LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 2 December 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A colonial girl, who had been helping with the harvest in the Old Country, writes: “I wanted to tie up every sheaf in red, white and blue ribbons, but farmers seem to have no souls.”

Austrian pencils are still to the fore (says the Napisr Herald), others being on the market. It was noted that after Austria’s surrender her pencils arrived in town in 12 hours.

The Military Medal has been awarded to three soldiers from this district, who arc on active service:—Ptc. R. W. E. Rasmus, Kaitieke; ScrgL Robert J. Sinclair, Taihape; and L.Cpl. C. E. Mclntyre, Ohakune.

The services of the Rev. Mr. Fordyce have been retained in the Ohura district for another week. Mr. Fordyce has been administering to the sick in that district since the epidemic broke cut, and has had a strenuous time in the past two weeks.

The General Manager, of the New Zealand Railways will retire at the end .nf the year. The Minister for Railways, in making this announcement yesterday, stated that Mr. Hiley would ' not accept re-appointment, : as he desired to return Homo for personal reasons.

Mr. Wilfred Johnstone's well known Lady Hobson Estate of some 221 acres, situated on the shores of the Tamaki River, Panmure, has just been sold to Mr Fred Court, a member iof the well known Auckland firm of drapers. The price paid was £27,000, and the land is said to comprise the richest dairying or fattening country in the Auckland Province.

“Some appalling revelations have been made during the epidemic as to the conditions under which some people in Christchurch live,” said the Mayor of Christchurch at this week’s meeting of his council. “And we can’t throw stones at either Auckland or Wellington over the business.” Continuing, Mr. Holland said that there were some hovels in the city which were not fit for fowl-houses. The City Council would have to take steps to solve the housing problem of the city. He quoted a case in which a family had been found living in a house with hardly a stick of “furniture, and what they had was bn!y fit to be burnt. “It is appalling that such conditions should exist in cur midst,” concluded Mr Holland.

A nearly new five-roomed house in Hula Street, opposite the public school, is advertised for ’Sale. Owing to the effect of formalin and sulphur on telephones and aaecssories the public should when disinfertiug cover the instruments. Owing to the influenza epidemic the sale of sections in the estate of the late Mr. W. Hoddle, of Raotihi, has been postponed till Thursday, December 12th. The Monthly Abstract of Statistics disclose that in the Dairy Produce thermometer Greymouth and Taihape arc running .a neck and neck race, and are well in the lead for the top end. According to the Government Statistician there has been a slump in house rents in Taihape. Surely someone has blundered, as there are no indications of it outside the Monthly Abstract of Statistics. According to the meat thermometer in the monthly Statistics meat prices in Taihape have cooled down very considerably. Taihape is now one of the cheapest places for meat in the Dominion. The Mataroa boarding-hiouse, owing to the late highly respected proprietor having succumbed to the prevailing epidemic, is for sale. It is the only house of the kind at Mataroa, and it is always occupied to its fullest capacity therefore it is one of the best businesses offering.

A question to the Minister for Defence, given notice of in the House by Mr. J. Vigor Brown, is: “Whether he will state the names and nationality of officers who constituted the court-martial when Private Thompson was sentenced to imprisonment for stating that Dr. Hotop was drunk while on duty?” The wheat shortage of last year is to be accentuated in the coming year if the area of land devoted to wheatgrowing is a reliable indication. In spite of farmers being exempted from military service on the understanding that more wheat would be grown, the satistics disclose that 60,711 acres of land less are being devoted to wheat than in 1917-18. Such is patriotism. The Taihape Cattle Sale, to be held by Messrs. Abraham and Williams, Ltd., is definitely and finally fixed to take place on Monday, 16th December, 1918. Owing to the prevailing epidemic, this Cattle Fair had to bo postponed as Government prohibited the holding of, stock sales. This prohibition is lifted as from next Saturday, which permits the Taihape. Cattle Fair to take place on the 16th for certain, “We want an assurance from the Minister for Public Works that the peanut stalls proposed as desks for members shall not be installed in the House,” declared Dr. Thacker, M.P., in the House of Eprescntativcs on Friday, amid applause and laughter. “They are the sort of thing you would see on Fifth Avenue, New York, with an Italian and a monkey in attendance,” A truck of wool that recently came to Dalgety’s store contained an interesting addition (says the Christchurch Sun). Under the cover over some hales that came from Balmoral Station a large double and roughly-built magpie’s nest was snugly nestled. Another similar instance happened some time ago, when a truck came in with three hen’s eggs in a nest under the tarpaulin. “You can’t have two suns shining at the same time,” said Sir Joseph Ward in the House of Representatives on Friday, to the relative powers of the Minister for Public Works and the Furnishing Committee of the House. Dr. Thacker: “What about the two Ministers going Home, then?” (Laughter). Sir Joseph Ward: “I suggest that the hon. member is getting into a sphere beyond his depth.” In Parliament on Friday, the Hon. Mr. Wilford stated that the German vessel which laid the mines on the New Zealand coast was knoVn to have started ouWwith 600 mines. So far, 35 had been recovered on the New Zealand coast, and the regions in which the mines were laid were now known. Mr. McCombs suggested that the Germans who laid the mines should be asked to lift them. Sir Joseph Ward replied that that was what was being done in the North Sea, and the Germans had been asked to disclose particulars of the mines laid on the New Zealand coast. Provision is made in the Finance Bill for the issue of 5s notes. At present the lowest denomination is 10s. Sir Joseph Ward stated in the House that this was necessary on account of the difficulty of obtaining silver from the Royal Mint. In other coutnries notes were found down to as low as Is, and ho predicted that when 5s notes were in circulation they would be more popular than coin. Mr. Payne said that this was a valuable concession to the banks, and it was a serious injustice to the public to give such a privilege to private institutions.