LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The search fo r Mr. T. Wells, who has been missing from his home at .Mangorei, was continued yesterday, but up to last night no eiue wa, discovered as to his whereabouts.

A Pulniei-ston North message says that Lionel Thompson, eleven years old, whose parents reside at Terrace ICnd, was crushed between two trucks in a gravel pit, and died a lew minutes later.

A visitor from the country at the lmcK of Wangauui states that the summer so fa:- has been remarkable ior extremely broken weather. It rained, nearly every day in November, and whilst it was good for the grass, which was knee high in manv places, the continual wet weather'had delayed the shearing considerably. One farmer who shears about 2000 sheep usually got through the job in fine weather in a week, but this year it had taken takc-ii him six weeks to get through.

At the Supreme Court at Now Plymouth yesterday an order of discharge of bankruptcy was granted J.ui Moon bum (Mr. D. Hntchen) subject to his paying to the 1J.0.A. a r-um equal to 10s in the L' on the amount of the ,-ole creditor's claim (£:>!> 10s 2d), such Mini to be inclusive of the amount already paid under a prior order of Mr. ,lu-tiee Edwards. This concluded the sitting of the Court.

■ The Xew Plymouth branch of the St. John Ambulance Association has passed the following resolution: "That his Worship the Mayor be asked to call a meeting of members of the Red Cross, St. John Ambulance. Victoria League, guilds, and kindred organisations, with a view to forming a Xew 'Plymouth section of the British Red Cross Society .is outlined at the meeting of delegates called by his Kxcellemy the Governor and held at Government House on ■November 10th last."

Of the cheese required by the linperiu Government fiom New Zealand •284 tons have been forwarded and are en route to Britain. There are 7ii tons in store awaiting shipment. Arrangements, said tiie Prime Minister yesterday, are being made to forward 3000 tons (his month on account of the meat for Imperial supply purposes not coming forward in the quantities expected. Special arrangements are being made to forward 7000 crates of cheese by the Star of India this month.

Experienced pastpralists are of opinion that the Poverty ilay district is in for a record season. As a result of the recent splendid rains, the country is looking remarkably well, and, though most places are heavily storked, many, indeed, being overstocked, there is plenty of feed and a certain guarantee that this will remain the ease. One result of the rains, it is stated, is that the season will be an unusually late one.

''We hear that a second Maori contingent will soon be here," writes a Masterton member of the lirst Maori contingent from Gallipoli. "We are glad to hear it. Come along, my Maori brethren, and help us to keep up the reputation we have won, and to continue to show the world that the fighting spirit of our noble ancestors is still with us. As we liave done, so will we continue to do if you will only come, Greetings to my Maori brother. Come! your white King calls you; your white brother calls you! we call you. Come!"

The casualties unofficially announced from recent, ifighting on the west front include Private Eric Belk. son of the Into llr. S. IT. Bulk, clerk to the justices at Hartlepool anil West Hartlepool. Aged twenty-one rind articled to a firm of London solicitors, he was, says the Yorkshire Post, one of nine chums—all young men in the medical or legal professions or from the universities, who joined the Cameron Highlanders, all declining commissions as they wished to have expifrience in the ranks. Seven of them wire killed in the recent advance in France. Private Belk, who was killed while working a macliinc-gun, had been nominated for a commission in the Black Watch.

In an address at a recruiting meeting at Rangiora on Monday night, the Hon. Dr. McNab said: "I call no man a shirker —not yet. It is only a question of the men making up their minds. The men who are. going now are probably just as good men as those who the Expeditionary Force, who have made history which will live for all time, and who have taken part in some of the most glorious actions of the whole war." Dr. Mi-Nab spoke of a whsper which had reached him to the effect that a certain section of the farming community were antagonistic to him. They were afraid, he/was informed, for the gathering of the crops. "If necessary," he added, "it. would be justifiable to let the crops rot in the fields. The men must enlist and light."

■Respecting the cable from San "Francisco to the effect that seventy .Irishmen from New Zealand had landed by the s.s. Moana to escape military service, a Wellington authority states that the number has been exaggerated. There, were, he states, just over thirty natives of Ireland, mostly from- Donegal. Antrim. Kerry, and 'County Cork. The greater portion of the Irishmen who were leaving would only mention San Francisco as their destination. The majority were apparently under :Ul years 01 age. and many of them had been residents of New Zealand for only a few years. Most of them were of the laboring class. One or two had been working on railway construction works, while others had been engaged in work in the country. One young fellow about 27) said ijuite candidly that he was not going to fight, lie had' had to work like a stave at ten years of age in Ireland, he said, to keep his mother on a >hilling a day, so he felt that he had no cause now to go and light. Another said he was going away to join the Irish Brigade. 'The great majority merely said they were either going for a run Home or for a look round. Most of them said they had filled in and posted national registration papers before leaving. .

