LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1917, 19 December 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A meeting of the Moutoa'Drain-* age Board will bo held this evening, at 7.45 o’clock. Business: Appointment of chairman and treasurer, and general.

The Daily , Express reports that General Smuts resigned from (ho War Cabinet because the' war hao ended. General Smuts was offered;, but declined the Palestine command before General Allenby was appointed.

The White Star linoi* o!ym])i<* (-Hi,ooo (nils) carried 10.000 troop--to France each trip. She repeatedly eseaped submarines in the Mediterranean 1 hroiiu'li her marvellous dodging ability. According to one officer, ‘‘she turned in tier own length, lying right over, shaking lit to burst, and sending (lie troops slithering over the decks.'’

The headmaster of the local Stale school has received a letter from the secretary of the Wanganui Fdncalion Board, conveying the Board's eongralulalions to the headmaster and members of the stall: on tho very sueeessful result .of (he effort, made to raise funds for the purpose of providing additional equipment for (he new school. The Committee has received a similar letter of thanks from (he Board. A smart rescue from drowning was effected at Kona Bay, Mellington, on Monday by Barry ■ Blundell, a son of Mr Walter Blundell, of the livening Bos). Two girls, aged J 3 and 14 years, got into difficulties off Kona Bay, and young Blundell, who happened to he in the vicinity, immediately went in after them, and succeeded in bringing them to safetv.

The success achieved in tlie cultivation of New Zealand llax at St. Helena is indicated hi a paragraph appearing in the Kew Bulletin relating to plants suitable for cultivation in the British Umpire. During .1913 the quantity of (lax exported from the island to the United Kingdom was 21,824 lons, of a value of KM!).170. In 1015, within the war period, 1-1.7)12 tons, valued at £307. 858. were shipped. It is slated that, phorminm tenax does not appear to have been grown in a commercial scale in any other part of Hie Umpire outside Xew Zealand and St, Helena.

“Our quest ion on which I ho modicii! authorities have expressed strong opinions is Ihe menus by which the inllumma epidemic hns 1 heen sprond," said Ihe Minister f‘<>r Ihdiiic Health (lion. (.!. W. Knssell). in Christchurch. “The opinion laul down, in Xew Zealand Ims heen that persoiial conlacl was (he only men.ns oi‘ transmitting infection, hut a gentleman who has arrived from America and who studied in iniluen?;a epidemic (here, lolls me that I lie keeper oi‘ a lighthouse on l.ake Winnipeg was affected. A relief launch was sent lo make inquiries when the light was not shown, and tin; keeper and his wife were both found 1<; he stricken hv (he disease. .Inquiry .-honed (hat these people had not; had any communication with the shore, direct or indirect, for'a period of eight week's before they were infected. Not even a' letter had heen received from the shore. I leave the medical profession to solve the problem/’ The old-time Maori practice of preserving human heads was briefly described by Colonel J’orler. for the benefit of members of the Wellington Philosophical Society. The severed head was placed uprightover a small hole in the ground, in which was a burning piece of a certain selected wood —he did not know what kind of wood'it was—and in -ome ten minutes the head, with the eyes and brains removed, was permanently dried and preserved. As an instance of the speed with which the ,process could be carried out, an instance was mentioned of a North Islam! tribe who were long ago visited by traders, whose immediate business related to bargaining.in preserved heads. A particularly well tattooed native attracted the attention of the traders, A price was ottered, and, said Colonel Porter, that native's head is probably still to be seeff in some English or American museum. The natives wiio live in that part of the country are to this day culled “Xga-ti-hoko-peura” (the powder-pur-chasers). DO/VT YOU BELIEVE IT. Some say that chronic constipation cannot be relieved. Don’t you believe it. Chamberlain's Tablets have relieved others —why not you. Give them a trial. They cost only eigbteenpencc. For sale everywhere. —Advt.

The soldiers comprising Returning Dm ft No. 200 arrived in Wellington last night, and • disembarked this morning.

The meeting of (lie Foxton Harbour Board to have been held at Palmerston North to-morrow lias been positioned until Monday next, at 11 o’clock.

Master George Woods, son of Constable Woods, met with a painful accident on Tuesday. He fell from a ladder, and broke an arm above the wrist.

All Saints’ Ladies' Guild will continue the sale of: work in the Patriotic Shop to-morrow afternoon and on Saturday. To-morrow afternoon there will he a sale of homemade cakes and sweets, and on Saturday flowers and produce.

