LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On and after Monday the borough offices will be removed to the electrical sub-stntior in Liardet Street, where all business will be transacted in future. A London cable states that Mr. Fisher lias issue:! the first number of th-: !\nzao Bulletin, and is distributing free Australian news tri-weekly to the troops on Salisbury Plain and in France. The Xapier Park Racing Club has donated £2:1,5, the net profits of the recent | meeting, to the patriotic fund. The club's patriotic donations now total £1485. The working bees which were held at the racecourse on Wednesday and Thursday, to demolish the Agricultural Society's pens and stack the material in readiness for removal to the new show grounds at Waiwakaiho, proved most successful. On both duys there was a fair attendance of members, and excellent work was accomplished, about half the pen s being dealt with. Working bees will be held again next week, when it is hoped that other members will be able to waist)

The Board of Trade lias arranged to visit New Plymouth towards the end of next week. Due notice of the date will be given. In the Legislative C'ouiic-il last night the Hon. C. J. Johnston returned thanks for the Council's vote of condolence in connection with his younger son at the war. Christopher William Smith, a discharged soldier, who was charged with an assault 011 a young lady at Greytown, attempted suicide 011 Wednesdiy night by cutting hi* throat, and lies in Greytown Hospital in a precarious condition, llis case was to have been heard to-day. A Wellington message states that the New Zealand Unitarian Conference adopted the following resolution:—"That the Jormer Xew Zealand Missionary Conference, which had not met for two years, be formed into a new body, to be called the 'XdV Zealand Unitarian Association." Speakers considered this would give a wider scope for good work than a body devoted solely to missionary work.

At the J-la>wera Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, before Mr. W. R. Haselden, S.M., George Xewnian. a travelling showman, was ''harged that he played a game of chance at the Dominion Winter Show, contrary to the Gaming Act, 1908, Mr. P. O'Dea, who appeared for the defendant, in pleading guilty, said he did so with diffidence, and under defendant's instructions, 'because he thought it could be contended that the game was one of mixed skill and chance. The Magistrate, in convicting defendant, pointed out that the maximum line was .i)SO, but he would line the defendant £.">. It seemed, hi.j Worship observed, that the public demanded that class of game. Several by-law cases were dealt with yesterday at the Magistrate's Court, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M. On the information of Mr. ('. D. Grant, county inspector. P.. Xormau was convicted and ordered to pay 7s costs for riding a bicycle without a light. George Ramsbottom, for riding a bicycle at Spotswood on the night of June lf> without a light, was fined 5s and costs £1 Ss. Hugh Mace, who pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a vehicle at Spotswood on June 15 without lights, was lined 5s and 14s (id costs. Will. Brigliting, for hawking in the borough without a license, was convicted with !)s costs, the Borough inspector explaining that Brigliting had been ignorant of the bylaw, but had since taken out a license.

