LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 May 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Waimate County Council has decided to purchase a motor lorry. It is one year ago to-day since the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk with such appalling loss of life. The takings at the Red Cross Mart on Saturday amounted to £ll 10s. The ladies in charge report that there is a great demand for home-made jam, far exceeding the supply available. They would, therefore, specially welcome donations of that nature.

The Labor Department is taking action against the Pet one Woollen Workers' Union for a breach of Section 6 of the Industrial Conciliation Amendment Act, for allegedly instigating certain workers to take part in an unlawful strike. A penalty of £2OO is claimed. In the Clifton Hall, Waitara, tomorrow night, Major Toomer, of the Salvation Army, will speak on the work of the Army with the troops at Home and abroad. The Mayor (Mr. Beckbcssinger) has consented to preside, and there is no doubt a treat is in store for Waitara folks. The collection will be devoted to the Serbian Relief Fund.

At a largely-attended meeting of, the Shannon Dairy Company, on Friday afternoon, Mr. Nathan submitted his pro-' posal to establish a dried milk factory. After consideration the proposal was rejected. The following resolution was carried, on the motion of Mr. Hennesy: "That, considering the possibility of a division between Moutoa and Shannon, we deem it advisable to remain as we are at present."

The annual balance-sheet of the Opunnko Harbor Board, read at the annual meeting on Thursday, showed receipts £!>B 15s 5d and expenditure £GB 4s Id, balance in bank £32 lis id. Assets were shown at £1791 18s and liabilities at £67 16s. The Board went into committee on finance matters, and on resuming reported that the chairman and Mr. Moore would go to Wellington in connection with loan afl'airs.

The following members of the New Zealand Staff Corps, stationed in Taranaki, have passed the medical test, and for the third time have offered their service with,, the Expeditionary Forces, and are now waiting to be called up:— Sergeant-Majors Gray (Stratford), Williamson (New Plymouth), Greager (Eltliam), Miles (Inglewood), Hill (Hawera), Farrell (Hawera), Pollard (Hawera), and Hall (Waverley), and Regimental Quar-termaster-Sergeant Ingham (New Plymouth).

The annual communication of the Masonic Grand Lodge of New Zealand will be held at Auckland this week, commencing on Wednesday, when it is expected that 200 representatives of Craft lodges will be present. Mr. Malcolm Nicol, Grand Secretary, has arrived in Auckland to make the necessary arrangements for the gathering, also to establish the offices which will be the headquarters of the Craft ill New Zealand for the next two years.

GREAT BOOT VALUES AT THE MELBOURNE, LTD. The Melbourne, Ltd., notify the arrival of fresh shipments of their famous men's welted boots, now -21s per pair. These boots are fully up to tlieir usual high standard, and at the price ot' one guinea compare favorably with boots sold elsewhere up to 355. Materials used are finest box calf, willow calf and glace kid, and the boots are warranted all leather throughout. Special displays of these famous guinea boots are now being made at the firm's New Plymouth, Inglcwood and Stratford branches. Orders takes at nther , branch#*, ' -