A notice of special interest to the commercial community, with reference to the l.'oveinnieut contracts for military stores and -upplie.-, appeal's on page 1 thi« morning:. 'The Xew Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co.. Ltd., have received the following cablegram from their Loudon house.'nude:- date 7th. itist.: Wool sales, there is strong competition. As. compared with ISth November, good merino, greasv and .-coured crossbred.and course slipe are 7.'. per cent, higher. There is a better market for faulty descriptions. At. the Hood Templar Hall on Sunday afternoon and also evening the Salvation Army will hold their Sunday School Anniversary. A number of the scholars will render special anniversary songs and Major Toouicr, from Palmerston North who is paying his first visit to New Plymouth, will have charge of the services. The afternoon service will be at 3 o'clock and the evening service will commence at 7 o'clock,

Tin: annual -Lit- coiu|ietifioi.s will be held at'tin- Hoy-.' High School this evening at 7.:.'1> o'clock.

Tii.- value of huildiinr permits issued by tlii' Ilaweia Council for the past month was .CI-J 1-1 10-. .Mr. Duncan A. I'oole. of Auroa, has received definite advice n-,,1,1 ill,. Defence Department, Hint his ..on, Mo-tyn, who was posted its mis-iins, was killed bv a shell in action. He has. had very sympathetic messages fioin Mr. Masscy and Sir Joseph Ward.

Some concern is felt: in shipping circles in consequence of the absence of news regarding the barque LimM.ol, now 4(i days out from W'anganiii 1.. Sydney. The sailer left Wanganui on October 24 with a load of timber for the New South Wales port.

The new agreement between the Union Steamship ('mnpaiiv anil the Merchant Service Cuild will'he formally ratified by (lie Arbitration Court on Monday next. The agreement is to cover a period of three years. The tcxi was to be placed in the hands of the printer yesterday, and the copies of the agreement will be forwarded to all members of the Uuild in about a week's lime.

To commemorate the services io the district by the late Mi-. T. 1., .1011, a 'handsome bust of Mr. .101 l was, on Wednesday last, unveiled in .101 l I'ark, Okaiawa. by Mr. G. V. I'earce. M.l'., who paid 'eloquent tribute to Mr. .lolls pioneer' work in the dairy industry. There were about 100 people present, and several speeches appropriate to the occasion were made, afternon tea being subsequently served. At Christchurch. a lad under lfl years of age was charged with having firearms in his possession. Counsel said that in ignorance of the law the boy's father had bought him a revolver, with a view to encouraging shooting. The boy would be I« next April. The weapon was not very dangerous, as it would only kill a cat at about i"> yards, and the boy was fully 200 yards from the nearest house when he was practising. The Magistrate said lie would not enter a conviction, but would discharge the lad. He had done worse things himself. A cablegram received hy the Defence Minister stated that 118"'cases of comforts have been landed at Suez, and the same number reached Alexandria. Of the above-mentioned, as much as possible, namely, (1400 leather coats (lOti cases) .for men belonging to Poverty Bay (34 cases), Marlborough (11 cases)', 10th (Nelson) Squadron (:!4 cases), 12th' (Kelson) Company (0 cases) and Field Artillery Brigade (21 cases), for use during the- cold weather, with four oases of fire-lighters, have been dispatched to the front b'y means of supply ships. The remainder will be sent at the earliest opportunity. Though published at rare intervals and with no fixed abode (as an explanatory line puts it), the Navuaii Nosebag, the unofficial organ of the Seventh Reinforcements, who went away on the Na'vua, must, have proved a great means of diversion to its readers during the long voyage. Copies of the first two issues have, just reached New Zealand, and indicate that the editor and his staff were determined to record the incidents of the trip, not only for the benefit of those on boifrd, but also for that of the folk who remained behind. There are, of course, jokes at the expense of officers, non-coms., and privates, personal (very personal, some, of them) paragraphs about all and sundry, bush-lawyer "advice" on various subjects, and even poetry. The little paper,.which was evidently produced in the face, of some difficulties, is very creditable to those responsible for it. They were clearly men of resource, as is shown by the manner in which deficiencies in mechanical equipment were overcome. There was, for instance, no type suitable for the title, so a block was cut out of linoleum, which served the purpose very well indeed. The Sevenths arrived in Egypt on November 19th. A new line of men's soft felt hats at as (id has just opened out at the Melbourne, Ltd. Colours comprise black, brown, and •'Limerick," a new dark shade of green. Shapes arc up to the moment.

The Daily News is cm sale at Stratford at 0 &.m., Eltham 6.1 a a.m., Normanby f1.40 a.m., Hawera 7 a.m., Patea 8.16 a.m., Manaia 7.30 a.m., Kapuni 8 a.m., Kaponga 7 a.m., Awatuna 7.20 «..»,, M»rapu 6.45 a.m