LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

flic (late of the departure of the hospital ship Mahono from New Zealand has not yet been fixed, but it is probable that the final port will be Wellington. Over 100 Napier waterside workers have gone to the front. Of these, seven have been killed, while a large number have been wounded. A pon inon, one of two captured by the New Zealanders at the flght on the Sura Canal long ago, lias been sent to the Prime Minister, and is now in Wellington. '- n Js tile r.yttelton Times:—Gardeners and market growers are having a bad time this season. One would have thought that, with Christmas over, frosts were unlikely until the end of March, but on the night of January 2 wc had quite a sharp frost, and in many gardens the tender tops of potatoes, tomatoes, marrows and beans were black«ned. This, of course, is very serious for potato growers, because this is the fourth time the haulms have been dam aged, and it is impossible to expect even a moderate crop after this experience. While it is desirable that there should ba no slackening of effort in regard to the prosecution of the war (says the Auckland Star), we may yet take heart from the assurances of leading military men that all is apparently well with the operations of the. Allies, 'moat especially on the Western front. One who lias come to New Zealand during the pnst week informed a representative of the Star that the opinion is held in high military circles that the forces aiul equipment of the French, Belgians and British are now equal to the "big push.'' And once this is started there is expected to he 110 slackening until the aimies of the Kaiser are properly on the run. The informant states that the appointment of Sir Douglas Haig n<i Commander-in-Chief of 'the British Forces is viewed with great satisfaction, because he is recognised as the natural leader bv reason of his great natural ability. \ iseount French is esteemed as highly as ever, but it, is felt that the time lias probably come for him to make way for r, younger man. With regard to Cieneral ,To(Tre, the supreme commander, there is only one opinion, namely, that! the resourceful Frenchman is the outstanding general of the war. "The (Hermans," added the informant, ''have nothing like him. He is the military genius of the age, 1 '

A new theatre is to bo built in Hawera. The Egmont County Council has decided to ask the local police to enforce the Act in connection with the lighting of vehicles after dark. Wednesday has been dcclav.d !,v the Egmont County Council the .-tut ifciiy halt-holiday in the outlying portions o{ the County. This applies to Te TCirl, Awatuna and Pihama. The Agricultural Department lias -i»certained the area under grain fin threshing purposes in the Taranaki dis trict is: —Wheat, 1220 acres; oats, 3,280 acres; and barley, 079 acres. The body of the second mate of the schooner O. S. Holmes—Laurity M. Jensen, who was drowned at Mcituroa early on Thursday morning—was recovered yesterday afternoon. An inquest will be opened at 10.30 o'clock this morning. His Excellency the Governor (nays a Wellington message) has received -a cablegram intimating that His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the convalescent home for soldiers at Rotorua being called the ''King George V, Hospital." '

The Auckland Star's Tatimarumii correspondent states on the authority of the Hon. G. W. Russell that the legislation next session for the Government censorship of moving pictures will be on broad lines. A picture will not be censored on the opinion of one man. The Minister prohibited the exhibition of one picture.. recently.—jPress Association. The estates of 301 deceased persons were assessed for stamp duty during the month of December, the largest being that of John Speedy, Hawke's Bay, £62,417. The New Plymouth estates were:—John Campbell, £7512, Henry 11. Street .-C5557, William- H. Bishop £3477, Henry E. P. Adams £2932, James Hamblyn £1417, Jane A. Wickham £1278, Bertha B. Anderson. £1224, Edward Dcwhirst £1075, and Kate 15, Halcombe £GSB. At St. George's Church, Patea, on Wednesday, the first military wedding in that'town took place, says the Press, Private Thos. Hugh Booth being married to Miss Olive Sturmey, of New Plymouth. Judgement for plaintiff by default was given in the following civil eases by the Stratford Magistrate's Court yesterday:— Manoy and Hassall (Mr. V Thompson) v. W. C. Hold, 14s fld, costj ss; Thos. J. Shaw (Messrs Malone and King) v. John Edwards, £S Ss; 1), Steven (Mr. P. Thomson) v. P. F. W_ Belk, £2 7s; McMillan and Frederic (Mr. T. C. Fookes) v. Henry Wiggins, £5 14s Bd, 10s; McMillan Frederic (Mr. T. C. Fookes) v. Jas_ Gear, 10s fld, llti The usual quiet of Haining street, Wellington, was disturbed by a police raid last evening on three houses. It is alleged that pakapoo was being played, and live Europeans and six Chinese were arrested. Besides charges or gaming and keeping gaming bouses, the Chinese are accused of being found in possession of opium.—Press Assocratlon. At the Eltham S.M. Court on Thursday. when making an order for the committal of a native for debt the Magistrate naively enquired of counsel if the Maoris paid up rather than go to gaol. To the amusement of the Court he was solemnly assuered that in some cases they much preferred going to gaol as a relief from the monotonous daily routine of native life. The anonymous "white feather" missive is still in evidence in Ilawera, and instances come under notice In which zeal is not informed by knowledge or tempered by discretion. The senders might realise that it is at least their duty to know the. facts before they charge other people with a failure of duty; and that sensitive people feel keenly an undeserved attack to which they cannot reply.—Star. Ilawera people will read with pecuttar interest and pleasure (says the Star) that Lieutenant Frank Turnbull lias been awarded the Military Cross. He is tlie sou of the late Air. A*. Turnbull, formerly S.M. at Ilawera. and was very well known and popular. He took a great Interest in swimming and other forms of sport. Just after he left Ilawera he qualified as a solicitor and practised his profession for some time in Wanganui before lie got his commission. He has been twice wounded during tlie war. The Minister for Education, the Hon. J. A. Hanan, in conversation with a reporter, touched on a vital question, which he summed up in a few words. "I am inclined to think,'' he said, "that we should think of some scheme to regulate the admission of certain tynos of youth into the high schools. For instance, a boy or girl goes to these schools on a proficiency certificate for twelve months, and then leaves, having opened a few books. They go back to home or to the farm, and the vear is wasted and all tlie money spent on their high school education is without any result. Many who now go to the high school would be better employed in attending the technical schools and learning to do profitable work for themselves and the State." At Whiteley Memorial Church to-mor-row, special services will be held in commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the beginning of New Plymouth missionary work by the Wesleyan Methodist Church. That period has elapsed since the Rev. Charles Creed landed on the beach at Moturoa irom the "Triton," and made his home among tlie natives and the whalers who preceded the first immigrants. Tic uny is also the centenary of the birth of t'e Rev. Hubert Ward, New Zealand's first Primitive Methodist minister, who began in New Plymouth the colonial enterprise of his denomination. The Rev. T. G. Hammond, superintendent of the West I Coast Maori Mission, will preach in the i morning on "John Whiteley, a man sent from Cod," and will deal (as probably only he can) with tlie life and work of the Martyr-Missionary in whose memory the present church was built. The Veterans will parade for the morning service, assembling at 10.30 at the Bank of New Zealand corner, and will be played from there to the Church. Tlie special .music for the day will include a sacred solo at the evening service by Mr. A. 11. Mncdonald—"Arm, ye Brave," from Handel's "Judas Maccabeus." The Revs. T. G. Hammond and A. B. Chappell will officiate at the evening service. At the Brougham street Hall on Wednesday next, Messrs. Webster l!ros. will submit to auction all the household • furniture and effects of Mrs. Arthur Standish. The furniture is a very superior lot and the sale offers a splendid opportunity to those wanting articles of the kind. The sale commonces at 2 o'clock. The Daily Ner/s has the blggesc circulation of any paper between Wellington and Auckland. It covers the whole of the prosperous and closely;settled province of Taranaki, and as an advertising medium cannot be equalled. Advertising charges on application

