LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVIII, Issue 288, 14 May 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

'There are 7."),370 acres of Crown land to he made available for selection during the present month.

An Ovclaml motcr-c-ir, owned by Mr. F. Huttenvorth. of Opunakc, was totally destroyed by fire 011 the .Main South Road at Tataraimaka on Tuesday night.

William Brockh bank and Ernest lirocklcbank. cabinct-makers, of Stratford, have fl'ed a declaration of insolvency. A first meeting of creditors takes place 011 Monday, .May 24.

A motor car, through a tvre bursting, overturned near the Ilawera racecourse on Wcdnrxlay. One of the occupants, a ?,'aori, cad hu knee injured, and lad to receive ru.ical attention.

During April arrivals in Xew Zealand from oversea totalled 1702 and departures 2-toS, Tlie corresponding figures for April last year were 2!)1() and 4125. These figures do not include members of the. expeditionary forces.—Press Association.

At the meeting of the Parihaka Itoad Hoard yesterday, the secretary stated that eery few rates were now coming in, and that after this meeting the board would be working 011 overdraft. It was resolved to at once sue for all outstanding rates.

The Anglicans of Pahiatua are causing annoyance to their v'ear. At the annual parishioners' meeting nobody Would accept tlie position of people's churchwarden. The vicar told them plainly that unless somebody was appointed to the position they would have to get another minister.

Writing to a Palmerstonian under date March -28, an artillery oflicer in Egypt says:—The force was in readiness to move a week previously. There, is a French and British division concentrated here in addition to our own. Major Standish, H.X.Z.A.. Adjutant to the Wellington I* iidd Artillery iirigadc when in Palmerston, commands Xo. 3 battery, which is considered one of the smartest in Egypt.

A gentleman who is well up iu military matters called at the Tiniaru Herald ollice last week, when he. saw that the Hags in the town were at half-mast for the death of Xew Zealamlers at the Dardanelles, to explain that it was quite Contrary to military procedure to fly Hags at half-mast on the death of 'a man who died in action. For a man to die serving his country was an honor, ami the proper procedure was to hoist the flag to the top of the mast.

r i he record of the Whenuakura Dairv Company in securing the highest average gi.ide for cheese passing through the local grading store (says the Patca I'ressj is a particularly meritorious one, inasmuch as there were upwards of 5(1 dairy factories who forwarded cheese through the store, the total number of cases going forward up to March 31st last being 11i1i.170. The record is a tribute to the quality of tlie Whenuakura land as well as to the skill and thoroughness of the company's manager, Mr. Petersen.

The Parihaka Hoad Hoard, at its meeting yesterday, decided to a'sk the Government to make a grant of ;CIUO towards improving the upper portion of the Kalmi Hoad, close to the radius line. This road leads direct to an accommodation house 011 the mountain, capable of accommodating about thirty visitors to the mountain. Tt is (he only access to the mountain for settlers between Warea and Opunakc, and it is situated close to the Okalm Gorge, one of the most magnificent pieces of scenery on the mountain. The t.'ack onlv needs improving to further popularise" the 11101111--s u.

Several line heads have been secured by deer-stalkers this aeason in the foothills of the Southern Alpu. In the opinion of one sportsman, the red deer of the Southern Alps allonl the linest sport in the world.

Those German funics (says "Ariel" in the Dunedin Star) will roll right round the world ami will suil'ocate a great deal of tierman trade. Lnglund, generous, easy-going, and forgetful of injuries, may quickly fall back into her old nits; but, you mark my word, Canada won't torget tiiose fumes. Tile Cerman commercial traveller will, alter the war, meet them ill the doorway of every ollice lie enters. The nation that murdered their gallant boys will lie outside tile pale lor many a year to tonic.

The following story is told in the Queen: —There was a man of somewhat advanced years but youthful appearance who wished to enlist. lie was really u-rty-lhc. but the recruiting ollicer said nothing when lie gave his age (wishing to do the thing handsomely) a* thirtytwo. ''Any previously military excellence?' 1 the oilicer ashed. "No—none,'' After a pau.-e the ollicer added casually, "Any relations in the Army!" ''Oh, yes," said I'm- recruit, pride obscuring caution for the moment, "both my sons are in it."

A chaplain writes as follows from I'ranee:-- Danger! They don't think of it! Listen! Shells and shrapnel swept the place. It, was Hell, and the cries olthe damned, but I had to get to the dugout in trout- of the advance trench. I wrigg'cd through a turnip Held, ISullets spat around me. A brief clear space had to be crossed. Motionless, my heart heating loudly, 1 waited a favorable opportunity. Imagine my thoughts when

a voice ca'i'.i Ivc.m the dun-out, "1 bet you live bob, Li 1 the pnr-on gets one in the heel."

