LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 280, 25 August 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

To enable northern people to attend the patriotic gathering at Mataroa next Friday night., a car is being added to the goods train leaving Ohakune at 5 p.m., stopping at all sidings and stations. Saturday's early train from Taihape to Ohakune wi& stop whenever required to put down passengers. (The above was telegraphed from Wellington at noon to-day by Mr R. Yv. Smith, M.P.). A hauler-driver is wanted for F. J. Carter's mill at Horopito.

It is notified by advertisement that poison is laid on Section 37, Block 16, Ohinewairua, owned by Mr. J. G. Collins.

Some 4000 signatures were obtained in Auckland for the petition promoted by a joint committee of labour organisations asking Parliament to investigations asking Parliament to investigate the cost of living.

A young man who had come from the country on a holiday accidentally fell off the Queen's Wharf, Wellngton, the other eevning. A rope was thrown him and he was quickly pulled out of the water by the Harbour Board nightwatchman.

On Saturday, at 2 o'clock, Mr D. J. McLennan will s ell at the Tui Street Mart, all the salvage stock from McLaughlan Brothers' fire, entirely without reserve. The goods will be on view on the morning of the sale.

In connection with Monday night's farewell social to the Taihape and Districts' reinforcemnets, owing to a typograhpical error, that portion of our report mentioning the splendid assistance rendered in the supper room by the members of the Taihape Women's Working Club and other lady helpers, whose services were specially to us by the Committee, was omitted.

The Rev. J. E. Parsons, who was so popular as a minister whilst stationed in this town in charge of the Methodist Church, is at present on a visit to Taihape, Mr. Parsons wil3 speak at the Foreign Mission meeting at the Methodist Church to-night. All old friends should take this opportunity, of meeting again with Ur. Parsons, and thus KBsist in-giving Mm a warm welcome. Tlio Bov. Parsons s at in charge of the Methodist Church at Otaliuhu (/Ineklandh

With referncc to the wounded men who are returning from the front by the Tahiti, the chairman and secretary of the Mayor's Patriotic Committer, We3lngton, were deputed to ascertain further particulars from the Government as to the arrangements for arrival and reception.

A very successful flower day was held at Wanganui on Saturday, when about £l6O, with some amounts still to come, was raised for the wounded soldiers' fund. The flower stalls were located in prominent portions of the town, and a inrge army of small boys and girls sold buttonholes and sprays.

"It appears to me that unless anything is anchored down it walks out of the camp at Trentham, rr was the remark made by Inspector Hendrey m the Wellington Magistrate's Court, when a man was charged with stealing an article from the camp..

Mr. Allan, of Messrs. Veitch and Allan, giving evidence in the drapery dispute at the Arbitration Court. Wellington, in answer to a question by the union representative, that he- ted long been of opinion that when a statutory holiday occurred in any week, employees should still get their usual weekly half-holiday. To dock them ot" their weekly half-holiday was practically to reduce the statutory holiday to half a day only.

The National Cabinet's Budget wii: probably be presented to Parliament to-morrow (Thursday. Mr. Massev stated that the Budget would outline taxation proposals of the Government It would set forth the amount to be collected under the different classes of new taxes. The details wou)d be sf>t out in a subsequent Bill. It is- and'erstood the land and income rates, racing club's revenues, wine, spirits, and beer will be taxed heavier, and that luxuries and not necessaries generally will be brought under taxation.

A Rotorua photographer, who is also a bookseller, gave evidence in a civil action heard in the Auckland Magistrate's Court on Friday that his business had not fallen off to any degree on account of the war. He said that the overseas' tourist traffic had been practically stopped, and, probably in consequence of the reduction of the steamer service, the Australian traffic was largely diminished. He quoted figures showing that the Tourist Department's revenue had only fallen away to the extent of £3.000 in the first year of the war.

A pitiable case came before Mr.. TX Gi. Cooper, S.M., at Wellington. It w:ts that of a woman who was charged with the theft of a piece of meat valued at eightpence. The evidence showed that she was the wife of a respectable man. was about to become- a mother, and, after purchasing goods in a grocer's shop was seen to place a small piece of bacon under her clothing. The offender appeared to be fully aware of the position in which she had placed herself, and left the court much relieved when His Worship, after gently warning her, convicted and ordered her to come up fc-r sentence when called on.

The Taumaorunui Patriotic Carnival Committee lias passed a similar resolution to that passed and forwarded to the Prime Minister by the local Committee, urging special legislative facilities for profitably conducting their Queen Carnival. The resolution is as follows:—"That the Government be asked not to enforce the Gaming and Lotteries Act during the present crisis, so as to enable art unons on a larger scale and with a wider scope of prizes. to be held—always providing the sanction of the controlling body for patriotic funds be obtained—and the proceeds from the art unions are for patriotic purposes only."

Some four thousand signatures were obtained on Friday, says the New Zealand Herald, for the petition promoted by a joint committee of Auckland labour organisations asking Parliament to investigate the cost of living. Tables were placed at seven busy street corners in the city, and throughout the day were visited by large numbers of people eager to record their support of the attractive proposals in the petition, which aims at securing State regulation of prices during the period of the war and the automatic adjustment

of wages to increases in the cost of living. The petition will be [.resented to Parliament shortly.

The Taihape Orchestral Society, which was only organised a short time ago, is making rapid strides both in the number of members and in its musical proficiency. / There} are already some twenty members in the Orchestra, and at the last meeting it was decided to make the membership fee ss, with a further contribution of Is per month, lady members beingfree. Honorary members and active members are invited to join. At the meeting in question, Mr J. Sherwin was elected conductor and Mr Loader secretary. A vote of thanks was- accorded ,Mr Cochran for, the use .©r;his piano, and it was decided to pay Mr Loader l s p«r 'rtigiit for light, the I- use of his room being given srratuiously. Jtt is anticipated the Orchestra will shortly make its flrat appearance^

Many narrow escapes have been o

'.perienecd by members of the Armv J Service Corps on active service in the Dardanelles campaign, according to a 1 letter written by SergeaSt G. Seagar, of Deronport, Auckland, on Juno 27. He mentions that he had himself boon hit by shrapnel three times and once ; &y a rifJe bullet, but in each *;ase had escaped wiith a scratch. "I think ■ nearly every one of our boys have been hit,''lie remarks. ''The majority bare just been grazed and have "not suffered actual injury.''' Sergeant Seagar st-jtes that army Service Corps has lost many Indians;

It is reported that the German Vw

J liament is considering a State monoJ poly of artifrcialTy manufactured nitrogen combinations-. Germany imports annually about 50\ 000,000 dollars' worth of saltpetre- from Chile. However, Germany has' been experimenting with the manufacture of saltpetre or I its basic substances, nitrogen and oxy- | gen, from the surrounding- air. That , Germany has succeeded m some way ten I making artificial' saltpetre is shown bv the fact that slie lias? able to supply her army with powder and explosives, although no imports have reached Germany for some time, remarks Dun's Review (New York). It is also reported that saltpetre ean be manufactured more economically than it can be imported from Chile, and the

50,000,000 dollars per year will remain m the hands of German manufacturers. The International Institute of Agriculture of Rome estimates the wheat crop of India for 1914-15" as 104.581,718 quintals, or 383,46(5,000 bushels, making an increase of 8 per cent, over that of the preceding season. The production of 284,125,351 quintal* of huskrice was 3 per cent, loss than a year ago, and the cotton yield 9,492,752 quintals, or 4,176,810 bales of 500 pounds each, was 3 per cent, more than the year preceding.