LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1773, 8 January 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There is a' demand for dwelling houses in Foxton at present.

A number of local hoys who were home on holiday leave left by train yesterday for the camp. The railway surfacemen are burning the grass alongside the permanent way between Foxton and Palmerston.

The death occurred suddenly at Wellington this morning of Mr C. Parata, M.P. for Southern Maori District.

■ We are asked to warn the public against lighting fires in the open, as owing to the parched grass about town carelessness in this direction may be responsible for a serious conflagration. The Mayor, Mr J. Chrystall, invites the ladies of Foxton to assist in entertaining the Sanson Concert Party at supper on Friday evening by sending along cakes and sandwiches to the Town Hall on Friday afternoon.

It is rumoured (says the Christchurch Sun) that before next general election the Hon. Sir William Fraser will accept a seat on the Legislative Council, leaving the Whakatipu seat in (he House to Mr H, Scott, M.P., whose electorate of Otago Central has been'cut out by the Boundaries Commission.

A southern paper speaks of a soldier’s wife and her six children who are living in a three-roomed cottage. The War Finance Board, which paid the rent so far, has refused to do so any longer, as the man is coming home invalided. The inhumanity of accepting such a man as a. soldier is intensified by allowing such a family to herd together in three rooms.

Measurements have now been made of the portions of the timber that remained on the scow Moa after the German prisoners were recaptured. They show that of the total cargo of 80,000 feet of sawn timber no less than 47,000 feet was jettisoned, leaving some 33,000 feet which was brought to Auckland. As stated previously (says the Auckland Star), the portion that was thrown overboard comprised the most valuable timber in the cargo, and the loss to the LeylamhO’Brien Timber Company is therefore considerable.

The rainfall in Auckland during 1917 established a record for that city, the total fall being 74.51 ins., as against 07.10 ins. in 1916, and 54.48 ins, in 1907, which was the highest annual fall recorded up till 1910. The average annual fall for the 03 years prior to 1916 was 42.03 inches. The rainfalls in April, May, and July last were records for those months; the fall for February was the second highest for 64 years. The past two months, on the other hand, have been drier than the average for those months, the combined falls for November and December having been only 3.03 inches.

Mr W. H. Ferris, chief hemp grader, is at present in Foxton.

A special meeting of the Borough Council will be held on Monday evening next for the purpose of ing the statutory half-holiday.

Mr James Stewart, hemp grader, who has been stationed at Foxton for the past two years, has been transferred back to WelHiigton, and Mr Scolley, from Wellington, will AH the vacancy, The transfers will take place within the next few weeks.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Foxton Borough Council will be held on Monday, 14th inst, at 7.30 p.m. Business: Ordinary. A special meeting will be held prior to the ordinary meeting to fix the statutory half-holiday for the year 1918. It is officially announced that the transmission of picture postcards or pictorial representations of any kind, including Christmas and New Year cards, is no longer permitted to any neutral country in Europe or America, or any enemy country. That the country is still in its im fancy and affords ample scope for development is shown by the rapid/ strides made in the dairying industry alone during the past 30 years. In 1886 the total value of the butter and cheese exported from the Dominion was £151,194. Last year their., value had increased to £6,146,603.

The prosperity Of the country in spite of the war is shown by the total amount to the credit of deposi-’ tors in the P.O. Savings Bank. The’ total for last year was £25,603,209. This is more than double the amount standing to depositors’ credit five years ago, the amount then being £12,259,294.

The Customs revenue collected in December, according to a statement by the Hon. A. M. Myers, was £278,680, compared with £278,292 in December, 1910. Beer duly collected was £23,094, compared with £16,747 in December last year. The increase in the latter is due.to the increased duty.

