LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1660, 11 January 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Red Gross Day in the Gisborne district realised £4,G17, which has been,remitted to England.

The Hon. James Allen slated at Dunedin on Mondaythal he had received word that the l!)th Reinforcements. who have not yet reached their destination, arc all well.

The Crown Caw (Mica has boon instructed by the Minister of Commerce (Hon. \V. I). S. MacDonald) to proceed with the scheme for the requisitioning of sheepskins. Carl Schikker, a Swiss farmer, of Otakeho, was found on Saturday night with his head blown open. Deceased had placed a detonator in his mouth and tired it. At the inquest a verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was returned.

C. Turner, a wholesale liquor dealer, was lined £SO at the Rotorua Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for selling three bottles of whisky to a policeman in plain clothes. Defendant pleaded guilty, stating that the man had played on his sympathy.

“hi all our travels we have not yet met one appellant who is able to tell ns the Government valuation of his property/’ remarked Mr D. M’Laren in the Military Appeal Court at Masterton on Monday. “No, not one,” echoed Captain Walker; “not one of them knows!”

Miss Nellie Moore, who has been eonneeled with Mr J. AValls’ establishment for the past twelve months, was, prior to severing her connection there, made the recipient of several presentations, including one from Mr and Mrs AValls. Miss Moore left on Thursday morning for Christchurch.

“Rad language is very common in all the cities of the Dominion. Men seem to think that they can use filthy language in the streets, no matter how many people are present,” said Mr S. K. M’Carthy, R.M., at the AA’ellington Magistrate’s Court, when sentencing a returned soldier to a mouth’s imprisonment for obscenitv.

A feature of the programme submitted at last night’s picture entertainment at the Town Hall was a A’itagraph star comedy item entitled “Crooky,” which features the. wellknown stage comedian, Prank Daniels. This him was greatly amusing and entertaining, original in character, and much appreciated by patrons. The supporting items were a good lot, including a scenic him of topical interest, “Upon the Alsace Heights,” an instructive number of (he Gaumont, Graphic and other good items. This programme will be repeated to-night.

The extraordinary behaviour of a man occupying l the dock in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court at Wellington on Monday morning led to his being remanded for a week for medical observation. He made no comment when the charges against him were read, and he entered no plea, instead, he solemnly placed the thumb of his right hand against the point of his nose, and, extending his lingers, included the whole Court in an unhurried salute. He repeated the process shortly, in the most imperturbable manner, and was then escorted by the police to the prisoners' room.

The management of the Town Hall pictures announce that the interesting travel scenic, “The All-. Red Route,” has been secured for Monday, 22nd instant. This film is of a specially meritorious nature, and depicts the scenes of greater interest in the trip from Sydney to Suva, Honolulu, Canada, over the Rockies to Niagara, and so on, finishing up in “the Hub of the World.” The Minister for Education gave the picture his special endorsement, and stated that not only was it of great interest and educational value, but being taken on the “AU-Red Jidute” it soxwed to foster the of Imperialism. _

We acknowledge with thanks receipt of an artistic wall correspondence pocket from Mr R. T. Betty, boot importer.

Tommy (in the trenches, observing the sky above him thick with aeroplanes) : To think that 1 paid 'arf-a-erown at ’Endon to see two of em. Bust it!

In the march over the Rimutakas last week, the 21st Reinforcements put up a record in beating all previous drafts by many minutes. The march from Featherston to the Summit, a distance of nine miles uphill, was accomplished in 3 hours 35 minutes, and from the Summit to Kaitoke, eight miles down, 1 hour 15 minutes.

There is a thrilling story underlying the bestowal of the Military Dross upon Lieut. Arthur Bowes, one of Britain's lank heroes. The caterpillar of which the lieutenant was in charge was knocked out by a shell. One maw was killed, others were injured, and the lieutenant himself was badly wounded in the head. Despite his injuries, Lieut. Bowers, who is a well-known footballer, a school teacher before the war, and a native of Knodishall, near Leiston, rescued the remainder of the crew, and then returned to destroy the (-rippled tank.

The principal cases dealt with by the Military Appeal Board at Master! on were those of five sons of a farmer named Campbell, all of whom objected to service on the ground that they did not believe in killing. One said that he did not like taking the lives of sheep or rabbits. Pressed by a member of the Board as to what he would do if the Germans were to attempt to outrage the female members of his family, he said (hat he wpuld run away. The Board dismissed the appeals of three members of the family, and held over the appeals of the others for medical examination. Major IT. Corbelt-Smith, in his recently-published book, “The Retreat from Mons,” tells the following touching story of the solitary defender of St. Quentin: “1 believe that when (he Germans did arrive a little later in the,day they surrounded the town and marched in from all sides at once, to find their triumphant entry opposed by —one Bi’itish soldier. This man had got lost or left behind in a house, and now turned out with his rifle to defend the town. The German division had to open lire with a machine-gun upon the gallant lad before he fell, face to the enemy, riddled with bullets.”

