GENERAL NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 59, 12 March 1915, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

A man mimed Harry Priest was fined £SO at Taumarumii yesterday tor illegally keeping liquor lor sale.

According to the latest figures, the live principal armies engaged in the present war possess something like U30.40W motor vehicles.

The New Zealand Tobacco Company is making arrangements for the establishment of a tobacco manufactory in Hastings (says the correspondent of the Napier Telegraph) to deal with the products of the 102 acres under culture at Clifton since 1913.

A debtor called at the Auckland Magistrate's Court one morning, and said (reports the Star) that he did not owe the amount claimed, but could not stay to defend it as he had to go to England. He offered to deposit £2O for an adjournment for 12 months, and this course was agreed to.

The 700 firemen who attended the Timaru Fire Brigade demonstration evidently had a strenuous time (says an exchange). The majority of the fire fighters assert that they were simply "tired to death" in the south. They were so systematically attacked for the Belgian fund and by the Queen of the Carnival candidates that there was hardly anything left to come home with.

The Hon. F. H. 1). Bell, Minister for Internal .Affairs, has wrHten to Mr George Witty, M.P., declining to grant permission for tvottiug event.-; at a sports meeting in Christchurch, as to do so would create a precedent. The Minister in.his letter stated that whilst the object is a worthy one— tlio relief of the Belgians—to grant the application might lead to many others askings for a similar concession.

The market for second-hand motorcars does not seem to be particularly active just at present. Recently a sale was held in Christchureh of all classes of cars, and the only vehicle actually sold was ,a "fiye-seater, which reajifted the handsome price of £9. The- I-) uye •' >a tn °dest. in a ,V, a *'° r a twelve months' guarantee with his bargain, and when that was refused lie promptly repudiated the.purchase. The car was put up again, and on this occasion was sold to another party for £8 without a guarantee.

Captain J. R. Heuderson, N.Z.C.S., who was formerly adjutant to the.l4th (South Otago) Regiment, is now on his way back from his position with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force to answer certain charges which are being formulated by the Comptrollergeneral of the Audit Department against him and Lieutenant-colonel J. B. M'Clymont, who commanded the same regiment prior to his joining the Otago Infantry Battalion of the New ,Z«dand Kxpoditiouai;y, Force assecond f, ;ia'foirtinaJ / uiy'ivith the rank of major, ,y[iVdjwho:returned from abroad a few weeks a gov Before the mobilisation of the Expeditionary Force Captain Henderson was assistant quartermastergeneral at Wellington, and was appointed later to the Headquarters Staff" of the main body as deputy assistant, quartermasters-general. It is understood (states the Otago Daily Times) that the charges concern the adihinistrative, duties of those officers; while in Otago.

From time, to time bottles have been washed up on the various coasts containing messages from those who journey by sea in ships. The latest message of the sort that has come under notice was found by one .John Thomas McLean, a resident of Airey Inlet, on the, south coast of Australia, pot far .distant from, Geelong, Victoria. While walking along the' sand on the seashore youngMcLean noticed a bottle lying at the edge of the lapping water, and on. picking it up discovered that it contained a written communication. Investigation showed that the bottle bore a message from Private H. Rukinji to his father, who resides at Rotorua, New Zealand. The message was forwarded to the editor of the "Geelong Advertiser," who in turn sent it on to the "New Zealand Times," in order that it might reach those for whom it is intended. The

message, written on leaves from a small notebook, was dated 20—2—1915, and was as follows:—"Anybody pick this up; communicate this message to my people in Rotorua, North Island, to Mr Rukinji, All well. From your son, H. Rukinji, and "Love to everybody in New Zealand from Private H. Rukinji."