LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1789, 14 February 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Chinese New Year, the celebration of which usually lasts from a week to a fortnight, commenced on Monday.

The latest advice received is that no men of the Second Division will be proceeding to camp until next June.

The local Horticultural Society’s Autumn Show will be held in the Town Hall on March 7th and Bth next. Schedules may be obtained from the secretary, Mr Patterson.

The death is announced at Greymonth of Dean Carew, after a short illness, aged (59 years. He was a native of Tipperary, and for 34 years had been in charge of the Westland diocese. Chief Justice Sir Kobert Stout has sworn in the Hon. A. L. Herdman (ex-Attorney-General), as a Judge of the Supreme Court. It is understood that Mr Justice Hcrdman will be located at Christchurch.

At the forthcoming Horticultural Show, children competing in the decorative class are reminded that the work must be done in the Hall. In the decorated class, section 186 (decorated table, no embellishments), two prizes , are awarded, first 7s Gd, second ss.

At Thursday night's meeting of the local Horticultural Society Committee, the president (Mr Jacksou) made eulogistic references to Miss Woodroofe, who had conducted the sweets stall at the shows. He stated that Miss Woodroofe was one of the Society’s best assets. The remarks were met with an outburst of applause. . “We need just now,” says Mr Parr, M.P., “to impress on the Imperial Government that /if Samoa goes to Germany, the war is well nigh lost as far as New Zealand is concerned. The keeping of the Germans out of the Pacific is probably the greatest question the country has to face, and we should put up the best fight possible to accomplish it.”

Mr Lawton, harbour master, informs us that acts of vandalism have been committed at the dressing shelters on the ocean beach at the seaside. The shelters were constructed by voluntary contributions for the convenience of all who desired to use them, and have been much appreciated by sea bathers. It is hoped that the young hooligans who find amusement in disgusting practices and damage to the shelters will yet be hailed before the Court and receive the punishment they deserve.

The question of the Pacilic Islands would come before the Conference in London, remarked Sir Joseph Ward, in an interview in Christchurch on Saturday, says the Star. It stood out from other questions as one of dominant importance. If New Zealand was unrepresented, and if a decision was arrived at to restore the islands to Germany, the calamity to New Zealand Avould be worse than twenty elections. For all time a dangerous centre would overshadow this country. The reversion of the islands to the enemy must be prevented, and New Zealand’s representatives imist help to prevent it. The Imperial authorities asked all the dominions to be represented at the Conference, and it was not a choice, but an imperative duty, for New Zealand to send its representatives.

The hemp market continues fairly firm, but, owing’ to the great shipping difficulties prices offering in New Zealand are not as high as would be expected when the maximum prices in England are taken into consideration. The position is that hemp being milled at the present time will have to remain in store for a very considerable period before shipping facilities will be available, which means heavy storage, interest and insurance charges, and consequently prices being paid by buyers are much lower than wmuld be the case if there were any prospects of early shipment. Prices offering f.o.b. Wellington to-day are about: Good fair £55, high fair £53, low fair £sl. Tow is woi’th about £lO, £9 and £B. for first, second and third grade respectively. TREAT IMPROPERLY. If you have trouble in getting rid of your cold you may know that you are not treating it properly. There is no reason why a cold should hang on for weeks, and it will not if you lake Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy. For sale everywhere Advt.

The Wanganui Education Board inspectors paid a brief visit to the school yesterday. Other schools were similarly visited. The inspectors journeyed per motor cur.

A party of flaxmillers, merchants and others interested in the hemp industry, left Foxton this morning to make an inspection of the Hiverdale Estate, where the flax is affected with disease.

Tuesday last was the ninth anniversary of the wreck of the Union Steam Ship Company’s steamer Penguin, in Cook Strait, whilst on her accustomed run from Nelson to Wellington. ‘ The disaster resulted in the loss of 75 lives. v There appeal’s to be little ,doubt that decision regai’ding the general election will be postponed until after the return of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward from London. The discussions that are to take place at the War Council will have an effect upon the course of political events in New Zealand. It Was reported dui’ing proceedings at the sitting of the Military Service Board at Auckland that 105 employees of the Auckland Harbour Board are on active service, and the Board is paying, in the shape of half-pay service leave to each man an amount aggregating' £3,960 per annum. “If a piece of bread a couple of inches square were discovered in a rubbish tin at Sling Camp,” says a returned soldier, “there was as serious an inquiry as though it were a plug of dynamite!” Perhaps the setting up of the Defence Enquiry Commission has shaken up things at Featherston recently, but previously the waste'of good food in the Wairarapa and Hutt Valle.V camps was something to grieve over.

Stock grazing on the roads, particularly at night, are a source of danger to those using the roads, and local bodies should take steps to see that owners of wandering slock are prosecuted, as this appears to be the only method of stopping the practice, which has become fairly general in this district. _ On Monday night Mr C. Petersen was returning home by car along the Moutoa road, and on rounding a bend, collided with a horse. Some damage was done to the car.

