The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1915. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 232, 10 March 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1915. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A liuirangi farmer has just disposed of ten tons of oaten sheaf chaff at the satisfactory price of £6 10s per ton on the railway trucks.

For the convenience of country people the Stratford Hospital and Charitable Aid Board lias decided to make Tuesday afternoon, from 1.30 to 4 o'clock, a visiting day, in addition to Thursdays and Sundays, as at present. A Gazette extraordinary issued yesterday contains an Order-in-Council prohibiting the export of veal and rabbits, except to the United Kingdom or other specified places in a specified vessel. — l'ress Association. the Methodist Conference decided that a week of self-denial be observed throughout the church during the first week in July, so as to fall into line with Australia, the proceeds to go for foreign missions, in order to wipe out the deficit of last year. 'Mr. 11. Andrews, manager of the 'Kelty Road Creamery, met with a paiflful accident on Monday afternoon, writes our liuirangi correspondent. In examining the pump, which was not working satisfactorily, his hand got caught in the plunger, part of one finger being taken off and the others badly crushed. He was brought into New Plymouth by 'Mr. Roberts, manager oF tlie Leppcrton Dairy Factory for medical treatment. The attention of importers is directed to an amendment of the regulations under the War Regulations Act, 11)14. Clause 13 in the regulations gazetted on January 20 defines goods exempted from t'le requirement of a certificate of origin, one of the exemptions bcini- (b) consignments not exceeding £2o in value. This has been struck out, and from the Bth inst. all shipments of whatever value will require certificates of tin- country of origin.

TLie most successful auction. Kale o£ property- ever hold in J3lenheim was conducted on Monday night. The property offered was owned by a Mr. i\ D. irunro and known as tlie Yelverton Kstate. 1 t comprised ii 4 sections varying- in area trom 40 acres down to one acre blocks. Every section was disposed oi under tlie hammer at an average of £9!) per acre, the whole estate realising £15,305.

'the Slate l'"ire Insurance Department reports that 1014 was a record year. The not profits were £18,01)0, after setting aside £>o9l reserve for unearned premiums and £IOOO for investment fluctuation. The largest nrcvious profit was £15,443, in 11113. The net income was £07,093, an increase of £0413. The net premium income was £84,'815, an increase of £5228. The fire losses were £28,101), against £27,975 in 1913. The ratio to income, was 13.5. against 47.0S iu the previous year. Tlie reserve fund; were £87,423, ail increase of £21.752, and the invested capital was £08,990, an increase of £24,740.

The Misses Corkill. of Pihama, had a narrow escape from" a serious accident while, driving home from Uaholu on 'WVdne-day. Owing to a flaw iu the metal one of the axles snapped oft suddenly, and the occupants were thrown out on lo the road, whilst the hor-e galloped o!V with the remainder of f!;e trap and wa { ; stopped just out* >ide (>!)»inake. ITlie horse was veeogni*. Ed, and a car was sent back a lon if the road to the s.es'ue of the accident. The young ladies were met emuing in along the road, considerably shaken, but fortunately without any serious injury.— Htar.

Breail has been d'aarer in Auckland than it is to-ilay. ffifty years ago, the New Zealand Herald's files show, flour was £27 ,p9T ton iir tlie city, and bread 6%d per 21b loaf.

Au old lady in. Fromc t England, took •back a war map to. her bookseller, complaining that there; was not marked on it the battlefield of Armageddon, about which there had Wen so much talk.

The~Mpderate Vague uoJnivatioiuJeu the Minister of. Defence yesteruay in. favor of tbe establishment of a wut, canteen at Ti'entham. i The law in its present state forbids it.

By dropping a line in one of our cablegrams yesterday 'the statement that by enforcing prohibition ''Russia, had freed herself from the curse, that lias paralysed peasant life for tions" was made to read: "At one stroke Russia has paralysed," and so oil..

The latest German Army giant re, emit is a volunteer named Peter Zimmcnuanu, who has just joined the 11th Infantry Regiment at Regensburg, in Bavaria. The new recruit stands Oft 9%in in his stockings, and turns the scale, at 18st lOlbs. Bavaria is proud of its young warrior, who is 22 years of age,, and is %in taller than the tallest mau in the Prussian Guards.

