LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 309, 8 June 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We. have received a further donation of £2 2s from Mr. A. S. Ilrooker, New Plymouth, towards tlic Hospital Ship Fund.

Up to April 11 the British casualties all told were 139,347. Tlicy are probably over 200,000 by this 'time. Germany's must be over three millions. A press telegram says the Mayor of "Wellington lias been advised that Messrs Sargood, Son and Ewen are con trilmting a further sum of £IOOO to the patriotic funds.

The radio held at New Plymouth for a dolls' house' presented by Bell Roebuck, in aid of the Hospital Ship Fund, was drawn yesterday, when Mr. F. Ixivell won. The raffle produced £8 Ss. The Adjutant and Lieutenant of the Stratford Salvation Army Corps on Saturday collected £7 lis lid in Broadway in aid of the fund for wounded soldiers. The amount was augmented by subsequent donations to £ll. Stratford's contribution to the Hospital Ship Fund totalled £717. Inglewood has raised .£2lf> for the same fund, and remitted it to the Mayor of New Plymontth, who congratulated the committee on the very line contribution it had made.

The Napier Borough Council lias decided to submit to the ratepayers a proposal to borrow £OB,OOO for the purposes of tramway extensions, electric light extensions, and necessary additions to the power-house plant. —Press Association.

A Press telegram says the Wellington City Council has refused to taie delivery of motor omnibuses ordered through the firm of Richardson, MeCabe and Co., Wellington, and that firm lias |iow served the Corporation with a writ for breach of contract.

The usual weekly meeting of the Egmoiit Lodge No. 112 1.0. G.T. was opened by C.T. Bro. F. R. Pepperel at 7.30 hist evening. The lodge was visited by Sister Miss Bisson, from the Manchester Pioneer* Lodge, who gave a very interesting address. A light supper was handed round. That Now Xtealanders have some Spartan mothers left is shown iby a letter received in Patea recently in reply to a message of condolence on the loss of a son at the front. In thanking the sympathiser the mother wrote, simply. "Ho died for his God, his King, and the Empire. He did his duty and he died at ibis post." The ewncession arranged by the Govcnmieirt with the various cable companies enalbling the official next-of-kin to send three cable messages to wounded soldiers is being fairly freely availed of. The number of cable messages sent to soldiers averaged 140 per week during 'May, and !)8 messages per week from soldiers on active -service. Between May 5 and 2'J the eaiblas received and despatched ntumiber 800.

In a letter to the Minister for De.fenve, Mr. E. S. Wilson, secretary of the 01-ago Patriotic and Recruiting Committo, Bunedin, drew attention to t'<e fact that in most of the reports of the Gallipuli fighting the New Zealand troops are 'included in the word ''AmtrahiMnns," and suggesting that steps be taken to give due credit to New Zealanders. Mr. Allen handed the letter to the manager of the Press Association, Mr. \V. If. Atack, who has replied that lie will communicate v>u'i Australia and see what can be done to distinguish between the two bodiesNew Zealanders and Australians,

The Mangatoki Ladies' Patriotic Committee's contributions to the Hospital Ship arc:—o quilts (white), 6 pairs white blankets, 3 pairs sheets, 2 dozen and fi pillow cases, (! feather pillows, l J doz. bath towels, Idog. face and hand towels, Ijdoz. small towels, 2doz. handkerchiefs, C pairs pyjamas, (i pairs flannel drawers, li vests (woven), ldoz. wool-k-n socks, (i Balaclavas, (i woollen scarfs, 0 woollen shirts, 3 dressing gowns, 3 nigs, (i pairs slippers, 20 packets envelopes, (i writing pads, 8 ink pencils, 0 tooth brushes, (i nail brushes, 6 combs, toilet soap, needles, buttons, and old linen, 2doz. black and white tape, 2doz. black and white cotton, fldoz. bandages, flannel for more bandages. Permission has been granted by the Minister for Internal Affairs to raffle the champion .lersey bull, Petunia's Noble, which has been donated by Mr. 'IS. Griffiths, the well-known breeder, to assist the Belgian and National Funds, The competition, however, must be under the auspices of the Taranaki Agricultural Society. Tickets will be 10s each. The generous gift lias apparently struck a note of appreciation amongst the dairy farming community, and applications for books of tickets are being numerously made by farmers. It is anticipated that farmers throughout New Plymouth will take a practical interest in the lottery, and tMat a good round sum will be collected as a result of the gift. Train arrangements in connection with the Taranaki Winter Show are advertised.

