The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, December 7, 1915. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1482, 7 December 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, December 7, 1915. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The latest in Christmas and New Year greetings is your own message neatly printed on handmade paper. Printed complete with envelopes 7/6 for 25. This is the last word in season’s greetings. Order early at Herald Printery.* An earthquake was felt in this district at about 7.30 o'clock on Sunday morning. The Foxton Ladies Patriotic Guild desire to acknowledge £3 ns from the employees of the Maitai and Papakirl mills. A number of visitors have already taken up their residence at the seaside. All the cottages have been let for the Christmas holidays. For using obscene language, a youth named Joseph Gallagher was fined £5 or in default one month’s imprisonment at Christchurch on Saturday. Foxton members of the reinforcements now in camp at Rangiotu visited homes and friends at the week end. They are all looking well and enjoy the military Hie. The usual monthly meeting of the Foxton Borough Council will be held in the Council Chambers on Monday next, December 13th, 1915, at 7.30 p.ra. Business: general. A meeting of members of the Foxton Gun Club will be held in the Manawatu Hotel on Thursday evening at 7.30 o’clock, for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the club. All members requested to attend. Denis Regan, a married man, painter and miner by occupation, was knocked down by a tramcar in Newton, Auckland, on Saturday night and killed. Deceased was deaf, and in dodging a motor car stepped in front of a tram. In answer to Mr R. A. Nevins, Wairarapa representative of the Sheep Owners’ Association, demanding the names of sheepowners who have deducted 2s 6d per hundred from the pay of shearers for patriotic funds, Mr Laracy states that be has proofs of his assertion. A local lady, who has relatives in the camp at Rangiotu, took them out some cakes on Sunday. She left the parcel in the car, covered by a rug, while she sought out the “boys.” On returning to the car it was discovered that the cakes bad disappeared, The car was left standing at the main entrance to the camp. Practical gifts for ’Xmas are becoming more and more the vogue ! Why not give something for the home ? Something “the wife” would appreciate ? You will find in our stock an assortment of useful gifts which will at once meet with entire approval. Call and see what we have to offer you. Walker and Furrle, Foxton. We are showing a splendid line of ladies “Equity” shoes, guaranteed quality, latest style. Betty’s Boot Emporium,*

We have been asked to request all members of the Girls’ Guild to attend to night’s meeting at Mrs Fraser’s residence, as important business Is to be discussed. A herd of a thousand black cattle on the move attracted some attention in lower Hawke’s Bay on Saturday morning. They were from Mr St. Hill’s station in Hawke’s Bay and were under consignment to Mr Roderick McKeuvde.

A Berne message states that a demonstration by Berlin workers, in consequence of the scarcity of food was broken by the military. The soldiers fired on the crowd. It is estimated that two hundred were killed and hundreds wounded.

The following unique birth notice appears in a Melbourne paper: “Vernon—at Geelong, the wile of Hugh Vernon, late chief Scout, Field Intelligence Department, South Africa, a daughter. Another little Briton ! Now then, boys, enlist and keep her so.” Advice has been received by the Defence Minister that the hospital ship Maheno left Sue/, on November 29, and is due to arrive in New Zealand about the end of December. She has about 300 wounded men on board. The Maunganui is also returning about the same time, but she has not many cases on board. We acknowledge invitation from the journalists of Wellington to be present at a smoke concert as a farewell to their confreres in the Forces on Saturday, xrth December. All journalist soldiers in camp, as well as those accepted for service and waiting to be called up, have been invited to be present. As the result of shooting parlies promoted by Mr Duncan Rutherford, of Leslie Hills, Culverton, 540 crates of hares and rabbits have been sent to London for the use of the military hospitals in the United Kingdom. The shipping companies have carried the consignment to London. On Saturday afternoon the nurses who left on the hospital ship Mararaa were presented with their badges by Lady Liverpool. The vessel, which had been timed to sail on Saturday did not weigh anchor in the stream until shortly before n o’clock on Sunday morning. She presented a very striking spectacle as she steamed out of the harbour on her errand of mercy.

“ There’s some people who would growl if their camp was pitched in -Heaven,’’ said Pte. John Callaghan, at a farewell function to soldier members of the Wellington Stage Hands’ Union on Saturday, says the Post. “If you want the truth,” continued Pte. Callaghan, “ look at us boys and what we were before we went out. It is a great life and those people who are trying to win a little notoriety by rotting the Government don’t know what they are talking about.”

