LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1929, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A visit to the Breakwater Hotel after hours to purchase a bottle of gin was made’by John Harris at an unfortunate moment for him, for his visit coincided with one from Constable Fleming and resulted in his appearance in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday. It was his first offence of any kind and he was fined £l, with 10s costs, by Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M.

—-A-s—Showing how it is possible for. a Rugby plkyer to represent several districts in hjs career if he shows any promise, the case of a departing footballer was mentioned at a farewell function at Wanganui on Saturday. Last year he played for Taranaki against Wanganui, but : this season he was in the Wanganui team which played Taranaki. The hope that ho would .again be found playing for Wanganui if he decides to return from Australia, whither he is going, was expressed when his team-mated gathered to wish him good luck. ’

The price obtained by the. Maoris for this year’s crop of tobacco ranged from 6d to Is 9d per pound. This is not quite so good as was expected, remarks the Rotorua Chronicle, but must be considered satisfactory in view of its being the first year, and of the experience gained. Even at these prices, when averaged, the return runs into something like £BO per acre, which is sufficiently encouraging to continue operations and increase them. A part of the initial expense will be set aside from this year’s return.

Complaints that swearing was far too common among players in the district were made at the last meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union executive. Two officials reported a Clive player for using bad language at half-time and again after a match. The player appeared before the union and admitted the offence, saying that the language was used in the heat of the moment. The executive did not accept the explanation, and suspended him until the end of June, 1930. It was pointed out that players were under the jurisdiction of the union all the time they were on any of the union’s grounds.

There is a touch of romance about the travels of a bottle containing a message which was thrown from the Aorangi on Sunday, January 13 last, by Mr. John Fuller, the well-known theatre proprietor, on his journey from Australia to New Zealand. In a whimsical moment Mr. Fuller had written on a visiting card, “Admit four, best seats,” and in a sealed bottle had cast the message overboard off the coast of Australia. Nearing New Zealand he went out yet a further message. As a sequel to the incidents an old Maori of Bland Bay Whangaruru, discovered one of the bottles on the beach 18 miles south of Cape Brett last week. The message has been forwarded to Mr. A. Main, secretary of the Waitemata Electric Power Board, who, on making inquiries, learned that the instructions are genuine, and will be honoured by the management of St. James’ Theatre. ’ The difficulties of idiomatic construction of English must be still keenly felt in Germany, judging by the following letter, which raised several laughs among the staff of a New Plymouth firm when they received it from German merchants yesterday: "Knowing j i are importers of barth-room accessories we herewith beg to ask if you also are buyers of our - articles, illustrated in the annexed prospect. Wishing you to receive our catalogue with prices kindly give us notice and will at once yon sent hini. By larges relations with much houses of your country we are well informed of all the articles trated there and also we know all the prescriptions to follow. For all this we are in possession to satisfy you in every respect and being you interested to buy directly from the manufacturer please demand our catalogue. We will you give our best prices for to enable you to compete will all other houses.”

“W& are making a rod for our own back in Wellin'" 1 iby creating so me- y jobs for the unemployed that they are leaving the country in increasing numbers 'every winter to come to the city.” This remark was made by a prominent official to a Dominion representative, who was making inquiries as to the present position. He drew attention to the tremendous increase which had taken place in the last five years. He particularly mentioned that the figures had notably increased since the City Council had brought in schemes of creating special works for using unemployed labour, and the effect has ‘been to make the city act as a magnet to an undue proportion of the unemployed in the country. He was quite satisfied on this point, and was also of the opinion that these men, coming from the country, and the east and west coasts, stayed at the smaller towns while they could get a job, but once it ceased, they made tracks for Wellington. Many claims have been made during the past few weeks for the £lOOO offer of a prominent English newspaper to anyone who can produce plants of the fragrant musk. The secretary of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, Mr. N. R. W. Thomas, states that about thirty applications have reached him, mostly from Taranaki and Canterbury. A Taranaki lady writes: “Last year I had a pot of musk, with its yellow flowers, in my house. It dies out in the winter, but comes back in the spring. About Noveml ber it bursts into flower. The scent is strong when in flower, although the delicate green leaves are scented as well. I am sure the plant is the one spoken of, and when it comes up I shall send as many of the plants as you wish to forward to the proper quarter.” If the claims can be proved, Mr. Thomas says, it will be the delight of many thousands of people throughout the world. He is making arrangements to forward the plants to England. An attraction of interest to ladies is the pretty and effective display of spring and summer millinery at Mrs. Pellew’s showrooms, corner of Devon and Liardet Streets, New Plymouth. Readers are reminded of the longnight dance to be held in Oakura hall tonight. Proceeds are in aid of the funds of the Anglican church. Every taste will be catered for. There will be euchre with prizes for the non dancers. The floor* is in perfect order, and music and supper are all that can be desired. Oldtime dances are included on the programme, so that father and mother need not fear cold'feet.

