GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 36, 18 January 1916, Page 7

GENERAL.

Soft deposits of carbonate of lime have been discovered at Klaxbourne, and there is a probability of their proving a valuable source of supply for the farmers of Marlborough.

As the result of the New Plymouth High School children agreeing to accept certificates in lieu of prizes, the children will have p. sum of £27 10s to donate one of the patriotic funds.

An unusual step has been tn<en by the Heathcote. County Council, which has parsed a motion of no-confidence in the chairman (Mr Scott), on account of his proposal to merge the county into the city of Christchurch.

, Amongst unclaimed cargo on the Queen's Wharf, Auckland, soid this week, were 963 sacks of straw chad', seized for non-payment of dues, amounting to £7O. as far back as 1914. The sale realised sufficient to wip P out the amount owing on the consignment.

A Wellington telegram says that the Basilica was filled last evening when the eccles ; nstical authorities of the Welling on Catholic congregations accorded an official welcome to Monsignor Ceretti. who conveyed the Papal Blessing to the congregations. Special music was rendered by the combined choirs of the city and suburban churches.

William James Smith was convicted at the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, yesterday, on a charge of illicit liquor selling, and was fined £2o. The police described him as an old hand at the game known ,a s "lighthoushig," or carrying a bottle of whisky and making surreptitious sales in the street. Smith said he was unable j.n pay the fine and the alternative was fixed at a month in gaol.

Dalgety and Co's. New Zealand staff has contributed 101 men to active service. Of these four died in action, ten have been wounded, four are missing, six have been invalided to England, :uid three arc sick and in the hn«p.la! Kiom one beginning of tic war the rank and file have received half-pay. Men holding commissions have previously been paid half salary, but the firm h now making up the difference between military pay and ordinary pay in their rate.

Two intending passengers for Sydney by the Manuka's last trip were disappointed. They were a young man claimed to be agd 17, and his mother. . Their tickets were taken and their luggage was aboard the steamer. but the young man had no permit to leave. He protested that he was under 18, and therefore entitled to travel without a passport. The police, however, refused to aubw him to leave. The two passengers' luggage was removed from the steamer, and both had to postpone their pleasure trip. The police were inflexible in the interpretation of their orders.

A trade circular received by an Auckland merchant has the following interesting paragraph, says the Star: "We can hardly put our views into words about the war, as the Balkan tangle surrounds the whole position with doubt, but we give you the following final phrase from a leading article in the Glasgow Herald of November loth: 'The world is perhaps nearer to witnessing a tremendous collapse of the German structure of fraud and force than it is quite prepared for."

The ramifications of a great war art 1 evidenced by the fact that even the household broom trade in the United States has been affected. This is due to the fact that the flax fibre comes from Europe, and, owing to the war, this has had a sharp advance in price. The National Broom Manufacturers' Association endeavored to let a contract for a supply of twine for 1910, but makers of twine of all kinds will only tender subject to reduction in quantities and for such deliveries as they can make.

The Tarartia Dairy Company (Pahiatua) decided to communicate with Mr Cuddie respecting making rennet in the Dominion and the urgency of taking immediate' action to formulate a. scheme by which suppliers will be encouraged to save their caives. The. danger of an early shortage of rennet was fully realised by the directors, in view of the fact that the centre of Europe—Poland, in particular— where the raw material is extensively produced, is seriously affected by the war. A novel method of,growing tomatoes is to be seen ;:t Mr S. orchard, Beach-road (say- the tlorovvhenua Chronicle). The plants ;u:> grown under glass, each plant, at present a large size, in a kerosene tin. From the few dozen plants I bus grown SUlb of ripe fruit, has been picked since Christinas, and there still remains a lot on the plants. Cue great advantage of tin- method is, that when the'plants have finished bearing, the soil can be removed with the tins and a fresh lot brought in, thus elminating the many pests that thrive in the conditions so favorable under glass. The plants are strong and healthy, and the lVuit perfect in form and of good Savour.

Visiting fishermen in the Katikati Harbor during tiie past few days have experienced some excitement on account of tiio number and sizes of the sharks just now infesting those waters (says the VVaihi Daily Telegraph). Messrs H. P. Barry and M. F. Hasiard concluded a successful fishing day on Saturday afternoon by hooking on i using a shark line) an unusually big ihark off Kauri Point. They were prepared lor such an event i and quickly had the anchor up, and soon after the shark had the launch in tow. Eventually the monster broke away. Early jn Sunday morning the same party. with the sole object of hunting sharks, started off in their launch for Kauri Point. They trailed a five-foot shark in tho water in the hope of being able to entice other sharks close enough to the boat to be within striking distance of the harpoon. However one big chap was too wily for them, and before they could pull the trailed shark near do the boat it was snapped with almost starting swirtriessfiand bitten clean in two, leaving but a portion of the shark on the rope. Later a shark was hooked, and lor over an hour the launch was towed about. Sometimes the shark would take a straight course for half a mile. Ultimately it was despatched. While its length was only 7 feet 9 inches, its girth was tremendous, and it weighed over 3cwt. Its jaws in extension measured 9 inches.

