LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 78, 21 August 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A -well-known Gisborne sheep farmer, speaking to a pressman, declared that he believed the district had practically eome to an end to its exporting business in store sheep. The more profitable fattening business had'been so developed off recent years, and the flocks so depleted, that he failed to see how the export trade could continue. There were several cases of breaches of the Defence Act set down, for hearing at the Police Court yesterday, but they were all withdrawn. Sen'ior-Ser-geant Haddirell stated that the Department was making no appearance. Undoubtedly war will have the effect' of remedying any slackness that may have existed on the part of nian.v Territorials with regard to attending drill. War in Europe naturally entails disorganisation of trade in the countries involved. An instance is tluw of °wat Skins, of .which large numbers ar/'cvexported from Morocco. Hitherto, the<;« have mostly been sent to Marseilles and distributed at higher rates to tanners. The probable outcome of the present war will be that the United States tanners will be able to cut into the trade with Morocco while the war continues, and. once there, will hold it afterwards in the interests of the glazed kid I trade. The Auckland Herald says-—"The abnormal stocks of butter which remained in cool storage three months have been so greatly reduced tiiat there now remains only a sudicient quantity to meet the demand for consumption within the Dominion until normal conditions of manufacture are restored Lv the resumption of factories which .have been closed during the winter. The new season's production has already been commenced by some factories, and-lfewlv manufactured butter will be available in Auckland within a few days." iu T °l > y ngaism has bnen in evidence nt the Maori pa at Whenuakura latchaccording to the Wanganui Herald's Patea correspondent. An epidemic, the nature of whioh is unaseertainable, has recently broken out among the native*, at the pa, and three persons have died a woman, a youth and a child. It is alleged that a tohunga named Poi had been treating the affected Maoris for some time. .Last week tilings got very lively at the .pa, several fights took place the mam issue being the tohunga's genuineness, and from the encounters "the, tohiinga came off second best.

~A well-known Christchureh professional man, who is preparing ornamental, giounds for a contemplated, residence, has decided (says the Press) to put the .whole of thera down in potatoes, with a .view to having good supplies for per-sonal-needs, and also to 'help relieve any distress that may develop. He point's .out that tliere may be lack of employment, which may place considerable 'strain on tiie community, and iK everyone with ground will niake a point of .putting m food products it will help .to tide over what may prove to be a loii" .period of stress,- some of which miiv ■be even brought about by the economies •practiced by others. "Belgium has an enormous population for so small a country, and it lias been said that a tourist on foot is never 'half an hour 1 * from the next village._ Between the villages the fields are intensely cultivated. The country over which the Germans are operating j<, comparatively flat, and for that reason it used to .be regarded as ideal figlitiimcountry. -Probably the inhabitants think otherwise. The Ardennes, east of the Mouse, in the little corner near Luxemburg, is very different country. Tt is the picturesque part of Belgium, hilly and well wooded. The hills interfere with tlie movements of troops, of course, I>ut of late years the Belgians, with a:\ eye to the development of the motor tourist traffic, have built all through it 'roads as fine -as any in Europe. A suggestion which is beiiig .put into effect, so far as Wellington is'concerned. and which promises to help to relieve any distress that may result from unemployment caused ,by the war. was brought forward by Mr F. 0. Hill at a ' meeting of St. Hilda's Delating Society at Island (Bay the. other evening. As a result the members formed themselves | into a committee on behalf of the Island [Bay residents, with the object of carrying out a scheme of planting vacant sections with roots or cereal crops, tinproduce to go towards the relief of distress. An appeal 1.3 beiiiE made to the owners of all vacant cultivable sections in the suburb to place them at the disposal of the. committee, which would look after the digging, sowing and cropping of the land, utilising the unemployed for the purpose of preparing a harvest . for those who may he in want later. No eoffeeless morning, no missed trains, no delay wiic.ll Camp Coffee is i at diand. Add boilintr water, and you liave a delicious coffee in a second — coffee tlha.t starts you for the Jay.

Nearly all the large ipapers of New Zealand havo cut down, their, sizes, due to stoppage or imcertttinjty of paper supplies. The Inspector of Stock notifies thai he will attend at Now Plymouth, tara, and Inglewc-od on days mentioned in the advertisement, for the purpose of buying remount horses for tiha Expeditionary Force. Good active horses of dark colors 5 to 10 vanfa old, and fro'a 14.2 to 15.3 in height, are. the typo of horses required. Many farmers are experiencing great difficulty in working- their farms through their employees leaving to ,ju::i the Expeditionary Force. In certain distances the managers of stations have relinquished [their positions in order to go to the front, land in some district the situation is- becoming so acute 11-at the farmers are forming! working bees and helmng each other (to till the las;!. —Wellington Times. '; The Hawera Carnival was concluded on Wednesday afternoon; when- Mrs HiConsidorable interest was taken in the election for thie Queen of the OarniVa], was ceremoniously crowned in tihe presence of a large gathering of people. -ConsMerable interest was' taken in the proceedings, 'Maoris especially entering into the spirit of the ceremoti. with plenty of enittousiaiam. They, indeed, lmd the time of the lives.—Star. Some curiosity has been expressed in the Parliamentary lobbies as* to the probable fate of the Legislative Council Keforan Bill, and it liae even, been predicted that' it will not see the Statute Book this session. In all likelihood this is a mistaken opiniorf. Thene may be members even on thie Government side of the House who would be willing to see the Bill postponed for a year, but the probabilities are all in favor of the Government making every, effort to push,, it through this year. If they did not, a great part of the elaborate and long-drawn-out procedure which toas carried the Bill to &tfe (present position might have-to be gone through a second time (says the Dominion). A total eclipse of the sun will take place on 21st August, when the central lino of totality will extend over the greater part of Europe and Asia. Scientists, therefore, will have an opportunity of studying the solar phenomena in districts that aTe comparatively easy to .reach and where investigations can be made with every possible convenience. .The zone of totality will reach the Norwegian coast at about 1) p.m., and passing across Russia, will terminate in Persia. Nearly all civilised countries have been preparing expeditions for the study of this eclipse, and a number of private expeditions have been fitted out, but probably the outbreak of hostilities in Europe will cause many of them to be abandoned.