NEWS AND NOTES

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 137, 12 February 1915, Page 3

NEWS AND NOTES

{1 Coruoulsoi y stiles'’ occupied a whole pago in ond-of-Decemboi* issues, of the Berliner Lokalanzeiger—a suftv cintiv illuminating indication of the state of affairs in the German capital.

Owing to the depreciation of all pro perty the German Government has, according to the Vossischo Zeitung, sus pended the Act requiring their valaa tiou for the 1914 company ha la nee sheets.

A resident of Tim sum had a curious experience recently. Being disturbed on Sunday night by a scampering noise. a» of something in one of the rooms, lie got a carpenter to explore, the result, being that a nest of hedgehogs was discovered underneath the buildings--two old hedgehogs and three young ones.

The champion forgetful man must live in Petono. The other evening he went for a ride on his bicycle up to Lower Hutt, and , on passing along the town was attracted by some goods in a jeweller’s window. Ho got op his bike, and after putting his machine against a verandah post, walked to the window, and spent some time inspecting the wares displayed. Ho then turned’ and walked back to Petono,, quite forgetting the fact that he had ridden up to Lower Hutt on his bicycle. A woman residing in North Richmond, Christchurch, was approached two days ago by an elderly man, apparently in the last stage of destitution (says the News). He preached a pitiable tale, imploring assistance, as his wife and family were in want, not having even a bit of bread in the h use. The householder told him she could not give him money, but retire.? indoors and came back with « brat ov bread, which the man refused on the ground that he was "not going straight home.

A shrewd Japanese got the better of the censor for once, so the Japan dimes tells. The Toyo Mitsui fins of Tokyo wanted to give a hint to its London office to gfct all its Hamburg employees out of Germany before war was declared between Japan and the Kaiser. Tokyo knew war was coming, and it knew that a cable to that effect would never reach its destination. So this cable was sent: Mr. Sensenfukoku arrives to-morrow.” The censor passed it. But Senssenfukoku moans Declaration of War. and London took the hint.

A young French lady writes from the vicinity of Eheims: —Since the war we have seen sights! It is like one long nightmare, but I prefer that greatly to being shut up somewhere away from everything. I have kept a journal of the war, and it is fast turning into a volume. My grandfather did the sanuin 1870; we found his diary in the library here. It is most curious; ho had the Germans here for two months, and suffered very much by them. The battles were fought nearly at the same places, at the same dates. 'Happily for us this war is not. turning so badly, thanks to our English “Allies.”

A company has been formed in Auckland to mill the valuable timber in the Otanewainulcu forest, between Taurauga and Rotorua. Mr. Hossaek, who lias been connected witli the sawmill lug industry in Now Zealand for half a century, will act as local manager. Two mills are to be built —one in the Otanewainuku bush, and the other in Tanranga. These mills will lie connected by a tramway, about 15 miles long. The mill in the town is to bo made the main one, as it will be handy to deep water and will permit of the loading of vessels at very low cost. It is estimated that the Otanewainuku forest contains about 252,000,000 feet of rimu, mam geaci, and mixed timbers.

That horses can be exported to Europe at a profit was mentioned by Major Reed, when replying to a toast at the Feildiug A. and P. Association's social last week. Ho stated that during the war the Dominion Government had sent away 4,000 horses on ships that were not specially fitted for them, but the losses by death had been under 2 per cent. He expressed the opinion that horses shipped under proper conditions could be exported to Europe at a profit, but he impressed upon his listeners that animals sent overseas must bo first-class. Breeders, he said, should be very particular in the matter of form, freedom from hereditary diseases, ami suitability for the purposes required: in other words, farmers should breed witli a definite object in view.

Sergeant lu 'Miller, of Mastorton, wlio is acting as postmaster to the first New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt, says that the first New Zealand mail came to hand on December 10th. “There was wild excitement in the camp,’ ’he writes, “and we were ail night sorting the mails, finishing the work at about 6 o’clock in the morning. The expression on the faces of the men when they receivd their letters was a picture—joy was written all over their features. The other side of the picture—those who expected but received no letters—was also a study. Then there were men of the force who had neither kith or kin to care for them in far-off New Zealand, and it was a some-