LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Age, 18 December 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The poll on tho Maaterton loan proposals takes place to-day. The Waiau railway ,in North Cantorbury, has been' over by tho Railway Department. A hairdresser was fined £2O at Helonsvillo for keeping a common gaming house. The thermometer registered 87 degreos in the Bhado at two o 'clock on Wednesday afternoon. Four motor cars at Mr. Greg Milsen's garage at Waipawa were destroyed by fire on Sunday night. » Tho Eketahuna paper says that broom and gorso are reported to bo seriously spreading in tho Alfredton district. An. exodus from Masterton is beginning this week. A considerable numbqr of residents are leaving for the eeasido for tho Christmas holidays. During the past month, coke sold by the Maaterton Municipal Gas Department amounted to 3059 Backs; 98 cwts. of mixed slack, and G561 of tar, were, also sold. A Wellington paper states that Mr. W. B. Matheson was denied a hearing in tho open-air at Masterton on Tuesday night. This is absolutely contrary to fact. At tho Supreme Court at Auckland' yesterday, Henry Curry was convicted of bigamy by having gone through a form of marriage with a woman at Christchurch while his wife was living in Australia, and was sentenced to i three months' hard labour.

The freehold of the Criterion Hotel, New Plymouth, has changed hands, the purchaser being Mr. Walter Graham, late of the Royal Hotel, Auckland, who will shortly take over the house from Mrs. McKean. The purchase price, it is understood, was £20,000. A series of burglaries has been causing some concern in Waihi, the residence of a prominent citizen, during his absence, being broken into, and some £6 in cash/ taken. Investigations made by the' police have led to the arrest of a youth, who has been previously beforo the Court. Bumps and depressions in tho roadway and their effect on motor cars and passengers riding in them were tho subject of some testimony in connection with a case heard in the New Plymouth Supreme Court, when the Borough Inspector gave it as his opinion that such "bumps" were a distinct advantage, and would have a salutary effect on the furious driving habit. The Judge expressed some surprise at tho inspector's testimony. Ho said ho had never heard that bumps on tho road were a benefit, and ho was sure it was not known in other boroughs. A meeting of tho Opaki School Committee was hold on Monday night. Present,: Messrs E. S. .Tonkins (chairman), F. Dorset, J. Campbell, jr., and W. Fife, A discussion took place in regard to a manifesto from tho Education Boards' Association, and also front tho New Zealand Educational Instituto. "Whilst recognising the good work done by Education Boards in tho past, the Committee, wero of opinion that tho time has come when a change should bo made in the administration of school affairs, and a resolution was passed that tho proposals in tho Now Zealand Educational Institute's circular bo supported. ' An announcement of a further increase in tho price of tea, amounting to 3d por pound, both wholesale and retail, was mado at Auckland last week, all grades being affected. Tiie increase (says tho Herald) is ascribed to tho very groat demand for tea, and to the rise in oxchango on tho rupee. It will take effect, immediately on all stocks held by tho merchants who announce tho increase, bringing their cheapest packet teas up to 3s 3d por lb. Several other dealers, however, will not advance tho prices on tea already in stock, some grades of which remain as low as 2s 4d and 2a Oil por lb. One merchant, interviewed, stated confidently that his firm would not impose any extra price beforo the end of tho year, although an Increase would be inevitable later on*

Tho Haunui settlers, in the Alfredton district, are going on with a proposal for raising a loan for roadwork in their district. At tlie Eketahuna County Council meeting on Saturday, Cr. Cross drew attention to a Johann Faber pencil on the table, and lie deprecated tho quick patronage of enemy goods as against the better value of British pencils, which wore recently on tho table. Tho clerk stated ho had not purchased the pencil, and it would not remain on the table long if it disappeared as quickly as tho others did. A Councillor raised a laugh with the request: "Give it to me and I'll take it away; it's a very good pencil." Tho writing of tho election results at tho Ago Office last evening was in tho capable hands of Messrs- Smith, Sons, and Davey, decorators, of Masterton, and they acquitted ihemsolvos most creditably. Tho illumination of tho hoarding was kindly carried out by Messrs H. J. Jonos and Co,> motor engineers, Masterton, with the famous Lalley electric light, for which they are the bolo Wairarapa agents. Tho compilation of the returns was in the capable hands of Mr. Arthur D. Low, accountant, of Masterton. A white New Zealand? There was an appreciable knot of dusky and yellow faces on tho Maheno's deck as she came alongside the Queen 'a Wharf, says the Auckland Star. The purser's list showed a total of 25 Hindus and 15 Chinese on tho steamer. On hfcr last trip here tho Maheno brought 12 Chinese, and the Paloona, from the Western Pacific, brought live Hindus and four Chinese, thus making today's influx the heaviest of the month. Statistics show that a total of 137 Hindus and 130 Chinese have arrived in Auckland since January last.