A large number of men were granted leave from Rangiotu camp on Saturday and proceeded to Palmerston. The conduct of a minority was characterised by rowdfness. In fact a few got very much out of hand. The Standard says: Perhaps the change from the uncongenial surroundings of hill-enclosed May Morn to the sunny open country of Rangiotu was responsible for the exuberance of spirits in the case of the minority. That’s all very well, but if civilians had gone to half the excesses witnessed they would have been made to pay dearly for it.

There was an unusual incident at Friday’s sitting of the Supreme Court in Christchurch (says the Sun). A long and rather dreary trial was dragging on through its third day when a diversion was caused by the sudden invasion of the usually unoccupied gallery by about 30 boys and girls. His Honour explained to the wondering counsel and jury that he had given permission for the pupils ot a school to visit the Court and see it at work. The present trial, he thought, was a good example ot the procedure of the Court. Although the evidence called while the young students were present was not particularly thrilling, they maintained a kind ot stoic interest, which brightened into something like quiet enthusiasm when a witness produced a number of loaves, cut them up, and solemnly smelt them, and ate a little, in which interesting occupation he was joined by a very staid foreman ot the jury. There is nothing particularly undignified in eating, but a man does not look his best while he stands before a smiling gathering, slowly masticating a piece of bread, with his eyes fixed on the ceiling in a determined attempt to find any possible trace of mustiness. So far as the children were concerned this was the best part of the morning’s entertainment, ’Xmas gift seekers will find hosts of suggestions both useful and practical at Walker and Fume’s Foxton. A visit now will be time well spent for early selection is a wise course —it means satisfaction to all! We offer special holiday value to ail purchasers.

The annual concert by the pupils of St. Mary’s Convent will be held in the Coronation Town Hall on Thursday, 23rd inst. The programme this year promises to eclipse any previous one in point of merit and variety. A dance will follow the concert. Admission: Circle 2s, downstairs is, which price admits to dance. At about 9.20 on Saturday night a magnificieut and phenomenal spectacle was witnessed in the heavens. Two loud thuds, as if a heavy weight had fallen to the earth, preceded an electric blue light which illuminated the heavens, then followed a red glare travelling like a meteor from north-east to south-west. The spectacle lasted for upwards of two minutes before fading away. The sky was cloudless. The L,oco Record, organ of the New Zealand locomotive Drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners says : “ It would be impossible for this union to take part in any conference which erects a stone wall against conscription, when it is proved to the hilt that the army is starved for want of volunteers. It would really mean that we would be assisting to murder our comrades at the front. We are not going to do that at any rate. We candidly say that conscription must be enforced if our men fail to enrol.”

Mr R. T. Betty, who trained the children for the recent Methodist Sunday School Anniversary, entertained them and their parents and friends at a gramaphone evening in the Town last night. Mr Betty took this means of marking his appreciation of the children’s attendances at rehearsals and the efficient manner in which they rendered the service of praise at the anniversary. The children were entertained for upwards of two hours. On the motion of Mr Huntley a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Betty for the enteitainment provided. A San Francisco telegram recently stated that a party of 70 Irishmen had arrived by the ’Frisco mail boat from New Zealand to avoid conscription. A meeting of representative Irishmen at Wellington unanimously resolved that statements such as those cabled from San Francisco to the effect that a party of Irishmen left New Zealand to escape conscription, ought not to be published at the present time when the unity of all the nations of the Empire is pre-eminently to be desired. It was pointed out that the Irish were doing as much, if not more, than other parts of the Empire. Of those on the Moana several had Irish names, but it was agreed that they could not have been true Irishmen to have left their country at the present time.

Besides the great improvements that have been carried out, Trentham camp has now had its streets named, so that in future soldier residents will be able to give both the number of the half hutment and the name of the street in which they reside. In order to perpetuate the names ot the Australian and New Zealand army corps and the battles in which they fought, the streets have been named after them. The thoroughfare running past headquarters and the social institute has been named “Anzac Road.” Others running parallel with it bear the titles, “Suvla Road,” ‘‘Sari Bair,” Gallipoli Road,” Gaba Tepe Road,” “Seddel-Bahr Road.” The cross thoroughfare running down the centre of the residential area has been designated “Marne Road,” and another thoroughfare named “Falkland Roa£,” in commemoration of Admiral Sturdee’s victory, while the main road leading to the camp from the railway has been called “Liverpool Road,” as a compliment to the Governor.