LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 5 September 1930, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The average rental of railway dwellings during 1930 was £3O 6s. (id., states the general manager in the course of his annual report. The average in 1929 was £3l 10s., and in 1928 £29 6s.

At a meeting of the Taranaki Justices of the Peace last night, over which Mr. R. W. Tate presided, Mr. R. ,H. Quilliam gave an address embracing practical and novel experiences which had c6me before his notice during, his connection with the law. There was a large attendance.

Perhaps the most notable of any club achievement in, the past Rugby football season has been the performance of the junior grade teams of the Star. Club, which have each won their division with the exception of one, which has yet to play other divisional winners.

The number of opossum - skins taken in the Nelson district during the season just closed is, says the Mail, about half the quantity obtained last season, when 14,000 were stamped. Last year good prices were obtained, but this season tjiere has been a considerable slump, due, it is stated, to the London market being flooded by large quantities shipped from Australia. It is most unusual' to hear of seals on the sea coast of Canterbury, but recently it was reported that one was seen in the vicinity of Lake Forsyth and, further, says the Christchurch Press, that it was killed and skinned. As seals are protected animals, it is understood that officials of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation. Society are making some investigations into the report.

“Do you think we should protest against the Americans stopping these o-ood American films coining into New Zealand?” asked Mr. J. McLeod facetiously at the council meeting of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce last night. “I think the embargo is a most excellent thing,” said the chairman (Mr. L. M. Moss), “especially in view of the very fine British films we have been seeing lately.”

The case having- been referred back to him with his decision reversed on appeal, Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., yesterday entered judgment for t'lie defendant J. Gunning, on tlie* claim brought against him by C. C. Barr-Brown in connection with a motor collision at the couiei .of Dawson and Devon Streets. Gunning was allowed costs totalling £l's 18s, including £5 5s fixed for the appeal and disbursements. Mr. C. H. Croker, represented Gunning and Mr. Quilliam appeared. for Barr-Brown.

Following upon the visit of a party of New Zealand farmers to the three Eastern States of Australia in the winter, railway officials have been detailed in the parts of the Commonwealth included in the tour /to endeavour to interest farmers in a projected trip to the Dominion. A decision has already been reached by a party of Queensland farmers to visit New Zealand in the autumn. The Railway _ Department is preparing two or three itineraries, which will be submitted to intending, farmer tourists.

After three months’ absence from New Zealand, during which he visited Java, Sumatra, Singapore and Penang, Mr. E. W. P. Bucholz, of Wellington, returned last week by the Maunganui. Penang, was a lovely place, he .said. That was where the Chinese congregated, and there were sev ral millionaire Chinamen living there. He saw a Chinaman go into a bank and draw out £20,000 in cash. On asking a friend why such a huge sum was not covered by means of a cheque, Mr. Bucholz was told that the man, was a millionaire several times over, end he was drawing the money to gamble wAh in the evening.

Since the new contractors for the purchase of waste foods have been taking their supplies from the Auckland Hospital, it has been discovered that a very large number of knives, forks, and spoons have been carelessly thrown into the waste bins. Several lots have been returned to the hospitals, the last consisting of 20 dozen pieces. This state of ‘affairs was reported to the hospital board by the house committee. It was stated that steps had been taken to instruct sisters, nurses, and maids who are held responsible for the waste, that they must exercise more care in future.

The drawing of prizes in the Taranaki Rugby Art union is to take place in the Empire Theatre, New Plymouth, this evening. Owing to the, fact that the cabinet containing bundles of butts became upset in the train bringing it to New Plymouth a considerable amount of extra work fell on the organiser and his staff yesterday. They had to rearrange a number of butts that had become loose in the drawers. All the butts will be arranged in numerical order and checked with the register. The system is so safeguarded that the loss of a butt or its destruction will not preclude the purchaser from winning a prize. Every ticket sold and unsold is recorded. The actual drawing of the tickets will probably take about four hours to complete.

To overcome th© objection by New Plymouth business men concerning the withdrawal of night collections from letter boxes in New Plymouth after 10 p.m., Mr. G. E. Beamish, chief postmaster, announced, to the council meetin <r of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce last night that he would reverse the order by having collections in the suburbs undertaken first so that the clearances in the central part of the town would not be made before 11.30 or even 11.45 p.m. The council agreed that that would, meet the position for the posting of late business letters for the morning express better than the present arrangement, though it preferred the original facilities. Mr. Beamish explained that the stoppage of the night express had had. nothing to do with the alteration. The larger centres had no clearances from pillar boxes after 10 p.m., and when he came to New Plymouth he could not see a sufficient reason for getting a man out of Ins b l at 3 o’clock to make the. early morning round. In addition, the old arrangement meant a rush of work i n the office, particularly on Monday mornings. He thought few people posted letters after 11 o’clock. If they were urgent business letters they would take them to the post office. The fear that unless some assistance was given by way of subsidy or bonus the aold-mining industry m New Zealand "would become latent was expressed in a resolution from the Grey mouth Chamber of Commerce received by the council of the Taranaki Chamber last niMit. It was pointed out tha£ a lept ".ntative meeting at Reefton had emphasised the fact that the puce o •void having remained unaltered over a very long "period whereas the price o other commodities had risen, the co ®t ® production was unremunerative and in many cases prohibitive. In the past S® had been found in localities where it was easily won, but there weie in cw Zealand areas containing almost lliex ' haustible low-grade gold-bearing e .l )os its that by modern methods could d profitably worked if the pi ice .riven proper consideration. Other industries were subsidised and it was suggested that if the Government, would advance the price for gold sold in Ne". Zealand by £1 an ounce it would help the unemployment problem and tne finances of the Dominion by making bullion available for export and encouiaging the introduction of large BUinn of fresh papital to work deposits. was announced that the proposal would be dealt with at the annual confeiciice of the Associated Chambers.