LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 1 May 1933, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Two bankruptcies were filed in the North Taranaki district during April, compared with two during the corresponding period last year.

Following an accident at football at Okato on Saturday a young man named Leslie King was admitted to the New Plymouth hospital with an injury to. the hip. The injury was not characterised as serious, no bones being broken, and King’s condition was quite satisfactory when inquiry was made last night. A rumour, apparently unfounded, alleging a tragic happening to a wellknown public man, gained wide currency in Taranaki bn Saturday night. The interest aroused was indicated by the number of telephone calls at the Daily News office yesterday and last night.

The New Zealand Dairy Produce Board met at Wellington on Friday, when the delegates who recently visited Australia were present. It is understood a report of the board’s proceedings will be available for publication within a day or two. Mr. J. Hine, Waitara, a member of the board, informed a reporter yesterday that in response to an invitation from coastal farmers he would address a meeting at Okato this week. A dog fight occurred at an opportune time at the New Plymouth Central scnool queen carnival crowning ceremony on Saturday. The chorus had faltered in the commencement of one song and at the very moment a stop had been made to begin again the fight began. The chorus was able to get under way again under cover of the excitement created by the diversion.

' The total value of building permits issued at New Plymouth during last April was £2737, against £1731 Ils for the same month of 1932. Of the total amount, £l5OO was for business premises, £BB2 for dwellings and £357 for additions and alterations. Business premises in St. Aubyn Street was the subject of the largest building permit while in April of the previous year permits were issued only for small works. “For ways that are dark and tricks that are vain the heathen Chinee is peculiar. A couple of young women who-travelled over 50 miles to attend a sports meeting recently would almost outshine the Chinee. The pair, sisters, started in the married women’s race, running first and second respectively. As one of them had just previously run into a place in the single women’s race suspicions were aroused and the two women deemed it inadvisable to collect the prize. But for the faux pas in entering for both events the coup, small as it was, would have been successful. The misdemeanours of six boys were investigated in the Children’s Court at New Plymouth on Saturday.. Three of them were charged with being on the premises of the Vogeltown school without lawful excuse, one with the theft of a camera valued at 15s, and one with the theft of a fishing line and reel valued at 15s. The sixth was charged with receiving the line and reel knowing them to have Keen stolen. The magistrate placed one of the boys in the charge of the Child Welfare Department for a term, while another was placed under the supervision of the child welfare officer. The other boys were admonished and discharged. The advent of the loud speaker provided a new problem for the laws against noise, and they have never faced it, says a Sydney writer. “Wireless was something so new that it caught the world napping so far as any legal restraint is concerned. It is true that one can go to the Equity Court and obtain an 'injunction against one’s neighbour for his persistent use of a loud speaker. Such a suit, which might easily run into hundreds of pounds in costs, is about as fitting as to hire a cannon to shoot a sparrow. The statutory references to noise are few and far between, and they show that they were designed for other days and other manners.” The formidable character of a new law-making crusade against noises is glimpsed when one considers the racket caused not only by loud speakers but by motor-homs, moving tram-cars, and motor-cycles, all of which are part ©f “civilisation.” It was 99 years ago on Saturday that „the whaling ship Harriet, belonging to Captain John Guard, was driven ashore at Oakura. With Captain Guard were the commander (Captain Hall) and Mrs. Guard and her two children. The crew numbered 28. The whole personnel reached the shore safely, and two of tne men set off in a boat for Moturoa to obtain assistance. The third day after the wreck a party of about 40 natives from the Te Namu pa plundered, the ship. On May 7 the plunderers were joined by another band of about 200, who warned the shipwrecked party that they intended to kill them. On May 10 an attack was launched and, with the exception of Captain Guard and 11 men, the Europeans were overcome. Mrs. Guard and her children were taken to the pa. After representations had been made to the Governor of New South Wales the barque Alligator was sent to New Zealand, and Mrs. Guard and the youngest child were rescued after five months’ captivity.

Eight sheep were killed and 30 injured on Mr. W. E. Hill’s property at Makino, Wairarapa, recently by hungry stray dogs. This is the third case reported in the Feilding district in the last few months. Mr. Hill was able to kill one of the dogs concerned in the raid.

During a thunderstorm experienced recently in the Mount Bruce (Masterton) district, a fireball dropped near the homestead of Mi - . C. Welch. There was an explosion like a large shell bursting, and subsequent investigation disclosed a hole in the ground about a foot in diameter. Of the £76,545 17s 6d levied in rates by tire Palmerston North City Council, the sum of £10,707 14s 9d, or 13.9 per cent., was outstanding at March 31, states the annual report of the town clerk, Mr. J. R. Hardie. Mr. Hardie adds that efforts to obtain payment of the- outstanding rates had met with little success. Eighty-nine summonses had been issued against defaulters and judgment obtained in many cases. Many ratepayers were taking advantage of the existing economic conditions and deferring payment of their rates as long as possible. The report states that th? council saved £2271 6s 5d as a result of\he imposition of the stamp duty of 10 per cent, on the interest on loans payable in New Zealand. Among its markets for butter New Zealand numbers India, this having been made possible by efficient refrigerating arrangements. Tire Rev. B. N. Eade, a Baptist missionary home from India on furlough, told a Christchurch Times reporter that the Dominion’s butter could be obtained in all the big cities in the country. In his particular district, East Bengal, New Zealand butter was obtainable for the first time last year. Previously the transport problem had been too much, owing to the extreme heat. Now, however,, cold storage could be provided during transit, and the butter arrived in good condition. He added that the East Bengal Indians were engaged in agriculture, and supplied most of the jute for the manufacture of the wool packs which were used in New Zealand.

