LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15184, 9 March 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Press Association message front Christchurch states that the ordinary time-table has been resumed on the West Coast line, although the derailed locomotive lias not yet been replaced on the rails. The 4th Waisalo Regimental Band, under Lieut. A. Salter, will render a programme of music at Ferry Bank on Sunday, at 8.15 p.m., and at Ngaruawahia at 2.30 p.m. Infant mortality in Britain in 1922 was 77 per 1000, the lowest ever recorded. Despite the lower birth-rate, Britain’s natural increase in 1922 amounted to 293,358, which is 34,000 over the average for the last live years.

A false aiarm of lire was given to the Hamilton Brigade at 7.11 last evening from Cook Street, Hamilton East. The mistake occurred through small boys calling out “lire,” and a resident mistaking it for a genuine appeal telephoned to the station. The secret of seasoning timber in a fortnight lias been discovered, and a factory is now being erected in Paris for treating wood on a large scale. By treatment with warm air and ozone in specially constructed chambers, the moisture in fresh wood is evaporated out, and by chemically* turning the sap into oxidised resins, [lie wood contracts without distortion. The ladies of Hamilton are beginning to realise that since Hooker and Kingston have commenced tneir special price shopping days, it is easily the best store to trade. Price'S are casli down to make buying the host possible. For instance, you can buy unbleached roller towelling for 9Jd yard, strong tea towelling for Is 4Ad yard! 27in. strong white towelling foils lid. and beautiful unbleached table damask for 2s IDI yard. Hooker and Kingston’s are recognised as Hie best store to save your nion'o on every purchase, and they can prove it.*

i ' V'Y,' . , At a meeting of the executive ox the Auckland Returned Soldiers}? Association it was decided % to hold Poppy Day on April 24. Clarence McGeady, land agent and building contractor, and Jones and Holloway, electricians, of Hamilton, were adjudged bankrupt to-day. “I think the people of New Zealand ‘overclothe’ their boys .and ‘underclothe’ their girls,” said Dr. Elizabeth Gunn at Palmerston North, when lecturing on “Vigorous Childhood." The Wanganui Borough Council has decided to ask the ratepayers to sanction a loan of £106,518 for developing the present gravitation water supply, and providing additional storage capacity.

The Mayor and members of the Rotorua Borough GounciJ, wore sworn in on Wednesday night, Mr William Hill, ex-resident Government officer, administering the oath. Considerable interest was taken in the proceedings. The general opinion is that the council will prove a goodAvorking team.

A request for the establishment of a manual training and cookery centre at Huntly was made yesterday to the Minister for Education, the Hpn. G. J. Parr, by a deputation from the Huntly School Committee. The Minister stated the rcciuest must for the present be refused. Advice has been received that the United States’ ship Ontario, attached to the naval station of American Samoa, is to visit Auckland towards the end of the month for the purpose of docking for overhaul. It is quite possible that the Governor of American Samoa, Captain Edwin Pollock, with several naval station officers, will accompany th&t ship. f-

Hedgehogs are generally considered to have entirely vanished as*far as Hamilton is concerned, the last speciben to be discovered having been found several years ago, whpn, even then,’ it was considered a great curiosity, and exhibited in a shop window. However, another; member of this interesting little breed was discovered yesterday in Manning street by Mr R. J. Duncan. Yesterday morning a scheme by which a definite number of men can be secured an assurance of more permanent engagement on the wharves was put into operation at Wellington. The schemed embraces 900 men, which number is estimated sufficient to do the work of the port. The scheme is the result of representations made by Mr Roberts, the secretary of the Watersiders’ Federation, to the Arbitration Court.

A practical evidence of the need for dehorning was painfully revealed by an occurrence at the Wyndham sale recently (reports the Herald). A steer was set upon by its mates in a pen, and its sides made to bleed freely. Blood is an attraction to cattle, and as it began to flow from its sides the animals attacked it more severely. It was gored along both sides, and would doubtless hav# been killed if it had not been released by a humane spectator. At the annual meeting of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Mr C. H. Priestley was elected president, and Mr T. Richards vice-president. The Business Men’s Association amalgamated with the chamber. A resolution was passed strongly protesting against the proposed increase in telephone charges, which pressed exceptionally heavily on towns like Cambridge, nearly doubling the rates for business telephones. The opinion was expressed that if the rates were imposed, probably one-third of the telephones in Cambridge would be cut out. • « v '

It is estimated (says a Wellington paper) that about 200 householders in the district of Russell and Edinburgh terraces spend at least 3s per week in fly papers in their endeavours to combat the fly nuisance. This means an expenditure of £7BO for . only six months of the year. .It is also stated that one of the residents in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh terrace has just recovered from a month’s; illness, and during the whole of that time it was not possible to have the windows open even for a minute or two, on account of the fly pest; which is now engaging the serious attention of the City Council.

A meeting of the Hamilton Horticultural Society was held on Wednesday evening, there being present Mesdanfes Allen Bell, D. Hay, H. Hopkins, Miss Searaneke, Dr. Hugh Douglas (chairman), F. W. Hare and F. W. W. Hubbard (secretary). Apologies for absence were received from Dr Green Hud Messrs M. G. Bell, L. B. Gilflllan and J. Bateson. It was decided to hold the autumn show in the Town Hall on Thursday, April 12. Stewards were appointed in charge of the various sections. The chairman, in speaking of the high standard attained in decorative work at the summer show, expressed the hope that an effort would be made to maintain that standard at the coming function, emphasising the value from an educational and aesthetic point of view. Hamilton has been* favoured by exnibitions of pictures from -time to time, but never has such an excellent selection been shown as those from the brush of Mr C. H. Barton, at present on view at Toorak Chambers. Mr Barton, while colonial bom and quite young, has had an English and Continental training, while he has moved about Hie world a good deal, and presents a variety of seldom met with. His studies of New" Zealand scenery are far superior to wliat we are accustomed to see, and that is probably because Mr Barton views things with the true artist’s eye. lie discerns beauty and colour in nooks and crannies which would be passed unnoticed by the average painter, and lie turns them into charming pictures, lie surrounds his subjects with the true atmosphere which makes the natural, true and lifelike. To anyone even but cursorily interested in art, the pictures are bound to appeal. The exhibition, which closes to-night, is wety worth a visit.

A recent proclamation authorising a limited killing of deer by stalkers suggests that the Government is doing nothing to meet serious complaints regarding the ravages of these animals, but the matter is in hand, and should soon he decided. Until plans for reducing herds are approved In consultation with acclimatisation societies the old system continues, 'flic Minister for Internal Affairs has stated that the heads of the Forestry Service, Lands, Tourist, Agriculture, and internal- Affairs Departments recently conferred on the subject of depredations made by deer, and came to certain conclusions which would be submitted to a conference of representatives of acclimatisation societies which lie proposes to call probably before the end of this month. He realises the importance of preventing further destruction by deer, and expects I hat as a result of the coming conference effective steps will be evolved to put a stop to their depredations. Sneezing—running at Hie no 9 with headache may be promptly relieved by the free use of Nazol. (3) Housewives are Uindly requested to shake hands frequently with Oroecrs by way of eypresing gratutliirle Tor “NoPUPPING’ Laundry Help, the abolisher or washboard slavery .---Bond and Bond, Wholesale Distributer!, Auckland. \t>