LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waipa Post, Volume 45, Issue 3252, 8 November 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The annual meeting of the Te Awamutu Municipal Band is to be held on Thursday evening next, when it is hoped that there will be a full muster of all interested in band affairs.

Te Awamutu trained horses were prominent at the Auckland Racing Club's spring meeting at Ellerslie yesterday. Jonathan (trained by Mr H. L. Russell) ran second to Carfex in the Normanby Handicap, and his stable mate, Limeen, won the King Edward Memorial Handicap, paying a large dividend. Soloist, trained by Mr A. Cook, ran second to Golden Wings in the Epsom Handicap, after having none the best of luck in the running.

An investigation into the " vast difference between the cost of manufacture and retail prices of certain goods which the retailers are selling at a price fixed by the manufacturers" was agreed upon last week by the Dominion Executive of the Farmers' Union as being a very necessary move. A delegate said he knew of a stock remedy selling at a standard price of £3 3s, the ingredients for which cost lid. It was decided to ask the Department of Industries and Commerce to undertake an investigation as soon as details of specific cases could be collected.

The great majority of landlords have found the prevailing economic conditions quite sufficient to induce them to be reasonable in rental demands, and to legislate for a few exceptions seems an undesirable continuance of the State interference with private enterprise which has contributed to some extent to the conditions which obtain to-day. Cases have been heard in the courts which indicate that protection for the owner of a house is often just as necessary as is the protection of tenants from rapacious landlords. The duties and responsibilities of the house-owner are once more to be emphasised in special legislation. It would only be fair if the new Rent Restriction Bill which is to be introduced made it clear that tenants as well as landlords have duties as well as privileges.—Taranaki Daily News.

The Fire Brigade's bonfire on Saturday evening, to celebrate Guy Fawke's Day, attracted two or three hundred residents to the saleyards' paddock where a number of attractions had been arranged to supplement the fireworks display. The Municipal Band provided a very entertaining programme of music, and Mr Hector McLean favoured with several bagpipe selections. Pillow-fight-ing by youths and boys seated on a rail provided a good deal of interest and amusement, while coconut shies also proved popular. A series of tugrof-war events were held, but the onlookers, who crowded up close, did not get much of a look, for the lighting arrangements for this contest proved faulty. However, pulls took place between Fire Brigade, Dairy Factory, Carriers, Oddfellows,, and the World, the final victory going to the factory team, which beat the firemen.

New Zealand is not well endowed with coal measures. The geologists say that the seams will not outlast the normal use of a few generations. Yet the Dominion at present can produce more coal than she can sell, at home or abroad. King Coal has been dethroned by those revolutionaries, in the economic sense, oil and hydroelectricity. Perhaps the community is not sorry to be free of coal's domination. He was not an easy agent in the kitchen and in industry and marie transport many will remember their subjection to His Majesty the Stoker. He abused his power, as, indeed, did the minen. and so hastened the advent of his younger rivals, oil and water power. Nevertheless the revolution, only partial as yet, has left us with the difficulty of employing the capital and labour invested in and trained for the getting of coal. In Great Britain the problem is' much more .acute, affecting millions of money and hundreds of thousands of miners, both apparently permanently unemployed. There they have had recourse to legislation to rationalise production and marketing and it is notable that the president of the New Zealand Goal Mine Owners' Association is thinking along similar lines. Here is another case where a big industry is inclining away from free competition toward the idea of planned economy, or co-operation as Colonel Holgate prefers to call it.

The Chamber] of Commerce will meet this evening.

''There is as much work in the country now as ever there was," said the chairman (Mr T. R. Anderson) at a meeting of the Stratford Relief Committee. Mr W. Holmes: "And are they offering wages? " The chairman: "Better than the unemployed are getting."

Reports to hand indicate that the various sub-committees are making good progress with their arrangements for the monster floral fete and flower show at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon next, in connection with the Beautifying Society's effort to raise needed funds.

Appearances indicate that there will be a large influx of visitors to Kawhia during the summer season, most of the cottages having been already " booked up." The increasing popularity of Kawhia as a seaside resort is also shown by the number of inquiries received for particulars as to points of interest, access, accommodation, etc.

