LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1933, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“Generally the results we are obtaining from unemployed labour are not worth while,” said Mr. W. G. Belton yesterday the Patea County Council was discussing the question of ragwort eradication. Mr. Belton considered that more men should be clearing in the country rather than working around the town.

The stoppage of work of unloading slag from the Port Napier at New Plymouth did not continue yesterday. The claim that “sheeters” should be paid extra was referred to the local disputes committee on Monday afternoon, when work was stopped, but the local committee could not reach an agreement and referred the matter to the national disputes committee. Pending the national committee’s interpretation of the award work is continuing.

Two school picnics were held at New Plymouth beaches yesterday. The Lower Mangoroi school held its annual picnic at the East End reserve, where about 200 adults and childreri spent the day. The Tarurutangi school’s picnic was held at Ngamotu. There were about 40 adults and 50 children at the beach. Transport in both cases was by car and lorry. There was brilliant sunshine in the morning but an overcast sky made the weather rather cool toward the end of the afternoon. !

To row out to sea to pick up firewood was the unusual procedure of a Maori in a dinghy at the port of New Plymouth yesterday. He did not exactly go to sea but he rowed from the end of Ngamotu beach by the Newton King wharf round the end of the wharf to the side of the Port Napier as she lay at her berth. There a lot of timber battening was floating in the harbour, but it was soon stacked in the end of ' the dinghy being propelled back to the starting place.

This week at the New Plymouth Boys’ High School is being devoted to military and physical training for the whole school on the school grounds. About 450 boys under the supervision of school officers are undergoing training. The ordinary school time-table is being followed, drill being substituted for class work. Three rifle companies and one machine-gun company have been formed, and it is' intended to hold musketry practices also. In the absence of Defence Department officers at the Waverley camp all the instruction is being undertaken by school officers.

Eighteen members of Lodge Ara, Auckland, one of the tour Masonic lodges in New Zealand under the jurisdiction of the Irish Grand Lodge, arrived at New Plymouth with their families yesterday to pay a visit in return of the visit made by the New Plymouth lodge of the same order to Auckland last year. The other two New Zealand lodges under the Irish jurisdiction are at Dunedin and Thames. Visits are exchanged between New Plymouth and Auckland every year. The Aucklanders will be shown the different pointe of interest about New Plymouth during their stay, which will last probably two or three days, though some may stay longer. “It might be better if there were no exemptions from the sales tax at all,” said a New Plymouth merchant to a Daily News reporter yesterday. There were so many anomalies in the list of exemptions and so many indefinite points to be decided, he added, that decisions on all were not yet reached. No action had yet been taken by New Plymouth merchants to avail themselves of the opportunity that Cabinet had promised merchants to place their representations before it within the next few days and it was expected that the matter would by handled by Wellington representatives.

Though the learn to swim week held annually at New Plymouth by the Taranaki Swimming Centre has had to be postponed this summer the Fitzroy school has not allowed the centre’s action to have any effect on its plans and the school’s learn to swim drive is being held this week, the period during which the centre’s effort was to have been made. The centre’s postponement was on account of the lack of instructors but Mr. G. A. Lyall, headmaster of the school, had made his arrangements and is carrying on with bis own instructors. Most of the learners have already made good progress and several of them can now swim a few strokes. The instruction is being done in the pool constructed for the school’s use in the Waiwakaiho River. "The novel-reader demands new books but the purchases of new books will have to be curtailed slightly,” said Mr. A. L. Low, librarian at the New Plymouth public library, in instancing yesterday the rise in the price of books caused by the advance in the exchange rate. The greater price of books would simply mean that fewer would be able to be purchased with the grant made by the borough council, though the continued increase in the number of subscribers evident in the past and expected in the future would make available more money, which would lessen the effect of the advance in prices. The New Plymouth library was more fortunate, perhaps, than metropolitan libraries. In the cities municipal grants were made specifically to the libraries, whereas at New Plymouth the grant was made to the Carnegie Institute and its expenditure was spread over both the library and the museum sections. Practically the only money spent on the museum last year was the cost of reproducing photographs and drawings in the early settlers’ collection and this year that expenditure might be cut down even more, thus allowing a greater proportion for the library.

Lex McDonald, the Dunedin boy soprano who recently visited Australia for the purpose of having his voice recorded on the gramophone, is to be heard in New Plymouth on February 23 and 24. Lex has just completed a successful tour of the South Island, where packed houses greeted him on every occasion. Mr. Manuel Drake, touring manager for Lex, stated in New Plymouth yesterday that the boy’s voice had gained in power since he returned from Australia.

The attention of sheep farmers is drawn to the auction columns of this issue wherein are advertised full particulars of the Tokirima annual sheep fair, to be held by the Farmers’ Co-op. in Mr. Old’s Yards to-morrow (Thursday). The entry comprises the annual drafts of settlers of the district and sheep coming as they do from this country will no doubt do well wherever taken. This sale therefore affords an excellent opportunity for intending buyers to fill their requirements.* ,

The planet Venus, which shines very brightly in the morning sky, and Saturn, with its red glow, will be in conjunction at about 9 . o’clock this morning. They will be visible only before dawn and will again be fairly close together from about 4 a.m. to-morrow. The conjunction occurs annually and as there is nothing to be learned from it astronomers, at New Plymouth at any rate, will not be rising early to make observations. Another spectacle of planets close to eftch other is provided in the evening sky at present by Mars and Jupiter. "You are more advanced in New Zealand in many ways than we are at Home,” said Mr. J. L. Tattersail, a prominent Lancashire business man, when addressing members of the Auckland Rotary Club this week. He instanced particularly New Zealand’s social legislation and said the Dominion had dona in 90 years what it had taken England 900 years to accomplish. He had spent five happy weeks in New Zealand, and wished to express his admiration of the Tourist Department and of the way in which New Zealand hotels were conducted. He would leave the Dominion with the feeling that he was going away from home.

