LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A sum of 250 guineas has been donated to the Hospital Ship Fund by the New Zealand Society of Accountants, and the council of the soc-iety has been given power to donate up to £SOO additional to patriotic funds if considered advisable.

Throughout the world Methodism iia* li'ii),o(i6 churches, ministered to by an army of 54.027 ministers and KJti.T.H lay preachers. Enrolled ill its membership are !1,G:13,84S people, and associated in its fellowship are 35,000,0011 adherents. In its Sunday schools 8.061,782 scholars are receiving instruction from a body of teachers numbering 877,7.15.

One of the orders issued by Lieutenant Colonel Ikim-hop, C.M.C.. just before Ins death refers to a plucky action by Trooper .1. Forbes, of the llith Squadron of the Otago Mounted Rifles. Lieuten-ant-Colonel Bauchop specially commended Trooper Forbes for bis prompt help to a comrade on duly 5. The fact? were that a trooper of the 7th Squadron was wounded in the leg, and was crawling lie shrher along the river-bed. Learning of his predicament. Trooper Forbes immediately rushed out of shelter, and helped along the wounded man under lire. Heiore -utting cover, unl'otunatelv, another shot struck the man already wounded, and killed him in Forbes' arms when within two or three yards of safeiv.

Writing t u a brother in Wellington, a warrant officer in the Australian Army Medical Corps refers to one of his cabin mates on the voyage to Kurope as bein» "at once a very practical and a very sentimental cuss. He is in the siege brigade uilh an ex client chance of being cul up when they get to business, .-le has opened bis heart, to me about the sorrows o) parting from his wife no whom lie was married a fortnight, bciore leaving), and it seemed to have gol him down, at least j o r a few da vs. Hut here conies in his very practical turn. I hud noticed him stewing at a shorthand book c\en when he was too se;tsick lo cat. and wondered why an artillery sergeant going on active service should be worrying abonl meli a ibing, I'iiit lie lidd nie a lew <tavs ago thai he was learning I'iuiuin's s.i that in the event ol his being cut up about the lcg> lie Would be able to Work l'ol' his living in spite of it. What, do you think of that for practical foresight?"

Five good dairy cir,v s are advertised to day for sale by Mr. N'ewton King.

In this issue we publish particulars of Mr. \owl.on King's L'renui sale on Monday next. Included in the list are some very fine springing hoifers. and anyone requiring anything of this class -hould attend this sale. The New Zealand t.oau and Mercantile Agency Co.. Ltd., and Messrs VYebptdr. Dohson and Co. draw the attention of clients to their Stratford sale, which they are holding in their Stratford yards 011 Tuesday next. Full particulars will he found in our auctioneering columns. Mrs. Cunningham, proprietress of the Kiosk, CiistleelilT, Wanganni, lias just finished additions, enabling her to accommodate a large number of visitors. The Kiosk is close to the sea, and bathing may be indulged in. while camping parties are provided with meals by arrangement. At the Waiwaakiho yards on Monday, the lltli, Mr, Newton King will hoid his annual bull fair. Present indications point to there 'being a very keen enquiry for any good bulls, and the auctioneer will be very pleased to have early entry of any Shorthorn or Holstein bulls that may be available and which have not as yet been entered.

Tiie vital statistics for Stratford for the mouth ending September 30, are as follows (quarter figures being given in parenthesis):—Births 18 (58), marriages 2 (14), deaths 4 (11). The Southland Frozen Meat Company have donated £5lO to the Wounded Soldiers' Fund, and £3OO to the Allies Zielief Fund.—Press Association.

