LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 7 December 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A strong boy is wanted for" but chers shop by Mr J. Lewis, Utiku.

The continuation of the report of the half-yearly report of the Bank of New Zealand appears on page 6 of today's issue.

A black, half-draught mare, with three white feet and white blaze on forehead, lost, stolen or strayed from Utiku, is (advertised for by Mr. J. Lewis, butcher. Utiku.

Many hundreds of Scotch women who had been brought to Great Yarmouth for pickling herrings during the autumn fishing struck for 10s more a week early i n October last.

The only message of congratulation to von Hindcnbnrg on his 1918 (at the end of September) birthday which was reproduced in the German papers was a telegram from the King of Saxony. Last year the newspapers printed scores of the messages.

The Post Office advises that owing to cable interruption, heavy Government traffic, and shortage of staff through illness, full rate cable traffic is subject to from five to six days' delay, and deferred rate traffic ten to fourteen days' delay.

One of the causes of migration of small settlers to cities and the consequent aggregation of land is the unsatisfactory postal, telegraphic, and telephonic services in some backblocks districts, according to a statement by Mr R. W. Smith (Waimarino) in the House. He urged that an improvement in these matters would reconcile people to a comparatively lonely life in areas remote from towns.

'lt would be more compatible with the dignity of this—"God'3 own—country," said Dr. Thacker is the House, if, instead, of giving 1 these 0.8.E.'s or 'Orders of the Bad Egg' indiscrimisatcly out to people who have given large cash donations to war funds, they should give them to industrial fighters who have done fine work to carry o n the statutory obligations of New Zealand." He was speaking on the Post and Telegraph Bill, and was referring particular to women workers.

Owing to the Church being used for a temporary hospital, no services will be held in the Presfiyterian Church to-morrow. It is hoped to re-open on Sunday,' the 15th inst., if the present rate of progress is maintained.

Attention is drawn to the resumption of regular worship in the local Methodist Church to-morrow. The Rev. W. H. Hocking will conduct the evening service and a hearty invitation is extended to all.

A peculiar sight at the landslide on the Main Trunk line at Mataroa, is a large tree, which is standing upright in the middle of the rails as though it was planted there. The tree looked quite undisturbed. This is a pretty clear indication of the depth and solidity in part of the landslide.

Mr. E. Scmple has been nominated by the Wellington Tramways Union as a candidate for the Wellington South by-election. He has accepted the nomination which with others will come up for consideration of the combined representatives of Labour organisations.

Drifting derelict, the Spanish sailing vessel Joaquina, of Barcelona, has been found close- to the African coast by fishermen. She wias towed into Las Palmas. The vessel's entire hull, especially her bows, has been seriously damaged, apparently by gun shots from a submarine. Nothing is known as to the fate of the ship's crew.

"The right of property from hell to heaven has vanished," said Sir Francis Bell, speaking in the Legislative Council on the changes wrought by the progress of aviation. Staid Councillors looked round with surprise. "Oh! that is the old definition of ah English freehold," Sir Francis hastened to add: "as far below the earth ttnd as far above as you can go."

i There is a shortage of coal in Taihape that shouTd warn those people who have it to use it very judiciously. The slip on the railway will accentuate the shortage, and to avoid having no coal at Christmas time stocks should be got in when it is available 'after the slip is cleared, as the mines close down at Christmas and do not reopen till 2nd January.

A letter from Colombo, Ceylon, relates how a German mine came ashore and a large numberof natives gathered round to examine it. By some means one of the horns of the mine was struck, with the result that about 50 of the natives were blown to bits. One careful man, who had climbed up a cocoanut palm to have a good view of the marine wonder, was among those hilled.

Evidence of the fact that sovreigns have been hoarded during the war period was found in a cash remittance recently received by the Auckland post office savings bank from a country office. The remittance included 200 sovereigns, all ox which were discoloured, evidently through lying in the ground for a considerable period. Apparently the cessation of hostilities accounted for the hoard being dug up and banked.

An increase in the'cost of bar iron is foreshadowed in a telegram received in Auckland from a large British firm. The message stated that a meeting was to be held at Birmingham within a few days to consider the question of increasing the price of iron, the general opinion of those in the trade being that the Government-controlled price was not payable, owing to heavy increases in the cost of ore, coal, and labour.

The latest batch of soldiers to arrive in the city from Featherston 'Camp were members of the final party engaged in laying^to rest their comrades who passed away in camp during the course of the epidemic. When the party was disbanded it comprised all the remaining fit soldiers in camp, 30 of the New Zealand Field Artillery, who were in charge of the gun carriages that carried caskets, and 70 of the infantry, whose duties entailed the digging of the graves. It wa*s a most impressive sight, said one of the new arrivals, to see corteges of five guncarriages leaving the camp.

Caustic reference was made by the Mayor of ( Auckland at the meeting of the Citizens' 'Committee on Thursday afternoon to the replies he had received from Wellington to his telegrams regarding the epidemic in Auckland and the position that had arisen between the city and the Minister of Public Health. He read <a» number of the wires, in which the hope was expressed that they would continue to work in harmony in Auckland, while it was stated that the matter under under discussion would receive consideration. "We did not want the Minister to tell us this," said the Mayor: "we expected something better from -the Government of |his country. These replies were not answers to the telegrams that had been sent from here. We got no answer from the Prime Minister," he said, "we get no answer from the Minister of Finance, and we got no answer from our Auckland members. The thing is absurd. ''