LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14258, 8 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Most men are in the end forced te play the part the world assigns to them. —Setori Mem&an.

A Christchurch Press telegram states that a meeting of all the Labour members in .New'Zealand will be held in Wellington on Thursday, January 15. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states- that-there is still no news of the missing party, intruding Miss Louise Mack, who are supposed to hare missed, their .way on the track crossing the Tararua range. The Tuakau Press has ceased publication. Under ,the stress of the high cost and scarcity of paper many country journals find it difficult to keep going. The Press, is the first to succumb to present adverse conditions.

As showing how the values of land dn Hamilton are increasing, it may be mentioned that a local business man recently purchased a building section at £ls per foot. Within six months lie had sold It at £3O por foot —just double.

The new military hospital buildings at Pukeroa Hill, Rotorua, are now practically finished, and the contractor will hand them over shortly to the Defence authorities. It is' expected that, the doctor’s house and nurses’ quarters will bo completed about the end of February. The Hon. J. G.* Coates, PostmasterGeneral, informed a New Zealand Times ’ representative that further trial trips had been and were being conducted in connection with the proposed aeroplane postal services; but he is not yet in a position to make a public announcement in regard to the matter. A boy named Keith Ryan, of Canberra, was bitten by a tiger snake in bed, and died. The parents heard the child calling out that something was crawling over him. They went to the room and discovered a large tiger snake in the bed. The boy was bitten in several places. Yesterday the Inspector of Weights and Measures paid one of his “surprise" visits to the shops of the Chinese fruiterers in Hamilton. A representative of this journal accompanied him, and closely sorutinised the scale-testing 'operations.. In each instance the test applied was a thorough one, and the scales in the three shops were correct in every particular.

Some time ago the Wellington Farmers’ Meat Company launched out pn a proposal to erect woollen mills in' connection with the meat works at Waingawa (Masterton). The company has now taken another step in its progressive policy by engaging an expert to superintend the, erection of soap and candle works,hn"Much articles will he manufactured both fqr.'io'ijal and foreign consumption. r , ,' I: ' A visit to the: bush area at the end of Kaihu Valley’railway,- North Auckland, will be undertaken jh February by Sir Francis Bell; Corhiniasioner of State Forests. He is to hiake an inspection there and submit aireport in view of the suggestion by'Mrr.JhTrounson that the area should be .acquired by the Government in addition to the kauri park presented to ■ thei-iState -by the latter, and opened in Jandaryelast. ... This week's issue of the Now Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review is a true pictorial ■.souvenir of the Auckland Racing Club 's, meeting at Ellerslie and the Auckland Trotting Club's carnival at Alexandra, Tark, starts ana finishes of the principal events being presented. Full'; page photographs of the New South ' Wales State Orchestra occupy a prominent position, while the Mardi Gras in Napier and a comprehensive series of snapshots of the J. C. Williamson Comedy Company will attract the eye pleasingly. A leading VC'est'. Taupo settler, in conversation with , Times reporter yesterday, stated trial the agricultural prospects in that area were exceedingly good. Quite in‘contrast .to the major portion of the- prdyiricle, rains had been fairly frequent, and the country .was looking fresh and, bright.in appearance. The plenitude" of moisture had shown its results in milk the turnip crops of the district,’the latter being well forward., while'- fe'Od, in general, was in good supply;- , ;;

! . I. •t ■ Mr V. P. Tayloj:, well-known balloon and parachute expect,, had a wonderful escape from death ,at Coogee, Sydney, recently. Mr Taylor made an ascent in a balloon at,3/.<» t J cloek;r, When about 150 ft above the ground; he launched himself over, the.sidg of the car with a parachute, but the latter refused to open. It seemed tprthe-thousands of spectators,, that the. balloonist must be smashed to death but when a few yards from the earth the pajsc,hute opened. This broke his fall sonp,qwhat, but Mr Taylor landed heavif-y. {]!■()., the amazement of the, he appeared to be practically uninjured. The ambulance took him to Sydney Hospital, where Dr. Crowley, on examination, found that he had broken one of the small bones in his right foot and was suffering from general abrasions. Says the Stratford correspondent of a New Plymouth paper: The demand for a magisterial inquiry into the poll preferred by Mr Hine’s supporters is, I understand, backed by some circumstantial reports of double voting by over-zealous partisans of his opponent. A bad feature of the election has been the heavy betting of which eacluside of course has been equally guilty. People would do well to confine their wagering to the orthodox four-footed mediums of speculation and let the biped competitors for Parliamentary stakes run unbacked.

The drift from wheat-growing which has been so apparent in New Zealand ill recent years is just as noticeable in Australia, Sir Joseph Cairuthers, an exPremier of New South Wales, in a recent article in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, warns the country of the danger of the drift. “No farmer in Australia,’’ he states, “with the average yield per acre can to-day produce wheat and pay the honest wages and charges under 5s per bushel at railway station. Hence it is that every sane man is giving up wheat-growing rather than go bankrupt. If the wheat-grower had to pay the avorago city rate of wages, say, 12s per day, with a foreman’s wage to himself, he could not grow wheat under 7s per bushel.” -Mr H. Thompson, hardware merchant of Victoria street, Hamilton, lias decided to open a land agency branch in connection with his business. He has had over 30 years’ experience of land dealing, and with the building trade, and has. a wide knowledge of values.

