LOCAL AND GENERAL

Horowhenua Chronicle, 10 December 1915, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Giving evidence in tlie criminal caso at the Palmerston .North Supreme Court, in which James IMtt was charged Avith the theft of 314. sovereigns from Hum Kec, a fruiterer, tne accountant oi tie Union Bank gave evidence that Hum ivee .had banked £3(500 in 10 months. Fitt was found guilty and was remanded till to-day for sentence.

A general order issued by tRc Wellington Military District states: "Sick andi wounded men who have been discharged from the Expeditionary Force will not be required to carry out training under the Defence Act for the year ending May, 1916, nnd will receive credit for the year. ' Another order reads: ''Complaints have been received from employers that some officers commanding areas have called whole or half-day parades at inconvenient times, instructions »re issued to all concerned that no parades are to he held on other than the usual night, local weekly half-holiday ,or public hoTi<ky, 'without (permission of District Headquarters. In every case fho convenience of employers of labour must be considered."

A iine of £5, tlie maximum allowed by the lew, was imposed on Stephen Hunt at Feilding on Thursday for a breach of the Defence Act. Hunt was charged with failing to attend each and every parade at Cheltenham withiu the last six months. He pleaded guilty, and excused himself on the ground that milking operations prevented him from attending the drills. Sergt.-Major Beattio stated that the defendant had not "attended a drill since April, 1914, though' he lived within a stone's throw of the drill room, and that he could only be described a.s a dodger. Another member of the same company lived over five milos away, and was in a similar position regarding milking as Hunt, though Tie regularly attended drill. TJio Magistrate said it was a cjiao deserving the fullest penalty, and inflicted the maximum penalty. In <lofau'!t of payment, Hunt will suffer To <liays' military detention.

Ihy L-iiristciiurcii I'a veiling .News has ijceii enquiring into the occupation oi uiose who aie volunteering lor the front, and a low days ago it examined ihe euros ol i'JB recruits, which' it says may uo taken as representing tho whole of the registrations to tno present day. It says ihat: Labourers tornicd tlie biggest proportion of the recruits; farmers were lew. There were 3(i labourers, 13 clerks, 12 larin hands, 8 far niers, o telegraphists, o drapers, o engineers, o letter-carriers, -1 gardeners, •] commercial travellers, -i teachers, o warehousemen, 3 carpenters, 3 tailors. l> laihvay employees, 3 salesmen, 3 fireiiioa, i seamen, 2 shearers, 2 jockeys, 2 upholsterers, 2 motor drivers, - painters. 2 blacksmiths, i tram conductors, 2 storeinun, 2 bakers, - butchers, and 2 porters, and one each ol the following occupations: Woolworker, pressor, boiler-maker, plumber, painter, electrician, coachbuilder, teamster, ca : )- ir:et-maker, pelt-eurer, tlairyman, locomotive cleaner, accountant, carrier, cutter, Civil servant, tramway employee, tramway linesman, coachman, groom, slaughterman, motor niecliunic, pastrycook, cook, lasphalter, confectioner's assistant, manufacturer's agent, linotype engineer, joiner, council employee, coal merchant, butcher, student, tinsmith', golf professional, oiseuit factory hand, mechanic, miner, grocer, grain buyer, furnaecman, waiter, brickmaker. Customs officer, merchant, musician, bushman. shepherd, saddk-r and publisher. Two applicants did not state their uccupationsr

Tlio beautiful cvernug star, our sister planet, has once more arrived upon the beene (writes Proi'etsor Cooke, New Soutli \Vales Uovcrnuient Astronomer;, and can bo glimpsed by siiurp eyes in the evening glow. She will gradually iucruase her distance from the sun, and consequently become more conspicuous,

until she reaches her maximum elongation on April 24th next year, when eho will set at 7.44 p.m. Even theu she will not have attained her greatest brilliancy, but will continue to shine with ever-increasing lustre until May .'27 th. During the ■■whole of the next autumn, therefore, sue will tie a magnificent sight in the -western, sky, far out-shiiiiug every other celestial object except the moon. During June she will rapidly approach the sun, and bo lost in its beams, and will be >in conjunction Avitli the sun on July 3rd. Overhead the planet Jupiter at present blazes in unchallengedi. splendour. It will be found an interesting study to watch" j"the gradual approach of these two lovely stars. Day by day their separation will diminish. It -will appear as if Jupiter is moving Venus, but in reality he is fleeing from her towards the east. Her movements, are, however, too rapid, and she will inevitably overtake him and outstrip him in the everlasting race round the ecliptic. The conjunction will occur on February 13th, and shortly after Jupiter will cease to interest us, and Venus will reign unchallenged.

A New Zealand miner speaking of a fight in a tunnel with bonibs saysi "There in no jocular side of a hand bomb, if you take a running jump at it, it catches you in the dining-room, and if you take a running jump at the horizon away from ic, it catches you in the sitting-room. In any case it looks very much like a iialo lor you."

liie Hawora .Scar stales thai -Mr J. h Murmy, surveyor, 01 iluwera, has been instructed by the j/übiic Works Department to make tiic land plan survey of the Manaia Orancli or' tile To K-oti OpunaJvu railway and has made a start with the iwork. The Government surveyors have already laid out tho, route -which tlie railway win loiJow and iMr Murray will now prepare the necessary! survey or the land required. The line will junction with the main branch line just a.l>o r o Kapuni. The shortage ol labour is likely to create a progressive move amongst wirmera. The .shortage oi labour will compel them to look round lor substitutes and they will introduce machinery —a thing they would not liother abo'it under ordinary existing cncum«i.anees. There is very little,\\oik mi a larni that cannot he doitu by ' machines. The onlyobstaeji: is ib"/i, cropping js not done oi». a large enough scale to warrant importing machinery. In many ceses it will be the, means of greater co-ope .ition among t>ho jfanmors. Qpunako Times. A cheque for £51), as a donation to the patriotic funds, has ueon given by Messrs Lissanian ißros.. ol Waireka, Marlborough. In o covering letter, Mr H. Liasanian saj's: "We surely can afr'oidl to give a little ol our money, especially when that money is being made* out of the war. \\V will tnko wool as an example. Jf {hero had been no war we should now bo getting one-third loss for our wool tlimi we are getting to-day; therefore one-third of the money we are gotting is the direct result of the war. 1 suggest that all men, not only the big shoe]) farmers, but all who have wool for sale, should give 5 per cent, of their wool dips to -the war funds. That amount will not hurt anyone w"hen wp consiTler the price we are getting. As deeds arc better than words, to sfnrE tTw ball rolling wo haw much pleasure- in handing you a cheque lor £50 now, ami will forward tTfe Im-llanoe when wo 2et our returns, ns we are fihiprmip; Homo, and consequently <lo nob know !iow much our wool will realise."