'•We have discovered, that the New Zealand boys have the old sea trait of their fathers, and that they make quite a s good sailors as any boys at sea," remarked Captain Hooper (says the Poverty Bay Herald) at the reception held at Gisborne a few days ago; adding that he was not saying this because lie was in New Zealand, but because he had found it so. They were not all angels, of course, but lie might look round the room and ask who were in their boyhood?

The m(ean population of Greater Auckland during the year 1914 was 116,. 712, of Greater Wellington, 74,789, of Greater Christchurth, 8G,852, and of Greater Dunedin, 88 i Bl2. Of all tlie citics Wellington has' the highest birthrate, 20.38 of the population, tlip rates for the other cities being as follow: Auckland 24.78; Christchurch, 22.22, and Dunedin 21.70. The death-rates were: Auckland, !).42 per, 1000; Wellington 10.47; ChristcUurcli, i), 58; and Dunedin, 10.22.

A Pahiatua resident, who has returned from a brief visit to Ilawke's Bay, states (says the Herald) that the re. cent sharp frost experienced was ruinous to tomato crops_ cucumbers, and other vegetables, while even flower gardens suffered extensively. One man with several acres of tomatoes was engaged in the dispiriting occupation of digging up the blackened plants, which were in full crop, and heaping them up for burning. There will be a limited supply of tomatoes for the market from Hawke's Bay, and the price in consequence is going up.

The Te Kuiti electric lighting plant does liot pay, says the mayor of that town. It was originally estimated to cost £OOOO, but eventually cost £9321. A liability of £1557 now exists, and to wipe this out and to make the scheme a paying one,'tlie council proposes to raise another loan of £-1073. By extending the service and reducing the cost oi power for heating and cooking from 83 to 2d per unit, it is expected that a net profit of over £SOO a year will result.

A Christchureh telegram says: In receiving the reports and balance-sheets of the various mission properties vested in the Methodist Church, an unique and interesting item of income appears in tlie Grey Institute balance-sheet, New Pljinouih, viz., £lO lis lOd royalty in oil. The famous Taranaki oil wells are situated on this missionary property, and for the first time royalties have been paid.

Bluff is famous for all sorts of records_ sculling, boxing, wrestling, cricketing, and so on, but another has been added to the list, namely, oyster opening. Mr W. J. Newman, a Bluff oyster purveyor, opened five sacks of oysters, on Monday, in five hours, which he claims as a New Zealand record. Five sack>> contain 4200 oysters, and the opening rate works out at fourteen oysters per minute.

Meagre particulars of an exciting inflident which occurred at the camp 'of the Canterbury infantry at Zeitoun, Eg-

jpt, are. contained in rcci-nt hitters from Marlborough soldiers 'says the Press), j.t is stated that th > uor-ies attached to a "transport waggon stampeded, and Tn their made career passed ever Captain G. C. (Irifliths' tent. An orderly, who was inside the tent, liad one leg frae. iurod, and several of Cajfain Griffith?' belongings were broken.

Whilst walking along the beach at Paekakariki at about 4.30 p.m. on Saturday, Mr 11. E, Drvden, of Karori, witnessed a fine spectacle in the form of a water-spout, which must have been, he thinks, between 400 and 500 ft. in height. The sight was witnessed just at the time when the brief southerly storm passed through Cook Strait, and it was then travelling northwards, just off the southern extremity of Kapiti Island. The top of the spout was lost in the low-lying clouds, but half way dov n it had a milky white aspect, and was black-colored again near the sea. As he watchd the phenomenon, it appeared to disperse, the final dissolution resembling the eilect of a submarine explosion.

Corporal IT. ]-J. Jloorc, of the Ist Canterbury Infantry Regiment, writing to his brother, Mr A. ID. Moore, ol says with reference to the offer of commissions to New Zealamlcrs m Kitchener's new army, "that he could get one straight away'by proceeding to England, but it was quite impossible to accept it. "The conditions/' (says Corporal Moore) "are as followsYou are allowed £lO for your uniform and equipment; you go into training for six moliths at Aldershot, the pay is 5s Gd per day, and the field allowance 3s Od per day. Now, having gone thoroughly into it with competent men, I find the smallest income vou have to have privately is ;C2OO pe/- annum! and you would be just existing on that amount: so you see the proposition is quite impossible."

