Local and General.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 22 January 1915, Page 2

Local and General.

Owing; to next Friday being a a holiday, the PRESS will lie issued on Thursday. Contributors will please note. A children’s “Hard-up-social will be held in the King’s Hall, on Wednesday, February 3rd, in aid of the Belgium Relief Fund. Messrs J. Payne, M.P., for Grey Lynn, and R. Semple addressed a -well attended meeting in the Miners’ Hall last night on the cost of living, and received a good hearing, Mr W. R. Leather presiding. A collection was taken up to defray exenses. A vote of thanks to the speakers and the chairman brought an interesting meeting to a close. The letter in our correspond ence columns from Mr. S. Dixon clears the ground a good deal with regard to the negotiations for the acquirement of a Recreation Ground, and there is something definite now to work on. We trust the.matter will be taken ,up by all in a truly Public spirit and that the matter will be pushed on to an early and successful issue. In an article in the Daily Chronicle, Mr William Redmond says: —“ By every consideration of honour and sentiment Ireland is heart and soul with the Allies against the Germans. There are not many people in Ireland who have no friends in Australia New Zealand, Canada or elsewhere. To friends of thirty years, who helped to win our reforms, we are never indifferent or neutral when we see their free lands menaced and endangered.” In our advertising columns appears an announcement by Abbot t Bros., Cycle and Motor Engineer.;, who have opened an up-t'o-dala establishment opposite the old Brick yard, where they are stocking all sorts of bicycles and bicycle accessories. They also intend to go in for repairing oil extensive lines, their work including the repair of perambulators, etc.;’ thus offering to serve the public by obviating the freight charges which make it so expensive to get these things repaired in Auckland. Mr W. F. Hatton has just com ■ pie ted his fortieth year as driver of the Gisborne-Ormond coach Father Carran of Ormond, who evidently has a bent for figures has gone carefully into Mr Hatton’s “ mileage ” during this long period and estimates that Mr Hatton has driven his coach back and forward over the 14 mile road 280,000 miles ora trifle more. During his forty years as a coach driver, Father Carran estimates Mr Hatten lias worn out no fewer than 4,700 odd horse shoes, and he has carried 208,000 parcels. Speaking in the House of Commons, on a. motion by the Prime Minister that a monument be erected at a public charge to tile memory of the late Field Marshall Earl Roberts, Mr John Redmond said that in view of the tact that Lord Roberts was an Irishman it was right that one Irish member should give voice to the feelings of Irishmen. Lord Roberts was a Waterford man. lie camo of good old Irish stock ; and his family had been associated with the city of Waterford for many generations ; and t ,- city had always felt proud, to claim him. It was pleasant to recollect that within the lasi low years the Corporation of Waterford consisting of men of all .classes and creeds, b ! unanimously paid Lord K d i; the highest honor in tli pu.ver by j making him an horn r.;ry freeman of the ancient city. A groat-1 soldier was dead aid with his harness on him, alien at tinfront, as truly a ■ ii ho had died; from a ( •Jenna.) bullet in the j trenches. Ho was glad the House I had given him tm opportunity as an Irishman ol saying a few ! simple wor Is in honor of a man who haul e. u f-j inly added one ol the grout- <t names to the long | roll of great soldiers whom i Ireland had given to the Empire.

We would draw the attention of excursionists to the railway j time table table appearing in another column of this issue, ; announcing the special trains for | Anniversary Day, Jan. 29th. It is said that there are in Lon- I don alone nearly 70,000 Belgians I who neither speak nor under- : stand Engl’sh. Father Bernard j Vaughan has undertaken the task | of issuing a Flemish newspaper \ for the refugees. At present De j Stem Beigie (The Voice of Bel- j gium). is issued once a week, but | Father Vaughan hopes soon to I make it a bi-weekly. “ I can j conceive of no better means of keeping up tlie courage and spirits of our unfortunate guests from Belgium,” writes Father Vaughan, “than the circulation among them of a paper which will appeal to their domestic, social, patriotic and religious instincts.” A paper in their own language would be a great boon to tiie' refugees.