LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Flying-Officer Hall, who broke his aerial journey from Wanganui to Auckland at New Plymouth on Monday, left for the north yesterday morning in his Air Force Hawker Tomtit. He was accompanied by Air-Mechanic Simpson. Mrs. P. Bridgeman, Kohuratahi, met with an accident on Monday, when as the result of a fall she splintered a bone in her leg. After receiving first aid at the hands of the Whangamomona district nurse Mrs. Bridgeman was taken to the Stratford hospital. There was a prospect of a man with 10 children being discharged from his work at Te Kiri, said Mr, H. E. Blyde, at the meeting of the North Taranaki unemployment committee yesterday. He asked that the Labour Department keep this case in view and that any offers of employment should be made known. The damage done to his new cycle appeared to be the chief concern of a boy who, when cycling down Devon Street, New Plymouth, about noon yesterday, collided with the back of a car as it was turning into Currie Street. The boy’s only injury was a bruise on the forehead. He was taken home by the motorist.

Newton King, Ltd.’s Kaponga mart sale on account of the holidays will this week be held to-morrow, Thursday. A quantity of choice fruits, furniture, etc., will be offered.

Two Australian publications, “The Parable of the Water Tank,” and the “Path to Power,” have been banned by the New Zealand Customs Department. In a warning gazetted last week these books were added to the prohibited list on the ground that they are embraced by the Order-in-Council which bans literature encouraging violence or expressing seditious intention. The second publication mentioned is issued by the Australian Communist Party. Rain is urgently required by farmers in the country east of Stratford. All but permanent streams and sources of supply have dried up, and even those have been seriously diminished. Unless rain comes soon the position with some farmers and their stock will be serious. Farmers in portions of the Kohuratahi district were fortunate on Sunday for their properties received a thorough soaking from a heavy thunderstorm, white two miles away not a drop of rain fell.

Suffering from a severe compound fracture of the left lower leg, Mr. J. Wilson, Okato, was admitted to the New Plymouth hospital yesterday morning and underwent an operation on admission. The injury was the result of a collision at Pungarehu. Mr. Oscar Stockwell was driving his truck out of a gateway in Bayly Road at 7.45 yesterday morning when Mr. Wilson came down the road on his motor-cycle. The vehicles collided, Mr. Wilson being injured and Mr. Stockwell escaping unhurt. Mr. Stockwell brought Mr. Wilson in to the hospital. Neither the car nor the motor-cycle was badly damaged.

The work that has been carried out by unemployed relief workers in the Puniwhakau district this summer demonstrates what valuable work in metalling backblocks roads could be done by this means. Since February 4 a gang of 43 men, who are camped, in the district, with the assistance of nine threehorse teams supplied by the settlers, have metalled two miles of road, as well as 13 chains of the road to the quarry, besides completing the bridge approaches. The settlers of the district speak highly of the manner in which the men worked on the metalling, which was carried out under the supervision of the Public Works Department’s officers.

Regret was expressed at the meeting of the Whangamomona County Council on Monday that the ratepayer who was unable to raise the money to pay his rates by March 31 was debarred from ■benefiting by the I2J per cent, rebate on rates. It was held that he was the ■man who required the assistance in preference to the ratepayer who was in a position to pay. Councillors appreciated the difficulty of making any alteration, and it was pointed out that the rebate would be allowed a ratepayer on any proportion of his rates, no matter how small, paid before March 31. It was stated that any balance of the Government subsidy not paid in rebates in rates would be credited to the council’s accout, and so would reduce next year’s rate, thereby giving a benefit to all. Stating that the "over-the-fence” scheme was certainly relieving the pressure on the labour bureau in New Plymouth, the secretary of the North Taranaki unemployment committee explained yesterday that the number of applications by farmers for labour on their land showed that the scheme was proving satisfactory. It was stated that employers provided the conveyance for the men, who received the same number of days’ work as they would in town. However, some of the farmers kept the men on for the full week and paid the balance of wages themselves. It was suggested that, rather than have the men brought into town and taken to the country again after two or three days’ work, it would be better to have the scheme so arranged that the men could have a longer unbroken period of employment, so as to save expense.

The statement that an ex-soldier and his family had been evicted on to the street in New Plymouth was made by Mr. R. Fulton at the meeting of unemployed at New Plymouth last night. Mr. Fulton said that the man had been dumped on the street with his furniture. Because he was unemployed no landlord would let him rent a house, although the man had been given a fortnight’s rent. Adjutant Green explained that the man’s furniture was not exactly dumped, but that he had been advised to put it out before the bailiff seized it. The man had since obtained a home. One of the men at the meeting stated that after being at the same house for 18 years he had just been put out becausp he was 12 weeks in arrears. Not all landlords were like that, said Adjutant Green. He knew of one landlord who had offered a cottage for an unemployed man at a nominal rental of 2s. fid. a week.

