LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1929, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Grants of £5 each wore made to the Boys’ and Girls’ Cl ’ in North and South Taranaki at yesterday’s meeting of the Taranaki Education Board.

The matter of th© withdrawal of the Senior National Scholarship allowance from three pupils of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School has been settled to the satisfaction of the boys concerned, according to a telegram received £y the Taranaki Education Board yesterday from Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P. A tennis club under the auspices of th© Presbyterian Church has been formed in New Plymouth and will be known as the Fort Niger Club. Three courts will be laid down on the eastern side of Fort Niger hill, close to the Boys’ High School’s new football ground, th© work of stumping and levelling the ground having already commenced. “During the eight weeks ending July 12, I have sent out 64 irregular attendance notices,” reported th© Taranaki Education Board’s attendance officer to the board yesterday. He stated that during that period he had visited 20 schools. During the first term the attendance was very good, but since the beginning of June, owing to sickness, the. attendance had dropped and W’as very poor. Monthly returns told of much sickness.

That the record of the Brooklands Dairy Company has been one of steady progress was shown by the secretary (Mr. R. Pepperell) in acknowledging a vote ot appreciation at yesterday’s annual meeting. The company, which operates on the Puniho Hoad, had started 13 years ago with five suppliers—all substantial. It now had 14 suppliers, and that they were large suppliers could be gathered from the fact that the output of the company was 237 tons of cheese. Mr. Pepperell knew of one factory in the South Island where there were 207 suppliers and the total output was 135 tons of butter.

The record of the Oxford Dairy Company afforts a strik-ing illustration of what can be effected by improved farming methods. The company was established 14 years ago. The total quantity of milk received in that year was 2,417,2241 b and the total pay-out to suppliers £7200. In the year just closed the milk received was 5,213,9211 b and the total pay-out £lB,OOO. During the 14 years tho number of suppliers had increased only from 16 to 21, so that the bulk of the increased supply came from the same farms.

Sensational showroom bargains follow closely on each other’s heels at the Melbourne’s Great Winter Sale. No fiooner is the line cleared when another equally alluring is brought forward. Right throughout the sale ladies’ apparel of all descriptions is being ruthlessly reduced. Now is the time to dress smartly at half the usual cost.

A collection taken at the inter-school football match at New Plymouth yesterday realised approximately £4O. The proceeds are to be devoted to the earthquake fund.

A Moth aeroplane has been ordered by Taranaki Airways, Ltd. A cable was despatched to England yesterday, and it is expected the machine will be placed on board the boat within about a week.

In the House of Representatives yesterday, Mr. S. G. Smith gave notice to ask the Postmaster-General whether he would make provision for a new post office at Waitara to be placed on this year’s estimates, telegraphs the News’ Parliamentary reporter. Advice has been received by Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P. from the Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, that on the Minister’s recommendation Cabinet has approved of a grant for the erection of a combined science and class room at the Manaia District High School, telegraphs the News’ Parliamentary reporter.

Already the sound of the bobby calf is to be heard through Taranaki. The number of calves appears to be greater than was the case at this time last season and the milk supply at many of the factories is increasing in greater ratio due to the cows coming in earlier. There appears to bo a fair amount of feed about and stock are coming into profit in good condition. Unless there is a severe cold snap to cause a set-back later in the spring the early part of the season should again show an increase in production,

A splendid line of 86 high-grade yearling Jersey heifers which is to be consigned to the Whakatane district as soon as formalities such as inoculation have been complied with, was being driven from Okato to New Plymouth yesterday. These heifers were all purchased by Mr. M. H. Barnitt in the Okato district and are practically a replica of a line sent a fortnight ago to the Whakatane district.

“Have you let a contract?” asked the Magistrate yesterday when a property owner appeared before him at New Plymouth charged with failing to clear noxious weeds. The man had defended himself when the case was before the court previously and had been granted an adjournment in order to give him an opportunity to comply with the law. Yes, he had let a contract for £'s. “Only £s!”'commented Mr. Tate. “It . seems hardly worth having made all this fuss about it. I thought it was going to cost hundreds.”

After being knocked down in a street accident yesterday morning a man named Mr. Biddle was admitted to the New Plymouth hospital at 8 o’clock. .He was suffering from concussion and is under observation for internal injuries. His condition last night was fairly satisfactory. Another man, Mr. Dudley Jones, admitted to the hospital on Tuesday night, is suffering from severe burns received through an explosion of benzine. Though at first his condition was considered serious he is now progressing favourably.

Though there has been no very serious increase of infectious diseases since June, both pneumonia and pneumonic influenza show a very definite tendency to spread. It has been estimated that during Jun© about 2000 school children in 71 schools were compelled to stay away owing to influenza, which, however, lias not" assumed such a dangerous, form as last year. The number of deaths from this cause has been comparatively small. Scarlet fever has increased during the last two weeks, but this is only to be expected at this time of the year. Chicken pox is becoming less prevalent and odd cases only have occurred in eight schools. Three schools have notified isolated cases of measles, and five schools cases of whooping cough.

Two dairy companies each donated £5 5s to the earthquake fund and £5 5s to the New Plymouth seamen's rest at their annual meetings yesterday. One speaker at the Brooklands meeting said the efforts of .the ladies on behalf of the seamen found general appreciation. He considered “a sailor’s life was a dog's life.” Suppliers of the Oxford Company made it that the donation towards the earthquake fund was given as an expression of sympathy with the sufferers; it was considered the question of relist should be made a national affair. The donation to the seamen’s rest fund was given as an appreciation of the efforts of the ladies responsible for the erection of the rest, because, as one supplier put it, th© seamen never appeared to show any sympathy with the farmers. Under the caption of “What Next?” the Auckland Star says editorially: The Minister of Education has been requested to introduce Esperanto into . our schools, and he has promised to give a fortnight’s consideration to the matter. In our opinion, he need not have wasted a single minute over it. There is no conceivable excuse for regarding Esperanto as an educational study. It has no more literary value than shorthand and no more cultural value than typewriting. How anybody could seriously come to contemplate the introduction of this preposterous jargon into an already overcrowded syllabus passes our comprehension, and we can only assume that nothing but Mr. Atmore’s, sense of courtesy prevented him from giving the proposal the short shrift that it deserves.

Requests that the May holidays should be postponed until June were received by th© Taranaki Education Board yesterday from the North Taranaki executive of the Farmers’ "Union and the Kaimiro School Committee. It was pointed out that by June the milking season would be over and the farmers would thus be able to take their children on holiday, whereas in May it was impossible for them to leave, their farms. Mr J. A. Valentine said the holidays were fixed by the department to coincide with railway excursion fares and to satisfy the majority of- schools throughout the Dominion. If holidays were to be changed chaos, would inevitably result. It was decided to reply that in view of the fact that the department fixed the holidays to suit general conditions all over New Zealand the board was unable to carry out th© request. An “old-timers’” ball is to be held in the Hempton Hall, Okato, to-night, lhe committee this year has determined that all previous efforts will be excelled and with special attention paid to the flooi, music provided by Coburns oichestia and the supper in the hands of the ladies’ committee an enjoyable time for all is assured. Free buses from Gibson s Opunake and New Plymouth garages at 7 p.m. provide an opportunity for people at a distance to attend.

Elsewhere particulars of a good 200 acre dairy, farm, situated in the Auroa district, are advertised for lease. Anyone interested should apply at the faira. Residents of Opunake town and district are reminded of the dance to be held in tho Town Hall to-morrow night in aid of Ihaia Road' school social funds.