LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160731, 18 August 1920, Page 11

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A number of cases of influenza of the pneumonic type are still being reported, five Irom the Main Trunk district and one in the Marton district being treated during last month. It was decided at to-day’s meeting of the Hospital Board to build, as soon as possible, the offices of the Board at the Hospital, and the building is to be included in the Board’s loan proposals. A protest has been lodged against the carrying of the recent poll to raise £ 10,000 to tar-seal the main roads in Wcodville County, and it will be heard at Woodville oii August 25th, says a Press Association message. The case in which Albert James Wilfred Carpontier, of Wanganui, was charged with indecently assaulting two littlo girls aged 4.) years and 5 years and 5 months respectively, was continued before his Honor, Mr Justice Chapman at the Supreme Court at Palmerston North yesterday The hearing of the case occupied the whole day, and it was not finished when the Court adjourned. The Wellington Education Board de aided to-day to take a Ballot of teachers in its service on the question of the adoption of a common Dominion grading scheme, and of working in a watertight compartment between the Board as regards future appointments. The chairman emphasised that it was desirable to get the true opinion of all teachers in the Board’s service.—Press Association. During a discussion on the destruction of opossums in the district at the Farmers’ Union meeting this morning, Mr Collins, Kai Iwi, stated that some people considered the animals were not destructive. Farmers were not supposed to shoot them, but they did so. Not only did the opossums eat fruit from the trees at night-time, but they also robbed fruit that was stored away. Last week he found that an opossum had taken 24 apples from a box. At the Farmers’ Union meeting today it was reported that the grass grub had occasioned considerable loss to farmers in certain parts of the Wanganui district this year through its ravages on the pasture lands. Formerly, the grub operated mainly on the light grass lands, but this year it had got into the heavy land as w r ell. A large black grub had also made its appearance. It was decided to refer the matter to the Agricultural Department with a request that it do its best to find a remedy to counteract the activities of the grub. A long criticism of the Health Department’s new' Bill to be introduced this session came before the Hospital Board to-day from the Oamaru Hospital Board, in which strong objection was made against some of the proposals. Dis cussing the Bill, Mr Ritchie said that it seemed to him as if the Department required pruning, also that it appeared as if it had been experimenting at the public expense. Mr Fletcher said that the proposals would penalise smaller local bodies and would compel them to merge into the larger authorities. It was decided to support the southern authority's protest. - In speaking to a remit from the Rapanui branch of the Farmers Union at the Sub-Provincial Executive meeting tq-day, Mr Hodges stated that he considered that at the present time the organisation of the Farmers’ Union was far too unwieldy and that reoxganfisntion was urgently required. He pointed out that for the last 20 years enthusiastic farmers had been working in the interests of the Union and at the present time they were not much further ahead and did not carry the weight they should do. Their methods were too slow and not up-to-date and the expense by overlapping was considerable. In connection with the recent meeting in the Druids’ Hail anent the railway station site question, the Mayor stated at the Borough Council table last evening that he considered he. should have been asked to preside. We are requested to state that the organisers of the meeting intended no discourtesy to the Mayor when arranging for Cr. Richardson to take the chair, and that his Worship was so informed prior to the meeting. The reason for tho arrangement being made was that, as the Mayor was a strong supporter of the Racecourse site, it was felt that it would be placing him in an unfair and invidious position to ask him to presidj over a m.-efing of protest against it. Further, a statement to this effect was made at the meeting before Cr. Richardson took the chair.