LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 17936, 2 August 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sylvia Pankhurst is missing from her home at Bethnal Green, says a London gable. . Simultaneously with the rise in the price of sugar; the pride of factory-made biscuits advanced aii average of 2d per lb all over the Dominion. The Prime Ministter-stated in the House of Representatives on Friday (evening that the Prince ot Wales [will, at the conclusion of his Australian tour, pay a visit to Samoa. ( Rev. Evan R. Harries commenced his | ministry at St. Paul’s yesterday, when :he preached with great acceptance to large congregations in the ffiorning and evening. In the afternoon he took [charge of a combined meeting of the [ Bible classes, fend presided at a comi bined tea. > A Cairo cablegram says:—During [further proceedings against the Vengeance Society, the name of the alleged Australian deserter who. the prosecution asserts, offered to shoot Field Marshal Allenby, was given as Frank Lindsay Taylor. On Thursday last the body of a übwly-born child was found in a pond at Hawera. Detective-Ser-geant Cameron, of Wanganui, and Constable Andrews made inquiries, which resulted in the arrest on Saturday of an 18-year-old girl, who was afterwards''brought before the Court and remanded to appear at Hawera on Tuesday. It was announced by Mr W. J. Polson (Foidell) at a sitting of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union conference, that a sum of 20 guineas had been collected from delegates towards the funds of the Workers' Educational Association. On Mr Polson’s suggestion it was decided that the money should be handed over in aid of the general funds of the W.E.A. and not subscribed towards any provincial fund.

Mr W. D. Powdrell (Patea) intends to ask the Government whether in view of the immense timber shortage in New Zealand and the ever-increasing and exorbitant prices now being charged, they will consider the establishment of State sawmills for the benefit of the people, and so prove whether builders are being exploited by powerful combines? A Post Office r regulation gazetted last fvel'k requires that a letter-box should be affixed to every house door.Unless an elevator is available a postpl delivery will not be made above the first floor of any building. In the case of a house lying back from a street the householder may be required to provide on the .street line a box to receive letters.

The first aeroplane to cross the Ruahines was due to arrive in Palmerston North from Dannevirke on Saturday. During several days' stayin Palmerston passenger flights are to be undertaken. The machine is one of Messrs Walsh Bros.’ de Havilands, and is en route from Auckland to Wellington. It is to be regretted that a call in Wanganui has not been arranged for. Perhaps it is not yet too late.

Discussing the popular impression among workers that large profits were being made in Christchurch by some employers, Mr F. W. Hobbs, at the annua) meeting of the Canterbury Employers’ Association, said that a walk along Hereford and Lichfield Streets, two of the representative commercial thoroughfares, would show that most of the important looking men met there would be salaried officials. Moat of the firms with premises there were companies, and their bal-ance-sheets showed that the profits made gave little to the capital employed. That was the experience of most of t he manufacturing firms, too, not only in Christchurch, but throughout the Dominion. His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner has received Information to the effect that it is proposed in the near future to exhibit in New Zealand a number of films of industrial picof some of the largest manufacturers conditions in important works in the United Kingdom, These films are being taken round the world by an organisation which has the support of some of the lagest manufacturers in the United Kingdom. As at present arranged the pictures will arrive in New Zealand in December of thfe present year and will remain here for some two months, being shown at all the more important centres.

Mr F. P. Taiboys, tramways engineer, returned to town from Wellington on Saturday. He reports that good progress is being made with the boring of the cylinders which were sont to Wellington. So far as the temporary service is concerned, a revised time-table is published in another column. It has been found necessary to alter the Castlecliff time-table, “Puffing,Billy” being unable to maintain the service arranged last week. His thirst and appetite are such that coal and water have to be taken aboard at the Junction each trip. and the fires have to be cleaned out. which makes it impossible to do the journey in the time originally arranged.

