LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1896, 29 October 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The low donated by local millers to (lie school Pair was purchased by Messrs Levin and Co. for £2O. It was six weeks ago yesterday since the local State school buildings were destroyed by lire. Plans have not yet been approved for the new building. Tiie Address-iu-Repiy debate opens to-day, Mr 0. J. Anderson moving the customary motion, and Mr C. J. Talbot seconding it. General March slates that (lie Germans have now evacuated 7.000 miles in Belgium and Prance. The entire coalfields have been reconquered, except a-live-mile strip on the Belgian border. The two sheep donated to the produce stall al the recent school Pair were the gift of the Edward Barber Estate, not (he Jas. Barber Estate, as previously mentioned. The local tennis courts wore opened on Saturday afternoon, hut owing to the top-dressing not having properly set, play was abandoned. Several games were, however, played on the State school courts. ■ Schools in the Auckland district are suffering from an epidemic of 111(111011/,a in a slight form. This week - 1,000 eases were reported. Although in (he Wanganui Educational District inllnen/.a is prevalent among the adults, (lie epidemic so far does not seem to have reached the-school children. The attendance at the schools is normal, and not below the average for winter and spring months. A youth named William Jones, 10 years of age, who resides with liis parents ul Wellington, met with a serious accident while out rabhiishooting at Pukerua on Sunday. He tripped over an obstruction, and as he fell the gun he carried went off, and the charge lodged in his chest, inflicting injuries of a serious nature. Jones was taken to the Wellington Hospital, where he is reported to he progressing satisfactorily. The war expenditure from August, 1014, to August, 1018, totalled £4(),05(i,408, of which over £3,000,000 has been paid for equipment, 181 millions for pay ami allowances, nearly 12£niilli<>ns for maintenance of troops in the field (to the War Dffiee) and over Jive millions for transport service. Only £100,150 was paid by way of financial assistance, although over 110,000 men have been enlisted in the Expeditionary Forces and nearly 07.000 have been embarked for active service. Recent advices received slate that the large steel shipbuilding plant to he established at Halifax, Nova Scotia, will shortly be commenced, and it is anticipated (hat within three months the keels of three 10,-000-ton steamers (the largest ever built in Canada) will he laid on the building berths (reports “Syren and Shipping.”) The site lias a water frontage of 2,500 ft., and the shipyard, when completed, will be one of the finest on (he American Continent, and ea|)able of constructing vessels of (lie Calgarian and Alsatian type (18,000 tons). Between three and four million dollars will he expended, and 3,500 hands employed. Says the AVairarapa Daily Times; The greatest joke that New Zealand ever perpetrated was when the official war correspondent was sent out to the front. For £I,OOO a year and expenses we are given elaborate descriptions of how the buttercups make butter, the moo-cows moo, the Hies Jly, and the grasshoppers hop. In thrilling words, worthy of a Rip van Winkle, we have long descriptions of how the French women in captured territory have their faces washed by Hun foemen spilling on them, and similar daring and exciting deeds. Each letter of this world-famous wonder, who is making New Zealand’s name a thing to he spoken of only in awed tones, exceeds the previous one in the amount of piffle crammed into it. The latest effort of our great and glorious war correspondent is worthy of Cicero. Here it is:—“Wo are richer for the many (aides, forms, chairs and cupboards that the enemy had no time to burn or carry off.” That is what we are paying £I,OOO a year for. Really, our war correspondent is underpaid! Cannot some member of (he ‘Punk Parliament” move this session that the salary be raised to £IO,OOO a year ? It is really worth it, because of the amount of fan the people of Now Zealand get out of these marvellous epistles. Mr tV. 11. Field (Olaki) is to ask the Minister of Public Health whether, in view of the alarming reports as to the enormous proportion of children in the Dominion who are suffering from decayed teeth, and of the fact that many parents are quite unable to bear the expense of providing (heir children with necessary dental treatment, and in view also of the very large number of Reservists, who have on medical examination been rejected as unlit for military service, a condition of affairs which is believed to be largely due to neglect of the teeth in early life, the Government will, -without further delay, take very much move comprehensive, complete and effective measures than are now being adopted to see that the teeth of all children shall he inspected and attended to by competent dentists at short intervals; and whether also some means cannot ho taken, by a system of regular lectures or otherwise, to guide mothers as to methods of so nurturing their children as not to predispose them to the evils of dental decay ? 1

