LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1785, 5 February 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We are informed that a branch of the Protestant Political Association is to be formed locally.

The mobilisation of the Thirtysixth Reinforcements will begin today.

A cable from New York announces the death of John L. Sullivan, the famous pugilist. The following are the vital statistics for Foxton for the month of January: —Births 4, deaths nil, marriage certificates issued nil.

Rain fell locally on 10 days during January, the maximum fall occurring on the 28th, when 1.30 inches was recorded. The total for the mouth was 4.10 inches.

Hon T. M. Wilford, Minister of Justice, whilst in Christchurch last week, made a flight over the city in one of thei Canterbury Aviation Company’s bi-planes. The body of a well-developed child was found in a dam on a station at Waiwera South, with marks which suggest that it was the victim of foul play. The body was conveyed to Balclutha, where an inquest was held. The Palmerston North High School will re-open on Monday afternoon next, at 1.30. The rector will be in attendance at the school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, between 2 and 4 p.m,, for the purpose of enrolling new pupils.

An old and respected resident of Auckland, in the person of Mr David Patten, passed away recently. Mr Patten, who was boyn in 1849, while his parents were on the voyage from England, had resided in Auckland since then.

The district police will undertake the collection of the agricultural statistics this year, and will commence their work next month. Constable Gow will act for Palmerston, Constable Dunphy for Ashhurst, Constable Moods for Foxton, and Constable Condon for Shannon.

Mrs John Curran, of Norsewood, mother of Mr H. Curran, of Feilding, passed away on Thursday night), in her 97th year. There are three sons and three daughters, besides her husband. Mrs Curran had resided in New Zealand for 55 years, some of which time was spent in Feilding and district.

Regulations have been drafted, and will shortly be gazetted, increasing from £lO4 to £152 a year the limit of assistance that can be granted to individual soldiers and their dependents by the Financial Assistance Board. Other alterations have also been made in the regulations giving still further powers to grant assistance under special circumstances which do not come within any of the present definitions.

A fibre carter named T. Williams met with a rather severe accident at the Miranui mill on Saturday morning'. It appears he fell oil; his load and the wheels of the fibre waggon passed over both his feet. The load, which consisted of wet fibre and weighed probably over two and a half tons, crushed the unfortunate man’s feet severely. Medical and was called in, and the man removed to the Palmerston Hospital, where he is making good progress. The Palmerston Fire Brigade received a call at 5.30 a.m. on Sunday to a fire which had broken out in the top storey of the Manawatu Flour Mills in. Broad Street. Palmerston. The brigade were able to confine it to the scene of the outbreak. Alike huge stocks of grain which were theh uge stocks of grain which were stored in the mill, the grinding department and machinery were undamaged. It is stated that over 15,000 sacks of wheat were in the mill at the time of the a great portion of which were damaged by water. Mr McGill will be a heavy loser.

TREAT IT PROPERLY.

If you have trouble in getting rid

of your cold you may know' that you arc not treating it properly. There is no reason why a cold should hang on for weeks, and it will not if you take Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy. For sale everywhere,—Advt.

The road between Foxton and Feilding is in fairly good order for motoring. There is an absence of ruts so noticeable on the Palmers-lon-Foxton road.

Sir Edward Carson had a great ovation on his arrival in Belfast on Saturday. Addressing the Ulster Council, he protested against the attempt to create an atmosphere that Ulster was unreasonable. If settlement meant surrender there would be no surrender.

Inspector Marsack informed the magistrate in a court case at Wellington on Thursday, when a' lad was before the court charged with stealing three bicycles, that during the past two months thirty or forty bicycles had been stolen in Wellington, and only the three in question had been recovered.

Mr C. J. Lyne, 8.A., of Tikorea School, Manawatu, has been appointed senior master for secondary work at the District High School, Pukekohe. His successor will be Mr W. F. Ellis, a returned soldier, who was on the teaching staff of the Wanganui Education * Board prior to enlisting. Two girls who were bathing in a heavy surf at Takapuna beach, Auckland, on Sunday, got into difficulties. The only man in the vicinity at the time was Dr. Garrick Robertson, and he immediately went to the rescue. Dr. Robertson first brought one of the girls to safety, and then returned to the wafer and brought the second girl in.

A mother of seventeen children, after thirty-two years of married life, has applied at Wellington for a separation order against her husband, on the grounds of cruelty. Applicant said that during all the years of her married life there were not more than live, at the outside, that could he called years of happiness with her husband.

For the first time in the history of the Dominion the whole of the waterside -workers of New Zealand will be given a holiday on February Gth, by the Combined Ship Owners of the Dominion. The idea is to make this an annual national holiday. On the date named all the ports of New Zealand will be dosed as far as the work of watersiders is concerned.

The New Plymouth Land Board on Wednesday had under review the case of a Crown tenant who is posted as a deserter from one of the military camps (states the Herald). As the selector in question < has hitherto been enjoying a rental concession by virtue of his military service, the Board is promptly closing down on him, and after the Crown Lands Banger has inspected the holding, will declare the holding forfeited for non-residence.

