LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 13 May 1925, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Egm on t County Council yesterday decided to support the open door policy in connection with the treatment of patients at public hospitals. One of the inmates of the Wanganui gaol has spent 42 years of his life in New Zealand gaols (states the Herald). There are other prisoners here who have been over thirty years in prison. “•As the years go by the South African War Veterans’ Association is, strangely enough, steadily increasing in strength,” stated Captain Braddell at a recent R.S.A. re-union (reports the Manawatu Standard). “I hope that the R.S.A. will witness a similar state of affairs as the year! advance.” \ A spirit of self-reliance was shown by a Long Acre farmer, who wrote to the Wanganui County Council recently and offered to give £25 for certain road improvements if the council would contribute a similar amount. This (says the Herald) the council decided to do. “Fine morning, your Worship,” affably remarked the man who had been arrested the night before for dangerous driving. “Yes, indeed,” responded the Justice; “quite a fine morning—in fact., a tenshilling fine morning.”—New Zealand Herald. Nine cases of infectious diseases were notified within the Egmont County during the quarter ended March 31, being, an increase of nine over the corresponding period of last year. Of these cases five were diphtheria, one tuberculosis and three infantile paralysis. Eight of the patients were removed to hospital. Taken on a population basis, the rate was 3.37 for 1000 and 16.36 per cent, of the total oases in the Taranaki hospital district during the period. Lui Paewai, the All Black, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court at Dannevirke as, defendant to a charge of having assaulted W. T. Fagan, an employee in the H.B. Farmers’ garage. He admitted the charge. Paewai had taken his car to the garage to have something done to it, but complainant was busy on an urgent job, and said he could not attend to Paewai, who thereupon struck Fagan. Paewai later apologised. Defendant’s counsel asked the Magistrate to exercise his discretion by striking out the case against the young man, who bore an excellent character. The Magistrate regretted he could not do that. A fine of £2, with costs, was imposed. That listeners will soon be able to see as well as hear by wireless is the prediction of Mr. Francis Jenkins, the inventor of the “prismatic ring,” a device which makes television possible. The prism enables a tiny dot of light to travel across a photographic plate in a succession of parallel lines, the intensity of the light being changed through the varying strength of the incoming radio signals. The inven■tOr claims that moving pictures by ; wireless are now being daily demonstrated in the laboratories, and may soon be shown to the public. Sir Trevor Dawson forecasts that, if a satisfactory internal combusion engine can be devised, the great air liner, now being built by* Vickers, at Hendon, in Yorkshire, to the order of the British Government, will enable Englishmen to make week-end visits to the United States, the westward journey requiring two days only and the eastward trip (owing to the favouring winds) even Jess. This vessel will have to undergo very exacting trials, including a flight to India with only one stop at Egypt. The company desires, indeed, that the flight shall be made without any stop at all, so great is their faith in the vessel’s powers. The “radius” of the airship will be 24,000 miles—half round the world—without replenishment of fuel. Some amazing figures indicating the progress and development of electricity in and around Auckland are contained in the handsome booklet which the Auckland Electric Power Board is distributing in connection with the official opening of the extended power station and the board’s new offices. The souvenir brochure states that the licensed area of supply is 3000 miles, approximately, tho capital value of the district being over £50,000,000. A general indication of the growth of the undertaking ie given from its inception in 1908. The financial and statistical tables show that the-capital expenditure has increased in that time from £48,000 to £1,500,000, while the revenue has risen from £3400 in 1909, to £327 000 in 1925. The first ingleside of the .season to be held by the New Plymouth Caledonian Society takes place at the Workers’ Social Hall on Monday evening next. The function should prove a very atr tractive one, as the evening’s enjoyment is set out with both the old and the new dances, Scottish national dances' interspersed with songs; recitations knd the skirl of the pipes* Tickets are procurable at McLeod and Slade’s or from members of the committee. Owing to the Premier’s death the Victoria Club dance to have been held in the Victoria League rooms on Thursday, 14th inst., has been postponed till the following Thursday, 21st . inst. Train arrangements in connection with the Hawera races are advertised in this issue.

