LOCAL & GENERAL

Levin Daily Chronicle, 13 March 1917, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL

Mrs lioothroyd an old lady of /8, who lias recently returned to Leeds from the North German town of Winsen where she had lived over three years, sjiys it is the terrible hunger that is heating the G fir mane to-day. Yon can imagine what things are like wli n I tell you that in our littlo family of three we were' allowed latterly to buy only one pound of meat each week.

} Last week 2528 vessels readied the Old Country and 2147 departed. In all fourteen ships of '1(500 tone burden or over were sunk by the enlemy; also nine of le6s than 1600 tons. Twelve ships successfully attacked submarines. Three fishing craft were sunk. The French cruiser Oasini was torpedoed in the Mediterranean, 107 lives being lest- and 3-1 saved. Tiie Russian a:mored cruiscr Rurik struck a mine in the Gulf of Finland and was badly damaged. Italy is arming merchantmen and rewarding these sinking or disabling submarines. The British line on the west front now extends over 150 miles. Successful aerial recognisances are being carried out.

At the sitting of the Military Appeal Board in Palmerston North on Saturday last, Robert Edward Dowries, flaxworker, Koputaroa, a voluntary recruit, made application for tan extension of six months as from February 22nd, <owjng to his wife's illhealth. He had two children. Captain Walker said the application appeared' to be a genuine one, and thought it should be granted. The appeal of Sidney Jones, farrier, Levin, was withdrawn and formally dismissed. The appeals of John Power, solicitor, Feilding, and 'William ißegina'ld Mullins, Tokomaru, were withdrawn and formally dismissed. John Tuohy, laborer (Levin), appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest, and he was granted leave until the 28th April. The appeals of Leslie McDonald and William Lang were dismissed formally, no appearance being made of the appellants.

"Have you ever liad a fit?" was the final question put to a ballot man by ono of the Medical ißord recentIv. "Yes, once," was the reply. "When?" - When T .got this blooming notice," said the recruit holding up hie' te'cgram announcing that he had been drawn.

An liitham bov ; writing to h!i'f father says that of the six officers in his battery two come from New Zealand (liitham and Napier) one from South Africa, one from Canada, one from Japan, and one from England Quits an,, assortment of Britishers. — O'punake Times.

The incident occurred during the first six months of the Avar. A cruis?r belonging to the Australian fleet left Sydney for a protracted voyage in* the Pacific. For six weeks she steamed in and out of the islands. At last welcome news reached the lower deck on the next day they would put in at an island port where the beer was reported to be cooler, more bitter and longer than anywhere else. Almost instantly came the brushing blow that the stay would be a short one, and that absolutely no leave would be given. An hour or so after the vessel had arrived an officer saw a fireman come cautiously up the compain n way. sneak across the deck, and getting to the jetty in safety, make a wild dash in the direction of the town. "Go after that man," shouted the officer to a marine, and the latter, throwing away his rifle, went in pursuit. A petty officer, atti acted by the commotion, mounted 011 the rail and watched the chase with breathless interest. '''E's enly tw:m;y yauls behind '111 now, sir," he reported; "'E's sain in' on 'im fast—'e's ten yards he'ind now—'e's caught 'im up —'e's past 'im." — Sdynev Sun.

A Xalive Land Court, presided over by Judge Gilfedder, lias been sitting at Levin during the last three days, and a good deal of routine business has been got through.

Officer: Very ydirt-y turn-out, sergeant. Look at that man lie s not "clean." Sergeant: Well, sir, it aint as 'if they don't "wash" theirselves; but what-a-mean-ter-say, a lot o' these 'ere men they "dry dirty!"— London Punch.

The Standard reports that the following recruits have attested at the group office, in PaJmerston Koitli. Alfred Ernest Ford, engineer, Palnierston iN'ortli; Andrew Robeirt Campbell, farmer, Tiiiitea; Robert Harry Abraham, school teacher, Wellington, Richard Stanley Soper, farmer, Oliau; John William llussell, schoolmaster, Ctaki; Bert George John Winter, barman, Levin; George Henry Bird, sawmiller, Manakau; Hugh Brown, flaxhand, Moutoa: George Edward Astway Collins, farmer, Taihape; Carl Frederick Due, farm hand, Mangaohane; Williiam James Neale, laborer, Rualiine; William Austin Kose, plumber, Levin,

The ceremony of the proclaiming of the kingdom of Poland in Warsaw wr.fi only attended by 3000 inhabitants out of 800,000.

.Regarding the conscription of clergy, it is understood (says the Wellington correspondent otf M"' "Lyttelton Times') that the 'Roman Catholic authorities in Xew Zealand have communicated with Cardinal Bourne and Bishop C'lery, and that the Imperial authorities have cabled instructions to the Dominion Government that in -10 case must clergy be conscripted. Full' verification for the rumour is at present unobtainable though it is generally accepted as correct.

It is rumoured that a number of prosecutions are about to be instituted against farmers who have neglected to furnish returns required by the Tax Department and others who are alleged to have greatly understated their incomes and profits.

Miss. May McDonald, or "Jockey Jack," as she is known in the south (says a Sydney paper), won a double with .lier ..horse Betty Bret at Corryong Cup meeting. Miss McDonald, who has worn man's attire for 12 year,-, trains lier own horses, and has two in work at Albury now.

