LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 180, 8 January 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

No fewer than eight men have left from one Masterton station to do service under the flag.

Sharks of large size are reported to be numerous in Lyttclton Harbor at present. Around Akaroa also these creatures are said to be plentiful this summer. The Akaroa Mail states that Mr W. Stewart,, fishing at Akaroa Heads, caught a nine-feet shark. He was fishing for hapuka, and got the shark on bis line. He brought it to the surface and harpooned it.

Tlip following appears among tlie announcements of "Wanteds" in the columns of a Dunedin paper:—"Wanted urgently. A few hundred second-hand petticoats, or other feminine garments. l ? or tlie sturdy young (wo)men crowding our streets, cridket pitches, etc-, gray night in tlie week, looking forward eagerly to a right 'good time' at X-nias While the Old Country is calling for men, and the beggars both of Army and Navy are doing their country's work and risking their life and limb."

A well-known American picture film is responsible for the following: "The King of the Belgians has engaged fifty or more moving picture photographers to take as many views as possible cf the devastation done in Belgium, and, ■following the close of the war, the pictures are to bo exhibited all the wo'rhl over for the benefit of Belgian people. AH moneys accruing from the sale or distribution of the movies are to be distributed to the inhabitants of the different villages that have suffered most.''

Describing the bombardment of the ports on the east coast of England, a message to the Sydney Sun states that the townspeople were immensely excited. Women streamed into the streets, and their dress showed the hastiness with which they prepared their toilet. When however, the firing ceased, they quickly became calm and self-possessed again. It is declared that the authorities were early warned of the impending attack .and were thoroughly prepared to meet it. Troops were already guarding tlie const. The windows of Middlosborougii were thoroughly rattled by the cannonade. At first, it was only faint, but it rose to a rapid crescendo, and then died away. Thousands of people flocked to the pier at Rcdcar, whence a succession of flashes resembling lightning were seen to the northward. Tli.' military promptly ordered everybody into the side streets away from possible danger. The noise o 1 the guns resembled that of a heavy thun-der-storm. The haze that prevailed prevented the people from seeing what 'v happening.

The Premier of New South Wales recently had his attention directed by the Agent-General to numerous cases of wife-desertion, men emigrating from England to Australia and disregarding their family obligations. Upon receipt of Sir T. Coghlan's dispatch, police investigations were instituted in the State, and the Inspector-General reported as follows:—"As the Agent-General observes, the evil has now reached largo proportions, and with these deserting husbands and fathers, and the large number of English criminals now serving sentences here, we have some most undesirable additions to our population. It' may, therefore, be considered that the time has arrived for some action as suggested by the Agent-General to be taken." The Agent-General, in his dispatch, wrote:—"As far as I can see, the majority of these cases of desertion have been quite deliberate, the intention to desert being in the minds of these persons before leaving this country. In many cases, those individuals pose as single men, and marry Australians, thus inflicting injury and wrong upon our women." The Premier was informed that the police have traced a number of these deserting husbands, and compelled them to contribute to the support of i heir wives. The Inspector-General is of the opinion that no very great difficulty lies in the way of devising effective means to compel tho deserters to accept their responsibilities, and his representations have been sent to tho Federal Government.

Just as the old women believes her old norn to be an infallible indication of the weather, so the average fireman is convinced that the amount of damage by fire is u sure reflex of the state of commercial prosperity of a place. If a fireman's criterion is worth anything (says the Sar); Auckland should have experienced a phenomenally suscesunl year from a business point of view during tlu- twelve months just closing, for Lhe number of fires and the sniftllness lif havoc wrought probably constitute a record. Never in the recollection of Superintendent Woolley has there been a year when fires have been so few, and the resultant damage so insignificant. Up to date the estimated damage done, by fires in the city during the twelve months is only £4078, which was covered by an insurance on the buildings and contents of £175,109. The significance of these figures may be realised when it is mentioned that an average year's damage by fire in the city of Auckland is something like £30,000. Apparently, the period of immunity for serious fires goes back for more than twelve months Vnder review. During the period ending June of this year, tlie damage by Auckland's fires only totalled £s'>9(i, against _Cl7"ffo!) in Christ church. Auckland was in a unique position, for all the towns of any size and importance were afflicted by fires far more extensive than those ill flic largest city of the Dominion, (lisborne suffered £9917 damage, Dunedin, £l-'!.4.-!5. Hustings, £(1402, and Palmerston North £5383.

