LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 December 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be no issue of the Daily News to-morrow (Christmas Day) or the following day (Boxing Day). Thursday’s issue will contain reports of the various sporting events that take place on Boxing Day. Fishing for schnapper off the end of Moturoa wharf on Saturday evening a local resident hooked a large shark. After an exciting half-hour the big fish was stranded on the beach at the foot of the wharf. On being secured and hauled up on the sand it was found to measure nine feet in length.

“People generally speak of ‘our’ parks, ‘our’ mountain, and ‘our’ beaches, but always of the ‘public’ hospital. Why not ‘our’ hospital,” said Mr. E. Holden (secretary of the Taranaki Hospital Board) on Saturday night, when thanking the concert party arranged by the Chamber of Commerce for the concert given in the New Plymouth hospital. Mr. Holden appealed to the public to take a greater personal interest and pride in the hospital in the same way as they did in the other amenities of the town and province. A very large congregation attended the Christmas carol service held in the Whiteley Memorial Church last night. The service was conducted by the Rev. W. J. Elliott, who gave a short address from the text, “He became poor.” A large choir, assisted by the orchestra, sang a number of anthems and carols, including “And the Glory.” from the “Messiah,” while solos were rendered by Miss G. Blanchett (“He Shall peed His Flock”) and Mr. Baden Bellringer (“Naxareth”). The service concluded with the Hallelujah Chorus.

After the closing of the Whiteley Sunday School yesterday for the Christmas and New Year vacation, the teaching staff met the superintendent, Mr. R. Laurie Cooper, at a little function. Miss Enid White, 8.A., on behalf of the teachers, presented him with a beautifully bound copy of the Sunday School hymnary as a small token of esteem and good wishes. The Rev. W. J. Elliott spoke in warm terms of Mr. Cooper’s faithful work, and read a letter of appreciation from Mr. F. W. Packman, one of the teachers. Mr. Cooper suitably responded.

School magazines, as a general rule, are published only by the larger secondary schools, but the scholars of the Taihape district high and primary school have essayed the production of a magazine, and a very creditable job they have made of it, judging by the initial number, a copy of which has just reached us. It is entirely the work of the scholars, who must be imbued with not a little enterprise and progressiveness. The literary matter is equal in quality to that of the secondary school magazines, and included are sketches and photographs, all combining to make the production interesting and valuable as a record of the school’s work and activities. The school is under the charge of Mr. W. E. Hird, M.A., an old Manaia boy, who has made good in the teaching profession.

t A correspondent writes as follows: Yes, verily, we are a peculiar people, as Dora Wilcox puts it. We see on the older settled grazing country clumps of umenced manuka retained for shelter. In time this naturally grows old and dies out, or is used for firewood. Then or before a plantation is planted and fenced, it does not seem to strike us that if the original clump of manuka uad been fenced that our own native trees would have sprung up amidst the manuka and formed an effective shelter belt, so long as kept fenced. The stock, having access to the manuka clump, destroyed any young forest trees which had germinated from seeds dropped by birds and necessitated the planting of an exotic plantation. Moreover, the manuka seed was carried on the sheep backs from underneath the trees and distributed where it was a nuisance, and had to be removed. A lot of time and expence could ibe saved by working with nature, not against her. The East End Committee acknowledge the following donations: Messrs John Heslop, A. Bewley and F. M. Grayling £1 Is each.

When a sperm whale caught off Natal, was opened at the Durban whaling station, the workers found nearly half a ton of ambergris in the intestines. It is estimated that the catch is worth £240,0(10.

“I have dealt with farmers for 30 yeans,” said Mr. YV. D. Hunt at a meeting of the Wairarapa Frozen Meat Company, “and I have never' yet me a farmer, who told me I was giving too much for the stock he had to sell. Its not a human thing to do- Even the farmer always wants to sell in the dearest market and buy in the cheapest. A girl about 11 years of age, when bathing in the Waikato river, was washed off her feet by the wash of a passing steamer. The current was carrying her into mid-stream when a youth named Clifford Hill pluekily went in .with clothes on and saved her just in time. The girl was quite exhausted. “I can explain through an interpreter,” said a Maori debtor who was before the Palmerston Magistrate’s Court the other day. Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M.: “Go on; you are speaking English. Do you owe the money? Don’t worry about an interpreter.” The native, thus obliged to make reply, said something about someone else having ordered goods on his behalf, whereupon the magistrate entered judgment for plaintiff and told debtor that he would have to meet the obligation. Included in the money which was stolen at Aramoho, after the recent murder of a woman there, were six sovereigns. By a peculiar coincidence (relates the Hawke’s Bay Tribune) six sovereigns were recently paid into a country bank in Hawke’s Bay. The rarity of the appearance of sovereigns caused the police to make inquiries concerning the source from which the gold had come. It was established satisfactorily that the money was in no way connected witJi the murder. “Very many of the Maoris on the East Coast,” remarked the Hon. R. F. Bollard (Minister of Internal Affairs), who returned to Wellington Friday night, “are. men totally different from those in one or two other parts of New Zealand where Maoris abound, for they work and work hard. Some of the crops they produce on the coast are very fine, and equal to the best grown anywhere on land worked by Europeans.” Mr. Bollard added that a spirit of industry had seized the Natives on the East Coast, and it was a very good sign, not only for the Natives themselves, but for the whole Dominion.

