LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A report circulated from Napier that 10,000 Class C men are to he selected in the next ballot is inaccurate. The umber is 5000, half the usual total.

The possibility of legislation being introduced to check the indiscriminate attendance of children at picture shows has been indicated by the Minister for EcHueation, the Hon. J. A. Hanan.

The German Press denies that Hollweg is stricken vjith apoplexy. The papers guardedly admit thaf he is suffering fr«m nicotine poisoning, "Vorwarts ” declares that his illness is the result of rashly smoking the "famous Army Hay Mixture.”

Non-commissioned officers and men are warned in Trentham Camp orders that whilst on pass or on leave from camp they will be returned to camp at once and have their pass or leave canceUed, for the following offences: ai mg to salute officers, wearing great-coats, being dirty and slovenly.

During the past year the number of sheep in New Zealand has increase!: by 1,084,208. The sheep of the Dominion now total 26,354,594. The Post Office Department announces there will be heavy delay in the telegraph service with Christchurch and Dunedin owing to line interruptions.

The Militay Affairs Committee hatT; received from the Eltham County Patriotic Society a donation of £SOO for the erection of a Church Army Hut. The Hut will be known as the Eltham County Hut. The War Relief Association at Pahiatua, in soliciting more funds for wounded soldiers, resolved that the matter be brought to the notice of absentee landlords, especially the owners of the Balfour Estate, a big property near the town, owned by the Hon. A. J. Balfour.

“We have sent away on active service a total of 95,000 men to date,” said the Acting-Prime Minister at Helensville last night. “Of these, over 22,000 have returned to the Dominion. I am hopeful,” he added, ‘That very shortly we shall be able to reduce our reinforcement quota to what it was a few months ago.” The Medical Board which is at present ■ sitting in Palmerston last week examined 293 Second Division reservists. Of these, only 90 were classed A fit, while 197 were classed, C2, two 81, three Cll, and one D. Of 18 First Division men examined, nine were passed fit for service, eight were classed 02 and one Cl. The unusual occurrence of ice on the sea in Dunedin Harbour on Saturday morning was commented upon by freI quenters of the waterfront. It is some i years since such an event was noticed. Shortly before sunrise it was seen that the water in the vicinity of the wharves was covered with a thin coating of ice, which, however, soon disappeared under the sun’s rays.

A Wairarapa paper says: The operations of the Military Service Act have brought to light some unexpected information, and celebrities have been located where least expected. The -latest celebrity to come to light is Tod Sloan, the famous jockey, who. has produced documentary proof of his identity to the outhorities in Wellington. Tod Sloan is still of military age ■and has been classed as fit for service.

Two German residents of a district not unremotely connected with Palmerston (says the Standard) astonished local Chamber of Commerce by applying to be admitted as members The astonishment of the members was only excelled by that of the Germans themselves, when they heard that their applications had been promptly turned dowm —rejected with contumely and even indignation at the colossal impudence displayed by the applicants

According to the "Dunedin Star," no arangements have as yet bden made to place another steamer in the Syd-ney-Auckland-East Cdast-Dunedin passenger service to replace the HuddartParker steamer Wimmera. The other passenger steamer of the HuddartParker Line trading to New Zealand are the Riverina and Westralia The former is engaged in the Sydney-Well-ington service, and the latter in the Melbourne-Wellington-Lyttelton Dune-din-Bluff service.

The drowning of the racehorses Demotic, Informal, Hymeona, Lady Jack, and Deep Sleep, by the sinking of the steamer Wimmera did not, as was supposed, result in a total loss to the respective owners of the animals. Information received in Auckland from Sydney yesterday, states that Mr. V. Casey, w’ho is at present on a visit to Australia, effected an insurance of £IOOO on Demotic and Informal, and that Mr. H. Cotter had Hymeona, Lady Jack, and Deep Sleep covered to the extent of £I3OO,

Writing to his father, Mr H. R. Tolley, of Wellington, Signaller H. J. Tolley, tells of some exciting times at sea He describes one or two thrilling encounters with U-boats, one of which torpedoed a convoy ship, whose watertight compartments saved her until she was beached. The vessels convoying the transport on which Signaller Tolley was had their revenge and at least one enemy submarine he says was sunk by direct fire or by the use of (lepth bombs. "Quite exciting times, I tell you,” he writes, "but much too close to be pleasant”

Pensions being paid by the Canadian Government are substantially higher than those awarded in other countries, according evidence submitted to the special committee of the House on pensions by Kenneth Archibald, legal adviser to the Board of Pension Commissioners. According to his figures (says a Vancouver paper) the rates for total disability in the Allied countries arc as follows: Canada 600 dollars. Great Britain 350 dollars, Australia 37S dollars, New Zealand 505 dollars, France 240 dollars, United States 300 dollars, Italy 243 dollars.