LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1930, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“Our staff will soon consist of one man, a clerk and an engineer,” remarked Mr. Stachurski at the meeting of the Inglewood County Council yesterday when _ considering a recommendation in the engineer’s report that the services of three more men be dispensed with after the Christmas holidays.

Borough rates in New Plymouth have to be paid before the end of to-morrow if ratepayers wish to avoid .the 10 per cent, penalty. The total rates levied this year amount to £70,818 4s 9d. With arrears amounting to £561 3s 5d carried forward from the previous year, the total for the year less probable adjustments is £71,379 8s 2d.

The construction of a swimming pool at the New Plymouth Girls’ High School has begun. With the assistance of a grant to subsidise the contributions in hand, sufficient money has been raised to justify the commencement of the work. The excavation has been started by men on relief work. The site for the pool is on a small flat oti the bank of the Henui stream.

In support of his suggestion that the Inglewood County Council ihould apply to the Government for some of the special Christmas unemployed relief subsidy now offering on a £2 for £1 basis Mr, S. C. Judd, county engineer, stated that there were at Inglewood 46 men with a total of over 180 dependents. The council decided to allocate £lOO, which with the subsidy will make £3OO available to be utilised for the purpose of improving some of the corners on the Junction Road between Kaimata and Ptirangi.

“As I have on previous occasions written the council regarding the appalling state of the Motukawa Road I think it would be only fair 'to congratulate the engineer on the way he tackled the task, and those to whom I have spoken wish to add their appreciation. Only those who had tb traverse that. five miles of pot-holes and boulders can realise what it is to us no longer to crawl along fearing an accident to horse or car.” Thus wrote a Motukawa Road ratepayer to the Inglewood County Council yesterday. -

Arranged by the settlers of I ataraimaka, a concert was held on-Tuesday for Miss Mary Crawshaw, New Plymouth, who will leave shortly to take up a scholarship at the Roval Academy of Music. A number of New Plymouth performers took part in the concert. There was a very good attendance. The programme was: Pianoforte solo, Miss Mary Crawshaw; duet, Mrs. Ferrick and Mr. C. Blake; whistling solo, Miss E. Rothcry; humorist menologuc, Mr. J: Joll; song, Mr. V. Simpson; song, Mr. W: Okey; song, Madame Veta Cornwall; song, Mr. F. Cornwall; song, Mr. C. Blake; song, Mrs. Ferrick; duet, Madame Veta Cornwall and Mr. F. Cornwall; pianoforte duet, Misses Mary and E. Crawshaw.

Hard quarters cured —19 cases out of 20—this is the experience of a Kaitaia dairyman using Lissaman s Mammitis Paint. Send 5/6 to Box 63A, Kaponga, for a bottle.

Urenui farmers are reminded of the meeting at Urenui to-night when the provincial secretary will address the meeting on political action.

Advances for cheese were reduced as from yesterday to 4Jd per lb. of cheese, it is reported, and for butter to 9d a lb. of butter.

“I don’t think it is generally iindcrstood among motorists that it is an offence to overtake another vehicle on an intersection,” said Mr. E. D. Mosley., S.M., at Christchurch, when a man was charged with doing that. “But it is becoming very common and motorists had better take notice that prosecutions for this offence have started.” Mr. A. S. Wilder, of Wallingford, who is playing for the Eparaima Cricket Chib in the Central Hawke’s Bay competition, has, says the Napier Telegraph, the phenomenal average so far this season of 355.9 runs per innings in senincricket competition matches. In addition, Mr. Wilder has an extra 99 not outin a friendly match with Te Aute College.

For the first , time in the history of the club, the New Zealand Anthem was sung at the luncheon of the Auckland Rotary Club on Monday. The anthem was the first item in a programme of carols Q.nd choruses sung after the lun.meon by a group of choristers. Very,few among those present, says the New Zealand Herald, recognised the unfamiliar tune.

A fire which occurred in a Palmerston North warehouse on Saturday afternoon and caused a good deal of damage to the stock is said to have been caused by a boy’s unwary action with a cigarette lighter. He had filled it with benzine, some of which had spilled on his hands. Without realising this, he tried the lighter and the petrol burst into flame and his hands were badly burned. He dropped the lighter, and the prftrol oozed out and started the fire.

"A bird takes from a minute to a minute and a-half to find a worm or grub or whatever food it is seeking,” said Mr. Johannes C. Andersen when lecturing to the Society for Empire Culture on “New Zealand Birds and Their Songs.” “The bird does this all in the breeding season; and I would like to impress upon the farmer the fact that every year they kill hundreds of thousands of insects that would do harm to his crops.” It would seem that Rear-Admiral R. E. Byrd is not so well known in America as New Zealand is given to believe. In September last a Dunedin, firm sent the explorer a personal letter, directed to his New York office. Not finding him there, the postal authorities re-address id the letter to Rochester, whore again the rear-admiral cpuld not be located, so the post office in America stamped the envelope “Unknown,” and returned it to the sender.

Never tardy in expressing a frank opinion, the crowd which attended the Leckie-Donovan fight in the Municipal Theatre, Napier, on Saturday night was responsible, says the. Napier Telegraph, for many bright exclamations. The repeated clinching in the bout failed to satisfy the desire for spectacular , fighting, and one or two individuals, in the body of the hall were not slow, in offering suggestions, “Put a Boston Crab on him!” and “Do you want a couple of fire-shovels, Tommy?” were but a couple of many remarks heard when the two contestants were locked together.

“The public hardly realises the task that confronts an ex-prisoner to secure work of any description,” states the annual report of the Wellington Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society. "Not only does his past operate against him, but so mdny of his fellow-workmen object toworking alongside him. The way of this transgressor is doubly hard.” . The report added that the finding of suitable employment was always a difficult problem for the society, and but for the assistance of the Government Labour Bureau little could have been done. It was noteworthy, however, that .31 men were found employment during the past year, while over 50 were sent to districts where work was probably to be had. Speaking to a deputation at Dunedin on Saturday morning, the Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle remarked that last session was one of the most strenuous for all members that had ever been experienced. “We have now three parties in the House,” said Mr. de la Perrelle, “and all members had to put in their full time with their duties. Quite apart from my Ministerial office I have had previous experience with Parliament, and I am going to say that I have not had a more exacting time. I wish to .-say this, that there is a great spirit of camaraderie existing among members oi the three parties, and they have given me a great deal of , help. Those that know the ramifications of Parliament will know that there is real team work in the building; we all help one another.” '