LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Several days of hard front have been experienced in Xawlty. with the result that curling and skating are again in full swing. '[lie performance of "Cinderella" staged at Inglcwood 011 Thursday night, only attracted a small attendance, notwithstanding that a percentage of the profit-i was in aid of the Sick and Wounded Soldiers' Fund. However, plenty of enthusiasm was evinced by the audience, and encores were numerous, the singing and dancing being much appreciated.

At tile Farmer*, Lnion Conference, Mr. \\. iU. Singleton, assistant director of the Dairy Produce Division, stated that the record authenticated butter production of a New Zealand cow was made this season by a Holstein. The amount of butter-iat obtained from the cow for 11 period of one year was B(>3lb, which, lit tin- low rate of a shilling per ]b, was worth £-13.

Die young Canadian recruiting officer who has done such good work in the I'ity was addressing a crowd the other day when he observed a pretty young girl near by with her young man on iier arm. "Won't you give your sweetheart to tho Army?" lie asked her. She hesitated and blushed and her swain looked uncomfortable. "\\ ell, you see,'' she replied shyly, ''l've already given four.''

The Prime Minister says that it is the practice of the New Zealand Railways to grant a permit to blind persons desirous of travelling by rail, allowing both the person all'licted and the person earing for him to travel on one ordinary ticket. This, as Mr. Mascy pointed out. practically amounts to free travel for the blind person, as it is unlikely that such a person would travel by rail without being in charge of someone. A North Canterbury delegate at the Fanners' Union Conference made some disparaging remarks concerning the Southland climate. "The Southland people, lie said, "have rabbits and Califorliian thistle; all they want now is a few Hermans. (Laughter.) You have all seen the ducks in a pond when they are feeding on the bottom, with their legs waving in (he air. That is how the sheep in Southland feed on turnips in the field.'' (Great laughter).

The recent Hood at Waitotara was the highest'known fur twelve years. Quite an anxious time was experienced in tie: township as the river rose so rapidly (•'i leet in two hours), but fortunately it stood at the limit for about two hours and about 1 o'clock in the morning starred to go down. The low lying lands along the bank of the river are completely covered with silt from (i inches to .'i feet deep. One man had his potato field covered by some three feet of mud and his visions of an early crop have vanished. Writing to his parents while in hospital at Cairo, Trooper F. J. (<. Moore, of .lohnsonvillc, says: "It is great fun shooting Turks. We gave them a lively time during the past four weeks, until a shower of shrapnel stopped us. I was lucky. Only one piece of lead hit me, but some of my mates wore very badly hurt. I am keeping the lead extracted from my leg to make a golf ball when I return. 1 can walk about now, and in a week's time expect to be ready for the front again. We. were within a mile of the Triumph when she was torpedoed. She just heeled over quietly, without any noise, and sank, firing about .six shots at the submarine as she. went down. I shall never forget that day. I was out of the trenches sniping, and had a good view of the awful disaster." A 'housewife in Leigh, England, and a housewife in Auckland, recently, by letters, made a comparison of the respective cost of liv ing in the two places. Kverytluing has gone u,p in price in lingland since the outbreak of war. In Leigh the following prices were paid for the articles mentioned, a.nd tho prices paid foil' the same articles in Auckland are shown in parenthesesi—3lb sugar, Is (lid); 1 tin apricots, lid (lO'/jd);, i) eggs, Is (6 eggs. Is); 21b syrup, 7d ('(id); lib starch, S'/id (Gd): 101b flour, 2s l<i( l'2yjll>, 2s (id); 51b potatoes, 4'/ 2 d (.id); 1 tin pineapple, a'/ 2 d ('Gd) ; lib onions, 3d (Id). It will be scan that the comparison is slightly in favor of Xew Zealand prices, but it must be remembered that the laborer's average wage in Emgiajril is 20s, as compared with 50; in X<'w Zealand.

