LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1683, 8 March 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The biennial meeting of the North Island District Grand Lodge of Druids is being held in Napier this week. The secretary, Mr A. Smith, is the local Lodge's delegate. The Manawalu County Council decided at Tuesday's meeting to support a proposal tor placing a customs tax on motor tyres, the proceeds to be divided between local bodies for the upkeep of roads. ‘‘The Government places no Customs duty on motor cars and 25 per cent, on perambulators,” remarked one Councillor at the Mauawatu County Council meeting on Tuesday. “That is not the way to encourage local industry,” commented another. Just landed, a supply of BradesMills books. Only a limited quantity.—Walker ajid Fume,*

Interesting reading matter appears on pages 1 and 4 of this issue.

The Arahura, which collided with an overseas steamer off Gisborne, has been refloated, and the overhaul of her engines is proceeding. The Dunedin Presbytery has passed a resolution in favour of equality of treatment of the clergy under the Military Service Act, with special reference to the justice of putting 1 home missionaries on as good a footing as curates.

The hand that rocks the cradle! At a Tasmanian race meeting recently, when the officials raised the minimum tolalisator investment from 5s to 10s in the women’s reserve, the women went on strike, and refused to bet. The officials at once returned to the old conditions.

It is stated that an important find of scheelite has been made in the Barewood district. A Dunedin syndicate has secured an option and opened up the reef. It,is said that experienced miners are of opinion (hat it is (lie richest and most important discovery of scheelite yet made in New Zealand;

At Hastings, J. W. Bates, chemist, was fined £lO and costs for ha ving sold a quarter of a pound of sugar of milk Iha t was unlit for human consumption. The defendant, who pleaded guilty, said it was the fault, of one of*Jus boys, who was told to throw the sugar of milk out, but did not do so.

A luxury at the Eketahuna HorticuKural Show last week was blackberries and cream. The blackberry is a noxious weed. It was at an Eketahuna show, if we remember rightly (says a contemporary) that a local horticulturalist secured first prize for a new and rare plant with a, line pot of ragwort in full bloom. I have read of a, dying hero, who, in his last moments seemed to hear the Sentinel’s challenge.' “Who goes there?” for he raised himself and cried: “An Englishman who lias done his duty.” J do heartily believe that when he answered a like challenge at the gate beyond, the reply would be, “Pass, Englishman, who has done his duty.” —Hev. P. W. Eairclough.

“If drunks are coming up in these numbers at a time like this 1 am going to increase the lines,” said Mr W. G. K. Kenrick, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court, in Palmerston, after live inebriates had been dealt with. “The country has quite enough taxes to pay without paying board for men like you, and I am going to make you pay it. I have done it in other districts, and I will do it here.”

Kegarding the conscription of the clergy, it is understood (says the Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times) that the Roman Catholic authorities in New Zealand have communicated with Cardinal Bourne and Bishop Cleary, and that the Imperial authorities have cabled instructions to the Dominion Government to the effect that in no case must clergy he conscripted. Pull verification of the rumour is at present unobtainable, although it is generally accented as correct.

Mr Fred. Pirani has been given something to occupy Ids spare time hy the newspaper representatives assembled at Hie annual cunferenee at Wellington last week. He was appointed to take charge of the dispute between the letter-press maebinists, lithographers, and bookbinders of the Dominion, elected one of the Executive of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, a member of the awards committee, one of four arbiters to decide disputes and give interpretations in reference to awards of the Arbirtation Court, chairman of the Provincial section of the association, and Chairman of the United Press Association.

In a letter to a friend in Napier, a Napier soldier at present in Prance says; “To-day I was talking to a French girl, who could speak English very well, and she was telling me about a friend of hers who had just arrived here from Lille, where she had been interned since 1914. They have had a rough time of it there, and this friend lived on rice for a whole year, everything being terribly expensive. Eor example, 1 egg cost Is 3d, a piece of meat (1.1 inches square) 2s Id. Butter, sugar, etc., was not procurable. Eor a great luxury she had one potato for dessert every Sunday. Coal is the only thing that is cheap, and that is so because there are so many mines round about Lille."

A Dunedin message records the death of the Hon. Tanme Parata, M.L.C., and ex- M.P. for the Southern Maori District, a I the age of 84 rears. The late Mr Pa rat a was chief of the Xgaitahu, Wait aha, and Xgatiraamoe tribes, and was a direct descendant of the celebrated Mauri navigator, Tamatea, captain of the Takitimu canoe, which arrived from Hawaiki, the ancient home of the Maori, probably somewhere about the tenth century. He was member for I lie Southern .Maori District from 1885 until when he retired, being succeeded by his son, Mr'Charles Parata, of Wellington, and in 1912 was appointed to a seat in the Legislative Council. About a fortnight ago the deceased broke a blood vessel, and he had also had two paralytic strokes. Mr Charles Parata left Wellington on .Monday night for his»late father’s home, accompanied by two younger brothers from Rotorua.

