LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 28 October 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An interesting event occurred on board the Royal Mail steamer Niagara on the evening of the day she cleared Suva for Auckland, a third-class passenger giving birth to a girl—her seventh child. The mother and her husband are en route to Australia from Scotland. To mark the event the first saloon passengers collected £SO, which is to be banked in Sydney for the baby. The second saloon passengers collected £7, which was handed to the mother.

The effect of war on khaki marriages was more than usually exemplified, when the Tonic arrived 'at Wellington with no fewer than 356 women and 90 children, the former being mostly the English. Irish, and Scottish wives of soldiers who had married abroad. It was with curiously anxious eyes that these women, the* majority of whom were very young, gazed over the bulwarks at the city and surrounding jiills, dimly wondering perhaps what the future holds for (hem in the new land. A witness was giving evidence in the Wellington Magistrate's Court in connection with a claim for damages as the result of a motor collision. "I suppose you call yourself a motor expert?" queried counsel. "Yes," proudly returned the witness, "I do. That is my profession. I teach people how to drive. T have already taught hundreds of returned soldiers, civilians, and women." "He appears to be doing very well, Your Worship," commented counsel, "It would appear so," said the ma<ristrate, Mr. W. G. Biddell. "but (turning to the witness) "you taught all these people to drive—how many have, you killed?" The witness joined in the laughter, but shook his head protestingly.

Returns prepared by the Government Statistician, and issued in the Gazette, show that the proportion of deaths to the 1000 of population for the quarter ending September 30 in the four metropolitan areas and nine suburban areas of the Dominion was as follows: Auckland. 1.08; Wellington, 0.70; Christchurch, 1.50; "Dunedin, l.lo; Cisborne suburban area, 0.95; Napier suburban area, 1.12; New Plymouth suburban area. 0.0-2; Wanganui suburban area, 0.72; Palmerston North suburban area, 1.15; Nelson suburban area. 0.40: Greymouth suburban area, 1.35; Timaru suburban area, 0.55; Invercargill suburban area, 0.84. The average death-rat" for New Zealand during the period was 0.07. Wellington had the least number of deaths in the metropolitan areas, and Dnnedin the highest, whilst Nelson suburban area, was the lowest, and Greymouth the highest. The number of deaths of males of five rears and over was 227, and females 211, the total deaths being 496. At the kind invitation of Mr ,T. Gibson, the Whitelev Club on Monday held its- annua! picnic at his residence at Frankley Poad. With the splendid weather prevailinsr. the beautiful grounds looked at their best, and a very enjoyable day was spent. Various games, and an oveiting "treasure hunt" on the lawn, added to the attractions. Lunch and afternoon tea were partaken of under the welcome shade of the native trees. Before the members dispersed the Kev. ,T. N. Mi'ue. president, and Mr TT. T. H. Grave aid Miss Hoddev. vice-presidents, on bebnlf of the eluh. heartily thanked Mr and Mrs Gibson for their "enerosity in oponin.? their grounds. The appreciation of the members was then shown bv hearty applause, fnllowed bv "F.ir they are jollv good fellows." Mr Gibson, in reply, said tlmt. it. had siven him equal pleasure to be amongst, such a happv gathering of young people and he hoped it would imt be the last. The "Deputy-Mayor (Mr Collis) presided at the meeting last evening of the General Purposes Committee of the New Plymouth Borough Council. Others present were: Councillors ,T, Clarke, Y. Griffiths, K, Parkin, F. J. Hill, and W. F. Short. An application for a final grant of £lO lfo 7d to wind up accounts was received from the Peace Celebrations Committee. This was necessary as the Citizens' Band had been paid £2O for services during the celebrations and it had not, been allowed for. The net expenditure, was £334 5s 7d, towards which £37 0s had been received in donations, Government subsidy £162 13s 3d. and the total cost to the borough would therefore be £134 (h 4cl. as against the £2OO voted, so the committee kept well within the limit allowed them. The receipts from the Peace Ball would be £l9O 15s Gd and the expenditure £137 10s Bd, leaving a credit of £52 18s, which amount had been allocated to planting trees in Liardet Street.—Grant approved. An application by the borough engineer that, the council should procure 250 yds. of gravel at 123 ,4d yard from Waitara, was accepted, on the motion of Cr. Clarke. A 50-acre dairy farm at Hawera at a low figure is advertised for sale t>y JO.JBLend A, MaGrftttJ,

Th.3 executive of the Prohibition Party has received the following cablegram from Toronto: "Ontario keeps prohibition by 300,000 majority on the straight issue and defeats all compromises by 200,000 majority," (The population of Ontario is 2| millions.)

There was a very large crowd at Ngaore Gardens yesterday, the road in front being lined each side -.vitli cars, traps, etc. A programme of music was submitted by a special orchestra, the gardens were looking at their best, and an enjoyable time was spent by all.

