LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 29 September 1930, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The New Flymouth Aero Club’s plane circled aloft carrying out a test on Saturday morning. Then it left for Hawera, where Flying Officer I. Keith will continue piloting instruction for a week. “Why are you late?” asked Mr. G. N. Morris, S.M., o.f a Maori debtor at tho Magistrate’s Court at Whangarei. “Oh,” replied the native, with the complacency of his race, and a pleasant smile, “I had a pretty hard horse, to catch.”

Several sharp showers' of hail fell in Now Plymouth on Saturday afternoon. A very heavy hailstorm was experienced at Mangorei early in the afternoon. At first hailstones of a normal size fell, but later they were extraordinarily large. ’

A Devonport resident a few weeks ago planted mushroom spawn, and was agreeably surprised to discover a dozen largo mushrooms in readiness for his breakfast. Is this-an indication of an early summer? asks the Auckland Star.

The flow of water in the channel along Whittaker Street, Waitara, had to be stopped on Saturday morning when the borough overseer found that the pipe and valve controlling the flow were broken. Appearances indicated that the break was deliberate. It will take some time to mend.

“I would do work for nothing just to clear the debt,” said a debtor at the AVhangarei Magistrate’s Court last week. . le also stated that he had been doing only casual work for 12 months. He had a wife and family of five children. “They don’t pay more than Bs. a day on farms now,” he added, No order was made.

An Oamaru resident told a Mail reporter that he was disgusted by the attitude of a so-called unemployed labourer who applied to him for work, saying he had been out of work for four months. Ho refused to take less than 15s. a day. When the resident offered him 30s. to dig a small piece of garden he would not look at it. The resident did the work himself in two days.

“I have had a number of cows with colds in their udders. Luckily your last bottle of Mammitis Paint came in time and fixed them. It is very good,” writes Mr. A. Gilliver, Eltham, to S. Lissaman, Box 63A, Kappnga.*

“When it is clear that the parties cannot live together, the policy of the Legislature is that they should be divorced and allowed to set up separate homes in the interests of morality,” said Mr. Justice Reed during the hearing of a divorce action in the Supreme Court at Auckland.

The hearing of evidence in the case in which Matilda Elizabeth Webber is applying for an order of separation and maintenance against James Frederick Webber was brought to a conclusion in the New Plymouth Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The magistrate (Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M.), reserved his decision. A freak of nature in the shape of a rata tree in full blossom is to be seen at present in a sheltered little harbour named “Small Crafts Retreat,” near Pegasus, states a Southland News correspondent. The rata often shows erratic habits in flowering, and a few years ago one blossomed at Mason’s. Bay in the heart of winter.,

One of the officers of tlie Oamaru Money-order Office, says the Mail, was astonished the other day when a youth from one of the banks in the town remarked on the brightness of some “halfpennies” which were lying on the counter. The “half-pennies” happened to be sovereigns, and the youth, although he works, in a bank, had never seen any before. He did not even recognise them when he was allowed to handle them.

Customers at the head office of the Auckland Savings Bank appreciate, says the New Zealand Herald, an innovation that has been made by the trustees in appointing a uniformed commissionaire to be in attendance during business hours. This official has general charge of the,public lobby, marshals queues at rush periods, directs customers and carries out other kindred'duties. The appointment is further evidence of the bank’s remarkable growth.

The members of the Chinese crew of th 6 motor ship Carriso, now in port at Auckland, all wear a small calico pad sown on the heels of their socks. The calico pad gradually wears out with friction, but another one can easily be stitched on, and tlie heel of the sock is protected. These Chinese say that the European way of letting a shoe or boot wear out the heel of a sock is a very wasteful one.

“I would like to point out the very remunerative field for the commercial grower of daffodils,” said Mr. O. W. B. Anderson, addressing members of the Canterbury Horticultural Society. “The early parts of Christchurch could compete with the North Island very successfully if the earliest varieties • were grown, while if some of our farmers in the cold back country were to grow the latest varieties for the late market they would be surprised at the yield per acre.”