A Dunedin telegram says that the Waikari emergency hospital closed down yesterday, the sole remaining patent being transferred to the Dunedin hospital, from which he will probably be discharged to-day. The hospital has been in use since July 28, and twenty-seven cerebro-spinal-meningitis contacts have been under observation and treatment. Matters in connection with the Taraaaki Farmers' Meat Freezing Company *re progressing very satisfactorily. Tenders for the erection o£ the buildißgs will be called in the course of a few days to close at the end of the month, by which time the site will be ready for the successful contractor. The work will be pushed forward with all speed. Satisfactory letters have been received in connection with the machinery, orders for which were placed in England somej time ago. The North Egmont Mountain House was opened for the season . yesterday, and a number of people have already applied for accommodation this month, one party having arranged to go to the mountain to-morrow. While accommodation and means will be available for people who wisn to stay at the hostelry, meals for casual visitors will not be procurable for some little time yet. People visitng the mountain for the day will, therefore, have to take refreshments with them until further notice. The Customs duties collected at the port of New Plymouth during last month amounted to £3BBO 9s, and the beer duty to £B2 3s. For September, 1914, the totals were £4508 Is 2d and £OB 16s. Customs duty for the last quarter was £0987 los 7d and the beer duty, £255 lis, as compared with £12,566 9s 4d and £2B 4s Id during the three months ending September 30, 1014. During the past month there were 27 births, 9 deaths and 14 marriages in the district of the New (Plymouth Registrar (Mr. J. S. S. Medley), the figures for September, 1914, being 23 births, 17 deaths and 11 marriages. For the nine months ending September 30 there were 865 births, 104 deaths, and 87 maTriages, as compared with 264! births, 113 deaths, and 91 marriages during the same period last year. At the meeting of the Clifton County Council yesterday, a letter was received from the Board of Agriculture stating [that a movement had been set on foot Ito encourage school children throughout I New Zealand to collect the grass seed on I roadsides and waste places during the! coming summer, and to devote the proceeds from the sale of such seeds to the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. The letter added that the scheme was being enthusiastically entered into by the Education Boards, the Farmers' Union, and the A. and P. Associations, and there was every promise that it would be the means, not only of providing a substastial contribution to a worthy cause, but also of meeting to some extent the almost inevitable shortage of seeds which the war will cause. Permission was asked for children to collect seed on the roadsides in the county. The chairman remarked that the idea was a very good one. Permission as requested was granted.

The following extracts are taken from letters written by 'the late Private 'Ronald L. H. Martin to his mother, i'rivdtii Martin belonged to the Wellington Battalion, and was killed in action on August B:—"The heat on the 'Peninsula is intense, but we wear the scantiest attire, and one of the Best points is that we are always near the sea. and often »o for a swim. So far I am .sound in wind and limb, but don't, know whether it is owing to good luck or good management. Von will notice that we are very short of writing paper. Anyone in the trenches who owns a writ-ing-pad can make a small fortune, because one page is worth a, packet, of cigarettes, and nn envelope another packet. We hear that Wellington i? very gay witli carnivals to raise funds for tli. - * wounded. . If the people in \'ew Zealand could see the terrible suffering our chaps endure, there would surely be 110 difficulty in raising money. . . . Many of the men who were slightly wounded are now returning. How acceptable a magazine would he here. Our platoon has several books, but we have read each one almiit twice, There i< very little pomp and show about this business; it is real hard work and long hours. The account of' a light in a paper is' mighty different from one ,1 soldier could give. These bovs are brave and great in a fight dm- day i was beside ;i fellow who was shot in both legs, and probably one would have to be amputated. As he was being carried away he called cheerfully, tioodbye. bo;.»; lii try to come back soon." 't his is only one of many incidents, (lifts from the Wanganiii Gift Club arrived to-day. and were immenselv ;inpreciated. One of the boys got <hocolates, and gave me some, anil ii was good. Socks from the l.ady Liverpool Fund also have arrived, and thev .-ir." grand."

On Thursday next, at tlio i'iimi. Durham linad. Messrs, Matthews. Gamlin ami Co., will sell, without, reserve, the. whole of Mr. Jus. Bridgenian'* i-!n>i<-c dairy herd ami pedigree -ier-cy cattle.

Al tlio TliPirtrc lloyul. Mr. tieorgu Stephenson's company of comedians will play. "Pun on the liristul," next Wednesday niglit, and the same side-split-ting farce at a liiatinee. eomiiieneiiir.' at on Thursday. On Thursday night, the eoiiipany will sta;>e an entirely new burlesque. entitled "I'asl Lvime I'p-to date," wiiieli i-, described a- one of the greatest la Huh provokers introduced to playgoers.

The attention of our renders is drawn to the land sale to he conducted by Mr. Newton King on Saturday next. The properties to be oll'ered are -ituatod mi the Puuiho and Waroa roads, and are worthy of Ihe inspection by any land seekers, as we understand in both cases fairlv easy terms can be obtained. The a net ioneer will be pleased to show any enquirers over the properties. A shipment of the Melbourne, Ltd.'s, famous stockings is due to arrive in a few days ex Arawa. The prices of these stockings for the ffcxt three shipments will be as follows:—Plain cashmere, Is ■J(I per pair; fine rib and fancy rib, Is 04 per pair. For the fourth and subsequent shipments the prices will be Is 0d and Is 9d respectively.

Attention is drawn to the advertisement in tliis issue with particulars of the lease of the well-known Coffee Palace buildings, New 'Plymouth. The present owner, owing to other business, is unable to continue the lease, ana so leaves an excellent opportunity for a capable man to step right into a payable proposition with very little outlay. Full particulars can be obtained from the agent, Mr. Newton King.