The circumstances under which upon advance to the peerage the, present First Lord adopted the title "Lord Fisher of kilverstone'' are interesting, writes Sir Henry Lucy in the Sydney Morning Rurald. When, (iO yean! ago, he was a midshipman, a gentleman named Vavasour visited his ship, ami interviewed the captain, with a desire to interest him in a patent recently obtained for an improvement in naval gunnery. Tlie eap■tain was unsympathetic l , not to say sceptical. The midshipmite, who chanced to lie in attendance, perceived the value of the invention, and liohlly pointed it out. He was sharply reproved for unseemly interference. But upon reflection, the captain, his eyes opened, saw the value of the new departure. lie, brought it under notice of the authorities, ami in the. end it was adopted by the Admiralty. Messrs Armstrong recognised its value, and oil creel to purchase the patent for a colossal sum. Mr Vavasour stood out for a partnership in the great concern, had it conferred upon him, and retained it until the end of his life. He never forgot the midshipmite who was the founder of his fortone. When Lord Fisher s son W'as horn, he became his godfather, bestowed upon him among other tilings, his name, and when he died, left him liis seat in Norfolk, "with a big estate and a sum. of money canmarked to build him a new mansion in keeping with its many broad acres.

IS UNEQUALLED. , Everyone should keep a reliable remedy in the home for immediate use in case of bowel trouble. Chamberlain's Colic and Diarrhoea Remedy is unequalled for this i omplaint. at the first luiu&ual looseness of the bowels the attack may he avoided. Even in the most severe and dangerous cases it has never been | known to fail. Sold by all chemists and I iioiekoepgra, ... ______

The Consolidated Revenue benefits by the sum of £BOO l-5s Od, duty payable by tlie Stratford Racing Club over the Club's New Year race meeting. _Tli e steamer Marama, which arrived in Wellington from Sydney on Wednesday, in route for San i'raneisco, experienced some very rough weather on the vo> :>,«a across the Tasman Sea-. A heavy j ,f e lasting two days, was encountered'. At the end of December the Australian noto circulation totalled £8,300,71)3 representing f1!),831,517 sterling. The gold held in tile Treasury amounted to £7,087,520, equivalent 'to 40 per cent, of the issue. . During the past year 10,540 new buildings were erected in the Sydney meti'o'politan area, costing £(i,775,54'0, compared with 0-284 new buildings, valued at £0,371,017, erected in 18137 Since tile war there lias been a heavy drop in tlie building industry. Tlie totalisator investments for the two days of the Stratford Racing Club'snieeting were about £34,000, not £30,525, as was wrongly sta'ted in our issue of Monday. The club's New Year races are now the principal event of this 'holiday, and bigger returns are sure to follow the enterprise displayed in catering for the public. 'What is stated to he a record in trout fishing so far as Canterbury is concerned has been established by three Christchureh sportsmen, Messrs' Middies'one, Drake and Bullivant. In three days' fishing in the Qpihi and Temuka rivers they landed 386 trout., all on the fly, the fish avenging one to two pounds in weight. . The Customs duties collected at New Plymouth during tlie month of December totalled £3,018 17s 3d, and the excise c.uty £9O 15s. The figures for the corresponding month of the previous year were £3973 19s Od and £9O respectively. The total receipts for the quarter just ended amounted to £l-2.301 12s 10d', as against £10,060 13s for the corresponding quarter of tlie previous year. A -Press Association message states that at a, meeting of seventy shareholders of the "proposed freezing Coinlany on Wednesday dt was reported that 7340 £5 shares had been subscribed. This was 340 in excess of 'the number required to enable tenders to be called for the erection of -woite, A site containing 82 acres 3iad been purchased at Winiata. It was unanimously decided to call tenders for the erection of works which it is expected would be in operation next season. As an instance of the good price; our fanners are receiving for their produce this season, the representative of Messrs Lovell and Christmas, Ltd., informs us that already surpluses are arriving on account of cheese shipment* (says yesterday's Hawera Star). He is to-day distributing £2400 amongs't Taranaki factories, and a further sum will arrive to-dar. These amounts are over and above the Od per lb f.o.b. already advanced. Mr J. G. Edge, of Queensland, manager for Mr Sidney Kidman, caJled 'the Australian cattle king," has been on a visit to Mr Thomas Morton*) at Hastings, for the past week. During his ( stay he has visited the stud herds at Maraekakaho, To Aute and elsewhere, and has expressed himself as being satisfied with the excellent quality of th<4 t stock he had seen. Mr Edge' left my the mail train on Tuesday morning- for Auckland, in w'hicili district he will make another round of cattle inspection, after which he will leave for his home.