The New Plymouth Victoria League annual daffodil day is to take place to-morrow. Daffodil day is always looked forward to with eagerness, for it is a joy to see the gay abundance of golden daffodils and flowers that herald the glad springtime. It is also a day of reunion for members and friends, of both town and country, and a dainty tea and music add to the. pleasure of the afternoon. There are to be tables for flowers, produce, cake, plain and fancy articles, sweets, stuffed animals, and the jumble stall is for the book committee funds. Members who wish to bring gifts for the stalls jnay leave them at the club room on Thursday, or on Friday morning. Daffodil day will be open at 11 o’clock. The percentage of men wearing factorymade clothing is very much smaller in the men we call successful than in the men who are not. It may be argued that it is quite natural seeing that they have more money to buy dearer clothing. But we must remember first that a good appearance is half the battle, and secondly that Besley’s measured clothing costs no more.

Among the many bargains to be had at Broome’s Corner are men’s holeproof working trousers at 7/11; men’s dark grey suits 37/6; boys’ jerseys in navy, brown and dark grey, sizes I’e to B’s, at 4/6; men’s English saddle tweed trousers at 9/6; men’s odd coats 17/9; men’s odd vests 7/9; boys’ brushed cotton singlets 1/6 to be obtained only at W. H. Broome’s, Taranaki’s finest price store, Devon Street, New Plymouth.

There was a severe frost in Hamilton on Monday morning, 19.4 degrees being recorded.

A net profit of £7293 for the year ended June 30 is shown in the 27th annual report of the North Auckland Farmers’ Co-operative, Ltd. The directors again recommend payment of a dividend of 6 per cent, on the preference shares, absorbing £4393. A perusal of reports many years old shows that the Mount Cook Gaol in Wellington cost £40,000 to erect (says the Dominion). So solid is its construction that there are those who think it will ec’t almost as much to pull it down again when the time comes to proceed with the museum, art gallery and carillon project. A “community singing” dance was held in the Bell Block Hall last night in aid of the hall funds, the sum of £ll 17s 6d being raised. McNeill’s'orchestra provided the music for old and modern dances in which over 100 couples took part. Miss M. Smart played an extra. The gathering was organised by the hall committee and Messrs J. Williamson and R. F. Poletti acted as master of ce ’"''nies. The supper arrangements were in charge of a ladies’ committee, of which Mrs. J. W. Downes was chairwoman.

A peculiar discovery was made on a farm at Te Rahu, near Te Awamutu, recently. While an excavation for a gateway was in progress, a stratum of sandstone, about 2ft thick, was being

c- ’ ’ > the near the lower side was found a piece of beautiful kauri gum. Belew the of stone was a considerable number of roots of Jaro'e trees, indicating that ages ago there was a forest there.

A, suggestion for the planting of native trees in the environs of the Auckland War Memorial Museum has been made by Mr. W. A. Beattie, of Auckland, who says there are many trees in New Zealand which have a special significance from local legend, and are eminently suitable. He writes: “The tainui, a rapid-growing tree, said by tradition to have sprung from the timbers of the famous canoe, is the traditional emblem of adventure and fearlessness in braving the dangers of the elements. It represents in a very real sense, with its golden blossoms, the prize of bravery. The torch which has been lit throughout the world by the men who served New Zealand cannot be better represented than by the glorious pohutukawa or the climbing rata, and their goal, peace, than by the masses of white blossom on the hoheria, the starry clematis, or the wham The grief of relatives and friends can find its counterpart in the pendulous branchlets of the rimu, the sombre beauty of the pahautea, or the shapely young kahikatea . . . Could the dead but be consulted, would they ask that they should be remembered by emblems of foreign lands, or by emblems of the land of their birth; by trees of Japan or Greece, or by trass of New Zealand, one single branch of v.Lch they would have wept with joy to see while they were 'over there’?’’