When the colonial troops' good work at the Dardanelles was announced Stratford Patriotic Committee sent n message of congratulation to Colonel Malone. The Post states that a reply has just been received by Mr. Kirkwood, in which Colonel llalone, after expressing his thanks, says: "My battalion has been in a couple of very special jobs, and have done very well, and is now on another, in which it is making its mark. Anyway, the cable was welcome. I am com--nnmieating it to the men, and especially the Stratford men, than whom none had done better. We have had and are having a strenuous time, but it suits us. We have had as you can probably picttne our casualty lists, a somewhat rocky time, but are very lit and well, that is the rest of us. Weather A 1 (but hot and too many flies). Food: Army ration all right. Work: Plenty, night and day.'' "Tim health of the natives in these islands, as reported last year, still remains in a most unsatisfactory and deplorable condition,'' slates the Coiniiiissinner for the Cook Islands ill his annual report. "l'i>r the islands of .Vfangaia., Atiu. M'auke. .Mitiaro, Aitutaki. lY.huorston, Kakahanga, Manihi'ki. I'cnrliyn and Pukauka, we are doing little 111 nothing, though in October, 1!>11. Or. IVivAaf reported that the health of these islands was in sir.-h a had eond'itimi [hat 'it would take a medical man sin months on each island to rectify helore tiu-y could lie visitei! at stated intervals. .... Ily the annexation of ihe-c islands we have made ourselves :e-,;:unsihle ii.r the 'health of th 'ir lut.tive and. in my opinion, we are eriinSuatly negligent if we do not adopt seine mure eH'cctive measure than lias l« en 'hitherto taken to endeavor to reiiii; e the enormous ma-s u f contagious ami i nleet io'us tli.-casos now existing 1 , in the in.ti'.re-is o,f our fruit trade, if U.e. no other (ogeiit reason, onr tnedieal I servir • must .he improved.'' Science has been called upon to help in the extirpation of noxious weeds tint let a 111 tlie prosperity of the farmer. One ot tin enrses of certain Xew Zealand disiriets is (he t'a 1 ifornian tliistle, whieh lor many years defied all attempts ;'o control it:, spread. The Department, ot -\-:vii-uhsire lias made experiments with a fungi;- that has proved to he fatal eventually to the thistle on light soils. 'I his ! iingn- ha- cleared large areas inleshd »vi(h tile Weed ill I'olalldaild A'.ls tria. and i- proving siire. -sful in ilie I>■ <iiiih!U, 1{ (hies not all'eet anv other plain, not even the Seoleli thistle. It is known ;; - i 11e (a 1 iforniau thistle ru-t. and attaeks the female plant with great.r laeility than the male. Kxperiun nts to extirpate the blackberry, another |.e-t of (lie farmers, have not been j

-- fill. )i- piiiM-iii- 111!■ '►' it ;!! ! ' \> ;H lacked by (Hlit l )' illm'i• l. which mittiliis its ell orl- s . Tin 1 MiiJy j.iarr in New Zealand whenlit*' wovU unhampered by its mien i^ci' j »ir clU'Diy i> I'oi'l t'tlderwoml. where ii is rxt.irminnl tin.' blackberry. .Jnhiwtuji |>nn.. grocers. New Plymouth, de>ire the puMie throughout Tur.ma.ki Iknow that all goods ordered will lie sent promptly through post or to nearest railway station. This grocery firm i> renowned for the line quality of their yrocories and the low pricos for cash.

To-morrow is the anniversary of CJor--111 silly's declaration of war on Russia.

."A <-liat About (he Maori People was tile .-ulijivt of an interesting address giien by iMr. 11. M. Xtowcll at the New I'll mouth Brotherhood ye',ton lav aflern.ioii. During the afternoon, Mr. \V. Ambury sang ft solo. Wo have pleasure in acknowledging from Mr. .1. 1,. I'uwr)', honorary sei relnry t« the Oka to Football Oliiib, the sum of £.'! 7s. being proceeds of the yafe money of the Uiftmi ami Tukapa matches, which the ejub decided to donate to the Wounded Soldier.-' Fund. I his we will forward (» tin. proper authorities.

