Local and General

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 January 1916, Page 2

Local and General

The weather during the past few weeks has been line and warm, and the grass is drying up so rapidly that already the effect of hot days is being noticed in the returns from the dairy herds. Tho rains which fell regularly up to a, little while ago rendered the grass so soft that it has wilted much quicker that it would have done other wise, and rain is much needed at or';sent. In Fhe month of December New Zealand gained, .332S persons by immigration and lost 180' i by emigration: a nel- gain of 1527. Three Chinese arrived and two departed. Harvesting operations at the Wera roa Experimental Farm are proceeding apace, and tfie crops promise good returns. The hay was made in good condition, the weather being favourable. The last- week's hot weather has wrought a marked change in the wheat which is fast taking on the golden colour of ripeness. This crop, judging by its present appearance will give a return of between 40 and 50 bushels per acre, and but for a storm some time ago, which beat some of it down in places, would more than equal la it year's crop in yield.

Last night the engine of the Welling-ton-Auckland express train broke down at Shannon necessitating a delay oi about two hours.

Tile Premier informed a deputation ol yram merchants to-day that Ui-j Government did not intend to interfere m aiiy shape or lorui with the grain trade tins year nor import anv wiioat.

•Messrs. Ward, Lock ana Co., Loudon, advise the Chronicle that following Sir George lleid's article "Australia and the War," in liie Christmas (January) Windsor, "will appear "New Zealand and the War," by the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, High Commissioner for New Zealand, in the February number. The article consists of five pages and portrait oi the author. >Sir Joseph Ward inlornied a representative oi the Times at Wellington yesterday that the excess of deposits over tlie withdrawals in tho Post Office •Slaving,s Rank for the twelve months ended December 81st last was £2,411,083, the highest amount at the credit of depositors for twelve months in the history of the Dominion. The amount of tlie deposits for the year was £13,706,057, and the withdrawals £11.294,974.

The story of a Scottish soldier, who is reading Hebrew at the- front, is told by tho Rev. L. McLean Watt, of Edinburgh, who has been at work with the Y.M.O.A. in Northern France. Recording some of his chats with the Gordons—"men to be proud of, broadbosomed, clear-eyed, lithe and large of limb"—he says:—"There was a University company amongst them, and one man had folded lip in his sporran a copy of Delitzsch's edition of the Pfealms in Hebrew to read in the train. That was a typically Scottish touch. You cannot get away even to-day from John Knox's dream of a school in every Scottish parish."

A 'iVanguuui resident who spent tuv Cnristinas holidays on the ' West Const of the South Island, gives a very inter-

csting account oi a race meeting lie visited there. - A special stand was set

aside for the inmates oi a mental hospital in the locality, who attended in force am! enjoyed the day to their hearts' content. Among themselves they betted in millions, and: contributed in no small measure to the scene oi excitement which marked the conclusion of onch race. One of the tors' had a friendly wager of £100,000 with a brother patient on the last race and when liis fancy failed to see the distance out he was heard to remark that a'm«n must be mad who tried to select 'winners on form on any New Zealand racecourse.

Scotland lias it& "big potato" season for llie country, just as .New Zealand has. ' The Lennox lie raid, (Dumbarton) anus :—There were sliown to us this week t.vo potatoes well worthy oi tlie name. The one weighed 2ilbs and the other ljlbs. The variety is British Queen, a kind food of throwing big tubers, but those in question are quite abnormal. They were well grown, being without disease, and the skin showing few blemishes, and came from the garden on Boghead road of our friend, Mr David Graham. Mr Graham is one of the oldest and best horticulturists in town, but his crop

of potatoes never gave linn such monsters before. On Thursday we wele shown another potato of abnormal size and shape which came irom Mr Clements' Cliapleton Nursery. This one topped the scale at 31bs. less 2ozs.

Tile Wellington correspondent ol the Munawatu Times referring to tho proposed; conference between the shipping riiig ami tile waterside workers, bays that business people in,\\ ellington are looking askance at the conference. It is stated that the waterside workers' wages will be raised to is Bd per hour and it is expected that they will demand Is 9d an hour with is 9d an hour overtime, the rate ruling in Australia. He continues: The shipping companies are known to be making enormous profits out of the war. It will be remembered tlwit freights .and fares went ballooning alter the recent strike, and have not yet lound it convenient to descend. The larmers who crowded down to the wharves to subdue the wharf lumpers returned home tilled with glory, but they have, one would think, often scratched their heads since. AVhat must they think when the shipping companies are "offering" their old adversaries more wages with the intent of passing it on—passing it on to them?

A London correspondent writes Arrangements are well in hand for the revival to be conducted in London early this year by Dr Wilbur Chapman and Mr Alexander, and those interested in ■rue making very tlKJrougli preparation. The missioiiers are expected in March and long before that" date daily services at noon are to be held in some public buildings and evenng meetings in such churches and church halls as may be available, and a conference of those in sympathy with such proposal is to tie convened at an early date. In some quarters the mission nas been confused: with the National Mission which the Archbishop of Canterbury has in contemplation. The latter will bo of o, different character, though it's precise form appears to he a matter of speculation. 1 have good reason to believe that it -will be interdenominational in the sense that each denominaton. or possibly the Church of England and the United Non-conformist bodies, •will hold a separate service, with some amount of joint action as to convenient arrangements. The idea of "such a mission is very favourably entertained on all sidos, and will receive the support of many who do not appreciate 111<• particular methods of -\!r Alexander and his colleague.

Rt. Hon. W. P, Hassey stated rtt Christchurch yesterday that P&rliar ment might sit sooner than many thought, but he could say no more. Jhe value ol the building permits issued at New Plymouth for the Last nine months of the past year is £30,977 (says the Taranaki Herald). Tor the year ended March 31, 1915, the building permits were valued at £61,082, including £28,000 for the new hospital. The Minister of"i)efence said at Wellington yesterday that tJie Territorial camps would be held, and that the dates of different camps would be widely published and every facility given fbr men to go into camp to suit the convenience of the respective parties, aa far as necesary.

The orchard industry has assumed large proportions in the Motueka and Riwaka districts. In the year 1911, 133,012 bushels oT fruit were shipped from Motueka, for the year just closed the" figures stand at 206,860 —all increase of rather more than 100 per cent. Over 1900 sacks of potatoes were sent away from Motueka wharf last year, as compared with 11C in 1914. Tlie re was also a large increase in the quantity of chaff shipped at the port —1903 sack's, as compared with 14-5 in the previous year.

"Unfortunately for the censorship m respect of the public's estimation of it, tlie field its operations cover is a very wide one (writes the London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, "under date November 18). • I 11st now it is iu sad: disfavour onoe again, -this time, however, on its military side. Certain green envelopes in which soldiers, writing home to friends and relatives used to enclose their letters, were, it appears, discarded by the authorities, and other envelopes substituted for them. Hut that is no adequate reason lor the absurdity which lias now disgraced, officialism. People in this country have had from their soldier friends in France letters which, ou being opened, were found to contain nothing but a printed official .statement to the effect that 'this en- ■\ elope is obsolete, and should not have 1:00,11 used. Its contents have been destroyed.' Could red tnpeism go more pitifully far? The result is "bitter disappointment to the recipients of this masterly document, and in some cases even grave distress of mind. One unfortunate, for example, writes to say that the letter for her which was thus destroyed was from her husband. He was killed shortly after writing tE. It was liiy last word "to his wife. - BuT It was m the wrong envelope, and the official whose object all sublime it is t > make the punishment fit this sort of crime, tore it up. This, surely, is tho very ecstacy of Bumbledom.' '