LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 June 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the New Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. A. Crooke, &.M., a Maori named Rangi Knreena admitted having ridden an unlighted bicycle after sunset on the Devon Road near Bell Block. He was convicted and 105 P a y. costs amounting to £1

Mr. Gibson desires annual and halfyearly subscribers to the Red Cross Society to forward their contributions at an early date, as there are indications that money ivill be needed in England for the work being carried on for the comfort of Jfew Zealand soldiers. Dr. Leatham has donated £25 to ,the funds.

The secretary of the Hew Plymouth centre of the Red Cross Society has received a letter from the Minister of Internal Affairs expressing appreciation of the cheque for £75 forwarded by the centre, and stating the amount would be cabled to the High Commissioner for the use of our men in Engird.

A fire occurred at Okato early on Monday morning, resulting in the complete destruction of a five-roomed residence, owned and occupied l)y Mr, W. F. Burke, wheelwright and blacksmith. Mr. Burke was awakened shortly after midnight by ttye fall of a picture, and going into tho sitting room found that it was full of smoke and fire. A strong wind was blowing, and the family just had time to escape. Help was quickly available, but all that could be saved was a piano and a little bedding.

A sitting of the Juvenile Court was held in New Plymouth, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., yesterday, when a lad of fourteen was convicted of having stolen a pair of boots of the wholesale value of £1 3s 6d. The lad was employed in the Egmont boot factory, and left it at midday last Saturday, when the premises were closed and securely locked. On Monday morning the boots were missed, a window having been opened and the premises unlawfully entered. The inatter was placed in the hands of the police, and Plain-clothes Constable Fitzgibbon found the boy wearing the boots. He at first denied the theft, but afterwards admitted it. As the police showed that the boy was not under proper control his Worship committed hini to the Weraroa Training Farm.

Ask distinctly for SANDER'S EUCALYPTI EXTRACT, or else you may receive one of the many substitutes. The GENUINE SANDER EXTRACT cures colds, fevers, indigestion; prevents infectious diseases and heaJS ulcers, poisoned wounds, skin diseases, burns, sprains, etc. It is much more powerfully antiseptic than the common eucalyptus and does depress or irritate like the latter, «.

July 37 is the closing date of Desert Gold Tea Competition. Camels must lie posted to G.'P.O. Box 1520, Wellington. Enclose name and address and number of camels sent. (1)

Carry 011! You will do your work more cheerfully and successfully if you drink an occasional cup of Desert Gold ,the Queen of Teas. Delicious, refreshing, stimulating, wholesome. Order today. (2)

Six o'clock closing will not affect the discriminating people whoiso favorite beverage is Desert Gold Tea—The Cup that Cheers. Unequalled for quality, ilavor and economy. Order the 2s grade.

Wliilo some New Zealand officers were assisting to examine about a thousand German prisoners on the western front (writes the Post's London correspondent), one of the Huns, recognising the New Zealand hat, called out, "Eli, New Zealander! Do you know anybody at Taumarunui!" He spoke perfect English. A paragraph in the Inangahua Times states that further outcrops of limestone have been' discovered at Ross, in the vicinity of the latest finds, which aro said to be of a higher agricultural value than the stone previously tested. The stone is in great quantities, and is very accessible, thus ensuring a minimum of cost in production and burning, while transport should not be a barricade.

Owing to Everybody's Theatre being used for the Pierrot®' concert, the fine Pox feature, "Merely Mary'' Ann," will be transferred to the Empire for the final screening this evening. The orchestra from Everybody's will also be in attendance at the Empire to-night, and patrons are sure of a musical treat combined with a splendid (picture programme.

A petition has been drawn up by the newspaper John Bull, to be presented to Parliament at the forthcoming session, praying that the Government will take immediate steps to ensure a more intimate supervision of enemy aliens and persons of doubtful loyalty and will adopt more stringent methods against commercial firms still engaged in enemy •trade, so that they shall be placed under proper legislative constraint. Whilst digging his garden on Thursday, Mr Faris, the Timaru stationmaster, unearthed two stone jars, containing liquor. llow the jars came to be buried is a mystery. They have been vnder the ground for some years, as a house had been built over them, and lias since been demolished by reason 0/ its age. The name of Bolton and Company is stamped on each jar. It is supposed that the jars were buried about 50 years ago. It is estimated that America will require 100,000 skilled mechanics in con. nection with her war activities. Of thesS, probably 10,000 will be required to look after the 3,000 aeroplanes that are to go into service—whilst the balance will be needed to keep the 40,000 motor transport waggons in order and the thousands of touring cars which will be converted to war purposes, when the American army goes into thfc field on the Western front.

