LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 September 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is stated that the Hospital Board at Timaru employs a woman to collect the hospital fees on a percentage basis. Daniel Fitzpatriek, an old offender, was at the Magistrate's Court yesterday charged with being found helplessly drunk on the Ksplnnade on the 10th inst. He was remanded for a week. It is notified for general information that the G.P.0., London, has agreed to accept parcels from New Zealand for delivery to the Now Zealand expeditionaryforces up to 111b in weight. The new military groups, into which the four military districts are divided, follow the county boundaries, with the object of simplifying the preparation <if the rolls under the Military Service Act. The Groups are 21 in number. An inventory made of the furniture in the old hospital showed that its value is .C.'U9 12s lid. Consideration of \vli;t shall be done with it was deferred at yesterday's meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. Members remarked that the valuation 'was a very low one. A General of Division, writing from Flanders to a relative in Cliristchurch, finds space in his letter (says the Lyttelton Times) to praise New Zealand soldiers at the front. "Your New Zealanders," ho says, "are splendid. I have seen a great many of them, and I can honestly say that they are the finest fighting type we have out here as far as looks go. They will be in the thick of it in a few days now, and I have not the slightest, doubt that, they will do ns well as any: no troops in the world can do better than some of our divisions have done." In the course of a private letter to Hawera. dated July 27, Mr. R. H. Nolan says: ''We have over 3000 wounded and sick New Zealanders in England. Kveryone is visited by the War Contingent Association's official visitors within about twenty-four hours of his arrival. No men are now getting leave from France—this is owing to the great 'drive' now on." In conversation with two butchers at llawera, an Argus reporter was informed that the system of cash trading adopted by tlieni had proved an immense success. They stated that since the adoption of the 'cash trading system their turnover had doubled, and they were thus enabled to sell at a much smaller profit than hitherto, and their customers were given the benefit of the change. Sir. Reuben Patehctt, who is on a visit to the Motherland, writes to a friend in Blenheim: ". . ■ When we arrived in London it was night time in the truest sense of the word. There were no lights to be seen. Every householder is compelled to hide his lights under a blind that keeps in every beam of light. This is a precaution against Zeppelin raids. I visited "Mansfield market, in the north of England. .1 saw an ordinary fat bullock sell for £4O. Fat In nibs brought £2 10s, fat sheep :C5 ss. fat pigs from £lO to £l2 12s. I also visited the Royal Agricultural Show at Manchester. The show occupied .'!00 acres of ground. An interesting feature was an exhibiton of farming by girls. They were ploughing and harrowing a plot ready for turnip-sowing." Newton King draws attention to his Kohuratahi bullock fair which takes place to-morrow (Friday), 22nd. inst. Cars will leave the Stratford office at fl o'clock on the morning of the sale after the arrival of the north and south trains. Intending buyers are requested to book seats early. Mails which left New Zealand on July 27, arrived in London on the afternoon of Sept. 13. For Chronic Chest Complaints, Woods' Great Peppermint Cane.

