LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A kind of paralysis amongst lambs, which develops after .locking, is causing farmers of the Wairarapa some concern at present.

The other day a proud father who lives not many miles north of Auckland, registered the birth of his seventeenth child. The parent is himself more than eighty years of age. A man named James Hill, ovei 70 years of age, who was wandering aimlessly about oi" the Taihape railway station on Holiday night, was taken in charge bv the poiice. When searched, the old fellow was found to have £7l 15s Id in cash in his possession. 'lor the first time since its inception the directors of a cheese factory in the Waverley district arc seriously considering an offer for the season's output. Their determination to consign year after year has been almost as steadfast as the laws of the Mcdes and Persians, but this time the temptation was too great.—Chronicle. The following is an extra from a letter written by a member of the Auzas Corps "somewhere in Franco":—-"You can't imagine how fed-up we all are with some of the English newspapers and their infernal soit-soapv 'Aiizacs' articles. The way they record our little aches and pains—si petty rail on the Bodies trenches, padded up with such rot as 'JThcse giant athletes 'leaping the trenches' makes one sick. His all on a par with the daily drive) in the same papers about- the petty doings of the actresses and chorus girls. They might have the decency to wait until we really get stuck into the Huns. Then, I think, tile cold truth will be quite exciting enough reading." A well-known London statistician lias just declared that the present war may go on for fifty years. It will not be the want of man power that will cripple Germany. The losses sustained by the enemy during twenty-two months works out at 07,000 a month and 504,000 in a year. Each year "SO,OOO Tluns reach the military age, Si) per cent., of which may lie assumed fit for field service. This leaves an annual net loss of 18,000. If these figures, which have been supplied by a well-known neutral officer, are correct, the above-mentioned fifty years may see Germany running short of men.

A TaraimJii Maori entered a timber merchant's yard the other, day anil, approaching the yardman, said, "How much von 'charge te bi« boards?" "What size do von want? AVhat do yon want to make'/'' replied the yardman. ''Oil, my wife she very ill. Te doctor say she die soon. I make te coffin. Sim no die, I tinfc I make te pig trough.''- -Exchange.

Tt is reported from America tliP.t three professors have discovered. in the val'ev of the Susquehanna, the bones of sixty l eight 7ft men. The most extraordinary characteristic of these super-men is that on some of the skulls, two inches above the perfectly formed forehead, were horn-shaped protuberances of hone. Such a discovery will cause a consideiable flutter in the biological dovecots, and the fafnous ifiltdown skull will be hard put to it to -hold its own in scientific importance.

A movement has been begun to carry on a citizens' crusade in Christehurch against social evils (savs the Lyttelton Times). The. idea, originated with Mr. L M. Isitt, M.P., and a number of citizens have agreed to take part in tlie crusade. ' Details liave not been arranged at present, but the proposal, roughly, 'is that it should be begun at the end of October. 'One of the suggestions is that, 011 the last Sunday in that month, sermons should be preached in all the churches of the city dealing with questions of public, morality, and that, in the following: week, a public meeting- to discuss those questions should be held every night. The promoters of the movement hope that it will spread to all othei parts of the Dominion, and that there will lie united expressions of opinion.

Motorics are 011 the whole generally regarded as '■sports,'' but the recent experience of one Masterton motorist goes to show that there are parasites, even in the motoring clan. Some weeks ago lie was passing along the road between Carterton and Masterton, and enme across a stranded car. The owner was a. novice, mid had 110 idea of removing the cover to mend a punctured tube; albeit he had not the wherewithal to do so. The passing motorist stopped, and, after removing l the cpver, found that the tube was beyond vepa.ii. The "stranded" man had no spares, and on being offered the loan of one, promised to return it in the course of a day or two. Weeks have passed, but 110 tube has been returned, and an erstwhile obliging motorist is obliging no more, —Wairurapa Age.

Word lias town received that a Dunedin architect (Mr. Edmund Anscombe) lias been successful in winning first place in the competition for tile Searjeant Art Gallery in Wangamii. A large number of designs were received from various parts of Xew Zealand and Australia, no less than 10 being sent from Dunedin. The Art ("iallery, which is provided out of the Serjeant bequest, wi'.l probably be cvected immediately. The site of the building is Queen's Park, an eminence in the ceutre of the town, and the locality of the historic Rutland Stockade. Mr, Anscombe's designs provide for the future. erection of a museum (which will be similar to the Art fiallery), and also for new municipal buildings. It is claimed that when the building scheme is completed it will form one ot the nicst modern blocks of public buildings in the Dominion.

