LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 214, 17 February 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Australian mails, via Auckland, will arrive here to-night.-About fifteen Stratford men left by the mail train yesterday morning for the Tre.ntb.aia camp. Land agents' licenses were granted to Newton King and Eustacius Griffiths by Mr A. Orooke. S.M., at the Magistrate's Court .yesterday. The following amounts ar o to be paid out on the 20th inst. by dairy- factories in the Stratford district: Ngaere £3335. Lowgarth £2079, Cardiff £2352, Stratford £10,103. It is reported that a narrow seam of coal htjfs been found in papa rock formation within two miles-of Taumartmui. The coal is said to be hard and bright. and to burn rcadily i During the week (states the Ohura Advocate) surveyors have been pegging cut sites on tut Government reserve facing main street, Ohura Those, sections are earmarked for police station and other public buildings as required. Then was a very short sitting 0 t the Magistrate's Court for civil business yesterday. Mr. A*. Crooke, S.M., presided, and g-av c judgment for plaintiff by defa-Ut i" this undefended ease ot Hallenstein Brc3. (Mr. D. Hutchenl v. W. 11. ileppell, junr., claim £1 7s Bd, and ccsts 7s. A combine! m-i>.',ng of the Loyal Egmbnt and Loyal Excelsior, Lodges, 1.0.0. F., M.U., was held last night to receive a visit from tilm visiting officers: I'rov. G. M. Bro. A. Melville (Kaponga), D.P.U.M. Bro. E. H Beilringer, aud I'rov. C S. Bro. C. E. Bellrmger. The usual honors were accorded the visitors. Subsequently they-were entertained at Clipper by the local lodges. A recent visitor to tho Whangam'omona district who is in the habit of making periodical trips through that country, state's that there are fewer men at work on the railway extension than he has ever known for the past eight years He was also informed that the progress made during the past three jears had not been anything approaching that made during the previous years-Post.

Forty-six years last Saturday (February 13, ISO!)) the Rev John Whitelcy, Lieutenant Gaseoyne, wife and chilli, and Messrs. Milne and Richards, were massacred by Maoris at Pukearulie. It was on a Saturday evening that -the sad affair took place, but it was not until late the following Monday that the lews readied New Plymouth, and the holies were not recovered until Wednesday. The rescue party went to the Scene by steamer, but walked back, reaching New Plymouth on Thursday •ifte-rnoo-y February IS. The directors ot v!.-: Ha-vera Winter Show Company met last n'.[,-'.t there being present: M.-ssrs D. J." Goouwl?: tprciiding), Page. Barleyman, and Hooker. The directors reviewed the .-chodule, the prinihial i/isincss being in connection with the dairy section, 'and it was decided to invite d.iirv factory maiiage |, s to a conference in c'awera on ■Saturday to take the matter irto consideration. It was reported that r permit, fo r the art union had been obtan-.d, and that already several applications ler ;] -ice had been received.

Mr A. Campbell, an enthusiastic Auckland fisherman, who is at present at Russel], caught with rod and line a swordlish weighing 2331b5. A largo bush fire occurred in the Ngaero swamp in the vicinity of Mata last week, but on Sunday a combined effort by the settlers succeeded in subduing tin; llames. —Argus. Two libel actions will be brought before the forthcoming sittings of lie Supreme Court at Cliristchurch. Sai.i.iel. Kraetzor, the well-known racecourse detective, is suing the Lyttcltoii Times for £101)0, and C. J. Jennings, Mayor of Rangiora, is suing the Cliristchurch Sun for £1I)!W. An Auckland commercial gentleman, who has just returned from a six weeks' business trip 'through tlfc Dominion, when oliatting with a representative of the Auckland Star on Saturday morning, said that right throughout tile South Island, as well as the north of Xew Zealand, there is a feeling of optimism that augurs well for the future. "The only ones who, to my mind, are mil playing the game, are some really wealthy people, who seem inclined to hang on to their money on account of the war. This, to my mind, is a great mistake. If they would only act us if r.o war was in progress, it would tend greatly towards restoring trade to normal conditions." A collision took place at the DawsonPowderham street- comer yesterday afternoon between a motor-cycle and a motor-car. The cyclist was thrown to the ground, but fortunately escaped injury. The front wheel of Ihis ;cyele wa9 considerably buckled, and the bonnet of the motor-car was somewhat bent. It must have been the motor cyclist's lucky or unlucky day, because earlier in the day h e had come in collision with an ordinary cycle, the riders of both coming to the ground. The motor cyclist escaped injury, whilst the cvclist bruised his hands.

