LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1739, 11 October 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thu members ’ of (he aVfcthotlisf. Guild met at the residence of Mrs M. 11. Walker yesterday afternoon. A lambing return of 135 per cent, has been reported at Kiwitoa. The average for the district is from 110 to 120 per cent. Colytoif farmers are getting an average of 110 per cent., Samlon reports 110 to 120, and Beaconsfield 120. A cable message from Melbourne Mates that Kris.s Jensen, the Hns,sian suspect, who was charged with deserting from the Port Kendda on September 12th, and who had been working on the vessel up to the last moment, has been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. . The scholars of the local Presbyterian Sabbath school will entertain their parents and friends, and the public, at a miscellaneous concert in the schoolroom to-morrow night. The children have been trained for some time by Misses B. Speirs and MeMnrray, in the various items to be submitted. A Eangiotu farmer informs us that a'district farmer, called up in the ballot, sold his farm. After being iu camp -for some lime be was rejected as medically unfit. He was surprised Ip learn that his farm had been sold to a German who bad only been in the Dominion a lew years. The local State school tennis courts: were formally opened for the season yesterday afternoon. In order to mark lire event, the girls of Standards V. and Vi. invited members of tire Committee and their wives to afternoon tea. The girls ■ hospitably entertained their guests, and the supply of tasty dainties was much appreciated. It is stated that during an examination of recruits in a North Island district recently, the medical officers singled out three men whose appearance indicated that they had taken some concoction with the evident intention of rendering themselves . temporarily unfit, so that they would be rejected. The men were placed in a room for a few hours, until the effect of the ‘‘dope’' had expended itself, and on being re-examined wei’.e dll passed At ji.or camp.

Mr H. D.. Cook, C.E., estimates the cost of .harnessing the Waioliine River, for the purpose' of supplying hydro-electric power for the AVairarapa, at £74,000. More ,whey butter as .well as cheese was shipped from the port of Fatea last year than from any other port in the Dominion. The iigures, according to the annual report of the Department of Agriculture are, whey butter 15,426 packages; cheese 14,920 packages. A remarkable staple of wool, measuring no less than 2ft. Tin. in length, was obtained on the Pori Hardy sheep run, D’Urville Island, French Pass. The sample was taken from a full-mouth LincOln-Roamey wether, which had never previously been shorn. It was mustered a few weeks ago, and clipped no less than 521 b. of wool. The shareholders of the Ngaore Dairy Factory have set a remarkably good example to the many similar concerns in Taranaki. Realising the value of the Navy’s great work, which has for the past three years 'enabled them to continue shipping away their produce and share in the high prices ruling, they recently decided to donate £75 to the Navy League fund. —Argus. The relatives of a Wellington girl, aged fourteen, who answers to the name of Elsie —are very .anxious concerning her present whereabouts. She left her home a few days ago, ami lias nei yr reiurned. Her ecu,--plosion A dark, and -lie inn- pro• minem eyas. Anyone ha vin'; inin. - - ma foot concern.ug her A a- 1 ■. d,o eommunier.le with “Anxious mother.” rare Evcni;"-- i‘ost. Vi'hile in tin, I Aiding and Man.-i----watu districts recently, a representative of the Ashburton Guardian was shown upwards of 50 farms where re-aggregation had taken place during the past two years. In the majority of instances the next neighbour bad acquired the land of farmers who had- either gone to the war or had removed to some other part of the Dominion, It is stated by Fiji" newspapers that, throughout the last week of September a quantity of pumice was coming ashore near Levuka, the foreshore being strewn with the substance for many miles. The surface of the-water seawards was also covered with pumice, the presence of which was supposed to be due to a submarine upheaval in the vicinity of Niuafu, in the Tongan Group. A. loiter received by an Eh ham resident from Dunedin records a strange meeting of'relations at the front. The letter goes on to say: "Two of my cousins from Now Plymouth have been wounded, both shot in the right, foot, on the same day, and met in a hospital in England for the, 'ir-l time since leaving New Zealand. The nurse who at!ended them was their cousin from Wellington, whom they Juul never met before. The doctor who at tended them was their family docior from New Plymouth, Unite a family meeting.’-’ Some of “ZamieiV'’ Random Shuts in the .Auckland Star: I mice had a .troublesome rooster myself, and I called it Meßeth, because it murdered Hoop. It was an interest ing test of literary culture to tell visitors its name and, see whether they saw I lie point. Similarly my most adventurous chicken I called Maud, not because it. was tall and stately or bore any resemblance to a rose, but because it would come into the garden. My favourite lien I tunned Macduff, in. the fervent hope that it would continue to “lay on.”

The snood with which casualties on the western front arc dealt witli is> shown in the British Medical Journal. On June 7ih, the day the Messines Ridge was carried, amlmlanee trains were entering Charing Cross at 2.15 in the afternoon, The action began at daybreak, and people in London returning from luncheon saw the casualties from the battle. On Luster Monday, Vimy Ridge was attacked at 0.30 in the morning. Within an hour the wounded were coming down. Shortly after noon the battle was over, and by -1 o’clock the held was clear. In one case the feat was performed by llie R.A.M.C., and in the other by the Canadian A.M.C.

Sir Joseph Ward made the following statement in the House: —I have now received replies from London and Alexandria in connection with the acceptance of tins of condensed milk for soldiers. London, as I have already said, will not agree to accept tins of condensed milk weighing more than 1 lb. But it does nut say that it has any objection to the inclusion of tins of .condensed milk in the category of sample packages to he sent at the id rale for the 11b. Alexandria agrees to .accept lias of eomlen-ed milk at the 4d rale up lo the weight of lib. loz. f which will permit of the present tins being forwarded by the sample post.

