LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 203, 4 February 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A number of unemployed married men are being sent from Napier to road works in the Gisborne district. An epidemic of diphtheria has broken out in Waitara. This, says the local Mail, should bring home- the need of better sanitary methods than exist at present, particularly in respect to getting rid of refuse, and the construction of sewers. Mr. R. Limmer, of Waitara, whilst 'skidding" down th« ice on Mt. Egmont on Sunday slid down about 25 yards at lighting speed, struck a boulder, and bounded soma feet into the air. He wag bruised and severely shaken. Some good burns have been secured in the district this season (states Friday's Ohura Advocate). We are now experiencing a spell of hot weather; the country is full of the smoke from bush fires, but feed continues good throughout the Ohura as the result of a steady downpour of rain which occurred a few nights ago. Tho unworkableness and unreliability of the Patea port is causing a good deal of anxiety to the shippers, particularly where cheese, is concerned. It is stated (writes the Wanganui Chronicle) that fully 200 crates of cheese were lying at Waverley last week, owing to the difficulty of getting the produce away from Patea, and also tha aggregation of cheese at the stores. Rain fell on twelve days at Inglewood during January, the greatest falls being on the oth (I.Bflin). 22nd, (1.32 in), and 24th (USin.). The other days on which rain fell were: sth (.Glin.j, 6th (.24in.), 7th (.Olin.), 13th (,25in.), 14th (.Olin.), 18th (,31in.), 21st (.72in.), 23rd (0.12 in), and 31st (.Olin.) The total rainfall for the month was 6.62 inches, as compared with Stratford 4.61 inches. The Hon. J. /Allen, Minister for Education, says that one of his first duties when he returns to Wellington from the south will be to appoint Commissioners to settle the boundaries of the education districts. The Government appointments to the Council of Education will also have to be made shortly. He has already offered Government appointments on high school boards to certain gentlemen. IThe 7.20 train from Hawera arrived considerably behind time on Tuesday morning—at 9.40, instead of 8.40. It seems quite possible that in the near future sleeping carriages will be required on our Taranaki trains! Enquiries elicited the information that nothing had gone wrong, which is not altogether consoling. If a train takes over two hours to travel the eighteen miles from Hawera, passengers may well congratulate themselves upon going through a trial the like of which Job never en«ountered Stratford Post. Am extraordinary dust storm passed over parts of New South Wales on Thursday of last week. A report from West Wyalong states that total darkness prevailed for 15 minutes, with white objects invisible at six inches distance. As the storm approached clouds of dust rolled like smoke from a huge fire. Hundreds of terror-stricken birds; were driven in mad flight in front of it,' the apparently exhausted ones disappearing in the darkness For over half an hour traffic was stopped. The remnants of the dust cloud floated in the air till after midnight. It was expected rain would follow, but it did not. According to the Wairarapa Age, a Masterton resident had an unpleasant experience in Wellington a few days ago. Ho had left his room in an hotel for the bathroom, and on bis return he discovered that his watch, chain, and sovereign-case containing several sovereigns, together with all the silver in his pockets, had disappeared. The only coin left was a solitary penny. He communicated with the police, and detectives were soon at work, but no trace of tnc missing articles could be found lAlthough the emigration from Great Britain of men eligible to fight has been rohibited, work in the New Zealnad Immigration Department is by no means at a standstill. There are many separated relatives anxious to rejoin those who have already settled in the Dominion, and these are being catered for. The. Coiiiithic, which arrived at Wellington on Tuesday, brought 10(1 assisted immigrants, and of this number 68 came under the heading of "separated relatives." Thirty-eight were domestic servants who have come out under special arrangement with the British Women's Immigration Soctty. All the newcomers have positions to go to, and there is said to be room for several hundred more. RHEUMATISM. Dr. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment removes more cases of rheumatism every year than all the. so-called rheumatism medicines combined. It will penetrate '. to your very bones, and soothe and subdue the pain. The first application will \ relieve, and c.mtinumis use will bring about marvellous results. Price, Is 6<j i and 3s. Obtainable everywhere. /

