LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 168, 22 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will he no issue of the Taranalu Daily News on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

As an illustration of how keenly voters were hunted up in Grey Lynn 'electorate, it may be mentioned (says the Auckland Star) that at one booth a wo man who was both paralysed and blind was brought up to record her vote.

There has been a splendid respond to the patriotic funds in Wanganui, th; amount being well over .€IO,OOO. A pleasing feature has been the number of school children who have devoted the value of their prizes to the Belgian Fund.

News has been received of the death of Major Ilobert Masefield, lung's Shropshire L.T., who was killed in action on October 24. Major Masefield, who was 42 years of age, was the eldest son of Mr Valentine Masefield, of Akaroa, New Zealand, and husband of Esmc Masefleld, Woodbury, South Devon. What appears to be a discovery ol ;;reat importance—the soldering of aluminium to itself or any other materia' —has been made by Mr W. Overend, a resident of Auckland, and some specimens of his work, shown to one of the Auckland Star staff, appears to bear out all the inventor claims for it. The possibility of obtaining a solder for aliniinium has been one of the problems of scientists, and if Mr Oven-mi's discovery will meet, their requirements, it is no doubt one of great value.

A characteristic cartoon appears in Punch. Tn a trench hip-deep in wate: stands a soldier who lias seen active service. A new arrival approaches Mm on his knees, knapsack on shoulder, to hide himself from the enemy, and the followin;,' dialogue takes place,: New arrival Auckland Star stall', appear to hear at (he front: "Well, you lav down in this water, and you get peppered all night ; end day, and you have the time, of your' life." New arrival: "It sounds like a, \ bit of alright. I'm on it." > Writes "Petrograd" to a. Melbourne i paper: A naturalised German who vrorka | with me got a letter from his mother in I Saxony last week, and he allowed me to read several passages in it. In one, , his old mother says: Both Paul and Ileinrieli are at the front, and we ha\e

had no word from them for weeks, though we expected they would wire from Paris or London. The dear God knows what the end will be with all tin! world against us and every factory in this district closed. Your father an 1 T have no iiope, no means, and are facing starvation. Those who get one meal a day are well oil', and what we are gonig through, I cannot tell you, God jurse the. day our Kaiser joined hands with the liapsburg race and went to war with the Kuglishers. No fewer than sixteen oliicors have already signed oil' the Union Steamship Company's steamers in order to volunteer for active service with the Allies against Germany and Austria. On Monday, live oliicers, including Mr L. \V Hell (third < ili.vr of the Waipori), !U>1). O'llara (third oflieer of the Kauri; : Mr H. K. Parker (third ollieer of the Karori), and Mr A. H. Langlands (third officer of the Mokoia), were all granted leave of absence to join the expeditionary forces, and arrangements have been made by the Union Company to allow them to resume their sen-going occupation on their return from the seat of war. I

YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND That by using the commercial eucalyptus oil, which is now bought at (Id per lb. weight and bottled, and on account of the large profit pushed, you are osing yourself to all the dangers to •which the use of turpentine will expose you—irritation of the kidneys, intestinal tracts and mucous membrane. Bv insisting on the GENUINE SANDER'S EUCALYPTI EXTRACT, you not only moid these pitfalls, but you have a stimulating, safe and effective medicament, the result of a special and careful manufacture. A trial will at once convince. Quality in a sinall dose distinguishes it from the bulky and dangerous products. Remember: SANDER'S EXTRACT embodies the result of SO years' experience and of special study i and it does as promised; It heals and "u-es without injuring the constitution, the oils on tjie market frequently do. I j nerefore, protect yourself by rejecting ' other brands. SANDER'S EXTRACT possoses curative properties peculiarly 1 'ta own, and can be used with perfect' e ty internally and (externally. '

The price of sugar is further advanced to-day by las a ton.

The Telegraph Department notifies that the traflie on the wires on the 24th inst. will be extremely heavy, and recommends the public to lodge their Christmas greetings telegrams on the 3rd inst. at latest, to ensure delivery on Christmas Eve.

John Olive S'harland, a chemist, and "Veitch and Alhuili retailers, were both convicted in the 'Magistrate's Court at Wellington yesterday of selling paraflin oil Which wa s below the standard. The department did not appl'v for a peualtv, desiring that the case merely act as a warning.

A young man named \V. Kussell sustained a nastv accident yesterday while assisting to unload poles for the electric light departmenl, at the railway yard, A pole was being lifted per medium of a crane on !<■ a waggon, when one end ■ .lipped from the railway truck and came 'down on Russell's foot, crushing it severely.

