LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Advice has been received that two New Plymouth ticket-holders have won prizes of £5 each in an Australian lottery.

An unusual explanation was offered by a New Plymouth child when asked the other day why she had. not brought her homework to school. She said she ha done the work the previous evening, but during the night mice had eaten it. Over 75,000 people are estimated to have visited the Auckland Winter Exhibition in the seven days since it opened. Tuesday’s attendance was about 12,000, which was 2000 more than on the previous day. The officials have been particularly fortunate with the weather, Monday being the only day so far on which there has been any sign of ram since the exhibition has been open.

Extensive injuries to the leg were received yesterday by a young man, James Brown, who was employed at the Kaweora Public Works Department camp, when he fell from a dray he was driving and the wheel passed over his leg. He was admitted to the New Plymouth Public Hospital but the exact extent of his injuries had not been ascertained last night. An address on the subject of ea £ly efforts toward peace was given by Miss Elsie Andrews to the New Plymou branch of the W.E.A. last night in order to continue for one more night the series of lectures which have been given for the past six weeks. Miss Andrews dealt in interesting fashion with the idea o internationalism, the development o war and the efforts to get rid of it which followed, quoting from the earliest efforts of Hellenic and Indian peoples to the early days of Christendom ana the growth of international arbitration, particularly in the last century, the conclusion of which saw the establishment of an international court at The Hague. Every garden in Taranaki must have shelter. Go to an expert who has had a life-long experience and will guarantee results. Describe your conditions and let him advise you. Trees are availab e for every position where there is soi and moisture. This advice is free by Messrs. Duncan and Davies Ltd., Westown, New Plymouth, who have had over a quarter of a century of progressive experience.*

Yesterday, July 12, was the. 65th. anniversary of that stirring event in the early history of New Zealand, when hostile natives made their successful surprise attack on the Turuturu-Mokai redoubt some five miles from Hawera. The on y living survivor of that engagement is Mr, H. McAlinder, of Wanganui, and he recalls as if it was yesterday, the tragic circumstances of that happening in

Whitebait are running in the Waikato River in small quantities, and since the season opened on July 1 an average of about three tins a day has been jailed from Tuakau to various parts ot the North Island. There are about 401 b in a full’ tin, and in the flush of the season, generally about August or September, it is not unusual for 20 tins to be des-, patched from Tuakau in a day. Whitebait fishers have established their camps along the river for about 15 miles upstream from the sea, and several launches go down daily with buyers to purchase the catches.

Things are definitely better in England, and business is more buoyant than it was,” writes a leading Auckland business man from London. He said more advertising space was in demand in the English newspapers, which was a good barometer. Owing to the hot weather having arrived so early there was the possibility of a dry spell in Europe, and in that case New Zealand butter would go up in price. The outlook for the sale of lamb was better, because English people were inclined to eat less beef and more lamb.

During a wedding breakfast at Fending the bride was called upon to read the sheaf of congratulatory telegrams. Before she realised the import of one from her Palmerston North friend, she read In a voice which proclaimed suppressed emotion: “May the Lord have mercy upon poor Jack.” Hilarious laughter from the bride and bridesmaids, groom, best man, clergyman, and guests greeted the announcement. The story was told at the celebration of their golden wedding recently, when the merry peals of fifty years ago echoed through the same roof.

The Taranaki section of the Radio Emergency Corps had its first call to duty on Tuesday evening at 6.30 p.m. from the Taranaki Alpine Club. The deputy-section leader, Mr. S. W. Boon, Stratford, received the call for assistance in the search for Mr. Webster, who was lost on Mount Egmont, Mr. Boon got into communication with the section leader and the outpost. party, and by 7 p.m. the outpost had the portable set packed and all arrangements made, the section leader had the zone station ready for action, and conveyance to the Stratford house was arranged. Then word arrived that Mt. Webster was safe, and that the corps would not 'be wanted. An interesting sidelight on the competition among unemployed young men for vacant positions was afforded in Auckland this week by a City Council traffic inspector, who said many such young men were learning to drive and taking out licenses to fit themselves for positions offered where ability to handle a motor-car was required. In most instances the young men were taught to drive 'by a friend, and presented themselves at the traffic department for a test in a car rented for the (fccasion. With these and other applications from new drivers two and sometimes three or four testing officers were kept busy. Ten or 12 applicants were tested daily. In giving evidence before the Transport Appeal Board (in Auckland on Tuesday, an official of a motor company conducting a service between Auckland and New Plymouth said it would be most inconvenient if the company was prohibited, from operating north of Hamilton and its passengers compelled to transfer to another firm’s cars at that centre. “In the changeover our passengers would not get proper attention from our opponents,” he added. "I suppose your opponents would say the same about you,” said the actingchairman, Mr. T. Jordan, and the witness agreed that they might do so. Lambing has commenced in earnest in the Kairanga (Manawatu) district, and in some of the larger flocks there are reported to be as many as 40 lambs. Early lambs commenced to arrive about three weeks ago in this district. Conditions for lambing are stated to be good, and consequently few losses are occurring. If the weather continues it is expected that the season will be a record one, even though the percentages are not high at present. No lambs have made their appearance in the hills behind Palmerston North, as lambing is not expected to commence until the end of the month.

Several farmers and rabbiters between Roxburgh and Alexandra have had many parcels of skins awaiting consignment to Dunedin stolen by a thief who has evidently made a systematic tour of the main road just before the fortnightly sales, when he could be reasonably sure of a goos haul. Bags of skins awaiting the freight vans on the roadside have been lifted and sheds and storehouses have been broken into. Some trappers have lost heavily, and care is now being taken to have the skins kept under lock and key until the moment of delivery. This has in some cases involved repairs to doors and walls and the expense of new fasteners.

Whether the county rates should be struck on a valuation made prior to March 31 or whether they should be struck on a new valuation made by the Valuer-General after that date, is a question which is at present occupying the minds of the councillors of the Waitotara County Council. Up to the present time they have 'been advised both ways. Mr., F. M. Martin, solicitor for the Counties’ Association, holds that if the valuation roll states the value of properties as at March 31, then that valuation has to be accepted, irrespective of whether a new valuation has been made by the Valuer-General at a later day. The opinion of the solicitors to the council is that it is necessary for application to be made for revaluation before March 31, to the Valuer-General, and that if he sends in a valuation after that date, then it should be the one on which the rates are so struck. At the last meeting of the council it was decided to get the Counties’ Association to interview the ValuerGeneral as to what time his valuation would be in.

The confident hope of the Foxton Borough Council at the June meeting that it had solved ■ the mystery of the un-accounted-for gas—which for the past year has been in the vicinity of 25 per cent, of the gas manufactured—by attributing the loss to faulty mains, was explained at the last meeting, when the clerk reported that a test of the holder carried out over five nights showed conclusively that the mains were not leaking. The council is now back to where it was over a year ago. The clerk stated that the holder test showed no escape of gas during one hour of the night, from 2 to 3 a.m., and this eliminated the gas mains, as the leak would have been greater at that hour had the mains been faulty. A lengthy conference with the gas manager ensued, and as an outcome it was decided to purchase a portable test meter and test each one of the 300 consumers’ meters, and to send all faulty meters to experts for repairs. The cost is in the vicinity of £2 per meter, and the new tester will cost about £8 10s.

Ladies who appreciate real bargains are advised to turn to the “wanted” columns of to-day’s issue and carefully peruse Scanlan’s sale ' advertisements featuring several very special reductions in conjunction with the firm’s great winter sale now running. The Melbourne corner has been noted in the past for the genuineness of its sales and the one now progressing will add fresh glory to a famous tradition.*