The Waikato Independent TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1928. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Waikato Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2924, 17 April 1928, Page 4

The Waikato Independent TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1928. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Reporting Public Meetings. On various occasions all newspapers have been criticised for the attitude they have taken up with regard to reports of public discussions, and especially in reference to matters dealt.wiri'. "in committee." In view of iha apparent ignorance that prevails in certain quarters in respect to such matters —we ore speaking generally, and without reference to any particular instance or local body—we publish below a lucid explanation of the procedure adopted by all well-regulated newspapers in regard to reporting public meetings, as published editorially by the Christchurch. Press recently:—"The newspaper rule is this: When any meeting is held to which newspapers are asked or permitted to send reporters, the reporters will tell their papers whatever happened in open meeting, but they do not and will not report, even privately to their papers, what may have been said when the meeting declared itself 'in committee.' Amongst journalists the utter unforgivable sin is breach of faith or trust, and their trustworthiness is best known to those who have most to do with the Press. This is so well known that wellmannered people in charge of public meetings know that they can discuss ' in committee' the most delicate problems, with the reporters present, in the full confidence that nothing will be reported, and that even the employers ot the reporters would be refused any infor mation if they were so absurd as to ask for it. That is the newspaper rule, ami public meetings must, and all public meetings competently managed do, recognise it and act accordingly." New Legislation. A number of Acts of Parliament passed last session came into force at the beginning- of this month, several'of which are deserving of notice. With the beginning of the new financial year according to the Post and Telegraph Amendment Act, the accounts of the Post Office are to be separated from the Treasury and esablished on an independent basis. Provision is included for the investment of surplus nioiuy.and the establishment ui depreciation and o.her reserves. Acr. f .>rdin» \o the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, the provisions of the principal Act are to be binding on the Crown as from April 1, with a condition that tlioy do not appiy to State-owned vehicles used exclusively for purposes connected with construction or maintenance of roads. The Act also makes operative the new scale of annual license fees. Regulating the manufacture and sale of certain chemical specifics for plant diseases and pests and of. certain chemical weed-killers, is the aim of the Fungicides and Insecticides Act, which is now in force. One purpose is to ensuro that fungicides and insecticides purchased by orchardists and others are of required strength and quality. Authority is given tor- the appointment of analyists and inspectors, who are given the right to take samples. Two other regulating Acts which have now come into effect are the Seed Importation Act and the Introduction of Plant Act. The object of the former measure is to regulate the importation of certain seeds and in particular to require the treatment of imported seeds. The aim of the latter measure is the control or prohibition of new and harmful plants. It is now necessary to obtain a permit to import any plant not commonly grown in or admitted to New Zealand.

LOCAL AND GENERAL. In to-day's issue nominations are-in - vited for the election of one trustee for the Mnungakawa Rabbit Board. The statutory annual meetings of all county councils in Xew Zealand will be held on May -3rd. T.vo cases of infantile paralysis, an adult and a child, have been admitted to the Tiinaru Hospital. A consignment of 11,500 cases of Xew Zealand apples will be despatched from Auckland for Montreal by the steamer Port Napier this week. The number of men on the Labour Department's books ai Auckland o'\ Saturday was Sl7. A fortnight ago there were 753. The Kakopuku Co-operative Dairy Company will make an advance payment of 1/0 per lb for cheese to suppliers on last month's supply. The annual meeting of the Women's Division of the Farmers' Union will be held in the farmers' Club-rooms on Friday next at 1.30. All interested cordially invited. In to-day's issue Mr G-. Wrattcn announces reduced fares for his Oam-bridge-Frankton service. Fares are now 2/1, and concession cards are not necessary to secure the reduced rates. Particulars of fares and train arrangements in connection with the To Aroha trotting meeting at Herriesville on 21st April are advertised in this issue. A British official return shows that on April 21,041,900 persons were unemployed. This is a slight increase of 8055, following a considerable diminution during the last few weeks. The total is 31,859 less than a year ago. No news has yet been heard of the whereabouts of Mr Arthur Pickering, who has been missing from his home in Morrinsville since March 30. The police and others have searched the adjacent rivers, but no trace has been found. At the Peace Memorial Hall on Wednesday (to-morrow) evening, the Kev. Charles Wickham, the noted childpsychologist and lecturer, will give a tree lecture on chiid-life. The subject is such that every parent who can possibly make it convenient should hear Rev. Wickham to-morrow evening.

A reminder is given district farmers of the annual sale of pedigree pigs to 1)0 held at Mr F. Discombe's "Lucernedale" Stud farm to-morrow (Wednesday), commencing at 12 noon. Some 150 pigs of all breeds will be offered.

A dance in aid of the Hautapu school funds will be held at the Hautapu Hail on Friday next, 19th inst., when a very pleasant evening is promised all who attend. Free cars will leave the Cambridge post office at 7.30 p.m.

The Waikato Hunt commences its hunting season next week, with qualifying meets as advertised, commencing with one at Air W. Xewall's, Tamahere, on Monday next. The opening meet (proper) of the season will be held on Saturday, May 12th, at Mr Wyatf's, Fencourt.

Rev. Ciuis. Wickham, of England, who is on an extended tour of Xew Zealand, is in Cambridge at the present time. Mr Wickham lias the authority of the Education Department to enter the State schools of the country with a view to giving talks on total abstinence and the evils of the uso of alcohol, and we understand he will speak to the scholars of the various schools in this district.

