LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We are in receipt of the sum of £lO from Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Maunder towards the new Belgian Heliefe Fund, which sum we have handed over to the treasurer of the local fund,

A Wellington message B ays that the art union for 4008 scares in the Monaster Estate in the Waikato was drawn on Friday night. The land is stated to be worth £BOOO, and the sale of tickets in the art union realised £13,000. The winner was S. Bolton, of Pahiatua. The proceeds of the sale go to the patriotic funds. Mr. Bolton is a big landed proprietor. "To him that hath," etc.!

Before the Naval Board recently, Mr. Thomas Edison advocated the construction of a great Government laboratory at an initial cost of £300,000, making possible experiments for the standardisation of submarine parts. Builders would then be enabled to complete submarines in one week, instead of in many months, as is now required. In future parents reeiring to get a son under twenty years of age out of the Expeditionary Force Reinforcements must produce his birth certificate in support of their claim that he is under age. Moreover, either they or the son must pay for the cost of the maintenance of tho recruit at the rate of 2s per day, cost of uniform, and refund railway and steamer expenses. There has been a certain amount of trouble with parents lately, and these regulations will be enforced rigidly in the future. It is a curious but none the less indisputable fact that some parents do not seem to know the ages of their own children.

"I cannot see that these small sections of rough land are a great success," said Mr. McClure, speaking at the Wellington Land Board meeting last week. He was referring to sections of 100 acres of rough, poor land in the interior of the North Island, the blocks of which were often too small for c man to make anything out of. "We have," he added, '•frequent applications for the transfer of these small blocks of, say, 100 acres to another man who has already 100 acres or thereabouts. The blocks seem to me to be too small." It is understood (states the Dunedin Star) that a number of Canadian firms that had arranged to obtain wool supplies from New Zealand this year now find themselves in the predicament of not being able to secure delivery, not because the wool is unavailable at this end, but owing to a'» export prohibition. Within the last few weeks the New Zealand Government has, at the request of tlie Imperial i authorities, prohibited the export of wool to any place except tlie United Kingdom, and as no exemption was made regarding the dominions, Canada has to be treated for the time being just the same as tlie United States. Apparently no particular reason has been given by the Imperial Government for requiring this gene r al prohibition, the assumption being that our wool is all wanted by the British and French Governments for clothing for the troops. Meanwhile Canada is in the position of not being able to obtain any wool supplies from New Zealand.

Speaking to a Wellington Post reporter, a passenger by the R.M.S. Maitai, from Sydney, said the war had had a remarkable effect on shipbuilding in America, and the Yankee shipbuilder was now an implicit believer in the saying that "it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good." Obscure yards that were practically unheard of a few years ago had come to the fore with lightninglike rapidity, and their advertisements now appeared in nearly every wellknown English maritime journal. In this connection it is interesting to quote a paragraph which appeared in a recent number of the Sydney Shipping List to hand: During 1915, it says that 1210 vessels, of 215,602 tons gross register, were launched in the United States, of which number 90 were built of steel. All the shipyards were working at high pressure to fill orders.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., have received tlie following cable from their head office:— "London wool sales outlook uncertain. Market unsettled, with a downward tendency. Fourth s eries May 16." The following new lines in ladies' smart blouses have opened at the Melbourne, Ltd. Voile handkerchief blouses 3s lid; Crepe do chene handkerchief blouses, lis Odj Radianta blouses, 6s 6d; 10 momme white Japanese silk blouses, very latest designs, 0s lid.

Members of the. Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (second group) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable to-day (Monday, April 3), at the Secretary's Office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 .pja. to 5 0.8 L,. and from 7 p.m. to 8

A Wellington telegram says that the Salvation Army National Congress was inaugurated by a public programme, with festival music, at the Town Hall yesterday, and several religious services were held, there being large attendances.

No cases of infantile paralysis have been reported in Hawera for ten days. The District Health Officer expressed satisfaction with the state of the town and complimented the council on its prompt action in dealing with the epidemic.

