LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 38, 15 February 1916, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

The Postal 'authorities advise that the s-s. Moeraki, which sailed from Sydney at 10 p.m. on the 10th inst. for Wellington, is bringing mails from Australia and United Kingdom, via Suez.

Mr. James Edmond is relinquishing the editorship of the Sydney Bulletin owing to health reasons. Mr. S. 11. Pryor, who acted during Mr. Edmonds' lengthy holiday, succeeds to the editorial chair.

One of two rathe? big cheques are being paid to milk suppliers at some of the sm'aller cheese factories in the Eketahuna district for January supply. At Rongomai Mr. G. Judd drew £lll Is 3d, and at Putara Mr. T. 'Roberts' cheque Was £lls 14s sd.

A reciprocal agreement - has been come to between Australia find New Zealand, which each country agrees to allow tourists or other bona fide travellers bearing passports to return to their own country without the formality of securing fresh passports.

Spurious shillings are at present in circulation in Masterton, says the ''Wairarapa Daily Times." So good are the imitations that a clerk in a mercantile firm was given one by a bank teller, who did not detect the fraud.

The Government buyer of horses suitable for artillery purposes will be in Taihape on Saturday, 19th February, to inspect any horses that settlers hereabout may have to offer. The animals must be from 6 to 10 years old. All horses should be taken to Kelly's stables, where the inspection will be held.

A resident of Otorohanga was 'amazed on Saturday morning to find a suspicious looking bundle on the verandah of his house. On examination the bundle wag found to contain a baby—a newly-born male child. The little foundling had been wrapped in an old sheet and left on the verandah by some person unknown. The police have so far failed to trace the parents.

Bome idea of the wonderful organisation in England for munition manufacturing (says the Lyttelton Times) may be gained from the speech given at the dinner of the Master Plumbers' Asscrciation by Mr. W. Large, who said that one factory covered 200 acres. That would be twice as big as the block from Colombo Street to Manchester Stre-et from the North Belt to the South Belt. And this factory, concluded Mr. Large, was but one of well over a thousand spread over Britaia.

Questioned regarding the recent rapid rise in the price of kerosene and benzine, Mr. A. G. Cate, Wellington manager of the Vacuum Oil Company, told a Gisborne 'Herald' representative that freights for kerosene 'and benzine from New York were now at the rate of 150 cents per case, or equal to about 6s Gd and 6s Sd (according to exchange). It was- now practically impossible to charter steamers from New York to New Zealand and Australian ports, and the question of future supplies was one that was likely to occasion some little anxiety,

A German merchant has secured an

after-war contract to supply arms 'and munitions to China amounting to seven million taels.

A Sydney cable states that Fan:!! Durack won the hundred yards women's swimming championship of Australia in G 9 2-5 seconds.

At a conference held in Eketahuna on Monday a dairy factory delegate stated that mere boys in factories were now earning £2 5s to £2 10s per week.

The German frontier of Switzerland is tightly closed. A constant procession of trains is transporting guns and troop to Alsace. The Crown Prince has arrived near the frontier.

Mr. Word Price, war correspondent, says Bulgar officers on the frontier informed Greek officers that thvir units would shortly be transferred 1o the Roumanian frontier.

The Broken Hill settlement was short-lived. After a mass meeting it was decided to declare the strike on again owing to the alleged victimisation by the dismissal of shift bosses in the Central mine. Picketing has been resumed. Senator Pearce has been advised of the position.

A Sydney cable states that Mr. Ashmead Bartlett. in his opening lecture, justified the withdrawal from the Dardanelles. The British could not have held out against the Turks, and he believed they could have cut across the peninsula, but they could not stand the chance of half a. million Bulgars failing on top of our isolated forces

It is expected that an.announcement regarding the new Board of Trade will be made this week. Cabinet lias had an extremely difficult task in dealing with the numerous applications, but the list has been narrowed down, and it is expected that the appointment, in th? terms of the Act passed last session, will be made in few days' time.'

A Hastings wire says that a number oil returned soldiers evince a strong desire to assist in the suasion recruiting scheme, 'and held a meeting en Friday, at which it was resolved "That we returned soldiers are prepared to do all in our power to assist recruiting." The resolution was handed to the Mayor with the request that he call another meeting.

Before Sir Rider Haggard sailed from England he received a telegram from Earl Grey stating: I am sorry that certain newspaper critics object to your mission. If the Empire is to continue there must be a great intermigration between England's Dominions. The settlement o ft-ha vacant Dominion lands with Britons will contribute to the strength and safety of the Empire.

Still another effect of the war svill be that people will have to pay higner, prices for certain medicines. Owing to many commonly used drugs having formerly been made in Germany, the supply is becoming so limited that importers have to pay heavily in order to secure them. To show to what oxtent prices have risen, a chemist snvs that one line which formerly cost him 3/6 per lb, is now quoted as high as £5.