As an alternative route from Whangamomona and Ohura, the Junction Road with its numerous zig-zags and saddles passing through picturesque scenery not only provides an interesting summertime drive, but also considerably shortens the distance to New Plymouth. The rbad at present is in splendid order, having been improved considerably of late both on the unmetalled and metalled portions. Leaving the East Road, there is no macadam surface until approaching Purangi, but on the Pohokura Saddle in the Whangamomona county corners have been widened and grades reduced in places. On the Matau Saddle in the Stratford county deep ruts for some distance give evidence of heavy traffic before the road was dry, but there is plenty of smooth running surface for cars, which can easily avoid the ruts. From Purangi on to Inglewood the metalled road is in splendid order, while improvements to corners have made the Tarata Zig-zag no longer a bugbear. Undaunted by depression and unim j pressed by any of its consequences, a delegate will move at the Easter conference of the New South Wales Labour Party that the Federal and State Governments should bring down legislation reducing the hours of labour to 30 hours a week, with no reduction in pay. Another revolutionary item in the agenda provides that all appointees by the Executive Council, the Public Service Board, or Ministerial authority shall not only be members of union but well-known workers in the Labour movement. Another matter for discussion is that the Consorting and Mass Picketing Acts should be abolished. A controversial notice of motion is that the Is in the £1 unemployment levy should be immediately lifted in order to permit the exemption of basic wage earners. After a long r wal career, and a rather meteoric political career, exAdmiral Sir Guy Gaunt recently revisited the land of his birth. He spent much of his time in Central Australia and penetrated 200 miles west of Bourke. “Why,” he asked the Sydney Morning Herald interviewer, “do you not send tourists to the outback, where they can see the ‘dinkum Aussie’J” However, Sir Guy is not remaining in the land he loves. He is returning to British Morocco, where he has made his home. The Sydney Morning Herald adds: “Part of Sir Guy Gaunt’s luggage comprised a consignment of Northern. Territory finches, which lie is taking to Morocco for release in large ‘bird runs,’ as part of a movement to induce people to release their birds from restricted cages. He proposes to repay the Taronga Park Zoological Gardens, which supplied the birds, with a selection of suitable birds from Morocco.”

An entry of 400 weaner heifers will be sold first at Newton King, Ltd.’s Inglewood Sale, to be held to-day. See advertisement.

“I have often been called a ‘wowser, said the Hon. L. M. Isitt at the Sydenham Football Club’s church parade at Christchurch on Sunday, “but I would sooner be called a ‘wowser’ than a ‘sowser,’” he concluded, amidst laughter.

A two-year-old Black Orpington hen at Grey Lynn has laid an egg of abnormal size, states the New Zealand Herald. The egg is a brown one, eight inches round (lengthways), six inches in girth and very little under a-quarter of a pound in weight. The hen is a regular layer, and in the same week laid five other eggs of normal size. A most remarkable rock melon, weighing 151 b all but two ounces, has been grown in a garden situated in Church Road, Taradale, says the Napier Telegraph. The seed was bought in the ordinary way, and when the melons began to grow on the vines they were large and round, with a smooth, grey skin, resembling a- grey iron bark pumpkin. In fact some humorous remarks were passed about pumpkins being secured from roek melon seed. However, as the melon began to ripen the unmistakeabte odour of rock melon permeated the garden and when cut the fruit was a deep yellow, and was neaily all flesh, only a small pocket of seed lying in the centre, and the flavour and texture were delicate and delicious. Only two of these melons grew on. the vine, the remaining one, not yet ripe, being equally large.

During the last few weeks quantities of silica have been found on the shores of Lake Pupuke at .Takapuna. The matter was referred to Professor J. A. Bartram, Professor of Geology at Auckland University College, who said that this was not an exceptionally unusual occurrence. The lake would doubtless be exposed to a certain amount of wave action and sand would be washed up from the bottom of the lake and deposited in the more shallow waters. Evaporation and pumping would reduce the level of the lake, leaving the silica exposed.

Excursionists who visited Peel Forest on Sunday, states the Christchurch Sun, were taken into the bush on the Denniston station and shown a totara tree which is reputed to be about 1500 years old and the second oldest totara in New Zealand. The tree is 26 feet in circumference four feet from the base and the roots stretch over the ground for dozens of yards. The age of the tree was brought home to the party when the guide pointed out that the tree was already 700 years old when the Magna Charta was signed. “It is simply absurd treating domestic service as an inferior occupation,” said Mr. Justice Reed in the Supreme Court at Auckland on Monday. A will case was being argued before him, and counsel had just said that one of the girls concerned took strong exception to any division of the estate which might make it necessary for her to go into domestic service. In response to His Honour, counsel said he was afraid it was true that domestic service was looked down upon. “The fact is that girls look upon it as much inferior to being in a shop,” he said.

“Christian unity is one thing, but ■Christian union is another,” said General UiggXHS, world leader of tlie Salvation Army, upon his arrival in Auckland on Monday. “I do not think a union would be a satisfactory or happy plan, but unity—yes. I do not think one organisation would be the best for the world. There is such a great blessing in holy rivalry, for rivalry is not a bad thing. It is an incentive to look to one’s laurels and to see what can be accomplished.”

A woman employer, who told a constable that she “did not like” to deduct the emergency unemployment tax from the wages of her employees, was fined £3 and costs in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court last Friday. “This, I think, is the first ease of its kind in the district,” said the Inspector of Factories. The onus lay on the employer, the inspector said, to deduct week by week the amount payable by each employee and to fix stamps in the book as required. The woman’s failure had meant a loss of £1 Us 4d to the Government. The bargain wise shopper will readily recognise the splendid values that The Hustlers are offering in every department. Coma early to-morrow and secure your share of bargains. Our lay-by system yuU help you these hard times if immediate payment is not convenient. A small deposit and monthly instalments will secure the goods until paid for. The Hustlers, Devon Street.

Great money savings for Easter shoppers at the Melbourne’s Closing Down Sale. Smart and dainty art silk frocks, floral designs, lovely styles with and without sleeves, 7/11 to'2s/6. These prices are only halt of the cost price. In the showroom every article is marked down to under cost price to liquidate stocks. Don’t miss the opportunity*