Mr A. E. Admore, painter and paperhanger, notifies that: he has made arrangements for a temporary workshop at Mr IT. TV. Richmond’s premises, Avenue Road, and all orders left there will receive prompt attention. His private residence is Union Street.

The Fox-ton Girls’ Guild are forwarding a ease to the Red Cross Depot, Wellington, containing tho following: —8 pairs flannel shorts, 4 niider-tlanncls, 0 pairs pyjamas, 1 flannel coat, 9 pairs h.k. sox, 2 pairs h.k. spiral sox, 1 h.k. cap, 1 clicsf-protector, 10 treasure bags, 4 h.k. face washers, 88 swabs, 130 towel face washers.

A start has been made with Ihf erection of a camp a( Moluihi Island to accommodate eight hundred soldiers, as a precautionary measure, in case any vessels arrive with epidemic, or sickness. Cot cases and sick men will he accommodated iii the quarantine buildings, and the comparatively lit men in tents on a tine site at the northern end of the island.

Advice is given in our advertising' columns to-day that the s.s. Huahine, one of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s line of large modern twin-screw passenger steamers, is dated to leave the port of Wellington about February 1-1 th. for i’Jymouth, .via Panama Canal. Ke(urn tickets are available by P. and 0. and Shaw, Savill and Albion Company’s ships. Passengers are provided with passage to the (inal. port of departure free of charge.

A strange old Maori custom mentioned by Colonel Portin', at the Wellington Philosophical Soeielv was that of the temporary burying of (he dead. The bones were later disinterred, cleaned, and placed in caves. A very similar custom prevailed in Egypt in far by-gone times, but later, when the art of preserving (lie bodies of the dead by umnnuilieation was developed, the custom was given up by the Egyptians. Every care and affection was lavished upon the .Maori child, but the aged, no longer able to till thij ground or (o light in Hie defence of their people, were treated harshly and without sympathy.

Now that the workers may rest from (heir labours, many a story will he (old or the thing's (hey have seem and known (writes Elsie .Morton in the Auckland Herald). “One such, that of a little child's devotion, may well lie (old publicly now, as showing how (he seeds of heroism may lie in the poorest and weakest of us all. A little lad of 12 years old was taken (he other day from a wretched “home,'' devoid of all cleanliness and comfort, where for four days and nights he had (ended the needs of his parents, brother ami a baby 18 months old. Day and night ho had watched beside them, giving (hem food and drink, and never left (hem even for sleep. When they at last refused (o eat he called for help, “hut the neighbours had been sick,” be said, “and I didn’t want to (rouble them till 1 bad to!” So be stayed at bis post till aid came; only halving when all (he others had been taken to hospital.

Thai (he Maoris have a crude idea of (lie ordinary care necessary in such a case as iidluenza has been demons!ruled in connection with (he presenl epidemic (sjiys (he I’overly Day Herald). The case is cited of a whole party more or less “down” wilh influenza, taking fright at; the death of a child, and decamping to their pas from a station where they were shearing, riding for some miles through pouring rain. Once in (heir pas, I he Mauris ' imped themselves up in (heir small whares, where* without any ventilation, precaul ions, or alfcmpted treatment, whole families were soon prostrated.- This apparently soon became the general condition at (he Unakituri and Te Keinga pas. f’nder such circumstances the condition of the whares after several days may be .better imagined limn described. Instances arc mentioned of a .Maori woman resorting to a cold bath because she wa.s “too hot,” her temperature being much above normal. A native girl who had been the subject of attention at another homestead slipped out about 10 o’clock at night for a. walk in order to “get cool.” Pneumonia conditions, under these circumstances, soon became ..prevalent. V, THERE'S XO DANGER. There is no disease that causes more bodily and mental discomfort or so successfully defies medical aid as influenza, and no medicine that will give such prompt relief as Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy. When this medicine is taken the pain An the chest disappears, the fever subsides, and the whole body becomes more comfort .able. There is no danger of pneumonia when Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy is taken at the first symptom of influenza. For sale everywhere. —Advt, 1

The Amsterdam Telograaf states (hat representations have been officially. made to the pointing out that his continued presence is likely to involve Holland in serious difficulties, and Unit his departure would be a matter of gratification* to the Government. It is understood that the Kaiser has refused to depart.

The Paris correspondent of the New York World stales that it is definitely settled ihat the British delegation for the preliminary peace negotiations will consist - of Llyod George, Mr Bonar Law, Mr. J. Balfour, and probably Mr G. N. Barnes. The delegation will be accompanied by Sir Robert Borden (Premier of Canada), Mr W. M. Hughes (Prime Minister of Australia), and General Botha ( Premier of South Africa).