Housewives should bear in mind that Walker and Furrie can supply household ironmongery of every description at the best value prices.

Mr W. H. Perris, chief hemp grader, is. at present in Foxton. Mr Edward Newman, M.P., was in Foxton this morning. The local Druids Lodge has decided to invest £350 in War Loan certificates.

The Queen of the South, hemp laden, sailed for Wellington at 9.80 o'clock last night. She is due back with a cargo of general tomorrow.

Last year in England farmers were able to get seed potatoes at £6 a ton. This year, owing to inIhited potato prices, they have (o pay £lO.

The weird story that Lord Kitchener is still alive and a prisoner in Germany is once more going the round of the neutral Press, in which it is told with extraordinary circumstantiality of detail.

In addition to several shops at Palmerston (Otago) being empty, the local paper has issued its last number. This is the first time Palmerston has been without a newspaper for many years. Notice is given by Lieut. 11. F. Gabites, 0.C., that parades of 4!) Coy. Senior Cadets are called for Saturday, 17th March, and Wednesday, 21s( March, at the rifle range, Foxton, at 2 p.m. Attendance at one of these parades is compulsory. It is estimated that (lie damage done by the recent Hood at the Thames amounts to between £lO,000 and £12,000. The Government is to he asked to assist the Borough Council financially. About a quarter of a million cubic yards of silt has been deposited on (lie streets of the town, and it will he weeks tiefore Thames can he restored to its usual clean condition.

Sir James Wilson staled at Tuesday’s meeting of the Manawatu County Council that when the war was over the Government subsidy on rates for local bodies, in Ids opinion, would (-ease. He thought this would be one of the first economics Government would enforce. The Council would I lien have lo increase (he rates to meet the deficiency. Having enlisted four limes, and having been four times rejected, Mr Frank Jones, of the Electric Lighting Department of the Wellington Corporation, took up a course of physical training to enable him to remedy (he defects which stood in the way of his becoming a soldier. This has proved successful, and lie has now been accepted for service. He is the son of Mr 11. C. Jones, of the Government Printing Office.

Evictions are common enough in some countries, but are rare occurrences in New Zealand. Considerable interest therefore attached to one that took place lately at Opunake, when an old man who had lived on Crown land'for years was forcibly dispossessed. The sheriff from New Plymouth, accompanied by two policemen, proceeded to put his belongings outside the* whare. Tin* old man, who considered he had a spiritual right to the land, had built, the whare, fencml (he land and planted it with fruit trees, and made 1 other improvements, and as he objected to the Agricultural Department using the Crown land he obstructed the officials, bul in vain. The law of eviction was read, and then the police pulled the whare to pieces, placed it on a vehicle, and removed it to the police station yard.

A rather extraordinary case came under the notice of the Juvenile Court at Wellington on Monday morning, when a bright girl of 15 years was charged with breaking and entering two residences at Khandallah and stealing therefrom jewellery and underclothing.' The offences occurred on December 241 h and February 10th last, when the girl gained entrance to two houses

and stole jewellery, etc., of a total value of .€22 lbs. The stolen articles had not been sold, neither was th*re any motive for the crime. The Bench ordered ihe young offender to come up for sentence when called upon, on condition she went into a local home for two months.

A letter just: received l>y nn Auckland commercial man from a firm in Great Britain gives a fair idea of the reason for Ihe prohibition of the export of many lines of goods. That this was anticipated by the makers at Home is shown by the fact that in some cases the orders sent out were, increased above the quantity asked for. The following- is an extract from the letter: —“Considering the scarcity of ships, we are hugely surprised that it is still possible to send such large quantities. Consumers may settle down to the hard fact of being compelled to pay until peace comes, and, notwithstanding all the American and German Xotes, no one here expects peace within six months. Our railways are almost, but not quite, commandeered for Government work. Vast numbers of stations are closed —mostly small ones, but some important suburban ones —and in places where somewhat uncalled for lines had been built, rails, sleepers, and ballast are being lifted and sent to France. Flour and oatmeal costs £2B per ton, best fresh eggs 5s per dozen, a 21b loaf 6d, milk 2s per gallon, and beef, ham, cheese, and fish are at extravagant prices. This does not look like an early peace.”

