LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tlie Acting Prime Minister advises that the '2lst lioinfovcements have arrived safely at their last port of call.—Press Association.

The Works Committee cf the Borough Council mot last evening and discussed tentative estimates for the coining financial year.

A champion disclaimer notice from an Auckland paper:—"Harry Wilson, milkman, of Devonport, has no connection of any kind with Woodrow Wilson, o« United States of America."

Delegates representing fourteen different branches of farmers' unions passed a resolution at Hamilton urging the Government to give the country a lead on the question of curtailment of racing during the currency of the war. Tile lion. A. .M. Myers (Minister for Munitions and Supplies) has under consideration the question of prohibiting the fescreening of coal for domestic uses in dealers' yards. That is to say, tlie coal lor domestic use will he delivered to householders just as received by the dealers when supplies are consigned to them from the mines.

The following pathetic letter, scrawled on a page of pocket-book, has just reached the parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Burgess, of Auckland, from their youngest son, Private C. E. Burgess, who was killed in action some time ago: ''Dear mother, —I am done; struck by a bomb, and lying in a trench. No one can come to me. Good_bve to you and father and the others. —Claude."

Lecturing at Wellington on "The Problems .of Kdwcation,'' Trofesor Hunter emphasised the folly of cutting down the education vote, as the child of to-day was the grown-up citizen of to-morrow, upon whose shoulder rested the future of the nation. He pointed out that France and Oermuiiy recognised this fact 1 , and quoted lending statesmen of those countries to give point to his argument that it was false economy to starve the intellectual development of a country. "If-DO per cent, of the young male frequenters of the racecourse had enlisted, conscription would have been unnecessary," said the Bev. A. C. Lawry, in his retiring presidential address bofore the Hethodist Conference, when referring to tho very large percentage of young Methodists who had joined the Army. He added: "There is no sting left in the word 'wowser,' however loudly it maybe howled by those who stay at home to gamble and drink while the best men die at tile front."

"I firmly believe that in our domestic legislation we should without delay enact laws that will send to the surgeon, not to the jailer, each beast in man's clothing who endangers a child or a young woman," said the llev. A. C. Lawry, in the course of his address before tho Methodist Conference. ''We should make it imperative that a clean hill of health be produced before a marriage license can be obtained, and a strict control ought to be exercised over those businesses, some of whose wares are munitions for the army of impurity in tho fight against charity and virtue."

Fifty of the students attending the Otago Medical School passed through Wellington on Friday on their way to the Awapuni Camp, where they are to be given a week's training in ambulance work. The students, who have been constituted officers' training corps, were under the command cf Major Gowland, Professor of Anatomy at the Otago University, and were accompanied by Liouv Colonel Faulkner, principal medical officer for tlie Otago Military District. During their stay in the camp they will be trained with the ambulance reinforcements at proßcnt at Awapuni.

The Borough Engineer (Mr W H. Cook), expressing his appreciation of tho Borough Council's action in granting him leave to attend the annual conference of civil engineers held in Wellington last week, said in the course of a letter to the Council that many papers and subjects relating to municipal works had been discussed. Importantpapers concerning the construction, cost, and life of various classes of roadways, and the economical use -of machinery for municipal and labor-saving purposes hau been read, and a special committee had been set up to arrive at some recognised standard ftfadway.

At a recent meeting of the Catholic Federation of Inglewood, tlie following resolution, copies of which are to be sent to the Acting Prime Minister and member for the district, were ( passed:— "That this meeting, of behalf of the Catholics of Inglewood, strongly protests against the Catholic clergy and religious being compelled to serve under the military Service Act f' the following Teasons: (1) That tin numbers of such clergy or Catholic priests are nov sufficient in Xew Zealand to enable uu to spare any for military purposes, except as chaplains to the New Zealand forces; also on account of the number oj years it takes to educate a Catholic priest tor the ministry, anil the number of young students that have enlisted from the Catholic colleges. It is safe to say that there will be very few young priests ordained for some years to comt. (2) That the compulsion of such Catholic priests and religious is abhorrent to Catholics, and without precedent hi Eng-lish-speaking countries. (3) That the position of the Catholic priesthood is (liferent from any other denomination in that all Catholic priests are uninar vit-d men, and would naturally come under the entire scope of the Act, whereat the great majority of the ministers of other denominations are married men and therefore would escape the Act.'The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., wish to draw the attention of clients to their Kohuratahi sheep and cattle fair, which they are holding in their Kohuratahi yards on Thursday next, at 1 o'clock; Full par ticulars will be found in this issue.

The Melbourne, Ltd,, announce that then; are still a few of the following sales lines left, but just enough for three or four days' selling. Dorothy overalls 2a lid, pearl buttons Id d 02., Island hats with straps Is ud, Horroeksos .'l6-inch calico 7s 11*1 down, nstl Ufi-inei tine pure raadapolams lid doz. SUNBURN May be classed by some as one of (he lesser ills of life, but to the possessor of a delicate skin it is one of the worst modes of torture to be imagined. After p. glorious day in the surf, or a delighttu! bush picnic, the aftermath of scalding, burning face and hands and dkI'guring blisters takes away the happy ireinory of the day's pleasure. To minimise tha after effects of sunburn, amiointing with I,'exona, the Ripid Healer, is all that is necessary, and the skin, soothed and cooled by its wonderful influence, will quickly regain its normal temperature and comfortable coolness. Rexona, Is Od and 3s. Obtainable everywhera,

The .fifth annual conference, of the Taraiiaki Provincial Fire Brigades' Aasoeiution is to be held at 'Patea to-morrow. kvpry woman a Plnnlcet Nurse," was the apt phrase in which a delegate to the Women s Health. Conl'eremM l Hummed up the idealy of the Society." I lie Mungatoki and Eltham dairy factories were not able to pay out on the 20th. owing fo sonic delay o nthe part of the Government.

