LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1928, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The retirement on June 30 of Mr. E. Bold, the senior land purchase officer of jbe Public Works Department, is announced in a Wellington Press Association message.

The Hon. J. A. Young, Minister of Health, has approved of ths increase of charges at the New Plymouth Public Hospital from 9s Od to 12s per day, stated a communication received at the meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board yesterday. As showing the efficiency of the New Plymouth Fire -Brigade it was stated at the annual meeting last night that during last year property to the value of £43,800 had. been endangered by fire, but the loss was’ only £4221 ss, which w : considered to bo a record.

Owing to work in connection with the renovation of the lawns commencing yesterday, the Kawaroa Croquet Club brought the season’s programme to a close yesterday without ceremony. A comprehensive scheme for the improvement of the lawn has been entered upon and it is hoped to have it in first-class order for next season’s play. The Mayor, Mr. H. V. 8. Griffiths, at the annual social of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade last night, handed over a framed, autographed enlargement of the executive of the United Fire Brigade Association which sat in conference at New Plymouth recently. That, the Mayor said, was tangible evidence of the great respect in which they held the superintendent of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade.

Members of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade have, during the year, received the following decorations: Firemen H. Inch, gold bar (31 years); W. Roch, silver bar (23 years); J. Inch, J. Frewin, H. Woodhead, silver bars (7 years); J. Brandon, silver medal (5 years); L. Hartley, P. Brewer and J. Fair, 3 years’ certificates.

The big cargo of whale oil which was on the Norwegian whaling vessel C. A. Larsen when she struck a rock and sprang a leak in Paterson’s Inlet, Stewart Island, has been pumped into the oil tanker Spinanger, which arrived at Paterson’s Inlet on April 4. The Spinanger is a vessel of 10,000 tons, this being her maiden voyage. She will sail for New York with the oil, which is valued at over £1,000,000.

“It is just twenty years since the New Plymouth Fire Brigade came under .he Fire Board, the late Mr. E. Dockrill being the first chairman,” remarked Superintendent A. Boon at the annual meeting of the brigade last night. During the whole of that time the brigade had worked under fire boards that it would not be possible to exalt in New Zealand. He, however, thought the board should spend a little on its own comfort, as the board room was not at all up-to-date; in fact it was a disgrace to the station. “Fires must be due to some cause,” remarked Superintendent A. Boon of the New Plymouth Firq Brigade, when referring. last night to the heavy fire losses in New Zealand.' He considered that many of the fires were due to carelessness. He thought cigarette smoking was a prolific cause of fires. Not only did the men smoke, but the ladies did also, so that the' risk was now doubled. Over-insur-ance was a contributing factor, not perhaps deliberately, but if a man knew that a fire was not going to result in loss it was apt to make him careless.

Speaking at the fire brigade social last night Mr. C. H. Wyatt, chairman of the New Plymouth Fire Board, said that the water supply was far from good and it behoved the borough council to improve the supply and drainage. The extension of hydro-electricity was only a secondary consideration. The council, he said, owed a duty to the men of the business area. Later in the evening Superintendent A. Boon remarked that since the bypass had been put in there was a pressure of from 1401 b. to 15<Hb. in the centre of the town during the day time, this falling to 1201 b. at night when the bypass was turned off. The pressure in the centre of the town was good, but it was not so satisfactory on the higher levels.

Taranaki’s baek country is looking uncommonly well at present, declares a recent visitor. The dry spell has enabled a good deal of clearing and burning to be done, and the better prices for wool and meat have enabled the settlers to finance more fertilisers and put in hand additional improvements to their holdings. Our informant states that on Saturday lasj he passed half a dozen lorry loads of fertilisers on one back country road. Rains during the past few weeks have given the countryside a verdant appearance, and there is every indication of an abundance of feed for the stock in the winter.

Scenes such as have not been witnessed in Wellington for a number of years followed the heavy downpour of rain which set in shortly after midday on Monday and continued almost unabated until nearly two o’clock. Such was the force of the rain that within a short time the low-lying area of wood-blocked road in front of the Government Buildings was completely flooded, in some places to the depth of between Ift. and 18in. Many square yards of the woo.d blocks were forced up owing to the pressure of water beneath them, and It was necessary to put on a special gang of workmen to prevent the holdup of the tramway service.

At the annual meeting of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade last night, the register showed that there had been 50 musters during the year. No member had registered the possible number of attendances, but Deputy-Superintendent H. Ford and Firemen J. Inch and L. Street had attended 49 times. Custodian Woodhead had attended 48, Auxiliary C. Derby 47, Firemen A. Court m-v and L. Hartley 46, Auxiliary R. For Superintendent A. Boon, Foreman ,r. Clark, Custodian F. Doughty, Firemen H. Inch and T. Roberts 44, Auxiliary C. Woodhead 43, Foreman W. Way, Fireman W. Roch 42, Fireman C. Goldsmith 41, Fireman J. Brandon, Auxiliary A. McAsey 40, Fireman J. Bellringer 39, Fireman H. Moon 38, and Fireman F. Clark 34.

