LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A London cable states that Sir 11. Norman, AI.P,, created a sensation by arriving at Westminister in a motor scoot-

Jiie Koyal Commission on the influenza epdomic will meet in Auckland on the 17tli. The Hon. G. W. liussell states that he intends giving evidence early in the inquiry.—Press Assoc. The Parliamentary Industries Committee commenced its public sitting in Wellington yesterday morning. Evidence was heard in relation to the growtn ana manufacture of tobacco in Xevv Zealand, and Government assistance was requested for the local company.—Pres3 Assoc. Parents and friends of the New Plymouth Girls' High School ars reminded of the prize-giving ceremony at the Empire Theatre this evening at 8 o'clock. Mr Justice Chapman has consented to give an address. All old girls of last year are expected to take their places along with this year's pupils-

Some idea of the number of visitors to the New Plymouth races may be gleaned from the fact that over 800 cars were paddocked at the racecourse yesterday, and so complete were the arrangements for coping with the traffic that the whole of the cars were cleared within an hour of tho conclusion of the races.

A Stratford resident, Mr W. 1$ Stone, who was driving into the races yesterday had just crossed the Waiwakaiho Bridge when his car was run into by a cat numbered T704 driven by a man named Hunter. Mr Stone's car was overturned and completely smashed, and Mrs Stone had both arms broken and had to be taken to a private hospital. Mr Stone escaped with a severe shaking.

The usual monthly meeting of tie New Plymouth Waterside Workers' Union was held on Wednesday night. Owing, 110 doubt to the fact that it was race night, the attendance was not so large as it might have been otherwise. A fair amount of routine business was disposed of, and the President of the Union, Mr W. H. Fitzpatrick, w]io had acted as delegate for the local Union, gave ar. interesting report of the Wateraiders' Conference, which was Jeld at Lyttelton recently.

Some fairly caustic criticism was directed against the Pensions Board at the meeting of the Returned Soldiers' Association in Dunedin last week. A member stated that after being on active service for three years he had spent six months in hospital with ga:i poisoning, and on obtaining his discharge lie had been granted a pension. He received notice recently that this had been stopped, although there was no improvement in his health, and he wished to know if the association could tkke any action in the matter. In reply, the chairman (Dr Harrison) said the pensions scheme was & very complicated one, and gave a good deal of trouble. The committee received a great many letters from soldiers upon this subject, all of the cases in which the pension granted had been interfered with. The whole question seeed to lie in pre-war disability and tiie consequent action of the Defence Department i n not holding itself responsible for these conditions. As far its he tould see, if a man were passed as fit by the Department and he contracted disease, the trouble was either due to service conditions or very much aggravated by those conditions. and that being so the Department shoiv'd accept the responsibility. He thought the whole scheme stood in great nepJ of revision, and the present policv of the board also needed some drastic reconstruction.

It will be remembered, said the Hon. G. W Russell, at Christchurch recently, "that during the recent Parliamentary session there occurred what was known as the 'kidnapping incident,' in which a lady Who had tnkon a very active part in tie epidemic vuuoaign in Wellington endiavored by rauiei ridiculous means to indMe me at midnight to visit some of thf slums in Wellington. It was a clear case of mental breakdown caused by overstrain in the strenuous work the lady tad done during the epidemic, one has row completely recovered from her trouble, and has indicated to me her regret, for what happened and her desire to appear before the Royal Commission in order to give evidence as to the condition of things she discovered during the epidetutc."- j.'rc?.s Aran.

"NAZOL" for Catarrh.

As a result of some dafio"l bulbs getting into tlie dinner by mistake for onions, an Ashburton family had an unpleasant experience At the eiul of the meal all the members were seized with sickness, but luckily no serious effects were experienced. Mr J. C. Cooper, managing director of the Farmers' Meat Co. (VVaingawa), in an address to members of the Fanners' Union relative to the prices of stock, advocated that when the Imperial purchase terminated the whole of the markes of the world should be open to New Zealand producers. He also pointed out that at the present time tallow and other by-products were unprofitable. According to sailors from the bnrqucn. tine Wangftnui, the influenza regulations were being enforced with the greatest severity by the authorities in San Francisco when the vessel was there in November. One of the seamen on the nliip inadvertently went ashore without a sterilised mask over his face. lie was immediately arrested by masked police, and was sentenced by a masked magistrate io ten days' imprisonment for what seemed a trivial offence.

The New Zealand Herald says that, during a talk with an officer from the Niagara's engine-room, who was one of (he original patients brought to Auckland in November, and who has beeu in the Auckland Hospital ever since, the officer was asked whether those on board had really epxected the vessel to be placed in quarantine on arrival. "Without the slightest doubt!" was the reply. * "The ship's officers wore preparing for a fortnight's quarantine, and no one was more astonished than they when the ship was allowed to berth in Auckland."

Taranaki dairymen will be interested to know that the question of amalgamation of the New Zealand Dairy Association and the Waikato Co op. Dairy Co., Ltd , two large concerns, was the subject of consideration by directors of both companies at Hamilton during the past week. All important points were discussed, and an agreement was unanimously arrived at as to recommendations to be submitted for approval to the .--imreliolders of the respective companies. It is understood that the proposals we that the amalgamation should take effect as from June 30 next, namely at the end of the financial year of both concerns.