Mr. S. Whiteford, well-known in Elfham, has purchased the Otahuhu Hotel. *" '"« understood that the High School Mum is leasing "Strandon" for a girl's By this step the 'boarders will be within a short distance ■I the new school. Wc. stated on Monday that Mr. ■loliH'C, lilm censor, was on the eve of retiring, and was entitled to superannuation. This we now learn is a mistake. Mr. JolilTe was not entitled to superan nuation, he not having availed himself of the opportunity to join the Super animation Fund. Tiie Veu. Archdeacon Reeve was unfortunate enough to sustain a full from his motor cycle whilst cycling from Wanganui to Palea on Monday. The machine skidded in a muddy portion of the road just after leaving Wanganui and the Archdeacon was thrown somewhat heavily, bruising his !eg and head. —.Press. The hon. secretary (Mr. It. Ellis) of the Ngainotu Seaside Resorts Co., Ltd., slates that applications for.shares are coming in splendidly, and it is hoped that the directors will have received the minimum (2000) authorised' to go to allotment by the end of of this week Anion;; the applicants arc two ladies, who evidently recognise that the development of Moturoa foreshore is an important work, and one that will be beneficial to the town. Our Waitara correspondent telegraphed last night that Miss Nathalie Barleynmn had found on the Waitara beach a brandy flask containing the following letter:—"This bottle was thrown out at (i o'clock on .June 2 by the Taranaki boys of the 13th. Contingent, who are all fit and well." This was signed by .laak Malonc (Kaponga), T. Quinn (Kaponga), a name that looks like Richardson (Kaponga), Tinnie (I'atea), Hirst (Hawcra), Robertson (Hawcra), Wills (Hawcra), Black (Waitara), Mill. (Opnnake), Kimbcr (New Plymouth), Herberts (New Plymouth), and Evetts (Sew Plymouth). Before tho minutes were passed at the Stratford County Council's meeting yesterday, C'r. Smith contended they were not lOrrect, because the permanent chairman had vacated the chair, and asked C'r. Cliristoffel to take it temporary, consequently he Had never been appointed acting-chairman by the meeting. Further, the acting-chairman had proposed a motion before Cr. Baskin had the opportunity of proposing a motion, of which lie had given notice, that the salary of the engineer be reduced, consequently Cr. Baskin vas not given a chance to speak to his motion. Cr. Baskin said it appoared to him to be a "put up job." The matter then dropped. Says the Hawera Star; The recent stormy weather and attendant high tides have made many changes along the coast. The Wailii beach is almost unre"6gnisab!e, In some places inroads , have been m:ulc into the cliff by tin sen, the mouth of the stream has quite altered, whilst, sandy streches have disappeared, and huge' boulders with a lava bottom take their place. "Within the last few years the cliff has been falling away rapidly in this locality, and it is «nfc to say that acres of good "raring country have been washed out to sea. The outlook i- none tco pleasant for the owners of land, who-e boundary lines along the coast are, being so materially altered, with no possihilty of compensation.

"See that hind over there*,*' asked the Affable Strangci. "Well, my old man told me before he died that lie could l.ave bought the whole lot of that foi s. few pounds an nere. To-day it's worth I'll) per foot." He mused to see the eil'ect of his statement. "Rotten luck for me, wasn't it, that he didn't buy a few aeres?" I nodded acquiescence, "(lot any family yourself?" I enquired "Two boys and one girl. Bosker kids." 'Why not buy some land for them?" The All'able Stranger looked pained. "Of course, I wouldn't mind if I saw a chance like that," he answered uncomfortably, "but those chances are all gone nowadays." And no doubt, that's just what his father had said. To hear many people talk you would think all the best hopes in life lay buried in the graveyard of lost opportunities. It's so easy to see chances that our fathers have missed. F.von Adam lost the garden of Eden—but that's another story. Writes a New Plymouth man at Home in the military training establishment: "People here are wonderfully calm, and all full of confidence that if the Zeps, come over again as they used to they will receive a rough handling. Kngland is quite prepared now for anything the Huns can do and can keep ahead of them. If it were not for the khaki, the wounded and the lights out at night one would not realise that the war was on. London is as busy as ever, and all the old landmarks are still standing. If you read that some of the famous old buildings have been wrecked you can put it down as a German .lie, because I see them every day and am glad to renew my acquaintance with them. The long twilight makes living here very pleasant. It is quite light till in p.m.' (daylight saving). The women of England have proved themselves equal to the occasion. They have filled the places of thousands of tram and 'bus conductors and railway ticket collectors, ami in many cases, manage better than the men did. We also sec them in the'fields working away, and there are millions of them munitionmaking."

It is wonderful how information and surprises come to one (writes P. J. Hughes in the Hawera Star). for instance, I was told to-day -there was a healthy baby boy of fifteen months of age hailing from Manaia who is in the Haweva Hospital laid up with infantile paralysis, and has, above all things, had his poor little toes, or rather the tendons of them, cut to try and straighten them. I told this to the New Plymouth masseuse to-day, and she laughed me to scorn, so to-night 1 rang up'the parents at Manaia, and they say it has been done. Don't yon think it is time the matter was taken in earnest as you suggest, so that there will be no more cripples caused through laxity, to use a mild term? There are, I believe, two experts in New Plymooth on infantile paralysis, and the lady one informs me that the Public Health Department offered her the position of lecturing and teaching the methods in New Zealand '•> v*e had to decline for family reas.»... classes he started in Tnranaki she could give instructions if she can reach her home every night.