LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 21 November 1929, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Found by Constable Fleming with a bottle of beer in his hand in the bar of the Breakwater Hotel, New Plymouth, shortly after 9 p.m. on October 28, Hugh Cameron failed to appear at the New Plymouth Court yesterday to answer a charge of being on licensed premises after hours. He was fined £2, with costs amounting to 10s.

“The jury, of course, not having seen this kind of thing before —” said the Crown Prosecutor. Walking across the Courtroom with a number of empty ale and stout bottles, exhibits in a case at the Supreme Court in New Plymouth yesterday, he arranged them on the rail of the jury .box. .“Very hospitable,” murmured His Honour, Mr. Justice MacGregor.

As the Minister of Education had advised that the University Senate could make the necessary regultions, the Taranaki Education Board decided yesterday to ask the senate to bring down regulations making scholarships provided from the Taranaki scholarships funds tenable at Massey Agricultural College, in accordance with the decision of the conference of school boards held some time ago in New Plymouth. As handwork of a very high order was being accomplished in many of the schools, the Taranaki Education Board decided yesterday to adopt the suggestion of the senior inspector to stage a display at the forthcoming teachers’ summer school in New Plymouth. “We have some handwork here better than anything I have seen elsewhere in New Zealand,” said Mr. McKenzie. “There will be a display that will do credit to the province.”

Only two cases arising out of breaches of traffic regulations occupied the-time of Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., at the New Plymouth Court yesterday, but in one tjie charges were of an uncommon na-. ture. ■ Norman Cedric Drake and E.ric Neilsen were - charged with allowing themselves to be towed on bicycles by a motor-lorry up Standish Hill contrary to a recently introduced by-law. Each was fined 10s. and ordered, to pay costs amounting to 10s. For riding a bicycle at Bell Block at night without a light Jack Simpson was fined, 10s., with costs, 10s. . .

Open seasons. for. .the killing of red deer stags and hinds have been declared between certain dates in the Hawke’s Bay, Waitaki and Otago acclimatisation districts. There is no restriction as to the number of deer that may be taken. This means has been adopted for the purpose of culling in view of damage to property. The whitebait industry this season has been one of the busiest on record (says the Hokitika Guardian). In the Hokitika district excellent returns have been obtained, while fishing further south has produced phenomenal returns. It is stated that upwards of 1000 tins have gone forward from South Westland. Christchurch market has been well supplied, while in Wellington there was also a payable demand. In addition, the Hokitika district canning factories were well supplied.

When discussing a legal point in the Supreme Court at Christ/llurch, Mr. Justice Adams delved a little into his ex- ■ perience of widows. He asked the age of a woman concerned in the case, and was told that she was just over 70. “I did not know what age she might be/’ explained His Honour. “The last widow I had before me was nineteen,; In Auckland I came across another woman who had been a widow for -70 years—she was then between 90 and 100, and stilj quite able to look after herself.”.

The question of funning a swimmers’ excursion trip from Wanganui to New Plymouth early in January was discussed at the meeting of the executive committee of the Wanganui Swimming Centre on Monday night. It was decided to write to the Taranaki Centre to ascertain whether they would be agreeable to put on a carnival on Saturday, January 11. In . the event of their acceptance of the proposal it is intended to organise the excursion- with the view of getting at least. 200 adults and children to take the week-end excursion,

The Parliamentary select committee on education will include New Plymouth in its itinerary. The date of "its arrival is not yet certain, but it will probably be within a fortnight. The Taranaki Education Board decided yesterday to notify bodies and persons interested who might desire to give evidence, The chairman (Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P.), and Mr. J. A. Valentine were authorised to state the board’s opinions. The South Taranaki School Committees’ Association wrote that it would put forward .evidence.

An educable capacity test was. yesterday commenced in the primary schools of Taranaki. The classes being, examined are standards five, six and seven, or, as they are known now, forms one, two and three. Arithmetic and writing were the subjects upon which the test was based yesterday, while the special Haggerty test of educable capacity was applied, and a number of miscellaneous questions asked. This morning further tests will be carried out in reading and spelling.

“Do you want an interpreter?” asked the Crown Prosecutor of a Maori woman who was called to give evidence in the New Plymouth Supreme Court yesterday. She nodded. “Of course, she does if you ask her,” said His Honour, Mr. Justice MacGregor, and, turning to the woman, he said firmly, “You speak English all right.”. She explained volubly that she did not—in Maori. The judge called the interpreter.,, Later, another Maori woman was in the box. “Do you speak English?” asked his Honour. “No,” she replied. “Do you speak Maori?” “Yes,” she said. “You ask her,” said the judge to the interpreter.

A gloomy picture of conditions > in south-west Queensland was painted by the Inspector of Machinery (Mr, J. Howitt) who has returned to Warwick after a long business tour. He declared that conditions in the Dirranbandi, St. George, Hebei and Ballandool districts were very bad, no rain having fallen there for months past. Should the low price for wool continue a number of smaller holders would have to vacate their holdings, as the cost of production was higher than the return, At one station where there were 5000 sheep, the owner said he did not intend to handfeed his flock, as it would not pay him. Sheep in these localities were selling at 4s. 6d. and ss. a head.

The outstanding success of the school at Piopio was referred to by the senior inspector (Mr. N. R. McKenzie) when commenting favourably on the value of consolidation at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterday. The Piopio school is in the Auckland education dictrict, but is examined by the Taranaki inspectors. “The work being done there is equal to that of the best town schools,* said Mr. McKenzie. “There is a secondary department of 35 pupils, whereas formerly few or no pupils in the district received a post-primary education, and not many reached even the sixth standard. On one occasion before consolidation only two candidates of the schools in the area gained proficiency certificates.”

An inspector in the Wairarapa district was recently on the warpath looking for erring motorists who neglected to carry their driver’s licenses. Along came a young couple in a well-worn car, and they were duly signalled to stop. The young man fumbled for the license, and then discovered that he had left it in Wellington. “That’s no use,” replied the inspector, “you should carry it with you.” “Will this prove anything?” asked the young man, as he blushingly produced his marriage license, which showed that the young couple had been united on the previous day in Wellington. Of course no inspector could be too severe on a honeymoon couple, so they were told to depart in peace. No time was lost starting up the old car, and a cheery wave of hands in farewell was duly reciprocated by . the inspector. Having noticed that a copy of the inspection report of one of the schools had been published in a newspaper, the senior inspector suggested to the Taranaki Education Board yesterday that teachers and school committees should be reminded that all reports on schools were confidential. At the same time, he suggested the board might consider the question of preventing the publication of the results of examinations for certificates of proficiency. Such results might .give a false impression of the value of the education received by. the pupils, he said, and give rise to a wholly undesirable form of competition between schools. Under the revised regulations the percentage of proficiency certificates issued would probably be reduced, and their value t-o the pupils would be materially lessened. Mr. McKenzie said work for the certificate formed only a very small part in the activities of the school. • He pointed • out that it was quite possible to obtain a large number of results by bad teaching methods, and the public should not accept a. high per* centage of passes as a criterion of . the value of the work in the school.- The board generally agreed with .the opinion of the' inspector, and decided to adopt his recommendation.