LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 113, 15 January 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Taihape B enough Council takes place this evening,' It is understood’there Is a good deal of detail business to be dealt With. We have to thank the Government Printer fer a copy of New Zealand Statistics, 1914. As is the case with most Government publications, it is perfection from a typographical and mechanical point of view. A petition will be lodged this week, praying that the election of Mr W. T. Jennings, as represetative for TauVuarumii, be upset. On the declared results, Mr Jennings d-ofated the sitting member, Mr C. K. Wilson, by 200" odd votes. 'We ’ Tu-ve to thank Mr. Slier win (Finch’s B/aaar) for a copy of a very interesting and instructive booklet on ‘‘Why we came to assist Belgium/’ This little publication is a complete answer to the question cf which its titilo consists. Moreover, it has the official stamp of truthfulness and re liability in its pages, and as it is be-q-.g sold f-cr cite penny, no one should bo wtheut a copy. . At Saturday’s meeting of the Waimarino County Council, it -was decided to take immediate stops to raise loans of £950 over Parapara No. 2 special rating district for metalling ' unmetalled portions of Parapara-Raetihi Road from Eaetihi boundary to south boundary of section A., Mairekura Block, Block X, Makotutu and £SOO over Olfiitu No. 3, special rating district, felling clearing and forming Matahiwi-Ohotu Road from its' junction with Parapara —Eaetihi Road, westward for about four miles.-

A large circle of friends in the Rangitikei and Hunterville districts will 'regret to learn of the death of Mrs R. Mc’Alley, of Hmitervlle, who passed away yesterday. The deceased, who was" a' daughter of the Mr John Cameron, of Turakina, was. a very old resident of Bulls and Huntcryille, Her death was not expected, she having been ill only a week. A grown-up family* of four sons and a daughter ,are left tc mourn their loss. To them and other sorrowing relatives we oxtepd our sympathy. ' ,

A report reaches the Wyndham Herald fm mm,-.-"om <--f he failure cf the potato crop’in a peculiar manner in the case of two growers. Only about, one Set in twenty germinated, and on .camination the sets appeared to bo quite sound, though they gave no' sign’s of life.’’ln the one case it‘was old ground, the farmer being a considerable grower, and the ground was prepared in the usual way In the second rase it was virgin ground, out of fern and flax. This .may be classed as practically an absolute failure, for those which came through were poor plants.

A thrilling story from a credible source-is" told of several German submarines caught in’ a bay up north. The operations of-the-German submarines conclusively showed : some weeks ago ’that- they must' have ; a babe ‘either in ■the shape of h parent ship rbammgabout the North Sea, or of a harbour right out of the beaten track and in an untenanted part of the United Kingdom. ‘My informant, states that a san'c•tuary- of this sort has boon tracked,that several enemy’s submarines were found ■dnsido it’s mouth,’that mines ha-'O been laid across the only exit, and that out■s;de it our destroyers are prowling up and down waiting for the other fellows to risk being blown up in order-to get bade info the North Rea. A novelist never invented a more stimulating, tantalising or exciting situation.

The M-angawokn of the Wellington Pest writes;Seme four or five weeks ago Arthur RpttiT.au, , the ■young German who stand.-:, charged with a triple murder of an atrocious nature at .Ruahine, made an- attemptGo join the Expeditionary Reinforcements. During his frequent visits to Ma.ngav.mka , he Ibacame-* acquainted with Mr. S. M.-Dixon, a Justice-- of theft p oo r-o. and a Ating-aapj:akv,in;.l -htv.N inth Regiment, .lie .informed ,M>. Dixonthat he bad made an effort to get naturalised. and showed him’certain correspond ericc. ‘One letter ns"to character-: was f-frnwell-known WeilingteftoJustice of the Fea-’e uig that -Rottnmnvhe ’grtinted baT.urhlisplicu. ,-The -DAPMf-mxmt! fcr * InthVnaT Affairs. h.o.\vev.er, ,refy ; se,l Fhd'-ajirdtVa - lion because Bet tin an was not pgi-son-Vify T'no'wn tr. the vyeilb vton.. .ipytir-e, for three rarntAs ns* requited hy law. Rc-ttman asked Mr. Dive n to do what he could to enable him to Join the forces. Hr. Dixon ..him that he was a German subject, -feuf Rotiman replied: “I woujdmt > fight*-* for the •Kaiser; I’d fight, far , .the y British.” 'Nothing further was' done in the matter. Rcttm.nn is well known to many .people in this township, especially to Cc'h'stable Essen, to whom ho fre-queiitly-.reported himself in terms of ■his Ihffdle, , Net long ago lie rendered I vain ■■biSy.oyftistauco to the police in rrr ?£i -~ a German who had became de”'""led. Rottmaan states that he

A slight shock-.of earthquake waS' reported at.. Tokomaru Bay yesteday morning. No damage was done.

