LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 6 June 1930, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The New Plymouth Debating Society is holding its second debate to-night, when the subject for discussion will be “The Present Policy of the New Zealand Government in Samoa is justified.”

The 30th anniversary 'of the fall of Pretoria, marking the conclusion of the South African War, fell yesterday. Pretoria was the capital of the Transvaal and the seat of the Boer Government. The war was the first overseas engagement in which New Zealand troops engaged, and New Zealanders were among the troops which entered Pretoria on its surrendering on June 5, 1900.

The fine weather experienced during the latter part of last month—it might almost be termed an Indiaoi summer —has been responsible, states the New Zealand Herald, for an unusually early crop of winter flowers. Several of the bulb family have started flowering, and some .fine specimens of jonquils, grown in the open at Avondale, are among the earliest in the Auckland district. In another two or three weeks the gardens will abound with winter blossoms.

After the junior seven-a-side tournament at Patea on Saturday a member of one of the competing teams from North Taranaki found himself left with two shoes for the right foot and none for the - left. Another member of the same team found that his socks and suspenders had attracted covetous eyes and left him. On can understand a mistake being made and a wrong shoe takenin a hurry, but the disappearance of the socks takes a little explaining.

The practice of signalling with flags at railway crossings was referred to in the Wellington Court the other day by Mr. E. Page, S.M., who said that the waving of a green flag by a crossingkeeper as an indication that all was clear for a train to come on was a little confusing to motorists, who frequently thought that the flag meant “all clear” for them, and not the train. “I think,” added the magistrate, “that some better method of signalling to motorists should be devised.”

The Melbourne’s wonderfully successful Sale of Empire goods concludes on Saturday with additional bargains being brought forward in order to stiff further emphasise the desirability and importance of purchasing only goods manufactured within the Empire. '

An example of altruistic enthusiasm is provided by the action of the headmaster of the Christchurch Cathedral Grammar School (Rev. Stephen Parr) and one of his staff (Mr. McKenzie) in offering to line the untimbered walls of the new dormitories of the school in their “spare time,” says the Church News. As they are to have the assistance of an experienced carpenter, however, the Cathedral Chapter has granted £l5 towards the cost of the material, sheets of compressed wood of a new kind.

The tall green triangular board which stands in the window of a New Plymouth shop and carries kewpies, each bearing the colours of a Taranaki Rugby football club, and marking the position of that club on the championship ladder, attracts considerable attention from passers-by every Monday morning. Last Monday, after the Inglewood-Tukapa match at Pukekura Park, a Tukapa supporter was grieved to see that Old Boys and Stratford were both two points in the lead. It did not. seem right; hard thinking assured him it was not right; so he entered the shop. With solemn face the man of business moved Tukapa up one and the supporter departed—satisfied. . ’ ’

WhileWwild cats were, destructive to birds in the bush, said Mr. L. O. H. Tripp, at the annual meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, they did do some good work as well by destroying stoats, weasels and rats. Cats were principally found at New Plymouth, Akatarawa and in Canterbury. A ranger in the Orongorongo district had seen a Persian cat taking a weasel with which to feed its kittens. The speaker said he thought steps should be taken at once to place specimens of the rarer native birds on the sanctuary at Kapiti before it was too late. They should also provide a sanctuary on Kapiti for ducks. The weka had increased on Kapiti and killed the young ducks, and the ranger was asking for an area to he netted off to keep the weka out.

~ Trouble was caused in India culminating in the mutiny of 1857 through a report that animal fat was used to grease cartridges. Whether the report was based-on fact is another matter, but it served as the spark to start the horrible uprising against white people, of which the well at Cawnpore is the tragic re-, minder. Nothing of the kind is to be expected in Wellington, writes a correspondent to the Evening Post, if certain dairy industry interests are. successful in inducing the Government to ban the sale and use of a vegetable substance sold as “good as butter.” The article is put up solely for the consumption of vegetarians and others who are averse from eating animal foods. It is evidently meeting a demand, but its use is regarded as a menace to the genuine butter trade by the New Zealand Dairy Exporter, which describes this substitute as being “flaunted” in shops, and states that it has made complaint to “the proper authorities.”

A lady member of the Wellington Automobile Club wrote as follows to the executive at its last meeting; —“As a girl driver I object to having to leave my adress in the car for any inquisitive person to read. If the number plates are not sufficient, then it is a waste of time making them and putting them on. I think the new regulation will increase thieving of cars and tools, and motorists should object to it.” These views were supported by the members of the executive, the chairman (Mr. E. A. Batt) remarking that a person’s probable movements might easily be deduced by a car thief from the name and address, practically stating the time available to the thief. Moreover, where a ear was parked outside a theatre, the name and address would often give a burglar the whereabouts Of an empty house. Bylaw 64, sub-section 6, of the Wellington City Council, provides that no motor vehicle shall be driven in the city unless there is attached a card, 1-Jin. x 3in., legible three feet away, displaying the full name and business address of the owner.

For economy and for quality shop at The Hustlers. Ladies' Ribbed Vests, winter weight, at 1/11; Ladies’ Cream Ribbed Cotton Vests, bound silk braid, at 2/3; Ladies Cotton and Art Silk Bloomers, at 3/11; Ladies’ coloured Twill Flannelette Nights, 7/6; wrapround Corsets, all sizes, 5/11 pair. The Hustlers, Drapers.