LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the evacuation from Oallipoli, when the last of our men had left the trenches one man was found to be missing. He was discovered looking for the stem of his pipe! Officer to recruit,, who is learning trench-digging: "You're getting on very slowly with that trench, aren't you?" Recruit: "Ground's as 'ard as iron, sir!" Officer: "Why don't you try blasting it?" Recruit: "Been doin' nothin' else all the morning', sir." Ilawera has by direct appeal raised £407(1 for the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. The biggest givers are: .1. R. COrrigan £SOO, B. C. Lysaght £SOO, fi. V. Pearce £250, Normanby (first instalment) £250, Welsh and McCarthy £2OO, H. Halliwell £2OO. The Knupokonui Dairy Company's last pay-out represented £30,182. In and about the same district Joll'a Cornany and Riverdalp Company are also operating. The joint pay-outs would approximate £75,000 for the month—a record for a strip of country about 10 by 7 miles. At swimming tests at Petone the other day, Mr. T. Shields made the statement that 2000 people lost their lives every ten years from drowning. The great majority of these, lie said, could be saved if they understood the elements of swimming, while still more might be saved if people would only study the art of life-saving. A widow residing in a small southern town is to be congratulated on the patriotism of her family. The Eleventh Reinforcements are at present on their final leave, and seven brothers of the name of Jones, all wearing khaki, were in Dunedin the other day, en route for Mataura. The members of the Maori contingent at the front have not been mixed up with the ordinary New Zealand forces, said the Minister for Defence the other day, but the Maori platoons have been associated with other platoons, The native force was not losing its identity —it was being made an equal part of the New Zealand Division.

The electric tram service lias proved a payable proposition ii) Wanganui. The Herald says the takings on the GonvilleCastlecliff trams for the ' month of January constituted a record. The receipts were £730, compaved with £6Ol for the same month last year, an increase of £*o. The cost of car mileage was £395, so that the profit for the month was £341. "Plus war charges—what, does that mpar.V' Mr. Tr. YV. Bishop, S.Jt., asked a plaintiff's solicitor in a civil case at the Christchurch Magistrate's Court. The solicitor was unable to explain. "Well, I won't grant judgment until I am satisfied concerning this point. If 'plus war charges' can be shown to be legitimate judgment will be given, but if it is an attempt to place an extra sum for loss incurred by plaintiff T will not grant it." Mr. Bishop said he had never seen the phrase before. The matter was settled by the plaintiff's solicitor agreeing to strike out the amount for l: plus war charges." fir Henry Lucy tells in the Sydney Morning Herald how the Prussians, finding themselves in Paris after Waterloo, resolved to blow up the Jena bridge, built by Xapoleon to commemorate his victory over the Prussians in a decisive conflict. The idea found favor with Bluclier, who turned a deaf ear to the remonstrance of the Duke of Wellington. Finding his representations unavailing, the Duke adopted an ingenious device. He placed a British sentinel on the bridge, with command to parade it from end In end till relieved by a comrade. 'The Prussians were baulked. If they carried out their design of blowing up the bridge they would also blow up a British soldier, which might have awkward consequences. They accordingly desisted, and the Font de Jena, which has seen much history made in the meanwhile, stands to-day where it did in the Waterloo year. A young woman, well known in Christchurch "society" ranks, approached a well-built young fellow in civilian clothe* who was talking to n woman friend in Cathedral Square, and said: "Why aren't you in khaki, like that, man (lure? It makes me sick to see vou shirkers about the streets!" The young man happened to be a returned soldier, and hi-, reply was to promptly and decisively slap the interrogator's face. lie explained to a constable who appeared in response to the screams of Hie startled woman that this was (lie third time he had been so accosted, and he proposed to continue -his treatment, of "interfering hussies" till the annoyance ceased. EVERY TRUE-BORN BRITISHER LOVES LIRERTY. And when he travels he likes to move about as he likes, and not. be iverlastingly tied to baggage. For this reason, thousands cheek their baggage through as. We call for it, check on, / deliver immediately. The passenger is ] free from trouble from beginning to end. I The New Zealand Express Co., W-

