LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 7 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The proficiency examinations are being held to-day at the local DistrictHigh School, the scholars in the other classes taking a holiday.

The jrianet Venus is now a very conspicuous feature in the western sky, a particularly fine view being obtained in Taihape last "night. It is visible abo/e :le horizoQ for three hour? after sunset

M. Lundstrum, a Gothenburg (Sweden) merchant and speculator in wool, committed suicide the other day on finding himself on the verge of ruin. It is said that the losses amount to £1,550,000. 'A great number of people of small means were involved in the ruin.

In emphasising thci necessity for fresh air. Dr. Truby King speaking at Auckland recently said that the most essential part of food is fresh air. Half a person's weight is made up of air. Without air they could only live three minutes, without water three days, and without food three weeks or longer.

A staunch, supporter of Rugby football while a resident of Dunedin, and a keen follower of the fortunes of the Otago University Club, writes from London by the last mail: "Soccer is the game here, and so it ought to be, the way they play it, It is entirely a different game from what they play in the Dominion. Here it is science, there beef and brawn."

Miss Muriel Starr, the Amercian actress, who has just arrived in Sydney, describes the Americans as being "tickled to death," at the idea of being in the war with the Allies. The stories of America's economy are quite true, too. Two days a week are beefless days, two days a week arc lacking in white broad, and sugar is dealt out in Tumps instead of 'bowls, atj the, various hotels

The Ecv Phillip James Kelly, vicar of Collingham, Yorkshire, is now Gunner Jim Kelly, of the Koyal Garrison Artillery Mr Kelly cycled to Bradford, proceeded by train to Chester, presented himself at the recruiting of fice, and so into camp The living of Collingham, he gave up is worth £SOO a year, and the rectory; the emoluments of a gunner amount to Is 2d per day

A lady advertiser is desirous of obtaining a position as housekeeper in the Taihape district, thoroughly capable of taking charge of a gentleman's home.

Ushers, ticket collectors, and other assistants are wanted for the newlyerected King's Theatre, which will be opened by Mr A. C. Nicholls in the course of about a week from the present time. 1

One of the oldest Sisters of Mercy in New Zealand, Mother Mary Ignatius, died in Auckland on Wednesday. The deceased lady was a native of Ireland, and was 79 years of age. She made her final profession as far back as 1863.

Three Wairarapa hotelkeep'ers have been called on the second ballot for the Second Division; several of the reservists drawn have been dead for a considerable time, and several have ono child or more, having been wrongly classed.

A seasonable advertisement with reference to toys for the Christmas season appears on page 2 to-day from the D.1.C., Wellington. ' Every toy listed is well made and is guaranteed to give ample satisfaction. Special toy parcels, ranging in value from 5s to £SO are put up and are sent postage or freight paid. For further particulars we refer our readers to the advertisement. ■

Reuter's correspondent at Petrograd says:—Kerensky's failure was due to his indecision and reliance chiefly on words. He was constitutionally unable to face facts, and preferred to pander to the weaknesses of the mob, whose blatancy he realised only at the eleventh hour, when he apparently hoped to restore order out of chaos with a handful of Cossacks and Dragoons, with a few guns.

One obvious effect of the depreciation of- the rouble in Eussia "has been that all real estate and material belongings have increased in money value (says Stephen Graham in his book "Eussia in 1916.") The people who have made money by the war are busy buying land and houses. The public are still exhorted to pay for their railway tickets in gold, but are less inclined to "do so than ever. There is reason to believe there are a number of millions of gold coins being hoarded in the country. In the southern districts of the empire German agents have appeared, offering 15 roubles paper for 10 roubles gold. In this way is said to have collected a considerable amount of Russian gold.

'United Empire" for 3*ptimber, referring to recent issues of Australian loans in London, remarks:—"lt is quite clear t-hat any large number of successful Dominion issues would be impossible at this period in London, and the step taken by the New Zealand Government in issuing an internal loan is highly to be commended. Internal colonial loans have, of course, hjen issued and subscribed before, but the tendency will probably be for these to increase in the next few years, as the population and prospects of the Dominions grow. Nothing will do more to keep their credit in the money market -high than the knowledge that they are partly able to finance themselves in the construction of their public works and the development of their resources."

More coal (says' the Auckland Star) is being produced in New Zealand at present than ten mines can find sale for, and if large consumers would take advantage of the summer months belaying i na stock instead of, in many cases, waiting until the winter, when the normal demand exceeds the output capacity. there would really be no fear of a coal shortage in New Zealand at all. Some of the freezing companies and other industrial concerns have, in fact, had large concrete coal storage tanks erected. These are filled with coal and then flooded with water, which keeps the coal in perfect condition against when it is required One of the reasons of the coal panic when occurred early this year was that many big consumers were caught napping with short reserve stocks.

Among seven hundred wounded soldiers who returned to Australia very recently was Private J. Lewis, a New Zealander, who enlisted in Sydney, after being nearly two years away, and has been sent home suffering from trench feet. He was wounded in the throat and legs at Louvebai just after the German retreat from the Somme. At Louvebai, he says, they had their first "stunt" in open country. About 4.30 a.m. a little dog —a kelpie— got away from the Fritzes and joined thern He started barking furiously, and immediately the Germans turned the machine-guns on them, and wiped out half their battalion. The Germans, he says, train dogs to act as spies, and when they bark they know they have come across a party.