LOCAL & GENERAL.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 17 February 1917, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Thex'e are eleven columns of reading matter in to-day's Chronicle, and some very interesting articles appear oh pages 1 and 4. Levin Red Cross branch is meeting with gratifying success in its venture of issuing a Cookery Book, the whole of the profits of which are to go to the Red Cross funde. Already there J have been sold three hundred copies of I the boot, and' anyone desirous of obj taining a copy should not delay, as | the issue is limited. The recipe® all are welll-tested, and cover the full range of culinary possibilities.

An unusual haul was made at Russell last week by Messrs Campbell, Harry, Thompson and Irvine while fishing for king fish. On the way to the fishing grounds a school of porpoises was seen to be following the launch. A effort to catch one by trawling, was unsuccessful, but finally. Mr Irvine was successful in harpooning one of the porpoises. The launch was slowed down, but after the porpoise had tnkaii over 200 yards of line the engine was put at full speed to keep pace with the fish. A great fight lasted for one and a half hours, and finally the porpoise was hauled on board. It was found to weigh about 3cwt. On arrival at the fishing grounds, several kingfisli in splendid condition, were 'anded, the largest weighing about !J011). Subsequently Mr Thompson hooked a mako shark.- This shark is one of the strongest of its kind, and, as a rule, will make several leaps out of the water after being caught, bat the one caught by Mr Thompson o. ly made one leap and contented itself with numerous rapid runs in its to escape. The fish was played the red for an hour and a half, and finally harpooned and taken on board Tt was 6ft long and in Jirst-c'ifis conrli-

At this week's meeting of the .North Canterbury Farmers' Union a letter

was read was from the Minister ior Defence (Sir James Allen) which ■referred at some length regarding the case of a returned soldier who after discharge from the Expeditionary Force, had to go back to hospital. -he chairman expressed the opinion that there should-be some provision made for a man's pension starting as soon as he was discharged medically unfit. At present the soldier who was discharged had to wait one a or two months before the Pensions Court sat rn his case, and in the meantime he had nothing to live on. Mr Hobbs f hough that a man on getting his discharge should be informed' of the date when his application for a pension would bo heard.

There is an interesting reference to the degradation of Roger Casement in Debrett for 1917, which has just heen issued. Commenting up the rarity <;f this event, Debrett says that there sre only three precedents. These date back to the fourteenth, fifteenth and seventeenth enturies, the cases being those of Sir Andrew de Harela (-ar] of Carlisle), Sir Ralph Grey and Sir Francis Mitchell.

It is very disappointing (remarks the Christchurch Star) that a body like the Farmers' Union, which, if it is entitled to the name it bears, should represent the farmers of the Dominion, is able to throw so little light on the wheat production, and that some, at any rate, of its members take such an exceedingly gloomy view of the position. We have on numerous previous occasions referred 1 to the pessimistic attitude of the union, and we hav-o raised the question whether the members of that small body are really in a position to .reflect the views entertained by farmers collectively. If they do then there is only one conclusion to be arrived at: that the farmers of the Dominion are not patriotic; that they are out to make all the money possible during the present period of stress and storm, and that they refuse, to consider the dire necessities of the and civilisation, which should impel all to put aside every thought of profit if their doing so would assist in however small a degree to win the war. -

Christcliurdi toy. writing home ~to Ins: .•fathfer>from the front, gives an account, of' ,a;, unique experience that befel him. '/jje says that they wore doing in the' "great push" at the Somme when they came to some exceptionally deep trenches. These were examined and at the end the New' Zealanders came on a dug-out fully ldoft deep and most luxuriously furnished'. iHere 'thieve were six German officers sitting at a table, hut all were dead. It is supposed that the 'Germans le,t loose gas, and that this surprised their officers at their meal, when they were unprovided with gas helmets, - and they were promptly suffocated. Two orderlies were also, similarly surprised.