Untitled

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 201, 25 September 1916, Page 4

A good, second-hand trout fishing outfit is advertised for in another column.

“Are you a full-blooded Maori?” asked counsel of a native defendant in a Whangarei court case. “I doirr. know,” was the reply, “I think some pakeha.” “And what particular branc of pakeha, ” queried counsel. “I doiri know,” was the response, “but I think some Jew.”

An old soldifer who was brought in for treatment in the field by-the R.A. M.C., upon being asked what one so old was doing in the Army, retorted briskly that he had two sons serving, and that ‘he was Wowed if they were going to have .all the jaw to themselves when the war was over.

“Just now vegetables and fruit are in full swing, and our boys are doing well for kai,” writes a Gisborne boy at the front, under .date of July 27. “Apples stew and plenty of vegetables go well with prime Canterbury, of whtcn most days we get IJlb per man. There is no doubt that New Zealand mutton is good. Yesterday we received a big collection of gifts from the Y.M.C.A. The boxes contained cigarettes, milk chocotate, and cakes —enough and more for all.”

Local bodies are beginning to realise that expenditure on modern machinery is by no means unreproductivo. A steam roller and a crushing plant are profitable investments for any local authority that has any length of roadway to maintain. In one Taranaki borough, where the problem of roa - maintenance was at one time a veritable nightmare, the roller and crushing plant have effected a transformation. The crusher is driven by the roller engine, and besides crushing 4: • the stone required, has been let on» on hire to neighbouring authorities, and iu three years has earned a sum almost equal to its original cost. The reading problem in this particular town can have claimed G> have been completely solved.

It is proposed to issue bread tickets for the whole of Holland, in order to obtain control over the supply of flour to the bakers.

The Germans arrested 70 women at Ghent, whose offence was that of "clandestinely receiving letters from their husbands.”

Artificial limbs made of papier mache are about to be put on the market by a Danish orthopedist. They are said to be strong, light, and quite cheap.

It is reported that two Romney cross wethers, barely in the 4-tooth stage, bred on Mr W. D. Holgate’s farm at Kiripaka, near Whangari, weighed, when killed and dressed, 1(541b and 1551 b respectively. Major S. D. Sandle, R.NZ.A., has been appointed staff officer to the Commander, Wellington Coast Defence Troops; and Captain W. B. P. Thring, E.N.Z.A., has become Adjutant to the Wellington Garrison Artillery Division. The Waverley branch of the Farmers- Union has lost no time in adding their protest concerning the proposed disposal of portion of the Moumahaki State farm. A resolution has been car-

ried. and it is being forwarded to headquarters, through the medium of Mr G. V. Pearce, M.P.

The appearance of a stork a few miles from Carnarvon, in North Wales, is reported by a correspondent, Avho asks if the gunfire in Flanders “has anything to do with its exile.” That heavy gunfiring will drive birds away in a panic was seen during- the bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft last year.

The following letter from the wife of one of our soldiers, whose separation allowance, though a clerical error, had been unduly delayed, has. (according to “London Opinion”) been received at one of the Army pay offices: —“Dear Sir,—lf Ido not receive my allowance soon, there are only two things for me to do, either throw myself into the river or lead an immortal life.’’

Shopping at Bennett’s is economy, shopping as many and many a housewife has of Bennett’s pleased customers, you are losing money on many purchases. Economise at Bennett’s from now on.

The Education Board has appointed Mr George McGregor, of Palmerston

North, to the position ofleading carpenter. Twenty-eight applications were received for the position.

*• At last meeting of the Wanganui Education Board a letter was received from Dr. Anderson, Director of Education, asking for a complete list of defective children suitable for admission to special schools. It was pointed out that when the Board liad made representations in regard to these children in the past, the Department had stated that there was no room in the institutions mentioned for the treatment of such children.

