LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 3 August 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Bonar 'Law informed tlie House of Commons on Wednesday, that the Navy is sinking U-boats faster than even. In the Dunedin Police Court yesterday Isaac Henry Curtis was fined £4O and for keeping a common gaming-house. Defendant pleaded guilty.

Mr G. W, Leadloy, of Ashburton, told the Farmers’ Union Conference in Wellington that the recent severe 1 visitation of snow in the South Island will probably result in the loss of a million sheep, 0 f £2,000,000 value.

t AII members of the Taihapc Brass Band, as well as others able to play an instrument, are requested to attend at the Bandroom at 10 o ’clock, in order to head the Church parade in commemoration ot the declaration of war.

Of 215 men examined by the Modi

cal Board at New Plymouth last week. 93 were passed as fit, or .about 43

per cent.

The shortage of coal in Wellington has been relieved by the arrival of several shipments Iflrom the.- i Wedt Coast.

The German illustrated papers reproduce from English sources a photograph of King George’s meat card, and call it "Another of our U-boat Successes.”

It was four years ago last Sunday that Austria declared war on Servia, which action proved the brand that started the present world-wide conflagration. Archduke Ferdinand and his ■wife asassinated just one month previous, 28thn June.

The Taihape Tradesmen’s Association, requests all the business people in Taihape to close their places of business from 12.30 to 1.30 p.m. on Monday in order to allow employers and employees to attend the ceremony of declaring the country’s inflexible determination to carry the war to a successful conclusion.

Gisborne has not escaped a severe handling during the stormy weather of the last week. The seas were so heavy that a high w'ater they cut into sections in Victoria Township, on the seafront. Fences and fowlhouscs were carried out to sea, and there are steep banks now where the sand was formerly level with these sections. Residents in the vicinity were greatly alarmed at the rapid encroachment of the sea, and spent an anxious period during the height of the tide. .

The Old Girls’ Hockey Club intend holding another of their pleasant rejunions in the form of a social and dance, at the Three Stars, on Thursday August 22nd. A committee of the Club has been se up to make all the necessary arrangements, and it goes without saying that the evening will be quite' as successful and enjoyable as its predecessor. Gentlemen will be asked to contribute 2/6 each, and the ladies one shilling and a basket.

It is intended to hold a New Zealand Hockey Tournament in Wellington the first week in September, and the Taihape Old Girls Hockey Club having been invited to send a team, it is probable that one will go to the Capital City. To assist in making arrangements to this end, a meeting of gentlemen will be held in the Fire Brigade Hallon Monday night, at 7.80, to form a committee.

■ln view of to-morrow being the fourth anniversary of England’s Geclaration of war, the service in the local Methodist Church to-morrow evening will be of a special patriotic and intercessory character. The Rev W. H. Hocking wil be the preacher ana his subject “The Eternal God, our Deliverer.” Appropriate singing and ih> tercessions. All should present themselves at the House of God on this special day.

The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, Minister in Charge of the Board of Trade, states that the new system of selling petrol under .permlit , i(S worldftx'g smoothly. There was a little difficulty tuit.il users became used to the regulations, but now they understand them things are working well. Private users arc getting reasonable supplies, and as far as can be gauged there is an adequate amount of motor spirit available for all purposes.

A Southland journal reports that two residents recently read that, instead of scalding pigs after killing, the hair was more easily removed by sprinkling petrol over it and putting a match to it. They decided to try the experiment. They hoisted the porker to a beam, applied the petrol, then the lueifer. In an instant the hair Avas off as clean as the sharpest razor removes the down off a youth’s face, and no fumes remained.

Ah the Christchurch Assessment Court states the Lyttelton Times) a witness who had lodged an objection to his valuation as endeavouring to convince the assessors that the valuation of his property was too high, and that he had given too much for it.

“I was a bit of a fool over that property,” ho remarked. A Valuation Department officer, who had interrogated him, interjected: “I was never in a place where there wore so many selfconfessed fools as in an Assessment Court. ”

A railway employee, Mr J. P. Kelly in a railway accident at Waipukurau on Thursday. Mr. Kelly, who had been in Waipukurau for about ten days on a Railway Departmental inquiry, joined the Napier evening train at Takapau.. On reaching Waipukarau, the train was shunted on to a side line to allow another train to pass. The unfortunate man is believed to have missed his foothold, and to have fallen beneath the train, although the guard felt his van bump over the body, which was terribly mangled. Mr Kelly was attached to the .Railway Department at Wellington, and had 43 years of service. He. was married, his wife residing at Wellington.

A farmer named Francis Walker, of |

Te Awamutu, was sentenced at Hamilton Magistrate’s Court ou Thursday last to thrSe mouths’ imprisonment for uttering disloyal words. The sentence in question was: "To hell with the British flag, King George, Massey and Allen!”

For exhibiting a film derogatory to the British troops |of jt'hc( revolutionary period. Robert Goldstein was the other day sentenced in California to ten years in a penitentiary and fined £IOOO. For trading with the enemy from the beginning of the war. Sir Joseph Jonas, an Anglo-Ger-man, who has become a millionaire in England and is an cx-Mayor of Sheffield, was fined the modest sum of £2000!