LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 348, 6 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

In Brisbane there is a scarcity of potatoes, which are selling at 24/ per cwt.—a record for the last 28 years.

A humourous incident in connection with the military raid in Sydney was the capture of the Governor’s aide-de-camp. He established his bonafides.

The French Government has introducted a Bill authorising the purchase of 50 merchantmen to combat the high freights on foodstuffs and other necessaries.

Suits to measure from 60/, and trousers from 16/6 may be obtained at Stanley Peyton’s, who also has 33 tailor-made suits on hand of splendid cut and finish at ridiculously cheap prices.

In publishing the acknowledgements of the amounts received from the country districts for Gallipoli Day, Mrs. Walker’s list for Turangarere, £2 10/, was inadvertently omitted.

The printing of Christmas Cards is now a feature of the work turned out by the Taihape Printing and Publishing Co., T.td and samples may be seen and prices will be given on application at the office.*

A correspondent says that the Governmemt is seriously considering a suggestion that the “shirkers” of the Dominion should be rounded up and exported to Germany, as the logical deduction to be drawn from their not volunteering is that they sympathise with the Kaiser.

A span of the Kauangaroa bridge on the boundary betAveen the Wanganui and Kangitikei Counties has collapsed, and the bridge has been closed for traffic in the meantime. A cage has been erected to convey avool over the collapsed span, and it is proposed to erect a temporary span, to cost not more than £2OO.

It is the intention of a councillor to move at the next meeting of the Petone Borough Council: —“That in viw of the urgent need for men for the Npav Zealand Expditlonary Forces, the Minister for Defence be asked if it is correct that approximately 70 per cent, of the men employed on the staffs of the various training camps established in New Zealand are single men without enenmberances, and if s», will he take steps to remedy this undesirable state of affairs.” The story of Murphy, the donkeyman, a hero of Anzac, has been told in letters published from the front. Murphy’s real name Avas Simpson, but for some unaccountable reason he got to be known as “Murphy.” Many an Australian lives to bless “Murphy’s mules.” There Avere so many wounded to be fetched into safety that ‘Murphy” commandeered a pair of mules, and officers connived at the theft when they found Avhat noble work he was doing. He used to leave the animals just under the broAv of “Braund’s Hill” and dash forward himself into the firing-line to sa\-e the wounded. But one day “Murphy’s mules” came not. The Avounded cried out to the overworked stretcher-bear-ers. “For God’s sake, send Murphy’s mules!” The mules Avere found grazing contentedly an Shrapnel Valley—iindi,Murphyf He had done his last climb to the top of the hill. “Wliere is Murphy?” asked one of the Ist Battalion. “Murphy-is at. heaven -- pate.” answered a sergeant, “helping the soldiers through.

The special roll in connection with the water supply and electric lighting special rating dstrict of the Borough of Taihape, is open for public inspection during office hours from to-day till December 14.

The prohibition against the export of metals from the United Kingdom is creating difficulties in New Zealand, where manufacturers cannot obtain sufficient raw material for the maimfectnre of machinery for cheese, butter, and other foodstuffs.

Mr. Adamson, cutlery grinding expert, is in town for to-morrow only with his up-to-date grinding machine, and will execute all orders left at shop opposite the Gretna Hotel. Scissors ground, knives, lawn-mowers, hedge-clippers, axes, garden tools, and saws resharpened. Mr. Adamson comes here with good references from other parts.

The lecture, which was to lun-f been delivered by Sergeant-Major Tucker on Saturday , evening, on “Explosive Shells and Machineguns,” had to bo postponed at the last minute owing to the non-arrival of the sectional shells, which were sent from Palmerston North on Thursday. They have evidently been carried past Taihape but no trace of them could bo found on Saturday. The lecture will be delivered at a future date.

According to Australian advices, the blockage of the Panama Canal is much worse than was at first supposed. A survey of the slide area in the Gaillard Cut reveals the fact that there probably are 10.000,000 cubicyards of earth in motion, which must be removed by dredging operations before a permanent channel through the cut is possible. This is the conclusion arrived at by the canal engineers, who concede that there is now little hope of opening the waterwayeven for the temporary use of shipping—much before the end of the year.