LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1931, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Seven members of the Taranaki Alpine Club reached the summit of Mount Egmont yesterday. They found it necessary to cut steps in the ice most of the way from Humphries Castle. The weather was fine and a fine view was obtained.

Mention was made of Taranaki as the “cradle of the Main Highways Act’’ by Mr. F. W. Freeman (South Island) at the complimentary dinner for delegates to the North Island Motor Union at Hawera on Friday evening. Mr. Freeman based this observation on the excellence of the roads he had seen in the province. The efforts c; the Foxton Chamber of Commerce to have the Foxton-Wel-lington main highway at Wherekini raised above flood level were mentioned at the North Island Motor Union conference at Hawera on Friday by Mr. H. E. Edmunds (Manawatu). On his motion the conference decided to support the endeavours of the Foxton Chamber.

In an effort to trace and eliminate the various sources of the interference which has exasperated radio enthusiasts in Waitara, a dealer is making arrangements for an expert with the necessary apparatus to make a visit. Listeningin on the lower wave-lengths has for a long time been almost impossible in certain localities, but the P. and. T. Department has not been able to discover the source.

The necessity for a reduction in the price of petrol was again urged at the North Island Motor Union conference, Mr. F. W. Freeman (South Island) referring to the matter at a complimentary dinner on Friday evening. “This is now a national question,” he said, ‘‘and one of the objects of both unions is to bring about a reduction in the price.” He considered that £1,250,000 could be saved by motorists during the year if the price were reduced to Is 3d a gallon. The danger of a motor vehicle drawing into the lan© of traffic from a standing or moving position on the, left-hand side of the -road was emphasised in a remit received by the North Island Motor Union conference at Hawera from the Wellington Automobile Association. Mr. A. J. Toogood (Wellington) quoted an instance of a serious accident to a Wellington motorcyclist through the driver of a car doing this. “The cyclist,” said Mr. Toogood, “took the matter to court and the law supported tile motorist.” It was agreed to endeavour to have provision made in the Motor Vehicle Regulations for a definite signal from the driver of a vehicle about to move into the traffic.

An application for an annual season ticket was recently made to the Christchurch Tramway Board, which decided that the request should be declined. The Works and Traffic Committee stated that the practice of tram-way concerns generally was against the issue of such tickets. Apart from the issue of • concession cards, such as the Board issued, and special tickets for charitable institutions, none of the following tramway concerns issued annual tickets and many did not issue even concession cards: —Adelaide, Auckland, Ballarat, Brisbane, 'Christchurch, Dunedin, Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart, Kalgoorlie, (Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, 'Perth, Sydney, and Wellington. Annual tickets were also unknown in the United Kingdom.

Twenty officers of the Ist Battalion Taranaki Regiment took part in a tactical course and one officer presented himself for the practical examination for promotion during training conducted by Lieut.-Colonel G. F. Bertrand, officer commanding the regiment, Major A. E. Conway, N.Z.S.C., and Captain' F. L. Hunt, N.Z.S.C., during the week-end. The centre of operations was between Bell Block and Tarurutangi, the assumption being that an imaginary enemy force was attacking New Plymouth, with Inglewood as a base, and that another force was defending New Plymouth, with the town as a base. , The officers undergoing instruction were concerned with the command of the New Plymouth force. Various situations were created and exercises in the command of '.roops in attack and defence as well as advance guard and rearguard actions were carried out. The sizes of the bodies of imaginary troops handled varied from brigade groups, commanded by majors, to battalions commanded by captains and companies commanded by the junior officers. The attention of buyers of live stock is directed to the Inglewood sale advertisement appearing in our auction columns. Special entries at this fixture comprise a large offering of dairy heifers and cows at profit, including a back-country dairy herd which is for unreserved sale. In the sheep section are entered a line of M.S. hoggets bred and farmed on very hilly but healthy back country and a good line of butchers’ wethers.

Beautiful new goods are making their debut at the Melbourne Ltd. in good time for spring and summer requirements. The materials this year appear to be more beautiful than ever. Styles in costumes and jumper suits are very practical, while on the other hand the dainty chiffon, ninon and other printed frocks arc a perfect delight. TSe new goods this year appear to have been very carefully selected-* • '

A giant boar, measuring eight feet ifrom snout to top of tail, and weighing 4001'b., has been killed by an opossum •trapper in the Tararuas, Mr. O. E. (Blake, of West Taratahi. The monster was well known to hunters, and had killed a number of good dogs.

The success that has attended raspberry growing at Greytown in the past has encouraged growers to plant additional areas this season. The acreage planted in. other small fruits has also been increased, while several small holders are turning their attention to ■onion growing.