A Wanganui resident mentions a trap for slugs and slaters which may be appreciated by amateur gardeners (says the Herald). He uses a flat tin or tray, and in this he places condensed milk, mixed with water, and this is left in a locality where the slugs and slaters frequent. His catches of late, he states, have been remarkable.

Very keen interest was shown in the election of four members of the Ngaroto Drainage Board yesterday. Of the 100 eligible voters,, no less than 92 exercised the privilege. The top score was 61, and the successful candidate with the lowest number of votes secured 46. The highest tally for the unsuccessful candidates was 45.

Civilised man lets off his fireworks and produces imitation meteors on November 5. The heavens, however, are scheduled to produce the real thing in the way of meteors a little later in the month, between the 12th and the 20th. To see these Leonid meteors, as they are called may mean early morning rising, but enthusiasts for such things will not mind that. These famous meteors are connected Avith Temple's comet, which was discovered in 1866, and astronomical observers will be on the lookout for the possible return of this celestial wanderer, although it may have disintegrated by this time.

Yesterday a general election commenced in Germany and to-day the Presidential and Congressional elections are being held in the United States. No doubt the imminence of these two major political events has had an unsettling influence on the revival of world trade these last few weeks. Their uncertainties have put a check on the unfolding of the delicate flower of confidence. Nor can a more assured outlook be expected until these two great nations and the world have had time to recover from the reactions of the electors' decisions at the polls and to estimate the effect of any new political trends that may be revealed. But whatever the results, the relative settlement of politics for the time being should help to clear the atmosphere. Thus the political decks are being cleared for the discussion of the economic problems at the World Conference. It should not be long before a definite date for the Conference is fixed, preliminary discussions commencing at Geneva this month,

Thus the Wellington Dominion: — Mr J. A. Lee has not been happy in his uee of terms in debate this session. His latest speech)' in which he brands investigators of the Labour Department as pimps and spies, is deplorable. No doubt these Public Servants are merely doing their job in seeing that relief is not being abused. The citizen who has to pay a levy and has one shilling deducted from every pound of wages, salary or income will agree that the fund so created should not be exploited. Relief should only be granted in case of need. Hence some form of means test becomes necessary and persons must be engaged to apply the test. Does Mr Lee apply the terms, "pimp" and "spy," to the walking delegate or to other agents or officials of trade unions whose duty it is to see that workers are not exploited and that conditions of labour and pay are observed? We have no brief for Labour Department inspectors but it must be recognised that investigation into the material circumstances of those in receipt of relief is necessary if vast abuses are not to grow up|, to the detriment of those in genuine distress. Even if the investigators' methods are open to criticism, there is no need to call them names especially when, as Public Servants, they cannot reply.

In the United States the Federal Government has recently imposed an amusement tax. an infliction to which unfortunately New Zealanders have become accustomed. In the meanwhile the theatres are charging the tax separately, one dollar for the seat and ten cents for the Government. New Zealand entertainment houses began that way too, and it is a good way because it puts the onus where it belongs., The taxpayer is made to feel that he has to pay something for all he demands of the State. At least that is the moral effect but it does not always work out that way. One woman at a New York theatre made a fuss at having to pay the tax, but finally handed over the money with these words: " Well, here's your old tax. But, if you want to know my opinion, I think the Government ought to pay it." The joke is a good one*, until we begin to see it is on most of us. How many say carelessly of this and that, " The Government pays,".forgetting that they must pay the Government. If the amount of tax were paid separately on everything we buy—on a theatre seat, a packet of cigarettes or a pound of tea—we should soon get rid of the idea that the State possessed inexhaustible resources. We would come to understand that the more Government spends, the less is left for our private spending, because the money comes out of our pockets.

Among recent company registrations is that of James Walker, Ltd., drapers and outfitters, Te Awamutu, with a capital of £2OOO, of which James W|alker holds 1990 shares and Barbara C. Walker 10 shares.

The Te Awamutu Domain Board has granted permission to the Beautifying Society to make a charge for admission to Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon next in connection with the monster floral fete and flower show. Electric light and power will be cut off in College and Mutu streets, Wallace Terrace and Frontier Road to-morrow from 12.30 p.m. for about three hours, while necessary alterations are being carried out by the Power Board's staff.

