LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Western Star, 3 February 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

T(IC London butter market is, good at current prices. . Danish/ is clown 20s, soiling. at ISOs. , Salted New Zealand is .selling at 140 s to 145r> for choicest and 125 s to 130 s for secondary;. choicest; unsaltod 140 s to 1435; secondary 125 sto 1355. ■Cheese' is .in firmer demand. New Zealand white 90s to 925, coloured 94s to 90s. ‘

Some time ago the Government decided! that ■ no further , reparation grants—that is, loans for purchase of furniture and for stock and plant' to start in business—should be made after June 30, 1022. The* secretary of the Christchurch. Returned Soldiers’ Association has now received advice that this! does-. not* apply to returned soldier patients who are in hospital on June 30, and applications tor leans made by them after that late -will be considered.

Or Herbert’s statement that cancer was probably the most frequent cause of death in New Zealand to-day is borne out by the mortality .statistics; for the year 1921, published in the ' Gazette.’ Out of a total of 5,445 deaths recorded, with . causes, in urbafi areas last year, no fewer than 562 were attributed to cancer in various' parte of the body—more than 10 per cent, of the total death*. To tuberculous in its various forms were assigned-. 419 cases/ of death, pneumonia accounted for 324 (including broncho-pneumonia), and Bright’s disease 190. Organic diseases of the heart were re,sponsible fpr 752 deaths.

Very lenient treatment (isays the Auckland ‘Star’) was meted out to a youth at - Gisborne rcpently, who pleaded /guilty to boring a hole through a partition to enable him to peep into the ladies’ dressing room on the beach. It i« on record that the original “Peeping Tom’’ ivas struck blind as a punishment for hi* surreptitious view of Lady Godiva. His Gisborne discipld wais ordered to come up for sentence when called ujion, was - further ordered to pay costs (7s), and the magistrate directed that hi* dame be not pub lie bed,, as the offence was only one against “ decency and propriety,” rather than against the Taw. It is- not recorded that an apology was tendered to tho delinquent for prosecuting; hint!

Wholesale rates for flour, are bound to fall, it is said, and in consequence by about the end of February broad ought to be one penny cheaper, for the large loaf. In the North Island bakers have been buying very sparingly, knowing that the price must' come down, and their ocks are now bo low that they lr to kr'p on buying full quantities each week for their regular trade. The total demand appears to be jus heavy as ever. A Christchurch merchant said! tho other day that most of the authorities expected the first drop in flour to amount to £3 per ton. There was every indication of a record- wheqt harvest, and world prices were falling. The tone of the recent communications rsent- out by Mr! .Massey to farmers’ organisations strong!;, - suggested that a reduction of the rate, f.0.b., wa* on the cards.

During the unloading operations ,at ti'.e Picton wharf hast week one of \Virth(’.e menagerie cages ran off a railway truck, and fell with ;a crash

'jo tween the truck anti steamer, nays the ‘Marlborough Press,’ The thought of escaping wild- beasts did not appeal to- the tar tie crowd of on lookers, and a rush was at once made for safety. However, there wats no cause for alarm, as the cage not ony remained intact, hut it was found to contain nothing more dangerous than per:ermine; dogs.

With eggs and butter much cheaper some housewives have been wondiering if the price of pastrycooks' fancy goodts would, be reduced '(says , the Auckland ‘Star’). The fact in, however, that the price of bread and pastry goods is, of course, fixedl by the Government, and is not likely to he altered until after the New Zealand wheat crop has been safely harvested and the extent of the yield ascertained. Meanwhile as the price of wheat hae been fixed l , import of that grain, or its products, from Australia is not permitted. At a meeting of the High Schools Board, reports on Smith and Cio.’s application, for lease of section 37, block 3, Wairio district, Mr Stevenson’s lease, • section 9, . block 27, Nightcaps CoAs ' lease, section 38, block 3, and C. -I. Drain’s application to; lease 4 of section 9, block 27, AVai•rr.ki, were held over. The secretary stated that i,t was reported that a lessee of the Board hag disposed of his interest for £7500 and 1/- a ton Royalty, and the opinion, was expressed that legislation should be parsed to prevent trafficking in leases.

