LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 173, 26 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The settlers at Euatiti were authorised to get five acres of school site felled at £2 an acre, and to preserve the bush in the gully. There is a movement afoot among the Jewish community of New Zealand to raise funds for the relief of their suffering co-religionists in Poland, The East Prussian horse butchers were some time ago advertising "freshly slaughtered and officially inspected horseflesh, with out bones, at 1/6 for 101 b, or Hd for lib." The British Government lias purchased the greater part of the indigo crop that is arriving from India, in order to prevent speculation and to ensure a supply to British dyers. The many friends of Mr. Allan Maguire, one of Wellington's prominent eitiezns, will regret to learn that he died on Wednesday after a long period of ill-health. The Lands Department notifies that a ballot will be taken at Walpavva on April Bth for sections of land in the Hawke's Bay district, totalling 5,98!) acres, which are open for selection on renewable lease. The land, which is described as second-class, is known as the Gwavas settlement, and is situated in the Wakarara and Maraekakaho sinvey districts. Troopers returned from Samoa speak in terms of the highest praise of the good work done there by the small staff of nurses and the remainder of the hospital staff in the occupied territory. The nurses, they say, worked x-vy hard, were exceptionally, attentive to the sick, and altogether " the hospial was an exceedingly good institution of its kind. WANTED Known. SLYFIELD ! S Sample Rooms, adjoining Nieholls' Picture Theatre, is the place to save money.*

Messrs. J. H. and A. F. Gibbes, of

TJtilcu, received l'lfd for the ewe wool at this week's sales.

Since the war began high prices of feed and horseshoeing, in Kaitieke, caused charges for carting to increase by 75 per cent.

A cable this morning states that the Australian Defence Department has definitely decided that no more officers on the permanent staff shall be allowed to go to the front. The Featherston Co-operative Dairy Company paid out £3,200 to its suppliers on Saturday. This is an extra payment, bringing the price of the but-ter-fat up to 1-kl per lb. The Wanganui Board of Education lias decided to grant the use of the public school and technical school buildings at Marton for sleeping accommodation for both sexes during the conference 'of Presbyterian Sunday School teachers at Easter.

The New Zealand flying machine — the Britannia —which was presented some time ago to the Dominion by the Imperial Air Fleet Committee (England), lias been sent to the front by the New Zealand Defence Department, states the British Australasian.

Mr. .!. E. Henriclcsen, of Wellington, has executed a fine piece of work for the Government in the shape of a woodc:i replica of the British coat-of-arms. Tliis is to be used as a mould for brasswork for the vice-regal dining-car to be placed on the New Zealand railways.

A swarm of locusts passed neaf Cairo on February 14. There must have been millions of them. The town was quite dark, though it was broad daylight, and the niggers say: "No men in Europe to cut crops for soldiers. God sent the locust to Egypt to cut the crops here." Crops in Palestine are reported to be eaten down by locusts. The highest yield of wheat recorded this season in Canterury was 970 bushel* from 11 acres on the Cashmere Estate—an average of 88 busehls . per acre. A Papanui farmer has obtained 900 bushels from 11 acres, or an average of 82-A bushels per acre. The return of 88 bushels per acre is believed to be a record for the Dominion.

For the week ended Saturday, March 20th, 2G married men and 2-i single men made application to the Labour Department for work.., in Wellington. Sixteen of the married and 17 of the single men were placed, 5 to Govrnment and 2S to private employment. There was a surplus of 17, who were unsuited for the work in hand, which can absorb twenty more applicants.

This is one of the stories they are telling in' Paris. The Zouaves leaped out of their trenches and made for the Germans at the point of the bayonet. But they were met by a hail of projectiles, and the officer in command of the storming party shouted "Down men! Flat on your stomachs?" Everybody obeyed except one man in the rear, and, despite repeated injunctions to get down on his "tummy," he remained upright. "I can't," he said, with an appealing look to his officer. "I've got a bottle of wine here "-- and he tapped on the side of his baggy trousers —"and there's no cork in it!"

An officer home from the front told an amusing story of one of his men, u Lancashire lad. When the fight was hottest the Lancashire Tommy was 3een lighting his pipe behind he shelter of a big tree. His officer went up to him and asked with some vigour what lie was doing there. "Ah've shot seven ."was the reply. "Shot seven?" echoed the angry officer. "What the blazes has that got to do with it?" The Tommy explained: "They said as how they were seven to one, and Ah thought as- Ah'd shot seven Ah'd done my whack and could have a smoke!"

The Oroua Freezing Company has placed the remainder of the shares required to make the capital up to £35,000. The engineer is now on the grounds to plan the works, and it is intended to push on with their construction so as to open them for freezing about the commencement of December. In the meantime applications will be received for shares up to a capital of £50,000. There is much satisfaction in the town and district that the erection of the works is now assured.

Mr. Sidney Kidman, the Australian "Cattle King," who was to have visited New Zealand about this time, including Nelson in his tour (says the Nelson Mail), has written to Mr. F. W. Fairey stating that he now expects to make his trip to the Dominion at the end of the year, afterwards proceeding to America. Mr. Kidman, in his letter to Mr. Fairey, stated that he was having a bad time on several of his stations. They were experiencing the worst season he had ever known in many parts of Australia. Many people were quite out of water, and their stock were dying. Mr. Kidman hast lost over 20,000 cattle during the last twelve months. Laßt year he sold 11,000 bullocks to the. Australian Meat Company, these being delivered in three months, 500 averaging 8931b5, and another mob weighing 8751 b, which will give some idea of what cattle are like in. Queensland and other parts of Australia. WANTED Known.—lnspect the value at SLYFIELD'S Sample Room. Tou will soon be convinced that money can be saved by purchasing here.*

The Taihape bowling green bears a splendid appearance after the recent rain and the playing surface is nowbetter than it has ever been before. Yesterday, the holders of the Club Feathers, Drayton. Dymoek, Evans, and Neagle (s), stalled off a challenge for possession by Jarrett, Train. De Luen, and Thurston (s), by 23 points to 11.

"There was nothing in it, your WorWorship. We only had a couple of hits," pleaded Ernest Nicholls to Mr. W. R. Haselden, S.M.. at the Court this morning. Nicholls and Joseph Wallen were engaged in a bout of fisticuffs at S o'clock last night, when the police put in an appearance and lodged both men in the lock-up. Sergeant Harvey stated that Nicholls had his hat and coat off and was putting in some good training for an ultimate en counter with Jack Johnson. Nicholls bore a splendid reputation as a workman but intermittently "downed tools" to indulge in a little recreation by lifting glasses of beer. Nothing was known of Wallen, but he "was in the possession of a mouth-organ whc-a arrested and it was suggested that lie evolved tunes from the instrumc t f solicited drink on the merit of ' -'- ye formance. His Worship convicted, each accused and ordered them to come up for sentence when called upon, at (he same time warning both that if they did not immediately get to work thoy w.ould again be brought before tie Court.