Dcapite the fact that we are at war, the long journey from London to Welwhich was concluded by the White Star liner Delphic on Wednesday, was practically without incident. The Mtfither in the southern ocean was verv cold, however, for this time of the year, and the presence of huge icebergs accounted for this. On Christmas Day a jaitieularly large berg was sighted, and tne Delphic passed in close proximity to the huge mass of floating ice. This bcr<? measured 1000 ft. long, 500 ft, broad, and iOOft. jibove water. It was sighted in Lat. 47 ileg. Gmin. South and Lon" 1099 deg. 58min East.

T'iic perfect clearness of the atmosphere _at Wangahui on December 30 made it 'possible for Mr I<\ Stringer, who is in charge of the Dime Hill signal station, to "pick up" a vessel leaving V' son. Mr Stringer says his glasses tip the steaiuer distinctly "\vlicn she could not have been more than eio-ht or ten miles out of Nelson port, lie did rot at the moment realise how far awathe vessel was, and, assuming that she was pound for W'anganui, he 'ran up the usual signal indicating a. steamer in sight. However, he followed her as she steamed on her course, which, to his surprise, .proved to be towards the West Coast of the other island, and he only lost her when she disappeared round tape arc well.

_The passenger traffic through the alw Plymouth railway station, was lei-y heavy on 'Boxing Day and New (, 'U s Day, the totals lor the two dava respectively, being SGOO and 5.100 scngers. Thy figures for tlie two corresponding days of 1913 were 3540 and 4(00 passengers, making an increase for 1.114 on the two days of 2100. On the whole the holiday traffic shows a .slight increase this year.

The Defence.-Department appears to be blowing liot and cold i n the matter of icc-nuting. hirst, we hear of a, circular being issued t:> stimulate enlistment and hi tiu> next breath arc told by one of . departmental heads that recruiting IS absolutely satisfactory, and thai more men aro coming forward than arc lequireil. jf the latter is the case the ( eagerness to join the colours cannot be attributed to the methods adopted by tho Department. If men are wantedan d the Empire is certainly oallin- for uieni i/lien those m power should be able to make arrangements for medical examination of candidates at centres than a couple of hundred Miles apart. But a« yet the would-be jcidlor is put to mucin, expense and inconvenience. A case lias been brought under our notice in which Gils Venn, well Known as the champion boxer in the •rung country, wished to be enrolled as a member of the New Zealand expeditionary force. Venn i s a man of line physique, as can be imagined from tli,. fact that recently, in fighting a nntch at Taumarunui' against Cook.' of Clriste.hurcn, lie kept at his man f ur the last ten rounds with a dislocated shoulder. Upon his application being sent m he was instructed to present himself for mcdicii] examination at Hamilton, a hundred miles from his abode in Taunrnmniii, or at Taihape a hundred miles away i„ the other directs.; despite the fact that there were many duly qualified resident medical men within easy reach, and, of course he had to pay his own expenses to and fi o. Complaint is made also of the astioli of the Government in declining to issue free railway passes to men of"the expeditionary force who hare obtained leave m order to visit their parents before leaving for the front.