LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1661, 13 January 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The “gates" at Ihe local racing Club’s meeting on the 22nd and 23rd instants have been sold to Mr J. Wyeth for £2OO, £8 more than was received last year.

Among those reported slightly wounded and remaining with unit, appears the name of 2nd Lieutenant George Henry Davey, son of Mr and Mrs'Jas. Davey, of Ilimatangi.

in future the public will not be informed of the time or date of closing of oversea mails (except Australia). Date of sailing or name of steamers carrying oversea mails are not to be published.

A kindly spirit was shown by the Greymouth' waterside workers at Christmas, when they remembered the needs of the dependents of their comrades who are now at the front. They gave 10s to each child whose father is in the tiring line. The siun presented amounted in all to £lO, one family receiving £2 10s.

Two Wellington men, Patrick Campbell and B. W. Wilson, wharf labourer and wool storeman respectively, were sentenced in the Napier Magistrate’s Court to two months’ and one month’s imprisonment respectively for seditious utterances. It was stated in Court that they had gone to Napier on an anti-conscrip-tion campaign.

An appellant in the Military Appeal Coprt at Wellington the other morning said that he wished to be given time to lix up his affairs. Amoug other things he had lawyers’ bills to pay. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about lawyers’ bills; they won’t bother you!” said Captain Walker, who, by the way, is a lawyer himself, and recently practised in Auckland.

Mrs Grant informs us that she has managed to secure two dressing shelters for the convenience of bathers at the seaside. Each shelter will afford accommodation for two bathers, and will be situated on the river foreshort 1 near the store. The accommodation for tw o bathers, and will be situated on the river foreshore near the store. The material was the joint gift of Mrs Grant and Mr 11. N. Speirs, and the shelters were constructed free of cost by Mr E. Smith.

One local young man drawn in the third ballot, is tilled with joy at the prospect that at last he has a chance of serving his King and country. His drawback has been his diminutive size, otherwise he is well equipped physically to undergo almost any hardship. When notified that the ballot had given him his chance he was delighted. “I’ll do anything for them, even to pealing spuds,” he said, “if they will only take me, and failing all other things they can have me as a mascot!” He's a splendid little fellow, of the right spirit, and would make his mark with the forces if only given a chance.

Sydney papers report that on 29th December a man whose name is believed to he Andrew Lennox, ahout 56 years of age, living at Alexandria, drove in a cab from the city to Watson’s Bay. He alighted and walked over to the edge of a cliff about 200 yards from the gap, waved his handkerchief to the cab, and was seen to disappear. The height of the cliff is about 200 ft. Two of the signal station staff climbed down to the water’s edge, but could not find the body, which had evidently been washed out to sea. A piece of paper, on which was written “Good-bye,” and signed “Andrew Lennox,” was found in the cab.

See cheap rates, front pages Laidlaw Leeds’ Wholesale Catalog.

Just landed, a supply of BradesMills hooks. Only a limited quantity.—Walker and Fume.*

“One of the big evils of unionism is the paid secretary; he goes about the country trying to persuade the' workers that they are badly treated.” So said a member of the New Zealand Educational Institute at the conference, when a suggestion for the appointment of a paid secretary was under discussion.

A wine merchant of Rheims named Goulden has been convicted by the court-martial of the Sixth Region of shipping 360 cases of champagne valued at £1,700, to the German Emperor by way of Buenos Ayres. Goulden, who was the Emperor’s champagne merchant before (he war, has been sentenced to live years’ imprisonment, a fine of £BOO, and the loss of civil rights for ten years. We are in receipt of a handy little lea Hot issued hy the Returned Soldiers’ Information Department, which is in charge of the Hon. A. L. Ilevdman. The pamphlet sets forth the objects of the Department, its modus operand!, and contains much information that is useful to returned soldiers. It also sets forth the scale of pensions granted for injuries of a varied nature, and the task that faces the Department at the finish of the war.

The fourth of the series of Stingaree pictures was screened at the Town Hall pictures last evening, and proved of a very entertaining nature. A special feature of this instalment is the beautiful scenic effects, varying from bushhmd to desert, which provided a very attractive setting for a good story. The accompanynng Keystone comedy film and the other supports were ;i good lot, ami completed a programme which met with unanimous rppvcch'.'v'!'.. T!": programme will he screened this evening.

The Australian soldiers are good churchgoers in England. Several of them were in a little Methodist chape! in a garden suburb. In the midst of his discourse the minister paused impressively, and swinging to his left, said, “And what did Abraham say?”' Next he repealed (he question to (he congregation directly in front of the pulpit. Then he turned to the pews where (he'Australians were sitting, and put the question a third time. One of the Australians then rose and implied: “All right, mister, I’ll be the blooming mug. What ‘did’ Abraham say?” “We are not going to cater for the luxury of the public,” declared Mr Widdowson, S.M., at the sitting of the Military Service Board at Milton. “But the public insist on it,” answered Mr W. R. Brugh, who was conducting an appeal, “The sooner they turn over a new leaf the better,” was the chairman’s reply. The appellant in the case, among other duties, runs a launch on the Taieri River, and Mr Brugh was explaining that the next three months would be his busiest time. Mr Widdowson said this was on account of the holiday passenger traffic, and it was this traffic which the chairman