Judgment has been reserved in . die stamp duty ease of the Crown v. the executors of the. Estate of the late Jessie Begg, Dunedin,—Wellington telegram. At the Police Court yesterday, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., a'boy of "l(i yearn who wasfound drunk the previous night in a picture theatre was lined £l, the amount of hid bail. Mr. B. T. Booker, of Okato, Ims disposed of his interests in the Stoney River Hotel and will be leaving for Auckland shortly. Mr. Booker has 'taken a keen interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the district and will be greatly missed. A Tiinaru message says that the Levels County Council passed a motion yesterday approving of the Government's- recruiting scheme, and pledged themselves to support it heartily. The Council formed themselves into a recruiting committee, and took steps for a preliminary personal canvass of single eligibles. Shortly before 11 o'clock last night, while Mr. and Mrs. Rundle, Junr., were driving home to Bell Block the trap was run into by a motor-car near the golf links, both the occupants being thrown out and severely bruised and shaken. The trap was smashed and the car put out of action, having to he towed into town after the victims of the accident had been conveyed home. Additional donations to the French Red Cross has brought up the total amount collected in New Plymouth to | £3Bl 3s 7d. There are several boxes still to be received which should make the total receipts, with the sale of the flag, to over £4OO. The flag will be sold at the show at 3 o'clock to-day alongside the secretary's tent, just after the flraml i'anide. The boxes still to come in are those at Hil'sbnrough. Mountain House. Mangorei, Okato, Puniho, Pungaliere, Warea, and Korito.

I At Dannevirke yesterday, before Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., Thomas Wm. Haines and Olive Theresa Haines (his wife), were charged with wilfully setting fire to the Mangatoro schoolhouse on December 12th last. The woman was also charged with making a false declaration concerning her losses by the fire, and for fiilse pretences in attempting to obtain insurance money, her husband being charged with abetting her. Accused were committed for trial, bail being allowed, "From Australia Germany has taken of wool alone over six million pounds' worth," said the Hon. J, A. Hanan, Minister for Education, at Wellington. '•The sheep farmer has grown the wool and the worker lias clipped it from the sheep's hacks. Insurance, freight and duty must he paid before it reaches the loom whore the German worker spins it into tweed and other articles. On to this goes the cost of manufacture, and the profits made by the big manufacturing houses. Back comes the wool, freight, insurance and a heavy duty again at this end. It is then sold to Australia for about twenty times as much as the Germans paid for the wool. Plow the Germans must chuckle. Let us do the manufacturing of the article instead of exporting it untreated." An appeal for a broader view of America's part in tiie great war is contained in a letter from a distinguished American professor recently received in Sydney. Jt is dated January 0, and an extract is as follows:—"Piease don't think that we Americans are. all like those you read about. We are not 'neutral.' The President cannot 'make us neutral. I We do not believe at all that it is right for us to sit here safe, and smug, while England, France and Belgium are suffering and forced to waste themselves in this horrid strife. j We want to help, and we want to fight for England. I have ever so many friends—professors here in the Universities and others—who have offered tlieir services to Lloyd George and other officers. Almost every friend I have would prefer to fight for 'England than remain in America. But I suppose the President thinks that because we have a large German population it would be impossible to do otherwise than follow his 'watchful waiting' plan. But things are going to change, and probably Eoosevelt will be our next President, and then you will see us take an out-and-out stand, and maybe we will be able to redeem ourselves. We are so ashamed of ourselves, but the people of a country must have a leader. Individuals cau do very little. So we hope Roosevelt will give our men a chance to show that they can fight, too, and that they are ready to fight in a good cause. We hate to have you think we are cowards, or that we are always thinking of makin<* money." ° Our readers are requested to be on the look out for tiie Melbourne, Ltd's announcement regarding the firm's annual reduction sale which commences on Friday morning next. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., draw the attention of clients to their .Stratford supplementary ! sheep fair which they are holding in their Stratford yards on Monday, March ■flth, Full particulars will be found in our advertising columns on page S of this issue. Thow about to furnish and those refurnishing should make a point of exaniiiiing the line stocks of E. A. Goodacre. Every piece of furniture offered by this firm is solidly constructed of well-seasoned material made for a lifetime of service. If you wish furniture made to order turn now to Goodacre's advertisement, appearing in this paper, it deals with the question of furniture to order. Donations are coming in for the Gala Day at East End Foreshore on .March 11, and among these are the following: A luuid-paiutcd cushion, donated by Miss Rocli; a fat sheep from Mr. D. J. Hughes, the sheep is to be weighed alive on the ground and the public will have an opportunity of guessing the weight on payment of a small fee; a handpainted cushion, Miss Haves; shaving outfit, Mr. A. Richard for competition, stepping the chain; a two-tier cake, Lcahind Bros: two medals, Mr. Roberts; art gallery, Mrs. Bennock; Mr. R. Cock, .lunr.. has offered a 10s prize for girls 7."i-yards swim; Mr. Carter a ham, and a milk can from Mr. ,T. Abbott for the Farmer's race.