LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 136, 2 November 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is now certain that Lord Kitchener paid a hurried visit to Paris during the period of the allies' retreat. He left London in the afternoon and arrived hack—<by some mystery of swift transport prearranged by hira—-early next morning. He saw' General Joffro and certain members of the French Geieia' fetaff.

A reward of £IOO has been offered by the Government to any person securing the conviction of the murderer of the Chinaman Wong Way Ching, who was found dead in his shop in Adelaide road, Wellington, on September 12th. At the coroner's inquest a verdict was returned that the deceased met his death through having his skull fractured from a blow from some person nknown. So far as can be learned at present the position of matters in connection

with the Waiwakaiho bridge is that there will be no toll gate and no weir. 'A'he Minister proposes that the Govern"ment 'shall contribute ■one third of the cost of ne\r foundations for the piers, the Borough and tho County each contributing one-third. This is the solution of tihe matter suggested by tho Daily Newi.

A Pittsburg "Post" interviewer asked John Philip Sousa whether tho war would not inspire some European musicians to great composition. "War," answered the composer-bandmaster, "never inspired great music. The desi ruction of man 'by man is not an inspiring thing. To raw this element of ii extractive emotion in humanity seems like a mistaken experiment of N&turc, The inspiring things are the natural, the inevitable thing* are as Nature intended tlwm to he." The Waitara Ma.il states that the

Waitar a Harbor Empowering Bill, which fives authority to raise £50,000 by special loan, practically wipes out the old liability which heretofore has been a bar to development work, and transforms the Board from a bankrupt body into one of good credit, and without going ss the ratepayers at all, there can bo raised sutiicient money to pay for an up-to-date dredge. An interesting letter is published in tba Manawatu Standard from a Marlborough sheep -owner, wiho, referring to drought conditions, says. "The drought in Marlborough is Teally appalling. I have never seen the country so dry in the driest autumn. Sheep are starving aad springs are drying, and this is October. Tin; cereal crops are coming int > ear before they are six inches high. The they tell «ne i» even worse. Othor yea'rs all my sheeip have been sold months ago but so far I have not Bold » hoof. It is really most serious. No cne remembers anything like it here: and we have been adviskl to make provision for storing our wool indefinitely, founds cheerful, doesn't it?"

Writing to a friend in New Plymouth, a Waiknto business man states that at til* time of writing, the Waikato was in a bad way owing to the absence of rain. If rain did not come soon, the outlook would bo really serious. A Short supply of produce would be inevitable. Conditions in Blenheim district are also reported to be very dry, the operations' of cereal fanners being greatly hampered. Taranaki may call itself fortunate in having rain just at the time it was needed. Reports from various parts of the district indicate that the season will be a record one both as regards price and volume of production, that it. providing the weather doe> not go back on us.

it is gratifying to know that importera in New Zeaand—and in particular those dealing in goods which hitherto have largely been manufactured in Germany—are taking advantage of the rich store of information to he obtained on all classes of manufactured £oods f ro m the British Trade Coimnisioner, Sir W. (j. VVidtham Chatting recently w itli a reporter, Sir Wickham stated that the headquarters stall' of this -branch of the English Civil Service had been doubled since the outbreak of war, and the office accommodation in Cheapsid? had been considerably extended. Should there he any merchants or importers of any class of goods which the war lias fifl'ected, they could not do better limn consult the Trade Commissioner, who is well posted on the manufactures of Great Britain.

Civil servants in New Zealand who have been accepted for service at the front have to forego their salaries and receive <mly the military pay of ther r«nk, which in most cases is much Mow •Khat they receive for their ordinary occupation. In this connection, it is interesting to note that the Imperial authorities issued early in August regulations N with respect to civil servants who have been called up for (service in •any rank as naval or army reservists (other than the ltoyal Engineers' sipecial reservist? of the postal and 'signal sections and special telegraph reserve), or a members of the territorial force. The new regulations provide that their civil post 4 will bo left open until their return from naval or military service, and that such service 'will count for civil pension and for increment of civil salary, also that all ranks will receive civil pay, from which aiMiy or navy pay and allowance, will be deducted. No distinction will be made between married and r.nm&rriftd men.

The Tole<?r.iph Department advise* tent on anil after Ist, proximo, a limited number of authorised codws may be used in cable messages to the United Kinsrdom. The codes authorised arc (1) A.B.C. (Sth edition). (2) Scott's (10th edition). (X) Western Union. (4) Lieber's. The name of, the code minist he inserted in the instructions and telegraphed, but will not he charged for. Cable mossn<rPs in private, or anv other rode not. authorised will not he aceepted. "Private supplements or numerical equivalents of phrases published in authcrised codes are not admissible. Group* or series of numbers and similar expressions (''or example, prices of stocks), are not neces?arih r admissible because they appear in code. If nncoded m<,sfsine would not have been paired, neitho--will coded meqsajre be passed. All code uicfrram's to and from the United Kingdom will he censored in that country. Private code word allowed in bank iomittance telegram will he accepted as heretofore whether such word apnear. in authorised code or not. The ?vslcm will he extended to inter-colonial meps.ices when arrangements are coanpleted.