One result of the inauguration of the Dairy Control Board is expected to be the eclipse and final disappearance of that organisation known as the South Island Dairy Association (says the Balclutha Free Press). This association taxes dairy companies to the tune of £5O a year and more, not to speak of sundry “perks” in the shape of “boxes of butter.” No doubt the association gives valuable service for the money, but it is hard to see how it can continue to function under the Dairy Control Act, if the said Act is going to be anything more than a name.

A return from His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner, Wellington, setting forth statistics regarding the registration of motor cars and motor cycles for the year 1922, which came before the Stratford County Council on Saturday, showed that 6727 cars and commercial vehicles, and 2386 cycles were registered throughout New Zealand. Of these Taranaki imported 165 cars and 89 cycles. The district to register the most vehicles was Auckland, which included Poverty Bay, with 2992 cars and 1001 cycles, while Westland only secured 82 and 57. There were 3552 cars and 1153 cycles imported from the L T nited States, 2349 and 1153 from Canada, and 581 and 1179 from the United Kingdom. The foreign and Continental importations were comparatively few in number. Carterton, the usually quiet little Wairarapa borough, has been deeply agitated over the question of mixed bathing. The council had an earnest debate on the matter. One councillor said that even if every other town in the world had mixed bathing he would oppose it, but in spite of his opposition the council granted the application. “Now that we allowed mixed bathing,” said the objector, “we must see to it that proper dress is worn.” The chairman pointed out that there was a recognised costume in other places. As a final safeguard the council decided to swear in the caretaker as a special constable, thereby giving him full power to exercise authority “in case of trouble.”

A recent visitor from the Te Awamutu district to the Taranaki province went back forcibly impressed with the perfect condition of the roads here, the surfaces of which were chiefly of bitumen or tar-sealed. This condition of affairs existed not only in the boroughs but in the counties aKo. “The traveller can etrjke the tar-sealed road at Hawera and go for miles upon miles nearly to Opunake without so much as a break of a different road substance,” he observed. “It is only a question of time before the road from Hawera, round Mount Jbgmont, and back again to Hawera, will be all of bitumen. Through this district the bitumen surface was more favoured as a lasting surface, in comparison with tar sealing. There was no ‘pot’ holes, and not so much as a shake was felt by the rider over these surfaces.’’

At the Haymarket on Thursday morning next Newton King, Ltd., are submitting for sale by auction two well-known racehorses on account of Mr. F. Marsh.— See advt.

Webster Bros, advertise fruit sales for to-day at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. A final reminder is given of the concert to be held in the Pukekura Park on Christmas evening, commencing at 7.45 p.m. As the park, with its beautiful lakes makes such an ideal setting for an openair concert, and the programme is such an excellent one, it is fully expected that there will be a record crowd in attendance. A stage is being erected on the Poet’s Bridge for the performers, so that the music will carry across the still waters of the lake and should penetrate to all parts of the grounds. A treat is in store for all lovers of good music, and so that it might be enjoyed to the fullest the committee has arranged to provide a considerable amount of seating accommodation. The small charge of Is for adults and 6d for children is being made for admission, and the proceeds are to be devoted to the further improvement of the park. “On with the dance; let joy be unconfined.” The East End Reserve Committee are holding dances at their pavilion on Boxing Night and the night following. Orr’s orchestra will provide the music.

A boys’ bicycle race is set down for decision at tlie East End gala day on New Year’s Day. A number of ‘ lads have already intimated their intention of taking part in this event, and are getting into training. There is every promise of the day being the most suecesjeful in the history of the reserve.