A wounded major gave a journalist at Southampton ? some interesting reminiscences of the bearing of the younger officers at the front. Of one of these, who took exceptional interest in his men, the major declared that he "fathered and mothered” his "I heard him say to one of his men one night, ‘Simpson, you haven ’t given me a letter for your mother for three weeks, and you’ve written half a dozen to girls and pals this week. Nothing to do with me—eh? I should if I were you! ’ ”

Some time ago a scarf was knitted in Auckland for General Joffre, each person knitting a row paying sixpence, by which means £8 was raised for the French Red Cross Fund Miss Ethel Frost, of Onehunga, who started the little enterprise, forwarded the scarf to the General, and has received a letter of acknowledgment and thanks from an officer at General Headquarters. Miss Frost is now at work on a scarf for Sir John Jellicoe, the proceeds' to go to the Navy Relief Fund.

Captain i\ W. Skellcy, of the New Zealand Staff, who has been AssistantAdjutant General at Defence Headquarters since November, 1914, will proceed to the front in the near future with one of the reinforcements. He will be succeeded by Major James Os-borne-Lilly, who is at present acting as Officer Commanding No. 18 Group (Masterton). Captain H. W. MartynEoberts, commanding No. (> Group (Palmerston North), will succeed Major Osborne-Lily at Masterton, and Captain Michael McDonnell, of the Staff Corps, will take charge of No. (j Group.

A Russian who has boon in Germany since the beginning of the war and is now in Stockholm, giving a special correspondent at Stockholm details of the Kaiser’s visit to the Headquarters Staff oh the Eastern front, said the Emperor was in good health, but looked- anxious. The Kaiser paid a visit to the townlet of Korniolaw. During his stay there the Russian offensive was causing much anxiety. An hour before ho left the town, a Russian reeonnitring aeroplane flew over it, but no bombs were thrown. „The Kaiser stood Iwside the gun which bombarded the Russian, and himself fired a shot, but hit nothing. _

Several Wellington city and suburban tradesmen were to-day lined sums varying from 5s to £2, for having im perfect weights and measures. In to-days issue is published particulars of a cash bonus of £IOO to be distributed among smokers of the leading and most popular brands of tobacco. Smokers are advised to turn to the particulars of this £IOO bonus competition, and there learn full particulars of how to participate, 'At the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, H. G Bedell, clothing manufacturer, was fined £lO for breaking a contract for the supply of military garthe Somme, in Galicia and on the Isonzo thread. Counsel explained that Bedell was unable to secure linen thread of the requisite colour. The contract, was cancelled when the breach was discovered by the authorities.

A young woman had an unpleasant journey in an Auckland car. A young man politely offered his seat, but re-

ceived the scornful reply: “I will take nothing from a shirker.” The gentleman pulled aside his overcoat and showed his returned soldier’s badge, at the same time administering tne stinging rebuke: “I unfortunately mistook you fora lady.” After that “the rest was silence.”

A prominent man in the timber trade, speaking to a Wellington "Times” representative recently, stated' that it was exceedingly hard to obtain capable men for bush and mill work at the present time. He attributed the shortage to the number of men who had enlisted. Many of the mills were not by any means putting out their maximum,- as the class of labour obtaining was far inferior to that obtaining in peace times. In fact, a good many millowners would not allow inexperienced men to work in valuable bush. Another man interested in the trades stated that as a consequence of the labour shortage orders for posts and battens were accumulating, and it was impossible to meet the demand.

Glycerine, being an essential basis of modern explosives and a byproduct of soap manufacture, has since the war made an enormous advance in price. Formerly German fancy soaps httf a very ready sale in New Zealand; they have been replaced in large measure by American, imported both direct and via London, but the result of this trade has been to greatly enhance the price of glycerine in the States, and soap has become a sort of by-product itself in consequence. Now, by “Gazette Extraordinary,” the importation of all soaps of foreign manufacture has been prohibited (except with the consent of the Minister for Customs). Soaps of British manufacture will continue to come into the Dominion as before. Household soap used in New Zealand is practically all of local manufacture.