LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 March 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs duties taken at Now Plymouth for the month of February imountcd to £3013 0s 11(1, as ngainst £4007 15s Sd for the corresponding month of Inst year. The hocr duty was £155 4s sd, as compared with £l2O Us 7(1. The Mayor of Wellington lias received the sum of £3OO from th n Wellington Bowiing Centre as u result of the recent tournament, the proceeds of which were to he devoted to patriotic purposes. The money is to go to the War Relief Association. The Roman Catholic congregation of New Plymouth, at a meeting held on Sunday night, passed resolutions of protest against their clergy and religious being compelled to serve in the war. The text of the resolutions was similar to that, hissed by other congregations of the Roman Catholic Church. It is estimated flint the State Fire Insurance Department, which earned last year a record net profit of over £35,000, lias, during the twelve years it has been in operation, saved the people of New Zealand, by the reduction caused in insurance premiums, no less than £2,500,000. The reduction has averaged •25 per cent, all round. Yet on this basis the department has been able to accumulate a reserve of upwards of £155,000. In his address at the presentation of military medals in Stratford lust evening, Colonel Sir James Allen (Minister of Defence) read a letter from General (i oil ley showing that New Zealand was maintaining a division at the front, and had reserves in France and England. The speaker also intimated that the 20th Reinforcements had reached their destination, and that the 21st and 22nd had been at their last port of call. A somewhat peculiar accident happened on the Hult Road, between Petone and Ngalmuraiiga, on Saturday night. The driver of a motor.car 'coming into town suddenly found that ho had run dowji a horse and trap going.in the same direction. The trap, which was occupied by a man and his wife, turned completely over, and the man was thrown on to the roadway, lie called cut to know ii his wife was safe, and was relieved to find that she had lauded on the back seat of the motor-car! No one suffered any injury whatever, but both vehicles were considerably damaged. Angry scenes were witnessed at Hamilton on Tuesday night at. a lecture oil ''Who Caused the War';" by the Rev. Howard Elliott. The lecturer sought to show that the Catholics throughout the world were in league against (ireat Britain, and he was subjected to a tirade of bitter interjections throughout. His declaration that the Tope was responsible for the present Kuropean conflict in his anxiety to secure world domination, caused a terrible outburst of invective, and the lecturer, who had difficulty in proceeding, ordered the police to remove several interrupters. At t.lio conclusion a crowd waited for and followed the lecturer, who had to be escorted by the police. ' Eventually lie es' capcd by motor. HAVE YOU EVE If SUFFERED THE AGONY OF NEURALUIA? There is no need to describe Neuralgia. Those who have endured its torments do not wish to recall it. Those who have never suffered could not understand. But this is unnecessary suffciing. Neuralgia need not be endured. Dr. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment has put an end to this martyrdom. Rub it on the forehead, back of the neck, on tile gums. Dr. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment smoothes out the pain, draws out the Neuralgia like a magnet. First, you enjoy a sensation of ease after pain, then refreshing- sleep follows the relief. On awakening, you realise that Dr. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment is your safeguard and refuge against fu- ' lure attacks. A Is Gd bottle of hi. Sheldon's Magnetic Liniment will convince you that it will banish all pain. A 3s bottle provides protection for all the family. Obtainable everywhere. TYRE TROUBLES NO TROUBLE—USE FIRESTONE TYRE ACCESSORIES. Hero are quick, edicient Firestone helps for all cases of tyre trouble:—lnside blow-out patches, hook-on or laceon cover boots, ''Cure-cut" for filling in cuts in the tread; mica, to prevent tube sticking to cover; tube-gum, valves and valve parts. These splendid Firestone accessories should be kept in your car; they're big helps in little troubles. Get them from Firestone Tyre dealers. Be sure they're Firestone accessories. If your garage cant' supply your get particulars from A. Hatrick and Co., Ltd., Wanganui and Wellington, New Zea-l.,"-a aaents. ' 15

The Central, West -£nd and Fitzroy schools will be closed to-/ay to enable the teachers and pupils to attend the Show. A Wellington press message states that the conference of minowners' representatives and miners' Federation concluded, after eight days' sitting, without reaching any settlement. A movement is again on foot among a big section of business men at Wanganui to secure Saturday as the weekly half holiday, and a petition is now in circulation. At the Inst election hintur(l ay proposal was lost by about a hundred "votes. It is slated that the present season is the best for applc.growing that the West Coast has ever experienced. All the trees are loaded with fruit,' and apples are a glut in the market. One Kokatahi settler has expresed his intention of exporting five tons of apple:-, and if the venture turns out a succe«c he intends to improve and extend his orchard, and to go in for apple-growing on an extensive scale. The patriotic spirit of British women in this time of national crisis is very finely illustrated by the sample of their shipbuilding which recently visited Port Chalmers. The vessel in question is a new cargo carrier of 7000. tons, which was built on the Clyde. The hull wan principally built by women, who did the plating, not hesitating to mount stages and clinch rivets on the vessel's top r-ides. The males employed consisted of boys and old men above, the war age. The flagpole of 11.M.5. Xew Zealand, which was damaged in the Hat He of Jutland last year, lifts arrived in Christchurch, :uui w;is on exhibition in Cathedral Square. Collection-boxes were provided to receive subscriptions for tiie widows and orphans oi the sailors who lost their lives in the battle. The flag that was Hying on the flagpole when it was damaged was also on view. The flagpole is to be exhibited in Auckland. Ultimately it is to be deposited in the Canterbury -Museum. The sum of £BO has been raised by the efforts of Mrs. W. M. Kebbell, of Masterton. and a willing band of helpers, through the sale of waste paper and work baskets. The sur mentioned will equip a bed for a wounded Xew Zealand soldier for one year at the famous Star and Garter Inn at Richmond (England), which place is being fitted up for wounded soldiers at a cost of £30,000. It is proposed by "Mrs. Kebbell and her coworkers to continue their efforts in order to make permanent provision for at least cue lied. The smoking habit was responsible recently lor the demolition of (lax covering 100 acres on a property at Whitanui, liei'r I'almerston North. One of the workers engaged in clearing the area put a. pipe containing smouldering tobacco in one of the pockets of his coat, and then placed the divested garment near a flax bush. I'he tobacco embers set | the coat alight, and the blaze quickly transferred itself to the standing flax, of which 300 tons were destroyed before the progress oi the conflagration could be checked. A wages strike on a transport at Port Chalmers was in operation for a couple of days last week, when the coolic crew refused to do further ■ work until their wages were increased. It appears that the present crew joined tho vessel at the ordinary rate of wages, not being aware —so they assert—that this vesel was going on transport duty. They claim that double wages are paid to coolie crows on consequently they ceased work until they were remunerated at the higher rate. Evidently they joined the vessel but recently. The strikers were subjected to some humorous comment by the shore workmen, and one coolie, whose wages on the peace scale amounted to 22s fid per month, was told that he would probably be put in gaol for refusing duty. The coolie cer-med to Do equal to the occasion, for he retorted: "Better safe in prison for r. months Hum blown up with German bom-bom on small rupees." The strike was broken Oil all undertaking to pay increased wages being given.