Itcv. E. P. Blamires, travelling organiser for Hie Methodist I'ouug People's Department, visited Cambridge during the week-end. He addressed Sunday School and Bible Class teachers on Saturday evening, after which a successful young people's social was held at St.. Paul's Methodist school-room. Mr Blamires conducted both morning and evening services at St. Paul's on Sunday, his addresses being exceedingly helpful and inspiring. He also addressed the Sunday School and Biblo Classes the same afternoon. Mr Blamires is an expert at work among young people, and is a most effective and pleasing speaker. His visit to Cambridge and his lucid, inspiring addresses will long be remenibcrod.

"I do feel that something might be done to stop the prevailing misuse of the name Easter," writes Archdeacon Taylor, a Canterbury clergyman. "People often call the week before Easter Easter week. The Bailway Department, in its advertisements, talks about Easter Saturday. I have even heard the day before Good Friday described as Easter Thursday. There is no reason for all this perversion of the historic use of a great word. Its meaning as quite clear. Easter Day is the Sunday on which the Church commemorates the resurrection of our Lord. Easter week is the week beginning on Easter Day. The week before Easter has its own proper name of Holy Week. The last throe days of it have their special names, Maunda Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday. This last day is rightly called Easter Eve, not because it is part of Easter, but because it is the clay of preparation for Easter." Woods' Great Peppermint Cure For Influenza Colds.

During a football match at Waingaro on Saturday, Leonard Crawford, of the Borstal Institute, sustained a fracture of the right leg, necessitating his removal to the Waikato Hospital. His condition is reported to be favourable. The peat iires in the Monavale and li'oto-o-rangi swamps, which have been smouldering for many months past, freshened up during tin,' past few days, owing to the strong winds and continued dry weather. The rain yesterday afternoon checked the fires but little, and it will require a lengthy soaking rain to extinguish them. Xiio fires are continuing to spread over a wide area, being seated deep down in the dry peat. The Waikato County Council meets to-day at Hamilton. Now that the Cambridge Road Board has ceased to exist, local body affairs concerning the extensive Cambridge district, hitherto left to that body, will be under the administration of the Waikato County Council. These matters will be fully reported regularly in the columns of the Waikato Independent.

At Thursday's annual meeting of the Tc Kuiti Amateur Operatic Society, tho chairman, Mr A. Blackman, report-, cd that the sum of £SO which had been raised by the society for the ToKuili Hospital, had now been spent at the hospital on lawns, etc. In connection with the above amount, a Government, subsidy had been obtained, and the total amount was in the vicinity of £loo.—Chronicle.

A nice rain fell throughout the Cambridge district yesterday, totalling .48in. in Cambridge borough. The fall varied considerably, and was heavier in Cambridge than Monavale and Tc Awamutu. In Auckland city l.loin fell for the 24 hours up to midnight last night. The country was getting dry, and the rain would do an immense amount of good. It was specially welcomed by the many farmers who have recently sown grass-seed, as it will give it a good start before the winter weather sets in.

Fees totalling £15,327 19/1.1 were collected by the Waikato Hospital Board during the last fiscal year with respect to the treatment of hospital patients, as compared with £II,BOB 11/7 collected in 1926-27. The increase will materially relieve the levies for the new financial year, the amount' required in the Waikato alone being estimated at £4500 less. Referring to the efforts made to obtain payment for fees incurred, the managing secretary, Mr E. C. Johnson, said poor people had not been harassed. Persons able to pay had been made to realise that hospital accounts must be treated in the same way as private debts. In some cases accounts had been handed to the board's solicitor for collection.

An American visitor to Wellington, who is closely connected with several big electrical firms in the United States told, a Post representative on Friday what struck him very forcibly i" the Dominion was the state of chaos reigning in the electrical business. In the States, he said, all olcctrical equipment —ranges, and what not—was standardised, but to him it scented as if New Zealand was the dumping ground of unstandardised goods from all parts of the world. The result would inevitably lead to a disparagement of electrical contrivances with loss both to business firms and the users.

The extraordinary strength of a mushroom was illustrated by one that was found in the yard of Messrs Hollis and Brown in London Street, Lyttelton (says an exchange). The mushroom made its appearance through three inches of solid asphalt, laid six years ago. For two or three days a bulge, increasing in size daily, was noticed in the asphalt. One morning it was found that the asphalt had broken away and the head of the mushroom appeared. Although the growth measured only about four inches across, the stem of the mushroom was as thick as a man's wrist, having apparently kept increasing in thickness until it was strong enough to break the asphalt. A question that presents itself is: How did the mushroom, without injury to its delicate head, push itself through the solid asphalt, a feat which must have necessitated a pressure of many hundreds of pounds? A second bulge beside the first indicated that another mushroom was coming through.

Mr Reader! When you are in need of a new suit or costume it is well to remember that you can "suit" yourself locally just as well as in the city or elsewhere. The tailor's shop, which is really only "Just round the Post Office Corner," is fully equipped to clothe you in the latest fashions, with a wealth of choice from the very finest of suitings, at the price you want to pay. There are many attractions in tailoring yourself locally. The ease and utter convenience for instance, and the fact that you are in personal contact with your tailor. Then again he has a local professional reputation to maintain which is your guarantee of satisfaction. McCathie's tailoring shop is two doors from the Post Office. Give him your next suit and be assured of satisfaction.*

Scarlet fever is prevalent in Wellington, 4-1 cases* boing reported for the past week. As advertised the Cambridge District High School will hold a monster Pad dy's Market in the main school grounds on Friday next. The proceeds are to go towards the purchase of typewriters for the commercial classes recently organised. An appropriation by ballot for £4OO of the Combined To . Awamutu and Cambridge Building Society group will be held in the Town Hull supper-room on Thursday evening at 8 o'clock.