LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 11 July 1929, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Says “One of the Boys” in the Christchurch Star; “Farmers are overworked and underpaid. There is no money in farming. Land values are ruinous, the weather is against them. Wool and wheat and oats and butter-fat are all down. Still you could search Christchurch and not find six newspaper' men, let alone 300, able to afford fl trip to the North Island.

A meeting of a certain bowling club in North Taranaki was in progress, the discussion being about the rolling of the greens by the various members. The chairman innocently asked, “How long does it take to roll the green?” and was rather staggered when a certain well-known wag replied in terms of disgust, "It takes some members twelve months.”

Proposing the toast of the Navy, Army and Air Force at an R.S.A. function in Hiiwera lust night, Mr. G. H. P. Fitzgerald, Eltham, referring to the visit of the German cruiser Emden, said he was of opinion that future official visits of this nature should be made by merchant vessels, as of peace, and. not by war-vessels.

"History, ancient and modern,” said Mrs. J. Campbell at the golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. G. V. Tate at Waitara yesterday. "Fifty years ago they drove away from their wedding with a bullock and dray. To-day they drove up in a high-powered car. I hope they will be here for their diamond wedding, when they will come in an aeroplane.”

"The time is coming when girls will take the place of male ledger-keepers in almost every office.” That statement was made by Mr. A. Patrick in a lecture to accountants at New Plymouth last night. He was emphatic that with the advent of machine-kept ledgers girl clerks would be found more efficient than many of the men now employed in the same capacity at a higher wage.

Taxi-buses have been declared illegal by a Sydney magistrate. An enterprising owner who endeavoured to compete with the trams established an agency at each end of a suburban route where Gd tickets were sold, thus hoping to get over the regulations against plying for hire, but he was fined £1 for the breach,

Arising out of a collision with a tramcar opposite the New Plymouth Post Office on the night of Saturday, June 29, a young man again appeared in court yesterday charged with being drunk while in charge of a motor-car. On the application of Mr. A. A. Bennett a further remand of a week was granted on the same bail. The name was once more suppressed pending the bearing of the case.

Skating round a hall is generally exciting enough for the majority, especially. the uninitiated, for whom every corner presents its possibilities, but it was not thrilling enough for a number of youths at a recent carnival in New Plymouth. They preferred the more energetic and precarious pastime of hockey on skates, with the result that two of them whose heads came into sudden contact wore rendered unconscious, while a third treasured a black eye for several days as evidence of his participation in the game. It was reported at a recent meeting of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce that there was every likelihood of a Dutch firm of steamers ’being subsidised by the Government to take up trade with Melbourne and Bluff to the East. Mr. A. S. -Burgess voiced a protest and moved that the Prime Minister be written to, pointing out that a British firm, should be given preference. This was agreed to. It was stated at the meeting that Messrs Burns, Philp ran as equally a good service as the Dutch line.

An Avro-Avian aeroplane, dispatched by tho Goodwin-Chichester Company, arrived at New Plymouth about 2 p.m. yesterday. It has been sent on approval to Taranaki Airways, Ltd., as it is understood a piano will be required in the near future. Captain Bolt, accompanied by Mr. Hobday, & photographer, completed the flight .from Wanganui in an hour and a-half, though ten minutes were spent over Hawera. During tho 15 minutes that the plane circled over New Plymouth photographs were eecured of different parts of the town. Captain Bolt will leave for Wanganui shortly 'before noon to-day.

The amount of food consumed at the Maori tangi at Morrinsville gives a fair indication of the large number that attended at the Morrinsville Pa to pay their last respects to tho late chief Taingakawa Tamahana te Waharoa. To feed the concourse, eight bullocks wef* slaughtered, as'well as a number of pigs; eight hundred loaves of bread were ordered, while' the standing order was 100 loaves a day. Other items were six tons of potatoes, half a ton bf sugar, a chest of tea, two crates of cheese, two cwt of butter, a case of jam, and 1A cwt of rice. The cooking was done in the open in four large open cooking fires.

While in Nelson recently, Mr. P. Higginbottom saw the Wanganui dredge Kaione at work, under charter to the Nelson Harbour Board. At the last meeting of the board he reported that the vessel was doing excellent work, and those in charge spoke in glowing terms of her performance. At present the dredge could fill up in 45 minutes and discharge in 20 minutes. There was no doubt that the Kaione was a firstclass dredge when working under favourable conditions. It was quite probable' that, as a result of the satisfaction the Kaione had given at Nelson, the board might get a buyer for the dredge.

A criticism of the prison system of New Zealand, based on his own observation of its workings, was made by the Rev; Charles Chandler, assistant city missioner and prison chaplain, in an address at ’Auckland. Mr. Chandler said he did not think that prisons , reformed. He • thought instead, that they were schools of crime/ In Australia and New Zealand fully 00 per cent, of first offenders returned for a second sentence. Most of them returned within three months of their release. The struggle outside the gaol was harder than inside. Having been in gaol once they became “acclimatised.” The fringe of the work of after-care of these men had hardly been touched. Referring to his personal observations of the men in gaol Mr. Chandler said he considered that the most noticeable and general feature was their He had found this spirit in cases where prison records were full of complaints registered against them. “So sooji as you are prepared to believe in a man, then he starts to reform,” the speaker continued. “The men responded quickly to efforts made to help them, and the result of improvements -was immediately apparent. There w-as a tremendous sense of loyalty in the average prisoner, vho would not let a friend down.”

The Women's Division of the Farmers’ Union is doing splendid work .in assisting farmers’ wives, especially in the backblocks, and it is an organisation that should command not only the sympathy but also the active support of all, particularly of town dwellers. Residents of Inglewood and district will have an opportunity this evening of showing their sympathy in a . practical manner and enjoying an evening by attending the social which is to be held in the Inglewood Town Hall. Besides a euchre tournament for which valuable prizes are available, giere will be dancing to Harris’ orchestra.

The Melbourne Ltd’a Great Winter Sale is now in full swing. The full page advertisement in to-day’s Daily News conveys but fl small idea of the huge reductions. Additional bargains comprise hundreds of oddments and remnants which aro being sacrified to make an absolute clearance.

General interest among both town and country folk will be aroused, on turning to page 8 of thia issue. To-morrow morning marks tho opening of -Messrs. Morey’s Ltd. Greater Winter Sale. With-out-exception they proclaim it to be by far the biggest price slaughtering event ever yet held..- ■ ■ ■■■