LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1866, 20 August 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The P.P.A. and Catholics arc waging a wordy warfare through 1 lie press at Wanganui, and sectarian feeling is running pretty high there at present.

A( the Military Appeal Board at Pahiatua'on Thursday, the military representative stated that he had recently come across a family of nine brothers, all of whom had joined up as volunteers and gone to the front.

The next of the series of socials under the auspices of St. Mary’s Church will he held in the Coronation Hall supper-room on Friday evening next, commencing at 8 o’clock. Euchre, dancing, refreshments. Admission Is (id.

For the position of advisory inspector to the Auckland Education Board, rendered vacant through the appointment of Mr Purdie as secretary of the board, 23 applications have been received. Of these 11 arc from head masters a<nd three from directors.

At the Palmerston Magistrate’s Court yesterday, William Baker, of Foxton, who was adjudged the father of an illegitimate child, was ordered to pay Ids per week towards its maintenance, together with medical expenses and arrears of maintenance.

Schools in the Auckland Education Board’s area now number (i-17, an increase of 8, compared -with figures for the period ending dune 301 h. The gross attendance is 52,809, an increase of (>l3, and (he average attendance 47,221, an increase of 390. The attendance in the Auckland district is, roughly, a (juarter of the total for the primary schools of the Dominion.

“My experience, after a holiday spent in various parts of Scotland, is that the people of Scotland are the most hospitable in the world — and that is saying something when one takes into account the manner in which one has been treated by the splendid people of England,” writes Sergeant Keg. Miller to a relative in Masterton. “Away up in the Hebrides —those rough and rugged islands facing the Atlantic —I found perhaps the greatest hospitality of all. The hospitality of the people of Scotland to the soldier sons of New Zealand and Australia will remain a green spot in one’s memory for life.”

A German commission on'the decline of the birth-rate has just issued a report on the measures necessary to increase the population, after the war, which, it says, “is a matter of life and death for the Fatherland.” The chief, suggestion put forward by the commission, says the Amsterdam correspondent of the Daily Express, is that the authorities should lint! some means; of forcing people t > marry, and to marry when they are young. The commissioners urge that “at least Germans should marry before they reach the age of 20.” To these financial assistance should be granted by the State, M'hile punishment should be meted out to those who marry but have no children.

Newton Stewart, a postal cadet, pleaded guilty to detaining a postal packet, and was sentenced to two years’ probation, at the New Plymouth Supreme Court yesterday. Wanganui defeated Manavvalu reps, at "Wanganui on Saturday by 17 points to 0. The Manawatu junior reps, defeated Wanganui by 19 points to 3. Mr Alfred Bish, twice Mayor of Masterron, and for many years in business in Carterton, died at Greyton on Sunday, at the age of seventy. Wellington reps, defeated Auckland at Rugby on Saturday by 18 points to 14. The game was,played at Auckland, and was witnessed by 10,000 spectators. An old resident: of Palmerston in the person of Mr Alfred James D’Arey passed away at his residence on Sunday, after a very long and frying illness. He leaves a widow and one child. There will be a “working bee” on (he local bowling green to-morrow afternoon, when it is intended to give (ho green a light top-dressing, and also to re-sow (he ladies’ croquet lawn. All members able to do so are requested to put in an appearance. A workshop for the manufacture of school furniture and apparatus is to be established by the Canterbury Board of Education. The Board for many years has imported the greater part of its school furniture, such as desks and forms, much of which came from Canada. The necessary machinery for the workshop lias been obtained, and it is hoped to have a suitable building erected shortly.

There is almost a firewood famine in Nelson, and the quantity that can bo purchased at one time is restricted to a shilling's worth —for kindling purposes. Amongst the causes of; 'the shortage are the scarcity of labour and the continued wet weather, which prevents the getting out of supplies. K will proha lily be five or six weeks before firewood will again be plentiful in the town.

Generally speaking', ihe rabbit was expected tu get a bit of a setback through the snowstorm, hut according to reports “bunny” got instead a bit of a lift over the fence, literally and metaphorically, in some, parts of Ihe district where the snow fell to a good depth (says the Wakatipu Mail). We have been informed that at Kawarau Kalis station, and at the Ayrburn orchard, where the snow was almost level with the wire-netting .encircling the gardens, the rabbits gained easy access to the fruit trees, and wrought considerable havoc to a number of apples, barking them as high up as the laterals. In the case of the latter orchard a continuous watch had to be kept in order to check their depredations.