A record shipment of pigs left Hawera last Thursday, when fifteen trucks, were consigned to W. Dimock and Co.'s works at Ngahaurangn, Wellington.. The consignment numbered over 700 head. The following additional donations have been added to the Tatjiraimaka Patriotic Committee's list:—Mrs. Gyde, £1 Is; Albeit Gyde, ss; J. Lefton, ss; Mm. T. Collins, £4. "Personally, I think the time is not far distant wlien the Government will have to put into operation compulsory military service," said the Hon. Dr. McNab, Minister of Marine (according to the New Zealand Herald). He added that he did not think there were many more reinforcements in sight under the voluntary system. He had recently been in Southland, where there was a revival of recruiting. Indeed, with the exception of Christchurch, there had been a satisfactory boom in recruiting in the whole of the South Island. A portion of Wellington had gone back, however. Dr. ■McNab said that (Parliament would be legislating for compulsion in the course of the approaching session. "An extraordinary state of affairs," said Mr. Bishop, S.M., when two girls, aged 17 and 19, were last week charged with burglary at a house in.St. Albans. The girls gave false names. Their real names are Winifred White and Gertrude Anderson. Chief-Detective Herbert, in applying for a remand, said the girls came from Dunedin and took a house at Sydenham, partly furnishing it. They did no work, but took part in various burglaries in the suburbs. Houses were broken open with axes and shovels, the girls taking what they could. The younger was under the control of the elder. They were wanted on similar charges at Mosgiel. They were remanded till Monday week. Mr. R. Hampton, president of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, in an interview last week, said that in view of certain statements in the press he wished to state that no outside labor organisation had suggested to the Society of Railway Servants that the latter should join with them for the purpose of adopting Syndicalist methods of organisation, It seems to be imagined, he added, that railway servants wish to combine in order, as it were, to liolji up the general public at the point of the pistol. In any action we may take, either as a separate organisation or in conjunction with any other bodies, the public may rest assured that no such action will foe taken for our own selfish ends, and nothing will be done or agreed to by us which is opposed to the welfare of the general public. One hundred and thirty-seven cows, 12 bullocks, 10 calves, 511 sheep, 99 lambs, and 128 pigs were killed for local consumption at the municipal abattoirs during the past month, and 31 cows and 2 bulls for export. The following returns show stock slaughtered for local consumption at the New Plymouth abattoirs for the past year:—Cows 1539 (a decrease of 158 as compared with the previous year), bullocks 410 (increase 86), calves 100 (increase fl), sheep 7080 (decrease 525), lambs 1207 (decrease 143), pigs 1280 (decrease 104), making a total of 11,716, showing a net decrease of 842. The number of stock condemned was 108, a decrease of 32 compared with the previous year. In addition to the above 703 head of stock were slaughtered for export. The total revenue for the year was £1522 9s, a decrease of £llß 19s fld.

A contributor of ap extremely sober English paper advances a theory that a secret German cable exists across the North Sea from England to Germany. The reason for suspecting the existence of such a cable is the extraordinary rapidity with which news from England reaches the German authorities. The cable, if it is in existence, would not need to be more than a light single-core type, which could be easily laid before the war by vessels of the class of the mine-laying "neutral traglers," which were formerly common in the North Sea at one time. There were, as is known, many German spies and agents on the East Coast, and"the difficulty of landing the cable, it is suggested, might easily have been got over by means of a drainpipe or sewer running into the sen, and the necessary current could be supplied by any ordinary bouse lighting plant. There is nothing impossible in the theory that a secret cable was one of Germany's innumerable methods of preparing for war.

Mr. Frederick Palmer, the war correspondent, contributes an article to the New York Times on the subject of tbo war's naval lessons for tiie United States:—Our first thought is preparedness, and our last, he says, should be the navy. The work of the British Navy is done on the surface of the sea because it commands the sea. By its very nature, as this war lias proved, the submarine must be a guerilla, a highwayman. Mysterious, that British Grand Fleet waiting in its unmentionable harbor. Xo daily reports come from it, as from the trenches 011 the Continent. Its significance is in its silence. But every German soldier, every German man, woman and child feels its power. That is the lesson to bear in mind. If there had been 110 British Navy, or if England had not gone to war, the mighty struggle would have been over by now, most experts think, and flermanv would have won. The balance of victory has hung from the beginning on sea power. Wo must never lei any side issue draw us away from this main thought. Along that western front the daily toll of death 011 both sides is staggering. A great belt of France is in ruins as the price of the defence of France by land. No one lias been wounded 011 a Dreadnought. By the fact of demonstrated superior numbers the British Fleet has held the enemy behind Heligoland. In England there are 110 belts of ruins. Our situation is like England's in that we (have the sea between us and any enemy. There you have the greatest of all tile lessons of' the European war for our country. The Melbourne's overcoats for men, young men and boys are extraordinary value. Men's warm tweed topcoats, dark colors, arc quoted at 355, 455, 49s (id; men's gaberdine raincoats, 35s and men's hydrotite coats with artiflicial shot silk linings, 4!)s Gd; little boys' overcoats 8s lid to 12s 9d.

The atory of "Mistress Nell," to be screened this evening at the Theatre Royal in set in the stirring days of Charles 11. Mary Pickford plays the title vole of pretty Nell Gwynne, the favorite of the public and the monarch of England, whose bravery and wit combined in saving her royal lover from treachery at home and abroad. Miss Pickford lends a new and vivid beauty .to "Mistress Nell," for which part she is admirably suited by her manner of acting.

Britannia gave a cheer or two When Wellington won Waterloo, [f Bonaparte had won the fight Britannia might have bid "good night." When winter coughs and colds are rife, And each is battling for his life, Wi9e Britons make tbe victory sure Vith bftttlM oj .Woods* Peppermint (Jute,