Sergeant-Major I''. Crompton, a returned "(VnziK.','' now attached to the Defence Department' at Rawera, was early last week conveying; a German prisoner to the railway station en route for Wellington, when the prisoner assaulted him on the face and leg with a stick. His face was "it open, necessitating several stitches, and the leg, being the scat of a wound inflicted at Gallipoli, was also badly injured - »i>dless to say the prisoner wa s in turn severely dealt with by his guard, who eventually conjveyed him to Wellington in a somewhat jlimp condition. The Sergeant-Major on i liia return complained of feeling \in-\vell, • and being sent to the hospital, it was : found that blood poisoning bad set in ! from the leg wound. | To Keep down as far as possible the i amount of interest paid on overdraft icacli year is the aim of practically every ; local body, and especially in Taranaki, i where quite a proportion of the year's work is done on overdraft. With the view to reducing the interest the Egmont Country Council at its June meeting (decided to transfer temporarily to its 1 .general account an amount which was lying to the credit of the loan account ( and was not bearing interest. It was j pointed out by the clerk at the time that this was illegal. This was afterwards found to be correct, and at Tuesday's ; meeting of the Council it was decided . not to act on the resolution. Later the | Council decided to sanction a proposal [to receive money on call at 3 per cent. I Councillor W. B. Wright, who brought ] forward the resolution by notice of mo- ! tion, pointed out that this would reduce ! the interest charges paid by the Council an overdraft. Tic understood that sonic Southern counties had received so much money on call that they were compelled to decline any more at the present. The chairman, whilst considering the proposal a good one, doubted whether the three per cent, would prove sufficiently alluring in Taranaki. Doubts were also expressed as to whether the Council would be able to meet, its payments if there was :i sudd >ii call on the deposits, but it was pointed out that this could be obviated by limiting the deposits to the amount of overdraft, which was fixed by the bank each year, according to the total annual general rate. In an article in the London Evening Standard, Mr. A. E. Williams recounts some stories of German spying as told by an officer back from the Western front. Spies, it is declared, are a pest to the British and French armies, and this is largely due to the fact that on such an immense front, in thickly populated districts with several nationalities mixed up, it is exceedingly difficult to keep watch an everyone's movements. Each town and village is therefore the potential lurking-place of some spy. There is, it is explained, a small pro-German element in Belgium, and it is sufficient to cause trouble to the English, French and loyal Belgians. Where military and civilians are constantly hobnobbing together, any refugee, milk-seller, market dealer, custo.ner, driver, or casual drinker may lie a spy and pass unnoticed. Oogs and pigeons an pressed into the service by the enemy. Dogs became such a nuisance that an order was issued for all stray animals to be shot on sight. Artillery is the special object of much of the spying. "One morning a ploughman appeared from nowhere in particular, and started work in the next field but one away. He went about it like an old hand, and our fellows took no notice of him. He finished that field. One evening, just as it was gcting dusk, the solitary ploughman transferred himself to this and began work. When he left it was quite dark At daybreak next morning a Taube (lew right overhead and dropped smoke bombs above the battery. Our aviators went up and drove the Taube away, but one of them came rushing down and reported to the battery commander. What he had seen was this —two furrows in the adjoining field, forming a huge V, pointing exactly towards the battery. Before the day was out the battery was destroyed by a regular ruin of shells from the German heavy guns. 'I hat is the sort of thing that has to be dealt with." The MellvmrneV great Winter sale starts to-day. During the currency of the sale many extraordinary bargains of a useful nature will be offered and patrons of the store are assured of substantial saving on all goods purchased. That much-anticipated event, the Melbourne, Ltd.'s winter sale, is announced to commence to day. The sale advertisement with this issue is brimful of interest to shoppers, particularly in view of the still upward trend of prices of all commodities and buyers are advised to lose no time in making their purchase^

The "oldest Australian" controversy, which is itself of respectable and mature age, has once more been revived for the benefit of the younger members of the community—this timo at fieelong, says the Age A wish to ascertain the name of the oldest Australian native was expressed some little time ago by the Geelong branch of the A.N.A., and already the names of a team of twelve nativeborn inhabitant!*, nine of whom are still living, have been forwarded to the branch, making up between them a formidable total of years. They are all members of one family—the M'Donald family. All were born within thirtythree miles of Sydney, and not a single member has ever travelled outside Australasiu, though one has visited New Zealand and another Tasmania. Their total ages amount to 81 ii years, making the average age of each member 81 3-sth years. Individually they are aged as follows: —George M'Donald, !Ki next birthday; Margaret M'Donald, 111; Alexander M'Donald, S(i; Sara M'Donald, 84; John M'Donld, 82; Jean M'Donald, SO; William M'Donald, 78; William C. M'Donald, 75; Jane M'Donald, 74; Charles M'Donald, To; Isabella, M'Donald, 70. Until the death of William C. M'Donald in June, 1014, seventy-seven years had passed since the previous death ill the family. Such a record would probably be verv difficult to beat.