LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 246, 26 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Prime potatoes are quoted in Wellington this week at from £0 15s to £7 10s per ton. The Patea County Council is about to proceed with the now bridge on the VYcrawcraonga.Road.

A London cablegram states that Empire Day service will be held at St. Paul s Cathedral on June 12. A Mangatoki farmer informed an' Argus representative yesterday that feed was more plentiful at present than for months past.

It is reported that sheep stealing is going on in the Mangawera district, and that one sheep farmer has suffered considerably thereby.

The motor is everywhere replacing the horse. From Friday, 2nd April, a m«tcr coach will be employed to take the place of the horse coach which has been running for so many years between Kltham and Opunake. The journey will now be done in 2j hours. It will in future not leave Milium until i). 15 a.m.

| A generous donation to the BcHun lund has been made by Dr E E Por ritt of Wangamii. He is the owner of a block ol land near Hamilton, consisting of 150 acres, and he has given the whole of tins property to the Belgian Fund. I he land will be sold, vjnd it is estimated that it will realise £IOOO. Trooper P. E. Turner, writing lo friends in Fkotahuna under date February 9th says:-"We had a football match last. Saturday, New Zealand v Australia. A very good game resulted in favor of New Zealand by eight points tc three AVe have pretty well the pick of Jic ISew Zealand players, and consequently put m a good team. All ,veiv "reps" from one district or another, and with a little more practice thev will be very hard lo beat."

A Times correspondent with the Russians says that the success of the artillery wus largely duo. to the rapidity of movement of the shaggy Siberian ponies. He observed many teams attached to caissons, standing during snowstorms, with the snow inches deep underfoot. and ponies wore fast asleep though the guns were belching out flames and steel less than a mile away. After a hard day it was a common occurrence to sie (he artillery driver babying his little ponies, rubbing them down, stroking their noses, and feeding them with some delicacy or other. European horses, f'ays the correspondent, were used earlier in the war. but the Siberian ponies were c]'.iiekly substituted on account of their hardness and strength.

: -We get some awful stories from ihe pjsrsoncrs we have on' board," writes a BiSiish naval officer who fought in the Faiklands fight. "One was that: when the chief engineer officer of the Gncianan found he could not get enougft speed out* of her engines he shot five stokers wi-ffi his automatic pistol for not work-ing-hard enough, the remaining stokew rushed him and tied his hands ami!'feet, poured oil over him, <lnd, flinging- op™ a fftrnace door, threw the wretched man Hi and watched him burning."

Tne adjourned inquest concerning- the death of Mr. T. Pearce, whose- death occurred as the result of a collision with a- ballast train near Toko, was held at -Stratford yesterday. Mr.- R> Spence watfehed the proceedings in the'interest of deceased's family. Mr. A; H. Johnstone appeared for the Railway Department, and Mr. P. O'Dea for tlie driver and' fireman of the ballast' train. A verdict of accidental death: wag returned, no blame being ■ attaoftable to anyone.

'. Some curiosity is being expressed regarding the ultimate fate of Samoa. That the captured l territories ihi the Pacific will remain- part of the 'British Empire after the- ooiwlußion of peace seems to be taken-for granted in official as well as in : unofficial circles, and' the New Zealand: Government is sure- to make a claim- to> the administrative control of tho-'British portion of Samoa. , Presumably tho- Imperial authorities will have no- special reasons for wishing to place- the islands under the High Commissioner- for- the Western Pacific.

! The uniforms which are to worn by , the nurses who have been selected by the Government to go to England are : of dark grey, .piped with red, and with : them will be worn the little regulation nurses' bonnets and also for a change grey American sailor hats. The nurses are also to be provided with long grey tweed overcoats, just like the ordinary overcoat in make, only with a somewhat deep turnover collar of red, with straps on the shoulders. For outside wear in warmer weather they will have' little red capes, and the uniform for the rhat-ron-in-chief will distinguished by being more heavily piped with the red. Mr David G. Stead, a Commissions from the New South Wales Government,has lately been on a visit to Grimsby! England, securing men and equipment to establish a State fishery. Two new trawlers, the Brolga and the Gunandaal, are being fitted out at Grimbsy, and a third, the Koraaga, is being built on the Tees. The three vessels Vill form the nucleus of a State fleet, and will carry crews of Grimbsy men, under contract with the New South Wales Gov- 1 * eminent, to teach trawling. The coastal fishing isdustry has until now been carried on by small sailing craft, and lately by motor-boat.