declined in any way to assist. Four skeletons of the extinct moa have lately been found by Mr E. E. Vaile, at Broadlands, Waiotapu—three in one group, and the fourth in the same neighbourhood, about 100 yards distant. The find of moa bones in the pumice country of the North Island is by no means new, but none are known to have been met with hitherto within 40 miles of the locality of the present discovery. The skeletons were covered with pumice to a depth of several feet, and evidently belong to a s,mall specimen of the moa, which would, when erect, stand 4f(. or sft. in height. “It seems a very peculiar thing,” said Mr 1). M’Laren at a sitting of the Military Service Board in Mas-, lerton, “that the men coming before us never considered their obligations to (he country until drawn in the ballot, and then required time in which to arrange their affairs.”

It is not every locality that can boast of a parson who shears his hundred sheep a day on week days and returns to town for the weekend and his church (says the Malaura Ensign). The services of Mr Matthew Bell, of the Gore Church of Christ, have lately been in much demand.

Aii Australian soldier, writing to ins parents, says: “There is a big movement among the Anzac mounted division to erect a bronze equestrian memorial on the banks of the Suez Canal, where everyone who goes through can see it, to those of our comrades who have fallen out here on the desert. Of course, as far as we have been able, we have made our mates’ graves wherever they fell, and where possible have placed crosses, with particulars on, and looked after them as well as we could; but they are scattered all over the country, poor chaps, and some of the men have been neither found nor identified. The graves Unit we have made cannot last long after we leave the desert, because the winds keep blowing the sand away, and the dirty Bedouin will come back and probably use the crosses for firewood; so that we all flunk the idea of the movement the best in the world, and we are paying for it ourselves, and do not require help from the public, whom we know would subscribe enough in a day if necessary. It will be a lasting tribute to the ‘boys,” and will be located where people from all parts of the world can see it. We are still eating dates, and will he sorry when they are iiuished; so will the horses —they like them better than we do.”

Xu need to burn your hands while ironing if you use one of our Asbestos Sad Irons. Price 13/G, —Walker and Fume, Foxton,

A sharp earthquake shock was felt throughout this district shortly before 10.30 this morning.

When the war is over Zealand Government could not do better than secure the services of the engineers who are responsible for the laying of the recent railway to El Arisb. Fifteen miles of line were laid in 15 days. This puts the New Zealand record of 15 miles in 15 years completely in the shade. The death is reported at Denver, Colorado, of Colonel Cody, known as “Buffalo Bill.” In 1883 he got together in America the original “Wild West Show,” which he took to Europe in 1887. lie was a brother of Captain Cody, who was killed in the Royal British Air Service.

A pretty compliment from a father to his son was contained in the confession of Dr. Chavasse, the Bishop of Liverpool, that when his boy won the V.C. he said to him; “Hitherto you have been the son of the Bishop of Liverpool, but now I am the father of Captain Chavasse.”

An important event, commencing next Thursday, will be the sensational sale of Mr J. Gillespie’s highclass stock of mercery and clothing at Mr J. M. Barr’s, who was the successful purchaser at the low figure of 12 s (id in the £. The sale prices as advertised in circulars are certainly sensational, and it is certain that there will lie a. big rush for the gargains. Buyers will be well advised to get in early.

The fair sex is invading the Rost Office l in greater numbers than ever, says the Wellington Times. In addition to (he 140 young women, from 18 to 21 years old, who arc being trained for Ihe work of telegraph operating, the Post Office has about 40 women now employed who have replaced men. It is regarded -y. certain that Hie work of the Post Office in the future will be largely curried out hv female officers.

Mr J. H. Kirby, a veteran journalisl, died in Wellington this week, at the age ol’ 74. He eame to New Zealand some 45 years ago from Victoria, and at one lime and another was connected with various newspapers both- in tlie North and South Islands. Mr Kirby also engaged in teaching, and for a period was headmaster of All Saints' School, Dunedin. He is survived by three sons and four daughters. Mr Ercd Kirby, the eldest son, was subeditor of the Xew Zealand Times for some twelve years, associate editor for three or four years, and editor for about one year: he is now on the staff of the Bulletin, Sydney. A younger sou, Mr A. H. Kirby, was on the literary staff of the Times at the outbreak of war; he enlisted at once, served in Samoa, and is now with the artillery in France. The other son, Mr S. Kirby, resides in Wellington.

A young New Zealand soldier named Private It. Brebner, who enlisted in Westport, owes his life to a rather curious coincidence. When he was spending his final leave in Westport the Mayor of that town (Mr A. Leaver) placed in his money holt a “lucky’’ halfpenny, and the story of how this coin contributed towards saving his life is best told in his own words. Jn the course of a letter, written to Mr Leaver from the New Zealand General Hospital, Codford, England, Private Brebner says: “You will probably have heard that 1 ‘stopped one.’ I was saved by your lucky halfpenny. The bullet struck the pouch of the money belt and glanced off the coin, cutting it in two. i have one piece, but am sorry to say the other is missing'; otherwise I intended sending it to you as a souvenir. I have a nasty gash, but surface only, and I hope to be right again in a month at most.”