LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, 19 August 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Old Girl -s Hockey Club’s social and dance mil be held at the Three Stars Theatre to-night.

The latest fiendish trick of the Huns is said to conceal bombs on the bodies of dead soldiers, so that when burying parties go to lift them up, the missiles explode and blows them to atoms.

There will be a meeting of the Taihape Tradesmen’s Association at Mr. Loader’s shop at 8 o ’clock, to-night. A 'full attendance is requested, as the business is important. ..

"John Bull Register” asks:—Are the champagne corks popping at Motuihi Island? If so, how many pints were consumed when the news of the loss of the Wimmera reached von Luckner and Co.?

In view of the activity of the P.P.A. in New Zealand, the following has a certain significance: "Ate you a Christian?” a coloured sailor “was asked on being sworn at West Ham Police Court. "No, sab,” he replied "we quiet men.”

When a soldier with only one hand was charged at the Thames Police Court recently with being an absentee, it was stated that he had .been 20 months in hospital, and that 40 pieces of female flesh had been grafted on one of his legs.

Postcards recently received from New Zealand prisoners of war in Germany indicate that their place of internment is Limburg. There are at least three Limburgs in Germany—one south of Ludwigshafen, another southeast of Stuttgart, and the third and more important Limburg-on-Lahn, about 30 miles cast of Coblenz. It is this last-mentioned place at which our recently-captured boys are —a pleasant wooded region to which in peace times students resorted for their vacation.

A corrsepondcnt to a London Journal who returned returned to England in April from visit to Petrograd, con-, tributes the following to his paper:—■ Nominally Petrograd is supposed to b.e a temperance town, but -.drink, like everything else, can be .obtained on the sly. The favourite drinks at the TOamdnt are 'methylated spirits and furniture polish, particularly the latter. A piece of lemon is put into the furniture polish and this brings all the spirit on top »

The newly incorporated Ohakune Cooperative Dairy Company has purchased Mr Trevor’s cheese factory at Ohakune. The new company, which is going in for whey separation, have decided to add a large room to the present factory and instal additional machinery. An additional vat, necessitated by the guaranteed increased milk supply is also to be built, and everything will be ready in time for the coming season, and indications point to the probability if it being a most successful one.

The special correspondent of the Dresden paper Nones Nachrichten, speaking in xVpril of the German losses in the great battles makes the’following significant admission: — "It is true that we have continued to make substantial advance day after day, but with each advance we have left behind us mountains of dead. ” It is learned from Munich that grave symptoms of popular indignation have begun to manifest themselves throughout Bavaria on account of the enormous losses sustained by the Germans in the terrific fighting now proceeding in France.

At the French ports where the British and American troops are landed spies abound. An officer told off for detective purposes was in a restaurant lately, and saw a lady at a table with an American soldier. Although the place was not warm, yet the lady constantly used her fan. The officer then noticed that hsr eyes were fixed on an individual at the end of the room. Soon after the man left, and the lady closed her fan. The officer followed the fellow, had him arrested, and on him was found' a message, he had taken down from the fan signalling of the lady -which, if sent to the enemy, would have been invaluable.

Amongst other "amusements and functions for passing away a day or two pleasantly behind the lines in France is the holdig of horse shows. At one of these shows held by the New Zealand Divisional Artillery, a team of which one or more Taihapc men were members carried off (several of the prizes. This particular show was held on 3rd June, last, and Mr A. Litchfield, of Raukura, has received a copy of the programme of events in which his son w T as one of the team that took several prizes. The third event on the programme is ,a Hurdle Race for mules, to be ridden barebacked, without spurs or whip. The jumping to be hunting style, over 3ft. Gin. jumps, consisting of (1) brushwood, (2) post and rail (3) box, (4) sandbag wall. Three baulks on the whole course to disqualify, it would be a clever man wdio could pick the winner, and it ought to dismay the most venturesome punter. The programme is well printed, and it bears the imprint.— "N.Z, Divisional Press''

The return cribbage match between the Pire Brigade and the Town takes place to-night at eight o’clock sharp.

While in front of the stamp counter at the General Post Office, Sydney, a young lady employed by ia city firm was robbed of £ll by a man who picked her pocket. The prince of pickpockets, to have known where to find a woman’s pocket!

“It is no more use trying to negotiate Germany out of the occupied territories than if would be to try to take a piece of pork from a shark.” Thus Sir Joseph Cook, of Australia, in an address in London. o ;j

Major Harper, second in command of the 7th Wellington West Coast Territorials, died at Wanganui this morning. The funeral is to take place at Wanganui at 2 p.m. to-morrow (Tuesday),

A cable message received on Saturday states the New Zealand troops secured remarkable successes in the southern counties’ military sports. They Avon all the principal events. Auckland Avon the cross-country teams and Otago the tug-of-war and relay.

We learn from an Auckland Exchange that schnapper are bought from the Auckland fisherman by the City Council at 2d per lb. and retailed at 3Jd per lb. In Taihap'e, when procurable, schnapper is retailed at 9d per lb., which should leave a fairly decent margin in "these hard times.”

As showing the stringency of the petrol restrictions in England, a taxidriver appeared before the Court charged with pleasure driving. It transpired that the accused drove a wedding party to the Registrar’s for the marriage ceremony. The Bench hold that a wedding is not pleasure, but business, and very serious business. He dismissed the ease.

The Railway Department has had considerable* difficulty during' the last fortnight with some moving earth in the vicinity of Bennett’s Siding. The wet weather has loosened the earth'in the hillside contiguous to the line, and gangs of men have" been busily engaged in buttressing a wall with sleepers, etc., to prevent it encroaching on the line. So far they have succeeded in doing this, but at best the present operations are only a makeshift, and sooner or later the incipient slip will have to be removed bodily.

A Dunedin reporter who is acquainted with a returned soldier who is at present acting as a military policeman passed the time of day with him, and casually asked him how he was getting on. The soldier, to the surprise of the reporter, replied that he was "fed up with the game.” This answer naturally prompted a further inquiry as to what w,as the matter, and the soldier then unburdened himself of the statement that he was getting tired of tailing after officers to see whether private soldiers they passed saluted them. He said their latest infractions were that if they noticed ia soldier pass an officer and not salute him they had to put him under arrest and convey him to headquarters, whore he was interrogated by an officer as to the reason of his lapse. Two or three men had already been arrested and severely reprimanded for not salutign.

The Mayor notified that a subscription list has been opened by the Committee, of which he is the chairman, in aid of the "Red Jersey Appeal. Ho points out that this appeal was originally starterd by the citizens of Wellington and Auckland to assist the war work of the Salvation Army; he also points out that the good work done by the Array is strictly non-sectarian; this means that whether it be Jew or Pagan, Christian or Mohanmedan, Protestant or Catholic, the Army men at the front arc not respecters of persons; his qualification as a soldier entitles every man at the front to the utmost that can bo done for him to case his pain, give him comfort, and provide him with refreshment for so long as h e needs it. Thousands have been so ministered to by the Red Jersey men, and Mr. Arrowsmith feels sure that the Taihape district response to the Red Jersey Appeal will be worthy of the object.