LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The outstanding' feature in railway travelling in the Manawatu is tlie number of sheep being tracked. Everv train, except mails, are carrying their full limit of sheep-laden trucks, and from Fielding special trains are running at all times.

The increase in the cost of safety matches caused by the war has spread to wax vestas. A local tobacconist informed a reporter on Saturday that boxes of vestas now sold at a penny will in future be retailed at two boxes for threepence

The action of the Home authorities in reducing the imports of paper pulp will have a direct effect on newspaper production in New Zealand, where many papers receive supplies from England. Word has just been received from Canada that the space available for paper this coining year will be severely'restricted. This means that most 1 papers in New Zealand will have to reduce their size or stop publication entirely. The farmers of South Taranaki have done honor and justice to themselves by resolving (o fuifil their obligations iii the matter of the wounded soldiers' relief (says the Star), hy means of personal subscriptions. Districts that prefer more dramatic methods have, of course, a perfect right to adopt them, but to resolve to give freely without specially emphasised appeals is surely, under all the circumstances, the better wav.

At. times some people have great luck. An instance of this is mentioned by a correspondent of the Stratford Post at Upper Mangaelm, which is eastward of Stratford some twenty odd miles. A certain road navvy is in the habit of riding to and from work, and one. morning last week he had mounted his horse and was in the act of picking up his tools, when the horse plunged and he overbalanced and fell to the ground. But one foot hung in the stirrup, and he was dragged for some distance. Then his hfck turned up trumps, and he was freed from his dangerous predicament—his foot had come out of his unlaced boot! It was a true case of carelessness saving a man's life!

The Tnrnuaki Daily News is not fur wrong in its estimation of the punishment that should bfc meted out to thos.e responsible for the/existing state of affairs in the town (writes Friday's Patea Press). With regard to the sins we quoted there is absolutely no question as to them one and all being supported by ample facts as every& ratepayer knows. As a matter of fact" they form but a tithe of the sins of omission and commission we could bring to light if necessary. Some of the cases that could be mentioned are so glaring as to appear almost beyond belief. We will quote just one example. Three acres of highly' desirable building sites in the main'street which are at present let for a term of years and which the, Council was proposing to sell to a Wangamii syndicate recently are so valued that the general rate is under 4 S per acre. Less than 250 yards away in the same street is a small business site with a ramshackle one storey wooden building on it so valued that the. general rate works out at £OO pel' acre! The difference between four shillings and ninety pounds is sufficiently great to show that there has been a' screw loose somewhere with the valuations in the Borough for some time past and probably this accounts in some wav for 'the manner in which the town has been kept back. <>[lf this indictment is true, all we can say is that the good folk of Patea must be the most forebearing or apathetic in the. whole of the Dominjon. There is, however, hope for the town. It possesses a paper that, is conscious of its duty, which it is carbine out*fearlessly and faithfully.]

Harvesting is in full swing about Marton, and magnificent crops, wheat especially, are visible in every direction. In its comments on (he money market, last week's issue of the New Zealand Trade Review says that the excess of exports over imports—£l,ls(l,72l in 1013, £5,109,690 in 1014, and £10,772,102 in 1015 —ensures an ample supply of funds for some time to come, and will enable the country to face the position when the war is over, should ihe effects of the war be adverse to us. A rather long fast was enforced on an inquisitive fox terrier last week (says the Napier Telegraph). The animal, keen on the scent of a rat, entered a culvert and got blocked. lie was seen to go in, but no notice was taken when he did not return to his master, as the dog is in the habit of following many of the corporation staff about, and ho was consequently not missed. Eight days later the muffled barks of the terrier were heard, and he was unearthed soon afterwards. He had been trapped in some loose shingle, and had been without food the whole time. On his rescue he was delighted, although weak. The' Minister for Defence paid a visit to Somes Island on Monday, and told the New Zealand Times reporter yesterday that ho had found the conditions there satisfactory. The German and. Austrian prisoners who were interned on the island were well housed and well fed. The life on the island was monotonous, but the prisoners did not appear to have any cause for complaint. They would welcome gifts of books for 'their libraryThere were no cases of sickness on the island. The Minister mcirlinncd that improved accommodation w>n to be provided for the soldier? _ •he island. [Pity they were not •■ >wi ■ "'• iseful work to do, say ha'rresii '0" hush clearing in Taranaki, v"" 1 lf'-'r is scarce.]

In discussing the question oi extending trade between Japan and New Zealand, the Japan Times says:—''The Japanese Government, it is understood, has hitherto refused to subsidise a New Zealand service, but this fact should not deter some enterprising shipowners from trying out the new line. There exists in New Zealand a group of the most influential business men ready to financially assist any proposals towards the establishment of a Japan-New Zealand line. Their assistance would take the form of a guarantee on backward cargoes. It is to be regretted, therefore, that the trade between the two countries should not receive the stimulus that is required iti better shipping- facilities, for it is a trade which would become in a very few years a great asset to Japan's commercial activity, and which would equally benefit New Zealand."