The prize distribution in connection with the Anglican Sunday School at \ogeltoivn took place on Sunday afternoon. There was a large attendance of parents and friends, and tin; prizes were distributed by Mr S. W. Shaw. 'Each pupil received a prize. Mrs 5a bb and -Mrs Neal were presented with a Bible and Hymn Book respectively on behalf of the scholars of the school."

The Borough office stuff have had a very busy time during \hn last few days. To-day is the last occasion on which rates can be paid without a penalty, a fine of 10 per cent, being imposed on all rates paid after 22nd December. It behoves ratepayers who have not yet made their compulsory contribution to the Borough finances to hurry if they would save their extra shekels.

Jacob Thomas Willnde, described aa an elder and an evangelist, was charged' in the Wellington Magistral e's Court [ yesterday on three informations concerning the distribution of an indecent' document which referred to the ravages 1 of venereal diseases. He was convicted and fined £5 on each charge. The | Magistrate commented that it was not) the duty of anj' religious sect to impart such knowledge and it should he left to others who knew move about the matter.' i

Tlio Servians' success against the Ar.striaiis seems to have been as cojnpi.-to as tins success the West End picnic is going to be on Boxing Day. Apart from the undoubted holiday attractions of the park.itself, there will be a great programme of athletic events for the children and for adults, various competitions and trials of skill, refreshments, bathing, and so on. The West End beach park is only about three minutes' walk from railway station.

The men who are daily arriving in camp at Trentham to join "the reinforcement draft are of a fine stamp. A considerable number have arrived by ordinary and special trains (luring the pan, few days, including forty-i'ive from the King Country, twenty-five from Martot., and 100 from the Manawatu distn:;. The men appear to be very eager for the work, and as the train conveying them to camp stopped ab the various stations en route, the men were encouraged by the hearty cheers of the public who assembled o u the station platforms to cheer them on their way.

The Pukiikura Park Board is at present constructing a path which will be a great addition to the grounds. Starting by the triangular belt of native trees about eighty yards from the kiosk, it winds over tlu> heights overlooking the racecourse, zig-zagging around the tops o£ the bills aibout the sports ground. The now path, which has been laid oil' byMr S. Percy Smith, and is already partly made, will be completed shortly after tJie Christmas holidays, and will open up some of the finest native bush in the Park, and will be mudli appreciated by lovers of the Park. The Park ought to look very well next year. The curator, Mr W. W. Smith, (has been promised from two sources a great supply of bulbs for autumn planting, and intends to plant these on lite hillsides surrounding the lake.

ilr T. G. Pemberton, of the stall' of thu Otago Daily Times, who is at present on leave of absence, has taken up Roil Cross work in France. The organisation to which he has boon attached was originally under the auspices of the. 'Anglo-French hospitals at d'tiris and Limoges. 'J'iie movement has grown considerably, and is now in the hands of a special committee acting under the control of the British Red Cross. Under the new regime a hospital lias been established at Calais, and preparations are being made for others in the north of France and near the lighting line. Mr IVmberton's special mission is to conduct the hospital supplies and medical stores from London to the various base hospitals in France, and to generally supervise the transport arrangements.

A sleeping-car of iie-.v. design for use '■ on the .North Island Main Trunk railway | lias just been built at the l'ctone work--1 shops.. It is the sajne size all over as ' the ordinary express eoacli for the .New ■ Zealand railways, but a saving in space • is made by the absorption into the cov--1 ered part of the ear of the space usually : taken up by end platforms. The earJ nage will always have to be entered 1 from the platform of an adjoining one. 1 This lias made possible greater comfort in. the aceominodalion for passengers. Instead of four four-berth and two twoberth cabins, this car has live two-berth four four-berth cabins, and the twoi' berih cabins, which,, in tile old style coach, are too narrow to allow fullgrown persons to take easy postures when sitting up in tile daytime, are quite a foot wider, and of a very com. forta-blo size. This carriage is lit tkroughout by electric light, for which the current is supplied from a dvnamo, driven Iroin the axle of one of the bogies, and storage batteries will suffice to keep tnu carriage lighted for 50 or liO hours after tlie dynamo stops, if necessary. Several other minor improvements' make generally for greater comfort or greatc cleanliness, where such improvement were most desirable.

■tin: tune is fast approaching when it "•ill ho necessary to mate one's arrangements for tin; Christinas and New set apart for 1 and old friends. New Year's Bay, however, does not appear to have any ancient or historical method of celebrating it, but tikis year there will be special occasion at the Breakwater ~..., r name(l tllo <rp cast of ( . ea _ cut." It is a monster day for the children, who are admitted free to frisk and frolic in the bountiful sands of the Ngamotu beach. NO COUGHING AT NIGHT. When Dr. Sheldon's New Discovery has been taken before bedtime, but a deep, refreshing sleep to fit you for another day's work. Price, 1§ 6d and 3a, pjj. totaable everjTrtjere, ■;«.>>,:>

A sharp shock of earthquake was felt last night at haif past nine o'clock.

