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Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 12 February 1917, Page 4

A private letter received' from an Aucklander in the trenches makes mention of a new regulation in regard to soldiers ’ correspondence.-, jUamcly., that letters must, the- limited ; >tq„ four ,pagcs. The news wo published recently as to the increase .of the price of’ “The Times” to lid, was interesting, not only to the general reader but to the newspaper world of the country, where it is producing a veritable revolution. Nearly all the daily newspapers and almost all the provincial ones in England are now being issued at a loss. To understand the position it is necessary to know that the cost of ordinary printing paper has increased in price almost 300 per cent., and that every other accessory of newspaper production has experienced a similar advance.

A Westport district young- main has become a soldier of the King in a peculiar manner (says a district exchange). A “clause 35“ man who had received the usual official notice to attend the Medical Beard, with a humorous intention only erased his own name, inserted that of a friend, and passed the document on. Before the joke could bo explained, the second man, accepting the notice in good laith, went to Westport, presented his paper, was passed in Class A, attested, and has been: posted to the next reinforcements. He has no regrets except that his funny pcighmoui’ is not going into Trenthamj with him. What may happen to the joker certain officials in Wellington will doI cide .

One pound reward will be paid to the finder of a lost sheep) dog on its being returned to Mr. W. Welch, Taihape. Quite a large fleet of sailing ships have boon fixed to load at various Australian ports for New Zealand, five them being listed for. loading at Newcastle. Not a single German newspaper has been received in the United States from the Fatherland for over, eight months, according to a prominent GermanAmerican in the Now York Herald It is reported that, as a result of the opening of Government retail butcher shops in Auckland, private retailors have come into line, and are selling at the same rates as the Government. Captain Tilley, of the Government ■Remount Department, is sending up for the next Taihape sale on February II 8 good useful hacks and 1 active harness horse, suitable for milk or delivery cart. A motorist named I>. Muir had a narrow escapie from death on the River Road at Tuahau. His car collided with a telegraph pole, the latter, snapping off at the base. The radiator, one wheel, and the body of the car were smashed. The driver escaped unhurt. Fourteen thousand Polish babies, all of them less than three years of age, whose parents cannot be traced, arc now in charitable Russian hands. It has been decided to give them new names and place them in good homes, to be brought up by Russian fosterparents.

The Government last night gazetted regulations giving power to take over wharves throughout the Dominion. Under very drastic regulations every person who conspires with any other person to prevent, delay or otherwise interfere with the proper, loading, unloading or despatch of any vessel, shall be guilty of an offence.

A Wanganui businessman has now put in three days, plus overtime, at the wharf, and his earnings per day have been £l, £1 11s Id, and £1 7s Id, which averages out at the rate of over £IOO a year. “This is more than the average professional man is earning,” he remarked last night. “A watersider ought to be able to retire after ten years. ’ ’

A passenger travelling in the East Indies by Royal Dutch mail steamer, writing to a Nelson friend, says: “The officers on this boat are strongly proAlly, and related to me that they recently received some German coal briquettes for bunkers, and noted to their great amusement that each briquette was stamped with the words “Gott strafe England.”

The wages paid in Ireland in many cases are positively disgraceful. It is asserted that there are 2,000 cases of teachers in receipt of only £24 per year and any number of railway porters received 15/ a week. “You cannot expect men on starvation wages like these,” remarked a Nationalist member," “to do much flag-waving for the glorious, British Empire.”

A recent visitor to the West Coast found that of three towns, Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport the last mentioned is feeling the effect of the war in a greater degree than the others. The Canterbury visitor found no less than 30 empty shops in Palmerston Street, the principal thoroughfare of Westport. Rentals as low as 10/ per week wore being asked for some of these simps.

"Have you got all the labour you want,” a big squatter in Hawke v s Bay was asked the other day. "Oh, yes,” he replied, "I've got four girls out there and wo get along all right.’ This was shown by the fact that the girls do the mustering, and two of them had taken 1000 lambs in a three-days’ trip. "And they did a jolly sight better than drovers, ” was the praise the pleased squatter bestowed on them.

The bearing of an assault case in the Supreme Court at Wellington was suddenly interrupted by a juryman fainting. A doctor in court reported that he was unfit to serve, having recently recovered from a severe illness. The jury panel had been discharged for a week, and the only way out of the difficulty was to discharge the jury and order another trial next, week.

Borne months ago a well-known Invercargill citizen, whose son is out ou the Allied frontier, took it into his head to relieve the lad’s faithful mother of sending one of the regular parcels of good things (says the “Southland Times. “) Father decided that his should be a parcel of parcels, and for a little while he was quite busy running in and out of confectioners to bacconists’ and grocers’. Finally the box was packed to the lid with soldiers dainties —for if clothing was needed mother could scud it in one of her parcels. Father’s was to bo one solely for internal use. There ensued the customary long wait until the worthy townsman received a letter from his soldier son, who expressed sincere thanks for the big box he had received, ami added that its sole contents—a pair of socks —were a splendid fit.

Mr C. J. Parr, M.F. for Eden, arrived in Taihapo ou Saturday morning. A sawmill plant and bash is advertised for sale by E. "Wilson and Co., Ltd. as a going concern The fact that the bush consists chiefly of good quality white pine—now becoming so scarce —should result in a purchaser being quickly found. The owner is compelled to give up sawmilling at once owing to ill health. It is only a few weeks since the Municipal Baths, after having been closed for two seasons, have been opened to the public. Yet during this time swimming has taken hold to such an extent that the new club has decide:!, in order to alignment their funds, and incidentally help them keep the baths open, to hold a sports carnival on Thursday next, February 15. Thfe are some interesting events on the programme, 100 yards race, relay race, diving competition, life-saving, ladies’ races, etc. being the chief attractions, and we feel sure those devotees of the sport who are working hard to make the carnival a success will be- rewarded with a record attendance on the day in question. An advertisement appears cn page 1.