LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1745, 27 October 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Continuous warm rains fell throughout this district on Thursday and yesterday.

One of the losers in the Danncvirkc tire was a prospective bi'ide, who had her trousseau and “glory box” destroyed by the flames. For allowing stock to wander on the roads, A. J, Kellow and Frederick Robinson were each fined ss, with costs 7s, at yesterday’s sitting of the Magistrate’s Court.

That mushrooms can be successfully cultivated in . this district is proved by Mr W. Nye, who has forwarded us some fine samples grown by himself. All the flaxmills in this district were closed to-day in order that the employees could attend the halfyearly meeting of the Union at Palmerston North.

Six brothers and sisters, whose combined ages total 479 years, were present at a family gathering at King’s Hall Road, Beckenham (England) a few weeks ago. The eldest is 90 years old, and the youngest 70.

A fine of 20s, with costs 7s, was indicted by the Magistrate at yesterday’s sitting of the Court in the case in which C. A. C. Preston was charged with a breach of the Borough by-laws by blasting concrete near a public road without a permit from the Council.

The Wairarapa Age says it is understood that the prices to be offered by the freezing companies for fat stock at the opening of the season this 1 year will be somewhat lower than last year. The- Wairarapa companies have not yet bgun to operate.

At the local Magistrate’s Court yesterday, W. H. Bain, of Feilding, was charged with driving a motor ’bus in Main Street at night without lights. Defendant, who did not appear, wrote admitting the offence. A fine of 10s, with costs 7s, was inflicted.

At the annual examination of Victoria Trinity College, Miss W. M. E. Harding, of the Waipawa District High School, and daughter of the Rev. A. Harding, of Foxtou, secured first college terms. Miss Harding is to be congratulated upon her success.

At the local Presbyterian Church to-morrow evening the Rev, J. H. Bredin will, in common with the other Presbyterian .churches throughout the Dominion (make reference to the fourth hundred anniversary of Luther’s initial act in reference to the Reformation,

A little known industry in this Dominion is the collection of rags for exportation to England for cloth-making purposes. It existed before the war, but since the commandeering of wool by the Imperial Government a keen demand has set in for rags, as much as 2d per lb. being paid. There were large and appreciative audiences in the Town Hall on Thursday and last uight. The management provided a double attraction, pictures and vaudeville, with no advance in prices. We understand that Messrs Fullers intend to send periodically vaudeville artists from their circuit to Foxton. Messrs Tilton and West’s items, particularly the banjo manipulations, were much appreciated. The management can be assured of large audiences in the future if similar programmes are submitted.

Dr. Flqrence Keller, who returned to Auckland from U.S.A. the other day, spent part of her holiday-Uipe studying under the famous Dr. Mayo, of Rochester, Minn., who had received a call from the American Government to go as ope of the leading surgeons and take up work with the army. This famous surgeon has given up an income of over a million dollars (£200,000) a year to do his country’s wish. The pay of the American army surgeons varied, but was generally held to be about £25 a month, rising accord? ing to rank.

Wanted Known: You can get better groceries for the same money at Walker and Fume’s, . , t . '

The annual general meeting of the Mifnawatu Rowing Club will be held in the Town Hall supper-room on Monday evening, at 8 o’clock. All members and intending members are requested to attend.

At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, judgment for plaintiff was entered up in the following undefended civil cases: —J. McColl v. Pat. Keriona, claim £3 2s (id, costs ss; and A. S. Paterson and'CO., Ltd., v. Pat. Keriona, claim £8 4s 6d, costs £2 16s 6d, and an order made for possession of house on or before October 30th.

Questioned by Mr W. H. Field in the House of Representatives on Thursday on the subject of the supply of inferior food on transports, the Minister of Defence said there had been a complaint about the quality of butter supplied by Messrs Bray Bros, to one transport. The matter had been referred to the Crown Law Office, which had reported that there was not sufficient ground for action. He was not going to let the matter rest. It had been referred to Cabinet.

The catering at the Manawatu Spring Show is again to be in the capable’hands of the Foxton and Country Patriotic Women Workers. The prices are to be the same as last year, viz., luncheon under the grandstand 2s Cd, tearooms Is, and a counter lunch under the 2s stand, where a cup of tea and sandwiches or cake can be had for 6d. Milk and cakes will also be sold at the counter lunch for children. The food is being given, and the help is voluntary, and it is hoped a substantial sum will be raised for patritoic work.

Our Levin and Otaki contemporaries arc throwing pebbles at each other. Otaki cannot convince Levin that its town is the hub of the universe, and therefore best suited to be the headquarters of the Otaki electorate as recently defined. The Otaki editor says that “Levin is ’not a bad little up-country town in its way,” and that Otaki will probably be, “a flourishing city” when Levin lias long been forgotten. The Levin editor replies: “The absurdity of a mere town district posing as the natural centre of an electorate that contains a progressive borough twice its size - is so apparent that it needs no demonstration either to an intelligent public or to the electoral authorities.”

The Eight Rev. Dr. Cleary, Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, ■who has returned to New Zealand after a lengthy sojourn in Europe, a good deal benefited in health, left for the northern city yesterday. For some weeks his Lordship lived with the New Zealand troops at the front, and he gave his assurance that the men are well fed, well clothed, and well looked after generally. Evei’ytbing that science, skill, and organisation can do to keep the men fit physically and in good heart is being done. Referring to the work of the chaplains, the Bishop says that men of all denominations are doing excellent work. The right class of man is being sent, and they have gained and are gaining the confidence of the men. The chaplains, he added, are a band of brothers.

Some frank admissions as to the inadequacy of their stipends were made by several clergy in a debate in the Anglican Diocesan Synod at Auckland. One gentleman said that during the past twelve months he had received £IOO from his flock and £25 from the diocese, but, considering that three new churches had just been opened in his district, and that there was keen competition on the part of other religious bodies, he could not press his people for more. Another said that he was thankful in some ways that he was not marked, for his stipend (£SO) could certainly not support a family. A third remarked that he was receiving £2OO a year from his parish, which was an endowed one. This sum was sufficient for himself and wife, because they had no family. He knew that he could get more from his people if he cared to ask' for it, but he did not, as his present income sufficed. He pointed out that a clergyman in the country had to keep one or two horses, to entertain a little, and to contribute to the pension fund, besides incurring other expenses from which a layman was free. One of the senior clergy, at an early stage in the debate, told the Synod bluntly that he was glad to say that he had independent means, and was not compelled to live on the doles that he had received since he had entered the Ministry. If he had he would be in a most degrading state of poverty, with no possibility of enjoying any of the pleasures of life. He thought that the present state of affairs was an absolute disgrace. -