A statement supplied to a northern newspaper by a man with business connections in the South Sea Islands shows how, in 1908, German agents were at work in Tahiti, ostensibly trading, but really in pursuance of a commission from'the German War Office. Trading under a French name, the German company showed remarkable activity in acquiring land at the chief harbors of Tahiti. About the same time there came from Samoa Herr Sehultz, of the German Government. He was said to be on a short visit.for health, .but stayed six months with Herr Coppenwrath. He became mixed up in the land purchasing scheme. The death of Herr Coppenwrath revealed the fact that the German land-jobbers had in their minds neither copper nor mother-of-pearl, but, acting on behalf of the German Government, were, as fast as opportunity could be found, acquiring the island' by bits, particularly sites most valuable from a naval and military viewpoint. "The leaders of the two principal political parties in the Dominion are working whole-heartedly together for the purposes of the war," remarked Mr. G. J. Anderson at Glencoe. His hearers, he said, might at lime he inclined to criticise the actions of the Government. When they felt this inclination he would suggest to them to remember that they did not know all the difficulties the Government had to contend with, nor the limitations to which it was subject. The Imperial Government was naturally the leader in the present crisis, and all the dependencies must loyally acquiesce with the ''suggestions" from headquarters. They would be well advised to accept: the united wisdom of the Imperial and Dominion Rational Governments, and work for the success of our arms as far as they, as individuals, could by accepting willingly whatever was deemed advisable by-their leaders in the way of taxation, trade restrictions or compulsory service.

A proposal to ask the Government's permission to borrow £300,000 for the Xapier inner harbor scheme, provided that the ratepayers agreed with the idea, was defeated at a meeting of the Napier Harbor Board on Tuesday last, In moving the motion, Mr. .T. Vigor Brown, M.P., expressed some, impatience regarding the matter. In his opinion, he said, the Board was doing nothing, and the question would never be decided. He was heartily sick of coming to meeting after meeting without anything being done. There was too much dallying over the matter. 'lf the Board did not do anything, why should it not resign? The chairman, in his last annual statement twelve months ago, said ; he hoped there would be no delay in putting.the proposal before the people. Sev : eral speakers agreed that it would, in the words of one of the number, an "awful blunder to take a poll at the present time. The Board would not have a leg to stand on. It was impossible to get the wool away, owing to the shortage of ships, and, in. view of the decrease of .-C-1000 in revenue for the year, what would be the good of asking the Government for permission to raise a loan of £300,000? It was an unfair tiling to ask such a thing at the present tiiSne."

The following bargains in men's apparel at the Melbourne Lid's, great sale are selling very freely. Hoslyn all-wool boxed suits, 29s (id; Kaiapoi all-wool suits, 32s (id; smart tweed boxed suits, splendidly tailored, 455; highest grade indigo worsted and serge; suits, very latest styles, lifts (id; wen's saddle tweed trousers 7s 11(1; worsted trousers (is till, and Kaiapoi saddle tweed trousers 12s Oil. STOPS THE PAIN INSTANTLY. The pain caused by a burn or scald will be instantly relieved if Dr. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment is applied. A most useful household remedy to always have on hand. Price Is (id and :Is. Obtainable everywhere. HOW TO BREAK UP A COLD. It may be a surprise to many to learn that a 'severe cold can be completely broken up in one or two day's time. To do this, however, prompt action is necessary. The first symptom of a cold is a dry loud cough aial a profuse watery discharge from the nose. When Chamberlain's Cough Remedy is taken every two hour 3 on first appearance of these symptoms it counteracts the effect of the" cold and restores the system to a healthy condition wiil'.in a day or two. Sold everywhere.

The takings at the Hed Cross Mart at New I'lymouth on Saturday amounted to £l2.

i A sitting of the Supreme Court will be opened at the New Plymouth Courthouse at eleven o'clock to-morrow morning. Mr. Justice Hoeking will preside. "Every child ought £o have an apple every day," was a remark made at the Nurserymen's Conference at Wellington on Thursday. "Yes," was the reply. "You get four apples for lid or Bd. How oan a man with a family afford that?"

A fire broke out amongst the lupins on the sea coost at Fitzroy shortly after nine o'clock last night. The outbreak had ■ good hold when the Fitzroy Fire Brigade arrived on Ihc scene, and'before the flames were extinguished about half an acre of lupins and gorse was destroyed. Some little time ago an order came to New Zealand from the War Office, London, for an additional 25(10 horses for 'remounts The order is now well on the way to fulfilment. The .New Zealand authorities have found no' difficulties in purchasing suitable animals, which are being shipped away as opportunity occurs.

