LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 March 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The cost of living in Sydney during the past five years has increased over 50 per cent. The London Daily Telegraph has i increased its price to 2d for the duration of the W ar. A very severe frost last night played havoc with gardens in and around Taihape. French beans, tomatoes, and pumpkins were completely cut vdown in many localities. ' Mr. John O'Connor, of Mastcrton, was carrying his little son on the bar of his bicyle, and when the machine was travelling at a fairly fast speed the boy's foot become entangled in ■the spokes of the front wheel, and ,tho foot was badly mangled. Captain Richard Savage, whose people resido at Pctono, is one of the few New Zealanders, who iTave risen so high from the ranks. As a boy lie was employed at the Evening Post, JJe left for Egypt with the Main Body as a private, received his first stripe after the affray at Suez Canal, went 'to Gallipoli, was wounded, recovering was further promoted, senlfc to 81in£ Camp, as a musketry instructor, and finally went to Prance with his'commission.

A returned soldier wants a position as carter.

"Money spent may serve a more deserving person; food and man-power wasted is utterly lost to the world."

It, is publicly notified that no electric current will be available for any purpose whatever between the hours of 5 a.m. and 6 p..m. on Sunday, March 17th. It is understood that a clean up of dynamos is the cause;

A demonstration of summer pruning is to be given by Mr. B. G. Goodwin, Government orchard instructor/ -Rt Mr. A. Bennett's orchard, Ruru St.. Taihape, at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday, 14th March (to-morrow). Everybody is invited.

In discussing the terms of the new loan, Sir Joseph Ward intimated that the compulsory clauses would be put into operation if necessary. He hoped it would not be necessary to Ha so, but there were financial shirkers as well as military shirkers, and everyone was expected to do his duty.

Messrs A. J. White and Sons have just opened for display a very comprehensive selection of millinery, coats and dresses, and invite all interested in good goods at reasonable prices to call and inspect them. A notification giving further particulars apepars in another column.

A letter which was read at the Methodist Conference from Chaplain J. A. Luxford stated that as soon as an armistice was arrived at 'the sick and wounded would immediately be hurried home. He wondered if New Zealand understood that in a few weeks after such an armistice, 10,000 sick and and wounded would be landed in New Zealand.

The matter of payment of the amusement tax by art societies was considered by the council of the Auckland Society of Arts in its last monthly meeting. The Commissioner of Stamps wrote stating that he would probably take steps to modify part of the Act as regards art societies. It was decided to adopt measures to have the question dealt with Tn Parliament.

The meeting of Parliament stood prorogued to March 14th next, but by a Gazette Extraordinary issued yesterday, His Excellency the Governor, notifies that Parliament has been further prorogued till Tuesday, April 9th, on which date the Legislative Councillors and the members of the House of Representatives are summoned to meet at 230 p.m. for the despatch of public business.

The Eev. W Walker, a Chaplian to the Forces, speaking at the Methodist Conference, said that 95 per cent, of what made up a human life appeared on the surface and 5 per cent was hidden. In New Zealand a man was judged by <the evil which appeared on the surface; in France a man was judged by the good he manifested, the evil being discounted. The greatest discovery at the front was the good in ordinary human life where it was little suspected.

In Washington, a huge stock of gola is housed, in the vaults of the United States Treasury. A corridor in the basement has been shut off by steel gates, and the gold is stacked up like bricks awaiting the mason's hand. In 'that pile is 1200 tons of pure gold, much of it representing British coins sent to Washington in payment of war supplies and melted down in the assay office next door, Each brick is worth about £I6OO, and the total value is more 'than £150,000,000. "An instance of native gallantry was given in the Magistrate's Court at Masterton during the hearing of a civil case," reports the "Wairarapa Daily Times." "You seem," said the magistrate (Mr. Kerr), addressing a young native witness, "to take a deep interest in this young lady's case as well as your own. Are you engaged to her?" For a moment the native lad looked at his Worship, and then, with a broad smile, he rose to the occasion thus: "I am sorry to say, sir, that it is my gr«at misfortune that I am not."

This is said to be a true snake st«ry, told by an Anglo-Indian; In the bungalow a little boy d*ily has his bowl of bread and milk on the verandah, sitting in a child's high chair. Pic was as merry as a cricket. One heard him talking and crowing to him--self, apparently, unttil one morning, to my horror, I saw him tapping, the head of a cobra gently with his spoon, saying "Bobbery, bobbery" (naughty, naughty). The snake was quietly drinking tho milk out of the bowl, paying no heed >to the child's play. A sudden noise or movement on my part, and the cobra would instantly have turned and bitten tho boy. Presently down slipped the reptile away into some bushes, and I got 'the men to go and kill it. The child cried bitter! - nr>.-1 --,pj (- ac Sna ]- Cj ] VcU ] cornc ovcr . T «^ r i-, n . aTl( j helped him with F breakfast

Those present in the Arbitration Court, Wellington, received rfcther a

surprise when an attractive young woman, in reply to a question put to her in the witness-box, said hef occupation was that of a hotel porter. "A porter!" echoed his Honour. The witness smiled alluringly, and repeated her statement. She said she received 35s a week, and worked daily" from 6.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m., and from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

When the question of the employment of female labour in grocers' shops was • before the Arbitration Court at Wellington on Wednesday, Mr. W. A. Grenfell made a statement which seemed to startle the Court. An employer at Palmerston North," he said, 'has stated that one woman is better than three men." This was met with ejaculations as follow from the three memers cf the Court: —Mr. Justice Stringer: "It is not- likely we are going to swallow that." Mr. W. Scott: "I don't think that. I (Ion": think that." Mr. J. A. McCullough: "Never! It's nonsense to talk 3i' that!" All combined in expressing the opinion that the statement was worth nothing to the Court and Mr. Grenfell quickly assured the Court that the statement was not his own.