LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Ngaers Dairy Factory Company is about to instal a pasteurising plaut. The Mayor of Stratford (Mr. J. W. Boon) intends to address the burgesses on municipal matters at an early date.

The Pat<?a Harbor Board's new dredge "Wallace," left Bluff on Tuesday for Patea in charge of Captain Tinney. "As far as uniforms go, the New Zealand troops are the least smartly dressed of all the British drafts taking part in the war," said an officer who recently returned from England and France to New Zealand. "It is estimated that some two thousand of our members have gone to the front," said Mr. F. T. Evans, chairman, of the Canterbury Rugby Union, at the annual meeting of that body on Tuesday night. A consignment of 373 pigs from the Hawera district was railed to the New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Meat and Packing WorUs (late Dinlock's) on Wednesday. It was one of the largest lots despatched for some time. The record number was 700 odd.

At least one of the West Coast papers is not to be "extinguished" on account of the shortage of news paper. A rivent issue of the "Murchison Standard" ,vas printed on bright green jobbing paper.

As W. S. Hosking was working a buzzer (planing maehine) at the factory of Messrs Curtis And Spragg, Hawera, yesterday, one of his hands was caught in the machinery, with the result that lie lost three fingers, and had his hand otherwise damaged. That wood is getting scarce in and around Opunake can be judged by tho fact that a chairman of a weil-known dairy factory has of late been up before dawn (with the aid of a lantern) traversing the back part of the farms for wood to keep the factory steam up until the wood contractors are able to bring in from somewhere a sufficient quantity to ensure a stack stock, writes the local paper. To-day is the 76th anniversary of the landing of the first settlers in New Plymouth. A returned Taranaki soldier is a firm believer in doing away with decorations. He relates an incident. A friend of his, at the front, was notified by his general commanding that he had been awarded tho D.C.M. "But I have not been in the fighting; never been under fire. What's it foi'?" "Bravery in the field," replied the officer. "Well," said the soldier, "I don't want it. I've done nothing. Wait, though; yes, I have it. I loaned my superior officer a tenner!" He declined, but had to accept., the decoration. Another incident. An Auckland boy, who showed great gallantry in the fighting on the Sommc, being the only one left of his battery, and continuing to work his machine gun, though wounded five times, and thereby saving his company from annihilation, was one of those invited to Windsor Castle, where the King was to pin upon him the D.C.M. The gunner politely, but firmly, refused the gift from the royal hands, remarking that in the absence of the V.C. he preferred to receive no honor at > all for what bt bad done,

One of the wealthiest of Londoners celebrated his golden wedding a few years ago by distributing £IOO,OOO among- various charities.

A considerable number of "home servico" men are at present employed on the permanent staff at the Featherston Camp, and this numbkr (according to the Wairarapa Age) is likely to be increased in the near future.

It is reported that during the recent floods at Hicks Bay a waterfall behind a house became blocked with a jlip. The, backing up of the water subsequently caused a big rush of wafer and mud, and the house was carried away. The occupants escaped .to the hills, where the birth of a child took place. A Palmerston "Standard" representative recently asked a lad why he was not at school. The'reply was evidence that the rising generation is interested in the military service appeal cases. The boy said: "I odject to going to school on the ground of undue hardship and public interest."

On the West Coast an increase to 2d. is announced by the Greymouth and Hokitika daily papers. The Grey Eiver Argus states that "if we lose the support already accorded us through the increase to 2d per copy, the paper will cease publication in the near future." March up to date has been abnormally dry for Dannervirke, only about half an inch of rain having fallen so far for this period. Gows are continuing to show a falling-off in the milk supply, and the time is rapidly approaching when it will be. bad policy and a waste of time to continue milking them any longer. "If married men took my advice they would never go home to lunch, and then their wives wotild appreciate them all the more when they went home to dinner," said Sir Wilford, in the Wellington Supreme Court the other day. Tiie married men present laughed, and some will no doubt adopt the advice tendered without fee. ' i

Mr. D. McLaren, a member of the Appeal Boardj Btated at the Palmerston North sittings that the present was not a time for independent farmers to go into retirement and hand their fanno over to their sons. Their knowledge was an asset to the country, and if they continued to carry on farm work they would be able to release young and fit I men.

According to Mr Kato, the editor of a leading Japanese Journal, Japan is ready to strike the enemy if needed. He writes that Japan does not deem it necessary to send troops to the fighting fronts in Europe. She is assured of the victory of the Allies ! in any case. But if it should be found advisable and desirable that Japan should give such help, she would not hesitate to do so. An indication that the Allies have an abundant storo of shells and ammunition is contained in a cablegram received by a jeweller in Auckland from a large iirm of manufacturing jewellers in London. It is well known .that the services of working jewellers were requisitioned by the Imperial authorities for work in munition shops, and the message states that the Government has now released a great many workers, and the London firm in question, having again secured the services of their employees, is now able to fulfill orders for the jewellery trade.

In concluding an article in Imperialism and iron and steel, John's Bull's Register says.—-"With oil sources in the same locality waiting to be tapped, and virgin coal within easy distance of onerations, the prospects of transforming Taranaki into a great industrial district could be made a certainty. The establishment of the iron industry alone would ensure, the progress of New Zealand, which would ultimately step into line with the great iron-producing nations of the world. The coal, and oil industries of New Zealand could well be exploited by the Generament for the good of the Commonweal."

