LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A press message from Palmerston North states that the formal organisation of a local i/nsiness science circle was accomplished on Tuesday night. The value of the cheese exported from Patea for the week ending February 13 was £116,032. The totil exported from the whole Dominion during the same period was valued at £208,772.

Claims made at Wellington on account of pillaged cargo, represent a total of £IOOO in twelve months. This statement was made in the magistrate's Court on Saturday, when a ship's fireman was being tried for theft.

A total of over £40,000 was realised in sales at the recent ram fair in Hastings. These, figures easily constitute a record from Hawke's Bay if not in the Dominion. Prices were high and some disappointed would-be buyers remarked, "It was like buying a racehorse."

In the Hawera Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, before Messrs C. 0. Ekdahl and W. K.. Wallace, J.P.'s, a young man named Laurence Corrigan was charged that, on February 20, at Normanby, he did steal one carcase of mutton, valued at £1 15s, and one butcher's knife, valued at 3s 9d, the property of Frank Andrews. The accused pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor.

Mr W. Kirkwood, of Stratford, chairman of the Taranaki War Relief Association, proceeded to Wellington yesterday to represent the Taranaki Association at a conference with the Government Advisory Board. The conference will discuss tho question of placing returned soldiers on the land, and representations will be made by the Relief Associations' representatives to obtain £IOOO, money with whjich to finance returned men going on the land.

A meeting of suppliers of the Lepper•ton Dairy Company was held on Tuesday night to consider the question of manufacturing cheese next season. It was decided not to make any change at present, as the price now ruling for butter is equal to that received for cheese, whilst the .high price of material and labor would mean increased expenditure in the erection of the necessary buildings and plant. The feeling of the meeting was rather favorable to the manufacture of casein, which, under present conditions, would enable an extra 3d per lb butter fat to be paid.

At the meeting of the Stratford County Council yesterday, Crs. Baskin and Smith made several personal attacks on the engineer, asserting that he used the Council's car for pleasure purposes. Towards the close of the meeting Cr. Baskin stated that he had received anonymous letters asking that councillors should see that the motor-car was not used for pleasure. He was in sympathy with the wording of the letters. Councillor Baskin alleged that The car was out at all hours, night and day. Benzine was expensive. Too much joy-riding was indulged in. He here proceeded to make serious charges, which the engineer denied. After further personalities the chairman closed the discussion.

Tho Minister of Public Health forwarded to yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board a copy of questions which had been submitted to the Solicitor-General by him in connection with tho payment for children in industrial schools. The custom hitherto had been that the Education Department debited the boards with the difference between the amounts received from the parents and the cost. Tt had periodically refunded to boards credit balances. It now proposed (1) to charge 10s per week, (2) to hold all moneys received from parents in a separate fund to be held to the credit of the child until he ceased to be a charge on the (State, meantime collecting 7s Od per' week from the refunding to them at the close of the inmate's term, the balance in hand after deducting from tho payments by the parents and the board the cost which was regarded as ,10s per week. The Crown Law Office stated that the Education Department was not authorised by law to make a chargd according to the aotual cost of the maintenance of a child, with a minimum of 10s weekly; nor was the department authorised to retain all moneys received from the parents of a child until it ceased to be an inmate and then only refund to the "board the amount in excess of tho cost of maintaining that child.

Compulsory Territorial parades will be held to-day and Saturday.

SENSATIONAL BARGAINS AT THE MELBOURNE'S SALE.

For three weeks only prior to stocktaking the following wonderful bargains will lie offered:—Men's all-wool kintted sock*. '/• pair; island hats, with straps, ] s *6d: Dorothy pinafores, 2s 3d; large vh' -«els, Is eaoh; men's striped nc; aWrts, 2s lid; pearl buttons, Id do/en; '"'tlo-piid ties, Is each; ladies' pur"-" < -chmovo stockings, plain, la Oil ii.J -i 11<] (color guaranteed): Ci !t :■> Od pair; 72in white Irerri „ ;L 'wg, Is IM yard; frilled an ( . n %4 pillow eases, Is lid pair ,j serviettes, 3s 6d halfdoKe- > a unstitched handkerchiefs, four mi' >ys' white handkerchiefs, [eight l> 'en's saddle-tweed trousers, !l t ii|i VU fid; men's pure indigo ■ ''ls 6d, and scores of I other moiv !>w ißjita*.

