LOCAL & GENERAL

Horowhenua Chronicle, 2 January 1917, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL

Major-General Sir A. H. Russell, of Now Zealand (a son of the late Colonel .Russell, M.H.R.) has been made a Commander of the ißatli. Brigadier-General E. C. Chaytor has been made a Comma ml or of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, and a large number of New Zealand captains and lieutenants have received military crosses. Amongst the number is Captain John Morton, who may be Levin's late townsman Mr J. L. O. Merton.

An advertisement from "Pnlmcrston North High School (on page 3) gives details as to the new term to begin on the 7th proximo.. Commercial, classical and agricultural courses are compn.-ied in the curriculum.

According to a Dunedin paper, the mayor and town clerk liavo been engaged for .some time 011 a scheme, which, they believe, should result sin a considerable .saving to- the city. ' The idea is to initiate a scheme whereby the council's fire (insurance business wifl be carried on by the council itself. The insurance fund would be. founded by taking a sufficiently large sum from the renewal fund and it would be built ul>, of course, by the different trading departments paying in the premiums which are at present paid to- various insurance companies. It is considered that the fund woufa, be become self-supporting, and would finally so grow that the departments would be required to pay in only a very (small premium—or none at all —a.s the years progress. The total five premiums now paid, by the council now amount to well ever £1000 pei- annum. A settler in tlie Pukekolie district lias had five acres of potatoes which have .yielded "ten tons to the acre.'" lie lias sold the crop at £10 a ton on the groiiud'. The same settler has two acres or onions the return from which is expected to prove equal to that from the potatoes.—Eden Gazette.

Lyons Fair is to be hold.next March and the aim of this Pair is to replace that of Liepzig, thus introducing buyers who, previously went to Germany to French and Allied manufacturers. It is not an exhibition, but samples and patterns are shown by manufacturers and orders booked, though no goods are delivered during.. the fair c,r sold retail.

, "We do not like the term 'shirker" stated the members of the Medical Board who were examining the balloted men at Gisboi'ite last week, when talking to a. Herald reporter. In Pa.lmerston North we have examined number of men who had been called up under Clause 35 and sent to us, and our experience has been that in 110 way ie the term 'shirker' justified. The men who have come up have had the virtue of not even betraying any 'resentment at being classed as a shirker. When they have anything to say, it is in the direction of giving what is, to them, a good reason why they had not volunteered. We have nothing to do with the conscientious objector, but at no \ time have we discovered any reluctance on the part of those who make this a ground of appeal, to come up for medical examination. We think the cause of recruiting would bo very much better served if people did not sit in judgment on men whose oircunis~an'-cs they are entirely ignorant of."

A man charged before a London magistrate for cruelty to two goats by keeping them tethered away front water, pleaded in'excuse that the goa'ts never drink water. This is not so. Goats do drink, though very sparingly. There are, however, two-species of gazelles that have never been known to drink; and it is certain that unless the Huanacoes, otr wild llamas of Patagonia, drink .salt water, in many localities they must drink "none at all. The large and interesting group of sloths are alike in never drinking. A parrot is recorded to have lived for fifty-two ycr.Ts without a drop of water. 11 is often said that rabbits in a wild state never driuk. This is in it srase-xorteel, !)«!; they feed on the syjife .vhen it is heavy with dew, axi'.;., therefore, .pur! ically drink

u'i'-ii e'Sfiii.u;. Slict-p require lifct.la <«• no water in the .autumn and winter •when tliey are feeding on turnip.

Election of officers for control of

Shannon Public (Library will take place at a meeting convened f-ctr Monday next. St-]i January, in the Shannon Institute. Details are sefc out by advertisement on page 3.

At Auckland yesterday (Monday) tlie principal race of the day —the Racing Club Handicap—was won by John JJarleycorn, and the Derby by Sasanoff. At Greymoutli the Cup fell to Slogan. The Summit won the principal event at Napier, and Crawford gained first place in the Stratford Cup.

A cablegram from Vienna announces the death of Richard Strauss, musical composer, aged 53 years.

