LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1673, 10 February 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The lion. J. Allen has received information that the 20th and 2.lst Reinforcements have arrived safely at certain ports.

In the Auckland Supreme Court Albert Edward Johnston aged 32, charged with indecent assault on two hoys, was sentenced to six years’ hard labour on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent.

It is understood (Iml no less than three well-known Hawke’s Bay land-owners are shortly to he calk'd upon to explain why they failed to register themselves for military service as required hy Hie AA'ar Regulations Act. —H.B. Herald.

A strike of gravediggers occurred

at Olasneviii Cemetery, Dublin, and at the meeting of the Dublin Corporation Councillor Monks stated that 150 bodies remained unburied in the cemetery and that the district was threatened with fever. A committee was appointed-to meet the cemetery committee and try to settle the dispute.

Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, 780 sea miles from Singapore, is suffering as a result of the war. Its sole wealth consists in phosphates of lime, and exports decreased from 150,000 tons in • 19.13 to 25,700 in 1915. Formerly Germany and Austria took large quantities of its phosphates: in 19.15 the whole export went to Australia.

A Wanganui resident, Mr C. Cathro, who took purl in recent lighting between American troops and Mexicans has won the Texas Legion of Honour medal for valour in the Held. It carries with it a pension of £lO a year. Mr Cathro was severely wounded, and has just returned to Australia, where he intends to enlist for the front. When the trouble broke out between America and Mexico, he joined the Texas Hangers as a despatch rider. He received his decoration for rescuing a wounded soldier under lire. In doing so he was hit in the stomach and had an arm broken, but succeeded in bringing the man back to safety.

A letter was read by Sir dames Wilson at the District Hospital Board melting on Thursday from Dr. P. T. Putnam, who stated that he was leaving Liverpool on .January 20th on his return to .New Zealand. He would sail for New York and spend a week or two at the clinic of the great Mayo Brothers, at Rochester, which, the doctor added, was the last word in surgery. He wotdd leave Vancouver on February 14th, and reach Sydney on March 9th, and come on to New Zealand by the first boat. Dr. Putnam added that at the hospital where he was engaged, in England, he had charge of Kit) beds, and although there were some very sad cases, the men were wonderfully cheerful.

A fatal case of snake bile occurred at Mirhoo, Victoria, last week. Maurice and Bita Wanke, aged 15 and 8 respectively, children of Mr Carl Wanke, farmer, were in their father’s paddock, and, thinking there was a rabbit in a hollow Jog, the boy put his hand in. He was at once bitten, but was under the impression that it was done hy a rabbit. His sister then put her hand in, and was also bitten. Soon afterwards a large tiger snake crawled out. The hoy chopped its tail off and ran home, where his father treated both children as soon as possible. Then he brought them into the town for medical treatment. Not until then was it discovered that the girl had been bitten on both thumbs. Although attended hy two doctors, the girl died in a few hours, but the boy was soon out of danger.

Housewives! We have the right labour-saving devices to cut your work in two. Our stocks are complete with every house need. Best value offered at Walker and Furrie’s, Foxton.

A committee meeting of the Horticultural Society will be held at 8 p.m. on Monday , next.

At the forthcoming Autumn Show "f of the local Horticultural Society it has been decided to add a children’s class for decorated tables. This item was omitted from the printed catalogue. The president (Mr Jackson) has donated first and second prizes in this class. There have been 109 applications from boarding-pupils for accommodation at the Wanganui Girls’ College—a record. Spsccial arrangements are being made for housing them.

Mr Coiqnhoun, science master at the Palmerston High School, and Mrs Coiqnhoun, are spending the week-end in Foxton. Mr Colquhoun inspected the process of treating hemp at several of the mills.

The late Dr. McNab fitted out. half the Gore men for (he 4th Contingent for the Boer War, This was in February, 1900. The cost of the equipment, which included horses, was estimated at £75 per man, and his share was for five men.

The railway revenue for the period ended January Olh was: —North Island £250,149, South Island £177,248; lota! £438,097. The expenditure was : North island £110,015, South Island £94.957: total £211,573. The percentage of revenue was 01.33, compared with 00.23 a year ago.

Sir .lames AVilson slated al the Palmerston North District Hospital Board meet ini’ 1 on Thursday that the germ of infantile paralysis had been discovered hy (he expert at Mayo Brothers’ clinic at Rochester, Ended States, and that the medical fraternity would thus he enabled to deal effectively with the disease hy the assist .nice of this valuable discovery.

The second case of its kind to come before the Court in Wellington was mentioned in the Magistrate’s Court there yesterday, when Norman Hugh Brinkman was charged with failing to give notice of his change of abode in accordance with Section 48 of the Military Service Act. The defendant: was for certain reasons unable to appear, and the ease was adjourned till 9th March.

