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Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 6 February 1917, Page 4

A joint bet whether the war would end before October, involving a sum of no less than £24,000, was recently liquidated in Amsterdam. Women’s boots at £6 a pair, or with cloth tops only, and rubber or fibre soles, are predicted by American manufacturers, owing to the leather scarcity. The meetings' of the Military Service Boards are revealing the fact that there are a good* many “fancy” religions in the Dominion. Members of these quaint cults all appear to have a strong objection to fightm At the Magistrate’s Court, Lokitika, on Wednesday (says -the West Coast Times) a man gave as his excuse for being cn licensed premises that he had “just looked in to see the new baby and to buy cigarettes.” The Magistrate: “This seems to me such a mixup of babies and cigarettes that I willfine you 10s.” It is not generally known that Count John Bernstorff, who has actually now received his passports, was born in London, and his wife is an

American. And yet, with those twothirds of Anglo-Saxon pull, the German Ambassador is the greatest genius for evil to Anglo-Saxondom outside the Fatherland.

Among those drowned on H.M.S. Laurentic was Engineer LieutenantCommander George Robert Rutledge, second sen of ex-Sergeant Rutledge, of Lyttelton, who was for many years one of the best known police officers in New Zealand. Lieut. Rutledge, who was 39 years of age, leaves a widow, who belonged to Kaiapoi, but is now a resident of Liverpool.

| The fourth military ballot was , drawn yesterday. This ballot will I bring the total number of names i drawn from the roll of the First Division up to about 18,600. The division was stated originally to contain nearly 85,000 men, but this number included some men who have since enlisted voluntarily, as well as all the men engaged in exempted trades, such as miners, slaughtermen, shearers, and' seamen. i A good story is told concerning one | of the medical military examining ofi fleers. A recruit, who had been twice ■ rejected for two different complaints, j was finally called up in the second bali lot, and duly presented himself for his third medical examination. “You will do,” said the examining officer. “That’s strange,” said the recruit, “as I was turned down for trouble.” After further examining the man, the doctor said; “The man who rejected you evidently did not know his business.” “That’s stranger still,” retorted the recruit, “as the doctor who rejected me was yourself.” Then fob 3 lowed an eloquent silence.

The Te Kapua Picnic has been post-

poned until the 15th January, owing to the inclement weather.

A charwoman is advertised, particulars of which may be obtained at tnis office.

Further sweeping reductions will be offered the public at Collinson and Gifford’s end of season sale to-morrow. An advertisement giving full particulars will be found on page 7.

It was stated at the meeting of the California Press Association on December 9 that 800 country town newspapers in the United States of America had ceased publication since the commencement of the war in conse-

quence of the increased cost of paper,

One evening last week the steamer Mararoa was held up for fully an hour at Lyttelton by a solitary fireman. He stood on the wharf, smoked his pipe, and viewed the anxiety of the passengers with a good deal of complacency. Eventually he was induced to go aboard, and the vessel proceeded on her way.

Those who had the pleasure of hearing the Seleinsky-Amadio Concert Company on their last vnsit here will be pleased to hear that this talented body of musicians intend paying a return visit to Taihape on the 15th of this month. We hope they will meet with the support commensurate with their ability.

A telegram from Gisborne states there is no change in the waterside situation. The men met this morning and confirmed the attitude of their representatives yesterday regarding reinstatement. The men decided to await further developments, and in the meantime the Arahura is unable to discharge her Gisborne cargo.

By a regrettable oversight Dr. Sinclair’s name was omitted from companionship with those of Drs. Barnet and McDiarmid, to whom the relatives of the late Mr. David Wilkie wished to convey sincere and grateful acknowledgments of professional skill, care and untiring attention during the deceased’s illness. Dr. Sinclair was the late Mr. Wilkie’s medical adviser.

The increase in the cost of all things, by reason of existing world-war conditions, applies especially to sheep dips. The cost of every ingredient used in their manufacture lias continually increased since the war began. Freight and insurance rates have progressively doubled, trebled and quadrupled, in■ving such serious loss to dip manufacturers that they have been compelled in self-defence to further raise the selling price of sheep dips, a necessity which has been already carried into effect.

It is not likely that there will be a contest for the Hawke’s Bay seat so far as the Massey Party is concerned, but the Labour Party may nominate a candidate. There is an arrangement between Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward that if vacancies occur, they shall be filled by the party suffering the loss. The Liberals did net oppose the filling of the Pahiatua vacancy, and therefore it is not likely that a Liberal will be objected to to fill the Hawke’s Bay vacancy. The name of Mr. Jull, of Waipawa, has been mentioned as the man likely to get the Liberal nomination.

A narrow escape from a horrible death was the cxperi«nce of a boy who was playing on the beach in a locality known to old residents as Blanket Bay (says the Dunedin “Star”). Several youngsters were playing in the shallow water at low tide, when an octopus of large size pursued one of the boys, and, travelling at a velocity unexpected in so uncouth a creature, seized him by the leg. A girl —and a plucky girl she was—tried to pull the uncanny creature from its prey. But from all accounts, she would not have succeeded but for the arrival of other children,, when, recognising that the odds were against it, the repulsive devil-fish abandoned its attempt and escaped.

The late Dr. McNab, who died on Saturday night was only 53 years of age, and was born in Southland. He was intended for the law, for which he passed, but preferred farming, plus politics and research work on the early history of New Zealand. In 1909, as the result of nine years’ of painstaking research, Dr. McNab published a bulky volume, entitled, “Murihiku, ” a history of the South Island of New Zealand and the islands adjacent and lying to the south, covering the period from 1642 to 1835. And since then he had devoted much of his spare time to following up this historical work, other books resulting. He had been in and out of politics since 1906, when he was member for Mataura. He was Minister for Lands in the Ward Ministry, and at the time of his death represented Hawke’s Bay and was Acting-Leader of the Liberal Party. Good Goods. That’s the Lotus Brand. You won’t keep a cold or sore v\-.r ‘ ,-hc"'o a da” cv two if • ■ , Vi., ■ it