Among (lie motions introduced at the Farmers' Union Conference on Friday was one from Taranaki: "That this confeience urge the (<overuuieiit to make statutory preference to unionists illegal, and to take the power from the Arbitration Court to grant compulsory preference." The fear iva.s expressed 'that, this would make the conference appear ridi(•ulcus, and ail amendment was finally carried: "lliat this conference is opposed to statutory preference.'' A sitting of tlie Magistrate's Court at Xeiv Plymouth, on Saturdav. ivas presided over by Mr. W. Kerr. S.M. !Vrcical 'Herbert Curtis (for whom Mr. A. H Johnston appeared) was charged with ,failing to comply with an order made a.t Gisbonie for the maintenanee of his wife, and lie was remanded until to-morrow. For being disorderly while drunk, Walter Kendall and John'O'llara flavin -were each fined CI or seven davs' hard labor.

The Mayor of Xcw Plymouth is in receipt of a telegram from the Eight Hon. the Prime Minister, desiring him to convene a qmblic (meeting to be held on Wednesday. August 4, being the fir,t a Mil versa ry of the declaration of iv.ir between England and (lermanv, and to propose a motion which will be idenii-

'' <l-1 with 11 tri f, at public moetilifts t 0 lie held on tliat day throughout (froat Britain and its dependencies. Mr. Wilson proposes that tV -mooting 1.0 heid at 2 p.m. at a place which will be notified in the advertisements convening tno mooting. Business. pop)? will bo ashed to close their premises ior - an hour to enable everyone to attend.

A fine example of (he Imperial spirit which animates some of the women ui New Zealand is contained in a letter written by a Xew Plymouth lady to a relative in Auckland. She snvs': ".M-, boy is still fighting, and is well. We had a letter from him the either dar, written in the trenches. My eldest, boy has enlisted, and lias hot n accepted. He was down last week to say good-bye before going into camp. They simp'lv must «o. Colin is htill waiting, and hopes to lie accepted at Christmas. Whad a letter from (frace (a nurse) last week, posted as soon as .she reached London, but she did not then kno'.v where she would be going." This mother, who is thus giving three sons and a daughter to the service of the Empire, lost" another son in the South African war some years ago. The scholars attending tin; Ruokerv Road Sii'iool, Birmingham. celebrated Kinp:ru Day by honoring \ew Zealand (says a London .•uiTopomldit). Tile High Comnttiasioner lias received fr*> m Mr. Leonard OhalLnor i headmaster) the following letter, uhi™ speaks for itself: "fllic (Stall and children of this school, the largest primary school j n Birmingham keeping Kmpi-r,, Day, respectfully satate the High Commissioner of Xew Zeah'ud, and ask to be allowed to express to him their thankful pride in the glorious help given the Motherland by the gal'ant soiis of the Dominion acro-s tim broad seas. We have 'crowned' and -alnted vour Hag to-day in the happy as-uram-e that, the Empire is ,-a.fe a-s long «, the spirit whivh caused 3'our rnler.s to send, and your me.ii to come, is still alive in the hearts of the race. And may Cod bless thoii service." The .High Commis.sioner m his reply to tflio headmaster said: "I canont myself feel other than proud at the splendid work done, by New Zealandem, in common with .Wiralhuis and Canadians, during this groat war. I am .sure that the overseas peoples but required the opportunity to show thait they are worthy of the race from wlifch they sprang, and thi's war will do much to bind isttill more firmly together every pait of our widespread Empire." 'J he following new linos of men's soft felt hate have, opened at the JUbonrno. Ltd.: Black, 'brown and dark green imitation velour hate, smait shane (is Gd and genuine pure fur velour' hats, in' (love, nutria, leaf green ami 1,-.iek' an 10s (id and Is ftd. Very handsome hats and exceptionally fine values.