Contrary to expectations, therq ha* been a large enrolment of new pupils at the Southland Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools and Technical College, and this year’s attendance*; constitute a record., The increase in the Girls’ Sehpul is lid, total roll number now being 2SG, which will moan eleven assistants' besides the Lady Principal, Alias Anna Dtennan, At.A., who has just been appointed. M.isis Drennan in a graduate of Edinburgh University, and, before coming to New Zealand, took a course in the Edinburgh Training 'College. Her testimonials are of, the best, and her

personality is - such an will edmimand the heartiest co-operation of. pupils and teachers alike. The increase in the Boys’ School is 87, the roll imbiber "thus being increased to 235. Ait. extra assistant will be required at this school,'' which with the G*irls’ School, ' did exceedingly well at the annual examinations. The increase in the 'number at the Technical 1 College is 79; roll nupiber, 363—an evidence of its growing! popularity. The total number of pupils at- yhe three schools is 881. ;

A commercial traveller, a thrifty follow, got married, and, deciding to kill two ffiirdn with one stojie, took his wife over the district he, “worked ’’ for her., honeymoon trip. ' ‘ Chr the way he couldn’t help boasting to her of how well he wan known on the round. “ Why,’’ he endled up, one brilliant oration on his popularity, “ at the Buqn and Barnacle, at Little Mitch, they not only always reserve, a place for me, but,a knowing how I lik' 1 Honey, 1 they invariably put a plate of it on my table, even when it .is .not on The bill .of fare.” -Arrivedui. the Beau and Barnacle) the commercial discovered to his chagrin that lor romp inexplicable reason his honey, .had been forgotten. “Waiter, ”nv said, crcqsly, “ whbre is my lidneyP ” “ She left last week, sir” said! the waiter.

A story of Major-General Seely, j formerly Secretary of State for War, ! v/aR told by Lord French at a meetling in London recently. He said j General Seely first served undfir him, then became his chief as Secretary j for. War, and again served, under him in Frame. On the latter occasion ho 1/ad to give him what was known «b a- good damning.” “He Lad only been in the field a week,” continued Lon'i French, “when my Chief of •Stall’ came to me in horror and said j the Duke of Westminster and Colonel Seely had been captured. It was not( time, but it ought to have Seen.' ■ They had actually penetrated, the enemy’s otitpostis before Mons. That is how Colonel, Seely used to 1 get hie information. It was very first-hand-indeed.” ,

The condition of the notes issued by local hanks seems to be going from bad to- wonse (states the Christchurch ‘,Sun"). A clerk in a large city establishment /vent to the bank on Thursday to cash the weekly wages cheque. . He was tenderedl ise-vcral bundles of filthy and obnoxioii-s notes, and remoniitrated with the teller. Others were substituted, and they included! many notes in such a estate of djrt and dilapidation that the date of issue was indecipherable. Obhers in a slightly less foul condition bore dates 1914, and' onwards. The Minister of Ptiblib Health is ' very solicitous just rtow about the rat nuisance, and, as rate are partial to wiper, wc suggest that lie 'request the' banks to call in half of the. present circulation, and, after duly cancelling the notes, they might bo distributed as rat poiison. ,

Storms ravaged the country districts of New South Wales in the second week of bust inontji, 'and tins is one remarkable incident in connection therewith related by the Sydney correspondent of the Otago Daily Times:—On the banks of the Wolkmdiilly, near Rossiville, Mr T). McDonald had some' cattle' grazing. The willows along the river afforded, excellent shelter. The terrific winds mert along the valley and bent the ate willows double. A bullock was b eding (.jircetly under the fork of a ’all tree when the hurricane buret, t'iie, tree, writhing alyiost double-, 'levied downward, the forked branefb gripping the ox from neck to Hank and cloning on the doomed; animal’ like a living vice. To an onlooker it '•‘coined as if the tree had bent and ■picked the animal off the ground. One instant the bullock was feeding; tiii! next he was swinging in 'niid r a s ir, the life crushed out of him by the forked branch. After the wind had

•Torra-:! the carcase iya„ ■s o tightly held that the branch had to be sawn through to release it, •

There are at present on view in Mr A. F. Stock’s lower shop some splendid, carnation blooms, ' grown by' Mr A. Brand ford. Although these floijrors were transferred from Invercargill at an unfavourable time of the year they haVe been nursed to a high standard, Among] them are John 'Knox, Mellon Prior, Thaddeuis, Gloriosa, Airs Robert Morton, Mark Twain, and others. Air Stock also has on. view two very Tine oil paintings of t Otira Gorge by W. C. Robb. These specimen;-; were procured by Air A. ' More whilst'* on his West Coast trip . recently, and give a splendid idea of the 1 beautiful scenery. Apr Robb is a son-in-law of Atm S. G'. Alore, late of Riverton.

