LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Te Roti dairy factory has made a fresh start. The motive power is derived from the Eltham Borough Council's road roller engine, which has been procured temporarily for the purpose.

Mrs. Burgess wishes to acknowledge with thanks the sum of £6 2s (id, received from Mr. G. Tombleson (sec.), being proceeds from Kotare picnic to be devoted to our boys at- the front. It is stated, says the Winton Record, that a district farmer has been called on to pay £OOO under the recent taxation. The sale of all his wool will not total this amount.

The Grey River Argus states that the result of the Medical Board's sitting at Kumara last week was not very satisfactory. Out of 14 men who presented themselves, 13 proved unfit. The one who passed was the oldest of the bunch.

It is understood tlmt the Government has ordered medals from England, to be worn by returned soldiers, honorably discharged from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and that supplies will shortly reach the Dominion. I'iie medals will bear a suitable inscription. Some of the principal orchards in Port Albert were inspected by the Parlimentary party which recently toured North Auckland. The principal fruit grown there is apples, to which an area of between 700 and 800 acres is devoted The residents are complaining of the lightness of the crops this year, the yields of stone fruit being even poorer than those of apples. Some line specimens of apples, peaches, and nectarines were on the table at the tea provided by the residents in honour of the visitors. Most of the orchards are enclosed by high shelter belts of trees. The following rather comical account of how a Maori soldier described his experience of being buried by a high explosive shell has been sent by a Mangaweka soldier (write.? a correspondent). He was standing near a small wood at the time of the occurrence, and he expressed himself thus; "I hear wish-a-wish up in the air. I look up and see him big shell chasing himself three times round that wood. Then bang! Igo dead for hour. Then I wake up and dig myself out ot big hole and run like mad for one mile. I reckon next time that German he send the big shell at me I go home to New Zealand."

The Melbourne's great stocktaking sale continues to attract crowds of shippers. The bargains on offer being of a useful character cu-toilers ne buying frsoly realising tlmt more would have to be paid for the sanu grods a little Uter on. Attention is drawn to the special children's matWc programme to be presented at the "Empire" this afternoon at 2 o'clock. Full particulars will be found on the front page. To-morrow harvest thanksgiving services will he held at Whiteley Church. Special music and decorations will mark the services. Friends having gifts to make of fruit, vegetables, grain, flowers and general produce are requested to lcavo them at the church by mid-dav to-day. This afternoon and evening those assisting m preparing the church decorations will meet at the church. ■SENSATIONAL BAEGATNS AT THE MELBOURNE'S SALE. For three weeks only prior to stocktaking the following wonderful bargains win be offered: —Men's all-wool kintted socks, 1/- pair; island hats, with straps, Is ad; Dorothy pinafores, 2s 3d; large vhite towels, Is each; men's striped neglige shirts, 2-. lid; pearl buttons, id dozen; wide-em! 'ies, Is each; ladies' pure-wool cashni. je -stockings, plain, la 9d, ribbed Is lid (color guaranteed); grey denims, 3s (!<' pair; 72in white herringbone sheeting j's Gd yard; frilled and embroidered ;low cases, Is lid pair; all-linen S( ettes, 3s 6d halfdozen; ladies' lie.t 'died handkerchiefs, four for (id; boy-* "liite handkerchiefs, eight for Is; re-/; : nddle-tweed trousers, 93 fid and K 'd; men's pure indigo coating suite, - s Cd, and scores of other ' irgaiaj,

One effect of the war is felt in the back country stations (says the Kawke's Bay Herald). Owing to the scarcity of rabbiters, rabbits are now in evidence from tiie roadsides, where not been seen for many yjirs. The turnip crops around the Tariki district are looking exceptionally well 'is year. With the splendid crops of hay saved, there should be no-dearth of feed this winter.

The Government has fixed the price of wheat to the consumer at ,ts 7d. Wholesale men in Taranaki canont purchase it under (is. They are wondering what the Government is going to do about the matter.

In regard to the statements made by & correspondent in yesterday's issue regarding Jhecharacteristics of the average wharf laborer, jwe are asked to state that the Now Plymouth "wharfics" arc in a class by themselves. They are reI spectable. hard-working and honest mem- ! hers of the community, nnd the union has on several occasions rejected men wishing to join who did not come up to the standard set by the Union. Quite a number of the members are farming |at_Spotswood and Omata, and have nothing in common with the agitator brand that is causing ail the trouble in Wellington and other places.

