LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manaia Ims formed u Chamber of Commerce, with Mr, .1, Hunt as president awl Mr. J. Craig as vice-president. According to a London cahle, Viscount Grey's country house, Fullodon, Northumberland, has been almost destroyed hv fire.

The assistance of a few gentlemen is requested this afternoon to bag some pumpkins, opposite the Criterion Hotel, for despatch to our soldiers at the front.

A sitting of the Native Land Court is being held in the foresters' nail, Gill street, under the presidency of Judge J. AV. Browne, It is expected that the .-ourt will sit in New Plymouth for a fortnight, and will then adjourn to Normanby.

It is stated that the Imperial Government has commandeered New Zealand butter at a price that works out, in New Zealand, at from l/4Jd to l/s}d per lb., according to grade. Owing to the inclement weather, the band recital, which v/as to have been giver, at the East End Pavilion yesterday afternoon, was postponed until next Sunday.

A notice in this week's Gazette states that Empire Day will be celebrated on Monday, June 4, the anniversary of tne birthday of King George. The day will be observed as a public holiday in the Government offices throughout New Zealand.

Saturday was a very busy day at the Mart, which was in charge of the Girls' Friendly Society, the takings amounting to the fine sum of £4O. The New Plymouth Horticultural Society also did well with their sale of chrysanthemums in the street, which was held in conjunction with the Mart, and took the place of the chrysanthemum show. An additional £25 16s was raised by thin means.

"Zoe" desires to thank the Daily News staff for linotyping the Anzac Hymn; also Messrs McLeod and Plade for printing same free of charge. The public are sincerely thanked for their generous support by -purchasing the hymn, the proceeds of sale being for tho benefit of the Soldiers' Club.

The following were the winners of the various competitions at the Mart on Saturday:—Tray, Mrs Hammerton; doll, Miss Fookes; cushion, Miss Percy-Smith; camisole, Miss M. Thompson; pair curtains, Mrs. Williams; cosey, Miss Legg; (picture frame, Mrs. McGregor. AA'inners may receive the above by calling at the Mart on Monday next between 10 and 12 a.m., or the following Saturday. .

The First AVellington District Medical Board will conduct an examination of reservists in Taranaki this week:—.New Plymouth, Drill Hall, to-day; Stratford, Foresters' Hall, to-morrow; Hawer.i, Foresters' Hall, Wednesday and Thursday, May 2 and 3. The majority of the men to he examined consist of the reservists drawn in the sixth ballot, No. S (Taranaki) Group. Any reservist desirous of volunteering on any of the dates mentioned will be medically examined the day he volunteers. A somewhat peculiar accident occurred near the Patea bridge, Eltham, on Fri.day (reports the Argus). Mr. J. Reid was motoring into Eltham, and when on the bridge met a mob of cattle. He pulled up to allow them to pass. The animals crowded in on the car, and one bullock, which was almost forced into it, jjmped over the bonnet and crumpled up the front mudguard. Otherwise no damage was done, although the accident might easily have been much more serious.

On Saturday afternoon a fatal accident occurred near the Waiwakaiho golf links. A Maori and his stepson were driving along the main road in a gig when the blinkers slipped to one side and the horse suddenly swerved icross th road, throwing the' boy, AA'heo Rei, about twelve years of age, out of the gig, which capsized and fell across his face, killing him instantly. The man was also thrown out, but escaped injury. The body was removed to the morgue by the police, and an inquest was opened yesterday by Mr.. A. Crooke, at which evidence of identification was given, after which the inquiry was adjourned sine die.

j The secretary of the New Zealand [branch of the British Red Cross Society (Mr. Ernest Kollow, Wellington) acknowledges receipt of £IOO from the New Plymouth branch of the |*Red Cross Society. The amount has been forwarded to London for use of New [Zealanders in England who have been wounded.

Captain- Erie Danncll, of the Norwegian sailing ship Hippolos, gives a striking example, culled from his own experience, of the manner in which the British Navy is carrying out its dangerous task in the. blockade of Germany. Captain •■'Danncll left with a cargo of oilcakes for Denmark (says the London Daily Express correspondent). At, 10 o'clock a searchlight was turned on tho ship. A heavy gale was blowing, and there was a terrible sea running, 'so, never dreuming that his vessel Tould bo boarded in such dangerous circumstances, Captain Dannell went below. "Ten minutes later," said Captain Danuell, "a gun \vas fired, so we braced the main yard back. This brought us brondaido on in the heavy stas, and our decks were awash. Tho British warship which had intercepted us then launched a boat, a task which in that weather must have been vory difficult; in fact, I thought it impossible to launch a boat in such weather. When tho boat got near us, the waves were so high that sometimes it was high above our rail, and at others far below in tho trough of tho sea. The attempt to board us was attended with the utmost danger, and in preventing tho boat being dashed to pieces against our sides half a dozen oars were broken, and the boat was nearly swamped, but still the bluejackets were quite merry through it all. After a great deal of trouble and at considerable personal risk, a British officer and four men succeeded in boarding us. Subsequently I received at letter from the British lieutenant thank" ing me for my kindness to his men and himself during their stay with us.

Money-saving items at the Melbourne, Ltd. Clarice's machine cottons 3d reel. IBoßlyn 3-ply wool, 5d skein. Crochet cotton 4d b'all. Sylko 2d reel. White dome fasteners 3W doz. Linen button? 2d doz. Duplex' ditto bd doz. Ivy mendI ing one-ounce balls Pd. Baldwin's famous Beehive 3-ply wool 7%d skein.

The Eltharn Borough Council invites applications for the position of acting town clerk. Full particulars appear on the first page.

Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Second Group) are notified that subscriptions will he due and payable on Mondayj, April 30, at the Secretary's Office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30, from 1 p.m. to 5 j).m., and 7 p.m. to i 9 fiju. " "

At the 1 opening of a '£20,080 Glaxo factory at Matamata on Tuesday last Mr F. J. Nathan offered thfe suppliers 2s per pound for butter-fat for nest season's supply—a record price. A blight which has proved its effectiveness as an eradicator to the blackberry is said to have been discovc ed by a resident of Port Underwood. About 12 months ago an affected branch from this district was placed as an experiment in a particularly thick cluster of the weed ut Mahakipawn. The incident was almost forgotten until recently it was discovered that the blight had spread right through the vine and was attacking the roots and young shoots. The growth was completely checked.

A military deserter named Harold Valentino Buckland, of Hawera, aged Si years, was arrested at Ranigiiir recently. -Bucklaiul was culled up under section 35 of the Militarv Service Act, passed by the Medical Bowl, and orderci to proceed to camp. It is alleged that h-j absconded to Wellington, made his way up the Main Trunk line as far as Kangiriri, where, under an assumed name, jc secured employment at a flaxmill. He was located by the Huntly police, wiio arrested him and handed him over to the military authorities in Auckland. Later he was sent to Wellington under military escort.

We have been asked by the Chief Postmaster to make it known that the restriction on posting; newspapers and book packets to the United States has been withdrawn entirely, and private persons may now post without restriction. The United States includes Alaska, Canal Zone, Danish AVest Indies, Guam. Hawaiian Islands, Phillipe Archipelago, Porto Rico, Tutuila, and other islands of American Samoa. It should be noted, however, that the restriction to neutral countries st'll exists, and newspapers and packets may only be posted to them by news agcVntg and publishing offices after obtaining a permit from the proper authorities.

An event of prime importance to the Canterbury Aviation Company was the delivery on Saturday at 'the flying ground at Sockburn of the first aeroplane. The new machine is a two-seated duel-control Caudron biplane, with a 0(1 h.p. Anzani engine, made jn France. The work of assembling the aeroplane is proceeding apace, and the first flight is being anticipated with great interest. The parents of 'large families, who find the cost of living pressing unduly hard ,on them, will bo gratified to learii that, as a result of the representations made to tho Mnsterton school committee, the headmaster has decided that pupils in the higher standards will now use slates instead of exorcise books for tho casual work, as hap been the practice for a number of years.

Slot telephones are a verv great boon to thousauds of people, but tho instruments have not yet been brought to perfection by their ingenious inventors. Hie (Post Office authorities have to deal with a good many complaints jn tho course of a month, generally to the effect that telephones have been absorbing pennies without giving the expected conversational facilities in return. Sometimes the machine grows generous, and.then the officials are likely to he left to discover the fact for themselves. The other day a slot telephone dropped three pennies into tho hand of n* man who had made a call and recc. ' the "engaged" answer. Another instrument, intended to be operated by the insertion of two pennios, firmly refused to receive any pennies at all, but gave the connection as soon as a second attempt to insert a coin had been made.

Speaking- at Dunedin, t)r A. K. Newman, M.C., made no secret of the fact that tlie nation is anxious about its food supply, The Asquith Government, with their slack, procrastinating policy, had never warned England. The Germans had been planting food crops in their parks and gardens for two years; we were two years behind them in our prej paration. "The food nieiiaco iB very, very serious. Many people believe the world is on the verge of a universal famine. All the continents were at war. The Canadian wheat crop had had to be left, the world's work of preparing tho world's provender had been neglected.. England was very anxious about her food. Ho advised his auditors to plant food in their gardens this spring instead of flowers, for he could assure them thxt there was going to bo a universal shortage, and the high prices would go higher.

At a meeting of tho Waingawa reezing works employees on Saturday evening ot Masterton, the following resolutions were carried:—"That owing to the enormous price of footwear, a letter be submitted to the Hon. Sir James Allen, Acting-Prime Minister of New Zeajand, With a view to finding out the reason for this exploitation whilst thousands of hides are being stowed away in the various freezing works in the Dominion"; (2) "that this meeting is of the opinion that the policy .idopted by the Board of Trade does not meet with the approval of the people of Masterton on the local meat supply, and we ask that the Act-ing-Prime Minister use his influence to supply as many as the trade of Masterton will support, moat from the local freezing works, and. extend, to them the same facilities as those now in business, as already applications for meat supplies from tho freezing works have been refused by the Board of Trade."

The following interesting noto appeared in the London Evening Standard of February 1:—"I was talking to-dny to a! prominent Anglo-Colonial who lias just, returned from a lengthy tour of our principal Dominions, where ho made several speeches on the war. *New Zealand,' he said to me, 'is the gem of our Crown. I don't believe there is a single ablebodied man left, in the colony—all have responded to the call of patriotism. Australia also is nobly doing a big share, and would do more wero it not that the political situation out there is now somewhat mixed. But that will straighten out in time, and then we shall see very many more transports setting out from Sydney, just as we did in the earlier days of the war. Canada, however, is somewhat o r a mystery. Some 50 per cent, of the people there have given their all, sons, brothers, fathers, and money, but the remainder appear to take only ja lukewarm interest in tho war. In my speeches I was able to assuro them of tho wonderful part taken hv tho Mother Country, and so was able ito silence all criticism. Canada, I am certain, will yet prove true to herself." lIGHTNWt EFFECTS, Ton get the boenficial effect of Dr Sheldon's New Discovery tho instant you take the 'rst dose. It soothes tho raw ami tender throat, and protects it from cold germs, and clears tho head. There is nothing like it for preventing colds from fastening upon you. It "knocks'' the germ, clears the throat, and stops the tickle. Sold everywhere 1/6 and '3^v,