LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 14521, 19 November 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Conciliation indeed is profitable, but strife begets strife. The annual meeting of the Hamilton Swimming Club will take place at the Baths Room on Monday next, at 7.45 p.m.

It is understood that proceedings arj being taken to upset the recent council election for the Matamata riding. It is alleged that certain ratepayers were hot allowed their full number of votes. The weight of the" three sheep in the weight-guessing competition at the Show was 2'.>2Jlb. The pig turned the scales at 1011 b. The weight of the cattle will not he available till Monday. The cards have not yet been checked. Colonel Koulkes, of the Indian Mcdiral Service, serving with the Koha.t brigade, was shot dead by tribesmen in his bungalow on the 15th. His wife was badly wounded-, but subsequently released.

The Matamata Bowling Club suffered greatly through the gale on Saturday l,.st. The fence on the south-west side was blown down, allowing horses grazing near to tramp and roll on the new lawns. The damage will necessitate a short postponement, of the opening day. Last month an inmate of the military hospital at Trentham sat for, and was biccessful in passing, the examination for a stationary engine-driver's certificate, and a number of other patients who are being instructed in engineering inteod to sit shortly for examination (says the New Zealand Times).

An inquest was held at Ngaruawahia yesterday, before Mr T. Paterson, J.P., on the body of George Knox, a returned soldier, No. 25/1170, which was found on the roadside at Te Kowhai on Wednesday. The verdict in accordance with the medical evil dene; was that the cause of death was double pneumonia accelerated by cold and exposure. The address of his relatives is not known.

The by-election held yesterday to fill two of the vacancies on the Auckland City Council resulted in the return ol Messrs G. R. Hutchinson and J. A. Allum, who constituted the "ticket" supported by the commercial community. The total votes cast for the five candidates who stood were:—G. H Hutchinson, 3405; J. A. C. Ailum, 3J00; .1. F. W. Dickson, 2C39; B. J. Phclan, 2326: 0 Mcßrine, 2124. Mr H. Lind, a New York chiropodist, without disclosing that the. defendant was his wife, recently claimed in the Un,itccl States Supreme Court for £IO,OOO for wrongful dismissal from Mrs Lind. According to the "New York Herald," Mr Lind stated that his wife engaged him at a fixed salary a year ago to manage her business. In May she discharged him, saying she no longer required his scrvic.es. The case, which has been adjourned three limes, is still unsettled.

Up till three years ago camphor was a comparatively cheap commodity (sa>s Ihe Dominion). It could be purchased wholesale in Wellington at 3s 6d per lb anil as it is light in weight a poun 1 could be divided into many cakes for use as an antiseptic and purifier. S : ncc then Japan has become aware l.'iat, in Formosa and Japan, she post sses a world's monopoly and so well iiid she use her powers that the wholesale price soared up as high as 22s 6d per lb (over 600 per cent), and at the present lime the wholesale price of camphor is 18s per lb, as compare I •.' th 3s 6d some three, years ago. The recent racing carnivals at Auckland and Christchurch take priclJ of place in the pictorial section of this week's issue of the Sporting and Dramatic Review, se\en full pages being devoted to a representation of leading incidents. Athletic sports in England are covered in a page of interesting illustrations, while the stage is well to the front, with a beautiful full frontispiece page of Adelaide van Staveren, the gifted singer, and the late Florence Young, tiie popular musical comedyactress.

The Dunedin Star has been informed by a Dunedin merchant that the shipping companies have announced a reduction of £4 per ton in the freight on oats to London—a material reduction being equivalent to about is Gd per bushel. For months past the merchants have been endeavouring to secure a reduction so as to admit of their getting rid of large accumulations of oats that would have been shipped to Australia if the drought there had not been broken. The reduction comes somewhat late (comments the journal), because the Canadians have been beating us for both oats and oatmeal. One satisfactory feature about the position, however, is that further demoralisation of the market will be checked. In the Supreme Court at Darwin recently, Judge Hogan, the Customs officer, appealed from the decision of Major Hogan, sitting as a special magistrate, in a ease in which the defendant w-is charged wilh having had hop beer in his possession containing a certain percentage of alcohol upon which duty had not been paid. Sitting as a magis trate, .Major Hogan dismissed the case, ".'he Customs Department appealed against the decision, and Major Hogan, iHting as judge of the Supreme Court, is hearing the appeal. The case is partly heard. During the last 10 months Major Hogan has combined the following offices: —.iudge nf the Supreme Court, special magistrate, master of the Supreme Court, registrar of probates, commissioner of insolvency, and, for a time, public trustee. At the last meeting of the Wellington Education Board a circular from the Education Department was read, ask ing for an expression of opinion as to hie practicability or otherwise, o" bringing the magic lantern into general use in the schools of New Zealand. The circular suggested that the geographical prints in the schools might well be supplemented by means of the lantern ;:nd that slides largely scientific shou' 1 Le chosen by an ofllcial of the deparlment or of the board, and that they should be interchanged by the schools. The slides and (he lantern, it was pointen out, might also be used out of school •'•curs for social and educational purposes among the adults of the distri:*. The imard decided to leave the matter to the department. There is in the Wellington Central Police Station and, indeed, in every police station, a collection of photographs in the Police Gazette something on tlie lines of the Rogues' Gallery at Scotland Yard (says the Dominion). It is usually spoken of with awe as "the bonk," and it contains the portraits of all those sinister folk who are "known to the police." To be "in the book" is to be in constant peril of being in the dock. The average thief carries—in Ids iiead—such a classified gallery of persons who are "known to the crooks," mostly detectives, and lo meet one of these will) a straight face and steady knees requires of most, some effort as well as a clear conscience. In Sydney recently, one of them, a senior detective, was riding through a suburb on a cable, car. He noticed two men standing by the tram ■ track, "reckon him up" and exchange, notes jumped off the car. The two men tore far their lives, one of them dropping a bag he had been carrying. The detective stepped and examined it—it contained articles worth about £BO. which proved o be the proceeds of a robbery in another suburb the night before. The two young men had expensive consciences.

Those interested in the Plunket Society will notice from our advertising columns that a fifth class has been added to the baby exhibition. A trophy has been given by a friend wishing to give people interested a chance to see what Plunket babies grow into. The tone of the Estey piano will be further demonstrated this evening, when Mr J. H. Gittos, by arrangement with Messrs Ellerrn and Day, Ward Street, will play in their show rooms a number of selections. All those interested should not fail to see these wonderful pianos.*

A sum approaching £15.000, including promises, has been collected for the ejection of war memorials in Christ • church. At the last meeting of the City Council the Mayor said that tlu War Memorial Executive expected that Ihe City Council would be responsible for the underwork in connection with t;je proposed memorial bridge over the Avon at Cashel street. Two members of the Auckland Education Board, Mr E. C. Banks (chairman) and Mr J. S. Bond, waited on the committee of the Hamilton Racing Club, last night,'in reference to securing a site for educational purposes on the Linley estate, at Te Rapa, which has been purchased by the Club for its new course. The Club decided to give the Board three acres of the land at the southern end, the Board's representatives agreeing to purchase a further three acres adjoining at £250 per acre, plus £2OO for roading.