LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, 27 May 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The last Feilding A. and P. Show resulted in a profit of £3O0 —a record for the Association,

The honour bestowed on members of the Australian Forces total 9739, including 32®Victoria Crosses.

It was' related by the president at the Free Church Council that a grateful Irishwoman, after receiving her old age pension, exclaimed: ‘‘God bless the Georges, ’ King George, Lloyd George, and all the other Georges.”

The adjourned annual meeting of the Taihape Branch of the Eed Cross Society will be held in the Supper-room of the Town Halil on Wednesday evening next; when it is hoped there will be a sufficient number of members present to enable the business to be transacted

During the recent flood in Masterton the saff of the Wairarapa Age had a very trying time getting out the paper on the Saturday morning. The building was surrounded by water, and the linotype operators had to occupy elevated seats as the water covered the floor to the depth of several inches.

An invitation to visit their Home Furnishing Week Show is given by Collinson and Cunninghame of Palmerston. An interior display of over 8000 square feet has been made together with ten windows. Some Little idea of the comprehensiveness of this colossal display may be gathered from the advertisement appearing on page 8.

The agitation which for some time has been going on at Eaetihi for a hospital and a medical practitioner came to a head on Friday night, when a meeting was held, at which it was unanimously decided that money should be raised in-order to induce the Wanganui Hospital Board to give effect to their request for a hospital. Over £3OO was promised in the room, and vassers were appointed to raise further sums. A Committee was elected, and the prospects of having a hospital in the near future seem very good. The children’s day at the Women’s Working Club on Saturday was a most unqualified success, when the receipts amounted to £32 7s 6d. This is indeed a splendid sum, especially taking into consideration the very unfavourable weather they had to contend with. Thanks are due to the children for helping, and' to their parents for providing so many of the good things for sale. To the teachers, under the able direction of Miss Ma Donell, a special word of praise Is due for their strenuous endeavours under rather depressing circumstances. The result of the combined efforts was something to be proud of. The cake weight-gues'slng competition was won by Mrs. Chas. Gibbs.

In Mcmoriam notices of those who fell at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, in a recent issue of the Melbourne Age, took up no less than 11J columns.

Tom Sullivan, the New Zealand sculler, who was recently released from Ruhleben, in a speech at Belfast, said that owing to the proximity of the camp of Spandau fortress, which our airmen periodically attacked Allied prisoners in Euthlebcn might be blown to pieces.

“1 have terrible tasks on my shoulders. I have a task which is almost more than man can bear. I ask you, whatever you may feel, whatever you may think —I, the chief Councillor of the Crown and the nation —in the hour of the nation’s greatest perplexity, ask for your help, for your sympathy, aye, with reverence, I say, for your prayers.” —Mr. Lloyd George.

Eddie McGoorty, the well-known boxer, who became so popular in Australia, has been pronounced fit for the trenches by a Chicago examining board, and the Oshkosh battler is ready to respond at any time. Eddie registered in San Francisco immediately upon his return from Australia. The doctors pronounced him a perfect physical specimen.

A young officer of an important branch of his Majesty’s fighting forces who has recently come home to Feilding on short leave, was on Friday accosted in the street by* a lady. “Excuse me,” she said, “but where is your taxi? It is too wet to walk home.” “Madam,” he repUed, “I am sorry I can’t oblige you. I have no taxi, I am a member of his Majesty’s Flying Corps.”

A visitor from Gisborne noticed a Chinaman at Otaki planting cauliflowers, and reckoned that the Celestial had about 8000 plants in. He asked the Chinaman how many plants he was putting in, and the reply was 15,000. As there are fully 50 of these gardeners about Otaki, the plantations give some Idea of the quantity of cauliflowers the Wellington peoplle consume. The provincial conference of the Canterbury Farmers’ Union on Friday passed the following resolution: — “That this conference dissents entirely from the finding of the conference concerning frozen meat held recently in Wellington, to the effect that the Government should retain control of the meat export business, being strongly of the opinion that whennormal conditions return this branch of our business should revert to pre-war methods.” i

An accident occurred on Friday morning as the up Wanganui train was passing through a; small/ station near Feilding, by which the fireman, J. Rowlands, met wtih a painful' accident. He -was attempting to pass » letter to the guard ff a down tram when he got caught on the tablet holder. He received first aid and was taken to Palmerston, where he wSs conveyed to the hospital. He is reported to be progressing satisfactorily.

“We are being rationed -wisely,” whites a resident of Norfolk, England, "but there is nothing like famine or severe want. In fact, lam not sure if these restrictions, taken on the whole, are not beneficial. Food is dear. Butter is 2/6 per lb, eggs 4£d each, beef and bacon 1/10 to 2/ per lb, but bread is plentiful, and vegetables pretty cheap. I can get good apples here at 3d and 4d per lb, and potatoes are 1/2 per stone. I have any amount, and so have all the people about here. So the submarines won’t starve us.”

In answer to a query from Mr C. J. Parr, MR, the Defence Minister states: I have to inform you that the Defence Department docs not intend to re-examine men of the Second Division who have been classed C2 by a medical Board. Therefore, the classification C2 may be taken as final, and no further examination -will be made to ascertain their fitness for the Cl camp, as is done in the case of the First Division reservists, but this policy may bo modified, if dire necessity renders a re-examination of all C2 men imperative, though I trust that such a course will not be necessary.”