LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 305, 3 June 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Irtgiewood's patriotic fund now stands at £1341, and its Hospital Ship Fund at .eiuo.

A London cable states that Lieut. H Gray, of the Now Zealand Field Artillery, has been wounded in France.

It is stated in'Timaru that offers have already been made of Gs per bushel for next season's wheat.

The Warca Athletic Club sends the excellent donation of £2O l(is 2d towards the relief funds, which we have handed over to the treasurer of the local'funds. The Prime Minister, the Hon. W. F. Massey, headed the list of donors to the New Zealand War Fund last week with a donation of £IOO.

Jockeys engaged at the Dunedin winter meeting have readily agreed to contribute 10 per cent, of their riding fees to the patriotic funds. —Press Association.

It is understood that the twentyeight recruits who were excluded from the special force quota leaving Christchurch last Friday have been sent to Trentham.

The rainfall at Inglewood for the month of May was !).!M) inches. There were falls on nine days. The Stratford rainfall . shows G. 20 inches for the month.

Letters, arriving from Canada yesterday bore one cent war tax stamp, in addition to the ordinary two cent stamp. This indicates a national method of raising funds. The Napier Girls' Friendly Society has received the amount required, £2214, for the establishment of a hostel in Napier, Mrs. T. H. Lowry having given £350.

At the Nelson Diocesan Home Mission festival last night, Bishop Sadlier announced that Miss Mardcn, of Stoke, a prominent member of the church, had given £SOOO to the Home Mussion Fund. —Press Association.

.South Canterbury farmers are in a desperate plight for feed for their sheep, and the few turnip crops that are for sale are bringing fabulous prices. One sheep, dealer who had a lot of sheep on hand has paid £l2 per acre for 40 acres of turnips. At the Eltham Stipendiary Magistrate's Court yesterday, a Stratford motorist was fined £4, with costs, for driving at an excessive speed through the town. Two other Stratford residents are to be similarly proceeded against. Mr. Esse, of Inglewood, yesterday received a request from England for funds for the purchase of tobacco and cigarettes for the folks at the front. By two o'clock in the afternoon the list containing fifty-one lines was full, and Mr. Esse was able to send away a draft for £0 10s for the boys' tobacco.—Record.

A correspondent writes complaining of the state of the footpath on the north side of the Devon street west, just beyond the post office. He is at a loss to understand: way tliis footpath is so persistently neglected, especially as one of the borough councillors has to risk his neck every wot day in passing along this portion of tlie thoroughfare, At the conclusion of his political address at Waitara last night, Mr. G. W. Russell, M.P., declared that the only thing that should satisfy the Empire and its Allies in the present great war was the total abolition of Germany's Navy, which was purely an attacking machine, and put to a very different use from the British Navy. In tho course of his address at Waitara last evening, Mr. G. W. Russell, MP., in referring to the high cost of living, said he believed it would yet further increase. Ho had heard on good authority that the big sugar combine, which the Government was afraid to fight, intended to increase the price of sugar at one jump by £0 per ton—a somewhat big jump. The annual meeting of the Eltham Licensing Committee was held at Eltliam yesterday. 'Mr. G. W. Kenrick occupying the chair. There were also present Messrs. L. Hill. W. Dudley, E. Parrott, A. Christie and A. 11. Guy. Licenses were granted in respect to the following houses: Rahotu Hotel, Commercial! lotel (Mnmiia), Royal Hotel (Opuuakc) and Coronation Hotel (Eltham). '•f wonder how many of us who stay at home," said a, speaker at a farewell social in Christchurcli. "have sacrificed a meal, or a. smoke, or suit of clothes, bcI'liuse of the war which is racing? We see men taking the risk of their life.' but those staying at home sacrifice very little. It would be just as well for the people of this city to understand that we will have to make a good many more sacrifices before this war is through." While the use of cotton has been lessened in many ways by the war, in one way its use has been increased, namely, in the manufacture of gun-cotton. A 12-inch gun, says an American authority, used up 3001b of powder, or about half a bale of" cotton from which this is made, every time it is fired. A battleship, firimr at its greatest capacity, might use 5000 or fiflOnlbs of powder, or from ten to twelve bales of cotton every minute during an action.

Speaking at Waitara last night, Mr. G. W. Russell, M.P., said he sincerely hoped there would not be another election before the war was over. Mr. Massey could not constitutionally go again to the country, but would have to give Sir Joseph Ward a chance. If Sir Joseph Ward could not carry on the Government of the country, then there would have to be an appeal to tho people, .but could not do so before ■that.

