GENERAL NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 18 June 1924, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

1 1 is understood that the Liberal c-anditaio for the Waitaki seal at next election will be Mr George Barclay, tanner, of Waihaorunga. “The shortage of skilled labour is getting worso year by year.” .said Air F \V. Itowley, of the Labour Department at a Alasterton meeting. "The shortage is not. peculiar to Lew Zealand,” he added. The Main Highways Board says there is no provision to enable t'ounty Councils to raise loans lor main highway.-,, and the Government will be urged by local bodies to raise a loan and lend the money out to them.

Official advice of the departure of the Chinese Association team for New Zealand has been received in Wellington. Mr Dome is manager, and there are 17 players. The team is considered a strong' one. It will not play- in Australia.

A Press message from Dunedin ic ports the death of Mr John Hanna, aged 67. From ISSI till 1913 he was gvmnastic instructor to the Boys ami (Girls’ High Schools, and for a period acted as gymnastic instructor to teachers under the Education Board.

A warning has been issued from W ellington stressing the necessity ioi caution in making presentations to members of the All Black team, ine International Board, it is stated, does not view them with favour, and to be on the sate side, it is announced that (lie permission of the New Zealand Union should first be obtained.

Speaking at Waimate last night Mi' Wiliord, m the course of his addreN, .said that Air Massey's bungling of tho country's finances reminded him of a man who had been on a drunken orgy, ami who, when he had spent all . Ins money, could not get another' drink. He turned teetotaller, and then asked people to pat lam on the back because lie was a teetotaller.

A Sydney paper recently stated that there was no lake modesty about (he American boxer, Harry Stone. Colour was lout to this view when the Now Yorker departed from Wellington the other clay for Sydney. As the steamer pulled out from the wharf "Hop Harry," in accordance with his custom, scattered a shower of souvenir photographs, portraying Harry- Stone as ‘‘Everybody’s Erie-net and the Pub lie Favourite.”

In the Juvenile Court at Wairoa yesterday-, a small boy of eleven years, was charged with negligently driving a. motor vehicle without lights, thereby causing injuries to a pohco constable. The lad was severely admonished by t:m Magistrate and the father was or- , .reel to give an undertaking not to allow the boy to drive a car for five years. The Borough Council also was censured for not having by-laws prohibiting anyone under sixteen driviug cars.—(Press Association.)

The position of the small fanner in New Zealand to-day, said Mr T. M. Hilford at Waimate, is like the pom tion of tho man described by tVih Crooks. A young man went to ask ius girl’s father for her hand in marriage, iho father asked what he was earning. Tho young man replied, £'3 per week. At the end of the first week the young man took home to his wife, ; ml the latter said: “1 though you earned £3 per week?’’ The husband replied that he earned £3, but £1 was alt lie got. (Laughter).

“A few rabbitskin fur coals on poles and miles of photographs—that is the main impression leu with one after a visit to the New Zealand court at tho Empire Exhibition,” writes a Scotsman to an Auckland solicitor. The writer goes on to say that the displays at the Canadian and Australian courts were splendid, and concludes that New Zealand could have done equally well—he was quite sure tho court could not be representative of the attractions and resources of a country of winch he had heard so much that was favourable.

Although the result of the Coal and Blanket Day. on Friday . last can be considered quite satisfactory-, it is desirable that the fund should be augmented as much as possible, in view of the heavy calls-, that may bo made upon it during the winter months. With this object in' 1 view 1 a well varied programme of instrumental and vocal items will be presented in the Grand 'Jneatre on Sunday evening next. The concert wifi be under the patronage ot the Mayor’ (Mr G. J. Wallace), and a collection in aicl of tho fund, will be taken up.

An instance of “how carefully some Government departments investigate returns submitted to them” was given by Mr J. MeCrae (Dunedin) at the annual conference, of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, at Christchurch. He said that a rnau forwarded a return showing a £2OO balance. The Pensions Department reviled that 1 he could not get a pension »account of his eannngs. The mau ‘.-plied that the balance was a debit atm that lie liad not earned anything. Mr MeCrae said he thought L t t . . ,'luvm oi LiikJ Vt wi K ill the Jpeil' men.) Department was delegated to juniors.

There is such a tiling as being too exact in business, and one is apt to turn away custom by being so. This was proved the other day when a man visited a certain establishment in tho city, and asked for a shilling worth ol a household commodity. “Oh!” remarked tho assistant a she weighed up the article, “this works out at Is Id.’ Hie customer explained that he only had a shilling and a pound note on him and he did not intend to break into the latter, for the sake of a penny. The assistant thereupon proceeded to reduce the commodity to its exact weight and price; and after the customer had walked out of tho shop he explained the little incident of a friend, lie pointed out that such treatment was not beneficial to business, but one could afford to let a thing like that go, and make it up on another occasion.