LOCAL & GENERAL

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 August 1916, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL

There were only three passengers in the 9 o'clock train for Palmerstoii .North yesterday, otherwise its being b.own off the rails might have been much more serious. One of the pusseugeis, au elderly lady, suffered somewhat from shock. All the carriages and trucks, with the exception of one and the engine, left the rails. it took some time to clear the line and tlie express trains were some fivo or six hoars Jate.

Ihe constable in charge at Otaki telegrapher last night to the superintendent of police, Wellington, as follows: A man named Bates, his wife, and child were killed, it is supposed, by the fall of « tree in their hut at the Manakai] camp. Bates's body has been recovered.. Those of his wife a*nd child have not yet been recovered.

-Mr J. Levett, who lias "been the licensee of the Grand fiotei for some time past is leaving shortly. The bote! will bo taken over by Mrs Duggan, formerly of Otaki.

-Messrs I''. C. Remington and P. \V. Goldsmith, J's.P., presided at the sitting of the Levin S.M. Court held yesterday. Judgment for plaintiff by default was given in the case of It. Hannah and Co. v. J. Hurunui, a claim lor £3 17s 6d. Defend nil t also was ordered to pay costs amounting to 18«.

A New York message says that Henry Ford lias announced ft swooping reduction in tlio price of touring cais. They will now be 360 dollars (£72). iShooting hares at Levin on July 23rd without a license was the charge bid against Stanley Robinson and William Collins by the Wellington Acclimatisation Society's ranger, P. W. Willson, aA the Levin S.M. Court yesterday. The presiding justices, Messrs Remington and Goldsmith, inflicted fines of £1 with costs 12s in each case. The storm of Wednesday night did considerable damage in the Shannon district wliere houses were overturned. At Mnanui mil}, the blacksmith's shop and scutching shed weer blown down Mid the windows of the buildings shattered. At Awapuni racecourse 14 lioree-hoxes were overturned. The telegraph and telephone services were completely disorganized.

In Hawke's Hay the storm was the worst since 1897. The south-easterly gale and exceptionally heavy rain cuui&ixl niuc.li damage. During 24 hours 2.23 inches of rain fell. In some of the main streets of .Napier there was a depth of two feet of water.

A bill has been introduced into Par--I.anient providing for the postponement of the next general election for twelve mouths. The licensing poi ako is to be postponed. The bill was deivcribed by -Mr 'Witty as a "Ministers' Self-preservation- Bill." He asked for an explanation of it. Mr Massuy explained that the measure pro po-.ed to extend the term of Pariia mnt to four years from December l'Jtli, 1914. nniess the general assembly is sooner dissolved by tlte Governor. This meant a twelve months' extension. He addedi that it was undesirable to hold a general election during the war when a political disturbance ought to be avoided. The elections ivould be kept off til* TiO.OOO men at the front could vote.

11 io Manawatu Times, commenting on the Government bili to postpone the «jjeutioiUi till 1018, Hays: "The Premier remarked that the elections would be kept off till the 60,000 men rtt the front could vote. ' This means vsays the Jimes) either that our soldiers will votes as absentees for tags and labels without knowing the men or the issues at stake, or that the National T\linistry wiil entrench itself deep under the earth until the war is •definitely over and soldiers find their way back to -New Zealand. The contempt for the fickle democracy which Mr Herdmnn has openedly expressed now finds confirmation at political headquarters. Tt is « glib saying of post prandial orators that the people get the sort of representatives they denei-ve But the crowd at present in offioe are quite obviously determined to toss al' ngroemonts to Hickey, leaving th? constituencies absolutelv voiceless.

Up to March 31st last New Zealand has spent £8,015.315 on war expenditure. The total to March 31, 1915, was £2,20/.257. and for the twelve months ending flint March this venr £5,808,068.

The War Regulations Hill was further considered by the House in committee last night. Mr Sidey's linylight Saving ciausc added to the bill at the second reading by 29 to 26. was rejected by 26 votes to 20

The Orchard Tax Bill was read a ioiond time in the House last night and passed without discussion.

The mayor of Levin will preside at to-night's patriotic meeting, to bo huld in the Century Hall. Speeches will be delivered by the mayor, Mr ('. fiV.Mikhorn, and also by Mr James Prouse, Mr. J. Robertson, and Major Burlinson. The meeting will begin at 8 p.m.

I The literary stock in the Conteibuiv | library is the largest ill New Zealand. Auckland's stock & books numbers 14,502, \\ ellington's is estimated at 10.000, Dunedin has 14,402 TbcVoka in stock, find then conies Ch'ristchurch with close on 20.000 books, the actual number being 19,859. Further, in quality of the books in stock, Christchurcli easily holds the lead. For instance, Dunedin, which has an tavowcdly nue assortment of the best books, has 3500 works on Jiistory and biography, nnd in this category Christelm reh has no lees than 6072.

A woman was charged at Christchurch the other day with obtaining Is 3d by fraud. The victim giving evidence, said that accused went to liis place and told' him that her son had; sent her 31b of butter, that sfie oniy needed lib, and offered to sell the other 21b for 2s 6<l. Witness bought the two packets, and some time after, on exam ining one found that one of the pounds of "butter" was a block of wood the same size of the usual lib packed ol butter. Accused was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon.

The mayor of Christchurch stated on Saturday that he had had a conversation with a soldier from Featherston camp, and from what- lie could make out the men there had received 'Kittle advantage from the gramophones sent from Christchurch for their use 'and benefit. The soldi or said that he had seen one gramophone in a- bugler's hut. and also heard, the sounds of one issuing From the dwelling of the headquarters' staff, but there were none, eo far as he knew, in the company's hutments. The ma.ror remarked that so far as ho know 25 had been sent from Christchurch alone, and he mennt to look into the matter. A contract for 145 chains of fencing, at Tarnrua roind extension, Levin, is to be lot by tlie Horowhenwa County CVninoiV Details are advertised on page 3. At the Auckland Supreme Court Rua was sentenced to twelve months' hard labour and twe>»e months' reformative treatment on the charge of resisting the police. Mr Justice Chapman said it rested with the Government as to whether they would do anything further in regard to the charge of counselling to murder, upon which the jury disagreed:. The sentence is concurrent with that of nine months' imprisonment for slv-grog selling, which Rua was evading at the time of his arrest. The charge against- Rua's followers stand over til# th? next sitting of the Supreme Court.