"It is cheaper at the present time for Wanganui merchants to get produce by rail from Wellington, compared with the boats," said a Wanganui business man, a statement in evident contradiction to the oft-made remark that carriage is the cheapest means of transit. "Six years ago, the steamer freight on produce from Wellington to Wanganui was 10s plus 3s port; charges; to-day the freight is £1 a ton, plus 'ls 10d wharf charges. Compared with the presentday figures, the freight on produce by rail from Wellington to Wanganui is 14s 5d a ton, and during the present week one local firm sent by rail from Wellington three thousand sacks of grain "-ChronicleNo time was lo3t by a gentleman of the nam.e of Schneider in getting into commercial touch with New Zealand. He wrote on 4th November, a week before the armisticj was signed, giving an address in Dresden, and informed a wellknown Wellington firm as follows: "I am indebted to an American friend of mine for the address of your esteemed house," and he requested the representation of the esteemed house for the whole of Germany and Austria, adding, "I am an American citizen, well versed in kauri gum, and ean promise excellent results." The letter ai rived in Wellington uncensored in any way.

Tt would have been inconceivable in IDI4 tlat a New Zealand Minister would be received as a full delegate at n ennferepce of tlie world's Powers, but the Dcm/mon's certificate of admis*ic:t to the Paris Conference was signed and waled on that April day in WIS when a landing was made on Gallipoli peninsula. These are tlie points that ought to Ke impressed upon the children in the schools. How can we expect onr rhildren to realise the meaning of the Great War and its bearing on the history of their own country if the story is told to them merely in. terms of battles and bravery, noble and mspirins as the battle record has been? —Lyttclton Times

At the opening of the Science Congress at Christchurch, the Hon. G. W liusscli asked for the co-ordination of public and private scientific knowledge. During tlie last few years a little—very little—had been accomplished in this direction. Instead of science being a side-show, it •Bust be made or.e of the main objects and purposes of national life and organisation. What was required was the creation of a scientific atmosphere throughout the Dominion, It must begin m the primary schools. Science should permeate our whole education system. The State must be prepared to foot the bill. He, therefore, urged the Science Congress to press upon the Government, upon each and every succeeding Government, that without Govmental expenditure science could not grow and expand, and that, if the Do--minion was to develop by means of science, adequate funds must be provided for research, for the training of teachers and professors, and for. the equipment of laboratories and staffs.

At the Supreme Court yesterday morning, Jack Johnson, who on pleading guilty in August to the theft of a motor ear, was admitted to probation by his Honor the Chief Justice, appeared before his Honor Mr Justice Chapman on a charge of having failed to keep the terras of his probation. Mr H It. Billins appeared for the Crown, and evidence was given by the probation officer -it Inglewood (Constable Longbottom) as to im changing his address without notiiying the probation officer. The Crown Prosecutor also stated that during the teim the prisoner had Bfcpn convicted of theft and sentenced to imprisonment by the Magistrate. The prisoner pleaded for another chance, and attributed his trouble to the company he had got inlo, and said he would not let anything of this nature happen in the future. The judge said when a inan had the choice of the company he kept he was a fool if he got into such company as led him into crimes, and it wa3 no use his coinins and pleading that excuse. Sentence was deferred until this morning.

Buyers of ladies' blouses cannot fail to be impressed with the fine showing of the latest styles in voiles, Japanese silks in white and Fuji, and crepe de chines in white, pale blue and shell pink, at the Melbourne, Ltd. Prices, voiles 10/G to 32/6, silica 18/6 to 23/6, crepe de chines 27/6 to 35/-.

There's a big cummer sale at Morey's—the opening dat£ was Friday, January 24. All ladies are invited to this big moneysaving fjir. There will be bargains galore. There are some special offers in gloves and hosiery going to-day at theso reliable drapers. Read advertiaement elsewhere iftjjjjjej,

The Government Statistician, in hi« "Abstract." for December, shows not only how the taxation by the General Government. has increased from £4 5s 6d per head for 1910 to £ll as 9d per head for J 918, but also where the money comes from. Customs duties in 1910 yielded £2,786,490, and in 1918 £3,601.385, or £814,893, more; but land tax lW 1910 produced £042,270, while in 1918 it accounted for £1,385,708. But the largest increase b ir. income tax—viz, from £310,835 in IWO to £5,010,561 in 1918. The total receipts from ail sources of taxation lor 1918 amount to approximately three times greater than the total for 1910. In that year it waß £4,180,616, in 1018 £12,340,853.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph states that it has been learned that I'rivate jUalthouse has died of starvation in the prison camp at Kuhleben, Germany. The deceased was captured when the Matunga wus sunk by the German raider Wolf. It is quite evident, says the Telegraph, that goods which had been sent to deceased by his wife and friends never reached him. His letters to his wife were patiictic in his description or the from hunger and privation, and in bin appeals for food. Mrs. Maltbous* sent sufficient food and comforts to sustain imlt dox.cn men for the full time her husband had been a prisoner, jet they; were commandeered.

An eloquent testimony to the manner in which prisoners of war were treated by the British is contained in the following extract from the diary of a German prisoner who was captured in Palestine on July 14: "After being fired at in ■ front by the British and in the rear by the Turks, we were captured on July 14 by Australians. They were a splendid lot of fellows, and treated us very welL The average Knglishman on this front is a thoroughly decent chap, and the treati ment in excellent. We had very heavy losses, and I should imagine that tha Asia Corps had practically ceased to exist. I was surmised at our good treatment. I shall never believe any more newspaper yarns about the bad way in which the British treat their prisoner! of war. I must say that I am beginning to appreciate the British more from day; to day; they are all thorough gentlemen. We are getting more food than we fiun eat, and the only thing lacking is toIJR-

The Loan and Mercantile Co. draw attention to their Punewhakau Sheep Fair on Saturday next in Mr T. Hayes' yards, Details will be found on page 8.