Wanted! Housewives can now purchase machine-cleaned Cun-ants and Raisins at Walker and Fume's, “The Store for Cleanliness and Quality.”

Those in the know have informed (he man in the street that a rise of 50 per cent, in the price of tobacco will shortly be announced. Some of the wise ones are laying in stocks.

A few days ago the Hon. G. W. Russell ostentatiously announced that no acting leader of the Liberal Party hud been appointed, in an advertisement in the Hawke's Bay Herald, Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald signs himself “Acting-Leader of the Liberal Party." No wonder!

A writ for £2,000 damages has been issued against the Palmerston North Borough Council in connection with the Roy Street motor fatality, in which. Mr William Forties was killed and .Miss Mary and Miss Kitty Sullivan were injured. Mr C. P. Skerrett, of Wellington, is to be retained to represent the Borough Council.

Kindly time shall breathe on all things. So shall the heart heal — the tears of evening shall he the dew of (he morning, and the sorrows of to-day become the proud and happy memories of to-morrow. Are some afraid for the immortal spirits of those who full in the battle for the rigid ? Is not the core of our religion self-sacrifice 1 if I understand wind self-sacrifice is, these men show it to the full. —:Rcv. P. W. Fairclough.

A m;m whom no doubttho Kaiser would envy is a French soldier, aged thirty-one, who, as Dr. Verges, of Bordeaux, rejmrls, participated in (lie first day of the battle of.' the iVlarne (September Dili. 1914). He went lo sleep on the evening’ of that day, and has not awakened since. The man, who is a vocalist by profession, was not wounded. His respiration and pulse have remained normal, and he is fed with liquids. !)oetors # expect (hat he will one day, sooner or later, resume his normal condition. Narrative from Feathcrston: Private applied for leave, and was promptly refused by Captain ——, who is a good capable otlicer, but not strong on the King's English. started to argue. He wanted reasons. No reasons were given. At last he said: “Well, Captain, if I ask for leave, and you refuse it without giving reasons, I’ll walk ahout this camp with a stigma on my back.” Then the wrath of Caplain exploded. “By God, ■’* he said, “if 1 catch you walking about this camp with anything but his Majesty's uniform on your hack I'll —I’ll —I’ll have you tried by court-martial!"

Queer ideas of patriotism prevail with some people (says the Mataura Ensign). A member of the First Division at Gore, having a premonition that he would soon be called up, tried to sell his property. A well-to-do retired farmer made enquiries about it. but negotiations hung tiro for souk 1 reason or other. On being pressed to (dose with the offer, the would-be purchaser somewhat staggered (he agent who was trying to sell the property by remarking that he was in no hurry over the matter at present, as when the seller had to proceed to the war lie would lie glad to sell at £IOO less than its market value to get his affairs settled, and that he would buy it (hen.

The following extract I‘roin the lied Cross Record will no doubt, prove interesting' end encouraging to Red Cross workers in (his disIrief, whose ell'oi'ls in the good cause are too well known to need enlarging upon:—“Mrs Massey and Mrs Arthur Pearce visited the Centra! work-rooms of the British Red Cross Society in London. Whilst there they were told how much was appreciated the work that was being done both in New Zealand and Australia, and that during last February and March, but i'or tin; timely arrival of the New Zealand and Australian goods the, lied Cross stores in London would have been depleted, and they would not have been able to fulfil all the requisitions sent to them.”

The question is very often asked, “Why does not Japan send a million men across Siberia to the Eastern front to assist Russia. The task is, of course, not an impossible one, but very few can appreciate its magnitude. Suppose, for example, it was deeided to transport the, million Japanese by means of trains along the Siberian Railway, each train holding 500 men. If these (ruins left Vladivostock at, intervals of one hour, day and night, it would be close on three months before the last batch of 500 men would leave. The transport of a million men by rail is a rather more formidable task than it appears to be on the surface.

One of the men who returned by the hospital ship Marama was morn inpressed by the plentilude of munitions in France than by anything else he had seen. He was an “old soldier,” for he had fought in Gallipoli in the early days of that expedition. Contrasting the situation on the two fronts he said;—“Any ammunition dump you care to look, into will show endless piles of munitions 15ft. high, shells of every calibre, gas shells, high explosives, and shrapnel, there was none of that firing a few rounds each day so as not to deplete the supply. The everlasting drumming of the guns beggared description. When we got into action in France the divisional ammunition column, which had never been able to do its real work before, set about it cheerfully, and was continually at it, bringing up an endless supply of ammunition foj» the guns.” '