At the Kawaroa Park's weekly euchre party in tho Bungalow on Tuesday evening, fourteen tables were, in play. Mrs. Martin and Miss Hill tied for first and second prizes, the lattei winning in the play-off. Mr. T. Stewart won the men's first prize, Mr. E. Loveridgo taking second prize. A commercial gentleman who has just returned to Auckland from Canterbury district gives a sad description of the effect of the drought. At one place where it had been very severe, the field of wheat was only 'three bushels per acre, which would not cover the cost of

the seed. He was frequently asked why Auckland had collared all the rain, an<l was told they would have been glad if only they had one-fifth of the five and a -half that fell in Auckland recently. The annual eonforencc in connection with the newspaper and printing trades of the Dominion will be held in Wellington next week. ' The directors of the United Press Association commence their meetings on Friday morning, the country members of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association on Monday, tile Newspaper Proprietors' Association on Monday and Tuesday, the Empire Press Union, United Press Association and Master Printers' Association during the rest of the week.

Says the Wairarapa Age:—lt would be well if the people of New Zealand, and of all other parts of the Empire, were to consider the desirability of bringing the administration of the Liquor Trade under the direct control of the State. If this were done, many of the evils of the traffic would immediately disappear. Monopoly, uncertainty of tenure, and the lust of grain are directly responsible for the existing state of affairs, which is by no means creditable to the nation.

The French authorities,', Mr. Wilford told his hearers in the Wellington Town Hall, have been working for the last year in perfecting a great gun. It was a 400 milimetrc, 16in gun, and was a "lobber." It was tried out not so long ago against an enormously strong and specially-prepared dug-out, of which afterwards there was not a vestige to be found. This gun. Mr. Wilford added was used against Fort Vauv, and six shots took the fort. Then the Germans announced that they had evacuated Vnux, as it was no longer of strategical importance^ Some months ago a well-known Invcrcargill citizen, whose son is out on the Allied frontier, took it into his head to relieve the lad's faithful mother of sending him one of the regular parcels of good things (says the "Southland Times"). Father decided that liis should be a parcel of parcels, and, for a little he was quite busy running in and out of confectioners', tobacconists', and grocers'. Finally the box was packed to the lid with 3oldiers' dainties—for if clothing were needed, mother could send it in one of her parcels. Father's was to be one solely for internal use. There ensued the customary long wait, until the worthy townsman received a letter from his soldier son, who express,ed sincere thanks for the big box which he had received, and added that its sole contents—a pair of socks —were a splendid fit.

