LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 May 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Hastings farmer says lie intends to patent an invention to enable sheep to carry over the drought. He is thinking of ordering several hundred pairs of green spectacles, to be fitted to his stock, which would thus be induced to oat up tho dry grass in the paddocks

s There was a large quantity of timber consigned to Wanganui on the train which met with disaster on the Main Trunk the other night. Included in the consignment was a' load of about 24,000 feet, which., was intended for export to Sydney by the White Pine.

Speaking at the Lyceum Hall a t Sydney, the Rev. S. J. Hoban said he could not understand why the vote in New Zealand so strongly favoured continuance, but mentioned cable messages were received by tho New Zealand Alliance stating that the vote at one of the military camps in England had been manipulated.

A hold-up of the coastal steamer Storm at Wellington under novel circumstances was imminent on Friday. The officers and engineers strongly objected to the sheets on their beds on account, of them being too small. Eventually the difficulty was overcome by larger sheets being procured, as the result of representations being made to the owners

A London correspondent states that the Food Minister (the Hon. G. H. Roberts) recently declared that there were 16,000 tons of cheese in the United Kingdom and the January distribution was at the rate of 25 per cent, of the 1016 basis. It was then increased to 50 per cent. Mr. Roberts added that there were large stocks of cheese in Nw Zealand belonging to the Ministry, but it could not reach Great Britain until May.

Motor car stealing is on the increase Dr. Phillips, of FeiKimg, had his car stolen, from a street on Tuesday -Toning. It was found :':i College street., Palmerston North, next morning. On Monday night Mr J. B. Thomson's car, which was left standing outside the Ruahine Club at Dannevirke, was surreptitiously removed between the hour of six and half past. On Tuesday the police discovered the car, abandoned o% the road, about two miles from Palmerston North.

A new use of clinker has been found in Great Britain. It has been discovered that if the clinker is ground to powder and mixed with a due proportion of thoroughly slacked lime it is then a suitable material for brickmaking. One colliery in England has installed a plant capable of producing 90,000 bricks per week, which will stand a pressure of about 220 tons per square foot. The colour of these bricks varies from dark blue to light red, according to the burning of the clinker.

Aii amusing incident, illustrative of the unwillingness of many landladies to accept girl boarders, occurred recently in Dunedin. A young girl interviewed a prospective landlady, and was informed that the house was full and that she could not be accommodated. Peeling suspicious, she went to a slot telephone box, called up the same house, and, assuming a gruff, manly voice, repeated her request for lodgings, indicating that she belonged to the male sex. She was at once accepted, and cordially invited to move in at once.

The "British Weekly" has the following in a recent number: The other day in a 'bus. a soldier with a red bond round his wide awake hat was oxnW'imig to his neighbour how pleasant it was to be going back in a few day s to 'God's Own Country." "Why, I didn't know you were an American," remarked the neighbour, in an accent that left no doubt on which side of the Atlantic he was at home. "Who said I was?" complained the other, "Well, you claimed 'God's Own Country' as your home, and that's America, sure." "America,' repeated the red band. "Yes! I daresay Giod had something to do wiih it, but New ZealandTs his master-piece, and don't you forget it."

It will, say s tl:e "Otago Daily Times,'' probably come as a surprise to many that a scientist of such standing as the Hon G. M. Thomson classes belief in water-divining as one of the ignorant popular errors that persists merely for lack of a little scientific training. In the course of his presidential address to the Otago Institute on Tuesday night he remarked that he had even heard of hospital boards "wisest surely of all ligneous structures," a water-diviner to locate a source of water for them. "This." he said, "is one of the heresies that dies hardest, yet it is as groat a myth as ■ the long-believed power of the moon to decompose fish and twist the facial muscles. Both are hugely believed in still."

A well-known Duncdin citizen who is certainly not scantily endowed with this world's goods, tells an excellent story against himself (says the Otago Daily Times)_ With many others he has turned out with his car on several occasions to assist in conveying returning soldiers to their homes. One afternoon recently while engaged in this patriotic work, he was addressed by a man at the railway station and asked if he was "engaged." He replied i» the negative. "All right, wait here," came the command. The train having arrived the man, his wife, a returned soldier, and a girl entered the ear, :».nd the volunteer driver was instructed to drive to a butcher's shop ia Princess Street South. Here the driver was requested to get out and purchase a couple of pounds of sausages. Entering into the spirit of the thing he promptly executed the order. He was then told to drive, to Duke Street South, On arrival there the driver wa s handed his fare, and the party then made the surprising uiscovery that he was a volunteer. He laughingly drove away.