Wellington residents are hardly aware how close the city was to a genuine drought when the rain came on Saturday night. On Saturday morning i.ie level of the. water in the Morton Dam had sunk to 28 ft. below the lip of tho by-wash— the lowest it had ever sunk since the dam was built. When the reservoir is full the deepest part of the dam is 40ft, but on Saturday morning the deepest spot was only 12ft. Hills and dales had developed slowly as the supface of the water reeded, leaving here and there in the depressions a Beries of muddy pools. As the result of the down pour on Saturday night and Sunday morning a rise of 4ft was recorded.

All the London evening papers gave the most prominent position to Reuter's statement of March 16 regarding the internal condition of Germany, mostly in double-column measure, with black typo. The Star adds a footnote stating that Reuter's, which, as a rule, has confined itself to the dissemination of news and telegrams, has always held a high position as the medium of officials and semiofficial communications. The statement referred to was as follows:—"Reuter is informed that despatches that have just been received in London from an unimpeachable source indicate that the situation in Germany is becoming 'daily more desperate.' Tho position is depicted as being very black." A sensational accident occurred to a party of motorists on the George Hill, near Waipukurau, on Monday night, when the car driven by Mr Speedy skidI ded when near the top of the h'ill and rolled down the hillside on to the. lower road, after crashing through the fence (says the Napier Daily Telegraph). Mr I Bailey, who was one of the passengers, managed to get out of the car during its downward course, but the remaining members of tho party, Messrs. T. Power and H. Speedy, were unable to do so. and were rather severely bruised and shaken, it being thought that Mr Spe~d v who was pinned underneath the car, had sustained a broken leg. Mr Bailev made his way to a residence, and word was sent for assistance. Both the injured were, taken to the District Hospital. The car was completely shattered, having rolled down the sheer hillside to the lower road, pieces being scattered about in all directions.

The advantage of buying far ahead during the present crisis is exemplified by the stocks and prices of The Modern Tailors, Limited. They have stocks of indigo serge (guaranteed dyes), gabaranc' quality fancy suitings, sufficient to last, them well over the end of the war. The latest arrivals are nine lovely shades of fawn gabardines. These will be on show in the window for the next ten days. It is impossible to procure any more of these cloths except, at great advance in prices. A gabardine or serge costume is always fashionable. Why not order sow? TONSILITIS & LARYNGITIS like ill other throat troubles are rapidlj lelievod by gargling vara Fluenioi, which allavs inflammation and dispels 'Bacterid, ffluenzoi. 1/6 and 2i&. ' ■

The Dannevirke A. and P. Association lias decided to carry on its shows until the Government deems it necessary to discontinue them. —Press Association, The following police changes are notified.—Sergeant Simpson (Dannevirke) to be senior sergeant, and transferred to Greymouth in place of Sergeant ligan, transferred to Timaru; Sergeant Till (Newmarket), to senior sergeant, and transferred to Hawera vice Senior-Ser-geant McNiely, transferred to Auckland; Sergeant Eccles (Te Kniti), Sergeant McCorrie (Westport), and Sergeant Cmnmings (Rotorua), are all promoted to the rank of senior sergeant.—Press Association.

Owing to the unusually long spe.ll of I dry weather the Tikorangi Dairy Company lias been experiencing difficulty with regard to its water supply, and to overcome those difficulties it has been necessary to sink a well. This has been put down to a depth of about til) feet, and then the gas became so strong tlmf Mr. Pearn, who had been digging, decided to come up. It was agreed by those engaged in sinking the well to lower a lighted candle. This was let down for some distance, but nothing happened, and the men therefore peered over the top to see if the candle was still burning. Just at that moment there was ' a violent explosion in the well, but fortunately all escaped serious injury, although the faces of Mr. H. George and Mr. Simpson, particularly, were scorched, whiskers, moustaches' and eyebrows also disappearing. A correspondent of the Wellington Post enquired for some information about the equinoxes and equinoctial gales. Astronomically, the equinox is the moment when the sun apparently passes the celestial equator; practically, it is the time when the days and nights are of equal length. These, events oecui twico a year, about the 20th of March and of September. Autumn in New Zealand has therefore just begun. It has long been a popular notion that during the equinoxes strong gales are apt to -c experienced, and a few days ago mention was made in the cable news of the equinoctial gales "roaring across France" and interfering with the military operations. Doubtless gales were experienced in France as described; but there is no known reason for associating gales with the equinoxes except pure chance. The Encyclopaedia Britannica says, on this point: "This idea Ims no foundation in fact, for continual observations have failed to show any unusual prevalence of gales at this season. In one case, observations taken for fifty years show that during the five days from the 21st to the 2iitli March and September, there were fewer gales and storms than during the preceding and succeeding five days." That tho motor has annihilated distance is being demonstrated each day. Country settlers off. the line of railway were years ago marooned from participating in festivities organised in the town. To-day the motor conveyance ha 9 made the great alteration. Easter Monday will show this in a marked degree, for on that day motor-cars, buses, qnd lorries, laden with human freight will disgorge their respective loads at Kawaroa Park for the monster seaside fete and picnic. Special buses are being run from Urenui, whilst'at Waihi au owner of a convertible motor lorry has already bookings for forty passengers. North Taranaki will be well represented. Settlers from the coastal districts will be catered for as all motor conveyances will be coming to New Pymouth, and as the fete at Kawaroa Park will be the big attraction for that day there will bo a record crowd at this popular seaside resort. There will be free accommodation for all vehicles at the park.

Ladies who have been enquiring at the Melbourne, Ltd., recently in regard to the firm's famous line of 6uit and costumo serge will be interested to learn that a shipment Is expected to arrive within the next few days. The serjre is 58 inches wide and the price will bo lis Gd per yard.