LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1659, 9 January 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A total eclipse of the moon took place last night. Frederick Courtney Selous, the big game hunter, has been killed in action in East Africa.

John C. Chaafe, aged 1(> years, a jockey, was killed at the Northern Wairoa races on Saturday. The horse he was riding also broke its neck in the fall.

The Rotorua has arrived at Auckland with sick and wounded soldiers, under Colonel Cowles. They include men who fought in the Somme push and at Armentieres. There are no cot cases.

That there are‘some people who are prompt, to protest against disloyalty was shown by an incident which happened in Rotorua a few days ago (reports the Rotorua Chronicle). A young man, a visitor to a certain house, sported a badge, a red and white celluloid button. As badges of various sorts are fairly plentiful now, no one paid much attention to it'till a lady who, by the way, had lost a son in the war, observed the word “No” upon it, while seated by the wearer at the table, and asked its significance. On being told that it was an Australian anti-conscription badge, she scathingly rebuked him for daring to flaunt that symbol of disloyalty. Her husband, realising the position, declared that he would not sit at the same table with a man who wore such a badge, and, with his wife, went to another table. Other persons present endorsed their protest, and the young man, though he attempted to brazen the matter out, had a very uncomfortable time.

Sutal Tea is the tea of distinct flavour. It is superior to other brands. Try a pound. Walker and Furrie, Foxton.

The Dunedin district police returns for the year show that s.nce September, when the anti-shouting legislation came into fprce, there has been a distinct falling-off :n arrests for drunkenness.

The usual manthly meeting of the Foxton Borough Council will he held on Monday, 15th inst., at 7.30 p.m. Business: General. A special meeting will also be held on the same date to fix the statutory halfholiday.

“Teaching, which should attract some of the strongest characters and most peculiarly adapted men and women of the country, is the profession which has to put up vith what are practically the rejects,” said a speaker at the conference ot the New Zealand Educational Institute, at Wellington, Mr J. Stevenson inserts a thanks notice elsewhere in this issue to ail who assisted to protect his property from the fire which destroyed Mr Smith’s residence on Saturday night. Had it not been for the efforts of a willing band of workers, Mr Stevenson’s house would have been destroyed.

Welcome rain fell throughout this district last night, but much more is required to replenish the household water supply. While in the Auckland and Hawke’s Bay provinces heavy rain and floods have been reported, yet along this coast one of tiie driest summers has been experienced.

A soldier writing from Egypt, under censorship, says that there is a possibility of those who are left of the Main Body of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces having extended leave shortly, to enable them to visit their far-away homes. He understood that several had already had the offer, and knew of some who preferred to remain and “see it through.”

Says a correspondent of the Dunedin Star: —During the present racing year there are 303 days set apart for racing. There will be 52 Sundays. There will be no racing on 10 days. And we are pretending to be conserving our strength! We are told now that racing is a national industry, not a sport. Possibly so; but where is the future benefitf Last week-end saw the largest amount of money ever divided amongst dairymen in Southland paid out, and supqdiers had a good chance of seeing what herds per cow are capable of returning them, says a Southland paper. November, December, January, and February, in normal seasons, are fair average months', and it is only a 1 very mediocre cow that will not return more than £3- per month during that period.

The appearance of sharks is reported from Wellington seaside resorts. Last Tuesday night three Avere (-aught at Paremata Avithin an hour. One, Avhich Avas 9ft. long, was found with a number of bullets embedded in its body —a fact Avhich has caused its captors to believe that it Avas the very shark at A\ r hich shots Avere tired from the Plimmerton beach on .Sunday afternoon. The other sharks captured Avere 7ft. and (ift. in length.

At the settling-up meeting in conned ion with the Timaru Queen Carnival last week, a motion was passed that, the committee Was strongly of (he opinion that all money required for patriotic purposes in the future should he raised through the medium of taxation. The Timaru Herald states there is a very strong opinion throughout South Canterbury that the time has gone by for the raising of money for wounded soldiers in the way hitherto adopted, and that every penny needed should be raised by direct taxation.