Allegations of harsh treatment of a New Zealand soldier—a man from Oxford—were made at a meeting of the executive of the Canterbury Patriotic Fund last week. Mr A. H. Turnbull said that the man was a member of the reinforcements in training. In November, while "doubling" across some rabbit country; with his company lie fell and dislocated his knee. He was removed to the Palirierston .North hospital, and. was told that it would take luite three months to get his knee right. A day or two later, however, he was called on in the hospital by an officer of the Defence Department, who handed him his discharge and then left him. The speaker had heard many complaints about the way soldiers were treated. It was a dastardly shame to treat a man like that. Circumstances of that kind narrated throughout the country would militate against recruiting. The committee had granted the man £l.O. The accident had happened in November, and only now was the man getting right. He ivas perfectly willing to go hack to the service, but be had had to pay doctors' bills, and had had to maintain himself and he has lost a lot of time. Mr Turnbull then moved: "That the attention of the Minister if Defence he drawn to the circumstances under which the man was discharged, and which evidenced a lack if consideration and a due sense of responsibility on the part of the Defence authorities." Mr J. J. Dougall urged that a written statement should be obtained from the man. The motion was passed subject to full inquiries being made into the circumstances.

Cigarettes have their uses, but are obviously out of their place when smoked by young boys. An extreme example of the injury they may inflict (says the .Melbourne Herald) has hist occurred at Casterton, where a young man hanged himself because of nervous derangement. The father stated that he considered the disease to have been caused by excessive cigarette smoking, to which his son had been addicted from' the age of fourteen. The objection is riot to cigar-ette-smoking, but to its abuse, and to indulgence in it by boys. There is overwhelming medical evidence that the practice is most injurious to them. The British Medical Association has is'sued -a warning in respect to the excessive use of cigarettes among young recruits in Great Britain. There is an Act here forbidding the sale of cigarettes to youths under a certain age, but it seems to fail of its effect, for young boys can be seen in all directions ruining their nerves and brains I by sucking at what have aptly been 'called tubes of destruction. One of Britain's most brilliant authors, and 'one of her most able statesmen had 'their abilities and their careers ruined 'through the fascination of cigarettesmoking, and they are only two among a numberless throng of those who convert themselves into permai*ci> inefliIcients by the same means. Either the local Act is not being properly enforced, or is ineffective, and should be amended. It is always possible for a j community to have too much law and j to leave too little to self-reform, but I something i" the form of enactment j is necessary to protect the young boy against himself. I

The ballot of seamen for the position of general secretary of the New Zealand Federated Seamen's Union was completed last night, and resulted: W. T. Young 820, George Bowers 683. The ballot for the assistant secretary of the Auckland Union resulted : Thomas Anderson 829, William Semple 518.

It is now an offence to shoot hawks. Up till December 31st the man who

shot a hawk was often regarded as a public benefactor, but recent legislation has made it unlawful to destroy the birds. A protest against this protection was made at the meeting of the executive of the Auckland Farmers' Union last week. A .member stated that the decision of the Government to protect hawks was "one of the most insane affairs it was possible to imagine." Major Lusk expressed the opinion that it was a piece of absolute nonsense. He thought it possible, however, that legislation might permit the protection of the birds only m dis-, triets where it was desired, but as far as Auckland was concerned there was no good reason for introducing the protection. On the motion of Major liiisk it was decided to write to the .Minister for Internal Affairs, stating that the farmers of the Auckland Province strongly objected to any protection of hawks.

Very little has been heard of the fighting at the Montenegrin front, so the more interesting is a description given of it by the special correspondent of the Berliner Tageblatt with the Austrian troops. He says:—Tha Montenegrins themselves do not understand so much about artillery as about oilier anus, in the employment of which they are past masters. Their speciality is not the complicated modern war, but the partisan warfare in the mountains-—the real Indian war. One hears them shouting something to one another on the hare, black mountains: then they glide down into the valley in groups of two or three, jump in their soft felt shoes from stone to stone, conceal themselves in the holes which are hidden by the evergreen hushes, and suddenly they all collect at one soot in the roar or at the flank of our patrols. Woe to these (patrols if they allow themselves to be surprised! The Montenegrins give no quarter to anybody, not even to the wounded. On the other hand, it is next to impossible to capture Montenegrin soldiers. Wherever a warrier goes or stands there also is his wife, and when he fail? she jumps to his side and drags him away. No dead or wounded are found after a battle.