I'rom Geneva a special correspondent flf the Standard writes:— In the Kevue lie Psychothorapie. of ficncva, l)r. Neipn, vice-president of the Swiss Academy of Medicine, and a well-known specialist on nervous and mental disease, publishes a furious analysis of the physical and mental characteristics of the two alien. UmI'crors. He considers these two potentates, who are politically and morally responsible for the catastrophes under which the world is suO'eriiiL', to be menially _scarcely answerable for their acts. I Jr. \eipp concludes that if Francis Joseph j s_ a victim of want of will.',lower, the Kaiser is a hyperacute, slave to caprice. and liable to intermittent attacks of melancholy, madness or (-nngerims lun- ■ J lie professor Is of opinion that the Kaiser will either put an end to him- j selr in battle or finish in an asvhnn. j

Intending patrons of the Opunake should note the. Advertisement oi tlie Taranaki Motor Transport Company iii this issue, referring to the running of their cliar-n-banc on race day.

Pedestrians on the Mkrtne Parade, Napier, about 1.30 p.m.. an: Saturdaysays, the- Telegraph, were somewhat startled to see a wave sweep up the beauii over the"Tiodies of a woman and a child lying on the shingle.' Several persons ran to their aid, but no assistance was necessary. Titiee woman: stated' tErat: tlioy liacT fallen asieep, and had no idea that the tide had risen so high. Batlt: were- drenched to the skin.

JThe Dunedin correspondent of the liyttolton Times states that private advifco reports that Mr William M'anson, son of of Mrs. Elizabeth Jilftnson, a well, [known ox-Dunedih: vocalist,, has, been; [appointed Professor of Harmony at the 'Royal Academy of Music. Notwithstanding that lie is only eighteen years of- age, Mr Manson gained tliree medals at the close of' the year for harmony,, pieces at sight and singing.

This evewing at 7.'15, in the Technical College, the members of the recently fome-i New Plymouth Accountancy Student Society will hold their first meeting, Mr. 'Hugh Baily, the President, has consented to address the meeting, taking for his subject "The Advantage of a Knowledge of Aecount : ancy in Modern Business.' The Society has been formed with tho object of bringing together those engaged jn •(clerical vocations who are .xoncernecl with the problems of accountancy and the committee extends a cordial invi'tation to all interested to attend the meeting this evening. At the meeting of the Pukekura Park Board on Monday night, the matter of holding the annual "Park Saturday" collection was fully discussed, and it was [ultimately decided not to havo the street canvass this year on account of the war, but to collect as- usual for :the annual subscriptions. The matter was brought up bvi Mr. Drew, who* reported that the takings at. the recent fireworks display totalled £56 17s Bd, and, as the expenses wer 0 roughly £ls, there was a credit balance of about £4l. After paying this amount into the bank, the finances of the board were practically "square," and the quarterly payment of the borough subsidy would carry on until after the collections which were generally; held in April. The Chairman remarked that last year's canvas? had realised about £l4O, of'which £99 was made up of annual subscription. Assuming that the expenses of keeping the ground in order for tho ensuing year would be in the neighbourhood of £350, they could probably reckon on £IOO from the annual subscribers, whilst the borough subsidy was £l5O and the rents nearly £4O. Tho remaining £OO should not be hard to raise bv holding some entertainment or other function during the year.

Telephone Exchange subscribers arc notified by advertisement that today at noon is the latest time for payment of subscriptions. ffhe Melbourne Clothing Company announce the arrival of a shipment of children's black and tan cashmere threequarter socks with double-ribbed tops. These socks are guaranteed all 'pure wool and will not fade. Prices: Size 4, 9d; size_ 5, lOd; size 6, lid; size 7, Is; sizes 8 and 9, 1/3 per pair. The second of the Citizen's Band Bt'i'iosi of country sacred concerts will be held at Urenui on Sunday afternoon, when a collection will be taken up in aid of the Belgian Relief Fund.