“The outlook is bad for ihe winter as far as it is possible to judge at present, ’ was the opinion expressed recently by Mr. H. Worrail, secretary of the General Labourers’ Union, when discussing the unemployment position as it exists in Chr stchurch just now (says the Press). Mr. Worrail stated that as compared with this period last year there was more unemployment. In addition to the influx of immigrants, this state of things, he said, was due to the fact that the drainage works in hand had attracted more men to Christchurch than those works had been able to absorb. He estimated that between three and four times as many men bad come to the city than the drainage works had been able to absorb. Any doubts which may have existed in the minds of certain of the Invercargill police force as to the explosive properties of gelignite were rudely dispelled at 4 o’clock last Wednesday afternoon (says the Southland News). Three plugs of th© explosive had been left in some coal de« livered at the South School and it was given to the police to dispose of. A constable was ordered to bury the harmless yellow sticks, but he had only half completed the task when a terrific explosion occurred which blew up most of the carefully kept garden against the wall of the police station and badly frightened -every- > body within a radius of several blocks. It I is surmised that the constable must have struck the gelignite with his spade and thus caused it«4o explode—the most remarkable part of the occurenoe being his miraculous escape from injury. A doubt still exists as to whether the three plugs exploded or one or two plugs still remains intact amongst the wrecked chrysanthemums, and it is to be expected that for some time the minions of the law will dig very charily in their garden plot. “I have always been a bit sceptical about rats causing fires,” remarked the Invercargill fire superintendent (Mr. Simpson) to a Southland Tinies reporter on a recent evening, “but it’s proof positive in this case.” The superintendent held up some blackened matches and charred refuse which had been taken from the ceiling of a room in Mr. John Miller’s house at the east end of Spey Street. The brigade had just extinguished an incipient outbreak in the quarter referred to, having received a ring, from Mr. Miller’s house shortly after half-past ten. Th© fact of the outbreak having been d;scovered in the very early stages .and th© prompt arrival of the brigade made it an easy matter 'to deal with the threatened danger by means of the chemical extinguisher. Investigation yielded the matches and refuse in the ceiling and fresh evi- » denee o£ the presence of rats in this portion of the building, and as there was no k house fire or wiring of any sort in the . immediate vicinity of the outbreak, only ( one conclusion was possible.

Why freeze at nights when the Melbourne Limited can supply you with beautiful warm blankets in all sizes and at all prices; Some of the makes represented are Petone hospital blankets, Kaiapoi, Onehunga, Canterbury, Bruce, etc. Also in stock all. wool blanket rugs in famous Petone make. Messrs! C. C. Ward, Ltd., cash drapers, have 'been- successful in securing through their London buyers a large purchase of job towels bought at a price which represents one-third off the usual prices. Attention is drawn to their advertisement on page 9. Professor Hunter, of Victoria College, director of the W.E.A., will come to New Plymouth to-day and will attend the local economics class to be held this evening at 8 o’clock at the Technical College. The lecture will deal with the gold standard. The “Elite” boot and shoe shop, opposite Everybody’s Theatre, New Plymouth, being open for business, is showing a very fine range of goods, all of which are quite new. The winter boots and shoes for country, town and evening wear are sure to attract particular attention, as prices are decidedly moderate. The public are invited to inspect this stock at the “Elite.” Mr. J. H. Dobson’s sale of his pedigree Jersey herd will be held at Newton King, Ltd.’s Inglewood saleyards on Tuesday next. The herd contains many splendid animals, all of which are to be sold without reserve. At 4he same sale Messrs. G. L. Bocock and J. Klenner are also selling some well bred cattle. This fixture is worthy of the attention of all lovers of good Jerseys, and persons who have not yet got catalogues may obtain them from all branches of the auctioneers.