A Press message from Auckland states that the draft of returned soldiers who arrived on Saturday included sixteen second lieutenants, who are to join future reinforcements. Fourteen of them originally went to the front with the Alain Body, and several have been on active service during the whole period without being wounded. Another link with the past has been severed in the passing away on Sunday of Mr Peter Stewart, at his residence, Milton Lodge, Levin, at the age of 87. The late Air Stewart lived for many years in the Awahuri district, which he left some ten or twelve years ago to take up his residence in Levin. He leaves a son, Air Win. Stewart, of Levin, and two daughters. Air Stewart was noted for his kindly disposition and for hi,s sterling and upright character.

In a circular letter issued to Masons by Mr Oliver t Grand Master of the Masonic fraternity, an appeal is made for the maintenance of one or more hutments in France for the soldiers. This movement originated in Palmerston North and Wanganui. The hutments will be managed and administered by the Y.M.C.A. Organisation on behalf of the Masonic institution, at an estimated cost of £SOO per annum for each hutment, which will be named individually the “Masonic Cheer 0 Hutment.”

A writ claiming £I,OOO damages for alleged stoppage of supplies of local beer, ales, and stout, has been issued by Mr McCullough, a Christchurch hotel-keeper, against the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers’ Association, members of the Defence Committee of the Licensed Victuallers and Brewers, and Mr E. Nordon, secretary to the Association. The case will be heard at the February sessions of the Christchurch Supreme Court. Plaintiff is reported to have consistently refused to join the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers’ Association, or to increase the retail price of spirits.

The luck of a Chinaman! A Chinese greengrocer at New Plymouth, says the Taranaki Herald, is reported to have won more than £4OO at the Stratford races on Wednesday. Among his bets were throe tickets on Speedwell Mac, whiftlf romped home in the hurdles and paid over half a century. A man who had observed this particular Chinaman collecting dividends after each race followed him to the ticket window and asked the seller for “the same as the Chinaman got.” It was the seventh race, and he was handed one ticket on No. 9 and one on No. 10. No. 9 (Lady Mylchreest) won, (he dividend being nearly a double figure one, and No. 10 ran second and also gave a substantial return.

With reference to the suggested diversion of labour from the flaxmills of the Dominion in order to provide harvesters, ■Mr J. A. Frostick, Canterbury Commissioner on the National Efficiency Board, who was interviewed on the subject, told a Christchurch Press reporter that the suggestion emanated from some of the flaxmillefs in the Manawatu district, who, recognising the urgency tor harvest workers^expressed their willingness to close down their mills. This offer was purely patriotic and spontaneous on the part of the flaxmillers, and there never was any idea of making it compulsory on all ffaxmillers to close down their mills, nor was it ever contemplated to take the men from the Manawatu to South Island districts. The flax workers released in the Manawatu district were to undertake harvest work in that district.

Wanted Known: You can get better groceries for the same money at Walker and Fume’s,

The Borough Band, under the conductorship of Air John Golder, played a number of selections in Main Street on Saturday night. Already 25,000 bales of this season’s wool has been delivered into Auckland stores, the weather having been exceptionally favourable for shearing.

Special references were made to the war at the local places of worship on Sunday, and prayers offered up on behalf of the Empire and our allies.

Air R. C. Birch,,an old Rangitikei resident, 82 years of age, was fatally injured through being thrown out of a trap while driving from Beaconslield to Feilding on New Year’s eve.

Gunner C. F. Redman, nephew of Mr Hornblow, of Foxton, was wounded in France on December 21st, Gunner Redman was formerly a member of the literary staff of the Palmerston Standard, and at the time of his enlistment was employed by the. New Zealand Times.

The teachers’ conference resolved “That in the establishment of new schools in country districts, the minimum area of land to be acquired shall be ten acres, and a portion of this sufficient to provide for the keeping of a cow and a horse be set aside for the teacher’s use.”

It is reported by mail that the British Government will shortly introduce a Bill to regularise and legalise the requisitioning of shipping for other than military purposes. An action was recently taken against the Government by two well-known ship-owners to test the power of the Government to requisition steamers for trading profit, and the-verdict was unfavourable from the Government’s standpoint.