“It would appear that the ValuerGeneral is practising economy in words, if not in stationery,” remarked Mr. W. Bongard, Mayor of Thames, at a meeting of the borough council, when a letter was, received from the Valuation Department with the laconic message: “I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter.” Mr. Bongard remarked that this was really no answer at all. They wrote, asking for a new valuation, and the brief reply was all they received. It was decided to instruct the town clerk to ask for a ‘more definite answer. A small financial. loss resulted from the visit of the Royal Wellington Choral Union to New Plymoiith to co-operate with the New Plymouth Choral Society in the production of “Hiawatha.” Receipts amounted to £143, and expenses totalled £157, leaving a deficit of £l4. The Chief items of expenditure were rent and staff £45, soloists and conductor £42, travelling expenses £l6. Members of the committee of the New Plymouth society expressed the view that the small loss was fully compensated for by tho value of the visit to the community.

The recent increase in the tariff on imported footwear, and the high rates of exchange, arc going to benefit the boot manufacturing trade, according te present indications. “The. retailers tell me that the indenters have ‘shied off’ indenting for next season, so that, when the heavy accumulation of imported footwear in the shops is worked off, the manufacturers should have a brisker time,” said a manufacturer to a reporter at Christchurch, The tariff had been imposed at a time when the manufacturing industry was drifting back, owing to the fact that over 50 per cent, of the footwear was imported. In the past eight years over 1200 operatives had dropped out of the industry.

A collision between two motor-cars, one open and one closed, occurred near a bens on the Frankley Road, New Plymouth, yesterday afternoon. Both vehicles received damage to the righthand front wheels and to the chassis and body-work. The closed car was going down Frankley Road from the Sunday school with a number of pupils and one teacher as passengers. None of these was hurt. This car was just rounding a bend after having stopped for a passenger to alight when it met the other car coming up the road. The drivers were unable to swerve sufficiently to avoid the collision. The righthand front wheels of both cars struck, that of the closed car being broken off. The other car was slewed round and skidded into the gutter. Both cars were strained and twisted, requiring the assistance of breakdown trucks.

The rough weather experienced at the port of New Plymouth since ■ Thursday Has delayed cargo operations at the wharves, with consequent delays to vessels due to leave the port. The watersiders wofe unable to do much work on Saturday /owing to the frequent heavy showers. The coastal steamer Totara, which was to have completed discharge of a coal cargo on Saturday, will not now Ibave on her return to the south until 10 o’clock this morning. The overseas steamer Port Caroline was also delayed in her loading of dairy produce and will not leave before to-mor-row evening, instead of this afternoon, as earlier expected. The Onehunga cargo vessel Hauturu, which had been weatherbound from Thursday evening and put back to port, sailed for Onehunga at dawn on Saturday.

Tho final korero of the New Plymouth Savage Club for the present season was held on Saturday night. It was enlivened by a raid made by about 20 members of the Wellington tribe under the leadership of its chief rangitira, Sir Alexander Roberts. The visitors were welcomed by the New Plymouth rangitira, Savage Gilmore Smith, and Ariki C. H. Weston. They then tpok charge of the evening’s entertainment, and their contribution to the fun of the session will be long remembered. The “Demshire” dialect of Savage Brokenshire, the cultured soliloquies and interpretations of Savage Clement May, the Wellington quartette with its classic and topical songs, and Wilbur Davies’ solos, were but a few of the bright spots in a programme that had not a dull moment. Some of the visiting braves returned to Wellington yesterday, but about a doze‘il accompanied members of the New Plymouth club on a visit to the North Egmont hostel.

These beautiful new fabrics for the coming season are selling very freely at the Melbourne, Ltd. Printed art silk marocain, 4/11 yd; crepe marcelle and creoshenta, 5/11 yd; lovely crepe ceilene, 8/6 yd; ravishing printed georgettes and ninons, 7/11 yd. All the above fabrics are extremely fashionable and correct for the new styles.