Ever since the tramways authorities adopted the objectionable practice of leaving trailers on the loop line in Ridgway Street people have been expecting a fatal accident. That expectation was very nearly realised about 6.30 o’clock on Saturday evening. when a boy named Percy Long, aged 13% years, was run over by a motor car. The boy emerged from behind a. trailer standing at the end of the Ridgway Street loop just as the motor car came along St. Hill Street. The boy was badly cut about fhe face and hands, the car evidently going right over him. He was taken to the hospital, where he is doing well. lis to be hoped this accident will convince the authorities of what has long been obvious to everybody else, viz.. that trailers left right at. the end of the loop line are a menace to public safety. This is from an American Chatauqua programme Mr Papakura is wellknown in his home country as one of the finest tenor soloists the native race has produced. He comes from the Ngapuhi Tribo of the North Island, and is grandson of the famous Rotorua Thermal Region Guide. Sophia, known to world travellers. Mrs Papakura is a. representative of the Ngaitahu Tribe oi the South Island. Miss Repuana is from the Whanganui, an island tribe. Miss Tauri, leader of the folk dances and special vocalist, is from t’he peaceful Whanganui and Tuwhareroa Tribes. Mr O. Tanupotiki Haddon is a descendant of Titikowaru, of the West Coast, the great fighting chief of the Ngatiruanui Tribe. In company with the Maoris on the Ijist evening comes Leila M. Blomfield. New Zealand writer and lecturer with a beautiful illustrated lecture on the Island Dominion of the South Seas Her lecture is of intense interest, and packed full of information that is new io the people of this country.”

“It is most unjust that a man shold have to pay a tax on what' he has not got—on a debt.” remarked a delegate at the conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, when the present system of taxation on mortgages was under discussion. It was urged that the present taxation of mortgages was grossly unjust, and should be repealed. Several delegates contended that the man who advance dmoney on mortgage should pay the tax, not the borrower of the money. The money lent could be regarded as part of the lender’s income and .taxed accordingly. “It is a most iniquitous tax,” declared -one speaker, “as W’e are taxed on our mortgages and on our income.” Sir Joseph Ward it was stated), when he was Minister of Finance. >as approached on the matter, and said that the purpose of the mortgage tex was to make money cheap by keeping -down the rate of interest. Mr W. J. Polson. (Fordell) said it had to be recognised that money had to be raised somehow. Were the mortgage tax lifted it was likely that the land tax would be increased, and the question arose as to whether it was worth while agreeing to that. Other delegates urged the conference to be careful in what it did regarding taxation matters, as the problem was full of difficulties. After further discussion the conference carried the following remit from Southland: “That this conference is of opinion that the exemption of £1 500 on account of mortgages is not adequate, and recommends that it be increased to £3000.”