Lockjaw was the cause of the, death of Mr James Cbricbton Tait, of Oamaru. He had been working at Station Peak, and in stepping off a trestle stood upon a nail, which penetrated his" foot. The wound apparently healed well, and he paid little attention lo it until stillness and pains at the side of his jaw warned him that he was unwell, and he decided to proceed to Oaniaru for attention. When he reached home it was discovered that he had been attacked by tetanus, to which, after a short illness, he succumbed.

An officer, far from popular with his men, coming to camp one evening, was almost drowned in a river swollen by recent heavy rains., .He was rescued by a private in his own regiment. The officer was duly grateful, and asked his preserver how he could reward him. “The best way, sir,” said the soldier, “is to say, nothing about it.” “But why?” asked the astonished officer. “Because, sir,” was the reply, “if the other fellows knew Pd pulljwl you out, they’d chuck me in.”

Further details of the mysterious war disease are given in the British Medical Journal. The ailment, which is called “war oedema,” has become widespread throughout Germany in the past year. The chief symptoms is suddenly developing watery swelling in the tissues of the legs and body. Th*e face is sometimes also swollen, while the pulse rate is generally much lowered, averaging about 50 beats to the minute instead of the usual 78. The causes arc thought to be under-feed-ing, especially the diminution in the amount of fatty foods and the excess of watery foods, such as soups, turnips, and similar vegetables.

The passing of Franklin Matthews, the delightful special correspondent who came to Australia with the great white fleet, recalls a comparatively new Mark Twain story, says the Sydney Sun. Franklin Matthews and a chum wished to get in touch with the famous humourist, who was then wandering round the world on a lecturing tour. As a matter of fact, he was in Sydney, hut his friends did not know this. Gravelled for an address they simply wrote on the envelope, “Mark Twain, God knows where.” Two months later he received a postcard with Mark Twain’s initials beneath; “He did.”

Captain Smith, well-known in Australia in (he E. and A. Mail Line, claims to have assisted in bagging a submarine in the Mediterranean. Writing to Mrs Smith, of Cremorne, Captain Smith tells of an exciting voyage to under convoy, “The submarine broke surface on m >’ starboard quarter,” he writes. “The convoy spotted her first, and opened fire, obtaining a hit with the third or fourth shot. We immediately followed, and obtained a hit with our second shot. Immediately afterwards an explosion occurred, and dense smoko arose from the spot for some minutes, leaving no doubt as to the fate of the submarine. Escorts afterwards picked us up again during the afternoon, and wc proceeded safely on the voyage. In the hurry of going to boat stations to stand by two of the Chinese sailors fell overboard. One was afterwards picked up by a destroyer and returned to his ship at Marseilles; hut the head of the other was blown off by. gunfire from the destroyer,”

IMPORTANT TO ALL. ‘ Is there anything in all this world that is 0 f more importance to you than good digestion? Pood must be eaten to sustain life, and must be digested and converted into blood. When the digestion fails the whole body suffers. Chamberlain’s Tablets are a rational and reliable reliever of indigestion. They increase the How of bile, purify ■ the blood, strengthen the stomach, and tone up the whole digestive apparatus to a natural and healthy a'ctiou. Po? sale everywhere.—Advt.

In connection with the rumoured closing of flaxinills in order to release men for harvesting, Mr E. Newman, M.P., has communicated with the government, strongly supporting the-protest against flaxmills being closed, as such action would cause serious loss both .to the llaxmill owners and workers.

An application ,has been, filed in the Arbitration Court by both parties to the Manawatu Paxmilling award to have, the clause relating to the boarding of workers struck out. This is clause 7, which reads as follows“ Where board is provided for workers the board shall be sufficient in quantity and good quality, and* the charge therefor, whether board shall be provided directly 1 by the employer or by any person under contract with him, shall not exceed 17s 6d per week; nor shall any additional.charge be made by way of rent for use of buildings, payment for use of cooking utensils or otherwise whatsoever.”