Quite recently 9,136 sbeep were put through in on<3 working day at the Gear Co.'s slaughter works, ketone. The election petition agaiusfc the rc--turn of Mr W. T. Jennings a* the men. fcer of Parliament fo. - Taumaruiuii will be heard, beginning at 10.30 ajn., on Monday, February 22nd, in the Tau marunui Courthouse. There are fetes and fetes. The finest example of one which Taranaki lias yet seen will take place in beautiful Puke■fcura Park to-day; and it is for a fine cause —to aid the poor of Belgium and Great Britain. Every patriotic person will therefore make an effort to attend. A big sutifwh came ashore at the Horse She Bend, near Paritutu, yesterday, and caused quite a little excitement at Mbturoa. A moderate estimate puts the weigh of the monster at over a ton. The fish measures «ft oin from tip to tail, and from the tip of the dorsal fin to the tip of the under fin it measures Oft. The body is 2ft Oin through. A Wellington telegram states that Mr Massey says the Government is still making every effort to obtain sufficient refrigerated steamers to enable producers to get consignments away by the end of the season. With regard to vessels in a berth, or likely to be, the Government asks harbour boards to expedite matters by working overtime and providing facilities. Absolutely nothing is being left undone. Following is a record of the destination of those who passed Standard VI. •at the end of tlie "year and left the Central School:—Going to the New Plymouth High School. 12 hovs, 9 girls; Nelson College, 1 girl. Technical College, 4 hoys, 10 girls; home duties, 3 girls; bank, 1 boy; Post Office, 1; farming. 3 stop. 4 boys; dressmaker. 1 srirl. Total, 25 hoys, 24 girls. A settler from the out-back called at a country newspaper office last week—his business to pay an account. "You look pleased with yourself this morning," said the man behind the counter. "Yes," he said (and his face beamed). "1 have just received word that my wool realised Is per lb at the Wellington sale. Is that not enough to make one feel pleased with himself?" In further conversation he stated that not many years back he realised 2>/ 2 d per lb for his wool, and had to curt it in from Hauni, In later years, he said, he received Od, and it was then he began to realise that there was something in shcepfarming. When he received 9d, it made him feci someone was being taken down, and his conscience pricked him. But to receive Is, well, his feelings were beyond expression. The. feeling is growing (says the London Daily Mail) in many circles that we arc about to witness a marked revival of general business. One sure sign of this is the increase of advertising now to be seen in our newspapers. A great deal of money is being spent throughout the country, particularly a large part of the Government War Loan. So far from there being a general shortage of cash, there is rather an extra supply in many parts. Wars as a rule lead to depression of trade. This war is likely to be an exception, because it will open out fresh markets for us in all directions. The vast shipping trade of Germany has gone, and we are practically the only nation that can do this carrying work on a sufficiently largo scale. The world is clamoring for us to give all the goods which yesterday came from Germany. We are making fresh trades. Wc are expanding old ones.

The quantities of kauri gum being shipped weekly from the Northern Wairoa, it is estimated, do not exceed three tons, whereas prior to the war 30 tons were so handled. The average weekly quantity dug approximates eight tons, but, owing to the depressed state of the market, eountry buyers are chary of purchasing more than is necessary to liquidate the indebtedness of diggers for food supplies. At the same time, the regular diggers, amongst whom are some 300 Croatians, do not appear over anxious to sell, and are storing their gum on the fields, being satisfied that at the conclusion of the war all grades of the material will command higher rates than those which have ruled hitherto. Regarding wool sales in Wellington, the New Zealand Times says: "There is no doubt that the atmosphere was' electrical when the brokers assembled. The bidding was most spirited throughout, and the prices bordered on the sensational. Never before have so many lots been sold at 12d per lb, and the substantial all-round rise was something of a revelation, except to those closely in touch with the British manufacturing centres. December prices were good enough, but now there is a general rise of at least l'/ 2 d per lb. The advances on the rates then realised may be classified as follow: Superior crossbred lVad to 1%(!, medium crossbred l%d to 2d, cfarjo crossbred l%d to 2d, inferior crossbred Id to l'/id, lambs' wool Id to P/td, pieces and locks (crossbred) Id to IVid.

Writing to Ills 'parents in New Plymouth, a member of tlie Expeditionary Iwce now in Egypt appears to have been greatly impressed with the size of Cairo and the magnitude of its buildings, especially th e Cathedral. Referring to the prisoners frcm the Emden, some of vhoni were placed on his s'lup, he states that they had no idea they were so close to the transports or they would have "come at them in the night." Over 200 of them- were killed in the action, and when captured the survivon were so dazed that they could hardly move. He considers that the trip through t&e Canal was an education in itself, but impossible to describe, the scene at night, when the searchlights ave operating, being very grand. Gurkhas and British were guarding the whole line of the Canal. At Alexandria there were over 100 ships in the harbour. He found the temperature very high during the day, and low at night, but expected to soon get acclimatised. Last year New Plymouth and Stratford commercial men descended on to Ohura. They were warmly welcomed, and, apart from the commercial possibilities opened up, the trip was most enjoyable, owing to the great hospitality everywhere experienced. The return visit is to be paid this week. The advance party of the Ohura holiday-makers will compete at the Taranaki Rifle Association's meeting to-day and to-mor-row, and the remainder will probably arrive to-morrow. IThe Taranaki Chamber of Commerce has arranged to send motor-ears to meet them at Kotare, t» bring them to town, and will also' let to their entertainment while here. They; will be taken to the harbor, freezing works, oil works, and probably to the mountain and other places, and also be given a dinner, probably on Tuesday evening next.