The Chronicle LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, '16. LOCAL & GENERAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 December 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, '16. LOCAL & GENERAL.

O'liau schoolcliildren's special effort on I,'('ball ul Red Cross work achieved tlie excellent result ot' a £50 profit. Iliis was wholly derived from Ihe sale ol work, competitions, and so forth he.d on the alto7'noon aiid e\'ening of Saturday. Dtli Deecmber. Tlie money has been handed to Mrs Kebbell, lion, •(vrot.ir;. and trensurcr of Oliau Branch of the Red Cross Society.

A message from Melbourne says that in the Federal House of Representatives pressed by Mr Cook for a statement in regard to the soldiers' referendum vote the Rt. Hon. W. M l . Ulughes said tlie soldiers' vote including thou? of the nurses ■'uhstantinlly favoured the Government's proposals, but at the request of the Imperial authorities lie declined to supply the figures.

The price at which the committee of !vosterday's wheat conference at Chr.istclmrch recommend >tliat wheat prodncoil in the Dominion should he taken over at, is fis 3d per bushel on trucks for prime milling quality, an amendment that tlie price should be six shillings f.o.b. not being seconded.

The orchard tax has produced approximately £1600 this season. Though the tax is imposed for tl/e benefit of the fruit industry, at the request cf growers, a large number of orchnrdists appear to have failed to ppj; As _ tlie area under fruit trees is about 40.000 acres tlie tax should produce at least £2250.

A very sad fatal accident occurred at To Horo on Monday by which a little lad named Roy fjperring, aged four years, was killed. Tho boy wart playing about at his home. Yesterday (Tuesday) Mr ,W. C. Nation, coroner, held an inquest nt Te iHoro to enquire how the boy, who was four years old, came to his death. It appears lie went to play in a shod

where a dray was resting on two props. . The child must have bumped against one of the props which brought one shaft down upon him pinning him by the nock to the ground Denth must have been instantaneous. The boy was a. son of Mr and Mrs G. S. Spering, who, ill roe years ago took up land nt To Horo. He came from Pahiatua. Tho coroner entered up a verdict of accidental -dc'oth from the falling of a dray shaft.

Counsel alleged in the Supremo Court at Napier recently that a Maori concerned in a case being heard had managed to spend £18,543 13S" 8d in 27 months.

A jury of three little children, his own. decided David WaKh's case for him in the Adams street Police Court, Brooklyn. His wife had fiim arrested for using abusive language When he was arraigned Ma gisti 'ate Xauiner had the children brought to the court. "Your father has been nwav a long time, hasn't he Do yon children want him back again?" tho magistrate asked. There was "Yes. sir." in a loud high chorus-. Magistrate X a timer suspended sentence.

A curious combination of habits was adduced by a petitioner in a divorce case, liea'rd at Christchurch, in support of an application for a breach of the marriage tie. The petitioner stated that her husband was addicted to card-playing and spiritualism* As desertion and neglect accompanied the card-playing and the communion with the Spirit Land, petitioner was granted heir wish—in legal phrasology, a decree nisi. "The. responsibility of issuing passports and permits have been placed or my shoulders," said the Hon. G. W. Russell, in addressing a gathering of residents at Tua-kau, on Saturday, "and believe me, it is the toughest .job I ever undertook (Laughter). Day after day men have come to me, and sometimes bring their wives to help them. If T told you of the infiuence that has been brought to hear to get some men out of New Zealand, yon would be surprised, but the door lias been closed tightly, and the man of military age must have a very convincing reason to offer before he is given the necessary permit to leave the Dominion. (Applause.) This policy will not he altered until the war is over," added the Minister. A bottle-gathering campaign in Napier, organised by Mrs Pickard Hawkins, terminated on Saturday. On -Wednesday afternoon the total number Tecived "was 22,.500 bottles, and the promoters are anticipating another 5000 bottles to come in before the campaign terminates. The sale of the bottles will take place next wek. The Shannon correspondent of the Alannwatu Standard writes : The Government surveyors arc still busy taking surveys in connection with the establishment of an elcctric powerhouse and the distribution of electricity for the brnrfit of the West Oo;v=t of the North" Island. For some weeks past they have been surveying the line that will be used for transmission between Shannon and Wellington.

There are many quiet but persistent rumours afloat of the possibility of a transport workers' strike in Niew Zealand towards the end of January, and one weekly Labour journal, while

broadly hinting at this eventuality strongly advises workers against striking, pointing out that a quicker and more deadly weapon than the baton can now he used by the authorities to. quell disturbances. A Hawke.s Bay Herald reporter overheard a remark made the other day that the railway workers had been approach ed to join the Federation of Labour and that the A.S.R.S. and allied associations had not yet come to a final decision. That there is "something in the wind" is supported by a paragraph which appeared on Saturday in the Otago I>aily Times, as follows:

— "Though a great deal of secrecy is being observed in connection with the matter, it is understood that a special meeting of the Ota go Labour Council is to be called to consider a communication from the Federation of Labor in which the co-operation of the council is asked in the movement by the Federation to secure the repeal of the Military Scrvic Act.

iT/cvin Bowling: 'Olub will send a representative rink to the Patriotic Bowling Tournament to be held in Wellington next January. Tlie rink comprises ißoe. IVlcTntyre, iSuhan 'and Poliock (skip).

An effect of dear flour and wheat will be felt locally on and after Ist January, when the price of bread will be traised. An advertisement on page 3 gives details.