The stigma of being considered a shirker that is alleged to be attached ti> any one called under Section 35 of the Military Service Act was referred to -it the Appeal Board, Hawera, yesterday, '.'hen an appellant objected to himself ind his brother being drawn under this icction, as another brother had enlisted in the eleventh re-inforcements. Captain Walker said that the defence authorities did not intend to brand men as shirkers who were brought under this action. It simply meant that where there were two brothers of military age in a family notices were sent out as a matter of form. There were, of course, some shirkers among them, but others were white men. Mr. McLaren thought (hat it was time that people read Section 35, as at present a lot was read into it that was implied by politicians and newspaper writers. During the hearing of a ease at the Military Appeal Board yesterday evidence was being given .regarding mustering. A witness stated that he did not think women could muster in such rough country, in fact some men could not. One of his sisters, who had been on tlib farm all her life could not ride, and whenever she left home she walked. Mr. Williams said that women could muster, and lie instanced a case of a girl of twenty who was regarded as the best musterer in a South Canterbury din. triet. Witness then asked the chairman if he had ever mustered sheep, eliciting the reply from Mr. Cooper: "Goodness me, I should think I have," and to a further question: ''ln rougher country than yours." A London daily thus describes a picture of the most lurid and melodramatic tpye:—"Foot after foot of flickering film with blood and thunder in every inches of it was reeled off before a spellbound audience. At length the inevitable climnx arrived, and the spectators, witii shuddering but pleasurable interest settled down to watch the villain dispatch his wife with all prompt ami circumstance of a film murder. And as he warmed to his task, the lady pianist, her fingers on the keyboard, but her thoughts elsewhere, gently drifted into the languorous strains of 'The End of a Perfect Day.'" Sir Thomas Dewar, who is well known as the managing director of the firm 0i distillers bearing his name, and chairman of Messrs. A. and F. Pears. Ltd . tells a good story of his efforts to obtain whisky from the conductor of a train while going through a prohibited State. Ho was refused, but was advised to try at the store at the next stopping plac.;. 'Are you sick, mister, or got a medical certificate?" asked the man there "No.' "Then I can't do it. See, this is a pro hibition State, so I can't sell it; but I reckon our cholera mixture will about fix you. Try a bottle of that." Sir Tliomes did, and found, to his astonishment, that although it. was labelled on one side "Cholera Mixture: A wineglass to be taken every two hours or oftener if required," it bore on the other side the bound audience. At length the evilabel of a firm of Scotch whisky distillers. In contrast to the instance in Auckland, where a hotel-keeper opened H hotel on Sunday, thinking it was Monday, the experience of the proprietor of a Kew Plymouth hotel on Wednesday evening, is interesting. It waß half-past eight, business was slack, and the proprietor sat alone in the bar reading. Two men sauntered in, and had refreshments. One of thein asked the, other to wait until he went and cleared the mail. A quarter of an hour passed, and the man in the bar grew tired of waiting. He drew out his watch, and after remarking, "A quarter to ten," he set out for home. The hour struck soon afterward, and the man who went for the mail returned, and was astonished to find that his companion had disappeared and that the hotel was closed and in darkness. Ha

'WHtI wie |)iujUß-iur pit-jjiuiliy I.U JCUIU, and the latter learned to his surprise that he had unwittingly closed his hotel » hour before the regular time. He had been misled bv the remark of the man in the bar, and the fact that business was unusually quiet. Needless to' say, the hotel was re-opened, and kept open until i he usual closing-time. Three brothers met on the Wellington wharves the other day after having been separated for 35 years. During that time they had not seen anything of each other, and one of the three had had no communication with the others till a little over a year ago. The ages of the brothers are 78, 71, and 68, making a total of 217 years between them. The occasion of the meeting was to welcome the eldest brother who had come across from Sydney to see the other two. The eldest and the one 71 years of age were amongst the first diggers on the Hokitika rush in 1804, and these two old gentlemen, it is said, did nothing else for three weeks in Wellington than play billiards and talk of old times. People who had the opportunity of hearing them said their conversation was so interesting at times that quite a crowd used to gather round the table to hear the old gentlemen talk and see them play. Another interesting fact in connection with the meeting of the two eldest brothers was that they did the same journey at the same time as the late lit. Hon. R. J. .Seddon over the mountains to the Waimea Plains. The eldest brother lias made his money and is now « retired gentleman living about 500 miles from Sydney, the brother 71 years of ago was for 40 years on the New Zealand railways, and is now a retired stationmaster, whije the third and youngest is a farmer in the Taranaki district. Two important farm properties will be sold by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company at Opunake on Monday on account- of Mr. F. J. Davy.

A pig offered at -tlie Mastcrton ram fair yesterday in aid of the funds to .erect a soldiers' club, realised i£2ofi7. —Press Association.

Notification is given that the price of bread delivered in New Plymouth is to be increased by one penny the fourpound loaf.

There will>be a valuation of skins today at New Plymouth and of wool at Waitara on Monday in connection with tiu sale of those products to the Imperial Government.

The Central School children have now 3750 bottles as a result of their two wcoksf bottle campaign. They range in sizfe from one-tenth gill to 5 7-8 gallons.

A Gazette notice issued last night contains the names of sixty-one reservists to whom notices have been scut and returned by the postal department as undeliverable. Those men are now called upon to appear for medical examination.—'Press Association.

At the conference of the New Zen, land Society for the Health of Womcii and Children, Dr and Mrs Truby King were elected honorary vice-presidents. Officers were appointed as follows: President, Mrs Cair; treasurer, Mrs Theomin; secretary, Mis Glendining,Press Association.

The Woolworth Building at night, illuminated by some new wonderful concealed lighting system is one of the most interesting of the many remarkable night scenes in the New York travel picture screening neat Monday at the Empire. The Woolworth cost £2,800,000, and has fifty-five stories.