LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 May 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As from yesterday, the wholesale price of butter in New Plymouth has advanced one half-penny per lb.

The racehorse raffle in connection with the Dannevirke Queen Carnival was won by Mrs. Coiefield, of Feilding.-—Press Association. "There is only one returned soldier in Taranaki who wanti employment for whom work has not yet been found," reported Mr. J. E. Wilson at last night's meeting of thu Patriotic Committee. A London cable says that judgment was reserved in the appeal case, Eidd Milking Machine Company, versus the Simplex Milking Machine Company. At the meeting of the Patriotic Committee last nip'it it wai decided to point out to the Minister of Lands the desirability of purchasing land in the Taranaki district for returned soldiers. The motion was proposed by Mr. D. J. Hughes, and iKjnded ty Mr. J. Clarke. A warrant has been gazetted appointing the Public Trustee controller of the following enemy businesses: Markwald, Son and Ross G- Uardt and Co.; Eugene Schroeder; Rhodins and Co., Ltd.; Continental C. and G. Rubber Co. —Pfcss Association. "North Island towns are easily beating South Islands towns in progress," was the declaration of a delegate at the Anglican General Synod at Christchurch the other day. The subject under (lis. Mission was the great advance and growth of Wanganui during the last few years.

It is not generally known that Hawera possesses th; largest ferroconcrete show building'in New Zealand. The latest addition given an additional space of 2Sl;'i by 40!', making the complete buiH'ng 100 ft ly 281 ft, a truly magnificent structure. The Dominion Show Company are holding a show this year befitting '.lie accommodation, and it will not be their fau't if the show is not a record one for the Dominion.

The Canterbury Club's profits for the year w ere £42S" Is Od, of which £SOO has been paid to the French Red Cross, £IOOO to the Patriotic Fund, £IOOO to the Rod Crovs Fund, £SOO to the Lady Liverpool Fund, .€SOO to the Poor in Belgium Funtf, £so.' to Lord Bcrcsford's Navy Fund, ana £285 to the Citizens' 'Defence Corps.—Press Association. A surprising discovery has been made through the medium of a southern business man in connection with the posting of newspapers to the United States. It is that if :i private individual posts oXnewspaper to a frienci in any neutral country the said paper <vdl not reach its destination. And the extraordinary feature is that although the regulation has seemingly been in force for some time past the public Iks not been made aware of the fact. St-, nips as well as their newsnap.is have apparently been wasted. "Singing Pictures," the vow ' ' "st departure in photoplays will > 'e .sented to-night at the Thea:-* * :. in conjunction with Allen !•• ' ! the Irish drima, 'The Rebel.'- ■ singer will render the popular 1... i.iv. "When I Dream of Killarney," ai. »'"■ words of the song will synchronic the action of the film on the s';.t These song portrayals are proving '.n;Imaniielv Doßiilar wherever presented

Ninety-live pounds an acre was refused about a fortnight ago for a farm of 60 acres between Feilding and Awahmi. "No dowers, in deference tc national economy," is the request in an obituary notice which appears on the front page of the London Times.

Under the new Dutch Budget, at the registration of a newly-born baby, all Christian names, with the exception of one, are to be taxed. Holders of foreign stocks are also Heavily taxed. At the meeting of t'i<: Patriotic Committee last ni-fht, Mr. l"i. J. Hughes gave notice of motion, "That any nymber who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without leave of absence forfeits hia seat on the coicmittee."

"Bow many members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force have been shot by their own officers for acts of disloyalty!" was asked by Mr. Anstey Inst week. Mr. Allen: "I do not know O:' one such case." Mr. Anstey: "I have been told of one case—that of n man who was detected shortening the fuse of a shell so that it would fall short, and who was shot agaiist a gun by an officer's orders." Mr. Allen: "There is no truth in that statement. There is not a particle of foundation for it."

"We have in our chief, the Prime Minister, a man who is doing everything possible to apply himself assiduously to the many important matters that naturally como- under his review," said the Hon A, M. Myers in Wellington a few days ago. "There is no harder worked man in the country than Mr. Mnssey; he is working morning, noon and night, and it is probably only those of the commercial community who can appreciate the complex questions that arise almost daily placing them before his colleagues in due time."

The Turk are believed to have acquired their taste for coffee —now risen to prohibitive prices in Constantinople—from the Persians. According to an Arab M.S. in the Royal Library of Paris, a mufta of Aden, travelling in Persia about the middle of" the 15th century, saw coffee drunk there for the first time, and on his return introduced it to his countrymen, from whom the habit of coffee drinking soon spread over the Mohammedan world. According to legend it was the antics of a goat after a diet of coffee leaves which first drew the attention of sn observant monk to the enlivening effects of coffee, and led to its adoption as a beverage.

Attention is drawn in the latest issue of the "New Zealand Surveyor" to one remarkably diy area in Central Otago, whore the annual rainfall is under 20in. The area in question lies roughly midway between Oamaru and Queenstown, and contains about 2750 square miles, or 1,700,000 acres. The Surveyor says it is very remarkable that, while along the West Coast of the South Island, for a distance of over 300 miles, there exists a belt, about forty miles wide, where the annual rainfall is over lOOin, on the other side of the backbone range, not more than 100 miles distant, there is a large ai'ea where the annual rainfall is under 20in.

