LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 17789, 11 February 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Borough Council are holding over the erection of the municipal library and museum until the initial plans are laid before the .Council. .Music teachers are notified in another column that entries for the Trinity College musical examinations close on Friday, February 20. Forms on application to the local secretary, Miss Violet Price, 66 Dublin Street. The question of condemned dwellings was raised at a meeting of the Borough Council last night. The opinion was expressed that in view of the acute housing problem it was not desirable at the present time to demolish any building that was habitable. Attention is called to an advertisement in this issue concerning compulsory and other students at the Technical College. Students must enrol during the last week of February In order to ensure their admission to the classes they wish to join. ■F

In the past year the Borough | valuations have increased by £17,000, I from £194,000 to £211,000. The first case under the Secret Commissions Act of 1.910 will be beard in the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Friday next, when the manager and an employee of a wholesale motor firm will be charged with having paid a secret commission to an officer of the Tourist Department in order to obtain an advertisement for a motor journal. About 5000 British soldiers, officers, and men have offered themselves as candidates for ordination in the Anglican Church. Those who have been accepted have been sent on to a Test School at Knutslord, which has been opened in the old gaol there. The Rev. P. E. James, the new vicar of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland, declares that these men would be one of the ’driving forces of the church in future.

Arrangements are well in hand for the Group 20 Rifle Association Meeting, which is to be held on Saturday, 14th February. Unfortunately, the matches for the Cadets (senior and junior) have had to be postponed. Favoured with good weather the day should prove a big success, and an enjoyable one to both marksmen -and the general public. The services of the Garrison Band have been secured to play selections during the afternoon.

The Defence,Department supplies two artificial limbs to a soldier who has lost a limb on service. The second artificial limb is considered necessary in order that repairs may be undertaken when necessary without disabling the wearer. The regulations provide also that when so recommended by the medical officer, a soldier who has suffered amputation of either leg may be provided with “one peg leg" in addition to the two artificial legs of modern type.

A writer in a Quensland paper has given this interesting statementßain fell at four o'clock one afternoon, and at one o’clock the following day lambs were to be seen nibbling down near the creek. On investigation it was found that the grass was a quarter of an inch long, and odd blades were half an inch in length. This was 21 hours after rain fell. In two days the lambs were look-

ing quite full again, and in five days sheep that could hardly move Were quite sprightly. The scene of this wonderful transformation was Prairie, North Queensland. If all Town Clerks were as vigilant in the interests of their ratepayers as is Mr A. 11. Knigge, Town Clerk of the Marton Borough Council, the cost of the necessities of life might be kept within reasonable limits, writes our travelling reporter. A short time ago the bakers at Marton advertised that on and after Ist January they would raisie the price of the 41b loaf, delivered, from i’-jtl to fid Mr Knig:,- quietly wrote to the Board of Trade, forwarding a copy of the advertisement. A reply hr.s been received from the Board, sta-iig that the bakers in question have been communicated with, inforn ing them that they would have t<i revert to their original prices for bread. Thus the householders of Marton have to thank their watchful Town Clerk for keeping the cost of the staff of life within reasonable bounds. Messrs C. P. Brown and G. J. Park, on behalf of the Technical Callege, again waited upon the Borough Council last night in regard to the proposed hostel site at Victoria Park. In a desultory discussion it was indicated that the Council was prepared to stand by its former decision, but. on the other hand the Council would be glad if the school authorities could find some other site. In this connection the Springvale reserve was mentioned, but Mr Brown was of the opinion it was not drained sufficiently. The deputation indicated that the props” v known as Price’s House, opposite the Y.M.C.A., might, be secured, but it would be more suitable for a girls’ hcftel Cr Thompson commented on the lack of support for the Technical College from the farming community in the initial stages. No motion was tabled, as a rescinding motion is on the tapis. » Legal advice has been received by the Canterbury Education Board that, as a result of amending legislation passed last session, repealing the definition of “resident householder,” all householders, no matter where they may live, providing that they have children attending a school, may vote at the election of the school committee controlling such school. It was pointed out in discussion by the board that, under the new definition, a householder could vote at the election of and be elected to two committees— the one in the district, in which he lived and the one that his children were attending. This was regarded as unfair and undemocratic, and it was decided to recommend to the Department that no householder be allowed to vote at the election of two committees or to sit on two committees.