The procession through the streets next Saturday afternoon in connection with the Beautifying Society's floral fete should be an interesting one, as already numbers of residents have ind'cated their intention to take part in fancy costume.

In the Tokanui store there is a cat which is mothering two rabbits as well as her own kittens (says the Southland Times). She displays even more zeal in protecting the rabbits than her natural offspring, spitting vigorously at all who attempt to fondle the rabbits.

The sportsmanship of a girl rider in a " potato race " at the Blenheim show grounds last week (says the Express) was much admired. Her opponent, a lad, had the misfortune to drop a potato at a critical stage of the race t but the girl, observing his difficulty, pulled up and waited untill he was on even terms before resuming the contest.

" It ought to be stopped," declared a Canterbury College student who had called in at the college library to get a book for some last-minute reading for an examination this week (says the Sun). Walking past the college gates were three other students in blazers carrying lawn tennis rackets. "If they don't intent to swat or if they haven't any exams, they might at least keep away and not remind poor blighters that have to work of what we might be doing ! "

At present creating interest among horticulturists is a kenetia palm at the residence of Mr F. J. Nathan, Palmerston N. (says the Standard). The plant, which is normally of the dwarf variety which has not been known to bloom in the Dominion, has attained a height of 20 feet and, after flowering, fruit has commenced to form. In the meantime Mr Nathan is waiting to observe whether the palm will produce seeds.

A conference of representatives of local and public bodies operating in and around Te Awamutu is being held to-day at the Waipa County offices with Mr O. Mcßrine, representing the Unemployment Board, respecting the Board's plans for employing relief labour in clearing lands of ragwort. Mr W. Hall-Jones, of the Public Works Department's office at Hamilton, and Messrs G. B. Melrose and J. L. Morris, of the Agricultural Department, are also present.

The programme for the sixty-eighth annual race meeting of the Alexandra Racing Club (non-totalisator) to be held at Pirongia on Boxing Day, has now been approved by the Auckland District Committee. There are only two alterations in the programme of last year. The cup that previously accompanied the stake of £2O for the Farmers' Handicap Hurdles, has been deleted, and instead of the £9 and cup valued at £5 for the Farmers' Handicap Trot the prize will be £l3.

" The sooner the selectors choose a representative team with the idea of it winning—a team that can play the spectacular game as club teams have got to do, the sooner will they get the public back to the representative games," remarked Mr J. S. Hickey at the meeting of the Taranaki Rugby Union during a discussion on the financial position. "Candidly, without malice, and with all due respect to the selectors." he thought the Taranaki representative team was selected with the idea of preventing another team from winning rather than with .the idea of winning the game itself.. Mr E. H. Young said more interest was taken in club football than in representative football. He thought that showed the union must encourage club football.

Organisation was rapidly destroying democracy, said Mr W. A. Veitch, M.P., speaking at the annual re-union on Saturday night of the Wanganui branch of the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Employees' Association. In the beginning democracy's ideal was the exercising of the individual vote after individual thought, the aim being the good of the country. Now-a-days there were, many organisations which, prior to an election decided which way their members should vote. Treir decisions were in line with the aspirations of each particular association. That turned the minds of the people from what democracy intended- and national interest was sidetracked by organisation. The evils of organisation, he added, had also led to the too strong development of the party system in Parliament.

One of those proverbial ill winds that blow nobody any good occurred in the main business area of Te Awamutu yesterday. A bank clerk was unconcernedly carrying a bundle of 130 odd notes across the street, when the encircling rubber band snapped and the notes were quickly scattered by the light breeze. A policeman was near at hand, and he maintained a close watch on the bystanders, whose attention, however, centred chiefly on the bank officials' display of activity which rivalled the playful mood of the breeze. A few minutes elapsed before all the notes were safely collected, and during that brief space of time the somewhat disconcerted clerk proved that all of New Zealand's athletes had not been sent to the Olympic competitions. Incidentally, too, the incident disproved those doubters who bemoan the present age and insist that the days when good coin of the realm was to be picked up in the street had passed away for ever.