LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 May 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It was announced by Senior-Inspecter Morton at yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki Education Board that a special examination for proficiency certificates for ex-pupils and others will be held at two or more centres of the district during the month of July next.

The farmers' conference in Auckland L'nanimously recommended tlje substitution for the excess profits tax' of an increase of the graduated land and income tax. To-day the Hunt will be held at Mr. T Sampson's, Sentry Hill. ShdWd the weather improve visitors'and huntsmen may be sure of a hoarty welcome -from Mrs. and Mr. Sampson, who, since the inception of the Hunt, have always been supporters, lending their property to be hunted ovef and lavishly entertaining tho Hunt.

A report was submitted to the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterday showing that during the year Wlfi 31S boys and 271 girls were transferred from one primary school to another, 10(1 boys and 134 "iris proceeding to secondary schools. There were 50 whose destinations were unknown, while the remainder lia<3,."taken up ivork and duties of which details were given. Featherston has a beautiful Anzac Club which was erected by the residents of that district. Quite a, number (f wealthy young settlers contributed £SOO each towards the institution.. There are separate rooms for privates, non-coms, and officers. The same rule applies to their wives, and a private's wife eannot go into the officers' rooms unless accompanied by an officers' wife. There is now in camp as a private' one of the squatters who contributed £SOO, f buj; lie is not allowed to wander at will through tho building lie so materially helped to build, but is confined to the private's quarters. He is also acting as officer's orderly. >nd is each day obliged to groom the horse he so generously gave a while igo. Such is life, —in camp.

Probate has been granted of the Duke of Norfolk's will, the personal estate, being valued at £300,000. The , Duke bequeathed £IOO,OOO to various Catholic I purposes.

For Influenza take Wood's Great Peppermint Cure, Never fails, 1/6, 2/0,

The shortage of bottles in Wellington may be judged from the fact that a vessel which recently arrived in Wellington from America brought amongst oilier cargo some 00 tons of "empties."

As an indication of the shortage of labour on farms In .South Canterbury, a letter written by Mr K. J. McKeown, of "Kjnnoull," to the Farmers' Union, may Mr. McKeown, in apologising for his absence from the meeting, wrote: '•I am obliged to stop at home and do the most necessary work, as I have no ploughnmn, no cowboys, and no shepherd on my farm of 3000 acres, and I have 4000 sheep to look after." Queen Mary has a practical mind. A tfood story illustrating this comes from a big semi-nursing and convalescent fioipe. Her Majesty was being shown rcund the equipment of the place, and attention was called to the pretty and bright linen frocks of the nurses,' with their charming effect. "Aren't they pretty?" asked the matron. ''Yes," agreed, the Quefen, "they are very pretty, but do they wash?" An estimate of the amouift directly contributed to patriotic funds in Australia was recently made by the Melbourne Argus. It calculated the total at. £6,610,252, in addition to which is f:he immense quantity of gifts in kind, for which no value figures dan well be The unexpended balance of all funds in the Commonwealth set apart for the aid of returned and discharged soldiers and their dependents now exfeeds £1,500,000.

Perhaps, the testimony of the Sydney Inspectof-Genoral of Police (Mr. Mitchell) is/ the greatest tribute which has ydjt been paid to the New Zealand soldiers. "These men have been here for some time now," Mr. Mitchell said to a Press representative, "and nothing but the very best can be said of them. Their conduct haa been exemplary, to a degree. As Inspector-General of Police I say that they are a standing advertisement for their country. Their bearing and deportment while they have been in Sydney could not have' been excelled."

All Switzerland ia laughing over an Incident reported from the frontier. After a tour of German Switzerland, under the leadership of Herr Riehar.l Strauss, the famous Mannheim orchestra returned to Germany. But at the frontier an odour unusual in musical instruments aroused the suspicions of the Swiss Customs officials, upon examination, found trombones, cellos, tubas, and double basses stuffed with sausages, meat, fats, and other d&litacies. To the orchestra's great chargrin all were confiscated and a heavy One imposed. A remarkable instance of family service came before the Military Appeal Board at Invercargill on Thursday. The appellant was a young bushman. He was supporting his aged parents and sisfers. His father was 73, and his mother recently had one leg amputated at the thigh, as well as all the toes of the remaining foot, as the result of a burning accident. Appellant's four brothers had voluntarily gone to the front. Two of them had ,been killed, and one other wounded four times, but he and tho fourth brother were still at the front. Appellant himself had enlisted with the Main Body, and been turned down. Now, through one of his forefingers 'being poisoned, he required to have it amputated.

A start has been made by the ladies nf Wanganui in the matter of foodstulfjrrowing during the war. The Wanganui Herald states that in conjuction with the WiAganui-Waitotara Board of Efficiency Trustees, the Wanganui branch of the Women's National Reserve fias arranged a stheme to undertake "the cultivation of such areas of land oj3 arc available for the purpose of potato growing. The trustees have arranged the financial side of the proposition and they will advance money for seed; implements, manure, etc. The net proceeds are to be the property of those undertaking the work. The' Women's National Reserve will provide the labour. It is understood that several plots have already been offered, and it is hoped to cultivate 20 or 30 acres of Wanganui Tast Park.

