LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An analysis of the casualty returns to September shows that the rate of killed and wounded it 1 to 3.4. The German losses in the war with France in 1870 showed a ratio (says the British Medical Journal) of 1 to 3.1; in the British forces in the Boer War the ratio was 1 to 3.9, and in the Russo-Japanese war it was 1 to 3.0 for the Japanese and 1 to 5.5 for the Russians, The ratio of officers to men killed in the Dardanelles is 1 to 15. and in the West 1 to 14,

A double tragedy took place at Bondi on November 17th when a woman, with a child in her arms, leaped over the cliffs about 200 yards from Ben Buckler's Point. The body of the woman, who was almost undressed, was recovered from the ocean by a fisherman named Doherty, while the body of the child was found on the rocks. The only witness of the tragedy was Mrs. Kirby, of North Bondi. The identity of the woman has not yet been established. The child was about IS months old. There are now about 2000 miles of water races in Ashburton county, serving an area of 580,000 acres, and the supply of water by the races is well maintained. The county chairman remarked a day or two ago that the settlers on, dry land are now in a much better position in respect to their water supply than the owners of wet or damp land, who for some time past were in want of water for stock and household purposes, owing to springs having dried up. The weight-guessing competition at the Stratford Show have been won as follows:—Bullock: Correct weight 538Slbs—Mr. B. Orr, Ngaere, 538; Mr. W. K. Fawcett, Waiiganui, 539; Mr. F. McDonald, Stratford 538. These tliree divide the prizes. Sheep; Correct weight 241Jlbs.—First, Mr. E. W. Lysohs, New Plymouth, 241 lbs; second, Mr! T. Walker Stratford, 242Jlbs, Mr. H. Butcher, Stratford, 240J1b; Mr. E. Mason, Stratford, 240|lbs, divide prize money. Pigs: Correct weight 1721bs—First, Mr, F. O'Connor, Flint Road, 171, second, Mr. W. Donaldson, Toko, 169Jlbs. What was left of the German cruiser Einden after she was defeated by H.M.A.S. Sydney and run ashore at North Keeling Island is not to be preserved to posterity. The Australian Minister for the Navy stated last week that a gunboat was despatched from Fremantle a fortnight ago to view the wreck and determine the advisability of proceeding with the much-delayed salvage. A wireless message received from the gunboat stated that the Emden was a total wreck, only the forepart of the vessel remaining on the beach. An endeavour would be made to collect further relics from the wreck, but the condition of the hull and the fact that huge breakers continuously swept the remnants made the work of salvage an engineering impossibility. The Melbourne Ltd. announces the arrival of a shipment of ladies' umbrellas to sell at 3s fid and 4s 6d. These umbrellas were bought "job" by the firm's London buyer and the value is extraordinary, both handles and covers being first ohm.

The Technical College sporti will be held in the Recreation Grounds tomorrow. The Jiext monthly meeting of the Taranaki County Council will be held on January 10, 1910. Owing to great pressure on our space this morning, caused by lengthy reports on various important matters, we have to apologise to several advertisers for the non-appearance of their announcements. Last night a number of the scholars belonging to the Salvation Army Sunday School paid a visit to the Old People's Home at Westown, and gave a splendid evening's programme of songs, recitations, etc., to the evident pleasure of the inmates. Mrs. Adjutant Home was in charge of the party and presided at the organ. Colonel Logan, commanding at Samoa, advise* the Defence Department as follows: "Regarding the health of the troops: Corporal J. Swam, enteric; Privates ft. W. Simpson, renal calculus; F. Quainton, catarrhal jaundice; /W. A. Finch, bronchitis; Corporal Swarn, not yet out of danger." The members of the Taranaki County Council, together with the County officials and press representatives, were the guests of the County chairman (Mr. J. Brown) at luncheon at the Waratah rooms yesterday, in honor of his election to the position for the tenth year in succession.

The Taranaki County Council yesterday decided to give a month's notice to all single men eligible for active service in their employ. This was the outcome of a similar resolution passed by the Raglan County Council, and to which .they asked the Council's support. The Council, at present have four single men in their employ, one of whom is ineligible for service.

A London cable states that over five hundTed undelivered soldiers' packages, posted in New Zealand in May and June last to the Dardanelles, have reached London, many in a battered condition, though the addresses are intact. Mr. McKenzie drew the attention of the War Office to the evident slackness of the officials at Dardanelles in delivering pareels, and General Godley'has telegraphed that improved arrangements have now been made.

An Auckland telegram says that the Talune brought from Samoa three interned Germans—Emest Heider, William Haensell and Theodore Brenner. Heider was a missionary under the London Missionary Society, Haensell was a planter, and Brenner overseer of road warks. They left under guard by the mid-day express for Wellington yesterday. No definite charge has been made against them.

