LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15895, 21 January 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mails which left Auckland on December 11, via Vancouver arrived at London on the 13th instant. During the closing of the Hamilton traffic bridge a fully-equipped fire engine was stationed in Hamilton East, lC provide against emergencies. The Rugby match, Ensland v. Wales, resulted in a win for the former by 17 points to 9. There was an attendance of 40,000. The number of bankruptcies in New Zealand last year was seven more than in 1922, being C 96, as compared with 089. Two years ago the total was only 332.

Petty thieving from the bathing sheds at the Hamilton Lake continues. Yesterday afternoon articles of underclothing and towels disappeared while the owners were absent. It is to be hoped that the offenders will be apprehended, anl an example made of them. Such thieving is contemptible. The Regimental Band under the oonduclorship of Lieut. A. Salter, rendered a number of selections at Ferry Bank last night. The night was perfect, and a very large crowd assembled. The excellent music was much enjoyed. A large number of motor cars, containing members of the. Auckland Automobile Assocktion, passed through Hamilton en Saturday afternoon, on their way to Wellington. The party is on a grand tour of the North Isbnd. They were met at Hamilion by Dr. Pinfold (vice-president of the local braneh of the association), and Mr Hoy Gregory (secretary), and were taken, to the

"Grand Central," where lunch was provided. They were issued with copies of "The Motorist," the official organ of the local branch, and also copies of the official Road Guide. The party left again at 3 p.m. for Waitonio, and to-day they will continue their tour south.

Following upon a conference between representatives of the Waihi district iiiineowncrs and delegates from the Ohir.cmuri Mines and Batteries Worker*' Union with a view to framing & now industrial agreement, it was decided to accept the offer of the minir.g companies to give an increase of 6d per shift to all wage Workers, subject to the approval of Mr Hiram Hunter, the employees' presentative on the Arbitration Court Should Mr Hunter net consider the amount sufficient to cover the present cost of living the union delegates will prcceed to a further conference with the mine-owners. Willi regard to the proposall for a sick and accident fund, it was decided that a committee be appointed to consider the matters and report to members at a further general meeting. To-morrow morning at 9 o'clock Messrs Hooker and Kingston are selling a whole window full of frocks at half-price and less. Every one of the garments arc guaranteed to be this season's latest productions, and comprise English and Parisian models for evening, afternoon, and street wear. Charming frocks in rnorocain, crepe do chines, silks, and silk-knit. Don't miss this opportunity, for there arc some of the most exclusive gowns ever seen in Hamilton. Remember, half-price and less at Hooker and Kingston's stupendous sale at 9 o'clock to-morrow morning. *..■■_.

The estate in England of the late Sir Walter Davidson, who was Governor or New South Wales at his death, has been valued at £5V>. The prospective duty of 5-lGd per lb on imported refined sugar will apply lo imports from Australia as from March 1. The duty was imposed by Parliament last session, but the terms of the tariff agreement with the Commonwealth required six months' notice to be given to Australia. The Humphrey Bishop Company gave their farewell performance in Auckland on Saturday night, before a large and enthusiastic audience, each and every artist being received with loud and prolonged applause. Mr Bishop made a short speech at tho close of the performance, which was one of the best staged by the company (says an Auckland paper).

A London cable message states that Scottish woollen-manufacturers, who produce the finest tweeds for the London trade, have substantially advanced prices of cloth owing to the world's shortage of wool. The prices of tine wools have been already raised over 25 per cent., and as a further advance is assured the price of cloth is being raised Is Gd a yard. Suits will cost more next spring in consequence.

The Department of Labour has pr - pared a four-page leaflet to be handed to boys leaving school setting out in interesting form the main points of tho apprenticeship legislation which comes into force on April 1. The department is receiving applications in ■■accordance with' the provisions of the Apprenticeship Act, relating to the register of apprentices and vacancies and the establishment of juvenile employment bureau.

Shortly arter noon on Saturday the Cambridge police returned , from Karapiro, where they had secured the arrest of two young men in connection with the burglary at Bayers and Ward's drapers' premises a few days ago. The stolen goods had been hidden in a. haystack in Karapiro neighbouirhood, and the local police were handy when, Ais alleged, the accused returned to the spot for their "swag." The accused had been employed at the Hora Hora works. Most of tie stolen goods were recovered.