Aii indication of the large increase in the price of commodities in England is furnished in a letter just received by a resident of Auckland. • The writer slates that most articles havemore than doubled in price. A covert coating costume, which would have cost £2 2s before the war, is now sold at about £8 Bs, and a poorer-quality material is obtained. Calico, which used to cost s;,‘d a yard, is now Is !Ud, and wool for socks, which four years ago was retailed at from 3s (id to -Is per lb., is now 10s (id. Ladies’ boots now (rust 28s a pair, as against 12s (id. A tin of salmon, formerly sold for 7ld, now costs 2s 2d, and tins of apricots, that used to cost 10-Jcl, are sold at the present time for 3s 3d. Starch is 2s per'lb., and furniture, iron and tin have increased in price fourfold. Regarding the women comprising England’s land army, the writer states that many have declared their intention of emigrating to the colonies after the war. Almost every young or middle-aged person of both sexes is in uniform. The writer refers to a great seared tv of school teachers.

Old Maori middens in the Wellington district arc Hie subject of another bright article by Mr Elsdon Best in the Journal of Science. “At Tc Paripari, about half u mile south of Paekakariki,” he writes, “commences a series of sandhills that extend far ii)) the coast, on and between which were situated many native hamlets in former times. Such signs of former occupation as shell-middens and village-sites are almost continuous for miles in some areas. Most of these remains date from pre-European times, and many of them must be centuries old. Wind-breaks followed, by sanddrift have covered some of the shellheaps and exposed\p,thers, whila some of the sandhills show several layers of shells and other debris, separated by deposits of drift sand of varying depth, possibly betokening abandonment and re-occupation of the site. In some cases a .shellmidden occupies the sharp summit of a hillock, showing that the winds have removed a higher part formerly occupied by Natives, for assuredly no Native woman would carry her cookhouse refuse uphill, A considerable number of stone and bone implements have been found in this vicinity. The late Mr Hamilton here collected nearly one hundred stono adzes and parts of such implements. When a pond that formerly existed near the hotel was drained some wooden weapons—spears were found in the bed thereof. The rapid growth of certain introduced sandbinding plants along this coast has much impeded the work of .relichunters.” M alker & Furrie are selling tho best White Duck Horse-covers at 32/-. Buy now, they won’t get cheaper.*

Official advice lias been received that a New Zealand hospital ship, on her way out to the Dominion, has readied a port of call, “all well.”

Louisa Grave, 71 years ,of age, who lived by herself at Cuvershani, was taken to the Dunedin Hospital on Friday night suffering from burns. She had taken a scuttle containing .paper and other rubbish in the back yard to burn, but the flames spread quickly, and her clothes caught fire. She succumbed to shock early this morning. An inquest will be held.

“But let us be fair to the soldiers —don’t bring National Prohibition into operation until they return and can vote” —so the advocates of the Liquor Traffic argue. Any one would think that the Alliance Monster Petition did not take this point into account. The Alliance has made it dear that provision must be made for the taking of the soldiers’ vote. It believes that the men fighting for ns have a vital interest in this question —and that in the interests of permanent National Efficiency (hey will be in favour of permanent National Prohibition. The people should decide —both (he folks at home and the men in khaki together. No valid argument can be produced against the Alliance Monster Petition asking for a poll. Sign it.**

A collision took place on Saturday evening on the Motuiti road between a runaway horse ridden by a Maori boy named Pakaru and a motor car, the occupants of which were Mr AV. Gray, insurance agent, and Dr. Sorley. The car was coming towards Fox ton, and the horse, owing to a broken rein, was bolting towards home. The lad endeavoured to pull the horse to the right, near the railway line, to escape the car and the latter slowed up when the crash took place. The horse was badly cut about the breast, and had both front _ logs broken, and died almost immediately, and the boy was thrown clean over the ear. The occupants of the car were thrown out, and the radiator and mudguard were damaged, and the wind-screen smashed. Mr Gray suffered from slight concussion, and was cut about (lie head. Dr. Sorley was uninjured. Both (he hoy and Mr Gray received medical aid in Foxton. Their injuries are not of a serious nature.

A note of warning in regard to rivalry in (he dairying industry that would come from Australia in the future was sounded by Mr H. il. I’acey in Auckland a few days ago. It was claimed that Queensland manufactured butter was as good as any in the world, and certainly the best in the Antipodes, lie felt .instilled in s'aying (hat he had no ambition for changing places with them so far as factories and equipment were concerned. When over there recently he saw one or two that were up-to-date, but (lie majority were deplorably out of dale. They were, however, awakening to. the necessity of pasteurisation and modem methods, in New Mouth Wales, however, they had done wonders during the past two years by adopting modern methods, and now 5 per cent, only of the output was classed second grade, as compared with 50 per cent, a few years ago. There had been marvellous improvement, and New Zealand would have to look for rivalry from that (punier in the future. The necessity for care would have to be understood by the farmer as well as in the factories.