At the. recent sittings of the Medical' Board in Tarmuki the following were the 1 0311 Its: I'it tor -u'tivee Hervice, 1 -14, for home ferviee 7S; totally unfit, 1; deferred for ro-c.v> initiation, 12.

Eltham positively reeked with motor ears on Saturday afternoon. They were pouring into the town from all "points of the compass to attend the meeting of farmers. Tlie capital represented by tliosee ears was something very considerable.

Tlie Mayor (Mr. C. H. Burgess) acknowledges the following contributions for tlie local Ambulance Jfund:—'Pox Taranaki Herald £1 2s 6d, Tuesday Sewing (j'lild £l, Friends £l, Mrs. Collis I'Os, Cirls branch Victoria league £l, Mr. ,r. h. Perry £5. The total to date is ,-£197.

Harvest Thanksgiving services in coni nection with the ' Wh'itelev Methodist Church were held on Sunday, the Rev A. B. Chappell occupying the pulpit both morning and evening. The church had been very tastefully decorated There were good congregations at each, service.

Tlie Commissioner of Taxes draws the attention of taxpayers to the notification appearing in to-day's issue, that the due date of payment of the additional income-tax and excess profits duty is on Thursday, the Ist day of March 1917.

The special Belgian Children's Christmas Fund, which was started in Wellington in December in response to an appeal from the Lord Mayor of London, has realised £3031 l'Ss Id, and this amount has been cabled Home by the Belgian Consul to the National Committee for relief in .Belgium at London.

At the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co.'s ram fair on Friday, a ram presented by Mr. D. B. Nolan to the Egmont A. and P. Associatoin was submitted to auction. It was successively purchased by Messrs F. Mills, B. C. Lvsaght, T. Winks, R. J. Linn, and W. Duckworth, and in the aggregate realised £l6 Bs 9d.

We undent&nd that a South Island gentleman has recently purchased £lO/)00 worth of New Plymouth property at a satisfactory figure, including a site opposite the White Hart Hotel, in Queen Street, nexit the People's Picture Palace. Mr. A. B. Gibson was the agent who negotiated the sales in conjunction with L. A. Nolan and Co.

I At the meeting of parishioners of St. | Mary' 3 last evening, Mr. S. W. Shaw referred to the impending departure of | Mr. D. E. Hut.tou, the people's warden, and li'ia family for the South Island. Mr. Hutton had been indefatigable in the duties connected with his olfiee, and the parishioners were very sorry to lose him. The chairman's remarks were loudly applauded. The ordinary weekly meeting of the Egmont Lodge, 1.0. G.T. was held last evening, V.T. Sister Thompstonc presiding over a fair attendance of members. After the ordinary business had been transacted, the officers, who had to entertain, did so by providing the following excellent programme:—Overture, Sis. Callaghan; reading, Bro. Hooker; reciIfttion, Sis. Saunders; address, Bro, Maunder; harp solo, Bro. Ricketts; song, Sis. Callaghan; reading. Sis. Taunt; song, Sis.. Thompstone. Hearty congratulations were accords# Sis. Thoimpstonc on the able manner in which she bad conducted the meeting. The Imperial Government Supplies Department, stated the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonnld (Minister for Agriculture) on Friday, lias valued (as per certificates received") 303,317 bales of wool on Imperial account. Up to date the total number of bales shipped totals 123,950, and the number of steamers en route for London is fifteen, with 118,201 bales. Seven steamers are now loading wool in New Zealand ports, and the total number of bales available for shipment is 179,58'?. The payments on Imperial accounts, from December 15, 101G, to February l'fl, amount in all to £5,7C0,.190, the total number of bales paid for being 24-0,432. """

The method of the appointment o! engineers to local .Bodies was the subject of some reference at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Soiccty of Civil Engineers at Wellington. The president, Mr. R. W. Holmes, said that very often these appointments wero made by the members of local authorities who were seldom qualified to do so. He urged that the society should endeavor to persuade local bodies, when making such appointments to refer the applications to some competent engineers for selection. The society agreed to the president's suggestion, also to a proposition that local authorities should be circularised, suggesting that the names of such applicants should not be published. Reporting to the Works Committc of the Borough Council last evening', In Borough Engineer, Mr W. H, Cook, con corning the petroleum on the Moturo.i beach, said he had visited the locality between the railway line and the beach, and had found that the waste liquia products from the Blenheim bore were allowed to run into the sea by open drain and culvert. Not only was this;tm eyesore, but all vegetation which was. adjacent to the drain was killed. Two ;or three fires had taken place in this 'locality, and whether by design or accident it is certain that the oil in the drain would feed the flames, and would tend to make for more dumage than otherwise would be the case. The engineer said he was of opinion that an unnecessary danger to property existed 50 l<jng as the drain remained open. The Blenheim Company, he said, should pipe the drain and discharge the waste cither lit or under low tide or at ebb. A gruesome find was made at Mana ,kau on Friday. Mr. McKenzie, who has a section about six miles from Manakau, is employing a number of Maoris to clear the land. Whilst working at the top of a hill the Maoris discovered the skeleton of a man in a reclining attitude beneath the root 3 of a big rata tree. Consthable Satherley, who visited the spot to make a close investigation, found that at one time a fire had been through the bush, and the skeleton had been charred to such an extent that it crumbled on being touched, and fell to pieces. Searching the ground about the skeleton, the constable found the sum of £8 15s 3d in silver, a silver watch and chain, and a silver ring with two holes, evidently where stones liad been, and a door key. It is stated that there is'little doubt that; the skeleton is that of Peter Smith; who kept a'small shop in Otaki, anil who was reported mising in 1911.