LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 8 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

About 700 aliens have registered in the Wellington police district under the law passed last session, which made it compulsory for all unnaturalised ailens to register by December 1. 1917

Private cable advices received in Sydney indicate that no steamers are scheduled on any line from New York to Australia.. The freight position on the Pacific coast is similarly acute.

The distillation of industrial alcohol for fuel from the plant lamia palia has been discovered. It costs 1/3 a gallon to produce, and the experiments indicate extensive commercial possibilities

Railway arrangements for the holiday season appear in this issue. It will be noted that relief express trains will run in the main Trunk line from December 17 to January 7. Goods and live stock .traffic will be suspended at all stations on December 25th and 26th, to January 2nd.

A letter received by a Gisborne firm from England on Tuesday stated that freight to Gisborne by the next steamer leaving for New Zealand was being quoted at 225 s plus 10 per cent, as compared with from 60s to 75s before the war.

Because he was ‘'lazy at work and otherwise refractory,” a Russian pris oner of war was shot dead by a sentry in the German prison camp at Sch■wandhelm. The sentry was not even arrested but w r as praised by his immediate superiors and was honourablymentioned in an order of the day.

The Bank of New Zealand is about to issue ten-shilling notes of a new design. The new note is printed in light pink and dark blue. It has the bank ’e name in old English lettering in a straight line across its upper half, and the vignettes of New Zealand scenery, with Maoris and kiwis in the foreground, on either side which are features common to all the lower denominations of notes issued by the Bank of New Zealand..

Says the Eltham Argus: We have printed our last ream of newspaper and we now continue to publish only by reason of the fraternal action of our contemporaries, the Hawera Star, the Taranaki Herald, and the Stratford Post, who are each helping us as far as they can. ' Unfortunately, they are all in doubtful street themselves, so far as future supplies are concerned and may not be able to continue their assistance for long. We greatly appreciate the help they are giving us.

•A kindly action .performed by a Christchurch young lady met with a “reward,” that was scarcely in keeping with the services rendered. An elderly lady was seized with a fit in the street, and a young lady close at hand at the time assisted her into some business premises in the vicinity While attending to the unconscious stranger, the young lady placed her leather handbag on the doorstep. When she went to pick it up a few minutes later, the bag had disappeared—apparently it had been “lifted” by one of the crowd that had congregated at the door. The bag contained £lO in notes and about £2 in silver, which is a substantial loss to suffer in return for an act of kindness.

In hearing a claim for exemption on behalf of one of his servants at Boss (Herefordshire), the Rev. Theodore Emmott, vicar of Walford-on-Wye, admitted that he kept four menservants, and three maidservants at the vicarage, where h e lives alone. The application for exemption was refused, and the Bench said to the vicar; “It is scandalous that a minister of the Gospel should attempt to justify his conduct in keeping all these servants in these times. Our country is at war, but I am afraid this reverend gentleman does not recognise it, but merely recognisees the necessity of keeping himslf in luxury and ease- I will say no more. ’