The Christchurch Press throws a lighted match' on the political petrol tank with these editorial observations: "As to what is likely to happen in New Zealand after the war, wo venture to say that nobody at present has the faintest idea. It seems difficult to believe that men who have been working together in harmony in the National Cabinet, and who have got to understand each other more thoroughly, can ever show the same divergence of opinion, to say nothing of the mutual hostility of feeling which characterised their relations in the past. Should Sir Joseph Ward find important work to do in the Mother Country, as bo many people still persist in regarding as possible, and should the old party lines revive, we supposo Sir John Findlay would be regarded as Sir Joseph Ward's natural successor in the leadership." The following extract is from a Waiknto soldier's letter, written in camp in England:—"The drill largely consists in learning bayonet work of the very latest pattern, men from Somme with a first hand knowledge of the art acting as instructors.' The methods taught are entirely of the aggressive order, the parry and the thrust are combined in one movement. The British method with the bayonet is to thrust straight and go straight ahead." A letter received recently from the same man, referring to the work in the rest camps after they come hack from the front trenches, remarks that they get short route marches to keep them in order, little of the ceremonial drill, so that they should not entirely forget it, "but plenty of bayonet drill of the most aggresive order." The striking manner in which history repeats itself is illustrated by an article published in a recent issue of "Country Life." When the long wars with France began in 17!): i, the only force Pitt had available consisted of hut 30,000 men. This "contemptible little army," by strenuous exertions, he managed to increase in a year's time to 140,000, including the militia, but exclusive of the 40,000 men composing "the foreign legion" serving in Flanders. These numbers Pitt described as "unparalleled and such as coli'ld hardly be exceeded." Today the Government is following in Pitt's footsteps and training an army after war had been begun. During tho campaigns of last century, "Pitt's gold," as the French dubbed the wealth of Britain, enabled the troops of Russia, Sweden, Austria, and Prussia to march; the money was paid back in victory alone Once more Britain is playing the role of banker to tho Entente Powers, as well as training, arming, and transporting her own huge bodies of men. To meet the drain on the country's resources during the wars with France, Pitt, in 1798, trebled the assessed taxes. It was Pitt who introduced taxes on windows, mules, horses, dogs, clocks, watches, and even cocoanuts, in order to raise money for his fighting men. Entirely new picture programmes will be presented at both the Empire ami Everybody's to-night. The star attraction of the latter is the latest Marguerite Clark feature, whilst Empire patrons will •find keen enjoyment in Lasky's masterplay, "Her Golden Chance," in which Cloo Ridgley and Wallace Reed arc starred.

Morey and Sons announce that their great Three-weeks Prosperity Sale is putting up records. As proof of the big bargains offered turn to Moray's advertisement, which appears in this issue. The sale closes on Saturday, the 24th, ; at fl'p.m. EVERYBODY'S MAKING IT! What? GREEN' GINGER. A pure, wholesome and refreshing drink for sensible neople. ,A TRIAL WILL CONVINCE. A taMespoonful to a large tum'bler of water. 50 drir|:s to the bottle. 1/(1 per bottle; all grocers. Order to-day from your groeerl Yo«. trill be, satisfied.

It ia understood that Messrs Beau, champ and Upton will be reappointed Government representatives on tlio directorate of the Bank of New Zealand.— Press Association.

A Wellington .press message states that a list of reservists who failed to respond to the notices that they had been drawn in the ballot for military service will be gazetted, probably today, under Section' 13 of the Act.

At the conference of the Industrial Corporation of New Zealand yesterday, a resolution was passed urging the Government to impose a duty on the export of all New Zealand timber, with a view to conserving it for dairying and other industries.

The local corps of the Salvation Army will hold its harvest thanksgiving meetings this coming Sunday, 'February '!'>■ On Monday and Tuesday evening special vocal and musical programmes will be given by local talent. Refreshments will be obtainable at the hall, and festival gifts will be sold. The meetings on Sunday will be conducted 'by Arjutant A. Scotncy, superintendent of the Boys' Home, Elthnm. Gifts of garden and farm produce for sale and decorations will be gratefully received by the officers if left at the Army Hall in Brougham street to-day, Friday and Saturday.

In childish acts ' are often found the Eccret of a man's ultimate success. Six-ty-three years ago a little boy was returning home from school, and, like thousands of other boys, was attracted by some apples displayed in a window of a small shop. But this little boy saw more than the apples. He noticed that the price was written on an insignifi-cant-looking card. He promptly went home, painted ah illustrated card with a shilling box of paints he had won as a prize, and next day took it to the old woman who kept the shop, and told her it would sell her apples better than the little card she was exhibiting. She was struck with the idea, and made a deal then and there by which the little boy received a supply of apples in return for his advertising card. That little boy was Thomas J. Barratt, whose wonderful advertising schemes ultimately when relating the incident not long ago make Pears' soap world-famous. "You see," said Mr Barratt, with a chuckle, when relating the incident not long ago, "I began by advertising apples, and I ended by advertising 'Pears.'"