NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1776, 15 January 1918, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

In the Auckland Magistrate’s Court, after evidence was given by the police, Jessie Janet Martin, a barmaid employed in the Criterion Hotel, admitted that she had acted as assistant for Joseph Rees, a bookmaker, who was fined £9O a few days ago. The detectives said defendant had been carrying on bookmaking in the hotel bar in association with Rees for months, A fine of £35 was imposed.

In a certain institution in Hawkes Bay some little lime ago( states a Napier paper) the chairman of the Hospital Board was showing round a doctor who had been sent up by the Public Health Department at the request of the Hospital Board in order to give them the benefit of his advice. At the conclusion of the tour of inspection the chairman remarked: "Now, doctor, you have seen the condition of the whole institution; what do you advise us to do?” The doctor remained silent, but plunging his hand into his pocket, produced a box of matches, which he lianded to his questioner.

Reviewing (he Dominion’s financial returns for the past nine months, Sir Joseph A Van! says; “The general position is very satisfactory. There will during the next quarter, of course, he large receipts from both income-tax and land-tax, and I am quite satisfied that, upon the completion of the current quarter’s revenue and expenditure, the consolidated revenue will be in a strong and healthy position. There is, happily, a greater certainty at present of relief being given by a considerable increase of shipping for the conveyance of products that have been Largely held in the Dominion for some time.”

A worthy and respected old settler and fellow citizen, Veteran Rowley George Hill, N.Z.C., late of the Royal Navy and Colonial Forces (Forest Rangers), attained his

81st birthday on Sunday, January tith (says the Auckland Star). Born at Wawlish, Devon, England, he served on H.M. ships Britannia, Neptune, Termagant, Leopard, Hannibal, Shannon, and Enryalus, and was awarded the “Cross’ for gallantry in leading the assault on Jerusalem Pa during the Te Kooti raid. He also holds the following medals: — New Zealand, Baltic, Crimea, Turkish, Mutiny, Garibaldi’s Rosette, Long Service, and Two Royal Humane. It is fairly surmised that he holds more honours than any veteran in either the Navy or Armv.

The experience of a Petone volunteer farm labourer somewhat discounts the cry of the farmers that there is a serious shortage of labour, says an exchange. The young man in question, a public school, teacher, decided to give his Christmas vacation to farm work. He made, through friends in Masterton, definite arrangements with a farmer for employment, and last week took train to that town, carrying with him all his own bedding, Otc. On arrival ho earned his swag (no light weight) two miles into fjie country to his destination, only to 1)0 told to return next day, and was then told that his services would not be required. Not caring to return home, he borrowed a bicycle from his friends, and did the round of the district, walking to places where it was impossible to cycle, but utterly failed to find employment.

This is the first occasion that there has been a shortage of tea in England, and, Judging from the chorus of complaints, people find it more difficult to do without tea than without sugar or butter (writes the London correspondent of the Ago on October 12(h). There is said to lie a large stock of coffee in the country, but English people have never taken to coffee as a beverage. It is time that in most English households the art of making good coffee has never been mastered; but'noither has the art of making good tea. AATien the fact that; a shortage of tea was inevitable was announced in the news, cveryqpe joined in the rush to the shops to get a sujali stock to last for a few weeks. Grocers were heseiged by applicants for tea, and their stocks were soon cleared out. Others restricted their sales to jib. tJ each customer, and subsequently reduced the amount to 2ozs,

During the •war between China and Japan in 1894, Viceroy Kun-yi issued a proclamation ottering a reward to anyone who could suggest a plan for destroying the enemy fleet. The prize, was won by an old literary gentleman -who suggested that a large number of pig’s bladders should be procured and blown up tight. Then, when the wind wa s blowing off inhere towards the fleet, these should be put in the water, and the enemy weald toistaho them

for the heads of Chinese soldiers swimming out to attack, and would open fire with all their guns. When all their ammunition was fired a-

way, the Chinese could then go out in boats and secure, possession of the vessels without loss. To the foreign mind it sounded very funny, but it was quite a classical scheme. During the Three Kingdom times the city of Hwangchow was being besieged by a hero who had clean run out of arrows. He therefore manned a fleet of boats with straw men, and sent them under the walls at night, when the defenders shot them full of arrows. In this way he replenished his own magazine, and depleted that of his opponents, thus capturing the city easily.

A good joke at St. Clair —in two acts. Act the first: Big boys bursting with merriment as they removed two gates from seaside residences on Monday night (New Year’s Eve). It was a hard job, and took a while, but it was great fun. Act the second: The same boys, four of them, dejectedly carrying the gates back and rehanging them, (he local constable acting as’-prompter. One of the gates had to he brought hack from the surf line abreast of the St,, Kilda dressing sheds. The two acts fitted together very nicely, thanks to the policeman’s knowledge and tact, and St. Clair was amused at the comedy, says the Dunedin Star. It is a pity that the same treatment could no be meted out to the individuals who indulged in similar pranks in Foxton on New Year’s Eve,

In the Taranaki meat works recently a couple of Australian butchers appeared (states the Wanganui Chronicle). As soon as they took off their coats the other workmen held a meeting, and immediately decided to inform the management that if the visitors went on they would go off. A representative of the men saw the Australians and told them of the position, stating that they had nothing against (hem personally —indeed, they were willing to help them financially, if necessary —but they objected to the principle of Australians filling the places of their own men who had gone to the. front, and simply would not work alongside them. The management wisely decided to consult the wishes of its own staff, and the Australians went elsewhere. One of (hem afterwards secured a job in another works, only to find that the workmen there took up a similar attitude. The employees of the freezing works throughout the Dominion resent very much the incoming of Australians, who are not subject to military conscription, and there is a united determination not to work in any place where they are employed,