NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1887, 8 October 1918, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

"Excuse me if.' tin's letter dues not stem too cheerful,” writes a Blenheim soldier from England, “hat a few days back someone beat the for my spare shirt, just after I had put in half an hour washing it, mind you. However, it is a matter that is easily fixed'up—-just a question of someone’s washing, my size of shirt, and no one hut me about.”

A New Zealander now in London writes to (he Referee: “f hope yon will continue to rub it in about the abolition of Freetraders. My two young brothers—sheep farmers in New Zealand were practically forced to use (ierman-made machinery. I have myself in New Zealand ridden to the golf course on a German-made motor-cycle, and placed golf —of all games —with a club stamped “Made in Germany.' Now my two young brothers are dead, killed with German bullets that their own money has helped to make.”

Mr Clement Wragge has informed the Auckland Star that “ a new and mighty upheaval is in progress in the siin. and is nearly central on the solar disc. It exceeds 200,000 miles long, and contains two immense cent res of energy, each exceeding thirty thousand miles in diameter. The man in the street cannot, by the most vivid imagination, picture Ihe awful rush of currents in these solar storms, with the hydrogen red Haines leaping and playing with lerrilic fury. Xo wonder (hat (he earth responds, like the singing of a telegraph wire.”

Recruits who are twenty years of age. and wish to enlist voluntarily, are now required to produce their binh eerliJieales when presenting themselves at the group recruiting cilices. Formerly this rule applied only to youths of nineteen years, not turned twenty, who were required to produce both (heir birth certificates and the written consent of their parents lo (heir enlistment. But it has been found that some sturdy young men, to overcome the difficulty of producing' the parents’ consent, will say that they are over twenty. ..Afterwards lac parents may forward evidence of (he recruits' real age-, and demand their discharge from camp.

The prospects id' Ihe llax industry in the Auckland district this season arc si ill somewhat uncertain, in view of (he limited shipping' spare available. A certain number of mills have commenced operations, and under present conditions will be able lo continue working until (’hristmas. A prominent local merchant staled this week Iha I the only shipping spa.ee available for hemp al present was in sailing vessels to America, and as the American demand for (he commodity was limited to a period of two months, il was impossible to form anv reliable opinion regarding ihe industry/ Those engaged in the industry were hopeful, however, that condilions iu regal'd to both shipping and markets would improve as ibe season progressed, ami enable Ibe mills limt bad commenced operations at least to continue throughout the season.