Win. Geo. McDonald, a member of the Expeditionary Force, who had a bad record as a criminal, was sentenced at Wellington yesterday to twelve months' imprisonment for being a rogue and vagabond. The man had passed as the son of different Members of Parliament, and victimised a large number of people by mearij of collections.—Press Association.

The Hon. G. W. Russell states that there is a great rush for passports under the new regulations, something like 500 applications coming to hand in a fortnight. Every application had to be inquired into by the police and the passports had to go to the Governor for signature, therefore applications should reach the department at least a fortnight before the document is required, and longer notice should be given where possible.—Press Association.

The Harbor Board have given leave to the New Plymouth Beautifying Society to fence off part of the reserve at Paritutu in order that the pathways and tracks may be saved from injury by trespassing cattle. It is the intention of the committee to plant the enclosed part. The work of fencing will be commenced as soon as funds will permit. Mr. Edward Wells, of Carrington Road, has generously offered to supply some posts. Work next Thursday will consist chiefly in cutting paths. Afternoon tea will be provided and assistance will be welcomed.

A motor lorry, owned by Mr L. Bunn, earirer betwen Eltham and Omoana, caught fire on the Omoana ridge yesterday about mid-day, and was totally destroyed together with a load of timber. The driver also had a narrow escape. It is thought that the accident was due to back firing through the carburetter. The lorry, which was valued at about £BOO, was insured for £450, and the accident is especially unfortunate for Mr. Bunn, as it comes right on the busy part of the season.

The Petooe Borough Council's resolution that the War Pensions Act, 1915, (should be amended in the direction of setting forth therein, clearly and definitely, the amounts payable to soldiers' dependents in the event of deatli or active service, such amounts not to be subject to reduction or variation by the Pensions Board, and that Parliament should be at once summoned to amend the Act, was discussed by the Taranaki County Council yesterday! Crs. Andrews and Binnie proposed that the Council support the resolution, the former considering that there was too much cheese-paring. Cr. Morton considered that there was too great a tendency at times to support a resolution from another local body without fully considering the whole matter. He must decline to support it at present, until he knew what it meant and what the consequences would be. The chairman con. sidered that he could support the first portion as an aid to recniiting, but on the scoro of expense would not support asking Parliament to be specially convened. Cr. Morton thought Parliament wlicn it did meet would make an amendment which would be retrospective. They should be careful as there was no question that the pension business was in some eases being abused, and at the present time, from sentiment, they were inclined to vote more from the heart than the head. The motion was lost. The (New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., wish to draw the attention of the public to their Kohuratahi bullock and cattle fair, which they arc holding in their Kohuratahi yards on Thursday, Dec. 9, 1913. Over 1000 head of cattle besides 400 sheep will be offered, and buyers are requested to send in their names early so that transit can be arranged. Motor-cars leave the Com. pany's Stratford office at 9 o'clock on Thursday morning.

AN EXPERIENCED TRAVELLER SAYS: ALWAYS CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE. "I do, and I employ the N.Z. Express Co. Their system is beat; in fact, it is the only complete one. I just tell them when I am going, and they call for my baggage, take it to station, check on, receive at far end, and deliver at once. I haven't a bit of bother. But get the right concern—Tho N.2. Express Co., Ltd."

The Waitara Mai) says that the Bank of >iew Zealand has purchased a section at Urenui (the corner opposite the hotel), and intends to build there for the purpose of carrying on its agency. The Kaponga Ladies' Cofmittee are assisting in the making of sand hags for the front. They have advised that basic "lag bags may be left at Newton King's, Kaponja. ' —••••■ At a special meeting of the Eltham Borough Council, held on Monday night, a resolution was passed authorising the Mayor and Town Clerk to sign the deed for the special loan of .1:1500 for improvements to the gasworks.

In a letter to a friend in Hawera, Mrs. Malonc, widow of the late Colonel Malone, sends a very good photo of the Colonel sitting outside Ms dug-out at Gallipoli. It is a very good likeness' of the late Colonel in fighting trim, one of the best of New Zealand's soldiers.

At Portobello, a suburb of Dunedin, an Anti-Pea Rifle Association has been formed. During the meeting cases of careless and reckless and even intentional killing or wounding of cattle or sheep were reported. Some valuable horses had been injured, and it was stated that residents in the district had had narrow escapes from being shot. The following recent enlistments are reported: E. O'Reilly, Hawera; W. Bolger, Hawera; C. Coles, Normanby; C. Millen, Normanby; W. C. Stannard, Hawera; W. Stanford, Patea; R. Wallace, Rahotii; R. Parsons, Mangatoki, Eltham; W. J.' Sturmev, Eltham; E. J. Bonnet, Eltham; C. Bell, Te Kiri; L. F. C. Taylor, Eltham.