Iteferonr-e was made by -Bishop Averill during a .sermon m Auckland last Sunday to the growth of ,superstition as shown by the manner in -which charms and mascots were treasured by people who had evidently drawn false lessons from the war, The bishop stated that, according to an English newspaper, it was proposed some time ago to hold a mascot day in England, and one business firm alone supplied over a million mascots. Fortunately (lie better feeling of the people prevailed, and the scheme was abandoned. - The bishop laid strong emphasis on the point that a dolinite choice would have to be made by the nation between superstition and prayer.

The Bazaar week is approaching. This coming Tuesday'will be the opening day. The display at Mr Belly’s window is greatly enhanced by the wonderful picture of the King of the Belgians. How good it feels to sec the likeness of the noble King- who, under God, is the saviour of the world! There is practically no change in - the. condition of the- boy Claude Hurst, who. was seriously injured at Rdngolea on Saturday, and no unfavourable symptoms had develop- . ed. The little fellow >is 5.1 years old. In connect ion with the opening of the chapel at St. Mary’s Convent on Sunday afternoon, the Rev. Father McManus was specially invited to perform the opening ceremony and give an address, but through an error in our last issue it was made to appear otherwise. The General Secretary of the Wellington Provincial Butchers’ Union of Workers was in Foxton yesterday, for the purpose of forming a branch of their industrial organisation in this town. The meeting was very successful, and a branch was formed. The Levin croquet lawns will be ohieially opened on the 22nd instant, and an invitation has been extended to members of the local club to be present. Members intending to be present at the opening are requested t" hm ; d m Weir names to the secretary ! X. i'woods) so that the nec-i ' wsar.y arrangements can be made. M the quarterly District Com-, | miller mceimg of the Foxton Pres-: i byteria Church, held at Rangiotii on Tuesday, the-question of accident risk to the minister, who does a good deal of travelling by motor cycle, throughout his charge, was brought up. It was decided to take ont an accident policy, and the cost of same was immediately subscribed by those present. It was a letter from an Anzac. He had boon buried in a collapsed -- dug-out fur several, hours; but during that time he was comforted, ho wrote, by knowing he had sent Jive Germans (o licit. The regimental censor was a wag, for he had drawn, a thin line through the last word, and had appended the comment: “The enemy's whereabouts must not be disclosed.” A. Taranaki officer, writing from the front, says that the New Zealanders are great favourites with the French people, particularly the women and children. Ho tells of one of Ins men who did not know a word of (he French language marrying a. French girl, who in turn couldn't; ■■peak a word of Engl Ah! Love has a language of its own ! The Foxton Girls’ Guild .forwarded to the Brit Ah Red Cross Depot this week one ease, containing the following: —37 towel face washers, j 7 pairs ilannel shorts, 8 swabs, I. thmiicl bed jacket, 4 Jla.nnel undershirts, 5 suits pyjamas, 2 li.k. scarves, 1 pair ink, bed sox, 2 balaclavas, 8 pair li.k. sox, .1. pair h.k, spiral sox, 1 jlamieleite operation. gown, -I pairs h.k. mittens, 1 h.k. gloves, 5 roller bankages, mag’-; a sines and old linen. - * "Many close observers are of the opinion, dispite occasional optimistic utterances by people iu authority, that practically the whole output of primary products usually exported will have to remain in store this sesasou for want of shipping (writes the Stratford correspondent of the Taranaki, lierald), Bloring a.<-commodation, will have to he provided, and so will financial accommodation for thq producers,” The Nelson Colonist asks : Does ucwspji])er advertising pay ' Tho result of the sale of tickets iu Nelson iu the Marlborough Patriotic Society’s art union answers the question in the affirmative. Mr AJf. > Robinson, of Hardy street, who act-, ed as honorary agent for the Society, had the tickets in his shop for six months before he received au- jj thority to advertise, during which time he sold 53 tickets. He started an advertising campaign recently, with the result that for an expenditure of less than £3 he sold £SO worth of tickets.

An Australian tells this one: 1711110 convalescing in a London military hospital, I taught King Albert of Belgium's sister a word of Australian. We'd had a good 'yarn about the best country, and the lady had had to use her hanky when shq I spoke of the way it had fed, and clothed her brother’s constituents, When she was calmer, I gave her my cap badge, after explaining the sun-: rise and sunset, and said: “It’s a dinkum badge, madam.’ Then 1 had to explain hlinkum.’ She seemed struck by the word. It may he ’ the Belgian royal oath by now.”

Dmmevirke lias produced a bomb’ 'A thrower in the person oi John Eric Halsen, a middle-aged one-legged married man, who is separated from his wile. He appeared at the Magistrate's Court this week, and was remanded on a charge o£ placing blasting powder on the premises ocs v copied by one James Cotterili, Acs : cased had a grudge against Cotterill over his fahnly troubles, and al-i legodly made, a bomb out of blast-, jj ing powder and old sox, attaching S thereto a luse. This done, he threw, the bomb into jiis rival’s bedroom ip the middle of the night, greatly frightening him (as he admitted he intended to do), and also slightly ' burning him about the head and face, , ’

Wanted Known: You can get bet-, ter groceries. for the same money at Walker and Furrie’s; 1 ;