LOCAL AND GENERAL.
It is .understood' that the water in the salt-water baths is to be heated for the swimming! sports on Easter Monday.
A special telegram from Te Kuiti stated that work has bean .resumed on the Okahukura tunnel; on the Stratford railway, after a stoppage of over a month:.
Weather permitting, the New. Plymouth Orchestra will on Sunday afternoon give a concert at Kawaroa Pavk Band Rotunda, which had to be postponed from last' Sunday on account of the bad weather.
The morning service at Wliiteley Church to-morrow will be especially for the old folk, and arrangements are boina made for the conveyance to and from the Church of those o:Jierwise unable to be present. The members of"No. 5 Company (Nr«v Plymouth District) of the Now Zealand Railway Engineers intend holding a week-end camp of instruction in the East End Reserve from Saturday, April 10, to Monday, April 12 (both days inclusive). There will be about 35" men under canvas, and' Captain Horsenell, of New Plymouth, will'be in command. , A remarkable feat was performed at the Municipal Baths at Napier on Monday by a Maori lad. The scholars of the Napier West School were swimming distances for certificates presented by the Royal Life-Saving Society, and amongst them was J. Kara, .who possesses only one leg.- He swam no less a distfince than 3200 yards, and,- according to a spectator, could Tiave gone "on much longer only the water was too cold.
There appears to be some doubt in the minds of people "down the line" as to the exact location of Kawaroa Pink, where the West Ehders.hold their great Easter Monday carnival. Kawaroa Park is right ,in th'ft borough, only a few chains beyond' the New Plymouth, railway station. For. the convenience of picnickers the trains will run riglit on to the reserve, Bookings being to Morley .Street. TJhe baths, wlier'e the fun: spliwh is to be held, are in the north corner of the park. y
A movement for tlie formation of a tennis club in the West End is still being kept in view. Instead of-the courts b< ing laid down bv the West End Foreshore Sooietr. it lias now been decided that the club, when, "formed', will" be given sufficient land" for 'four i or five courts fit a peopercorn rentali in Kawaroa Park. There is a splendid sif" for the proposed courts near- tlie band rotunda. If the courts are. to be readvi for next season's play, there is little i time to spare. 1 ' - Mr Sidney Kidman, the Australian "Cattle. King," who was to have .visited Xew Zealand about this time, including Nelson in his tour (says the Nelson Mail), hns written to Mr F. W. F.iirev stating that he 'now expects to make, his trip to the Dominion at the end of this year, afterwards. proceeding to America. Mr Kidman, in bis letter to Mr Fairey, stated'that he was having a bad time on several of his station*. Thev were experiencing the worst season he had ever known in many parts of Australia. Manv T)cople were quite nut of water, and their stock were 1 dying: Mr Kidman has lost over 20,000 catttu. during the last < twelve months. Last vear he sold 11.000 bullocks to the-Aus-tralian Meat Gompanv, - these being delivered in three months, 500 averaeing 8931b. and another mob' weighing 8751b. which will give some idea of what cattle are like in Queensland 1 and other parts of Australia.
The rfiart heroism or tTte French in this war will live for ever. Joffre says .that his armies have had the two distinct strains—soldier? w;ho have thought the soldiers' duty to be to rlie, and so'diers who have learnt their idutv is to live to kill the enemv. Most of the rash heroes have gone now, and even'the youths in the French Army are taking good care; of themselves: . Nothing can be more pathetic- than the fate of the young sub-lieutenants straight from tlie great French Military College of St. Cloud. Thev toolc a vow. these nnblehearterl youths, that for their holy bant.ism of 'fire they would- wear white gloves. This made the boys terribly conspicuous, and they were mowed rty-.vn in scores. Joffre has now forbidden the use of white gloves in,the firing line. He has been forced to. go further, nnd direct his officers to cover their tenia with the darb-colored covering provided for privates, so that at lftst the French officer is indistinguishable from the private. Joffre is rushing through "tipplies of a green-prey uniform. Hr.v dearly have the French paid for their mad -affectation, for the military red trousers of their ancestors!
' An idea of how recruiting is going on in England may be gathered from tli.i 1 following extract from a letter received from London by a gentleman in Wellington:—"They've got four bat-talions-of Tyneside Scottish, four battalions of Tyneside Irish, and four commercial battalions recruited on Tyneside, besides all the' Northumberlands and others of Kitchener's Army, and tho percentage returns for Tyneside, Northumberland, and Durham for recruiting is the highest in England, despite the fact that Armstrong's and all the armament and shipbuilding firms on Tyneside are working night and day on "war material, supplying probably more war material (shells, battleships, etc.) than any other district. Bravo, canny owd Tyneside! So strong has been the recruiting that they have to issue posters,: saying that it is as much the men's duty to work in the shops (on Tyneside) as it is to go to the front."
Dr A. A. Martin, of Palmerston N., who went to the front with a field ambulance attached to the stli Division and saw strenuous service through the Marne, the Aisne, 'awl Ypres, is now surgical specialist to No. 6 General Hospital at Rouen (vrites the Post's London correspondent). He has taken advantage of-Jiis exceptional experience -of active service to write for the British Medical Journal perhaps the most useful and capable paper which has appeared on the lessons of the war from the medical point of view. It wasjead at a meeting of the British Medical Association on January lOtli. Dr Martin says the R.A.M.C. has in this/war been treating wounds of an eighteenth century character with twentieth century methods. The wounds of the eighteenth century, like many of those of to-day, were inflicted at close 'range. ,
. Intending .Carnival on Ea&tet Mondaj will find mueh to interest them in.'the window of ' shop No. 137 Devon Street (pgposiie •Newton King's), wherein id- diagkytfd.a , fina array of jimes, which are.'to b# 'donated at the various. competition* for'. ' which no entry foe is charged. The : prizes are both useful and ornamental, and shouldundoubtedly attract consid- ■*•, crable attention and.evoke.keen comnali- 'fJ, tion. Prominently displayed' are this 'y medals to l>e to the pliyftc-il ' drill Bquad and the Tabor Memorial ! - Shield, the first competition for, which isto be held afctlw East End Carniv^L, The concert held, in the ■ Hall tp wind up the day's proceeatafe&jtt' / cpnnection with the Lepperton-Sfljrtry' ' Hill-Huirang-i Belgian Relief proved an outstanding success, cellent programme-was submitted'as-fe"l. 1 ' lows:—Overture, "The Gondoliers," Cot-' ' ' tier's Orchestra; song, "Sing to sft" Miss Laingj song; "Trooper Johnny Bnd'low," Mr. Ldftus (an excellent iteni'; ; song, "The Skipper/' Mr. LrSntHAw.!. ■ ' song, "Come on,' Boys/' Walter' Mai- , i thews; orchestral selection, "Gems of'- > : ' Stephen Foster"; gong, "Molly Mr. Jjoftus; song; "Somewhere a Voir*. ' is Calling," Mwh Lawg; song, "Tlio' " Mighty Deep," Mr; Iw Su%rlmld; put dance, Maori girls; song, Mr, W. Matthews, the audienifc.ftt tj|> ■ singer's invitation joining hjstlly in theC 'l chorus. A farce, entitled' "Olir. jfctibtf 1 Clerk," by local amateurs; concltfdoA',tt\i-' V programme. The accomjiaiuhients rvfetflV! * played'by Mrs: Collier and Jfr. J. Sitthwland. Mr. H. B. Lepper, who was man, thanked all who'had assisted 1 raising, the very creditable .total of £5S
Log in