LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, 12 February 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Any letters for the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces overseas posteu at the local post office this evening will catch the next mail, which leaves the Dominion within a day or two.

Arrangements are well in hand for the coming ipvimxning carnival, to be held in the Municipal Baths on February 21st. The events are many and varied, and, judging by the good prizes offered, competition should be keen.

While imports for 1917 from the United Kingdom to the Dominion have decreased 10 per cent as compared with 1914, the imports from America have increased 20 per cent., and from Japan the imports have gone up from £232,364 in 1914 to £693,807 in 1917.

Two bakers were fined £5 apiece in the Auckland Police Court yester. day for selling short-weight bread. One defendant stated that the loaves in question were overlooked, to which the magistrate replied that was no consolation to the man who bought short-weight breAd.

In sentencing a man with several previous convictions to four years’ penal servtitude for stealing luggage from a railway station. Judge Kcntoul, at the Central Criminal Court, London, said that he had probably cost the country £IOOO for expenses for his trials.

It will be readily admitted by everyone that a watch which fails to keep correct time is a delusion and a snare. When this stage is reached it is time the watch was taken in hand by a competent watchmaker, and it is just in this department that Mr. T. Sherlaw, watchmaker of Aaihapc, excels. A few words of timely advice from this expert tradesman appears in an advertisement over leader to-day.

Mr. J. J. Eissey, in his new book, ‘ ‘ The Koad to the Inn,’ ’ tells the following story: A parson was quietly seated in his study when one of his 1 male parishioners was shown iu to him ccraving a baby, “Parson,’’ he says, “as the law tells me I must, give you one-tenth of all I produce, here’s my tenth child, ’ ’ and without another word the men placed the baby on the astonished man’s knee and doparted. To-morrow, from 10 a.m. fill 6 p.m., the Taihape Women’s Working Club’s rooms will be utilised for the sale of goods, the proceeds of which will go towards the Soldiers’ Comforts Fund. The goods for disposal consist of fruit, flowers, cakes, vegetables, butter, eggs, and general produce. This is a splendid chance for everyone to help on a deserving object and at tae same time get their money’s worth in goods. The Hon. A. M, Myers, Minister osCustoms, in a statement oh Dominion trade delivered yesterday, stated: Numerous inquiries have been made into allegedly illegal importations o enemy goods, buf in no case has any such imputation "been proved. The production of original invoices and stock books has shown that the goods had either been imported before the war or from stock held in other Brit, ish Dominions up to the time such importations were legal, namely, September 26, 1916. Since tfiaf date no goods of enemy origin can be imported except with special permission, whether out of stocks held in British possessions or otherwise.

A taxi car is now off hire at Messrs Edlin and Etevenaux’s Taihape gar. age. The chaffeur is Mr. Dunham, and the car he is driving is a new, high-class Studebaker. It is a car specially built for taxi work; it sears seven people, or it can" immediately be converted into an ambulance car, in which a patient may lay at full length. The only doubts about the success of Messrs. Edlin and Etevenaux’s venture are, whether the car is too good for the purpose, and whether the maximum fare for taking a fare to the hilly side of the toWu will prove remunerative after wear on tires and expenditure of petrol is considered. The car certainly deserves all the patronage Taihape can accord it.

A man accused at the Wellington Supreme Court with having looked through ladies’ bedroom windows bv night waxed indignant at the suggestion. “Why,” he exclaimed, “I write poetry, drama and operas, and never think of women; they never enter my head,” In reply to another query, he said: “I am 54 years of age; I have never followed a woman in my life; I never think about them at all.” “How did you come to be called ‘Peeping Tom/ ” asked counsel. “I don't know,” he replied; “pure rumours, that’s all. The children all call it out to me and the dogs were barking it all over Wadestown. Even when I go down to the tram terminus ‘the tram men ‘chaik ’ me and say, ‘he got a crack last night. ’ When I get into a tram they all nudge one another and whisper, ‘there he is; that’s him,’ especially if there are any wonmn about. ”