LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18439, 24 March 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Wellington Hospital Board of Management yesterday decided to levy a uniform fee of 9/- per day and £3 3s per week, with half rates to children.

Good progress is being made with the foundation of the permanent powerhouse at Mangahao. The site is right in the lied of the stream, which has been turned. A large quantity of concrete work has already been done. The monthly meeting of the Wa-nganui-Rringitikei Power Board was held at Marton yesterday, the business being practically all of a routine nature. Mr W. P. Gauvain, who carried out the Hora Hora power scheme and is at present consulting engineer to the Thames Valley Power Board, attended the meeting and gave some interesting details of power boards’ operations in general. The dispute between the Gonville Fire Brigade and the Town Board has advanced another stage, the trustees of the Brigade having received notice to remove all their plant from the Board’s premises. We understand a public meeting is to be held at an early date, at which a proposal will be submitted condemning the action of the Town Board in putting the ratepayers to allegedly unnecessary expense at the present time.

In. Sydney the wholesale price of butter was advanced a penny per lb. A Delhi cable says: Gandhi was removed by special train from Ahmedabad to Yaravada Gaol, near Poona.

A steamer is leaving Te Kopuru (Dargaville) for Sydney this week with 2,000,000 fee’t of timber. The date of the sitting of the Arbitration Court at Wanganui has been altered to April 7th. The Wanganui-Rangitikei Power Board have decided' to invite applications for the position of consulting engineer, and will deal with same at the next meeting. A property with a frontage of 22ft 6in. to the southern side of Courtenay Place, Wellington, recently changed hands at £6590. Only last year an objection was lodged to this property being valued as high as £2600 for rating assessment. It is stated that there is now a posibility that no referendum will be taken on the question of Sunday games on the Taihape Oval Domain, as no power is given under the municipal Corporations Act to take a referendum on such a subject. The one-armed prisoner, Arthur Dominic Plunkett, who escaped from Dunedin gaol in November last, while undergoing a sentence for forgery, was recaptured on Wednesday afternoon at Chatto Creek, in Central Otago. At the Supreme Court at Blenheim. yesterday, in the case of W. T. Mansfield, ex-town clerk, against the Blenheim Borough Council, claim of £lOOO for alleged wrongful dismissal, plaintiff applied for a change of venue to Wellington. Judge Hosking reserved his decision. At the Stipendiary Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, Cecil Harold Pugh was charged with the theft of £lO5 1/ from the Post Office and Telegraph Department. The police asked for a remand until Monday next, which was granted, bail being allowed as before.

At the Supreme Court at Blenheim yesterday, John Emlyn Thomas was charged with the manslaughter of Rose Stafford on September 24, by alleged negligent driving of a motorcar. It was alleged that accused was under the influence of liquor at the time of the accident. The jury, after a retirement of about five hours, returned a verdict of not guilty.

It is not generally known that practically every pound of tea which comes into New Zealand is subject to a duty of 5d., of which the Commonwealth Government gets 2d, and the New Zealand Government 3d. In the rare cases when tea comes direct from India, ths duty is 3d per lb., but generally it has to be transhipped at Sydney. The Minister of Public Works will visit the district at an early date. The opportunity will he taken by the Wanganui-Rangitikei Power Board to approach him in connection with power requirements. The Board are desirous of securing 3000 h.p. and ascertaining the price and particulars in regard to raising a loan. The fullest particulars will be placed before the Minister in regard to past negotiations in regard to power.

Mr Flanagan, Valuer-General, questioned about the report that he advised a Ngaroto farmer, James Smith, to file in bankruptcy, said Smith had shown on paper what his liabilities, other charges and revenue from his property would be, and he saw it was impossible to carry on. Mr Flanagan advised him to see his mortgagees. Smith said they had already declined to give assistance. Mr Flanagan says he gave Smith no advice.

Arrangements have been made for Messrs. B. P. Lethbridge, Hope Gibbons and F. Purnell, representing the Wanganui-Rangitikei Power Board, to meet representatives of the Manawatu—Oroua Power Board at Palmerston North next Monday to discuss the advisability of raising a joint loan. The suggestion has been made if various power boards amalgamated it would be possible to approach the Government and get a loan on the London market under more favourable conditions than otherwise would be possible.

A reminiscence of the Great War was the receipt just recently by Mr and Mrs E. G. Cox, of 92 Glasgow Street, of three memorial plaques issued among others by the Defence Department for their sons, George, Mervyn and Norman, who were killed in action. Mr and Mrs Cox are also proud possessors of a letter of sympathy from Brigadier-General G. E. Richardson, concluding with the cherished words: “The devotion of those soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

Following are the results of the dancing events at St. Patrick’s Sports at Wellington:—Girls.—lrish Reel, under 16: P. McMillan, 1; J. McLachlan, 2; H. Needham, 3. Highland Fling, under 12: R. Taylor, 1; Z. Carroll, 2; E. Wright, 3. Reel o’ Tulloch, under 16; P. McMillan, 1, J. McLachlan, 2; E. Farrow, 3. Sailors’ Hornpipe, under 12: Z. Carroll, I ; R- Bushby, 2; G. Smyth, 3. Irish Jig, under 12: I. Morse, 1; E. Wright, 2; G. Smith, 3. Irish Jig, under 16: P. McMillan, 1; J. McLachlan. 2; J. Taylor, 3. Irish Reel, under 12: I. Morse, 1; K. O’Connor, 2; G. Smyth, 3. Irish Hornpipe, under 16: P. McMillan, 1; J. McLachlan, 2; L. McKay, 3. Irish Reel, open: May Thorne, 1: T. McKenzie, 2; P. McMillan, 3. Challenge Irish Jig: T. McKenzie, 1; P. McMillan, 2; May Thorne, 3; 12 competitors in the last event.

Wandering stock are a source of annoyance and danger to the residents of Castlecliff. Last night Nemesis, in the form of a tram car, overtook one of these noctural wanderers, and the consequent impact resulting in the death of the unfortunate animal, a big draught horse. It appears that the horse, evidently disputing the right of way, first tried conclusions with car No. 13, on which it inflicted some damage with a weighty pair of heels. Later on, however, car No. 11 came along and challenged the belligerent gee-gee to mortal combat. The clash was short and decisive, and when the car moved on towards its seaside destination it left a very dead horse on fhe roadside. In the interests of its constituents the Town Board might well give its serious attention to this wandering stock nuisance.