Robert Blatohford, England militant socialist, has provided geopraphers with a new definition of a Island. “An island,” he said, "is a piece of land entirely surrounded by the British Navy.”

Hundreds of girls aided Russian soldiers by digging' trenches to keep the Germans from crossing the Vistula. Mr. D. J. Nathan, of Wellington, who has been in Europe, was a passenger‘by the Niagara, which has just arrived at Auckland.

The Feat hurst on' County. Council has been served with a. writ claiming £550

damages on account cf the destruction of the Morrison Bush Hall. It is al’eged, says the Wairarapa Times, that i -spark from the Council’s road roller was the cause of the fire.

The Mastertcn A. and P. Association has decided that the names of members who are on active service in Egypt and elsewhere shall be placed .’I a conspicuous position in the show catalogue, and also that shell members he kept financial until the'war is over.

It is anticipated in dairying circles that for autumn and winter butter high prices will rule, and indications seem to j cint that way. A gentleman with x v. ide experience in dairying work told an Ashburton Guardian reporter that he expects the retail price cf butter to reach 1/6, or, possibly, 1/7, be"cre the spring.

Hugo Krebs and Alice Krebs, Germans. of independent means, were, at Hastings, fined £25 each, or six months, for neglecting to comply with the--Aliens’ Restriction Ordjr. After -eturning home from the court Huge Krebs was-found ■ bleeding from a •vr mid in the throat -and A. cut wrist, and before .a doctor could arrive he died. ■ •

A mcvepient for the rabuflding of Belgium in England is projected in Birmingham. _ The . idea is» to employ refugees in constructing! portable buildings’ which can be set up amid the

ruins’ of towns and villages when the war Vs over to afford temporary ’habila. ticks ' for, the repatriated people while-the destruction of their homes is 'being'made seed. ,

The Mastertcn district probably beasts as many octogenarian settlers v; any-part of the Dominion. Among ■■he ..-pioneers who are still hale and hearty may he' mentioned Messrs R. Fall or n.- O. Shaw, W: Green and J. N’ichol,- -These are ' all well over eighty.years of age. There are scores £ septmigenarians round about, and • any cf them are quite youthful in ap- .£ am uce. An old Hunterville resident of over forty .years’ standing,-Mr John Knuth, was found .dead on the road side, near his residence, on,Tuesday. The cause of death -was suffocation. Johnny Knuth was a .German, and fought all through the Franco-German war in 1870-/1. He come to the colony in 1874. At the time of his death he was 77 years of age, and. could do a good day’s work up to the AM. His familiar figure will be missed in Hunterville, .. .. , ■ MruW. F. 'Halten has just .completed his' fortieth year as a _ 'driver of the Gisb'orn'e-Orinond ccacli. Father Curran; cl' Ormond, who evidently has a bent- 'fer figures (says the. Gisborne Times), has' gone carefully, into Mr. uat fen’s “mileage'’' during .this long Period, and estimates that Mr. Hatten has driven his coach back and. forward ever -the 14-mile road ’ 280,000 miles, -r a trifle" more. This is equivalent to iruvficying 20 times to England, or 11 times round the world, or seven hues tc the moon During his 40' vsars as a coach-driver, Father Car’•an estimates, Mr. -Hatten has worn •>ut no fewer than 4700 odd horseshoes and he has carried 208,000 parcels.

* * v B;r Jcfih French has a reputation as : a-wit.v-J-Jfe • dearly loves a joke. One ,cf the best.stories told about him is , how, one. nig'-hf at dinner, some officers were,. discussing rifle-shooting. The General .was .listening,- as ,was his, went' ’ without making; any remark, un■if 'at length he chipped in. with; ”BAv, HI bet any one here,” in his • ealm;. quiet."deliberate way, “that I can ■ :i‘”p hen ’ shots' at five hundred yards. .And eadl scaeh * shot correctly without - waiting for .tire marker. I’ll stake a f ;!yars-cn it.” The major pretext n ■'’ren.'-ed He offei> ,and the next, mrruiiyg Mm whole mess wqs at the -hunting ranee to see the trial. Sir bl n. fired. “Miss!” ho announced. He ”rr i a vain. “Miss!” he repeated.- A "hiid shot. “Miss!” “H'dcl on there!” -vrtpo'ted the m vior. “What are you ■ jne? You are not shooting at, the ‘amet at all” Tint French finished his "ask. “Miss!” “Miss!” “Miss-” “Of ''curse t wasn’t, shooting at the tar”ct” he said. “I was shooting, for he so cigars.” For ' sale —Young ferrets. Sale of fnW, potatoes, furniture, ■ poultry; etc., at Tui Strbet Mart, SatI'v'y- // ~ , ■ In 'this issue Mr. A. Spence, of the New Drapery and Clothing House, Taihape, announces his first end-of-sea-son sale, at which the whole of his nevv stock will be offered at drastic reductions .op th<? usual prices.