LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 4 January 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Mastcrton hospital there are iivc eases of cerebro-spinal meningitis under treatment.

Cable advice from 'San Francisco says that the Union Co.’s Moana loft that port on Saturday Last for Wellington where she is due on the 19th inst.

A first-class boarding house in a good country town on the Main Trunk Line is for sale as a going Concern. There are at present twenty boarders in the house Particulars may be obtained at the “Times” Office.

A leading Hawera sheepfarmer recently stated that the position in regard to shearers for this season’s wool is serious. Sheepfarmors in that district depended largely on the Maoris, and, unfortunately, they, are not now available in iany number. The epidemic, too, has been responsible for much trouble. A runholder in the Wanganui hinterland, who has 40,000 sheep to shear, had 25 men at work in his sheds when the influenza (attacked them. Four died, and most of the others were seriously affected. Whereas shearing is mostly finished about Christmas, many farmers have not started.

\ Wireless messages in plain language to and between merchant vessels in I the Pacific and Indian Oceans may now be accepted without restriction. The term “merchant vessels” does not j include ships carrying troops, or hosj pital ships. j Taihape Motors Limited notify by | 'advertisement that the Garage will be open every day, Sundays excepted, from 8 a.m. till 5.30 p.m., and from (5.30 every evening till 10 o'clock. Enquiries at any other hour, day or night, will receive prompt attention if telephone 133 receives a ring. All claims against the estate of the late Father Kinkead ,of Taihape, should be rendered to Mr E. McLaughlan on or before the 21st Januarj’- next, land all accounts due to the estate should be paid, to Mr. McLaughhan not later than the same date. What, it is stated, is probably a record fleece for the Dominion wtas shorn at Mr. J. J. Hill’s farm, Brightside, Waitahora, recently, when an "improved Eomney ram” was credited with ”3llb. of wool without the belly. ’ ’ Those are the shearer’s own words, and he said had he known that the fleece would be "weighed he could, by careful shearing, have added another half-pound to the aggregate. Writing on war-needs, for oil and the search for new fields, a London correspondent says: Among new fields work is being pushed rapidly in Egypt and Venezuela, and growing outputs are coming from Trinidad. Apart from the boring proceeding in England, additional money has been found by a company working in Cyprus, while great concessions hav,c been granted in British Guiana and Costa Eica. The British Government, I am told, is doing all it can to stimulate discoveries iu new lands and greater production from proved fields, and has been remarkably successful.

The apparent opulence as well as the industry, of Maori shearers was impressed upon a Levin resident who recently visited a large shearing shed in Hawke’s Bay, where the whole board was Jomposcd of Maoris, many of whom were accompanied by their wives, who acted as pickers-up. On leaving the shearing shed the visitor noticed a small park of motor ears, and inquired as to who owned them. He- was informed by the station owner that the cars belonged to the shearers who made the rounds of the stations at shearing time in their own motors.

From Boston, U.S.A., the cableman sends wprd that Mr Mitchel Palmer, Alien Property Custodian, in a speech, said that Germany’s commercial aggression after the peace treaty had been ratified had been prepared with such minute details that not a market in the world will be Idft untouched. This bears out our reinterated contention that the German business men who were interned in New Zealand now he repatriated to their beloved Fatherland, because, if released hero and allowed to return to business as usual, they could put into operation their plans to again peacefully penetrate and conquer our trade and commerce.

A Mastcrton Daily Times representative had brought under his notice the narrow escape of a Wellington resident from being buried alive during the recent epidemic in the Empire City. It appears that the son of a well-known Government official was pronounced dead. The father, who had been assisting in connection with the epidemic, together with the undertaker, was standing alongside the coffin containing the body of the son when the father heard a sound coming from the inside of the casket. In vestigation was made and it was discovered that the “ corpse” was very much alive. The son was quickly released from his unhappy position. He has now fully recovered and considers that he has had a marvellous escape from being buried alive.