The Defence Department has now arranged that when members of reinforcements about to embark for the front cannot be granted final leave before their departure, their next-of-kin, on applying to the Department, will be granted free railway passes to and from Wellington.

At a meeting of the New Plymouth Recruiting Committee on Friday evening the following resolution was' unanimously passed: "That in the opinion of this Committee, all employers, including the Government, should use their influence on all unmarried men in their employment to enlist if of military age and fit for military service. The admissions to the New Plymouth hospital last month numbered exactly 100, this being a long way ahead of the previous record which wag in November, when 72 fresh cases were admitted. It is somewhat remarkable that the- last month of the existence as a hospital of the old building should have been signalised by such a large increase in the number of patients, who are now housed in the new building. A remarkably fine sample of green maize from 12ft to 14ft long was used amongst other farm produce in the decorations of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church yesterday, on the occasion of the annual harvest festival. This maize was grown in a five-acre field on the farm of the late Mr. H. B. Curtis, at Bristol Eoad, Inglewood, and it was donated and sent in by Mr. George Schofield, the farm manager. At Boon Bros.' factory on Saturday afternoon a presentation was made, on behalf of the employees, to Sapper L. Lealand, who is leaving for camp this morning, and sails with the 12th Reinforcements. Lieut. F. Hartnell made the presentation—a pair of military brushes —and expressed the wishes of the company and his co-workers for a safe return. He was sure Sapper Lealand would do his duty. Sapper Lealand suitably acknowledged the presentation. A. significant step forward has just been taken by the French Parliament, the Lower House having passed a Bill to legalise women taking part in family councils and becoming the guardian of children other than their own. The Senate' is understood to be favorable to this change, and this enlargement «f women's power will be of the geratest benefit to the myriads of war orphans, who, under the old regime, would have had an indifferent or preoccupied business man for guardian. The local Railway Patriotic Committee, who are at present engaged in promoting their Art Union in aid of the National Fund for Wounded Soldiers, are satisfied that it pays to advertise. The large number of applications for tickets received from all parts of the district is clear evidence of this. Country people who desire to assist in the good cause by purchasing Art Union tickets, only need to send postal notes, or stamps, with a stamped envelope for reply, and their requests will be promptly dealt with. Large crowds assembled outside Mr. E. Dingle's furniture warehouse on Saturday evening to view the prizes now being offered by the New Plymouth Railway Patriotic Committee in connection with their art union. It is well known that these prizes were donated, and every shilling ticket sold will be devoted to the Wounded Soldiers' Fund, for which this art union was promoted. Citizens of Taranaki. should throw in their "silver bullets," to provide comforts for those wounded heroes at Anzac, They are giving their lives to preserve our freedom; let us give something in return. Tickets are available from all'railway employees. Drawing takes place Theatre Royal, Thursday, May 4. Fitzroy residents on Friday night were subjected to what can only be described in an outburst of idiocy by one or more feeble-minded miscreants. Soon after fl o'clock shouts of "Help! Murder!" were heard from the neighborhood of the sandhills, and as the direction varied it would seem that either a megaphone, or the horn of a graniaphoiie was used with the object of puzzling people. The perpetrators of the outrage had the satisfaction of thoroughly arousing the residents, many of whom, including Constable Boulton, speedily conducted a thorough search, but to 'io purpose. The matter should form the subject of a detective inquiry, as .several invalids and others were greatly scared. There should be no great difficulty in tracing the perpetrators as the number of suspects must be very small. Captain Hardham, V.C., spoke at a recruiting meeting at Waverley last Thursday evening. He said he felt he had a right to speak, as he was a representative of the Queen Alexandra Mounted Rifles, and he had had the pleasure of serving under Major Elmslie, and also had as a fellow officer Lieut. D. McDonald. No finer nor better man ever left New Zealand than Major Elmslie. Ho served under him at Anzac, and he knew what he was saying. He | had visited Colin McDonald in hospital, and although he had lost an arm, one of his first questions was, what chance had he of getting back to the firing line? Captain llardham was never more proud to be a New Zealander than when he was at Anzac. "Sports may go on but it is up to every club to see that no man should take, part who is able and fit to be in the firing line." (Applause). There was more sport for them at the front than thoy would ever get by staying home. Their ranks had been thinned.niid the war had only just started, and they would put in enough men to win it; they must have men and still more men, the more they send the sooner will the war be ended. "Some believe in conscription," continued Captain Hardham; "then why don't they join themselves? Why can't we do our share voluntarily. I believe in voluntarism, and the men must go. It will probably be six months before thoy are in the firing line, and they will be pleased to mix with those who are at the front." (Applause). Forms of application will be received from Mr. D. McAllum, P.O. Box 82, New Plymouth, for a limited number of shares in the proposed Iron Sand Company in Taranaki.—Advt.