There is every indication of all goods of Japanese manufacture becoming much higher, as Japan, like other countries is full of labour trouble and unrest. In fact, in many lines, they are discussing the prohibition of export. This is going to make a huge difference to the' goods on which we depend solely on receiving from that country. In view of'this we are buying all the Jap. goods we can, and holding for the benefit of our clients. We have probably enough crepe dressing jackets and kimonos to- last us this season and next. These goods' are well worth buying now, as the' prices' Hare advanced very little at present. Jackets 6s lid, gowns 11s Gel, to 21s. These are elaborately embroidered. —Hall’s Hrapery Stores. The essence of all knowledge is self knowledge. Scientific Charactr Heading by return registered mail. Send birth date, month, year, and'.postal note ss, to T. J. Dunstone, Bo:#, I*llß, Ahicliteod.* -• .i

The Auckland Racing Club’s Carnival and Auckland Trotting Club’s summer meeting resulted in Government funds being increased by £30,584 16s 4d. The Racing Club, contributed £22,00fj Os 7d, including £698 9s 4d amusement tax, and the Trotting Club £8576 15s 9d..

With reference to the demand for the lifting of the war-time restrictions making it necessary for all who leave New Zealand to obtain passports and permits, it was stated to a representative of the Lyttelton Times by a Government official that until other countries abolish the passport system it is useless for New Zealand to do so, for people from Now Zealand are not allowed to land in other countries without passports in their possession. The idea that some people have of trying to make inoffensive foreigners feel small does not always pay. An inebriated fireman made himself a nuisance in a Wellington restaurant the other evening, and when ejected used filthy language and challenged the foreigners within to come forth and fight. One foreigner at length stepped forward, and gave the disturber a sound thrashing, and departed with the remark that he hoped friendly aliens would not bo insulted while visiting New Zealand.

The following recommendations were maed by the conference of North Island Hockey Associations, held at Palmerston North yesterday:—“That subassociations have full representation on the parent association; that the Coromandel and Ohinemurl counties be added to the Thames Association’s territory; that the associations of Horowhenua, Feilding and Manawatu amalgamate in a combined association; that the revision of boundaries recommended be continued, and, if adopted, be subject to revision in not more than two years.”

“They want to have Australia white,” said Dr Truby King, who has recently returned to Now Zealand, “but if they find the Eastern nations more moral,’more noble, willing to make more sacrifices for the continuity of the race, the result must be the same as has been the case with the great civilisations of the past. Greece and Rome went down, not through any failure in the valour and courage of their young men, but because of the increase of luxury, the repugnance to rearing families, followed by decadence and sterility, an'd eventually extinction. If the population of Australia do not do their duty to the race then there cannot be any resistance to other races coming in and populating that fair land.”

One unexpected result of the war is the presentment in Britain of nearly. 3000 ex-olllcers and men as candidates for Holy Orders. The Church of England is stated to have 2500 vacancies in her ministry, and it is obvious that these could not be supplied by better men than those who, in the sternness of active service, have seen what life and death really mean. The Church, as a rule offers no more than the barest living, and these men can only be taking Orders because they believe they have a vocation for It. Field-Marshal Earl Haig, with his keen interest in the welfare of ex-service men, is appealing in England for the money necessary to complete the education of the candidates, and it will be the earnest hope of all well-wishers of the Church that their entry will bring with it a reinforcement of new and vigorous life.

The shortage of bronze is causing much trouble to Melbourne banks, and was keenly felt recently. One institu- , tion which required between £IOO and £2OO worth of pennies and half-pennies sought in vain for supplies. It is thought (says the Argus) that almost the only source from which stacks can be immediately replenished is to be found in children’s saving boxes, and several of the banka are offering to pay something ove - ' and above the value of bronze delivered to them. The demand for eopper coins was keen On account of Christmas trade, and supplies for shopkeepers have been depleted by the extension of electric tramways and the 2d telephone charges, penny-in-tbe-slot machines, and fractional prices at hotels and restaurants.

In that course of his journey to Britain and portions of Europe, Mr Harold Beauchamp, chairman of the Bank of New Zealand, visited Ostend. Describing the visit on his return to New Zealand. Mr Beauchamp said; “It 'was almost the close of the season when I was at Ostend, yet the town was full of visitors, •mos'tly of the tripper class. Thousands were indulging in bathing, whilst large numbers patronised the race meetings (held almost daily), the Casino, and other places of amusement. With bands playing and people indulging in all forms of enjoyment, it was difficult to realise that only a few months ago Ostend was in the occupation of the Huns! The city was not damaged much by the enemy.