How about blankets for the cold nights to come? Messrs. 0. 0. Ward, Ltd., the busy cash drapers, Devon Street, New Plymouth, have just made another job purchase of Wanganui Woollen Mills odd white blankets for three-quarter or double beds. These are usually sold at 27/6 each. Our clearing price is 18/11 each. The Farmers’ Co-op. Organisation Society of N.Z., Ltd. advertise particulars of an important subdivision land sale, which they are holding at Manaia on Tuesday, May 1, on behalf of the trustees of the late Win. Hicks. This very desirable property, situated on the Manaia and Hieks Roads, is subdivided into three farms, two of one hundred acres and one of slxty-two acres. The land Is first-class quality, and ie splendidly situated. Full particulars and lithograph plans may be obtained on application.

A remit recommending that legislation be enacted giving a fanner the right to shoot strange bulla that tad wandered to his property was passed by the Waikato sub-provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union. Mr. 8. W. Iles, Matahuru, described how damage and inconvenience had been caused farmers in his district by stray bulls and said something should be done to check their depredations.

An amusing incident occurred at the sports at Waikohu, Poverty Bay, on Easter Monday. A lad, about to enter for an event for boys under ten years, was asked to give his age. He replied: I am 10 to-day.” When the official explained that the race was for l>oys under 10, he laughingly remarked, to tho amusement of those within hearing, “I am only nine, because I was not born until 3 o’clock in the afternoon.” As the race was run at 2.15 p.m., the lad’s entry was received.

A movement has been started in Wanganui by the Wanganui River Trust to have the river declared a bird sanctuary. Favourable communication* from the Acclimatisation Society on the matter have already taken place and representations to tho Wanganui Harbour Board for support have been received cordially. Should the proposal bear fruit protection will be placed on birds from the mouth of the Wanganui River to the up-river boundary of tho trust’s area. The establishment of a sanctuary at the very doors of Wanganui would 'be of the greatest value to the city and would.make the river trip most attractive.

A fairly large number of appeals have been lodged by members of the Railway Service as a result of the recent extensive regrading of positions. The chairman of the Railway Appeal Board, Mr. J. G. L. Hewitt, S.M., is in Wellington in connection with the board’s business, but it has been decided that the hearing of the appeals should not take place for another ten days or a fortnight. The sitting of the Appeal Board will be the first held since the board was reconstituted under the Government Railways Amendment Act passed last session. Representatives of the First Division sit on the board when appeals are being heard concerning members of that division, and Second Division representatives sit when cases affecting that division are tinder review.

In connection with the forthcoming general election Mr. S. N. Ziman, of Cambridge, a Rhodes scholar, states that the circumstances have in no way changed since he announced his intention some time ago of standing a® an Independent Reform candidate for the Waikato seat at the General election. ““There has been considerable criticism of New Zealand Rhodes scholars not taking any active part in the public life of the Dominion,” he says, “and I should certainly lend support to such criticism, if, after my experience of administrative legislative work in high posts in India, and with the opportunity of devoting myself to public life here, I did not place myself at the disposal of the electors of the district in which I have my home and all my interests.”

Free entrance to race meetings is, of course, a privilege much coveted by the racing entJiisiast, And at the height of the season the pursuit of free passes becomes more or less of a fine art. Recently, however (reports the Auckland Star) the problem of how to see the geegees gallop a..u. dispense with the formality of paying for entrance was solved by quite a large number of “fans” without having to solicit favours from anyone. The racecourse in question is in the vicinity of a large mental hospital, and arrangements were made 'between the doctor in charge and the racing club that several of the inmates shou-iu l permitted to enjoy a day’s cuting watching the races, jl'he gatekeepers had their instructions to admit witaio-at question any individual who whispered the password The result was at the end of the day that in lieu of a total of about 20 bona fide patients the men at the gates estimated that nearly 200 had bravely breasted tho gate murmuring the magic “open sesame.” How the good news spread no one knew, ‘hut the fact remains that a large number confessed to mental aberration in order to pass the barrier “on the nod.” “I thought the whole blooming hospital had got a day off,” said one official, “when these fellows kept pouring in. They were mad all right, that is, in their keenness for sport, but not as mad as the responsible authorities were when informed of the little trick that had been played on them. Next time it won’t be quite so simple.”

The annual meeting of the Ngamotu Domain Committee and Moturoa Ratepayers’ Association is to be held in the Mission Hall, Moturoa, at 7.30 p.m. tonight, when a good attendance of all interested is hoped for. The new dress flannels just opening out at the Melbourne comprise all the very latest shades such as powder blue, cocoa, lido, bois de rose, beige, Indian red, burnt orange, etc., as well as the regular standard colours. Doctor flannel as usual is ■prominently featured and will be more popular than ever owing to a price concession obtained by the firm’s general manager when in London.