LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 276, 1 May 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Allies' Fair at Inglewood resulted in a net profit of. £BO,

The Pungarehu School Committee forwards £3 towards the Belgian Belief Fund, whioh we have handed over to the treasurer of the local fund.

The Grcytown Standard says that what must be considered a record price for fat lambs., is 25s per 'lead, tjjja, j w bg t le price obtained by a resident oi Pa" pawai Road for a line of Romneys

The return of 'births, deaths and mar™*Bes to l t«e district of New Plymouth (Mr. J. S.S. Medley, registrar) for the month of April i s: Births 33 (last year 28), deaths 8 (10), marriages 7 (0). At. the flower show in the Good Templar Hall on Thursday there were several decorated tables to be judged b% popular voting.. The result was: Mr. Gibbous 1, Miss Kate Jackson and Mrs. Scanlon (equal) 2, Miss McKeliar 3.

At the Supreme Court on Wednesday last letters of administration with will annexed in the estate of the late Felix MeGuire were granted to Mrs. McGuire, on the application of Mr. James MeVeagh.

The news of the success of the New Zealanders in the Dardanelles has given an impetus to recruiting in New Plymouth. Six more men have come forward and have been accepted subject to passing the medical examination.

The Master Butchers' Association have adopted the suggestion of a tradesman at the Employers' Association meeting with regard to closing the establishments in town at noon on Thursdays for the weekly half-holiday. The butchers insert an announcement ill this issue to that effect.

The Minister of Education informed a Duncdin Star reporter that there was a shortage of school inspectors at present, and possibly two appointments would be made in the near future. The matter of appointing school inspectors for the Auckland district, Mr. Allen added, was now under consideration.

The following quantities of butter were in cool store at April 30th:— Auckland 10,896 boxes, New Plymouth 822(1, Patea 380, Wangamii 2712, Gisborne 222, Wellington 20,238, Lyttelton 2032, Timaru 450, Dunedin 3(i42: total 50,708. Total on April 30, 1014, 88,002 boxes. The total for last year was 64,254 boxes. —Press Association.

An extraordinary meeting of the Equitable Building Society of New Ply* mouth was held in the Town Hall last night. Mr. E .Dockrill presided. There were £OOO disposed of, £3OO by ballot and £3OO by tender. Mr. W. 11. Free was successful in the ballot, and the amount sold by tender realised £sl) as. Applications will shortly be called for members of No. 3 group!

The draw was made yesterday in the art union held by the mayoress (Mrs. J. E. Wilson) for two pictures presented by Miss Inglev and Mr. Kirkwood, the profits of the art union to go to the found for soldiers' comforts. The winners were Mr. T. Hook and Mr. Mcllroy. The fund will benefit by £7 10s. The winners may obtain the pictures at Miss Hamerton's shop.

"Of all the surprises that the war has already produced, the most amazing of all from the medical point of view is that contained in the information supplied by a well-known medical man, and endorsed by another, to the effect that the highly-strung neurotic type of man can withstand the strain of war even better than the phlegmatic type," says the London Globe, One of the New Zealand soldiers, writing from Egypt to relatives in Greytown, says he does not care if he never sees another camel, for at the canal they had a camel corps (numbering nearly 300) attached. It appears the camels had a notion to settle their "friendly arguments" in the middle of the night, and when they got going it was akin to a boiler explosion!

A shearer who had come down to Sydney from the country in order to enlist was "turned down" by the doctors because he was flat-footed, the medical inspector stating that a man with flat feet could not carry a pack of 351bs for a distance of 15 miles. ' The shearer replied to this by stating that he had very often carried a OOlh swag 40 and 50 miles a day in following his occupation.

'At this season every year the old mutton birds from the small islands off the southern coast make an excursion to the mainland, and round the mouth of the Aparima river and Riverton are to be seen thousands of these birds. It is indeed a wonderful sight when they take to the wing, and they appear as a huge black cloud in the sky. At present the Maoris are on the island bagging the young birds, and already considerable consignments have arrived.— Southland Times.

According to a German slory, the battle cruiser Blueher had a very illomened launch. The ceremony was performed by a ladv member of the family of that name, and to the amazement of all present she christened the cruiser in English. Only the presence of the Kaiser prevented an outburst of indignation against the "unpatriotic" lady, who appears to have been the wife of the eldest son of Prince Blueher, who Is married to an English lady, and settled in that country.

The Sluis correspondent of the Tyu sends an interesting description of a battle in the air between a British and a German airman recently neir Zeebruggc. The German airman continually endeavored to rise above the British machine, while always keeping some hundred metres away from it. But the British aviator used his advantage ol height well, and always kept above the German. They flew off in the direction of Bruges, where a sharp battle was fought, which lasted nearly half an hour, and created much excitement and anxiety among the population. At first German guns were fired at the British airman, but they soon ceased firing,owing to the great danger of hitting their own man. The British pilot was still above the German, and the spectators below could hear the crackling of the airmen's machine guns, while their motors seemed motionless. Suddenly the lowest of the two machines, with tjuivering wings, shot down to the earth and was dashed to pieces in the middle of the village of Standreo, near Bruges. The victorious British aviator speedily rose higher, until lie was out of range of the German guns, and ■finally disappeared in a south-westerly direction. The German airmail was found to be dead, and his machine was nothing but a heap of splinters. Practices for the children's dancing at the forthcoming Fire Brigade ball will commence at the Good Templar Hall this afternoon at 2.30 o'clock. i

At Wlviteloy Church to-morrow even--111!;' (in keeping with tlie universal observance of the (lay as Bible Sunday), the Rev. A. B. Chappell will preach on "The Growth of the Bible." The anthem will be Oliver King's setting of "Abide with Me." A retiring collection will be taken for tlie British and Foreign Bible Society. Are you saving the "camels" ftcm packets of "Desert Gold" Tea? Y«s may win £2O or a smaller cash prize. Abls your grocer for particulars. f