LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 245, 6 July 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A drive of the swans on Lake Ellesmere was made the other day, 250 birds being killed. The majority have been frozen for the Belgians.

At the Wellington Supreme Court, Kathleen Barry, for forgery while postmistress at Stoke, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Mr. F. W. Allsop, F.E.1.8.A., has been appointed by the Taumnrnnui Hospital Board architect for the new building.

It was stated by Mr. McLeod (represeating War Relief Fuad contributors) at the conference in Wellington on Friday that the Wairarapa had raised £2 per head.

An advance to 1/8 per lb retail for butter made in Auckland has not been followed in Wellington, but it is understood that a revision of the local wholesale price is under consideration.

The award of the D.S.O. to Freyberg (the New Zealand swimmer) on June 3 was for swimming ashore and towing rafts with flares. Although alone, he reconnoitred the enemy’s position for two hours, and later on swam back.

Newspaper proprietors in New Zealand are experiencing considerable difficulty in securing necessary supplies of printing paper. The trouble is the shortage of ships, despite the fact that freight rates have enormously- increased, thus considerably adding to the cost of the paper. : •••;; • .< • The Privy Council has reserved judgment in the case The King v. Broad, in which the New Zealand Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the jury for £2,000 damages to Mrs. E. W. Broad, whose husband was killed at a railway crossing at Marton. An Imperial Army doctor, , working amongst the wounded at the Dardanelles, writing to his brother in Hastings, says: "I have ust arrived here (Malta) from the Peninsula, in charge of many wounded New Zealanders. They are awfully fine fellows. They, and the Australians, arc simply wonderful.”

The unique sight of a cyclist riding up the Avenue (Wanganui) on Saturday night with his coat well on fire was witnessed. A good many people saw theli conflagration, but one of the last to discover it was he cyclist himself. He promptly shed the garment in the vicinity of the post-office, where several enthusiastic bystanders assisted him to jump on it. The amount of damage was represented by a hole about a foot square.

To-night Major Toomer, assisted by Mrs Toomer and Adjutant Haywood, will conduct a great meeting in the Taihape Salvation Hall. Major Toomer is a great speaker on the greatest of all subjects, and everyone who goes to hear him will be sure of spending a pleasant and profitable evening. Tire meeting will commence at eight o’clock An advertiser wants second-hand tram rails. 18 to 30 pounds, in any quantity. Bo kind to your mother, lor when you were small, Sho kisse'd and caressed you, Vf yon had a fall. She .4 ujrsed you in «£lauded s& ym? For sfea was year motU«r deal 1 ..hsy, Mo friends could he Idndar, m. ’Mends could Titan mother I—and 1 —and Wo Otis’ C£reg£. Pep* W>mM ■

A serious charge . was preferred at the Mangawcka Court against a wollknown resident of Ohingaiti r Robert A. Heise. The alleged offence was that on the 3rd June, at Ohingaiti, he had assaulted James 0 ’Connor with a billiard cue and caused him actual bodily harm. Acording to the evidence, a fight occurred in O’Connor’s billiardroom as the result of an argument over O’Connor’s horses being put in Heise’s paddock, O ’Connor was the bigger man, and he is stated to have knocked Heise down, who, seizing a billiard cue. felled his opponent, for whom lie afterwards did all he could to stop the bleeding. A good deal of evidence was given on both sides, and after Mr. J. H. Miles, of Marton, who represented the accused, had addressed the Court, the presiding justices, Messrs. C. J. Bennett and R. E. Hornblow, reduced the charge to one of common assault and imposed a fine of £lO, with 21/medical fee and 10/- one witness’s expenses. It was also decided that onehalf the fine should go to O ’Connor,

The new award secured by the Cooks and Stewards’ Union, whereby the wages of stewards on passenger steam, ers have been largely increased, and the practice of accepting tips . from passengers is absolutely prohibited, appears to meet with th ©hearty approval of the men affected. On maldng some inquiries this morning, an Auckland “Star” reporter ascertained that the practice of tipping is not much in favour of th® stewards. “Wei don’t lik e having to crawl to a passenger for th e sake of a shilling or two,” said one man, “but up till now we’ve had to do it. A steward has got to be well dressed and keep up a good appearance, and that costs money. The reporter learned that it has been the custom for the stewards on each boat (at least in the case of the Union. Co.’s vessels) to pay all tips into a pool which is divided up at the end of the trip, first-class stewards taking a double share as compared with secondclass stewards. This practice has not always given satisfaction, as there is very little protection against th© man who does not “play the game” by paying in all he gets. It is generally considered that the increased wages will more than make up for the abolition of tips, as first-class stewards are now to get £8 a month instead of £5 10/, and second-class £6 10/ a month instead of £4. The stewards themselves feel that th® no-tip system is fairer to everybody concerned —themselves., the passengers, and the steamship companies. “The passengers will, get just the same attention,” said on© of the men, "“have no fears about that.”