The recent New Zoaland coal strike fisis' clearly shown that the day is not Car distant when coal-burning, vessels will be almost entirely supplanted by .'lil-burners. The following is an extract from an English journal, the "Mexpct Record" "Oil-burning vessels will do 20 per cent, more mileage than those fired with coal, because the opening of furnace doors to introduce fuel and rake out ashes lets in cold nir, w}iich disturbs the equilibrium of the coal fire, whereas oil, being regulated through automatic valves, leaves the long flame with its penetrating heat to do its work without interruption. On large ocean liners one oil fireman may replace as manv as eight firemen and coal passers. The Mauret&nia, for instance, could dispense with 350 of lier 38(5 fireman and coal oassers if fuel oil were used."

Says the Invercargill News: Messrs Uradshaw Brothers' cutter Carrie, while fishing off the Dog Island lighthouse, observed the noted Dog Island shark in Hie vicinity, and ho followed his usual fiistom on this occasion of snapping off the groper as the fishermen pulled them to the surface. It was his last experience of the kind, however, as Mr H. Bradshaw alwayß carried suitable'tackle In an attempt to catcli this well-known mammoth fish, who for years has been, the bane of fishermen. The bait was tossover, and the shark seized it with Mpiditje, and then the struggle commenced. Plenty of line was paid out, and, half-towing the 50-ton cutter for lialf-an-hour, the fish was brought up, having succeeded in drowning himself. The Carrie then towed the monster to the Bluff, and after landing him two liotses were requisitioned to drag the monster to the railway platform. They proved unequal to the task of moving such bulk, however, and much greater strength had to be secured to a get the fish on to the railway platform, where f.e was worked into a truck, and was tli is morning dispatched to Show Grounds for exhibition. His length is 14ft, and without doubt he is a veritable man-eater in size.

An ape as a jewel thief is if new notion, and it required a specially intelligent specimen of the manlike animals to make the notion workable. "Jacko," tin} star in "The Dumb Genius," a remarkable feature picture, showing at the Empire to-morrow and Saturday, Is almost a miracle. 'He smokes a clgarette» eats a dinner in human fashion, and almost grins when pleased. At the matinee Saturday and again Saturday night the latest Charlie Chaplin comedy, "The Pawnbroker," will be added to the programme.

Attracted by the Melbourne's reputation for low prices and the quality of their goods hundreds of new customers are thronging to our branches. In these difficult times the public naturally turns to the firm where money goes farthest.

A well-known Palmet'ston business nun had an unusual experience on a {ruin icurnoy to Wellington one day miring the week, but it emphasised the necessity of a person tarrying liis registration papers with him at all tiiuut). As the train was nearing Wellington, a military officer entered the carriage and asked the Palmn'stoi'ian to show his registration papers. ,'eing unable to do so, he was reminded that he was liable to be handed over to the police, but luckily another Palmerflton citizen was on the train, and was able to identify his fellow-townsman to the satisfaction of the officer, who informed the travellers that no less than three passengers had been apprehended the previous day for not being able to produce their papers.

A deadly trap for mice is described !y a correspondent of the Sydney Bulletin. Get a kerosene tin and half fill with water. Sprinkle a fair layer q| eluiff, bran, and a little bit of cheese" gratings on top. The chaif makes the surface of the lot appear solid and dry, and the mouse jumping aboard goes right through the layer into the water, and the trap is ready for the next item on the programme. If the ground is not too hard, sink the tin so that the top is flush with the ground, Thousands of mice are caught about the wheatHicks in Victoria this way. Having been disturbed for three nights !jV tlle howling of a dog, a lady resident of Symonds street, Auckland, who was in poor health, decided to end the trouble on the fourth night Accordingly, at 130 a.m., when the mournful howl again wils heard, she went' to the front gate uvmed with a piece of meat nicely seasonwith poison. As tho dog rushed past her,she threw the meat to it, but the animal, evidently thinking it Was a stone, refused to investigate the dainty morsel. The lady, not wishing to ! destroy any dog but the one that had annoytd her went out to try to recover ! the poisoned meat, and whilst she was tfoing so a constable came along. Ho questioned the lady who told him what she had done. The constable found the meat, and as a result, the lady was "eharged in the Police Court with laying poison in a public place. The Rev. F. P Jeffreys appeared for defendant, and detailed the above facts, after which Mr. V'razer, S.M., remarking that a howling Oog at night was enough to drive anyone to desperation, ordered the defendant to pay 7s costs. On the motion of Mr. Quilliam (Govett and Quilliam) the Supreme Court has granted letters of administration of the estate of Private Norman Elmo Austin, deceased, to his father, Mr. W J. Anstis.