St. Valentine’s Day, formerly observed by practically everybody by the exchange of sentimental missives but now scarcely receiving recognition, fell yesterday. A century ago it was the usual practise for men and women to send tokens and cards of dainty design through the post to one another. This custom was later replaced by one of a satirical nature, and the pictures and rhymes were for the most part grotesque and ludicrous. Although the custom of sending valentines had ceased now, 50 years ago it was widely observed in Auckland. The New Zealand Herald of that day recorded: "It is St. Valentine’s Day to-day, and postmen will be groaning under the burden of these missives.

A mystery exists regarding the movements of the steamer Antinous, which has been unloading phosphates at Auckland. The shipping columns of an Auckland paper have consistently stated that the AntinouS’ would leave Auckland for New Plymouth at the beginning of this week, and the local agents for the boat have just as consistently told a News reporter that nothing was known of the vessel’s arrival. Yesterday an official of the agent company stated definitely that the Antinous would not be coming, but the Press Association reported from Auckland last night as follows: "Sailed, Antinous, 6.10 p.m., for New Plymouth.” Apparently the only factor that will settle the question will be actual arrival of the vessel.

Summing up the evidence at the conclusion of the trial of Allen Roy Easton in the Supreme Court at Palmerston North last Friday, Mr. Justice MacGregor pointed out that no explanation of an accident, which had been brought forward, had been offered by accused in the lower court proceedings. Mr. H. R. Cooper, counsel for accused, pointed out that accused, after receiving the customary intimation that if he refrained from making a statement that fact would not afterwards be permitted to be the subject of comment against him, had reserved his defence. His Honour then turned to the jury and said: “You will kindly disregard altogether what I said about the lower court.”

The need for. a stricter supervision of hawkers was illustrated in Whakatane last week when an amusing and, to some people, rather disconcerting illustration of how householders may occasionally be duped by plausible house-to-house pedlars was revealed. Early in the week a dumb canvasser had been combing the district, selling various lines and carrying a small card setting forth his disability. His visit to the district must have rewarded him rather handsomely, as many compassionate housewives took pity on him and purchased his wares. When leaving Whakatane the mute boarded a service-car. The driver had been told that his fare was dumb,, and his astonishment may be imagined when his afflicted passenger addressed him as follows: "You’re late, aren’t you? I’va been waiting here for some time.”

Torrential rain, accompanied by a fierce gale, did much minor damage in Wanganui and district during the weekend. Instances are reported of windows being blown out of dwellings in the more exposed parts of the city. For the second week in succession all outdoor fixtures had to be postponed. In the city stormwater channels were unable to cope with the rush of flood water, and roadways were covered. Rivers and creeks in the district ran bank high, and gardens and fields at Okoia were invaded with water. In the city, streets were littered with broken twigs and leaves. On Saturday there were exceptionally rough seas off Castlecliff and loading operations on the liner Canonesa were interrupted. Boisterous conditions prevailed again on Sunday, the coast, both north and south of Castlecliff, being lashed by very heavy seas.

"When is a raisin hot a raisin?” or some such similar question is what New Plymouth merchants have been asking themselves since the list of exemptions from the payment of sales tax was made known. In the list of exemptions is a paragraph enumerating “vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and seeds which are in their natural state, or which have been subjected to such processes as cleaning, separating, sorting, etc., as do not in the opinion of the Minister remove such goods from their natural state for the purposes of this Act.” Certain types of raisins are sold as seedless but whether the process of seeding came under the definition of “cleaning, separating, sorting,” or under the “etc.,” was a moot point. The decision of the authorities was eventually given against seedless raisins and they are subject to the tax. The example is but one of many problems puzzling merchants at present.

A woman Justice of the Peace presided in the Auckland Police Court on Thursday for the first time during the hearing of an indictable charge, states the New Zealand Herald. The Justice was Mrs. Florence Mcßride, of Mount Albert, who was associated on the Bench with Mr. V. A. Coyle, J.P. Since her appointment to the position, Mrs. McBride has attended Police Court proceedings regularly, and. on occasions, has given assistance in dealing with the evidence of women and girl witnesses. Women Justices have presided on the Bench elsewhere in New Zealand on previous occasions, and also in Auckland in connection with the Children’s Court, but not with the regular court work. A court official said on Thursday that the services of women on the Bench, especially in certain cases, could be of the greatest assistance.

Popular mesh hose can be obtained at Scanlan’s Melbourne Corner at 2/11 per pair, and they are rare value at that. This stocking is having a phenomenal run and the line being sold is particularly good as it has a nice silky appearance and is seamed up the back. Stocks are fast diminishing so prospective customers are advised to make an early call.*

Why buy new clothes when the old ones can be renovated equal to new at the cost of a few shillings? We have been dyeing and cleaning garments for over 20 years. Let us have your soiled or faded suits, costumes, dresses, etc., to renovate and you will be surprised at the result. We also renovate and reblock felt hats. Why not have yours done at J. K. Hawkins and Co., comer Devon and Liardet Street, New Plymouth. ’Phone 685. Mrs. Rudkin (Everybody’s) is our Stratford agent.