The average amount of coal hewed daily by a miner is six tons, said Mr E. S. Wright, managing director of the Pukemiro Galleries, in giving evidence at a sitting of the Auckland Military Service Board at Ngaruawahia last week. Mr Wright, who supported the appeals for exemption from military service of two miners employed at the colliery, said there were many vacancies for coal-hewers, who were indispensable if the coalmining industry was to be maintained at its present level. The fact that the work of one miner represented six tons of coal a day .showed how essential it was that their services should continue to be available. Both appeals were allowed.

Claims for an amendment of the Ihix workers’ award have been forwarded to the employers by the Manawatu Flaxmill Employees’ Union. These claims ask that the rates be altered as follows: —Strip-per-keeper, 2s; automatic scutcher, Is 8d; bench loader Is Ud; paddockers, Is 7 Ad; tow shakers, Is 4d; feeders, is 7£d; sorters, Is 4£d; rousabouts, Is 4£d; washers, Is Cd; labour not specified, Is 4Ad; all these to be hourly rates. Horsedrivers, £3 3s a week for one horse, and an extra 5s for each additional horse. Tail-cutting, Os a ton; scutching, 30s a ton; paddocking, piecework, from Ist April to 30th September, inclusive,- 30s 6d a ton; from Ist October to 31st March, 30s a ton; 5s a ton to be added when carting is done. The piecework rate for tramming to be 2s 9d a ton, all trammers to share in the job. An amendment in the board clause is asked to prevent the employers from charging workers more than is fixed in the Court’s award.

Wanted Known.—lt’s time now to think about your ’Xmas cakes and puddings. We have fresh assortments of raisins, almonds, peels, sultanas, etc., and we know we can serve you best. —Walker and Funie, Foxton.

A hoy, witli horse, is wanted for paper round.

Mr and Mrs McCormack insert a thanks notice in this issue.

During last night the fall of rain registered was .40 inch.

Miss Nellie Moore, waitress in Mr J. Walls’ dining rooms, who left Foxton for Christchurch this morn Vi , ing, where she is shortly to be mar-

ried, was, prior to her departure, made the recipient of a presentation of a silver teapot by a number of the customers.

The British Government has just given one order to a single manufacturer for 2,000,000 pairs of hip length rubber boots, one of the largest orders of any kind the world lias ever known. This order is, of course, to supply the army, and the manufacture of the hoots will require 7,000 tons of crude rubber, cotton fabrics and chemicals.

During the holidays several sums of money were lost in and about Foxton, judging by inquiries which have been made at this office in answer to an advertisement notifying a “find.” The amount advertised as found was much below that which had been lost according to the losers. One inquirer informed us that he had lost a £lO note which he had carefully placed in the inside pocket of his waistcoat. Several other sums ranging from £1 to £5 were also enquired for.

That the Government shortly may find it necessary to take steps to organise the whole of the man and woman power of rite Dominion was indicated by the Hon. Arthur Myers (Acting-Minister for Finance), in a statement published on Monday of last week. In reply to a subsequent inquiry, Mr Myers said that when the subject is considered by tlte Cabinet the question of utilising the labour of the large number of prisoners of war now interned on Somes Island and Motuihi also will be taken into consideration.

Says the Otaki Mail: —“On New Year's Day a very successful bazaar was held at Mr and Mrs K. H. Barber’s residence, Te Horo, being organised by Misses liena and Madge Barber —an annual function at Mr Barber’s for patriotic purposes. There was really a wonderful collection of goods for disposal, and the bazaar resulted in the highly satisfactory sum of £7 8s being realised, which has been handed to the Belgians’ Christmas Fund, through the local Patriotic Society. The young ladies responsible for this little bazaar are to be commended for their zeal.”

A Wanganui citizen, discussing the need for turning everything possible to useful account during the currency of the Avar, threw out a suggestion well worthy of serious consideration by thoseAvho control the “sport of kings” in this country'(says the Wanganui Chronicle). “I don’t knoAv,” he said, “just Avhat area is enclosed within the circle of the racing track, but it is a good many acres. If every Jockey Club were to plant this area Avith grain it Avould in the aggregate represent a very large crop, and much, if not all the Avork, could be done by voluntary labour. Perhaps the com-.-'-

mittee of the Wanganui Jockey Club may he inclined to give a lead in what would certainly he a work of national benefit.”