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Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 January 1915, Page 3

The Church Chronicle issued in Wellington states that Bishop Sprott desires that no marriages should be celebrated in private houses, except in the case where both parties are living at least six miles from a church or church-room. It is also announced in the same journal that it is the desire of bishops of the province that no clergyman be married within three years ol his ordination to the diaconate.

In a letter addressed' to County Councils, A. and P. Societies, and rural local bodies in this district, the President of the Board of Agriculture gives the following method of dealing with Californian thistle :—Thistle can be best dealt with by a very simple process iii agricultural districts- namely by shooting the eaviugs at threshing time so as to cover the whole of the thistle. In grass coiniXi:y, if fresh grass is cut and thrown upon it to a considerable extent, it is said that this will completely kill the thistle. "Merely putting straw upon it seems to have no effect but the cavings and grass exclude the air, and therefore the thistle cannot live. Californian thistle is so general now that it may be worth while if any farmer in your district gives this treatment a trial. Sir John French has a reputation as a wit. He dearly loves a joke. One of the best stories told about him is liow, one night at dinner, some officers \\<ne discussing rifle sliooting. The General was listening, as was his woiit, without making any remark, until at length he chipped in with:—"Say, I'l l bet anyone Here," in his calm, quiet, deliberate way, "that 1 can hre ten shots at 500 yards and call each shot correctly without waiting lor the marker. I'l stake a box of cigars on it. The major present accepted the offer, and next ■morning the whole mess was at the range to see the trial. Sir John fired, "Miss!" he announced. He tired again. "Miss!" he repeated. A third shot. "Miss!" "Hold on there!" protested the major. ""What are you doing? You. are not shooting at the target at all." But French finished his task. "Miss!" "Missl" "Miss!" "Of course 1 wasn't shooting at the target," he said. "I was shooting for the cigars." The number of interments made in the Karori Cemetery OV ellington) during the year 114 was 865, as against

768 in 1913. The number of cremations in 1914 was IG, and for the year 1913, 1 22. By the will of the late James Crawlord" the Feathcrston Town Board will benefit as a residuary legatee to the extent of £9000. One oi the Featherston hotels is included in. the bequest. The Waipa Collieries has now a dally output of about 400 tons of coal (says the Auckland Star). This will shortly be increased by. another 150 tons per day when development works, now in progress, are completed, by opening up now faces from which to break out the coal. About half the output is coming to Auckland, the balance being sent down the lino as far as Wellington. Some months ago it was announced that difficulty had been experienced in procuring marble from the quarries in the Nelson district in blocks large enough and sound enough for use in the new Parliament buildings. There never has been any trouble about the smaller blocks, but the Public Works Department refused to pass any of the larger blocks received by the contractors. The suppliers of vstoue, who are sub-contractors to the builders have been assisted by the Department. An overseer and four men oi the Public Works Stuff are now on the ground experimenting and exploring the present workings, and in the land adjoining. The Minister of Public Works (the Hon. W. Fraser) stated yesterday the overseer reported that some of the big blocks on the property adjoining the quarry seemed to be very sound, and that even in the quarry now being worked the lower levels of the stone showed much better quality. "We are doing our best to help the contractors, ' said Mr Fraser, "but nvo take no responsibiity for finding stone for them." The" Idea Nazionale (Rome) has published grave reports from Austrian .soldiers who have returned to the province of Trent after the campaign in Galicia. One said a company of soldiers from the. province oi Trent were exhausted after a march of four clays and four nights, nourishing themselves with potatoes found in the fields .One soldier asked the captain for a rest. The captain shot him dead with his revolver, and the remainder of the soldiers riddled the captain with bullets. Another commander made a soldier march before his horse •until the unfortunate man fell unconscious. A volley of rifle shots from the soldiers behind killed the commander and his horse. Cases of desertion and rebellion are frequent while threats against officers are made daily. In the Opo i- a Square at Trent the following writing was stuck on the wall: "General Uertzberg was killed by order of one of his platoons. The sa.m«> "ate will occur to all otitcers who do not treat their soldiers properly.