It J8 reported that one farmer in the Wairio district, who shore his hoggets recently, in going round his flock the following morning, after a rough and boisterous night, found no fewer than 139 of them dead. The night in question was a very severe one in that district, and hoggets would naturally stand up to it worse than previously shorn sheep would. The directors of the Stratford Dairy Company find that the returns for their September butter-fat, consigned through Messrs Mills and Sparrow, were so good that they are enabled to pay out another 4d per lb., making, with the Is per lb already paid, the great price of 16d, which is claimed to be a record for export butter for the Dominion for September.

At the last meeting of the Wellington District Teachers' Institute the following remit was passed: "That the institute regrets Parliament's action in establishing nine education districts, thus minimising the possibilities of reform held out by the scheme for creating larger education districts. The institute strongly urges the Government to abolish the present education districts, and place the control gf education under a National Board of Education."' A startling astronomical incident is reported to have occurred on Saturday night, and various rumours are current of the display, but the following account by eye-witnesses can be vouched for (says the Stratford Post):—Messrs. Fraser and McAloon were riding out to Te Wera at the time, estimated at about 9.30, and while passing the 17-mile peg on the East Road, a meteor fell out of the eastern sky and towards the west. It did not appear to be very high up, and left in its trail a brilliant light several chains long. The meteor as it burst gave a remarkable display of light, and after it passed the atmosphere was decidedly warmer. At Monday's meeting of the Patea Harbor Board, the pilot reported that the channel over the bar was straight, with about lift, at spring tides and 7ft at neap tides, with 7ft on the tide gauge and about ICOft wide. There had been an exceptionally bad bar these last neap tides, but he was glad to state that it mu scouring out as the tides made, and they had now fairly good water. He sounded on the bar on the 3rd and got 10ft inside and sft (Sin on a very narrow ridge on the bar, with 4ft 6in on the tide gauge. On December 6th he got 12ft Gin inside and 10ft (iin on the bar, with 9ft showing on the gauge. There were 17 arrivals and 17 departures since his last report, A noteworthy feature of the recent national scholarship and senior civil service examinations conducted throughout the Dominion was, says the Post, the unique position of the Stratford School in regard to one or the practical subjects, namely metal, for wnich in the whole of New Zealand there were only five candidates, but all of whom were pupils of the Stratford School. This is a simple but striking indication that the work of the school is being conducted along the lines of practical education referred to so often with emphasis by the Hon. M. Hanan, Minister of Education, on the occasion of his recent visit to Taranaki, and it is also another instance of the general up-to-date methods employed by the Headmaster (Mr. F. Tyrer) and his capable staff. A very valuable discovery has been made of a new mineral in the Golden Belt mine, Neavesville, near the Thames (says the Thames Star). The mineral is named molybdenite, and is used for hardening steel. Its value is several hundred pounds per ton. A percentage of the metal is used in making the bores of the largest war guns, and has the effect of increasing the life of the weapon. The seam is on the lianging-wall of the main reef in the intermediate level, and is bidding fair to become a welldefined body. It was first noticed as a black surface only on the ore, but has now widened out to several inches. Samples are being sent to the School of Mines, Thames, for treatment, It is a black mineral, soft, and when rubbed shines like the black lead used for polishing stoves.

Snails have been as troublesome this season in other parts of New Zealand as well as Taranaki, for according to the Post, in the experience of the oldest inhabitants of Wellington the ravages of Bnails and slugs have never been greater than during the past few weeks, An immense amount of damage has been done by those pests to all kinds of vegetables, and some amateurs are so disgusted at the failure to raise crops, owing to the depredations of the snails and pests, that they have given up trying to grow any more garden produce this seasou. A market gardener in Wellington, who has been at his wits' end to .discover some effectual means of dealing with the pests, reports that he lias hit upon something which is proving quite satisfactory. Liberal applications of lime and frequent spraying of the plants and seedlings have not had the desired effect, but a dusting of tobacco dust, which he purchased from a local seedsman, has been attended with the best results. From one patch of lettuce thus treated he collected the other morning hundreds of slugs and snails, and found that the young plants have not been injured in the slightest. A PANACEA FOR ALL STOMACH TROUW.KN. is found in Dr. Sheldon's Digestive Tabulcs,. which digest whnt yon cut and give the wnnn stoni-u-', :: hhtli >" .!-1 VC-I. 'l'Wr... 1- I'll ...[ ■.', U ) ~u . ,;, Uui.illi.dui; ~-u-ii .......