A resolution requesting the Dairy Control Board to take action to have butter boxes and cheese crates exempted from the sales tax was pased at the last meeting of the Manawatu and West Coast Dairy Companies Association at Palmerston North. The following resolutions were also carried: “That this association co-operate with the Dairy Employers’ Association in urging all factories to abstain from placing orders for butter boxes and cheese crates until such time as the association has made arrangements for their purchase at more equitable prices. That the secretary be instructed to write to the Dairy Control/Board and the Ministers of Agriculture and Customs, asking that the restriction in regard to the importation of timber for use as dairy produce containers be removed.”

It is 69 years ago last Saturday since the historic battle of Gate Pa, about four miles from Tauranga. One of the most thrilling episodes in the Maori War, it reflected the highest credit on the skill and reckless courage of the Maori warriors. Having hurriedly entrenched themselves on a narrow neck of land between two swamps, they were there surrounded by vastly superior British troops, who bombarded the natives all day. When the British charged, however, the Maoris repulsed them with severe losses. Later the survivors escaped under cover of night through the British lines and when the soldiers again attacked they found the fortifications empty. It was characteristic of the best type of Maori warrior of those days that the British wounded left behind after the first assault were carefully tended by their enemies. The association of walking and longevity was referred to by the Mayor of Christchurch, Mr. D. G. Sullivan, M.P., at a gathering in honour of Mr. George Harper on his ninetieth birthday this week. The Mayor said that occasionally when being driven in his motor-car he passed Mr. Harper and' offered him a lift. Mr. Harper, however, never accepted a lift but always preferred to walk; It was Bernard McFadden, he thought, who had said that walking would cure anything but death itself, and when he looked at Mr. Harper he could see that there must be something in that statement. Mr. Harper managed to keep so well, retaining his mental and physical faculties at his advanced age, that if walking was responsible they would all hope that he would continue to walk among them for many years to come. Boys’ chopping contests are popular events at the majority of axemen’s carnivals and Okoke on Saturday proved no exception to the rule. No fewer than eleven youths of seventeen .years and under faced the starter and the form shown by several augured well for the chopping contests of the future. Particular interest centred in the performance of a small boy barely 14 years of age. He attracted the attention of a champion axeman, W. Jones, who offered him the loan of his axe. That was a very high compliment as expert axemen give their blades careful attention and are very jealous as to their use. The small boy, however, pinned his faith to his own axe. Sponsored by the champion, the small boy made good progress but did not secure a place and as a fitting finale the champion, with one tremendous blow of his axe, completed the job, giving the boy something to live up to. The application to modern times of the words of the tenth verse of the 90th Psalm was criticised by the DeputyMayor of Christchurch (the Rev. J. K. Archer) at the gathering when Mr. George Harper was honoured on the attainment of his ninetieth birthday. Mr. Archer said he did not wish to raise a religious controversy on such an occasion, but he sometimes felt that clergymen used the verse in rather an unjustified way. The words he referred to were: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow.” “It always jars on me when I hear those words read or recited at a Christian burial,” said Mr. Archer. “They are in the Scriptures, it is true, but I think my learned superiors who are present will agree that they were spoken in Old Testament times. Those were very different times from the present, and in those years the words were literally true, but it was not intended that they should be applied to all circumstances at all times and to all people. I do not think our Good Lord intended them to be universally accepted. When I come in touch with Mr. Harper I feel that he is one to whom those words cannot be applied. His years since he passed threescore years and ten have not been years of labour and sorrow, but years of good health, mental and physical vigour, and above all, years of service to the community.”

Competitions recently conducted by the nursing division of the New Plymouth branch of the St. John Ambulance have resulted as follow: No. 49, Miss E. M. Brasell; No. 70, Mr. E. Batten; cadets, tea cosy, Miss F. Neutrofski; bed-socks, Miss M. Hannah; d’oyleys, No. 1, Miss R. Klenner; d’oyleys, No. 2, A, H. and Miss G. Warburton tied.

In view of the jubilee of the school, which takes place next year, parents, and particularly old pupils of the school, are cordially invited to be present at the annual meeting of householders at the Central School to-night.

Some exquisite evening gowns have opened out at Scanlans, Melbourne Corner, and the prices are extremely attractive. For instance: Needle-Cord frocks and lovely satin frocks, 39/6. New crinkle crepe frocks 59/6, and some gorgeous black Ring Velvet frocks at £4/19/6. Inspection invited.*