At the Fatea Magistrate's Court on Thursday F, G. Loader was fined £5 and costs 7s, for selling sliortwelgnt bread. A New Plymouth business man estimates that the value of dairy produce, meat, wool, etc., exported from Taranaki this season will be over £3,000,000, wliieli works out at over £oO per head of population. The Dominions' average is £3O. Taranaki's exports must be t'le highest in the world. The committee of the Red Cross market wisii to acknowledge the sum of £4 7s fid (per Miss Ilamerton) made up as follows:—Miss Hoskin (crochet) 7a, Mr. Leiinon (leather ease £1), Oraata school children pillow slips) 14s, Mrs. Johns, sonr. (crochet work) 12b and cash contributions, £1 14s 3d. Also (per Mr. W. F. Cordon) for postcard* drawn by General G. Roblevs, ss. The Red Cross market will he open to-day,

The Taranaki Land Board's decision of last meeting regarding the exclusion of single men of military age from ballots for Crown land, unless evidence can be produced of rejection from service by the military authorities, will come into force at the forthcoming ballot at Tan* marunui, on the 21st hist. At the sanu ballot the recent amendment to the Land Act will come into operation, granting perference to discharged soldii-rs. also to agents of soldiers absent on active service who are able to satisfy the Board that they are acting bona llde for such absentees. A meeting of the Xgamotu Seaside Committee was held on Thursday oveninj to consider the report of the delegate* relative to the proposal of the Patriotic Committee to run a gala day on the day of the official opening of ihe train-). The chairman (Mr. J. Haydcn) reported that the delegates from Die Kawaroa, East End and Ngamotti Seaside Committees had met the piilwonimiicM of the Patriotic Committee in conference on the 12th inst. The feeling prevailed at the meeting that the Carnival Committee should control the function on the day. namely, March 9. The Sports Ground Committee were running and organising the carnival: After a desultory discussion, it was ultimately decided—"That this committee co-operate with the Knwaroa, East End and Patriotic Committees and run a monster p!eni-> nn one of the foreshores on the day oi the official opening of the trams, the whole of the net proceeds to be devoted to the Wounded Soldiers' Fund.! and not to form part of the carnival fund, and that no charge lie made for the use of the committee's grounds anrl gear." |Wr understand that in view of the probability of the Carnival becoming a Taranaki scheme, the decision of the Sports Ground committee will not be adhered to.] W. H. and A. McGarry, of Elthani, advertise for sale two dairy farms on very easy terms. The Melbourne, for black Ivv mending wool, in ounce balls, sd; boys' braces. 4d pail'; boys' washing ties, td each; lndW hemstitched handkerchiefs, eight for Is; men's Irish lawn handkerchiefs, three for Is; Horrockses' tennis and neglige shirts, 3s Od and 4s lid. Superb' value. Are you setting-up house or renovating your home, If so, you will be interested in A. E. Goodacre's message which is published elsewhere in this Issue. The firm draws attention to their splendid high-back chairs—chairs combining durability, handsome designs am' low price. Select the new chairs aGoodacre's, the makers of "life time ftp niture."