would be followed by supplies of commodities more closely approaching the cleinandgand, as a natural consequence prices would fall. At the same time the purchasing'poWer of the sovereign would increase and the note issue would proportionately decrease. M

A 5 sure as day follows night, cakes baked with SHfi»\.DLAND’S will be light. Best Baking Powder at your grocer’s. 3

For Bronchial Coughs, take Wooods’ Great Peppermint Cure 1/9, 2/9.

A pair of field glasses, lost -on the

Erewhon-Mqoawhango Road! on Sunf day, are advertised for, a reward of £2 being offerea to the finder. /

The half-price sale of Messrs T. E. Thomas and Co. (successors to W. Spence) commenced to-day. In order to -meet the unprecedented demand for goods the half-price side will be extended till to-morrow. °

A New Zealand metropolitan newspaner recently landed a shipment Of paper costing £97 per ton‘. Before the war the cost was £lO. Even at £97 paper cannot now be purchased for this year. Many of the New Zealand journals, large and small, are threatened with ‘éffinction.

“I was amazed when I discovered how many millions of pounds New Zealand has sent out of her own country for the manufacture of her own primary products,” Mr T. E. Sedgwick, of London, said in an address at Christchurch. “She first pays for production, pays the freiglft to the other countries, pays for the manufacture, and finally pays her own Customs duty on the goods. The position is amazing. New Zealand makes blankets—they are very comfortable ones: and I wish we could get them in England-——and boots and other goods, but she could do much more by bringing people out from the Old Country to settle here. A South Island woollen mill had an offer from Canada for the whole of its output at 50 per cent above. present prices. Why could it not bring out 150 workers from the Old Country and increase its output?” 1 ’

The Verbrugghen question is up again in New Soiith Wales. It seems that Mr James (Minister for ‘Education) is willing to give Mr Verßrug~ ghen £2500 a year, being salary for his work as head of the Cornserva.torium, ‘and salary for his orchestral concerts. But Mr Verbrugghen wants £4OOO a year, which is what Chicago, not Boston, is willing to pay him, or is said to be Willing. Itmay be taken’ for granted (says the ‘Argus correspondent) that apart from the state of politics, which makes any permanent new arrazlgement in T7e"’g7:ll'd"to any pub_lic ser-vant‘inad‘visab'le. Mr Verbl'ugg‘h€ll’s demand is impossibie. No Government, unless‘ it were made, would offer him anything like“what he demands, be'caus'e the indignation of the public service itself, not to speak of the general puiblic, would destroy that - Government.

Before the war the Chinese ..dollar was worth from 1/10 to 2/,‘ but now it is worth 6/. That is to say, if today you change £l‘ English currency in Hongkong, you will receive three dollars where formerly you were handed nearly a dozen. Mr -Ellis (secretary to «the N.S.W. Commissioner in the East) mentioned this in a discussion of the “Gilbertian position” created in China by the exchange. He Went on to cite a. hypothetical case to make the “Gilbertian positionl’ clearer. 0 “Imagine,"’ he said, “a man sent to Hongko-ng at about £IOOO a year, paid in ”dollars. He could live and save £ISOO a year. That sounds ridiculous. But examine it. With dollars at 2/ this man would receive 10,000, or 11,000 r'mTlars a year. "He could live and save £ISOO a year, and suppose he remiis 5000 or 6000 to England at 6/ a dollar-,'then he has £ISOO saved out «of £1000.” Mr Ellis mentioned that so eager were Chinese money-changers to lay hands on gold that they were paying 30/ each sovereign.

0 A novel event, the first of its kind to take place in Australia, was performed at Inglewood recently, states the Melbourne Argus. Captains Snooks and Leggatt, representing the Australasian Aerial Tijanspo-rt, LTmited, who were here with their passenger aeroplane, consented to :1 request by a bridal coupfé from Wedderburn that their marriage should {take place during an actual flight. IDriving a distance of twenty miles. the Wedding party arrived at the flying ground, and the bride and groom, accompanied by the Rev. F. Aswel Apted, Methodist clergyman, entered the cabin. After portion of the care many had been carried «out, the engine was started, ‘and away the machine went, the remainder of the service be ing completed at an altitude of about 2000 feet. ‘After a flight lasting ten minutes a safe landing was made,‘ when the newly-married couple, Mr; and Mrs Fred Hayes, alighted to receive the congratulations of the many people assembled, all of whom took' keen interest in the unsual proceed!