In a letter just received at Gore from a farmer living in Northern Victoria, about 140 miles from Melbourne, the writer states: —"This is the worst season experienced for many years. The drought has been prolonged and feed is very scarce. Chaff is £ll to £l2 per ton, oats 6s i6d per bushel, wheat 8s 0d per bushel, and butter 2s 3d per lb. In tho Malice Country the condition of things is much worse. The River Murray is so low that many of the irrigation schemes are useless at present." It has been suggested in letters to the press that unmarried members of Parliament should set an example by volunteering for service at the front. This statement was brought under the notice of the Prime Minister, who stated that five members of his party, not all of whom were unmarried, had informed him of their desire to go to the front. Two of these gentlemen were endeavoring to arrange pairs. One had asked a certain Opposition member to volunteer also, in order that a safe pair between them might be arranged. Mr. G. W. Russell, M.P., at Waitara last evening, keenly criticised the Government's action in not appointing a Minister to fill Mr. I<\ M. B. Fisher's place. The Ministers were undoubtedly overworked at the present time. This was not fair to the men themselves, the country or the Empire. They should, on the other hand, move in the opposite direction and appoint even more Ministers to deal with the pressure of work that fell -on them during the present time of great stress. Rugby Union footballers to the number of 300 are now in camp at Trcntham, and included in that number are many representative players. Three teams were entered in the Wellington Rugby Union's senior competition, but some of the best players will not play. They are anxious to get to the front, and are .afraid of sustaining accidents on the football field which will prevent their departure for the living line. One player received injuries which will incapacitate him for months. Saturday is a strenuous day for the soldier who plays football. He has an hour's physical drill before breakfast and either a route march of twelve miles or some hours' squad drill between breakfast and lunch, and on top of that plays his game of football in the afternoon. A case in Stratford of a returned trooper, who has, apparently, boon paid oil" and left to look after himself, should receive the notice and assistance of the Patriotic Committee. The young man in question had his spectacles stolen in Auckland before the. main body left. In Egypt his eyes gave him trouble, and in consequence he was put under medical supervision, but, in spite of frequent commands from high authorities to furnish him with glasses, he was sent back to New Zealand without glasses. On arrival in New Zealand he was paid off, and still no glasses were given him. On consulting a specialist, he was informed that if he did not have his eyes attended to and get classes he would lose his sight. The necessary attention and glasses would cost about £3O. As the young man is only a wage-man, it seems unjust and harsh treatment. —Post.

An account of the awful massacre at Tamines, a little, village of 5700 inhabitants, situated in La Sambre, is given in a Belgian official despatch. It was about 8 o'clock one night that the invaders entered the town, hunted out the inhabitants, and started to burn and plunder. lAt 7 o'clock the next morning they gathered a group of about 450 men from the vilage of Alioux, lined them up in front of a church, and suddenly opened fire on them. Some of the wretched men fell wounded, but were ordered to stand up. Thinking that they were to be spared, they obeyed, but the enemy at once opened fire again. The survivors themselves told of this awful outrage, and said that many of their wounded countrymen crawled down to the banks of the Sambre and sought relief in its flooded waters. Next day fathers carried to the big funeral trench the bodies of sons, or sons carried fathers, and the poor women were dragged to the spot to see the sad procession.

Ttems of news from Singapore:—A gentleman named Diehn was the manager of Bchn, Meyer and Co., one of the largest Hun firms in these parts. When ship after ship was so easily found and scuttled by the Emden and when the pirate sank a Russian cruiser and French destroyer at Penang while they were getting cleaned, the Government smelt a rat as large as a whale, and made investigations. The result was

that they unearthed a powerful wireless

installation and two German operators at Diehn's home. Diehn was tried and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. The Emden did practically nothing afterwards. When the sth Light Infantry mutinied and opened the gates of the German encampment, Diehn was one of the few who escaped, and he succeeded in getting away to Sumatra. Now the Government is trying to put its hand on him, and is working with an assiduity which must be making Herr Diehn very uncomfortable.

A case presenting unusual features was heard at the Marton Magistrate's Court on Friday, before Mr. W. Kerr, S.M., when William Ritchie, a wellknown public man of Wanganut, was charged with using profane language in a railway carriage. Defendant, according to the evidence for, the prosecution, was travelling between Greatford and ITalcombe, and spoke loudly concerning the war, contending that there was no God, or he would not allow such an inhuman war to he carried on. A lady passenger strongly protested against the use of what she considered offensive remarks, whereupon Ritchie repeated what he had already said, and also denied the divinity of Christ. The guard of the train was informed, and as a result a prosecution followed. The defendant, stated that he had met a countryman of his on the train, and the conversation turned on the war. He had a son at the front, and' he felt it keenly. He admitted saying it was a most inhuman war, and that his faith in Christianity had been shattered. He, however, denied using language of an offensive nature. He said a lady at. the other end of the cnr.'iage jumped un anil said: "There is a God, and I will allow no one to deny the existence of the Diety without protesting." He told her if it did not please her she could leave. The Magistrate said that technically the defendant was guilty, hut he did'not think Ritchie intended his remark to be offensive. He would exercise the powers given to him under the Justices of the Peace Act, and dismiss the information. Costs were paid by the defendant.

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