W. H. and A. McGarry, of EMiam, advertise for sale a dairy /anil of 88 acres; only .0100 cash required. Tn Mr. Newton King's list of sales jMr. W. Buckle's sale date is altered from Wednesday 30th to Monday| 28tli June. Farmers are. requested to note the alteration. Mr. W. P. Doeg intimates that he is able, after a long illness, to. undertake pianoforte and organ tuning. Mr. Docg was for many years with the wellknown firm of J. and J. Hopkinson, pianoforte manufacturers, London, and understands the work from A to Z. The problem of keeping warm these very chilly nights may be solved by the outlay of a little money spent at the Melbourne Clothing Company in the purchase of warm, fleecy rugs or blanket 3. Imported rugs from (is lid; New Zealand all-wool rugs from 10s fid; imported grey blankets 12s fid; domestic blankets in grey or white, 17s fid, 21s, 23s (id, to 34s (id. Crandest values in these islands.

A ;:.'•!'.-[. yr.iv.c-T. in a lii.r; ,IV. puta i-iiid Unit in the Cliatlmni Islands Koinney halfbred aheep Were most generally stocked, lie was receiving from lOd to lid per 'pound for the wool of these sheep. The freight on the wool to New Zealand was IDs a h;i'i>. .Mr. Morrison, K.C.: "That is le-s freight than many fanners in the liacklilocke have (,o pay to get their wool out."

When, word w;i * received in (hnnda that Private Luie-.lalc, a British soldier in Germany, lmd been coiirt-iuartiallcd and sentenced In '.!(• :,hi,t for striking a German olivcr. M.-'.pi'-Genoral llugie-s, Minister of .Militia and Defence, announced tlmt if Lonsdale wore executed similar action would lie taken by Uic Canadian Government against three German prisoners who -had attacked their gunnls. The men in question attacked theiv military gaurds, and one of the prisoners was s-everely wounded by a bayonet thrust near'the heart. '"lf Lonsda'o is shot these three, men will also he shot," declared General Hugh"*. . What in likely to heconie an important move, for Lincoln district, Canterbury, lias already heen launched in the proposal to erect modem roller flour mills at Lincoln, to he worked by Take Coleridge hydro-electric power,' with machinery of the latest milling type. Lincoln and the surrounding district'is a very large grain producing one, .and farmers intend to have a mill that will do justice to it. Considerable support Ims heen given to the proposal, and mills of a large capacity will he erected. Should sullicient ca|Htal lie subscribed, it is proposed also to erect a large granary for the convenience' of the 'farmers of the district.

A New Zealand ITerald correspondent in Siunfta, says Uiat the great drawback at present there is the high duty on the real necessities of life, such as potatoes, flour, plain meats, building material, etc. Everything is subject to a 12% per cent, ad valorem duty on the invoice, plus freight and an extra's per tent. For instance, at the present time flour costs £lB 10s per ton, but with freiglrt £2, the oxtra 5 per cent,, and 12% poi' cent, on the whole, the landed prices comes to £24.78 Cd per ton. In addition, there is insurance, and the carting from the Customs-house costs 6s per ton. WMh cement the freight is •15s per ton. Duty also makes the price of horse feed ,very high, and horses in Samoa, cannot work unless they get imported food. Thee are other articles, remarks the correspondent, which can well stand a much higher duty than 12% per cent., hut are taxed in the same way 'as the real necessities of life. The visit of several thousands of Now Zealandcrs to Egypt has resulted, incidentally, in the collection of numbers of curios and antiquities, some probably of higli value and destined to find honored places in the public museums. Among the most important gifts of the land are some mummied remains which have just been received by Mr. D. C. Bates, Government Meteorologist, from Sergt. llobcrt Yarrow, who is serving with the Wellington., Divisional Head" quarters. Sergt. Yarrow has sent a head, which he states belonged to a servant of an ancient Egyptian king, and a -pair of feet, reputed to be those of a queen of 1000 B.C. The parts are in an excellent state of preservation; the head is a finely-shaped specimen, and the specimens wear, of course, their original ancient wrappings, still odorous of preservative spices and gums. Mr. Bates expects further particulars relating to the specimens by the next mail, and intends to hand the objects over to the Dominion Museum,

The Inspector-General of Hospitals (Dr. T. If, A. Valintinc) has written to the 'hospital boards in the chief ccntrea in reference to the accommodation of the sick and wounded soldiers who will arrive from the scat of war. He «as confident that the beds in the hospital of the Dominion would be ample for the purpose, especially if a certain nnmbor of convalescent hospitals were established. On the arrival of a transport v.'ith sick and wounded, those who were not fit to travel would be accommodated in the hospital nearest the port of disembarkation; those fit to travel, but who required medical and nursing attendance would go to the hospitals of the dis-' trict in which their homes were situated. The hospital boards would I.e. given anuple not fro to en-alble them to provide for the sick and wounded sent to them. Subsequently it would i.e possible to draft many oase* t,o homes in the neighborhood which have been offered as convalescent homes, and lie urged the boards to invite persons who had suitable bouses in the neighborhood to offer them for the purpose.