It is expected that there will be u record gathering of the Masonic fraternity in. New Plymouth to-morrow, the occasion of the celebration of the jubilee of Do Burgh Adams Lodge, I.C. Visiting 1 brethren are expected from all paTts of the North Island, by train and boat, the timetaible of the Rarawa, from, Auckland, having ibeen altered to suit- The celebrations will take the furfh of a garden party at "Aotea," which is now looking at its 'host, and to this all local and visiting Mason's, with their families, are invited. In the evening the Lodge will meet in the Thatre Royal.

A Frenchman, writing to a friend in England, passes on information received from a nephew who is at the front, and says:—-"His last letter described the admirable way in which the British were fighting close to him. Their coolness and patience in the face of enormous losses were, he said, beyond praise. This is in keeping with what we hear from all sides. Also their manners, 'gaite' and fertility of resource. A bond is being created between Franco and England such as never existed between two countries in the history of the world."

At the last meeting of the New Plymouth brancli of the W.C.T.U., the officers for the year were Appointed as follows: —Mrs Douglas, president, pro tern; Mrs Skitrop, secretary; Mrs W. Bruce, recording secretary; Miss Tauat, treasurer. It was decided to hold a sale on Willard day, to be kept on February 24th, the usual moetin" day of the union. The reports of the year's work showed that steady progress had been made in adult membership, and in addin* to the. Little White Ribboners' List. A hearty vote of thanks was tendered to Miss Ambury for her valuable help for the last ten years as secretary.

Moturoa Lodge, U.A.0.D., No. 1!), held their quarterly summoned meeting last evening in the lodge room, Robe street, when A.D. Bro. W. S. Gilbert presided over a very fair attendance of members. Quite a lively interest was taken in the report of the recent meeting of the Taranaki Friendly Societies held at Stratford, which was given by one of. the delegates, V.A. Bro. Nicoll. The bards* report on the sick being favorable sick pay was passed and also several accounts; The ballot proving unanimous one new member was initiated m\o tlie order. After the usual business the lodge wont into Harmony, when P.A. Bro. V. Allen gave a number or very fine selections on his gramophone, after which the members adjourned for refreshments.

Pro-Germans, who are continually asserting that there is no truth in the reports of German atrocities, should per, use the following and then confess that they know absolutely nothing about the sHb.jeet:—"Writing to friends at Otaki, Nurse Lewis (late of Otaki), who Ims been helping in military hospitals, ambulance ships, etc., in the Old Country speaks most feelingly of the horrors of war. 'Only las't week,' she writes, 'I held in my arms a Belgian baby only te n months old with both ears and hands cut off. Another wee girl, of four years, had both hands cut off, and kept saying. 'When will my hands grow?' Sucli sights as these bring home forcibly the brutality of the enemy." Were Krupp's works to be crippled more than half the battle would be won. That the Allies are quite alive to the importance of this fact is revealed in the report that the dauntless British aviator who. Hew over Dusseldorf was very near the works. Two thousand trucks and over fifty locomotives rush along these tracks daily convoying Germany's guns, armor-plates, ammunition, and shells to.German garrisons, forts, and harbors. Six thousand tons of coal, coke, and briquettes are poured daily into the huge creature's rapacious jaws. One and a quarter million tons of' fuel are required annually to appease its insatiable appetite. Twenty million cubic metres of water, or more than the 450,000 inhabitants of Cologne consume yearly, are used in the works.

Lord Charles Beresford, at a recruiting meeting in England, said.—"The 'old touch of our Navy that we have seen lately—the brilliant action of Sir Frederick Slurdee—has cleared the air, and perhaps we shall hear a little less of these questions, 'What is the navy doing?' and 'Why doesn't the navy do something?' The navy has done everything it could. It is out of sight, but 'it is not out of mind. The action off the Falkland Islands is proof of a vervsound strategy and brilliant tactics. It is not a good argument to say that if th e Government want men they can compel them to join. Our old country had been defended and our Empire made by the volunteer system. We always used to say that one volunteer was worth three pressed men, and I think so :'o\v. I hope there will be no necessity for eo.vrulsion of any kind. If the men really under*..:. <:•! the question they will come forward. 1 '-ope that when the Allies cross the Rhine \'"v will 'Wow Krupp to the moon.' When .'- have found who are the office-- .:sponsible for the inhuman --...rdcrs of tincivil population -.. Belgium, We shall have to that these officers ere i taken t - tlie scene of their atrocities ~nd '-nng on the jib."

