LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1944, 25 February 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Rev. J. A. Asher, of Napier, has been elected Modern tor-dcsig-ruiie for the next Presbyterian Assembly.

The Now York World’s Paris correspondent states that the new armistice terms for Germany will include (he abandonment of conscription.

The C. M. Ross Co., Ltd., Foxton, announce (he last week of their (summer Clearing Hale. Part her reductions in all departments. Their premises will be closed all day on Wednesday to enable the staff to attend the firm's annual picnic.

Official returns show (bat Ihe Turkish war losses were: Killed, 437,000; wounded, 408,000; prisoners, 704,000. The British military authorities have made several arrests in connection - with (he illi treatment of the Kut war prisoners.

Miss Thurston, who has just arrived from America in connection with the Chautainpia, which opens at Levin on March 3rd, has obtained permission to speak at the conclusion of the public meeting in the Town Hall ibis evening, when she will explain the aims and objects of the movement.

Miss Thurston, a young American lady representing Chautauqua, visited Pox ton yesterday, in company with Messrs Aitken and Higgins, of Levin, ’flic parly attended the meeting of the Council of the local Chamber of Commerce, and (he aims and objects of the movement wore set forth to (he meeting. Miss Joyce Claris and Master Hoy Bluiard, two Poxton pupils at the Palmerston High School, were awarded senior free places by recommendation’. Pupils so recommended by the rector are exempt from examination by reason of merit.

One thin” is cleai —Allied policy will have failed if the present constitutional administration of Germany is replaced either by Bolshevism or by Hohenzollernism. And each of these calamities appears to be avoidable if the Allies are guided‘by sound statesmanship and reasonably adroit diplomacy. —Post; A good deal of dry weather has been experienced of late in the Auckland district. The Waikato river Ims fallen so low that at present great difficulty is experienced with navigating. The water beinglow is, however, not an unmixed evil, as the swamp lands, being dry, are carrying splendid feed for si oek.

At the Palmerston fS.M. Court yesterday, a returned soldier, charged with using obscene lunguage on the railway platform, was lined i’l and costs. Accused pleaded guilty to the charge of drunkenness, but; remembered nothing of using the obscene language. lie had never been before (he Court lie fore, and had only been back from Prance two days, and was therelore easilv affected bv drink.

‘‘The council is not going to tolerate those blackguards in taxis taking young girls out in I heir cars,” said (lie .Mayor of Auckland in the City Council recently, when the mailer of cancelling a taxi-driver’s license came up for confirmation. “Hear, hear,” said all the councillors, and the cancellation was endorsed, a.liter the Mayor had said he did no;; wish to reopen the discussion. as. according to the police report, it had been a most revolting case.

The Auckland Star mentions thafj a. case of honesty being well rewarded occurred recently at the front. A soldier (Private K. J. Bogue, of Waiuku), walking along the road, found a wallet, and on opening it found there were notes to the value of .0100. The name on the papers inside was that of it lieutenant then serving with a division Hose to where the soldier was billeted. Bogue took the wallet round to the lieutenant, who gave him .010 as a reward, and also three weeks’ leave.

Speaking at Waitara on the subject of road construction in country districts, Sir W. Krascr said he had, (hiring his term as .Minister for Public Works, come to the conclusion that to spend motley on formation work without metalling immediately was a snare and a delusion to •Ilie settler, and a wasteful expenditure of money, because, from tlie nature of the country, it soon became a bog and a quagmire, and the work had to be done again, lie therefore always urged local bodies to borrow' money, not: an overdraft, which was limited, and was meant for maintenance only, but from the Local Bodies’ Department for a term of years, and on this amount he would grant a £ for £ subsidy. In this respect he had just issued fin authority for it subsidy of £(100 on a £ for £ basis to do 81 chains of the Awakino Valiev road.

An inquest was held at Karerc on Saturday, before the District Coroner, Mr K. Page, S.M., into the circumstances surrounding the death of the infant son of Mr and Mr- Ik A. Meham. Evidence given was to the effect that the ehild wandered away from its mother, who was visiting Mr Tamer, of Karcre, and apparently fell into an artificial lake, situated behind the house, but hidden from view by a shrubbery. The child was missed only a few minutes, and on a search being instituted it was found dead in the lake. The inquest was reopened yesterday morning, when medical evidence was given by Dr. Godfrey, who stated that from the child's appearance it had met its death by drowning. Tire Coroner returned a verdict accordingly, no blame being attachable to anyone.