The burning question, of tlte\ rebate and excursion fares to the Riverton Regatta was again discussed at ‘ the meeting of tli’e Regatta Club on Thursday evening. Although " theRailway department provide an ad*mirable train service for Riverton’s annual pveut, visitors from) Invercargill only beuefit by the concession in fares, and Winton, Tuatapere and Nightcaps get only the usual holiday reduction, which iis very slight,, cn the regular fate, while this Regatta Club gets',no rebate from the tickets sold on these sections., It has been 'suggestedi to the Traffic AlAnager—and we understand that Air „ Morgan ban Taken cognisance of it—that- on these tines the Department should take as a basis a fair average day’s- takings, and out of the profit which would be created through the traffic to the regatta the Club be granted 10 per cent. It was also thought that, a special concession should be given the residents, of these places- for that ’day to travel to Riverton. This arrangement would enable a far larger section of the ycpiinunity 1 to come to the seaside,- increase tlie railway taking, and benefit ‘the regatta. During the week the Southland boat Alurihiku, ‘which has been entered for the Sander’s Cup race, has/ been given trial runs, the reeblts having been very eatsifaCtory. By regulations these one-designed sailing dinghies, as they are technically termed,; must be 14ft over all in length, with a beam of sft 9in; moulded depth’ amidships not under Ift 9in; keel, Gin x irin; mast,; 18ft over all; boom, no! exceding 13ft Gin over all; gaff, not to exceed 9ft over all; 'bowsprit, ffft Gin outboard; rudder, not more than lft i Gin below water-level. No nails are to bo set past-the bowsprit. Only four sails tnay be set at one time- The mainsail is not/to exceed 130 ft area; tffe jib, 20ft; the other sails are the spinnaker anc!| the leading jib. A r ,storm jib may ba uned whqn the mainsail is reefed. No battens in' head sails are, allowed. Ac, to the crew,' it is specified that the minimum number is three and the maximum . (for heavy weather) four.

i One of the many uncongenial ,task? n liich falls to the lot of 1 the police countable is the escorting of l mien tab patients to asylums. Three pfficere to the New Plymouth-Wellington Express on Friday afternoon, who were accompanying an insane man, ; had to exert all their strength to restrain their charge from* carrying., out his evident intention—quickie. The man not being, in. a straight-jacket, he was most difficult to control, and he struggled, so much that every window in the compartment -was i siiiaslied wheu the train arrived at Palmerston. The unfortunate man was in a frenzy, and struggled with lm .captors in a maniacal fury when the train drew into the railway platform. With the, assistance of' three railway officials, f!m constables at length* had the patient securely trussed up iff a ntiapght-jackct, which wae procured from the local police station. ■'operation took over 15 minutes to perform, and, the train was delayed 2Q minutes. •

A rich harvest, o'f bargains in olaufcets, flannel tweeds, etc., at a big discount' for cash, enabling Xlh , to offer these- attractiyp fif/ 'pieces good colonial flannel, «al- e nrien ;/!!;- 1/9, 1,-11, 2/3, 2/6. m hrary colonial' , Mmkots f„ donM( . bOo.s, do/- pair; single beds,'' 95/. extra large te, 09/6 pair.' Flannel tweeds joOinrs. wide, all pure wool ill nnd .grey,, a t 6/11; t navy brown, dark , ? re 7, ; fawn heather at 11/6 yard. Colonial velour cloth, 061ns wide, in henna, maroon, navy brown, mile price 16/6 yard. Colonial all wool coatings, 56ins • wide, ’ good designs and colours from 13/6, 14/6, W 6. Coatings, - 56ins. wide in a ! n^ iety i °- f • ; dcisi S ns from ,7/11, o/11, 10/6. A visit of i'liKipection will •)o to ycur advantage at H Av - T SMITH. Ltd., Tay street, Invercargill, ant,! Main street, Gore.—Advt. '