Soldiers returning to the camps from their Christmas leave have brought Avith them an epidemic of German measles, and a mild form of ordinary measles. Therefore the departure of the next reinforcement draft has been postponed. The Minister for Defence states that he regrets that he cannot notify the next of kin of the definite date to which the departure' has been postponed. Numbers of men in the camps have been isolated during the past month. A mental patient who escaped from a Southern institution two years ago, was recaptured by the Auckland police on Friday. His condition was bad, and he was recommitted to the mental hospital at Avondale. When arrested he had in his possession nearly £3, and a bank book showed him to he the possessor of nearly £2OO. He stated that he had been working in the bush, and had been in Auckland on a holiday since Christmas.

Colonel Arthur Hume, formerly Inspector of Prisons and Commissioner of Police, died at Wellington on Saturday, aged 77 years. The deceased gentleman was born in Dublin in 1840, and in 1864 married Miss Maclntyre, daughter of the Deputy Inspector of Hospitals in the Punjaub. He was educated at Cheltenham, served with the ,70th Highlanders in India as captain, and returned to England in 1874, where he received the appointment of Deputy-Governor of Millbank prison. He held a similar appointment at Dartmoor in 1875, and three years later was transferred to Portland. In 1878 he was made Governor of Wormwood Scrubs prison, and two years later (in 1880) became Inspector of Prisons in New Zealand, He was 'appointed Co'mmissiouer of Police and Under-Sec-retary for Defence in 1890, holding both offices until 1895, when he retired. The late Colonel Hume was raised to the rank of lieutenantcolonel, and was Inspector of Volunteers in New Zealand from 1880 to 1890.

“I believe we have tbe best case in New Zealand for a railway to be built after the war,’ ; was the declaration of Mr Larcombe at a meeting of the Patea Chamber of Commerce recently, which urged the construction of a railway from Patea to Pipiriki, thence connecting with the Main Trunk line via the newly-open-ed Eaetihi line. In pointing out the large extent of country inland of Patea that would lie benefited thereby, Mr Larcombe said there was a splendid grade via the Whenuakura Valley to Pipiriki, and the distance would be only between 35 and 40 miles. The -work would not only open up a great deal of virgin country, but would provide work for discharged soldiers after the war. After discussion, the meeting resolved that Mr G. V. Pearce, M.P, for Patea, be asked to meet the executive’of the Chamber and discuss the proposal, with* a view' to approaching the Government and having a survey of the route made.

William Barber, a single man, 2S years of age, was drowned while surf bathing at Lyall Bay, Wellington, on Sunday. On behalf of Shannon parishioners, Mr P. J. Hennessy presented the Rev. Father Corley with a purse of sovereigns at Shannon last evening.

We are informed by a member of the Catholic Church that the Rev. Father Corley’s removal from the parish has caused a “bitter and serious division in the Catholic community, and children are being transferred to the State school,”

A billiard tournament, which is causing considerable interest among followers of the game, is being played locally. In the first round Colder beat McArtney after a very close game, Burnett beat Carter by a small margin, and McPherson beat Williams.

It was pointed out during the discussion at the last meeting of the executive of the Wairarapa Patriotic Association that each returned man received two outfits of military uniform upon his return, and only received a sum of 30s for civilian clothes, Mr Hugh Morrison said it was ridiculous to expect a relumed man to get a suit of clothes for 30s. They should get. at least £5 for civilian clothes. He would move: “That in lieu of the present grant of 30s, the Government provide a £5 suit of clothes, or give an order for the same to the value of £5, the order not to be negotiable.” This was seconded by Mr G. R. Sykes, M.P., and carried unanimously.

Begulations will be gazetted shortly under which the limit of assistance that may be given individual soldiers and their dependents by the Jinaneial assistance boards will be increased from £lO4 to £125 per annum. Further alterations in the regulations give still greater powers to grant assistance in special circumstances (hat are outside present definitions. It has been found impracticable to grant assistance for the management of a business, but power is now given the board to cover other necessary or reasonable expenses outside of the ordinary maintenance expenses or expenses incurred in the purchase of property.

A word of caution in regard to the establishment of soldiers’ clul>s was uttered by the Hon. (f. W. Bussell at Palmerston North on Friday last. The Minister said that in Auckland and Dunedin it was proposed to raise a large sum of money for the establishment of permanent clubs for returned soldiers. He knew that he was treading on rather delicate ground, because in Palmerston there is an exceedingly tine club, hut he did not forget that the money for this was not raised in the ordinary way patriotic moneys are. “What 1 wish to see carried out as far as possible—and it is no reflection on your club’s policy —is that once our soldiers have returned and have been discharged from the convalescent hospitals, they shall return to their former civilian status, civilian employment, and environment* (Applause). In my opinion it will he most unfortunate if, in years to come, this country is divided into two classes —the men who fought and the men who did not. That means creating class distinction, and should he avoided. The clubs which have been erected must he open to all, whether soldiers or not. The sooner the distinction between soldier and civilian is wiped out, and the young men who return are absorbed into civilian life from which they were drawn, the better* We are not through the war yet; things look better. We have 14,000 men returned out of 100,000 enlisted, and nearly the whole of whom; have gone away.”