All improvement in (lie running of f!i - Now Hyinoutli-t *punake motor bus set' vice will tic made as from Monday next, when tlit! 'buses, instead of changing at Okato, will run right through -one to Opunakc, the other to New Plymouth, returning in the afternoon. Tin; "busc:are of the char-a-bane, type, anil a thinl 1)113 ia to he kept in reserve. Details of the new time-table are aiiv. ,'tiscd. X.i change in time of starting at either cm! is niiule, but the intermediate slops arc slightly rearranged and the service speeded up.

The recent experiences of the throe men who became hopelessly bushed at Otongoranga and who were found in ,111 exhausted condition on Tiic.sil.iy afternoon sliou'd lie a warning to these in search of adventure in that locality. 11 row lis the tragedy concerned with the death of Mr. Andrews, a skilled (leerstalker who was lost in the bush of the hinterland of the \\ nil an.pa. One gentleman, who has had experience of the country at the back of the Wainui Valley, states that it is the height of folly for any party to venture into the bush there witho it a compass.--Dominion.

''The Danes have taught the farmer not only how to convert lunch of his manual operations into a mechanical industry, but al-o the great value of cooperation in regard to such,'' remarked Mr. A. li. Scnuett, organi.-er for the Hoard of Trade and Industries for New Zealand, in a discourse at a meeting of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Denmark, he added, was a small kingdom of intensive culture and busy, concentrated dairying industries. New Zealand was a vast Dominion of sparse and more or less natural cultivation. Mr. Sennett thought there was great scope for co-operation in industries not wholly confined to dairying.

"Mr. A. Joyce, manager of the Canterbury Petroleum Prospecting Company, Ltd., who is in Timnru now, reports (says the Herald) that the well at Chertsey is now down to it depth ef 470 ft., with 11 -inch pipes. 'About l(l,;Vlil shares have been sold, and when the total has been raised to IS,(WO it is proposed to put down a second well near the north bank of the Kangitata. If oU is obtained in these two Weils a large company would be formed to open up the district in Ashburtoii County, where a company holds concessions extending over 120,(100 acres. The success of the company sliou'd be of considerable interest to Timarii, as the oil would be conveyed to that town by a pipe line, and a large refinery with" facilities for shipment established on the reclaimed land.

Speaking at the meeting of (.lie Parihaka Road Board yesterday, the chairman, in referring to the* manner in which the board carried on business, said he hoped that no member had taken a seat in order to improve the position oMiis own road. If any other road required attention, they must sink personal interests, and work in the interests of the ratepayers generally. They were working on an overdraft. Some roads were very heavily overdrawn, whilst others had a considerate book credit. .'As representatives of the ratepayers, if they were going to give each load what appeared to its credit on the books, they would have to alter the system adopted eight or nine years ago. because it would mean that they would be overdrawn to the lull extent, if their oa eidraft, and would have to stop all work until the roads were in credit again, which would be several months.

The sinking of the. i.usitanhi Is the sole topic of Dunediu shipping circles, and the prevailing opinion is that the extension ot the Ccrmanie piratical policy to the largest liners will have a depressing cll'cct 011 passengers ill the Atlantic. One. representative said it was obvious that although the attack on the C Hoarder would not deter shipowners from carrying on the.'maritime trade, it probably would have a depressing ell'ect on the travelling public throughout the world. Hitherto shipmasters' have felt no I'eal danger from submarines on the high seas owing to the high speed of modern liners, but it is apparent that 'Criuany has a remarkable, knowledge 0! t ie coastal conditions in the vicinitv of the Home ports. I'nless the public could he assured that tlio restricted liarbor areas in the Old Country are provided with reasonably adequate protection against submarines, the. public would lie loth to go to sea, and probably ' eost ot war risks would be increased.

I lii! hrench cnu make so,ooo shells a ila.v. Croat Britain can make 1(10 000 on full time, and there is no lack of raw material, since America j s , r | a ,| (() """ l " >lu '* t ! >y sending her 100.0i.0 toils 01 steel lor shrapnel. But, there are no such resources open to the ''"'•HIV. 'I lie French ollicial war review averts (hat. il. is beyond nil dispute tlmt the cadres ol tee (.ernian army are bad. ' lll! »f ollicers, i l<lt alilv of the professional class, has been enormous y reduced, and the markings on the shells show (hat the -tins are much " ''ernian arliilorv, we are told not a lily lacks munitions. The i|iM.lit\ ol projectiles durin"' the last three months has been mediocre, and the pioportion Ol non-l)iirstin- >l,ells ranges f "in two-hilhs to two-thin].. fhe snapne! cxplosices are «cak, and are ■ " d 1 flln.-s. All these are Sibils ulnch mi-ht have been looked for •'cnnan provKum in many (hin-.s was marvellous hut in other matters'it was ih ilehcient as the most bhni-1.-ri..- „f no cam-rats could have been guilty of. ''"WK'it «as that of the criminal jvht> usually leaves some loophole open' for his detection. If the Allies call lust- ' y for more munitions, fiermanv must lie at desperate straits for want of