LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 144, 20 February 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Letters await ‘‘C.M. ami “Canvasser” at “The Times’ - office.

The annual school picnic at Kaitielce is to be held on February 26fh.

Bush burns have been more than, averagely successful in this district this season.

Considering the very dry season pasturage and root crops in the Taihape hack country are doing fairly well.

A well-known Kaitielce resident, Mr A. Sheehan, is shortly to enter the bonds of matrimony with Miss Galvin of the Forty Mile Bush.

The Hunterville annual -sports, held on Wednesday, were a great success, a profit of no less than £9O being the net xesult

It is advertised that an entertainment will he given to judges and other visitors to the A. and P. Show, in the Town Mall supper room on the evening of the 21th February, at S o’clock.

A Chinaman named Lui Moon Lum, who filed a petition in bankruptcy at Manaia, had only one creditor, a fel-low-companion named Hop Fook Chong, of Wolinglon, lo whom he was indebted to the extent of £192 19/8.

A neutral observer states that Germany is more closely united and less disturbed than in August. It was a great mistake to underestimate her military reserves. He failed to find anyone who had actually- soon the 12cenlimetro (Kll-inch) mortars. The photographs published were actually oi the Austrian 30.5 cm. (12-inch) mortars.

Complaints still continue to reach this office about the nuisance caused by the decaying carcase of a dead sheep alongside the main track in the Domain. They unanimously affirm that the stench within a large radius is such as to he a menace to the public health. Surely those whose duty it is ought to remedy this at the earli--8-3 t possible m'omeni:.

The gate takings of the Masterion A. and P. Association show at Solway exceeded those of the previous year by £2 8/, but there was a falling off in the takings for entrance to the grandstand amounting to £7 11/. In luncheon and teas the decrease totalled £2O 4s, making the total receipts less by £25 as compared with those of last year.

Official figures show that during January 2941) persons arrived in (he Dominion, and 1558 persons left. The excess of the arrivals over the departures in January, 1915, was th mofore 1391 persons, as against 1888 in the corresponding month of 1914. The figures for the port of Wellington for last month shew that 1872 persons arrived and 922 left. The Chinese population of the Dominion was added to by 7 males and one female.

While at Raurimu recently the chairman of the Wanganui Education Board definitely promised that rising little township a new school kouse. On his recommendation to go on clearing the site and to make other preliminary preparations, a subscription was taken up to provide funds to pay for the work. Mr Pj- W. Smith, M.R. headed the list with £lO, and several other prominent residents donated £5 each, while other sums were promise!. Raurimu is .shortly to have the school it urgently needed, and the enthusiastic and liberal contributions by its people conveys some idea of the pleasure and satisfaction they feel.

Following cn a principle laid down in Anglican churches at Heme, the vicar at Otakl, the Rev. G. F. Petrie, has had erected in the church porch a Roll of Honour board, where the names of all those who have left the district for the front will be inscribed. On the suggestion of Mr L. St. George, the people’s warden, and who has taken a keen interest in the church, it has been decided to hang the Union Jack in the building, a custom now followed by various churches throughout the Empire. The flag ha.s been kindly lent by Dr Huthwaite, and is one donated’ by Mr Byron Brown, and offered to auction for the benefit of the Belgian relief fund,

In. a statement made the other day. the Minister for Defence (lion. James Allen) said that he was working out a scheme of pensions for the naval forces, but it was a pretty big tush, and lie had to arrive at a definite conclusion. In the Naval Defence Act of last year no definite scheme was laid down; it was only said that the pensions should be such as wore "proscribed.” "Nothing had been so far been prescribed,’ 'he added, "partly because I wanted to know what the Australians were doing and partly because I wanted to reorganise our own military pensions scheme. If possible, I would like to bring the naval and military pensions schemes into uniformity, and if it was still further possiole r should like to bring them into Hi’ with 4 he '. ust.-alia" scheme. , ThP. however, would, I think, be very difficult, and I do not ;hiuk it is possible. In ally ease, I have not at present

Monsignor Dewachter, Bishop to Car* dinnl Aiercier, preaching at AVillesdon ;"\li cl lose! ex') said that four priests, who had returned from Germany, informed him that while prisoners they were given the foulest and vilest work to do.

A social and dance is to be hold m O'Connor’s Hall. Taihape, on Show Night, commencing at S o’clock. During the evening ■waltzing and other competitions will be held, for which valuable prizes are offered.

Advice has been received from Loudon that Captains A. C. Robinson and N. C. Hamilton have been gazetted as Majors. Both are members of the British Army Service Corps, and have been engaged in New Zealand for the past year or two organising the New Zealand Army Service Corps.

There seems to be some misapprehension about the clsoiug of shops on Wednesday (Show Day), as hnsinessmen have notified this office that theii premises will not be closed till between twelve and one, so that farmers and visiters coming in from a distance may get any litrlo thing U oy urgently require.

“The Taihape Daily Times’’ acknowledges receipt of a copy of a neatly executed copy of the Ram Fair Catalogue from the Auctioneers' Association. In it is aoticcabe the pleasing fact that Mr. 0. A. Wheeler lias presented the stud ram, “Balmoral,*' to l)e sold for the Belgian Fund. Air. A. R. Fannin has also donated a flock Romney ram in aid of the same fund.

Whilst working at the pumping station near the engine sheds last night the attendant’s head light came in contact with the benzine tank and a huge volume of flame immediately enveloped the building. The attendant ndeaveured to suppress the outbreak but it was beyond him, although he sustained burns to bis arms in the attempt. The alarm was given, and a number cf drivers’ cleaners and firemen under locomotive foremah Smith, attacked the flames and eventually subdued them, but not before the shed and the pumping engine had suffered considerable damage. The shed was a small structure and was erected quite recently.