Because the staff of a little country newspaper had a- holiday during Christmas week, the taking of a loan poll in Kaiapoi has had to be postponed for about six weeks. By stjatute, loan polls must be advertised in each week for four successive weeks in a paper circulating in the district. But the Kaiapoi Record was not published in Christmas week; so now all the advertising has to be started over again. The poll, as a consequence, will be deferred for about six weeks.

Some Maoris came upon a great haul in the old Ngaruroro River near Havelock this week (says the Napier Daily Telegraph). In a fairly deep hole in the creek were four immense eels, and the Maoris at once held a war council. Elaborate precautions were taken to prevent the escape of the eels, and when all was ready the natives got to work with pitchforks and crowbars. After a good deal of excitement alll four eels were captured. ' Each one measured over seven feet,' and each had a girth of nearly 15 inches. Los Angeles is still talking of nothing but the Dines shooting affair (says a Los Angeles message). The papers are full of extravagant stories that Mabel Normand lately threatened to commit suicide, and suggest that this was the reason for having a revolver. Mabel meanwhile is appealing from her bed, where she lies ill with appendicitis, to stem the tide '4 the eastern censorship, which is excluding her pictures from a number of theatres. The, police have opened an inquiry into the source of Dines' liquor. It is officially asserted that Mabel Normand and Edna Purviance were so intoxicated when they first visited the police station that they could not reply to questions.

A crowd of hundreds gathered outside the Weymouth registry office in London to celebrate a wedding which did not take place! The prospective bride is employed at a local brewery, and all her fellow workgirls were there armed with confetti, many of them carrying bouquets. After waiting for three-quarters of an hour the crowd learned that the "bridegroom," a travelling showman, said to be in Wales, had failed to arrive at the girl's home, where a car had been ordered for them, and that the "bride" had fainted. When the registrar announced that there would be no wedding, the confetti was directed at the police. An interesting holiday venture was the 90 miles walk by a troop of Hokitika Boy Scouts which numbered 15. They took 10 days for the journey, and their route was through Stafford, Goldsborough, Kumara, Greenstone, around Lake Brunner to Inchbonnie, then across the Jackson's railway bridge down the Christchurch road to Waimihinihi, and homo by way of the old Christchurch road at Harris's, Kawhaka, Blue Spur, and Ho Ho. The weather during alirfost the whole of the time was atrocious. On the first night they encountered the heavy storm, and amidst rain and wind, occupied their time during the night in holding their tents down to prevent them being blown away. A representative of the Department of Agriculture, speaking to an Otago Daily Times reporter, stated that he had made a tour of the wheat districts in the northern parts of the island. Almost all the wheat around Ashburton and further north had been cut, and the yield, he said, would go rather lower than was expected on account of the grain becoming scorched, which forced the ripening and gave it ho opportunity of filling out. Methvcn growers had also been forced to reap, as the winds had been battering the crops about. On the fighter land the yield was not expected to be more than 25 bushels or so to, the acre, but there were some rather good crops in the Ellesmere district, where practically all the winter sown crop was cut. The spring-grown crop was poor. Oat crops were short and light, They had to be cut in a hurry on account of sudden ripening, and the men had been working on them day and night. Barley was light and brittle, and a great deal had been cut.

The arrangements recently made by the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board to deliver' single carcases of prime New Zealand lamb for £i 13s per carcase lias met with very gratifying results, over 1100 single carcases being delivered to addresses all over Great Britain. By this means it is estimated that this prime article of NewZealand produce will bo introduced to 7000 people. The London office of the Board is now receiving letters from different recipients eulogising the quality of the lambs. This form of advertisement is regarded by the Board as a valuable means of introducing our lamb in quarters where it was' probablv unknown before, and as it, will be labelled "New Zealand," it will be the means of letting consumers know what to expect when they order New Zealand lamb. Only prime carcases of New Zealand new season's lamb are delivered under this arrangement, and full particulars or the scheme will be found in our advertising columns,

The beautiful weather which prevailed yesterday tempted everyone info the open. At the iake thousands of people picnicked under the trees, bathed in the lake, paddled on the beach, or boated, spending a very happy day. The environs of th 3 river were also favoured by picnickers.

