LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 August 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand has 79 moat works, 600 dairy factories, and 700,000 dairy cows

Taumarunui is very ambitious, having set out to raise the sum of £BOOO for the copper trail. The organisers are very sanguine of success.

A meeting of the Returned Soldiers’ Association will be held in the Supper room! of the Town Hall on Thursday, evening next, at S o’clock. As the business is important a full attendance is requested.

"America tried peace by negotiation for two and a lialf years. Her failure, coupled with the tragedies of Russia and Roumania, ought to silence all the German apologists."—Mr. W. A. Appleton, secretary of the general federation of Trade Unions of Great Britain in his annual report.

Bird-catching has provided remunerative employment for trappers in the Ashburton County this winter (reports the Guardian), one resident in the Rakaia district having received from the council since the beginning of the present month cheques amounting to £54 9s 3d, which represented 17,429 head.

The Auckland Woolgrowers ’ Committee carried the following resolution to be sent to the Minister of Lands. Owing to numerous complaints from growers of clean wool against the effect of seedy wool, the committee must emphatically bring before your notice the fact that the agreement with the Imperial authorities is not being carried out, as growers are not receiving 53 per cent, increase on pre-war prices, but in many cases arc receiving 100 per cent less.

A torquoise and pearl earring, lost in or about the Town Hall, on Saturday is advertised for. Mails for Fiji, Honolulu, Japan, Fanning Island, Canada, U.S.A., United Kingdom, and Continent of Europe close here on Wednesday, August 28, at 5 -p.m. The July Abstract of Statistics proclaim that Taihape is easily the dearest place in New Zealand for dairy produce, and only second to Wellington for house rent. The balance of C Class reservists, numbering 3500 to 4000, will bo called up by Gazette issued on September IS. The date for the first ballot of D class is undecided, but it is unlikely to be before November at the earliest.

Returns of actual threshings in New Zealand to July 22 show that 0,265,205 bushels of wheat and 4,279,131 bushels of oats have been threshed out. The average yield per acre of wheat is just over 244 bushels, and of oats over 324 bushels.

Jack Johnson who is now in Madrid has expressed a desire to get into the American Navy and fight for his country. “There is no position,” he says, “that you could appoint me to that I would consider too rough or too dangerous. I am willing to fight and die for my country. I cannot offer any more.” At the conclusion of the Pierrots’ entertainment on Saturday night, Mr. Turner, on behalf of the company, thanked the audience for the very cordial welcome extended to them. He voiced a special word of thanks to Mr. Duncan, for his splendid work in organising the visit, and to his efforts it was solely due that the English Pierrots visited Taihape at all. The stock of motor spirit salvaged from the Beach Road fire in Auckland was sold by public auction on Friday. About 4,500 cases were offered, and was readily sold at 21s a case. About 350 cases which were slightly damaged, word sold at from; 7/6 to 12/6. A number of: buyers took advantage of the' present high price of motor spirit, and bought in large quantities, one buyer taking 1,000 cases. The present market price of motor spirit is 26/ a case. A returned soldier, Mr L. C. Hutton, of Wellington, has adopted an effective way of “getting back on the Government. ’ ’ He has had a dispute with the Government in regard to his pay, the Department at length forwarded 1 him a cheque for £SO. As a protest against the action of the Government, Mr. Hutton forwarded the amount as a donation to the Hospital Board, and now the Government will have to pay a subsidy of 20s in the £ on it.

An idea of the present cost of importing goods from the Old . Country may be gathered from the following details regarding three eases of boots containing 182 pairs which arrived in Auckland. This lot is expected to arrive by steamer shortly. The' accounts to hand show the cost of the cases alone is £6 14/4. These sell at 3/6 each when emptied here. The cost of case works out at 9d per pair. Freight, insurance, war risk, and exchange tot up to another £42 on the 183 pairs of boots. In fact, altogether the cost per pair works out at about 4/6.

A little Incident occurred at the Town Hall on Saturday night. When one of the Pierrots was contributing an item an elderly native, with his boots innocent of blacking and his countenance lacking a recent acquaintance with soap, marched up to the front seats with three loaves of bread loosely wrapped in a newspaper under his arm. The ends of the .staple of life being conspicuously prominent. The humour of the situation was appreciated by the vocalist, over whose face passed a broad smile that was perilously near a hurst of laughter.

The serious position some friendly societies are in, owing to the strain on their finances caused by the war was brought under the notice of the Minister by Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., last week, states the "Tarankai Daily News.” It was shown that one Order had paid away in death claims over £17,000 sneo the war started; and all these benefit societies had been hit more or less. Ministers were sympathetic and it is expected some practical assistance will be rendered, as a united appeal from the friendly societies is to placed before the Government.

There is at present on view at the Red Cross Shop a 1 'complete set of dolls’ furniture, the gift of Mr. Swindells. The whole of the articles, which are strongly and beautifully finished, were made by the donor. They will delight the heart of the child who (or whose parent) is fortunate enough to win the competition, which will be held for them next month. Particulars of the competition will be announced later in the shop window. The proceeds will be devoted to Taihape’s “Copper Trail" effort. The thanks of the Society arc duo to Mr. Swindells for his handsome gift.