~ Before proceeding with thg business at the Palmerston Patriotic Society's meeting last night, Mr J. H. Stevens expressed the hope .that thelre would be less time wasted in talk than had been the custom of late. He said members resented the academical manner which some of the members adopted' when swldrcsing the mfceting. He :\ 'io said' that quite a number of members remained away from these meetings, simply because of the amount of talk Ithat was indulged in. "I say it with a good deal of regret," continued Mr Stevens, "hut I say it that we may save a good deal time, and induce members who l now stay away because 'they wi.l not tolerate this talk, to attend meetings.'' The Chairman said members would understand that his position U6 chairman of the society was a peculiar one. He quite agreeed wt.li Mr Stevens, but said it was hard to sometimes to keep- members to the matter in hand. He also expressed tlu hope that more members could bo induced to attend.

Of recent date we have heard a deal about, highway robberies and s.ivn sensational happenings at Palmerston Ivcrth, and it appears that burglars are now making their presence felt_ in our district (says the Otaki Miil). At Levin on Wednesday evening a bus. in ess man was relieved of £5, which was hanging, in a case from the bedpost. while a few evenings previously a Levin woman had £4 10s stolen. A Native was also held up, anl money d'emndod from ;hini. It 'behoves! local residents to be very careful, and put their money and valuables in safe keeping.

,"Discussion on the drink question usually provokes a contribution from that lively 'controversialist. Dtr Mercier, who lias just entered the arena undei the auspices of the True Temperance Association with a pamphlet entitled

"The Intemperance of Total Abstinence." He is very wroth with the doctors who condemn alcohol lasi a beverage, and the late Sir Victor Horsley and Dr Mary Sturge come under the lash of his sarcasm. "I shall not be convinced," he says, "by any number of experiments in which robust and unwearied guinea-pigs have derived no digestive benefit from alcohol that a glass of wine will not assist the digestion of a harassed man of 'business at the end of a trying day, or of a debilitated convalescent from an exhausting illness." Dr Mercier is very annoyed at suggestions that iv e are a drunken people. On the contrary, he declares, we are veiy sober, and drunkenness is now veryrare.

JieLween Paekakariki and Oliau, recording to statistics just gathered, there are only 40 acres in, wheat. Lack (T a liigh-pressure water supply is much felt in Otaki this dry weather. The Chinamen, for want of ivin, have very thin crops. One paddock of cabbages is completely withered. Another libel.—A tourist in the Highlands had dinner with a querulous toldi farmer, wiho jawed (albtout hard times fifteen minutes at a stretch. by man," said tlie tourist, "you. ought to he able to make lots of money shipping corn to the London market," "Yes," was the sullen reply. "You have the land, I suppose and' can get the seed?" ''Yea, I think so. '•Then why don't you go into the spec. "ulation?" "No use, sir," 6adly replied the farmer, "the old woman is too lazy to do the ploughin' and the plantin'."

Levin and Shannon appellants were before the Military Appeal .Board 1 at Palmerston North yesterday. W. Graham, dairy farmer, Levin, was exempted'until 28th Apiil; Leopold E. H. Alzdorff, flax ©ontractnr, until 28th April; Stephen Claude Ingram, dairyfarmer, Levin, two months. Decision was reserved in the appeals of Ronald Joseph Law, dairyfarmer, of Shannon, and William Joseph Moynilian, dairyfarmer, Shannon.

The news of the death of Mr John Ruifell Russell at Dannevirke last Friday was received with genuine sorrow in Pahr.erston, where he liad friends. The deceased gentleman was only ill a'few days being struck down on Saturday and passing away in a private hospital last l'viday. The lata Mi- Russell was '60 years of age, having been born in Launceston, Tasmania, in 1856 an dooming to New Zealand when very young.—Standard.

For cleaning Koputaroa stream, the tender of G. K. Douglas, Ltd., lias baen accepted by the Horowhenua County Council. The amount of the tender is £765. One other tender was received,some hundreds of poupds in excess of the amount of the successful tender.

A deputation from Taungata (Otaki) waited on the Horowlienua Oounty, Council last Saturady. Mr Svensson (spokesman) spoke of tlie urgent need for a road to the petitioners' properties, and intimated 1 that they were willing to he formed into a special rating district, and be specially taxed to meet expenses and interest on a loan. They were practically unable to work their properties properly, through lack of proper access. The chairman of the council (Councillor Monk) intimated that the council would pusli on with the matter, but a few months al least would be required to give effect to the work. A survey of the road would have to be made, for ono thing.

Noxious weeds on Muhunoa road, Oliau, still flourish. Councillor Kebbell mentioned this matter at last Saturday's meeting of Jiorowhenua County Council. He said that an hour's work by* each settler would go bar to* abate the nusiancel The county engineer said he had been told by the Noxious Weeds Inspector that this time of the year was not the best time for cutting 'noxious weeds; also that the Government was anxious not to. push farmers to do work at the present time when labor was scarce and farmers hard pressed.

.Nurse Lewis and lier juvenile holpcTr} will hold a sale of gifts in Levin next Saturday, at the Century Hall. The whole of the net proceeds will go to the Maori Ambulance Fund. Nurse Lewis will be at the hall on Friday afternoon and early 011 Saturday morning to receive gifts. Details are advertised on page 3.

The member for Otaki and the chairman of the iHorowlienua County Council, by advertisement on page 3, call a meeting of farmers for Friday morning next, at Levin. The meeting is convened on behalf of the 'National Efficiency Board, for the purpose of recommending a Board of Trustees (for Otaki, Hcrowhenua and Manawatit districts) to manage absent soldiers' farms or give such other assistance as may seem desirable.

.PiTparabjj'ns for the Ihakara-Kopu-taroa Patriotic Fair are progressing satisfactorily. The. date fixed is the 28th March, and the, member for the electorate (Mr. W. H. Field),is to be asked to open the function. Livestock in la ge numbors already lxavo been promised fi.r the fair. The list of worker.-; and of donors will appear in a later i.-.sue of The Chronicle. The Aust.'aliiMi federal Elections are fixed for sth May next.