The Ilawera Chamber of Commerce, at its annual meeting on Friday, passed a resolution in favor of a universal Saturday half-holiday. A hostile motion was first proposed and seconded pro forma, but alter discussion this was withdrawn and the favorable resolution carried unanimously.

Farmers do not, as a rule/ believe- in wasting anything—not even time. Recently a young dairy farmer near Opunake decided to marry. On the wedding day he milked the co\v3 as usual, motored a distance of 30 miles and said "I will," and returned home by motor with his bride in time for the evening's milking. Obliging neighbors, however, packed him off on a, honeymoon. —Opunake Times.

'•'The newspapers of New Zealand are' the best and most honest in the world," said Sir Walter Buehanan, when speaking to a gathering of farmers at Carterton recently. He attributed the expansion of trusts and combines in other parts of the world to the fact that they exerted a similar influence ovier the newspapers, whose duty it was to expose them. It is not often that one hears of a father winning a footrace with his son securing second place, out of a large number of competitors. This, however, happened in the Old Boys' race, run at the conclusion of the Christ's College sports at Christchurch. Starting from the limit mark (55 yards), J. C. KT. Grigg, running strongly, won by a few yards from his son, J. H. Grigg, who tvas on the 24 yards mark. The distance of the race was 200 yards.

The Patea Borough Council has decided, before anything definite is done with regard to the spending of the £6OOO loan, for extending the electric light service, to make enquiries as to the possibility of the Government undertaking to lay the transmission lines to enable the borough to take electrical current from the New Plymouth Borough Council's supply. Cr. Grainger remarked at the meeting that it was doubtful if the Government would spend the necessary £25,000 on a line from Eltham to Patea.

With reference to the petition of Mr. F. L. Combs, of the Wellington education district, for compensation for loss of salary and rank through a decrease in school attendance, the A to L Petition;; Committee of the House of Representatives recommended that the petition be referred to the Government for favorable consideration, with the suggestion that a sum of between £7O and £BO should be granted to make up the loss sustained. The House agreed to the recommendation.

Mr. A. L. Monteith, Labor candidate for the Wellington East electorate, furnished a reporter with the following list of "weighted average" weekly rentals in the larger cities of Australia and New Zealand:—Sydney, 19s lOd; Melbourne, IDs (id; Brisbane, 14s lid; Adelaide, lGs l ; ld; Perth, 14s 3d; Hobart, 10s 7d; Dunedin, las ml; Christehurch, 16s lOd; Wellington, 23s Id; Auckland, 17s lOd. Mr. Monteith state that the above figures are for February, 1019, and are taken from the official statistical returns of each country.

The Taranaki men who returned to New Zealand by the troopships lonic and Kemuera arrived at their homes by last, night's mail train. When the men from the north joined the mail train at Marton there was a draft of about 47 men for stations north of the junction. Lieut Grant, V.C., did not come on to H'awcra with the draft. At New Plymouth the usual "Welcome Home" sign was hung up over the. station platform and the deputy-chairman of the Patriotic Committee was present to greet the men. There was also a large crowd of people on the station.

There are 750 applications for telephones on the lists in Wellington. This number the war-time accumulation, when for a very long time there was no telephone material of any ja'nd coming to hand. The deficiency w;fl sh:'r;iv lie remedied. The telephones are now in stock, and after the new automatic exchanges at Courtenay Place and Wellington South are operating a start will be made to erect the new telephones where they are needed. It is hopd that all applications for connec. tions will be met before the end of the year.

Cmmenting on the decision of the Finance Minister to apply the compulsory clauses of the Finance Act to the present short subscribed loan, the Lyttelton Times says:—"We are prepared to make a suggestion. It is that he should apply the principle which governed the balloting of men under the Military Service Act, namely, the first to be drawn shall be the fittest and ablest. The men with the smallest obligations were taken first, and those with the largest obligations were called upon last. That principle should be followed in coiiscribing loan money—that the financially strong should be the first to make up the deficiency."

Parents on the, lookout for careers for their sons must find the newspaper columns interesting reading just now (says an exchange). An outstanding feature is that many of the "brainy" jobs seem to have been hopelessly outdistanced in the general movement for higher wages. Thus you find that, although a fish frier is ottered £5 a week (an occupation, too, that suggests long intervals for rest, with possibly some free fish meals) clerks are still in demand at 355, while the sum of £2 10s is offered for an experienced cashier. Which sets us wondering why some of our out-of-work or poorly-paid clerks do not take off their cuffs and learn how to fry fish.

Mr. R. Masters, the Liberal candidate for the Stratford seat, will deliver an address in the Stratford Town Hall on Thursday evening, October 30.

Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Second Group) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable to-day (Tuesday, October 2S), at the Secretary's Office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.—Advt.

When your little child is hot, restless and feverish, with a fresh cold, don't delay but immediately give NAZOL on sugar and sprinkle freely a handkerchief with NAZOL and pin to the dreas so that the child can inhala.it constant-