THE OTAIKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1919. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 10 March 1919, Page 2

THE OTAIKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1919. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

-.Mr E. Parry, the Chief Electrician of'the New Zealand Government, says “he is perfectly convinced that the increased efficiency brought about by prohibition . would pay for-the electrification of the North Island and South Island in three years. ” The Methodist Conference ha 3 resolved to appoint an organising secretary for its Sunday school and young people’s work, and the Rev. C. H. Olds, of Invercargill (a returned soldier) was on Thursday elected to the position. Tho headquarters of the secretary will be at Christchurch. 'Bootmaking.—T. Barrett wishes to notify tho public of Otaki and district that he has resumed business as boot and shoemaker. Old and new customers please take notice. Address: Duustan Streot, Otaki. —Advt.

Tho Minister of Defence states that local bodies, in favouring the abolition of the Territorial system, are making a grave mistake. He merely wished a defence force for use at any time if reauired, and a sufficient staff for training. He thought the men should enter camp at IS years for four months’ training, such camps to be established in both islands.

Last session Mr Brown (Napier) asked the Prime Minister: “Whether the time has not arrived when the numerous boards set up by the Government during the war could not be abolished, and their duties undertaken by Ministers, thus saving the country a very large expenditure?” The printed reply of Mr Massey is: “This is being carried out as rapidly as possible.”

“The chief necessity for development along industrial and commercial lines is transportation to bring the .farmer as .near as possible to his market, and-to get-as near as possible to a harbour.” remarked the Hon. -J. C. Horbsman in a lecture at Mastcrton. “Good roads and easy means of transportation is the keynote of industrial and commercial development.”

It is officially announced that the Pioneer Battalion, New Zealand Division, which was made up almost wholly of members of the Maori Contingent, and which did such excellent work in Franco and Flanders, left the United Kingdom by the Westmoreland on 2Sth February. The ship’s complement comprises 50 officers, 3 women, and 97S other ranks. The Westmoreland is expected to reach New Zealand about the second week in April.

“If I had my way,” said Chancellor Geo. H. Bradford. “I would have one teacher for every ten children. When a doctor has a ward full of patients he does not write out one prescription, and instruct the nurse to give it to them all. - No, he analyses and diagnoses each case, and prescribes accordingly. So would I have children analysed and .taught according.to the diagnose made of their minds. Yet here, as in America, they give a teacher 60 to SO children to teach, and the same lessons are handed out to the dullard as jo the jsost brilliant child in the class.

■ An extraordinary incident occurred • to a returned soldier who arrived is Auckland a few days ago. The man : had been badly wounded at the landing ; at Gallipoli, and was sent to the hospij tal. His injuries were attended to as ‘far as possible, but it was found impossible to extract a bullet that had i lodged in his forehead at the top of the nose. He was sent to London and ex- ' amined by Sir Frederick Treves, who ( expressed the opinion that ■an opera-I flop could not be performed, and that ] the wound would ultimately cause the patient ’•! death. The man came back to Auckland and took employment in - —the city. Recently he had been troubled considerably with his head, and sought "f medical advice. After examination a , probe was inserted in the nose and the ballet extracted without difficulty. Apparently during the time that had elapsed since the wound was received the bullet had shifted, and made the extraction possible. The man is now stated to be rapidly improving in health.

A uotiee relative to tlio ten per cent j penalty on unpaid rates is advertised by the Hutt County Council. The Chautauqua sessions, which have run in Levin for the past week, closed on Saturday night. The company were greeted, on each occasion, with large audiences, and their visit to Levin has proved a success financially.

“Your lighting system is a disgrace, but the roads in your streets aro all right,” said the Kon. J. C. Herbsman during his address in Masterton. ‘ ‘ The age of gas is past, and you must get a more up-to-date lighting system.” Mrs Witchell, secretary' for the Bed Cross shop, will be'pleased to receive donations. The object is a worthyone, and all who can should give.

A movement is on foot in Levin to resuscitate the Horticultural Society, which lias been dormant since the outbreak of war. Mr P. W. Goldsmith has the matter in hand, and has already received many promises of heartysupport. It is expected that the supplementary- roll for the Otaki lectoral district will contain some 2000 names. Appli-

cations for enrolment arc still being received by Mr 11. H. Cork, registrar, despite the fact that abundant public notice has been given that the rolls absolutely closed on Thursday last, 6th iust.

All good things come to an end — even Chautuuquas. This splendid show finished on Saturday last, but there’s still-a few more Chautauqua specials left at Stiles and Matheson’s. Come’ to-day and secure y-ours! Stetson hats and Pugi silks are going very moderately priced. See advertisement in this issue! t

A returned soldier, William Atkinson, was arrested by Constable Salherloy yesterday, and to : dav appeared before Messrs Tompsitt and Williams, J.’sP., charged with drunkenness, while the constable also applied for a prohibition order. Atkinson was convicted for being drunk, and an order was issued.

A correspondent, “ Rosemary,” writes as follows to the “Dominion”: —“As so many people arc suffering from loss of hair after influenza, it might be worth while io publish the following old-fashioned remedy: Put about a dozen sprigs of rosemary in a basin with a pint of cold water, cover with a plate, and stand in a warm oven for about two hours to draw. When cold,.pour off the liquid, and bottle for! use. Moisten a sponge or flannel with the infective, and rub lighlly- the roots' of the hair once or twice daily. The treatment if continued for a few weeks will, judging by my own experience, be found satisfactory, and the cost is little or nothing.”

A good deal of misconception still prevails regarding the issue of the King’s silver war badge. It is officially stated that men who were demobilised from the Expeditionary Force training camps after 12th November, 1913, arc not entitled to it. The only- men eligible arc those with six months’ service certified to be unfit for any- further military service in connection with the war. It is also stated authoritatively that demobilised men and others due to go into camp when the armistice was declared are not required to notify changes of address. Should such become necessary- in the event of the renewal of hostilities, which is extremely unlikely, due notice will be given of the fact.

The Christchurch papers report that the month of February- was the driest of the summer in Canterbury-, only about one-fifth of an inch of rain falling during the whole month. Nearly three degrees, of frost were registered one day last week in Christchurch. Another evidence of the extraordinaryweather conditions in Canterbury—in common with other parts of the Domiuion_;s the fact that there has not been a single month since the beginning of last winter in which a frost has not been recorded in Canterbury. Many orchardists have suffered very s eve rely through an exceedingly- severe frost late last November, when as much as 15 degrees of frost v-ere registered in some x>arts of Canterbury, which completely stripped many orchards of their entire fruit crops.

During the deliverance of a paper at Auckland on reading material in portions of the Dominion, the president of the Civil Engineers’ Society- made some interesting references to problems faced elsewhere. According to j the leport of a board set up in England ‘on the outbreak of the war, to deal with the question ox reading construction and damage as the result ox military exigencies, the sum of £33,000,000 was required to bring them up to the modern standard of traffic. Tn Eng- ; land. Scotland and Wales there were ! 172,000 miles of roads, of which some | 17,200 were too weak to carry-modern traffic, the average cost of reconstruction being 52000 per mile. Before ihe war the Continents of Europe and North America had taken up modern road building whole-heartedly, and France, by adopting a vigorous policy on scientific lines, had undoubtedly ihe : best system of national road in the ■ world. . >