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Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 17 April 1917, Page 4

"It is nonsense to say that the meat trusts exists in only one part of New Zealand,'' declared Captain P. Colbeck at the last meeting of the Auckland Farmers' Union Executive. "It is all over the Dominion, and its operations are being felt mor e and more as time goes on." The amount of sickness in the military camps at the present time is less than one-quarter of the amount rescrded last year. The position is regarded as very satisfactory by the medical authorities. There are no oases cf measles in the hospitals, and colds and influenza arc net prevalent. In the chopping event at the Te Karaka sports on Easter Monday (says the Poverty Bay Herald), W. Wilson bad the misfortune, whilst engaged in the underhand chop, to let his axe drop and cut off three of his toes. He still continued chopping, and won the event before having his foot attended to.

The totalisator receipts for the Avondale meeting last week were £60,671 10/, which represents an increase of £11,825 10/ on last year.

The Acting-Premier has received advice that the first portion iof the Twenty-third Reinforcements reached a certain port on due date. All well.

"I feel after doing Milford Track that the Yosemite Falls and the Yosemite Valley must take second place," writes Mr. George B. Thayer, of Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A., in the Tourist Department's visitors' book.

Bradford, which derives ~a revenue of £60,000 a year from what was formerly the unutilised refuse of the city sewers, now makes £2 a week out of old tramway tickets, which are collected in boxes placed on the cars.

Mr. A. J. Story, managing director of the Farmers' Co-operative Auctioneering Co v died at Hamilton on Saturday night. He was born at Tamaki in 1867, and went to the Waikato with his parents a few years later. The deceased gentleman was a w r ell-known figure in the Waikato, and was one of the founders of the company of which he was managing director, and which

is one of the largest of its kind in New Zealand.

A Taranaki bey at the Somme, writing to his relatives in New Zealand recently, volunteered the significant statement that the outside world had little idea of the magnitude of the big offensive that was then being prepared by the Allies (says the News). So convinced was he of the success of the Big Push once it was started that he declared he had no doubt whatever of his being back in Taranaki before Christmas.

Sir James Allen states that the principal causes of men being turned down in the military camps fn New Zealand during TalS were: 25 cases of tubercle, 43 of epilepsy, 27 of unsound mind, 73 of ear disease, 17 of asthma, 42 of appendicitis, 25 of heart disease, 43 of stricture, 15 of rheumatic fever, 33 of alcoholism, 32 of neuritis, 24 of neurasthenia, 45 of gastric disease, 61 of hernia, 7 of flat foot, and other deformity, and 112 cases of old injury.

"There are cases where retired farmers should come forward and do something for their country," said Captain Walker, at th e Military Appeal Board, sitting in Palmerston, when it was suggested that a retired farmer should take over the management of a relative's farm and allow the latter to go to the front. Captain Walker remarked that in the case under consideration, the retired farmer was practically a young man, and he should do something for the country that had treated him so well.

| In Westport on Saturday sugar was 1 almost an unobtainable commodity /(says the News). The majority of I the grocers were doling it out in smalj

quantities, and some were even compelled to inform customers that they could not supply that much. One gro-

cer telegraphed to a Greymouth firm ■ an order, but received the reply, "Not • a bag in Greymouth." Not only is tne I Coast kept in short supply, but the price is steadily mounting up—from something like £ls a ton at the outbreak of war to £2O or more at the present time. ] i Th e Earl of Derby, most strenuous of recruiting sergeants, and now Britain's Minister of War, was asked the other day what effect he thought the war would have upon party politics in : the future. H e replied: "When this ' war is ended, this country is not going back to the old political parties 1 fighting against each other. There must be one central party —a party with a business mind, with a fixed de- ; termination that out of the shattered industries there shall arise greater in- . dustries which shall make England

greater even than in the past. The Empire has been brought together by the war, and must be kept together in peace, and no effort must be left untried to wipe out the smaller differences." In the course of giving evidence at the Auckland Police Court yesterday morning, Dr. Maguire, Medical Superintendent at the Auckland District Hospital, declared that one of the important problems this country would hav e after the war, was the question of dealing with the thousands of returned soldiers in wnom shell-shock had developed neurasthenia. The general result, he said, was that the patients became subject to irritability and to periodic impulses which they could net control, and in order that they should have a fair chance to recover normal control of their nerves it was essential that they should have special treatment. With so many shell-shock cases returning to the country, the doctor said, Tie was sure that there would be trouble if special provision were not made for the proper and sufficient treatment of these men.

Mr. J. 11. Gunson has been elected Mayor or Auckland unopposed.

The staff of the New Plymouth Post Office now includes four lady telegraph operators. Feilding possesses two.

At the last meeting of the Taihapc School Committe, secretary Burrell presented a balance sheet showing a credit of £4B, with no liabilities. A black and win;,? slut, with white tip on tail of brindle tail, una been found by Mr P. O'Keefe, or Omatane. The owner can regain po'fscssior. by applying to Mr OTvoere. Tlie owner of a high-grade 5-seater (hevrolet car is leaving this district. and having no use for the car will sell at a bargain price. It is equal to new, only used a few months, and is in perfect order. All returned soldiers arc notified that they are cordially invited to attend the annual general meeting of the "Wanganui Kcturned Soldiers' Asoeiation, to be held in the Returned Club, on Wednesday evening, Ap-:1 3Sth. A discussion is to take place on a proposal to found a sub-bri-nch of the Association at Taihape.

The following is the result of the Weight Guessing Competition for the sheep given by Mr Harold Smith, Taoroa, to the Plunket Society:—-Actual weight 94 lbs. Winners: Mrs i'anmu 934 -lbs, Miss B. Smith 93i lbs, Mr J. Bartosh 934 lbs. The next nearest guesses were:—Mrs Bason 95 lbs, H. Burr, care Dalgcty, 92} lbs, Sergt W. J. White 964 lbs, Di* Diarmid 91A lbs, Mrs Deacon 91 lbs.

The inquest on the body of the man J. V. McDonald, found on a river bed at Winiata opened yesterday afternoon. Evidence as to tlie finding of the body was taken, and the proceedings were then adjourned to enable an exhaustive investigation being made. The deceased at the time of his death was working at the Taihape Freezing Works, and had not be working for Mr Kuhtze for upwards of six months, when he was working en Mr Kuhtze's farm, and not at the brewery in Taihape.