Mr. Edison's declaration that he will reconstruct "to-morrow" his huge plant at West Orange, which has been' destroyed by lire, exemplifies the dauntless energy that has characterised .him ] through life. Not only does he himself work far more hours- out of the twentyfour than most people, hut he has set on record his conviction that "the future man will spend less time in bed." "Sleep is an absurdity, a bad habit," he declares, and in' a million years' from now mankind will not go to bed at all. In support/ of his theory Mr. Edison recently instanced an experience in his own factory. He and some assistants were at work on a phonograph improvement, and for five weeks they worked for 150 hours a week, or over 21 hours a day. So far from feeling any bad effects the result was that the whole "insomnia squad," as they were nicknamed in the works, put on weight.

Some startling figures emphasising the need for recruiting to make up "wastage" in th e battle line of our army were given by Lord Crawford at a recruiting meeting at Openshaw, Lancashire. Lord Crawford said that.the urgent necessity for more men to strengthen the forces at the front was realised when it was considered that every 24 hours since the British Army was first engaged on the Continent our losses in killed, wounded, and prisoners had numbered on the average 800. Our Allies had probably lost 8000 a day, and in a few days the French Army lost as many men as Great Britain did in the Boer war. Yet our interests were as great as and' in many ways greater than those of the Allies, for it had become increasingly plain that the final objective of the Germans was this country. That being so our danger was greater. Our duty was to rely upon ourselves to see the war through to a successful end. (Cheers.)

Back in 1902, states the Now Zealand Trade Review," our imports oi! boots and Bhoes from the United States of America reached, large proportions, and it appeared likely that the bulk of this trade might be captured by that country. At that time there was a great deal of talk about the conservative British who would not study local requirements. However, since that time our trade has. gradually gone back to the Mother Country until now her share of it is over 00 per cent. It comes a little as a surprise, however, to learn that English boots are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Except in the more expensive qualities, England has had little opportunity of competing in the American markets of late, but tl'e recent cancellation of all import duties on boots and shoes is gradually effecting a decided change.,lt is considered that a representation of this industry at the Panama Exposition is justified by the fact that boots made upon the lasts that have proved popular in the States during the past few years are being sold in large quantities at a price that would yield the British manulacturer a good profit . ,

There is a certain amount of business romance attached to the return of Mr. P. Suisted and his wife to the Dominion' by the Corinthic, which arrived at Wellington tiie other day. Mr. Suisted is a son of Mr. F. Suisted, of Wanganui, and some years ago he was one of a group of boys of good standing whose passion for the sea led their parents to place them on board the Weathersfield for the first period of training tor a marine occupation, probably with the secret hope that they would get a "sickener" on the one trip. But it was not to be, and young Suisted, with a determination worthy of all praise, stuck to the sea until he had qualified for the position of first officer. Eventually, he got into the service of the New Zealand Shipping Company, his first chance being on the Paparoa. For some years be traded backwards and forwards between New Zealand and England and utilised his spart time on board in perfecting an invention for loading coal into ships in large quantities at a small working cost. It was an ambitious scheme, but colonials are not easily daunted, and eventually he applied for leave to endeavor to float his invention on the Homo mark6t. An idea of the magnitude of the task may be gained from th fact that the machine costs about £IO,OOO to construct. He tried every source known to him, but was so discouraged that he had made up his mind to return to the sea, when he met a friend ho had made during his sea life and was given introductions to the right people. The money was forthcoming, a company floated, and the first machine 'constructed. It worked very well, fully coming up to the anticipations of its owners, but owing to some carelessness in working, ,the machine was capsized and badly damaged. However, more capital was provided and another machine constructed. Mr. Suisted was managing director of the company, and, of course, shared in its prosperity. He could not get over his affection for his old home, however, and. recently sold out his interests at a substantial figure and brought his English wife back with him. —Feilding Star.