It was stated, by a Wellington business man on Tuesday that there bad been a steady increase in the influx of Australian copper coins. Inquiries among firms using a fair amount of coppers in the payment of wages showed that there had been an increase from 'lB per cent, to 30 per cent, of Australian copper coins in the quantity supplied by the banks for the payment nf wages.

The Department- of Health has announced that a charge of 2s 6d a year will now be made in respect to each child treated at the Wellington dental clinic for school children. This is in accordance with the Government’s recent economy proposals, and the announcement that the service could continue entirely free of charge. Consideration will be given to applications from parents in indigent circumstances.

A letter asking for an expression of the Auckland Hospital Board’s satisfaction with the British ambulances it uses was received ‘by the board, from the' Society of Motor Manufacturers •and Traders of England. “I think we can agree to this and we will ask the society to urge the consumption of New 'Zealand butter in England,” said the chairman, Mr. W. Wallace. Hie course was adopted.

Colonel Esson, chairman of the Railway Board, on returning after an inspection by the board of the -South ■lsland Main Trunk railway told an interviewer at Christchurch that he was unable to give an indication of when the report of the board on this railway would be presented to Parliament. It was not an easy matter to decide what was 'best to be done. There was a wealth of evidence, and the board was trying to consider it fairly.

Although motorists on the country roads often encounter numbers of men tramping from town to town in search of work a motorist who was driving to 'Helensvilie at the week-end, says the New Zealand Herald, passed a man and his wife trudging northward- with their (packs on their 'backs. “I spend a great deal of time driving through the country districts,” said the motorist, “but this is the first time I have seen a woman ‘carrying a swag.’ . The couple d saw came from Auckland.’’

Objection to the requirement that the unemployment wages tax should be imposed upon the value of nurses’ board ■as well as upon their actual salaries was raised at a meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board. The chairman, >Mr. W. Wallace, said the Minister of •Health had stated the tax would be ■upon actual wages only. However, the 'Minister in Charge of Unemployment had decided that the whole amount .should be taxed. A distinction had been allowed with regard to the 10 per cent, •reduction in wages. It was decided to 'make representations to the Minister 'of Health.

A peculiarly unfortunate accident occurred when a resident of Oha'kune was travelling from Auckland to Whangarei on holiday bent. On a bumpy part of the road the spring in the seat hurled (him against the car hood, and the crown of his head struck a wooden support. In the usual course of events he would have escaped with a slight abrasion, but he had recently undergone an operation for an injury to his head, and there was no bone in the part of the skull which made contact. The result was that he was admitted to the Whangarei District Hospital suffering from bruises to the brain and other injuries. ■He is progressing well.

“I cannot for the life of me understand why when 'business people enter 'into a contract of this kind for the sale of a business —even if it is a small 'business—they cannot place on record in writing their arrangements,” said ■Mr. Justice Herdmah after hearing a claim in the Supi'eme . Court at Auckland on Tuesday. “Time after time the Court is troubled with cases which .arise between parties merely because a few minutes had not. been spent in •writing a letter and preparing a document in which the terms are clearly stated. If that had been done in this instance the Court would not have been troubled.”

The Felt Hat Employees’ Union of Australia expresses concern lest the growing craze among men of going without hats should result in unemployment for members of the union. One has no doubt that a similar protest came from the blacksmiths of (England when knights gave up wearing armour, remarks a Sydney correspondent. The union’s protest reads: it may appeal* -that the indiyidual is saving a few shillings, yet the saving of these shillings means unemployment to a large number of people, including the isheep-breeder and his employees, the shearer and the wool-scourer, the rabbit trapper, the agents, and others who handle the raw material, the transport workers by road and rail, and the people engaged in preparing the material before it is made into hats.”

Because of scarcity of feed, numbers •of stock are to be seen grazing on the roadside in various parts of the Wairarapa. The matter was mentioned at •a recent meeting of the Masterton County Council, and again at the last meeting of the Featherston County Council, when it was stated that a well iknown settler of the Lower Valley had ■over 3000 sheep on the roads in different parts of the county. This farmer •had been threatened with impounding proceedings, and wrote to the meeting 'asking under what section of the Impounding Act he was liable, seeing that sheep were 'being driver, three miles a day. It was alleged Chat special men ■had Ifecn employed to keep the sheep moving with the evident intention of securing cheap grazing.

Keep a few of my special After-Calv-ing Drenches handy, for bad calvers or premature calvers. 2/- each, 20/- dozen. Macgregor, Chemist, Eltham.* We cannot worry over a 10 per cent, cut. Stocktaking is due ana stocks must be reduced. We have made amazing sacrifices on all goods. McGi ucr s a is now on. See windows.

Udder complaints. Lissaman’s mammitis Faint quickly applied gives relief in all cases of hard quarters. Send ss. 6d. to S. Lissaman. Box 03A, Kaponga*.