Colds fly before NAZOL. Sore Throats are soothed by this proved and popular remedy. Get NAZOL today. 1/6 buys (30 doses. 4

The name of Councillor Davies was inadvertently omitted from the list of present at. the meeting of the Borough Council on Friday night.

Ar. alarm was rung' out by fho f i :' r : bell last nigth at midnight. The brigade turned out promptly, only to find the alarm was a false. None of the alarm box glasses were broken, and there is no accounting for the ringing of the bell.

President Wilson is understood to be preparing a History of the-War. The book would, of course, deal primarily with America's part in it, and the President's own share in the making of peace. Its authority would naiu\i3ly be unquestioned, and. in view of Mr. Wilson's literary attainments, it. would be one of the books of the age.

The New Zealand .which is now at Albany, will arrive in New Zealand waters about the middle of next month probably making Wellington the first port of call. She will leave Lord Jellicoe in Australia, and will return for him later, arriving bae-k m New '":-.-

land with Lord Jellieoe on or about August 18. ;

The estimated population of the Dominion on March 31 last was 1,137.203—males 588,372. females 598.831. During April the population of the Dominion diminished by 631. The arrivals totalled 1112 and the departures 1742. The latter included 5-S3 mains and 427 females who left for Australia, and 108 males and 128 females who left for the United Kingdom, The departures, also inch.ded 232 children.

The Auckland branch of tho Engineers. Firemen's, and Cleaners' Association unanimously decided to adhere to the decision of the Association, rejecting the proposals of the Minister of Railways, as expressed in the result of the recent Dominion ballot. The decision was arrived at at a well-at-tended meeting of the members held on Sunday. A report of the recent conference in Wellington and the deputation to the Prime Minister from the branch delegate was received.

While some carcases of lambs from the Pukerari Works were being loaded on the Port Sydney at Timaru last week, it was found that a number had black spots and mould, and about fifteen hundred were sent back to the works to be picked over. The New Zealand Refrigerating Co. states that the lambs were frozen early in 1917. and were purchased by the Imperial Government, but could not be shipped earlier owing to shortage of shipping. Of the carcases sent back it Is expected that about 200 will be condemned. The cause of the trouble has no!" yet been definitely asc? -Mined.

Speaking at the Red Cross annual meeting in Wellington, General Richardson said that the inadequacy of the military medical organisation in the early stages of the war had been great. In Belgium, when he went there he was astonished to see Kad Cross ambulances with women drivers going right into the firing line and collecting the wounded. Later the military work expanded, and the Ret Cross worked only on the lines of communication and at the base. Speaking of women's work, he said that it was the women of the British Empire, who, by taking their places, allowed the man-power of the country to be withdrawn and so enabled the wa r to h° carried to a successful conclusion.

Some time ago the Christehurch Fire Brigade was called to a fire in >ome stoics at Adclington belonging to the Post and Teelgraph Department. The brigade complied with the call, and as the stores were outside the city boundary a charge of £37 "18/ "'as made for services rendered, T v ie Host and Telegraph Dcpartmj.it hav* 0 v written to say that the claim canuor be entertained. The Fire Board has >io\v decided to write to he Department, '■•ting that the charge was mide in accordance with the regulations, and wa s a perfectly fair one, the brigade having been instrumental in saving 9 large quantity of material wh'na etlurwise would have been destroved.

A hint of possible developments iu Government banking business was given by the Acting Minister of Finance, the Hon. A. M. Myers, when replying in Wellington to a request from the friendly societies for facilities for the establishment of ordinary current accounts in the Post Office. Savings Bank. The Minister said the representatives of the societies opened up immediately the question as to ■whether the present system in vfU'it New Zealand in regard to banking facilities was sufficient. It was a very large question, and one that was being considered. The societies had the opportunity for banking with a bank guaranteed by the State and the stability of other banks would not be questioned; but whether the banking facilities were sufficient for the community wa s being considered and would be considered, by the full Cabinet on the return of the leaders from England.

For Bronchial Coughs, uke Woods' Great Peppermint Cure.