The great mole at Zeebrugge, the scene of such gallant feats, protects the entrance to the Bruges Canal from westerly and northwesterly storms. It is about a mile long, and is notable as being composed of a series of monster concrete monoliths. These are 82ft. long, 29i ft. wide, and 28;] ft; high, and weigh 4,400 tons each. •As it was difficult to transport blocks of this weight, and there were great difficulties in the way of forming them in situ, the: engineers had recourse to an interesting expedient. A caisson having the same dimensions inside as those of (ho exterior of a block was assembled in the inner harbour, and provided with an inner skin some distance from the outer, the two meeting in a cutting edge at the bottom. The space between the skins was (ben filled in with sufficient concrete to render the caisson stable, and the caisson was towed to its place in the mole, and sunk by adding more concrete. When the cutting edge had penetrated a sufficient distance into the clayey sea-bottom, the central space was tilled in solid with concrete handled by means of cranes and skips. Dr. W. Fox, superintendent of the Christchurch Hospital, in giving evidence on the death of Ronald Opie, drew attention to the “enormous number of accidents that take place, nowadays in connection with motor, traffic.” Dr. Fox stated that 50 per cent, mure accidents were caused by motoring than any other classes of accidents. He thought some attempt should be made to t regulate the motor traffic. At present no heed was paid. He commented on the speed of motorists past the hospital, and also along Park Terrace. Ifc was time the police took some notice. On Thmsdady last five people had been brought in to the hospital suffering from accidents, and two of them had been run over by motorists. He had, from a window, seen one small boy knocked over by a motor and left in the roadway, the motorist going on. When your child cannot sleep because of cold in the head, use NAZOL. Spi’inkle some drops on nightgown or pillow. Quick relief will follow. Sixty doses 1/6,

At Dargavillo, Kani Tehau, xvho murderously assaulted Victoria Green in the early hours of July 30th, was committed for trial on charges of attempted murder, and breaking into a dwelling with intent to commit a crime. Lengthy evi-i dence was given, and the accused reserved his defence. The assaulted woman has made a good recovery, as has also the prisoner, who severely injured himself after the assault.

All prisoners of war captured by the American forces are to he transported to the United States. This information settles a widely-discus-sed question. "It was reported some time ago that linns taken captive by the American forces would be kept in Europe, owing to the lack of tonnage space for shipping them across the Atlantic. But the Washington Government has finally decided to look after its own prisoners, and the first batch —representing the crews of certain U-boats —has already arrived in America. , There they will be put to useful work, offiieers as well as men, for America has no use for “loafers,” however, “high-well-born.”

“It is an absolute disaster in v, young counti’y to have so many men found medically unfit,” said the Minister of Public, Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell), referring to the high percentage of “rejects” for military service. He gave an opinion that this sad fact was probably traceable to the neglect of those persons’ ailments in childhood —ailments which were commonly due to dental troubles. He did not say so because he happened to he Minister - , but the facts proved that the most important portfolio was Public. Health, ami the next in importance was Education. “If we have health and education," he remarked, “we shall work out our salvation and achieve success." Concluding his speech, In* said that if New Zealand was to have a healthy race the authorities should arrange that the poverty of any man or woman should not ho a bar to proper medical attention when necessary. He wished to see a staff of doctors attached to every hospital for that purpose. He had in mind something much bigger than the present system of treatment of out-door patients at public hospitals.

In aecepling an invitation to ho present at an address to be delivered in Masterton by Mr E. Stark, on the value of hydro-electric power, Mr J. T. M. Hornsby, M.P., has written to the President of the Chamber of Commerce as follows; —“There can be no doubt at all nbout the absolute necessity for the development of hydro-electric power in our country, hut (here is one thing that I cannot agree In (something that is being advocated by a league newly started in Palmerston North), and that is the denationaP isiug. If syndicates are permitted to meddle in (he development of power, good-bye to the general benefits. Even local bodies should have only limited power, and Hum onlyon the understanding that when the linking-up process begins the State shall take control without any compensation other than the actual costj to the ratepayers.” As so often, Mr Hornsby is barking up the wrong piece of foliage. There is no league '.in Palmerston advocating the handing over of the national waterpower to private syndicates; quite otherwise.—Palmers Ii m Times,

Mr James Simpson, the first vicepresident of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada., has consented to deliver an address in the Coronation Hall on Sunday afternoon, at 2.30 o’clock, when he will lake for his subject, “Labour and Prohibition.” Mr Simpson is at present engaged on a tour of the Dominion, delivering addresses on the prohibition question, and is a public speaker of more than ordinary merit. Wherever be lias spoken be 3ms drawn very large audiences, and at a recent meeting at Christchurch (he police ordered Hie doors in be closed at 7.30 p.m., as Hie ball was then full, although the meeting was not timed to start until 8 o’clock. At Dunedin Mr Simpson had to address two meetings tlfe same evening, as there was no building large enough to accommodate the crowd at one lime. Mr Simps, n is delivering an address at Shannon on Saturday night, and at Palmerston North on Sunday night. As it is probable Mr Simpson will not be able to visit Foxton again, (lie opportunity of hearing him on Sunday afternoon should not be missed.