GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 26, 6 January 1916, Page 3

GENERAL.

The ammunition allowance to rifle clubs for the year 1.916-16 hac been increased from fifty to one hundred rounds per man. The Hon. G. W. Russell proposes to convene a conference of representatives of Patriotic Societies next month to discuss their responsibilities towards discharged soldiers. Representatives of the Salvation Army presented the Victorian Chief Secretary a petition signed by 32,000 persons, asking that legislation should be introduced to prevent the selling of race cards ami books in the streets by hoys of tender years. Consideration was promised by the Minister. The Wellington office of the Board of Trade has been advised that the British Trade Fail', held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London last Mav Was so successful that it has been decided to have a repetition next month, exhibiting samples of British manufactures in order to facilitate the placing of contracts.

The Prime Minister has received information that it was the .No. 1 Battalion of 'tiie A'ew Zealand ltille Brigade which, took part in the engagement against the Senussi on Christmas Day. The No. 2 Battalion had since received orders to proceed to the same destination, and probably ere this had joined the No. 1 Brigade.

The steamer Minnesota, which recently sailed from Seattle for England, broke all ocean;. deadweight, records; holding supreme rank tor the greatest cargo ever taken across any ocean in all. history. iTlie chief : Consignments* aboard the vessel were wheat and barley, 20,000,000 pounds; fish, 4,000,000 pounds; lumber, 2,000,000 pounds;.and 120,000 pounds of hops, the total deadweight cargo, including coal, being 25,000 tons.

. A Melbourne cablegram states.: Mr Tulloch, who was lately in charge of the wireless station at Macquarrie Island, commencing on Captain Davis statement that'there is no reason for alarm owing to the absence of wireless news of Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition, says that the reason the Aurora had not communicated with Macqimvrie Island was because the plant was incapable of sending messages so far. Besides, the Aurora's anchorage in Ross Sea is behind lofty hills over-1500ft hi height, which interfere considerably with the .radras of transmission. ';',

<■ A writer in the "Charity Organisation Review,": deprecating] > the,, way heople talk of "the drab of the poor" as.greatly: a class misunderstanding, repeats a story of some East End girls (.matchbox makers) who jwere taken down to Surrey to. spend [a summer day in a beautiful house and garden in a lovely part of the country. When their hostess was wishing them gpqd-bye she said she had much enjoyed their visit, and one guest re.plied , ; cheerfully : "I expect we have ■cheered you, up a bit; it must be deadly dull down here.",'

i The new wife Hoi America's President is tluis described : Slip is about five feet four inches tail, and a trifle plump/, Her liuir, which is abundant, is very! dark brown, se6niing Jtojt first glance, and wavy.'"SJi e Ws' f it simply. Her large, well set eyes are hazel. Another of Mrs Units' most 'fascinating features is her niouth'/with its red lips and white, even, perfect shaped teeth. It does not take a seer to tell by her mouth that she is simple, sympathetic and sincere.

New Year's 'Day, ancl Monday, January 3rd, proved record days for traffic on 'the y Stratford-New Plymouth road s'ince.the installation of the Waipuku toll gate. These were the days of the Stratford races, and a total of 164 cars passed through the gate as against 141 on.the occasion of the New Plym ! .previous : week. The tally on New Year's Day was 90 cars as against 79 on Boxing Day—the previous best.

Has the'■'much-lamented Pelorus Jack been superseded? asks .an exchange. There. can be considerable doubt on this point, though um .fact remains that travellers across jCook Strait of late have been attracted by the friendliness of fiv r e— not "Pcloi'us Jacks"—but apparently oidinary porpoises.—A gentleman who iwas a passenger by the Kaitoa on her last run across from Nelson, stat< d i that the Kaitoa left Nelson at 8 ; o'clock on Tuesday night, and at 9.30 ■ the passengers noticed three at the bow of the ship. The number was later increased to five, and it is stated they were just like Pelorus Jack in appearance. The strangers kept pace with the Kaitoa for a considerable distance, and were the cause of no little comment and speculation.

I The following is an extract from a letter written by Captain Uvedale Parry-Okede'n, M.C.—dated from "Anzae, Headquarters Australian and "New Zealand Army Corps," on August '2\ last:—"Poor young Giles—son of the headmaster of Sydney Gram- ! mar. was killed last big fight (he used j to be in my unit, 4th Battalion, 13th Brigade Infantry, before I joined the D.A.P.). H° saw nl(> in tno morxnn s; 'said h© felt he would be killed; gave t me some addresses, and was found looked in the arms of a huge Turk, both dead, evidence of a terrific struggle. He was about 6ft. 3in. ( and very powerful. God! What a grand way to die! Much better, than being shot down without 'a run for your monev.' I've seen so many good fellows never get a 'run.' It seemed so hard."

"No soldier discharged from the Expeditionary Force who has been to tho front will be compelled to serve in the Territorial Force during the present war except in ense of national emergency, or unless ■ reason should arise rendering it necessary to revoke 'this ruling."—Extract from Returned ISoldiers' Handbook. | It is the aim of the Salvation Army in New Zealand (says the New Zealand I Times) to gather in during the coming year 1000 new "soldiers" and recruits. 250 new local officers, 100 new bands'men, 200 new corps cadets, 200y0ung people's "locals" ; also to open four additional children's homes, four new rescue, homes for classification purposes, and one prison gate industrial home in Wellington. At Warren (N.S.W.), the police are ''investigating the suspicious death and the poisoning of several Chinese I'Ving in a hut. The men had pigs' trotters for the evening meal. Tho cook prepared the dish, and after tasting some Celt ill. and rested. Another Chinese then partook of some. He afterwards became very ill. and medical aid was summoned, but the suiferer died an hour after. Four olh'vs were also affected. One thrmv some lo the dog, and the animal succumbed. A post-mortem examination disclosed the cause of death as strychnine poisoning. Representatives of shipowners of New Zealand met at Wellington yesterday to consider a letter, dated December 7. from the Watcrsiders' representative of the Unions, The letter proposed a revision of the existing industrial agreement, owing to the increased cost of living and changes in conditions since the old agreement was framed A conference with the owners was asked for. It is understood that the owners are prepared to meet the men's representatives, and to concede the following increases in the present scale of wages: viz., 3d an hour ordinary time, with Id overtime to 10 p.m., and (id after 10 p.m.

During the course of a sitting of the Native Land Court on the coast near Gisborne recently the local storekeepers were suddenly met with a brisk demand for eggcups. and speedily quitted their entire stock to their native customers. Curiosity was naturally aroused in the European mind as to the reason that had unexpectedly induced the Maoris of the locality to adopt so civilised : an idea as the use If eggcups', 'The explanation was simple for the "Walking-lighthouse had lliscovered that the pakeha eggcup nade an admirable measure, and his numerous native clients were made to each'' produce his .own. ' he Maoris were'all going about with the useful article in their: pocket.

Inglewood is sometimes dubbed '> warm corner" in the lfbr-icating Jfnes, remarks the Inglewood Record,, but the .police I records by ,nq jneans; support'this allegation, as the whole oi the Christmas and Now Ttear holidays only supplied one case.for tl.e Rohqe, Court and in that case the man bailed himsejf out after spending an hour or two in the lock-up, the bail being lixed at ss, and as the man failed to appear when called on, bo was convicted,ami lined the amount of bis' bail.. Evidence, of this sort 1 does,hot uphold.the pleasant charge "against; this town, and, the evidence in the opposite ;direction ,is further supported by the fact that, the Lolitarv holiday charge comprised, the full inebriate list for, the quarter, October Ist to December.-31st. ~.,,,,.;