# The vastncss of the work of maintaining the British Army, apart from feeri.ua it, may be gauged from a few figures. In one month there were issued to, the troops on the Franco-Belgian frontpr--450 miles of telephone wire, 570 telephones, 543,000 sandbags, 10,0 Mb of dubbin for boots, -38,000 bars «f :oap 150,000 pairs of boots. In tea days the number of fur waistcoats given orfc amounted to 118,100, wliilw during the same period 315,075 flannel belts were distributed. The way that insignificant items mount up where large numbers of men are concerned is shown by the [net that the weight of the average wee'dv issue of vaseline forti.e feet is five toas, and that of horseshoes 100 tons.

A good story is told in the north (savs the Auckland Observer) at the expense of Sir James Carroll. Everyone knows that when New Zealand was wondcing on which leg Tau Henare was hopping Timi Kara (Sir James Carroll), by some unexplained coincidence, took a trip to his electorate. Rumor had it that Timi searched long and even longer for Ton who, whether he took to the "tall timber or not, could not be found. Finally however, the wily bird from Gisborne caught up with his prey. Timi, with a pamed expression: "My son, my son, why do you run away from your father? I have looked for you long." Tau was n no mood for allegory, but nevertheless his sense of humor came to his asinstance, "how, look here, Jimmy," !, 0 began, years ago I looked for you and I could no find you. Now , ho > do like looking for me?" '

An unrehearsed incident at the Belgian Eehef Fund picnic at the Waitara racecourse yesterday caused considerable amusement. When a small pony was being auctioned, Mr. Harper Lenpcr and a sma ll boy mountld it to h«ng fire, Mr , Walter Matth £ show its weight-carrying capacities, jumped on its back also. The pony either indignant at the low bid receivn'lV„°/', m - erely Wishin « io Potest against bemg used a s an auctioneer's rostrum, promptly elevated its hind ogs, and the assorted load was emptied gracefully on • the ground The small boy quickly let out for other parts, while the two more dignified ■riders slowly gathered themselves together. The spectacle delighted the spectators, and, as the auctioneer's clothing had suffered by the episode it was some time before he could return the compliment by « knocking the pony

The municipal saltwater baths on Jiaster Monday will be the scene of two exhibitions which many of. the metropolitan swimming clubs would be proud to place on their programmes. Mr. J. Swanson, who has figured in Scottish national championships for graceful swimming—breast, side, overarm and back strokes—will give a demonstration of those and other fancy strokes, and those schools which encourage swimming among their pupils should endeavor to ensure the presence of their pupils at the baths for this demonstration, the exact hour for which "'ill be duly advertised. Mr. P. Schwartz, who holds the diploma of the Koyal Life Saving Society, will give a display of diving and swimming, repeating and adding to the feats given at the recent .High School sports. These exhibitions will bo held a s part of the programme of events promote 1 by the West End Foreshore Improvement Society in connection with its grand earnival at Kawaroa Park, in one corner of which the municipal baths are situated. The baths will be a scene of frothy frolics for hours together.

A very sueecssful concert nnd darrenwas hold at the Lepjicrton Hall last night as a fitting conclusion to the dayW efforts of the Lcppertoo, Sentry Hill' and Huirangi settlers in aid of the Bel* gium Relief Fund. The hall was crowd* cd, and a fine programme was submitted, several itom a being contributed bya contingent from Inglewood, whilst th* dance music was provided by the Inglewood orchestra. During the performance, the chairman submitted a rougln balance sheet, which showed that a net balance of £273 3s 5d was in sight,' and there mi K ] lt yet 1)t , oth . or amotmta , to come in that would bring the total close to £3OO, a truly magnificent response. Revised receipts showed: date £l9 2s Cd, luncheon, etc., £ll 8s fld" sale of ham .CI lis, shwp guessing £1 'L°f' i', Cilr S UCS9in K 10s 3d, skittles L ■ , . '' snootin g Ra"cry £1 13 s 3i |; soft drink* £2 Is, fruit and lollies £J lie, fish pond £2 14 Sj donation for aports £lO, auction sale £lB9 n s 7d concert takings £lO 17s Cd, sports com' mittee balance £5; total £264 18ff 3tT less expenses £8 12s 10d; balance £258 Js sd; still to come from auction ■ £ls--net total £273 3s sd.