With a view to perpetuating the memory of Nurse Caveil, tho Dunedin Star, with the approval of the Otago Hospital Board, is raising £4OO for tho purchase of an up-to-date motor ambulance, to boar tin; name of "Edith Caveil," for 'the transportation of fever cases. A memorial tablet in the new nurses' home will also bo set up.

A visitor to New Plymouth, Mr. Thomas Hodgson, (manager 'of the Northem Boot Company in Auckland), who with his wife is staying with Mrs. Whittaker, Pendarves Street, left the ho,use at B.la o'clock yesterday morning to go for a shoot walk before breakfast. His failure to return led to a search being made by the police and neighbors, but during the evening he returned home. The mystery surrounding the murder which took place on the western slopes of Mount Eden (Auckland) on Saturday week, when a young wharf laborer named Horatio . Ramsden was stabbed to death, is still unsolved. ■ The police state, that in their endeavor to discover the murderer they have investigated every shred of evidence that is worth consideration. The case, however, is stated to be one of those in which even unimportant clues are difficult to obtain. The first meeting of the newly-consti-tuted subsidiary High Court of the A.O.F. for the Dominion of New Zealand will be held in, Auckland on 7th February. A dispensation for the establishment of this body was obtained in October, 1015, from the High Court of the Order in England. The Court will be comprised of two delegates from each of the Auckland, Taranaki, Hawkc's Bay, Canterbury United, Otago United, and Nelson districts, in addition to the Hish Court executive. The Wellington and South Canterbury districts have decided not to send delegates. The Herald states that a civic welcome ;.ill bq extended to the visiting delegates by the Mayor of Auckland. I The' Stratford Tost says: Often, a I speaker when he gets excited forgets what he has done. This was demonstrated in a practical manner at the Town Hall .on-Friday evening when a visitor to Stratford, 'after delivering a heated speech, absolutely forgot that only a few minutes before he had put his'hat on his seat. Luckily, the hat, which was a straw boater, must have been a very expensive, "Made in England" one, for the weight of its owner, some 14 stone, failed to make any mark when he.sat very gracefully down on the. crown of it. During the war period, at any rale, it would pay this "battler" to belong t* the "hallos brijade." for then tie would not have to trouble about his "boater" and where he put it,

The Oamaru Woollen Factory is still busily engaged oh klmki orders, and the amount of work in hand and offering has necessitated a good deal of overtime. The usxial run of private orders has been maintained, but their execution is delayed in order to cope with the Government requirements. Similar conditions obtain in all New Zealand mills, and the consequence is that retailors' stoi&s are being rapidly depleted. To build up these stocks will be one of the first necessities on the conclusion of hostilities, and woollen mills will experience busy times for some" months, even though the khaki orders cease.

Should a returned soldier already possessing some interest in land be entitled to a grant under the Discharged Soldiers Act? Thin question came up at the last meeting of the Wellington Land Board when several applications for grants were dealt with. One man applied for a section of 200 acres in the Pnketi' district, and in his application he said lie shared 40 acres elsewhere with his brother; All the other applicants were landless. Mr. J. Georgetti said that a man should not be treated differently because he happened to have either simple capital or interest in land. All were on a level in the sacrifice they hud made, and one man had probably fought as well as the other. These sentiments were, endorsed, but owing to a formality which had not been complied with no action oould be taken in the particular case before the Board.

A bottle containing a message from a "Manly loy on one of the transports off the Australian coast, was picked up recently -an a lonely stretch of beach about a mile- from Tyrendarra East, near Port Fairy, Victoria. The writer (Ted Blakcy) says: "I am sending this note by bottle from the Victorian coa?t. I hope you will get it O.K. Wo have just finished our Christmas dinner—turkey and pork. Kveryone on board N() K. A girl was found on board dre'scl as a soldier. Shi- was going to flght 'villi her brothel at Gallipoli. Oh, well, goodbye for ll>e present.- T am, voir I'.vlng sou, Ted." In forwarding the letter to Mrs.- A. Blakcy, of Whistler Road, Manly, Miss Maggie H. Lcddin states that 'the circumstances in which it was found were most remarkable as *!i<bottle was picked up alongside two others, cub containing letters from New. South Wales soldiers.

The Now Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd., draw the attention of the public Ho the fact that the date of (heir Mataii sale, adverti.-ed for the 25th February, has now been changed to Wednesday, lUli February. Clients are requested to note the alteration.

The ltev. J. Ward will, give an address on "Old New Plymouth" at the Whiteley Hall. There will also be a good musical and elocutionary programme. A collection will he taken up in lieu o: charge fo;* admission.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., have received the. following cablegram from their London house under date 20ih inst. Wool sales: The market ia active. As compared with 23rd December the following are higher: Merino superior and medium f> per cent to 71 per cent, inferior, faulty and lambs 74 per cent to per cent; crossbred fine !> per cent, medium coarse and lambs, and slipe ,nie and medium fi per cent to 7 J per cent, eoarae and lamb* 71 per cent to 10 per cent