Story told by a returned Masterton trooper:—On the third day of the landing of the New Zealanders at the Dardanelles, a lull occurred in the fighting. A first-aid man came across one of the infantrymen, who appeared to be diligently searching ike ground for something. "What have you dost?" enquired the A.M.C. man. "An arm," jibs the reply. A glance showed the A.M.C. man that this was a fact. "You had better get back to the dressing station immediately," he urged. "It would be of no use to you if you found your arm." "By eripes, won't it?" answered tfhe injured soldier. "My blanky wristlet watch was on it!"

Among the v?calist9 nt the patriotic concert in Whiteley Hall to-morrow night will be frt Eev. Ntho-Hemi Papakakura, who has recently come to reside in Taranaki. Ha is undoubtedly one of New Zealand's most popular tenor singers, and has been in great request in South Island concert programmes. In this contests of various competition societies h«i has a uniquely successful recurd. In these his versatility has been remarkably proved. For example, three years ago, at the' Dunedin festival he scored ten firsts and two seconds in the range of classes in which tenors could compote. Since then he has more than maintained the pitch of excellence so acknowledged. An officer of the New Zealand Engineering and Tunnelling Corps writes from one of the clearing camps for Royal Engineer drafts in France: —"It is a very comfortable camp, and the men seem very contented. They are getting all sorts of special privileges and concessiond on their reputation as New Zealandeiß. In fact, it is the same ever since we landed in England. New Zealand is a word that opens all doors to us. Our men have made a reputation in Gallipoli. Dozens of officers of English regiments who were out there have told me how splendid our men were, both under fire and in camp. They all agree that they are wonderful fighters, and absolutely steady and trustworthy. That kind of thing from thesf'other professionals makes one very proud of one's country, and it makes things wonderfully pleasant ani easy for us latecomers."

Few people are aware of the slow growth of the tree fern. One specimen in a greenhouse has been known to make only three inches of trunk in 25 years, and it is a generally accepted fact that a tree-fern the height of a man is 28 years old. Those who chop down the largest of those beautiful plants to decorate a shop front for a few hours little think that they are destroying over a century of growth. Once so plentiful around Dunedin, tree-ferns are now very scarce indeed. Each ring of fronds represents a year's growth of trunk. Those who wish to calculate the age of a tree-fern will thus have little difficulty in estimating the age by the .top portion of the tree. The age of the whole tree then becomes an easy matter of calculation. The tree ferns of Taranaki are rapid growers, for the conditions are ideal, and, as everyone knows, require no greenhouse to force them along. TT IS THE DISTINCTIVE QUALITY. OF SANDERS' EUCALYPTI EXTRACT—its freedom from resins and woody impurities, its great antiseptic, healing, stimulating powers, and its safety—that prompted tho highest lr.cdical authorities to'recommend it as the only eucalyptus produced fit for ir.h-rr.al use. At the Supreme Court lit Victoria, a witness testified that he «:•.? made much worse by a substitute which'wis sold as "just as good'' as SANDER'S EXTRACT, and his trouble (ulcer) was 'ii'iiled rapidly by the GENUINE vANDER EXTRACT afterwards. In lisonse it is the drop which cures that ■units, and the common eucalyptus which it fit for mechanical purposes, such is making varnish only, should never be "nployed as a remedial agent. SANDKVt'tt EXTRACT can be used on the •■m< lender surface or internally with .1.1 ' safety, and when taken »« dir- -' I i ''l always benefit

A Sydney cable says ihat the French Coiutul-lieiier.il, giving expression to his pleasuri! at Britain's adoption of compulsion, hoped it would extend to the whole Empire. The report widely el.culated that the P. and 0. liner Mulojn was sunk as a result of the commander proceeding in disobedience of Admiralty orders has been found to be untrue. The statement was first published in America. A Hensational cattle-driving accident is reported in a Press Association tele-. gram from Whsmgnrei. A mob of fortynine bullocks on iSundiiy took to the water in the Wairua River. The current was too strong and the whole mob was swept over the big Wairua Falls. Reports vary as to the number killed. A rather serious pest has caused much trouble this season to lucerne-growing in Marlborough. It is a caterpillar of the variety that has figured as one of the chief enemies of the barley-growers. The owners of several lucerne fields, which were intended to be cut for seeding, were puzzled by the bare and lifeless appearance of the stalks, which had been stripped ,to the very extent of the leaves, flowers and seeds. Close examination '-evealed the presence of numerous caterpillars, fastened for the most part at the top of the plants, and it was seen that these had been drawing the sap from the plants and causing them to die prematurely. More than one crop has been damaged to such an extent that it is not worth the expense of threshing, and being so advanced in growth and the stalks being so hard, its value for hay-making has been greatly lessened. It is thought that this pest, in common with others, has been encouraged to an extraordinary degree by the dryness of the last three years. Cosy woollen gloves for the bands—a warn woollen scarf for the neck—these are winter needs, absolutely necessary to out-door comfort. I. c you lyjuld enjoy best values, be guided by Morey and Son's advertisement appearing in this issue. Bee it now. The Melbourne for Horrockses' 30in calico, 7d yard; 16in striped roller towelling 6d yard; unbleachci 1 Union damask Is 3d yard; fine longeloths and madapolams 7d ind 9d yard; 54in heavy navy serge 4s lid yard; ladies' heavy navy serge costume skirts ,'s fid; ladies' velvet cord sports coats 29s Od. Exceptional values!

A good chance of securing a motor car and at the same time help the Wounded Soldiers' Fund is now offering. Mr. Newton King has donated a Studebaker 40 horse-power car which is to be raffled at the Town Hall, New Plymouth, on June 14. Tickets ate obtainable at the alluring price of 2s C'd each.