la many instances when the hedges are planted around a new house tall plants are put in that will make a show at once. The first trimming should now be given. This should be fairly severe. The side shoots must be cut back fairly hard, but not too severe as to prevent them breaking. When trimming a new hedge it is much better to uso secateurs and prune each plant separately, rather than uso the hedge shears. It certainly takes more time, but the ultimato result is much bettor. A Swiss engineer, by name M. Duplan, has invented a vest-pocket aeroplane, according to a foreign change, which when collapsed measures only 6ft. wide by less than 13ft. in length. The device is eeiytainly novel, and includes " a patented wing spreader, which keeps the fusilage expanded during flight, and allows it to bo folded up neatly when travelling on terra iirma. In flying form, tlio little 'plane measures 23ft. from wingtip to wing-tip, and" 16ft. in over-all length. It has satisfactorily passed its initial tests, and has flown a distance of one milo at a height of 15 feet, which performance the inventor claims can easily bo improved upon. The question of on which side was the moßt hardship had to be decided by Mr. J. W, Poynton, S.H., at the Magistrate's Court this week in an application for possession of a tenement. A man named Andrew Fernandez, aged 85 years (Mr. Meredith) wanted possession of a house occupied by Reginald Wemyss Askew (Mr. R. Matthews). On the plaintiff's side was the fact that the house was wanted for the old gentleman, his daughter, and the latter's husband, who is a returned soldier. Mrs. Askew, on the other hand, had three children. His Worship decided that the hardship would bo on tho side of the defendant, and refused to make an order for possession.

Arrangements are to bo mado with a view to bringing the wireless system regarding communications from vessels voyaging to New Zealand up to those employed in other countries. The system adopted in Australia is one of a compulsory notification by the vessol of her position and the health of those on board at noon oach day. In New Zealand, also, thcro is no regular system whereby vessol s with-, ib wireless range can receive regular time signals, so that the ship's officers can chock their chronometers. The Postmaster-General, the Hon. J. Coates, stated yesterday that the matter of adopting in New Zealand a system similar to that in Australia had been under consideration by his Department for some time, but certain obstacles had to bo overcomo before tho contemplated improvements could bo adopted. Ass oon as possible a satisfactory system would be inaugurated, Tho caution is always given to users of some of tho spraying mixtures to protect the hands and face from the drifting or dropping liquid, but most makers of pumps and nozzles seem to ignore any danger from this source, and nothing is dono to prevent the liquid from running down tho outside of the hose and so on to tho hands and up the sleeves of tho operator. To lessen this discomfort —if not worse—it is a common practice for the workmen to tie a pieco of sacking or rag round tho delivery pipe, but this soon gets saturated, and is at best a clumsy contrivanco. A very simple device consists of a dished or concave metal disc about three inches in diameter affixed like a washer immediately' below tho nozzle. This catches the drips which, instead of running down tho hose, drop off tho edgo of the disc. Tho device costs nothing, as it can be mado out of a Bcrap of zinc, hammered into concave shape.

"With tho increasing cost of coal, tlio uso of oil fuel pn board ahip is likely to develop rapidly. One of tho advantages of oil fuel is tlio facility with which it can bo taken on board, even when the vessel is in motion. A rocent British invention is designed to enable oil to be transferred from one vessel to another at as high a speed as 10 knots. Tho applianco can be.used for ordinary towing, tho flexible hose being encircled by longitudinal towing wires held by transverse wires. Both lioso and wires are made complete in sections and joined by British Admiralty couplings. Tho ship ahead drops a buoy with ropes attached. Tho buoy is picked up by the following ship, which pays out the hose to the leading ship and falls back when tho hose is made fast. Tho saving in time over the ordinary process of coallag Mod not to emphasised.