A famous War Correspondent' says that the soldier's mainstay is tea, which always delights and irojrcshes. The must delicious and refreshing of all teas 13 DESERT GOLr and it is very eeo- „ i-ilTl i fit k 1

English mails via Vancouver will ari:\o at Nev: Plymouth tliic morning, per Raraws 1 .

The follow "i!!i mail tenders have been accented by Ihc Post and Telegraph Deparf.w ir- 1 : Eitham-Opnnnke, Levi Bnnn; Now Plymouth Opunukc, K. Woolridge.

The Minister for Defence (the Hon. J Allci.l hits been .advised by the High Commissioner, London, that 1540 New Zea'.-iiu' sick and wounded soldiers, are being sent from England to New Zealand by the hospital ship Malieno. The weekly meeting of the Ksmont r.od"o, ].(!,G.T.. was held in the lodge .•ooiii last evening, Bro. 8. E. Chappell, Chief Templar, presiding. The Rev. A. !>. Chappell-attended the meeting and gave :ever;'l lengthy and interesting readings, The Lodge closed in the usual riuniur.

At the Vaiwakaiho golf links to-day tile iaaie-: will play (he last Red Cross iiieihi! lii'iV'h of the >' - This was po.-tp 'lied' from last Tuesday on account o: the raiii.

Tho No'.v Plymouth Boys' High Scho:-l anni-nl sports takes place on the schooi ground® on Thursday, November 111, All prize riioney this year will again be utilised in assisting with patriotic »voik, rte boys having expressed a wish to accept certificates in lieu of prizes. A Press Association message says that ftitther claims dealt with by the War Pensions I'oard last week bring the total niun'.ier of pensions granted to 4213 of the annual value of £200,050, the aver, age per pension being £ JO. Cons-;.?.: able inconvenience is being experienced ov consignees of cargo by the wrecked steamers Bangatira and Tongariro, who are unable to obtain payment of then- insurance moneys until tho shipping companies see fit'to issue the necessaiy .short landed certificates. This is n matter jhieh the Chamber of Commerce might well take up. The Preff. Association reports that rc"ervi.t judgment was given at Palmer.•ton North yesterday by the Magistrate. Mr. Poynter, in the ease against Charles Dahl for brea.'h of the war regulations, by writing t* letter to Denmark with the ■ntent'on oi procuring the importation of goods otherwise than in pursuance of a iictn-e for such importation. His Wor-hip said there was no intentional I.reaeli, and a fine of £3 and costs was imposed. At last night's meeting of the High School Boani. n letter was received from Mr. F. W. (V. Mcleod, secretary to the .Sok'ioiv Comforts Week Committee, asV.ii!" that- leave should be granted the stall n.'.d pu|:ils of the Girls' and Boys' Schoci on Monday, October 23rd and Tlmr-idat, October 2flth, to enable them to take port 111 the money raising function.*. Tiie matter was referred to the ehaiimnu, who will consult the princ;pa!.' of Hie schools. While members or the Prart* were thoroughly in sympathy i T . itli the movement, it was piiuted cut that during this term the. school was very busy preparing for examinations.

'Tlii> present methods of procuring supplies oi metal are slow, wasteful, find expensive," wiote a special committee in u report .submitted to the Xew Plymouth ly.ivov.pii Council last evening. The (■•'):,nr.;tteo wrote stating it hurt made ii'Yislijjntiong and found there was an inexhaustible quantity of gravel anil meti 1 to he had "in the district. With the iii;t:i']f;tion -of suitable plant, the ! considered the Council could procun: rua'. metal at a rate which would eompsre more than favorably with tike pii:e at present being paid to contractor*. It stated further that the t .i'.iiii-ii was not at present, in the positim to consider the immediate installation of plant, but suggested that the engineer should give tlie matter of th(! cost consideration, and submit a report to ihe Council. The committee's suggestion wa-: adopted. A nice feather hoa. will just complete your summer dressing, madam. it at llorey's. Turn to their announccliient in this issue, which gives faUer details.