i The dates of the Wanganui Agrir cultural Show have been fixed for ' the 17th aud 18th of November. ■ Owing to the diminishing prospects I ’ of exporting, potatoes in South Canter 3 bury are now being quoted at £2 10s to [ ’ £2 15s per ton on trucks A witness, in giving evidence at the | Arbitration Court at Wellington, when ■ I t.ho efficiency of linotype operators was. 1 v under discussion, said that on racing [ I tracks some men were faster than oth- ! J ers. “Yes,” replied Mr Pinini, “and is ’ ir, not also a fact that the quickest men ' get all the money?" 5 “ There is an urgent demand for some . better system of enr-marxing than prevails in New Zealand to-day,’’ said Mr C. K. Wilson (Te Kuiti) speaking at ' the Farmers’ Union Conference. “As the position now stands a man catr ear- [ [ mark his own sheep and be had up for [ sheep steadiing in respect of them af- I ’ forwards. ’’ He moved: “That the Min-: 1 ister for Agriculture be asked to purge j ■ the roll of registration of brands and] ■ ear marks.” The motion was carried, j [ A brutal assault was committed i ’ upon a w'ell-known local resident as ■ he was entering his home on Satur [ day night, after 10 o’clock. The per- [ 1 petrator of the deed gave his vic- ’ tim a stunning blow on the head - with a sand bag or some other wea- [ j pon, and left him unconscious. He was found lying on the garden path t two hours later. Apparently robbery ’ was not the object of the assault, ; which appeared as if it was deliber- ' ately planned. The police have the "; mattef in hand. JI Everyone who has occasion to ■ . [travel to Picton or Nelson will be in- > [terested in the announcement that [ - jthe services are to be improved with- 1 - in a month or two. It is stated that ] - the Mararoa is to replace a steatper [ jwhich will be used solely for a Wei-lington-Picton run. The general ex- . IpecfaHon is that the vessel selected \ [by the Union Company will be the: lArahura, though some Marlborough : ' [residents cherish hopes of seeing the [ ILoongana. Details as to sailing days |: [ [and hours are still a matter of spe- , jculations. nor is it known how the j [inauguration of a special Picton ser- ' [vice will affect the present Welling- I ] ton-Nelson-Picton run. at present a I. tryingly long and tedious journey for Nelson passengers. The time is over- | ripe for improvement in both the; Picton and Nelson sailings. Visitors to Christchurch during;' Grand National week, who did not take [' ; the precaution of arranging some time J Mio for accommodation, will have sonic [■ difficulty in obtaining it. A Christ- • church hotelkeeper informed a reporter l] on Friday that his average number of: refusals per day was from twenty to I 1 twenty-five, and this was not a develop-[' ment of the past few days only. One 1 visitor the other day went the rounds;' of thirteen hotels Indore he obtained a l place to “ squeeze in.” which he did pure- T ly by accident. Mr Walter Monk, ad-;, vance representative of the “Mother [< Hubbard" Pantomime Company, which 1 is over 100 strong, is experiencing the ' greatest difficulty in securing accomnio- 1 I dabion for the members of tho company < I lor their stay in Christchurch during i Grand National time. As a result of an t plications to 34 hotels and private i lioardinghouses in Christchurch on Fri- < day, Mr Monk was only able to place 1 one married couple. | It is no fairy tale (says the Rydncv Sun.) A really genuine green sheep can he seen on the Dubbo racecourse. It is a sheep of rare breeding, too. No-; thing common about it, even as it presents one of the rarest sights in the < world’s woollies. It is one of the classic AVanganella breed, and a member of the Strahorn flock of studs. And there it is—not a spot of white or black f [is to bo seen about it, though it is j heavily coated green. Even when it [ wags its stumpy tail it wags a tuft of the most fascinating of emeralds. There j is a Narcissus touch, too, about this woollv wonder, for whenever it chances 1 to see itself reflected in pure water, it * is so filled with admiration that it is ' tempted by a desire to eat itself. This e is hardly to be wondered at, for the jjieep is covered with a dense, rich ‘ growth of trefoil. During the drought J the clover Imrr nestled in its growing cloak, and the recent rain has made t [the transformation It would seem that t !at least one sheep ill the west —a sen- c sible. well-bred one—has responded te the slogan of “More Production.” And a it proves that breeding will tell—even I in sheep. I There are reported to be tons on * tons of potatoes, and the quality is r very, good this year, lying in the r South Island stores. Nature has c been bountiful to the grower this r year, and he wishes she hadn’t. A p merchant informed a representative <[ of the Post that he would be only , too glad to sell potatoes by the sack • to anyone who will come along with [' 11/6 from store in Wellington. They 1 would then cost a fraction over %d i? per pound, and they will keep from ‘ three to four months, and are sound, I' good table sorts. Export to Austra-I. Ila is not permissible. Stimulation : of local consumption by selling at |® 11/6 to 1“/- a sack would no doubt : a help the grower to reduce his holdling. But even after fulfilling all New I Zealand domestic requirements there I would still be a very heavy carryover. What is wanted is-some cheap means of delivery of this superabundance of wholesome and nourishing food, now at bottom prices, into tho t homes of the people. If the people id could be sure of getting the potatoes at the house at % d per pound they :ii would effect a saving in the price of b the article, ease down on bread, ss- h sist the grower, and prevent what [ portends to bo a grievous waste of id [wholesome food for want of a better n land less costly distributing methods | than at present obtain. <b