In these days (says the Manawatu Times) when there is a tendency for everybody to lean on everybodyand the whole lot to lean on the Government, and when the theory is being promulgated that it was only in the old days that grit and merit found adequate reward, there is room for shining examples of the other kind of thing. It is to be found right here on the spot. Two Palmerston boys are at Victoria College. They are the sons of fairly well-to-do parents, but they have decided that if the world’s an oyster they will do the. opening. So they have made a practice of filling their vacations in useful employment. They argue that a change of work is as good as a spell; and twice For a time they were in the Barvest fields, then they heard that gAI money was to be made cutting papeWn the Times office, and they seived aWoell at that. With a few weeks to spariAiiid with accrued energy from their they have secured a job as benjuffoaders in a flaxmill. To do tins.-*" 7a necessary to ioin the Flaf ®js jerr Union. They did that, too. One of these boys has earned £45 since the middle of November, and a lot of va* liable experience has come to him with the coin, with a fair measute of “roughing it” thrown in. We don't know what the other has earned, but. like his mate, he is bronzed and muscular, and fully fit for all the tasks of life. These boys will take back to the College arena added forces with which to excel in the battle of life.

It is stated that a soldier syndicate is being formed in Masterton with a view to applying to the Government for the purchase of one of the best-improved properties in the Gladstone district. A Gisborne motorist, Mr J. Bur gess, of the firm of Burgess and Parmlnter, has purchased a Bleriot monoplane, which he eacpects to arrive in Gisborne shortly. It is fit ted with a Y type Auzani engine. Advanced classes in Arts. Law and Commerce are advertised in another column. Any persons interested should enquire as soon as possible lal the Technical College for further particulars.

Amongst those who fell victims to the hotel thief at New Plymouth were several Hawera residents, visitors for the races. Speaking of the affair, one said that although another hotel had ben visited the previous night no warning had been given, and consequently no precautions had been taken. Had the warning been given, the guests would have been on the qui vive.

The question of the formation of a farmers’ co-operative shipping company may be discussed at a conference of farmers’ co-operative societies and other organisations during the present veer A similar conference was held shortly after the outbreak of the war, and it was then stated that a capital of £5.000,000 could be raised, and the Prime Minister was interviewed regarding the matter of a Government subsidy. Owing to the war, the matter was indefinitely postponed, and latterly it lias continued to remain in abeyance, owing to the absence of information as to what action the Imperial Government intends to take in respect to the* control of shipping. “New Zealand ranks very high from a scientific standpoint compared with any other country, ’’ said a New Zealand business man. discussing his impressions with a Christchurch reporter after a twelve months’ tour through America, and portion of Europe. “In addition,” he remarked, “we are entitled to boast of the. up-to-dateness of our wharf and general shipping arrangements. I was surprised to find that New York is not the equal of any NewZealand port in the matter of facilities for handling cargo. Our civic control of trams and roads will also stand comparison with anything I have seen abroad. Where some of our cities do lag, and I must particularly except Christchurch, is in the realisation of the beauty of avenues of trees. The beautiful boulevards and promenades of the older countries are. worth imitating.”

A Japanese fireman who had created a disturbance on his ship, the Admiral Codrington, was tinned over to the Auckland police on Monday afternoon. Yuhachae Sakae was the name under which this particular yellow peril was known, and when ho camo before Mr J. E. Wilson, S.M., his concise defence to a charge of having assaulted the chief officer of the ship was: “I too much drunk.” The evidence given was that when under the influence of drink Sakae had gone to the chief officer's quarters and made a great noise. When the officer tried to induce him to go for’ard, he got quarrelsome, and other members of the ship came and shifted him, despite an effort made by him to keep them off by picking up and brandishing a butcher's knife. He wound up his performance by punching the officer on the back of the head when the latter was not looking. As Sakae had caused trouble on the ship at Colombo by his pugnacity when he got drunk, and had shown a disposition to pull a knife at such moments, he was turned over to the police. Sakae was sentenced to seven days’ hard labour.