The Manawatu and Oroua rivers arc still in a flooded condition. A thunderstorm passed over (his district this morning, accompanied liy a heavy downpour of rain. The man Joan Morine, who gouged his child’s eyes out at Hamilton last week, was placed in a straightjacket upon arrest. He is now in Mount Eden gaol. Mr Poland (Ohincmuri) lias given notice to ask the Minister of \ Del'cnce it' lie will immediately cancel the inhuman military regulation under which a Hot ted pay and allowances (o wives and dependants are forfeited as part of the punishment owing to the misconduct of (tie soldier. Poemaii, owned and trained by Mr A. M. Wright, of Poston, was a double winner at the Wellington meeting which concluded yesterday. On Saturday, carrying list, libs., lie won the Hack Steeples by ‘JO lengths, and yesterday, carrying an additional 121h5.. he easily accounted for the rest of the held, having a margin of 10 lengths to spare at the business end of the race. Mr and Mrs H. J. Bright, of Pox(on, yesterday received a telegram from (hi 1 Minister for Defence, conveying the sad intelligence that their son Douglas, who lias been away from New Zealand with (he Expeditionary Forces for over three years, died of fever in Palestine on October 2(hh. Another son, Charles, was recently wounded in Prance, and is at present in hospital. The first prosecution under the War Regulations prohibiting the supply of liquor to soldiers under iiospital or curative treatment was heard at Auckland last week. John Slaekpole, licensee of the Caledonian Hotel, and John Brophy, liarman, were charged with supplying Ihpior to two soldiers under treatment. Defendants said they were not aware of (lie Regulation, and had no reason to suppose the men were undergoing hospital treatment. Both wore lined £2 with costs. An application to increase the fine to £5 in order to allow of an appeal was refused. At (he Levin Court on Friday, Francis Richard Mathews was charged with stealing a sum of £375, the property of the Bank of Australasia, on August Bth last. Mr Blenkhorn, who appeared for accused, asked for a remand, and this was granted till November Ist, at Levin. Bail was granted in accused's own recognisance of £2OO and two sureties of £10(1 each, and was forthcoming. He was arrested at Levin on Friday morning by De-tective-Sergeant Andrews, of Wellington, and was until recently a member of the staff of the Lank. Mr P. \V. Cohlsmith, J.P., occupied the Bench'at the silting of the Court. The local public thoroughly appreciated the visit of the Podding Salvation Army Silver Band for the week-end. There was a large crowd in Main Street on Saturday night to listen to the programme of selections, despite the somewhat keen wind. The appeal for funds met with a liberal response. Owing to the inclement, weather on Sunday afternoon, the al fresco concert, to have been held in Victoria Park, had to lie abandoned, hut a large crowd assembled in the Town Hall, where the programme was gone through. Another large audience was present in the Town Hall in the evening, when the story of the wreck of the Wairarapa was graphically recited accompanied by appropriate vocal and instrumental selections. Yesterday the bandsmen and Pox ton friends spent an enjoyable time in Victoria Park. The object of (he hand’s visit was to assist the local corps’ self-denial effort. Apart from this, the stirring strains of this splendid combination was keenly appreciated by the public. The local Army officers desire, to thank tlie Poxton public for generous support and hospitality extended to the visitors. There seems (o he an impression in Wanganui, says the Herald, that the recent finding of a mine on the seaeoast below Poxton is a strong argument against (he contention held locally that there was little, if any, danger to ships in Wanganui roadstead, on account of drifting mines. Others, including experienced shipping men, lake the opposite view, and hold that the presence of the mine on the Manawatu beach corroborates the first contention. In discussing the matter with a. Herald representative, an experienced master mariner stated that from Cape Farewell in westerly weather the drift was towards the Manawatu beach, while to reach Wanganui roadstead a south-westerly wind would he needed, and it is from this quarter that the wind but seldom blows. It was pointed out that in the past there had been wrecks in (lie .Straits in the vicinity of .Farewell Spit, hut no wreckage had ever , drifted into Wanganui roadstead, nor had there been anything reported from this quarter of the test floats released by the authorities in the vicinity of the mine-fields some time ago. Keep with your clients as much as you can, That’s the wise plan of a business man; Absence through illness for orders is had, Patrons soon drift when ,yuu’ro missing, my lad. If in the winter with cold you take ill, Brace up your spirits and peg along still; At the lirst symptoms resolve to endure, Trusting to Woods 1 Great Peppermint Cure. 18

All (lie statements in connection with the recent school lair are complete, and the balance-sheet is ready tor audit. The statement will appear in our next issue.

The member .for Waipawa (Mr Hunter) has given notice to ask the Minister of Education if the Government will favourably consider the quest ion of providing school books and stationery at cost price to the public schools.