Every New Zealander knows Bluff, the most southern port of the Dominion, hut there are very few who are aware that hitherto the official name of the borough has been Camphelltown. The existence of this anomaly has now been terminated, as by notification in (he latest Gazette the Government has given its consent to Hie change of the official name from Camphelltown to Bluff.

Copies of a pamphlet under the caption of ‘'Cancer: Is it Curable 1 ?” were received by Hie District Hospital and Charitable Aid Board at its meeting on Thursday from the Public Health Department, through the Inspector-General of Hospitals. The hoard decided to arrange for the distribution of the pamphlets, the contents of which contained a description of the symptoms of the disease.

Mr G. Ber nurd Shaw, the clever Irish author, told the following story at King’s Hall, London, in the course of an address on ‘‘Europe in Chains”: “The late Emperor Francis .Joseph of Austria was very niuc'h like my grandfather —in appearance, in his daily life, and in his speech. My grandfather was so unlit to he a king that he could not manage a reasonably small estate in Ireland. With a mortgage on it lie left it to me in such a hopeless condition that I have lost money on it ever since.”

A dastardly assault is reported to have been committed in Broad Street, Palmerston, on Wednesday night (says the Standard) upon a lady resident. It appears that she was cycling towards her home; at a, lale hour, when a man suddenly stepped from the cover of a tree and struck her smartly on the head with a walking-stick. Whatever the cowardly assailant's motive "’as, the lady, with great presence of mind, pedalled away rapidly, although the blow almost sutnned her. The fact that she carried a bag may. have Jed the man to think that it contained money. It is to be hoped Unit the offender may be discovered and receive the reward he richly deserves.

An interesting story of the building of the first boat hy the Pitcairn Islanders was told on Thursday by one of the ollicers of an overseas trading vessel now in the port of Wellington. For many months past the men on the island have been busily at work building a, schooner large enough to trade their fruit for clothing with the inhabitants of other islands. The schooner, which was 44 ft. long by 15ft. wide, was* completed last month, and was launched on January loth. With a, crow of 15 men, she set out tor Mangarcva and Tahiti, about 1,000 miles distant. She carried no chronometer nor chart, ami the men aboard had huf the most primitive idea of the science of navigation. During the launching she struck the rocks, and was leaking when she put to sea, the crew expecting to effect repairs at some island on the way to Maugareva. This fact was known to the rest of the islanders, but they/ apparently experienced no misgiv- • ings as to the safety of their comrades.

Why bother making cakes when there is such a good assortment at Perreau’s f*

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

Sei’gt.-Detective Quirke was a visitor to Foxton yesterday.

An Order in Council has been gazetted prohibiting the export of wheat, oats, and other cei’cals and flour and oatmeal or other products of grain, unless u permit therefor was obtained from the Minister of Customs. Rifleman Con. Burgess (late of tho local school staff), writing from Codford, Wiltshire, under date 28/12/10, says: “We have all had a gorgeous lime here this Christmas, thanks principally to the N.Z. W.C.A. Am still on the sick list. Kindest regards to all friends.” A Wanganui business man has xiow put in three days, plus overtime, at the wharf, and his earnings per day have been £l, £ll4s Id, and £1 7s 4d, which averages out at the rate of over £4OO per year. “This is more than the average professional man is earning,” he remarked on Thursday night. “A watersider ought to be able to retire in ten years.” The indirect answers of an appellant at the Appeal Board sitting at i’almcr>lon N. yeMerday drew a sharp query from Mr D. McLaren, a member of tiie Board. “Doesn't it strike you people that this war has to he won/” lie asked. Appellant replied that he did, hut it was neees.-ary to keep* the farms going. Mr McLaren added that when some people looked over their own little holdings they lost sight of the big crisis that was taking place. When counsel for an appellant at the Palmerston Appeal Board sitting yesterday morning made a statement that appellant: was unable to attend the Board owing to illness, and that a doctor bad staled that he was quite incapable of military duty, Captain Walker sail! the military authorities were not going to send men to the front who were not medically lit. People could rest easy in their minds about that. If a man went to camp and any weakness developed itself, he was discharged. That was all about it. Air Alorgan O'Brien, Health Inspector, reported to the Hospital Board at Thursday’.- meeting as follows: —I beg (<> submit synopsis of infectious cases and otber matters in tlie district for the month of January; Palmerston North, scarlet: fever one case, diphtheria seven cases; Bedding, diplii heriu. two cases; .Manawatu, one case ot supposed diphtheria- which eventually on examination of a swab proved otherwise. The total eases was .eleven, which shows a very satisfactory condition, considering that many parts id' the district are entirely free. Regarding other matters coining under (he head of sanitation, about til) inspections have been made, and where requested the had conditions were set right. Particular attention was likewise paid to premises where foods were retailed.