Charles Arthur Sullivan, who upon being lined 0/- by J's.P. on Saturday morning for drunkenness, "went and did if again" almost immediately, was fined 20/- in default 48 hours, bv the Magistrate at the Court this morning. He intends putting in the 48 hours tidying up the police garden. An outbreak of anthrax lias occurred at Buckinguy Station, Nyngan, 125 miles south-east of Bourke. Nineteen head of stock so far have died from the disease. Complete quarantine has been established and the carcase of every dead beast has been destroyed by fire.

It is believed in Hokitika thaTtne Hon G. J. Anderson, Minister of Mines, is of the firm conviction that there are great mineral sources still in Westland and that any move towards thoroughly "" prospecting the district would receive his wholehearted support. Subsidies by way of prospecting allowances paid "out of the Consolidated Fund amount to £23,000.

"This case will be dismissed and the judgment creditor will be ordered to pay the judgment debtor 7s 6d," was the order of the Court at Christchurch "when'proceedings were taken against a man who was plainly in very poor circumstances and had to go to some expense to attend the court.

Only a short list of by-law breakers came before Mr H. A. Young, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court, Hamilton, this morning. For the privilege of cycling on the footpath William Shaw and Alfred Stanley Jacobsen were each asked to pay 20/- and costs 7/-, while a youth, a 'bus driver, Nelson Soper. •whose explanation that "he didn't know his lights were out" was accepted, was convicted and discharged. Albert Enwright contributed 10/- and 7/- costs to the coffers of the State. "Our New Zealand soldiers have a great reputation everywhere," sa3d Dr. Thaoker to a reporter at Christchurch, "not simply on account of their fighting ability, but because of their good moral conduct. The women of Ireland and other countries said that the New Zealanders showed by their conduct that they came from good homes. In France the people said that the New Zealanders were always peace-bringers." Turned back when he tried to enter Canada by one of the bridges over the gorge at Niagara Falls, Harry Szewichuk, 29 years old, made an attempt to jump from the bridge into the rapids, 200 ft below. He took off his coat, threw some papers he took from his pockets into the river, and started to climb the railing on the other side of the bridge. A passer-by seized him, and immigration inspectors took him into custody.

The daylight saving scheme of the New Plymouth rubbish collectors is proving very satisfactory. At the beginning of December the men suggested that a start should be made at 4 a.m., and this had the effect of getting an unpleasant job finished early in the day. , The cart is now off the road at 11.30 a.m., as against 4.30 p.m. under the previous arrangement. Residents were invited to put their tins out the night before and alter a couple of weeks this became the regular practice. What will be the world's largest carillon is being made in England for New York, where it will be installed in the tower or Park Avenue Church by Mr John D. Rockefeller, junr., in memory of his mother. It is a tribute to British skill and workmanship that, in spite of keen international competition, the contract for this carillon was secured by a well-known firm of Croyden bell-makers. The carillon will number 53 bells, whose total weight, without the framework, will be over 50 tons. The largest carillon up to now has been that at Malines, In Belgium.

More brain power is wasted by inventors than by any other class of people. Sir John Dewrance, president of the institution of Mechanical Engineers, says that' only one out of every 10,000 mechanical patents is wortli doing anything with to make it a commercial success. Many inventors, he added, spend all their lives and all their money on ideas that are rejected by one firm or another. They do not seem to be able to realise that they are wasting an enormous amount of brain power in pursuing ideas worthless from a practical point of view.

Considerable inconvenience was reused traffic at Hamilton, yesterday, by the closing of the traffic bridge for repairs. Work was started at midnight on resurfacing the carriage way with bitumen, and Was continued right through the day. Although _ th.; fact that the bridge would be closed was well advertised, ther; was quite a large number of vehicle owners whose memory the information had slipped, received an unpleasant surprise when, on reaching the bridge, they found that in order to set to the other side of the river they had either to go round the Narrows or Horofciu. The bridge was reopened for traffic to-day. , Among ,tjhe twenty-eight applications received by the Stratford Borough Council for the position of foreman of works was the following extraordinary missive, which is printed literally:—"6/1/1924 Post Office Sh. —Dear Sir I writting these few lines to you and i wish find you good health so i am present time well Sir i seen on the paper you want good foreman if you like i take it on if you lit me know i been workins for bricks and stone work and quarry and marble quarrey my life if you send word I came seen you. your trully any testimonials, and beyond raising hearty laughter at the council table, the claims of the writer were not further considered.