LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Arbitration Court will sit in New Plymouth on Thursday, August 27, commencing at 10 a.m.

The New Plymouth Harbour Board’s new pilot launch made its maiden trip at New Plymouth yesterday when the pilot was taken out to the Port Dunedin, which was berthed yesterday morning.

“There seems to be a good deal of laxity regarding the payment of.fines, doubtless owing to some extent to the hard times,” said Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., in the Police Court at New Plymouth yesterday. “Fines are made for punishments and with the intention that they should be paid. People must understand that if they don't pay fines, unless they have a good reason they must go to gaol.” Flying-Officer lan Keith, who was at Hawera yesterday for the examination of pilots by Wing-Commander S. Grant Dalton, proceeded to Wanganui later iii the day with Mr. W. G. Walkley ns passenger. After all the federation pupils in other centres who are ready for A licenses have been examined, Mr. Keith will remain at New Plymouth until the eight local pupils who have accumulated in his absence have done their solo flying. A Christchurch motorist, Mr. T. Horn, can testify to the violence of Saturday’s nor’-wester, says tho Press. He was returning from Oxford, and when approaching Mandeville his motor-ear was caught in an extremely violent gust. The car became unmanageable and swerved to the right the driver pulling it up on the edge of the railway embankment on the further side of the line. Mr. Horn had a fortunate escape from injury. The car itself had one back wheel so damaged that repairs had to be carried out to allow it to proceed to Christchurch.

Authority to include instruction in wireless telegraphy in the curriculum of tho Scddon Memorial Technical College, Auckland, is to bo sought from tho Minister of Education by the Board of Managers of tho college. At a meeting of tlie board the suggestion that tho Government should bo approached was made by Mr. J. P. McPhail, who said that with modern progress there was a genuine need for instruction in the subject. Tho chairman, Mr. H. S. W. King, said that when similar application had been made to the previous Minister he had described the subject as a “hobby” class, and had stated that it would compete with professional instructors.

■The new Railways Board, has advised tlie Papatoctoe Chamber of Commerce tlfat it will welcome for consideration suggestions for the fostering of suburban passenger traffic. In a letter received this week the board stated it had not yet considered its policy in regard to suburban traffic, but would do so at an early date.

A weekly class in Macri lias been taking place in New Plymouth under the charge of Mr. O. Haddon during the past five weeks, and twelve students, nine of whom are Europeans, have been receiving instruction in the Maori language, customs, myths and crafts. The earlier portions of the classes are devoted to language study, while a lecture on interesting phases of Maori lore, followed by a general discussion, concludes the evening’s study. “I don’t believe in the pound scheme,” a man recently said to Cr. E, If. Andrews, chairman of the Christchurch Unemployment Committee. He explained that lie was out of work, but had scraped enough together to buy a sack of potatoes. The family had enough out of the sack for one meal and then, when the collectors for the pound scheme came round, his wife gave them the remainder.

“I often wonder when the authorities will realise that the right-hand rule comes from countries where there is right-hand driving, notably France,” stated Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Palmerston North Magistrate’s Court, during the hearing of civil proceedings. His Worship expressed the opinion that the left-hand rule was the correct one. as it gave cars the width of a street in which, to stop.

There are at present in Germany some 4000 millionaires, but a millionaire in Germany is a man who is worth 1,000,000 marks, which is only £50,000. There are only 15 persons in the country who are millionaires in the British sense of the term. Before the war there were more than 10,000 men on the million marks standard in Germany. The richest man was the Kaiser, who, by the way, is said to be still a millionaire in pounds sterling. The Waipa County Council on Monday had before it an application for a motor drivers’ license by a ratepayer near Te Awamutu who is very deaf. The chairman explained that the applicant was well known, had driven a car for years without accident, and was thoroughly fit in all other respects. The Minister of Transport, when appealed to, had replied that the responsibility is on the local licensing authority.. The council unanimously agreed to instruct its clerk to issue the desired license. This winter is considered by a number of local residents, who have lived in .Oamaru for many years, says the Mail, to bo one of the coldest winters they have any recollection of, yet interspersed with the excessive cold there has been unseasonable heat. Last Thursday the maximum temperature, 59 degrees, was quite summer-like and people complained about the depressing nor’-wester, while two days afterwards the maximum temperature was almost Antarctic —3B degrees being the highest temperature recorded at the Public Gardens. The work of compiling a complete record of the activities and addresses of old boys of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School, which was commenced by the Old Boys’ Association recently, is meeting with satisfactory results. Up to the present particulars of about 70 per cent of the old boys who attended the school from its foundation in 1882 until 1897 have been obtained by means of circularising old pupils of whom the addresses are known. The problem of identifying the next generation from 1897 onwards promises to be a difficult one, for by that year the numbers had largely increased. Taranaki importers have no cause to complain of delay in their goods coming to hand owing to New Plymouth being one of the last ports of call in regard to the trans-Paciiic freighters plying from the western seaboard of the United States and Canada. The Union Company’s Wairuna, which arrived at New Plymouth towards the end of May, made New Plymouth her second port of call and now three vessels, due at New Plymouth at intervals until November from the Pacific Coast ports, will all make Auckland the first port of discharge and New Plymouth the second.

“It is a question of keeping, otir money in New Zealand or sending it overseas,” said Mr. J. Dawson, engineer to tho Mount Roskill Road Board, when that body accepted the tender of a New Zealand firm for a quantity of waterpipes. Ono member advocated the acceptance of a lower tender from Australia, but Mr. Dawson pointed out that the rate of exchange was in favour of Australia and influenced tho quotation. Apart from ths.t, the New Zealand-made pipes were of greater utility and much more suited to the board’s requirements.

Tho New Plymouth Harbour Board has written to tho Wanganui Harbour •Board inquiring if tho dredge Kaione would bo available for charter for a short period for maintenance work- at tho Taranaki port. It was stated that the New Plymouth dredge Paritutu had been laid up, and dredging would be required for a period of two or three months. Mr. D. Ross, at, Monday’s meeting of the Wanganui Harbour Board, expressed the opinion that the Kaione would be worn out when the time came to sell her. Mr. A. S. Burgess: “Better for her to wear out than to rust out.” Tho matter of hiring the dredge was referred to the finance committee.

An open practice night of the New Plymouth Orchestral Society was held in tho Whiteley Hall last night, when there was a fair attendance of visitors. The orchestra, under the conductorship of Mr. F. W. G. McLeod, has shown a marked improvement since the society was revived a few months ago, and despite tho fact that it was only a practice an enjoyable programme of orchestral music was given. At the conclusion of the practice Mr. McLeod thanked the visitors for their appreciation and rendered special thanks to Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths (the Mayor) and Mrs. Griffiths for their attendance. He stressed the fact that the society had been revived with a view to encouraging the love of orchestral music, especially among young players. Owing’ to Miss E. L. Dowling’s fine work among the school children he was confident that the orchestra would not be lacking in the support of young string-instrumen-talists.

The Central Home and School Association will hold a mart in Kings Buildings, Devon Street, to-morrow, and will have good supplies of all kinds of vegetables, also Home-made jams, pickles, sauces and cakes to dispose of. The mart will be in the hands of the ladies’ social committee and the proceeds will aid the Central School funds and will be used to improve conditions in and about the schools, both Central and Courtenay Street. The New Plymouth 'Beautifying Society acknowledges a gift from Messrs Duncan and Davies of 40 small shrubs and 20 cabbage trees for planting in Baines Terrace.

A Manitoba stacker and p- good milkcart horse have been added, to Newton King’s Kaponga sale entries for Friday. A number of dairy cattle will be offered.