The Government has decided that all public service and teachers' pensions are to be paid on December 24th.

There will be no mail from Wailara to Awakino, or vice versa, on Christinas Day or N'cw Year's Day. On these days .Messrs George and Johnson will not. run their usual motor car or coach service.

-Mr .1. li. Jline, member for Stratford electorate, wired the Premier re shortage of Hour, and has received a reply '.-.fating tin;, ten tons will be delivered in Stratford, and a similar amount in 'Jnglewood, during this week.

Quito a deal of interest cen'.red round the £SO chop in Stratford on Saturday. The lirst log was the 12-iueh, and this Sl.'ewry, of Tahora, jumped through in 39 seconds, which was fair time for ilia timber, I'eeh, the Australian champion, V-Mlting a few blows to put his through. The 15-inch was through in I.U by I: he wry, and in this Pech had decidedly hard luck, lie won the toss (his only pick) and when going well—in fact it promised hi he the best go—-lie struck a knot in the lirst scarf, which cost him the event. Tile opinion that Pech would come out winner in the 18-inch was general, but Shewry also landed it in 1.58, the best time of the three chops. ' The timber was not the best, and the /times were necessarily slow. Mr G. ['Hunter was timekeeper.—Post.

. Chatting to a Stratford Evening Post reporter, Mr \V. L. Kennedy stated that two days before leaving England for New Zealand, on the 21st October to be precise, he visited the Islington Winter Dairy Show. The dairy exhibits from Australia and south Africa were very fine, but he had inquired in vain for anything from New. Zealand, Of course, said Mr Kennedy, it was a bit

j early for our butter, but there might have been cheese ami other dairy 'produce exhibited—ami also our milking na- [ chines, which are easily ahead of anything of thei.- kiml in the world, lint I lie; here, as everywhere, New Zealand ' is not advertised, and even New Zealand 'cheese ia being sold in shops as Cana|*dian. 1 Writes tlie ingl'ewood llecord on the 'subject of the introduction of the blaciI berry into Xaiuualu:—in tlio spring of j ISUU writer purchased a do,;eu -* n.w.can

llackbe'Ty planUs oil a landscape gardener named Henry, then resident in }\ew Plymouth, for which lie paid the ; sum of thirty shillings, or hali-a-crowu fa plant, .Few to-day would he inclined | to give halt-a-erown a plant for biackI hemes. The plants remained in the garden for six years and did not .sihow the slightest inclination to take command. The particular portion of the garden where these plants grew, iiowevcr, was wauled for the erection of .1 wash-house and they were dug up and 'biunt with other garden ruuliish, ..ot li.ivnig proved "lill baskets" in fruit yield, and no further sign of blackberry .was ever seen there. Willi regard ta the .Scotch thistle; a;, the time larnn.rs had to employ volunteer companies to cut thistles, in order to comply with the .Acts mentioned (when half the men cut thistles and the other half remained under arms on the Jiill tops and other lohvts of vantage to 'prevent hostile surprise), Mr J? .U. Gledliill, then the only auctioneer in Mow (Plymouth, was purchasing Scotch thistle seed, when ho could possibly get any, for shipment to Napier, where the land-owners had learned, or knew, a thing or two more liu'i tin iiembei's of the Taranaki Provincial Council.

| A private let:or received in Manai.i during the week describes Mr J. Duncan, : formerly ;i business resident there, and I now a member of the Expeditionary Force, as the central figure in a sanl.guinary encounter on board one of the ' troopships in Wellington harbour. On I the troopship were a number of Chinai men. employed in various capacities, who i were refused shore leave, and in order ! to prevent them breaking through the 1 i-ioliibiiion, Jim Duncan was posted as Ij sinlry on the gangway with instructions ':' not to allow them ashore. In Ihe 'afternoon a mob of infuriated Chows i' made a da-h at th,. gangway, but were | blocked by the sentry. A fight fol- ' lowed, in which revolvers were freely '' Ur-od by the Chinamen, and a lieutenant i' i-arrowly escaped being shot. In the i light- Duncan freely used the butt end of j'his rille, disabling two or three of the I mutineers, one of whom, ad the result ]' of his injuries, lias since died in lios- '_ qiital. Another Chinaman had part oi: 'his scalp shot oil' by one of his friends. Eventually the row was quelled and the Chinamen were driven to their I'liuirters.