A characteristic letter has been written by a soldier aboard the 40th Reinforcement transport which was stricken with, the influenza epidemic to a Christchurch friend. An excerpt from the letter runs as follows: — ‘‘Spanish influenza” which is a good a name as any other for a fatal sort of fever shows some of the symptoms of pulmonary plague —got us in Serra Leone. Eighty died on board, half a dozen are missing owing to some idiot saying that the sea was cool, 250 <are still in hospital and myself and about sixty more are merely out and about. That’s all! After-ef-fects include lung trouble and damaged hearts. Thanks be- I’m fairly free from cither; .thougih touched by both. Sierra (Leone is a stinking, steaming native town, green and poisonous as the filth paddocks of 'a. sewage farm. The niggers are chattering, grinning animals, who do about one-thirtieth as much work as a worn-out white wharf labourer who is following the go-slow policy.” White, Fancy, and Kaircord Voiles, 42 inches wide —excellent value —2/6, 2/9, 2/11, 3/6, 4/6 per jard.—The Big Value House.—Collinson and Gifford, Ltd. —Advt.

“Many of the flour mills in the Dominion are very short of supplies,” said the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, recently. This is due, explained the Minister, to the interruption in shipping transport between Australia and Now Zealand. One vessel conveying 150,000 sacks of wheat purchased in Australia for New Zealand is now lying at the Williamstown Wharf, Melbourne, unable to p*t a crow for the run across the Tasman Sea.

A fishing party from Havelock, which visited Lie Marlborough Sounds on Saturday and Sunday last, claim to have caught 90 sharks—ranging from a formidable “fourteen-footer” to “babies.” In addition, 20 hapuka and a few sehnapper were landed, and the sport generally was of an exciting na ture. The largest shark was caught by one of the party when fishing off the launch, and became entangled in one or two other lines, and was eventut ally ally hauled up on tffS beach. Another exciting incident was the beaching of a 12ft shark.

The trying experience of being locked in a freezing chamber all night fell to the lot of Mr Andrew Blake, a freezing chamber hand employed in the Gisborne freezing works. The men were engaged in loading operations, about 6.30 p.m. the chamber door was closed, Mr Blake having, by some oversight, been locked in the freezing chamber. Nothing whatever was known of the matter until about 3.30 a.m., when the chamber was opened to continue work, and the unfortunate man was found in a state of collapse,' the ordeal of being nine hours enclosed in a freezing chamber having reduced him to a low state of vitality.

An extraordinary instance of the lengths to which nervousness carried some people is reported from the Pahiatua district. ‘A young man hoarding with a private family at a neighbouring town, says a Pahlatua paper, was affected by the epidemic, and other persons in the house, in order to protect themselves from possible infection, locked the unfortunate man ,fn his room, where presumably he was to take his chance. When Bis position became known, a d'mror and a nu;°e obtained access to him by a window. This means cf access was eerthued until, the patient was well enough, when he was mom;3, >y way of the window, to tae care of less perrons neighbours.

People who are known to have won money at the races are very apt to brag about the results of their attempts to heat the totalisator, and several who did are now lamenting their want of tact, as well as their lack of precaution for the safety of their winnings. It became public property that about half a dozen of these lucky individuals were staying at an hotel in Palmerston North a few nights ago, and in the morning when they woke they were sadder but wiser men, for it was discovered that during the night some night prowler had gone through their bedrooms and had relieved them of ail the money which, they had macod in their pockets.

An instance of the faithfulness of the deg was afforded at North Sydney recently, when u fox terrier's fidelity led to the discovery of his master’s dead body. Following 'his usual route to work, Alfred Turner, of North Sydney, was walking through a scrub near the suspension bridge, and on several mornings stood in his track and persistently barked at him. At first 'ho took no notice, but one morning he 'approached the dog, which immediately retreated into the scrub. Turner followed, and suddenly, come upon the dead body of a man. The animal growled as Turner approached the body. Ho then communicated with the police, who, on arrival, had to coax the dog before it would allow them to take charge •A the body. It is believed to be that of a travelling tinker recently seen in the neighbourhood. Death is attributed to haemorrhage of the brain.