Up to date 605 soldier settlers have been placed on the land, the total acreage held by them being 403,716 acres. Of the men settled, 507 have taken up their land under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act, having received in all 213,961 acres. Fifteen discharged soldiers and 58 men still on service have drawn land in ordinary ballots, and 25 have obtained land by transfer. The advances authorised to soldiers, to help them to make improvements on their land, and to purchase stock, amounts to something like £168,000. A strange accident which befell a young man about 25 years of age, during the waterside workers’ picnic at Mototapu, is reported by the Auckland Star. The man went to jump across a creek, and the shock of landing must have dislodged his artificial teeth, for the plate jerked backwards and lodged in his throat. The man was slowly stifling, when, by good fortune, Dr. F. King, who was present at the picnic, was brought along. He succeeded in shifting the plate just in time, otherwise the young man would have been suffocated, as none of those present knew what steps to take in such a case.

The theory of the child being father of the man finds little support in the career of Earl Reading. One of his schoolfellows records that he was one of the very worst of boys, from a teacher’s standpoint. “Lessons he left unlearnt, classwork he shirked, and mischief was his only devotion. Indeed, my recollection of him is always of a demoniacal young mischievous imp, with sparkling eyes, who was always in disgrace or being caned, yet withal was ever merry and deliciously humorous. ‘lsaac Seeundus, you will go to the devil,’ was the prognostication oft repeated, of his schoolmaster, but the devil (in the legal sense) came to him, and was right glad of the privilege!”

An elector at Mr A. de B. Brandon’s meeting at Wellington the other evening, was proceeding to ask a question about the appointment of Mr Herdmau to a Supreme Court Judgeship—he wanted to know whether Mr Brandon would denounce it —when the chairman, Mr M. Myers, promptly rose and declined to allow such a question to be put. Not only as chairman, be said, but as a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court he would not allow any question to be put which might, reflect on the Bench or upon any member of it. There were, he added, some matters of decency which we must everyone of us regard. This statement was received with applause.

Much notable work is being done amongst the soldiers, from the time they enter camp until they reach the tiring line, by organisations such as the Y.M.C.A., the Salvation Army, and the Church Array. An effort is being made to erect a hut, to be called the Manawatu Hutt, near the firing line, from subscriptions raised in this district. The hut will be under the charge of the Church Army. To help in this object, a sale of miscellaneous goods will be held in the Masonic Hall on Wednesday next. Stalls for produce, sw’eets, cakes, and plain sewing will be there, while afternoon tea, ice cream, and soft drinks will be obtainable. Some ladies are supplying surprise packets, while competitions will be organised for the more venturesome.

Before the. wax’, the Wanganui Harbour Board was paying Od'per lb. for blasting powder. To-day the pripe is Is sd, and hard to obtain at that. ■!'<:■

The death is announced at Auckland of the Rev. A. H. Colville, vicar of St. Sepulchre’s Church, Kyber Pass, Auckland, following an operation for appendicitis. Labour is said to be very short on the Wellington wharves. It was .stated before the Military Service Board yesterday that the appellant worked 13 to 15 hours daily on the wharves, and had averaged 60 hours weekly in January. The School Mission closed to-day a success, thanks largely to facilities afforded. About 35 attended the Masonic talk —which will appear in full in our next issue. Mr Braddock holds a Bible-reading to-mor-row (Friday), night, at 7.45 o’clock, in the Presbyterian schoolroom.

Stead’s Review for January 26th' carries mulierous notes in its Progress of the War pages its caricatures are well selected, and the War Catechism in informative. There are special articles on Germany’s War Aims, the I.W.W. in America, (he. German and the English workex-, and other topical subjects.

Nora Nugent made her bow for the 160th occasion to the bench at the Wellington Magistrate’s Court the other morning, when she was charged with loitering in Courtney Place. Inspector Marsack stated that the accused had, since 1893, spent ISA years in gaol on sentences varying from 14 days to 12 months. She was sent up for another 12 months, with hard labour.

An interesting 1 return was furnished to councillors at the monthly meeting of the Unit County Council recently, in the form of a. letter from Mr W. Bout ley, of Taita, who took a careful note of the vehicles which passed his place between 4.30 and 6 p.m. (an hour and a half) ion the second day of the Wellington Racing Club’s summer meeting (Anniversary Day). The tally reads as follows: Motor cars 355, motor buses, 34, motor cycles 75, push bicycles 31, two-horse Vehicles 4, one-horse vehicles 40, on horseback 3. In forwarding the return, Mr Rout ley said:—“l have written the above information, thinking that it might be of some value to you, in estimating the damage to roads, which, 1 should say, is nothing less than £IOO, with the last two days’ races. It seems to me a bad policy for the Government to curtail the trains at the expense of the county roads.”

The death occurred in England on Februax-y 6th of Mrs Harriet Preston, who was well known as a, resident of Sumner (Christchurch), of many years’ standing, and was widely known throughout Canterbury. Her husband, the late Dx-. Preston, practised in the Lincoln district for many years, and after his death in 1891 his widow and family decided to move to Sumned. The late Mrs Preston was for many years organist at her church, All Saints’, and in many ways took family decided to move to Sumner. In July,'l9l4, Mrs Preston left on a visit to England, and was on the water when war was declared. Hexsecond son, Sergeant F. IT. C. Preston, was killed in action in August last. Mrs Preston is survived by one sou and four daughters—Mr C. Px-eston, manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s office, Foxton; Mrs N. Symes, of Christchurch; Mrs Todhuntex - , of Clarence River, Kaikoura; Mrs Sharpe, of North Canterbury; and Mrs Baynham, of Wimbledon, England.