Mr >01 cm en t iWragge Mays that indi-' cations point to a pnmouncod hurricane season within .' the riext i'our months over the islancs and off the Australian coast between Oooktow.n, Towns ville, Cape Capricorn and • • tS'iiioky Cape, affecting also ariati : south from Sydney; also between Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island,- Now Oalod'onio., the Kermadecs, and the -• Nwth Cape of New Zealand, influencing also North Auckland. -Masters ol vessels trading to the islands aire advised accordingly. . Further heavy, local blows and accompanying rains are likely in Australia in accordance with advices of increasing a-alinfall given feome years ago. These latter remarks apply also to Tasmania and to the dominion generally. Two mighty solar storms are in operation, and others are surely evolving. "If is idle to ignore the inter-action of coismic factors witlh the ,gigni*fcio waves emanating from the sun ana influencing more or less the so'.ar sy.tem. The gun-waves oi the war m comparison can be likened, to a '* bo.- 'throwing; a stcne into a suial! 000 l of water. One result of the record rainfall in Viictoi'in this spring has, -says the Age, been a record plague of mosquitoes. Every iiiieecupietl piece ol flat surface about the suburbs of bou.riic lias, had its pool of water, and these pools have formed ideal breed- ™ 'iug place.; for the mosquitoesj which have multiplied by the thousands and ' tens of thousands unchecked. iOuri- , osity has been aroused by the appearance of two unusual species—one sea : green in colour, the other with dark spots on the wings, lighter in shade than the ordinary variety. The bites of this 1 spetikled mosquito are uniusualily poisonous, causing severe swteilings, and an irritation that ordinary antidotes fail to relieve, and remaining painful for several days. At the

Zoo. animals and visitors alike were sufferng from a myriad of mosquitoes when Mr lc. Souef, the director, ordered the gardeners to pour small quantities of kerosene on every pool that had wildfowl living on it. - The mortality amongst. mosquitoes was as groat as it was along the bed of tho Panama Canal when it was discovered how simply that region of death eoiuk) be turned into an ideal working zone. Storms were prophesied for New Year, c-d-ay and to-morrow. So far •the weather remains bright and zephyr-like, so far as Levin as concerned. Dearer bread s advert--* 1 '-y Lev 11 y* bt.'ers consequiit on recent lises in the i)rice cf flour. Details are set 1". by advertise" lent on pag 1 * I. Marton races were begun yesterday and continued to-day. Client wan the cup, Bon Reve being second and Master Moutoa third. The Levin horse Want won the Wairarapa Cup, Mascot second, Montana third. Other Levin-trained horses in Sweet Tipperary and Sir Wallace won races at the same meeting, while Sir Wallace and Ladify both ran seconds. A pairs tournament for bowlers is being completed on ' Levin Bowling Club's green to-dny. Details of results will appear to-morrow. A lady who arrived in tlio Dominion from Scotland a few weeks ago, and it at present in Palmerston iNbrth gives an instance of the frightful barbaniby and ferocity of the modern German. Just before leaving Scotland tlie lady in question visitedi a friend, whoso son, a member of a famous Scottish Regiment, was in the early fighting in Flanders. The regiment to which the soldier belonged was ordered forward in tlie operation fn which it wns taking part, and among those who fen was the young Scotsman, with an arm badly shattered. The action raged for hours, which prevented the British ambulance men coming up, and eventually the Huiw themselves put in an appearance. They asked the young" Scot if he wanted anything, and he replied "Water.'' "We'll give you water," replied the Germans, who then smashed the un- A fortunate soldier's wounded ami. j When lie regained consciousness help J was at hand ,and lie was; removed to a V British hospital wlipro both his arms ™ were amputated. This is his unfor• tun ate plight to-day.

After Uie war, Sir W. Lever says: "There should be 110 chance of a drop in wages. I have no fear of that. .1 am all for higher wages. Only they must be associated with labour-saving macimiery. In America, thanks U. 4 that, higher wages correspond with J bigger profits. It is not easy even ■ yet to' overcome labor distrust; of nia» ■ ■ chinery. Yet if the men could only I be convinced of the fact, the inachin- V ery that eaves labour is labour's best friend. For more machinery means J more work." ? O rotes* use of Are endangered r, rrai Jiouwci at Uokio inMcli yi ••• "vlii.y. A fire whs started in homo aruj. toi-toi busii'j.- .jic?r liic O'l tile bamki- <>i ill." - )£'} i-vgos ou the banks of th*> Hoklo,:■ • ' iu (jnick -time tin- colt.u;.". oF Messrs Malcolm,- ..Clark, Mavintoshj-13 Fosella, (Rose and Nation. wore in dan- ' ger of destruction. • A band of willr : ing workers had to labor for nearly two hours, beating out the flames in,; the dry vegetation before danger was toatlly averted. Fishing at Hokio OBeach. at New Year was less successful than usual in > conequence "of the breeze being off the ; land. It is anticipated thait better results will be gained when the wind £ goes down. Off the mouth of the •.< Ohau some very fine herrings were > netted on Sunday last. ' They were 18in. lor.g and over.