JWe give a final reminder of the garden party to be held in the vicarage grounds to-morrow afternoon. The meeting- of erocptel players to have been held in the howling green pavilion to-morrow afternoon has been postponed.

The value of the motor ears on the Maslerlon Showgrounds on Wednesday last was estimated at £250,000. ’ The body of a male infant child was found in a chest of drawers in a Christchurch house on Sunday. The mother is in the hospital in a serious condition.

The result of (he Crampton court-martial was posted up in front of the lotalisa.lor house at the AVanganni races bn Saturday, and was greeted with great cheering by the crowd.

Mr and Airs denies paid a brief visit to Poxlon (o-day. They have been spending some lime in Ekelalinna, and have decided In take up their permanent residence in Wellington.

The Itangitikei Advocate 1 stales that Air 1L W. Smith. ALP., is still undecided as to whether he will contest the Hangilikei seat or the Waimarino seal at the general election. So far, four candidates, not including the sitting member, have been announced for the Uangitikei seat.

T( is estimated that 20,000 persons in Sydney have been thrown idle )>y the epidemic, and for them a relief scheme has been instituted. The closing of the picture shows lias thrown (5,000 idle, the (dosing of hotel bars has put 5,000 out of work, while at least 2,000 shop assistants have been paid oIT.

An old resident of Wanganui remarked recently that the French priests, who were such excellent Maori linguists, have practically given place to their Irish brothers. He recalls a Supreme Court episode of years gone by, when a priest, who only know French and Maori, was obliged to give his evidence in Maori because no French interpreters were to be found in "Wanganui. Probably no country in the world, except Tasmania and Norway, gives greater scope for hydro-electrical development than New Zealand does, and one cannot estimate fully the advantages which must be gained if comprehensive schemas for using the sources of water power are properly developed. Why there have been so much delay and apathy in the past, it is difficult to und ers land. —Ha wera S 1 ar.

Five eases of ptomaine poisoning were admitted to the New Plymouth Hospital on Sunday evening, after having been attended by Dr. Walker at Victoria boardinghouse. The names of the patients are: Mrs M. Laurent (Normanhy), Miss G. Roll, Mr Arthur Gilbert (an acute case), Mr Albert Seaton (all of New Plymouth), and Mr James Blake (traveller for J. Wilson and Sons, Hastings). Most of (lie eases are progressing satisfactorily. 'No cause has been discovered for the occurrence.

. To (lie Rev. John Paterson's idea the churches arc suffering from the blight of respectability. “When people 101 l me that they have seen me in company not exactly clerical,” he confessed to the Presbyterian (leneral Assembly, “J begin to feel that 1 am doing some good. Quite recently I was invited to supper with a theatrical party, and went and enjoyed myself. Far from feeling uneasy about it, I regret that 1 have not had more opportunities of getting to know such people as they really are.” Recently (he lion. A, T. Xgala, M.P., brought under the attention of the Government the desirability of supplementing the work which had been done by the completion of Williams’ Dictionary of the Maori language by long phonographic records made of the spoken Maori tongue. Mr Ngata also suggested that kincmatograph pictures should be taken of Mauri hakas, dances, pois, etc., for the benefit of future generations. Arrangements have now been made by which Mr J. MacDonald, of the Museum staff, Mr Elsdon Best, the well-known .Maori technologist a,ml author, also of the Museum stall', and Mr J. C. Andersen, who is in control of the Turnbull Library, will visit a big Maori gala on the Fast coast for the purpose staled.

“1 have been in (lie bool trade fur 50 years,’’ said Mr J. A. Frost ick, before flic Parliamentary Industries Committee at Christchurch, “and it is an easier job at the present time than I have ever known before. There is no trade in the world, so it is stated, that is so highly specialised as (he boot trade, unless it is the motor ear trade; and the more specialisation (here is (he shorter you must make the hours; otherwise if you are not careful, you will get into exactly the same position as obtains in some parts of America, where the only difference between the man and the machine is that one speaks and the other doesn’t.” What was wanted, concluded the witness, was a belter education to give the operative a proper outlook on life, so that he might be enabled to make the best use of his leisure time. TAKE IT WITH YOU.