O'er all there hung the shadow of a fear, A sense of misery his visage haunted, Which said as plain as whisper in the ear, "With 'flu' he's haunted." But I will not repine a little bltj Woods' Peppermint Cure is wanted. He took some—now he's well and fit, She "flu'' avauntefr "

The New Plymouth police received word on Saturday that Jaoob Johnson, a bootmaker, of Mokau, 4>ad died suddenly at Mokau on Friday. Aft inquest was to have been held on Saturday. The passengers carried on the temporary tram service in New Plymouth on Friday numbered 1848, and the revenue was £ll Ca Qd.

Owing to the Easter holidays, the Rarawa will leave Onehunga for New Plymouth on April 19, instead of April 18. She will sail on the return voyage on arrival of the express from Wellington on April 20 instead of on April 21. A policeman's life may not be a happy one, but Mr. John Ellison, ex-Superin-tendence of Police in Wellington, can recall many briglit gpots in the days wien he was a member of the Provincial Armed Constabulary 40 years ago. He narrated some of these humorous incidents on Thursday to the gathering of citizens which met to present liim with a testimonial. Once, he said, he was sent to collect agricultural statistics in the Auckland district. He met one man in a field, told him that he was seeking agricultural statistics, and asked him if he could give him any information. "Look here, mate," said the man. "I'd tell you if I could, but I don't think he's in the district, I haven't seen a stranger for weeks." On another occasion Mr. Ellison had a Maori in custody, anfl all his friends came round to see him, They had been drinking and were very merry. After trying 'to get them away, Mr. Ellison let them in to see their friend, and then locked the door on all of them. In the morning they were charged with being drunk and disorderly. "But the 'beak' was a pakeha-Maori, and these chaps jabbered away to him in Maori and told him all about my little ruse. That was my Waterloo, and I was soon shifted to another district." If the medical men who examine recruits were free to publish their experiences they could tell some strange tales. As, for instance of that type of shirker who gives in his name, and then before the doctor pretends to suffer from obscure and disqualifying complaints, and goes on glorying in his patriotism and chuckling at having won the excusing badge. If all that we hear oe true, the doctors have more than once turned down such a candidate, not because they find physical fault, but because they deem the man a humbug, who would be a nuisance as a soldier and not worth bothering about. But there are splendid examples of the other sort. We were told the other day of an Australian who applied to enlist in Otago, and when about to be rejected on account of a varicose vein said: "Take it out here and now, doctor, and put me through; I don't want chloroform or cocaine or anything eke." Another fine fellow walked in, and. showing a mutilated hand, said: "I suppose you won't have me, but will you give me a chance after the perfect men are called up!" Still another inspiriting instance, relating to a man who travelled nearly 100 miles to the recruiting office and was accepted and then had to go out because an old injury to his leg prevented his bending the limb quickly. He fairly cried when turned away, and begged for a chance to have a go at the Germans in some other capacity than as an infantryman. There is plenty of pluck in our young fellows, ami, strange to say, this quality is often at its highest in men who are in some other ways ineligible.