LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Independent, Volume XXX, Issue 2425, 9 December 1930, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An Araptmi business man informed a reporter during the week-end that" therewas not an empty house in Arapjjni. A general feeling of hopefulness prevailed arrd the work of rehabilitation was looked forward to with confidence. A cycle road race between Ngaruawahia and Hamilton, run on Saturday, was won by R. Petrie, with W. Mcßurnic second. The winner’s time was 52 minutes. At the monthly meeting of the Waipa County Council the clerk (Mr Thos. Grant) was appointed registrar for the registration of dogs, for the area controlled by the Waipa County. A young girl, named Miss Edith Errol, aged 19 years, who lived at Morrinsvillo, paid a visit to Te Aroha on Saturday night. On her return homo' at night she collapsed,' and despite* every effort of Dr Laurence, she passed away on Sunday morning.

Te Aroha’s jubilee celebrations concluded on Saturday, when an old English fair was held in the main street. The celebrations throughout the whole week were characterised by great heartiness, and were eminently successful in

, every way. The new maternity block, at the Wai- : kato Hospital will be formally opened j by the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy (Minister for Health) on Thursday. The Minister will also open the Hamilton 'East dental clinic the same afternoon.

The Waipa. County clerk reported ro yesterday’s meeting that the amount of the current year’s rates collected to date was about £IOOO less than for the same period last year.

At the Wliangarci ,S.M. Court yesterday, Lester Sinclair, manager of the Regent Picture Theatre, was lined £4, with £1 11/- costs, for painting advertising signs on the borough streets. Sinclair was also ordered to pay £7 2/9 cost of re-tarring the streets to obliterate the signs.

Fishing from a launch in Whakaipo Bay, Lake Taupo, yesterday, a party including Mr G. Y. Ridge, of South Africa, and three Hamilton anglers, landed 55 trout. They.were in splendid condition and averaged 6-llb. Dr Pinfold and Mr T. Reynolds, of Hamilton, fishing from a launch at Mine Point, caught 15 fine fish averaging Gib.

The annual meeting of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce will be held at the Power Board buildings on Thursday evening next at 7.45. In addition to the usual business, including presentation of tiic report and balance sheet, and election of offhefs, a most important matter will come up for discussion, viz., a discussion regarding the holidays to be observed by business people for Christmas and New Year. It is hopeu that there will be a very large and representative gathering.

In connection with the campaign inaugurated by the Department of Internal Affairs to cope with the deer menace, the Minister, the Ron. P. A. do la Pcrrellc, on Saturday gave an outline of the scheme mapped out for Stewart Island. He said the material ordered from England to deal -with the Virginian deer on Stewart Island was. not poison. It was a special class of gun ammunition.

The final regular sitting for the year . of the local Magistrate’s Court rvil! be . held on Thursday next. The charge sheets are heavier than usual, though there are no serious criminal actions. The criminal list includes four charges of being on licensed premises and a similar number of charges against persons using motor lorries for purposes other than licensed. The civil list includes several defended cases, and a claim for damages for the destruction of a horse is likely to involve lengthy proceedings. What is the average cost of an ordinary New Zealand home? The annual report of the Census and Statistics Office says that the average value of a dwelling, which showed a steady increase from £7 75 in 1921-22 to £B6l in 1925-26, and fell to £849 in 1927-28, has now shown an increase to £BBB. The average cost of wooden dwellings in 1920-30 was £B2B', and that of dwellings in other materials,. £1405. The average values for 1929-30 show very little bfference from the previous years, wooden dwellings showing a slight increase and dwellings in other materials a slight decrease. A country storekeeper, writing to a wholesale iftrih in ' Wellington, states • that his gramophone has fallen off very materially through',.customers saving coupons in the belief that they could get a gramophone for nothing. He states that the agents for another “free gift” scheme had ru* , cently visited his town. “I was at lunch when he called at my shop,” ho writes, “or I would have given him the ICO. quick and lively. We trustthat the matter is being given widepublicity, and that the Associated Chambers of Comuiorco will see to it that something is done to protect the legitimate trader. When our service is dependent upon certificates and coupons, I will close- the door.” There is a surprising lack of knowledge, even on the part of experienced users, regarding the position to be taken up when, speaking by telephone. It is not generally realised that the efficiency of the transmission decreases rapidly, as the distance between the subscriber’s lips and the transmitter increases. If this fact were more widely appreciated and more care taken to use the instrument correctly, the average quality of transmission would undoubtedly be considerably improved, and many cases of extremely poor transmission eliminated. Exhaustive tests have proved that the best results arc obtained when the transmilter is held in an upright position and the - voice directed straight into the instru- - ment, with the lips about one half-inch distant from the mouthpiece. Under these circumstances, and using a clear, j moderate tone of voice, -.the,, niaxinium. | efficiency'is secured.