These are trying, anxious, terrible times (said Premier Lloyd George in a recent speech), and I can assure you that any public men who are in the least entrusted with affairs at this juncture need all the sympathy, all the support, and all the encouragement which friends can give (hem. It is an hourly, daily, constant wear of responsibility of the most terrible and ghastly kind, and I think I am speaking not merely my own feelings, but the feelings of all the men with whom I am associated in this great task, when I say that there are moments when we feel as if we would like to (lee to the remotest and most unex-

plored island in the Southern Seas, and stay there until the time of healing comes.

Some years ago (writes an analytical chemist to an Auckland paper) a friend of mine was persuaded to buy, at the door, a small packet of powder, weighing about one ounce, price /ss. This to make about one quart of high-class hairwash, guaranteed to keep for one year and to cure all ills that hair is heir to. Doubting these wonderful properties, 1 analysed it, to find that it was powdered sodium carbonate. This is washing soda, retailed by all grocers at fd per lb! The other case was a packet of pink powder;, bought by my landlady. Directions: To be dissolved in water and pour? ed over a ton of coal, thereby enabling one ton of coal to go as far as 1;| tons would untreated. On analysis, it proved to be chloride of sodium (common salt), with a small amount of colouring matter. Price 2s (id. Value, one farthing.

“If you ever hear anybody say that the Tommies took Piers, contradict it,” writes a New Zealand soldier to his father, a resident of Wellington. “The New Zealand troops look it. It was reported in all the Home papers that the British took the town with a little assistance from the Colonials, but that is wrong, as we took Piers without any assistance. It was a, mass of dead Germans, wrfeile the live Huns had come to give themselves up.” The writer describes the awful shell lire, the Germans coming over in hundreds every day to surrender; the barrage- put. oil Fritz’s trenches previous to hopping over the parapet; and how the men advanced tour miles in three weeks. The soldier saw “tanks” for the first time on the Somme, and was amazed at the way everything fell before the machines. The superiority of artillery and bombers over the Germans kept Fritz quiet, says the writer, though snipers- had been active, and the New Zealanders had learned not to look- over the trench top. “Treadi life teaches you never to grumble and never to be selfish,” he says. “In this game vow have to think of your mates as well as yourself, and frequently everybody helps one another.”

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 Furrie,. Foxton,

Mr W. H. Fends, chief hemp grader, is at present in Foxton. The nineteenth reinfqfeements, which have not yet reached their destination, are ail well. Owing to his inability to procure harvesters, a Mnsterton farmer has turned sheep into a 60-acre paddock of oats. A “Gazette Extraordinary” containing the names of the men who were drawn at the third military ballot this week will be issued by the Government Printing Office to-night. The latest wagers at Lloyd’s are laid on the following forecasted events; Denmark and Holland to declare war on Germany at the end of January if the spring is early and - by the end of March if spring is late; Austria to surrender unconditionally about the end of April; Germany to accept Allies’ terms about the end of July. It is hold in some quarters that the First He,serve, which is now being drawn upon by means of the ballot, will be exhausted by June JOlh. The Second Reserve will then be called up, but it is expected that this body will be subject to a form of classification by the authorities, so as to 2>rovide that the men with the lightest responsibilities will he called first. A good story which, though not vouched for, will no doubt cause* the medical examiners of recruits to open their eyes, is going the rounds concerning a Wellington Reservist. He is a. line hefty fellow, and was drawn in the first ballot, passed by a doctor, so it is said, and is now in camp. He proposes to give someone a shock presently by hobbling oat to parade on one leg and carrying an artificial foot in his hand! A painful accident hefel Air J. Gifford, stationmaster, Hunterville, the other day. Whilst affixing the tablet the approaching train caught -it up, and the rebounding machinery struck Air Gifford with considerable force. His shoulder blade was broken, and lie also sustained a. fracture of the base of the skull. He was removed to Wanganui for treatment. He recovered sufficiently to allow of his return home, but lie is still conlined to his room. To the Nelson recruiting district, which includes the city and district of Nelson and adjoining Alarlboruugh district, now belongs the honour of being the group area to maintain its supply of men through voluntary enlistment for the greatest length of time. All the Nelson drafts to date, including the twenty-sixths, have been tilled by volunteers. It is the only district in the Dominion in which no ballot has been accessary up to the present point. Air W. 11. Field, ALP. for this constituency, is accompanying the Parliamentary party on a tour through the North Auckland district. The party will comprise some forty members of Parliament, ninety-seven guests, and a number of visitors from other places, bringing the total up to close on 200. The party will leave Auckland on Kith January, and visit AVarkworth, AVhangarei, Russell, Whangaroa, Kaitara, Ninety-mile Beach, Hokianga, Kaikohe, Dargavillc, Port Albert, and Helens vi lie. Included in the cargo of the R.M.S. Niagara, which called at Auckland on Monday (says the Herald) while enroiile from Vancouver to Sydney, was a collection of animals ami birds. The consignment included alligators, boa constrictors, wild horses, one large kodiak bear, a Californian brown bear, a bob cat, badgers, chimpuuks, turkey vultures, owls, coyettes, racoons, beavers, and many oilier species of birds and animals strange to the Dominion. The menagerie is the properly of Mr Ellis S. Joseph, a well-known animal collector, who is taking it to Australia,