LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 7 May 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Farmers arc reraimickl of Mr J, W, Smith's clearing sale, near Utiku, on to morrow week, May 15.

The Main Trunk express from Auckland, which was over an hour late this yesterday morning, carried 20 vehicles instead of the usual 12. Apparently the extra express has been taken off too soon. —“Feihlmg Star.”

Yesterday the New Zealand flag flew over the local post office all day, in honour of it being Accession Day.

The Rimutaka arrived at Colon on Thursday last from Plymouth, with troops, and is expected in Wellington on May 26.

The Peace Celebration JjOhoir a,rc again reminded of a short practice to be held in St. Margaret’s Church this evening, commencing at 8 o’clock.

A large English, American, and Expeditionary Force mail arrived by the Makura yesterday. The Taihape portion came by tins morning’s mail from Auckland.

Donations to the Peace Celebration Fund arc coming in slowly, and if the pace is not quickened some intending contributors will wake up to find they have “missed the bus.”

A leather purse containing two pounds, lost by a little girl between Taihape and Winiata, is advertised for Finder is asked to be good enough to ring up this office, or send it along.

A meeting of delegates from the Waimarino, Eangitikei, and Wanganui County Councils is being held in Taihapo to-day, with a view to settling boundaries satisfactory to those bodies.

We again remind the tinder of the wallet that was lost on Friday, inscribed with the letters that it has not been returned. It is to the interests of all concerned that it be returned at the earliest moment.

Dalgety’s Autumn Cattle Fair is to take place next Wednesday, at the Taihapo sale yards. The entries arc large and varied, and farmers are urged to send in a list of what they intend offering so that they may he so advertised as to bring best prices.

A correspondent suggests that the great sweeping blaze at Stratford should prove a warning to Taihape, but the Borough authorities are already taking action and definite steps to provide a water supply for all purposes for many years to come.

Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., who is now a member of the Wellington ’ City Council, says the Labour Party wants to know what the Council is going to do in the housing question and the coal famine. There w’ould be no compromising so far as the Labour Party was concerned.

The Anglican General Synod now sitting at Napier, on a division, passed a resolution affirming the desirability of admitting women as churchwardens and members of vestry. The second reading of the bill for alternative confirmation franchise was defeated by lay votes

An Otaki resident at present at Raetihi, who was there during the bush fire some time ago, states that the country never looked better than at present. The fire did much barm at the time, but good has now come of it. Feed is plentiful, farmers have had a specially good season, while several beautiful homes and fine shops have been erected.

“We have killed the last suction gas plant in the city.” said the Christchurch city electrical engineer, proudly, the other night. He said the elcetri-

cal revenue in 1913 was £IB,OOO, and in 1918 £54,000, and at the 1913 rates it would have been £120,000. By reducing rates, however, every suction gas plant had been outed, and he had received very pathetic letters expressing the hope that they would never again be needed.

The statement received by the Act-ing-Postmaster-General, the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, shows that the total sales of war loan certificates' to March 31, 1919, amount to 4,017,031. The total to May 31st, 1918, was £3,884,651, and the subsequent monthly sales to the nearest pound were: —June, 1918, £39,903; July, £17,379; August, £14,649; September £12,488; October, £15,182; November, £-4,854; pecember £6,782; January, 1919, £5,930; February, £9,690; March, £5,522. The largest sale was recorded during May 1918 and was no doubt the result of the interest created by the flotation of the loan in the previous month.

The Willochra, which is leaving I Wellington next week, will take away ] from New Zealand about 400 Germans for repatriation, the bulk of whom are ! at present in the internment camp at Feathorston_ This repatriation draft will include 68 prisoners Of war and civil enemy aliens from the Narrow hfock internment camp, while in addition a batch of 70 Jugoslavs, who arc to be repatriated, will also be sent to Wellington to join the vessel. The Willochra after leaving New Zealand will probably proceed to Australia and fill up her accommodation there with prisoners of war and civil enemy subjects being shipped for the Fatherland by the Commonwealth Government.

Your cough troubles you most at night, just when retiring, and you have difficulty in getting off to sleep. Try “NAZOL”—it acts like a charm. 1/6, all chemists. 2

The following vessels will be within wireless range to-night:—Maori, Mara* rao, Pateena, Monowai, Hororafa. In range: Chatham Islandss, Palooua and Northumberland. The weather forecast for next twen-ty-four hours are: The Indications are for southerly decreasing. There is a prospect of fair to cloudy weather. The night, will probably be very cold with frosts inland. Barometer falling.

“It is with a sense of real thankfulness,” (says the editor of the Wellington Church Chronicle) “that one is able to write of The finances of the Maori Mission. The deficiency has been more than made up by the splendid liberality of the Diocese.” .

Countess Bernstorff is, through a friend, bringing an action against the Cinema Corporation for 100.000 dollars for having exhibited a film entitled, “Count Bernstorff and his American wife, who were engaged in murders, and other crimes in the United States.”

At the meeting of householders at Whakatano, Bay of Plenty, the question of “standardised drosses for school girls” aroused some amusement. The chairman (Mr A, Reid) remarked that standardised dresses for the girls were becoming fashionable, like Ford cars. He appealed to the headmaster to explain all about it. Mr Snell replied that the object was to enable the girls to get the full benefit of the. physical exercises.

The New Zealand Times, editorially, states: The Minister for Lands, careering over the country, to the gum lands in the far north, to the central pinnace lauds, to baekback swamps everywhere, to the highlands of the North Island and the South, to find ‘‘cheap'’ waste lands on which to waste cheap soldiers is, assuredly, a spectacle for gods and men. We say “cheap soldiers” advisedly, because the Government must held the soldiers and their services to their country cheap indeed, when it proposes, absolutely unnecessarily, absolutely in defiance of sound civics and sound economics, te thus regulate them to backblock waste lands.

On Saturday afternoon about 4.30, Messrs. Thompson brothers, of Kairanga (near Palmerston North) were out shooting on their property, when they discovered the body of a man hanging from the limb of a tree on the bank of the O'roua River. The police were informed, and on searching the body found a soldier’s paybook, containing the name Thomas Parker, together with a letter to a relative in Manaia. The medical papers found .on deceased show that, he had served for over four years, and w r as discharged on 3rd June, 1917, as “no longer physically fit, on account of wounds received.’’ He was formerly a cabinetmaker by trade, and was 34 years of age. From its appearance the body had been hanging about a week before it was discovered, and so far has not been identified by friends or relatives.

In acknowledging receipt of a letter from Mr S. 6. Smith, M.P., embodying the opinion of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce on the matter of the suggested appointment of a commercial agent abroad to ascertain the possibilities of obtaining additional markets for the Dominion’s primary products, the Hoij. W. D. S. MacDonald states that the question will receive attention. Mr Smith also brought under the notice of the Minister several matters regarding the fostering of the fruit industry, and in this respect the Hon. Mr MacDonald says he is in full sympathy with the fruitgrowers, and that the Government is desirous of assisting them to obtain bettor marketing conditions for their crop in the Dominion, and also to foster and encourage the opening of new markets abroad. The Assistant-Director of the of the Horticultural Division is at present on his way to America, and will investigate, among other matters, the marketing organisations that exist in that country in connection with the fresh fruit trade. He will also inquire into the possibilities of placing New Zealand apples and pears on the American market 'during the off season for fruit in that country. Owing to the abnormal demand for shipping space, it has not been able To ship any fruit to American ports this season.