_ Rheims ia a queer but quite attractive melange, difficult to describe. Almost everyone "carries a gas mask; the men keep theirs in compact tin cases slung from the wrist or attached to bicycle handles, the women in various kinds of bags. We were amused in passing by a glimpse of the real Parisien elegante, with the extremely high hat of the moment, the wide skirts, and the showy boots, carrying in her right hand her Pekinese, and in her left her gas mask, looking as though she had just walked in from the Avenue du Bois. A truly wonderful sex.—Lord Northcliffe.

Tlie actual contribution of New Zealand in men to tho armed forces of the Empire up to March SI, taking into account the personnel of all the forces enrolled and paid by the Dominion, is over 80,000, out of a population of 1,160,000, or 1 in 13 (writes our Wellington correspondent). Of this total over 62,000 men have gone to the Main Expeditionary Force and as reinforcements to that body. The Maori unit numbers afliout 2000, The Samoan Force has kept 2000 men employed. The total is completed by men in camp, naval units, hospital ship crews and staffs, men sent to the flying corps, etc,

Interesting visitors to New Plymouth for this weekend are the Rev. R, C. Nicholson, the pioneer Methodist missionary to the Solomon Islands, and Daniel Bule, the first Christian convert at Velle Lavella, in the Solomons. They will conduct the service at the Whitcley Church on Sunday evening, and will address a public meeting on Monday afternoon and evening.

At the public meeting in the Good Templar Hall on Monday night to consider the six o'clock hotel closing question several of those present complained that\n amendment proposad by Mr. J. Mcleod to the original resolution, moved by Mr. A. H. Johnstone, placed them in a false position, one liable to be misinterpreted the public. The original resolution was to the effect that the Government be asked to have a bill passed without delay enforcing six o'clock closing, and Mr. Mcleod's amendment was that the Government be asked to submit the question to a referendum. It was pointed out that many, if not all the "six o'clockers" were not opposed to the question being left to the people as thev were quite confidnt what the result would be, but that the,v would be compelled to vote against the amendment to gob the original motion submitted to the meeting. The amendment was los and the motion carried, whereupon Mr. Mcleod offered to move as a further substative resolution his proposal that a referendum be taken, but it was held that as his proposal had already been negatived it could not again be put Mr. McLeod explained that his onlv object had been to give .the six ■o'clock supporters who had complained of beizn forced into a false position an opportunity of putting themselves right before the public.

It will com eas a surprise ti> most ipeoplo to know that as at Aprlli,Wl7. Australia Lad nent to tiie front Hn4 in camp for training 7.3] per cent. of Us total population, whilst New Zealand bad 7.5 per cent, away or in camp. A letter was received by a T>»lm.rv Bton North resident from his brother, one of the few remaining Hirsts (date Marcli 10) that he had only 8} days ]«ave in 2£ years. Ho is one of the seven left on duty out of 133 who went out from Palmerston North when the call cams, It was only by sheer misadventure that tlie closing hour of the hotels TOM not made nine o'clock last session, there being a difference of only one vote in a crucial division in the Hous,e of Representatives. An amendment was proposed in committee the effect of which Jf carried would have been the compulsory closing of the hotels at nine o'clock. Knowing that this division was coming on a telegram had been sent to Captain Hine, M.P., who was then in Trentham Camp, urging him to lip present. When the division came on Captain Hine w not present, the divison list showed 35 ayes and 30 noes, so that nine o'clock closing party lost the division bjr one vote. Had Captain Hine been present he would have voted with the early closers thus making the division a tic. In thufc case the Chairman of Committees, Mr. Malcolm, would have been called upon to record his casting vote. He is a strong supporter of the Temperance Party so there need be no doubt as to wh'ch way 'his vote would have gone. The publicans had a narrow escape from compulsory early closing. But why was Captain Hine not present? By mistake on the part of a shortlmnd writer Captain Hine's name had been written as "Captain Hyan." The wire lay in Trentham for some time unclaimed, for there was no captain of that name to Mnim- n. By the time the error was discovered, it was too late, and thus 10 o'clock remained the closing hour for hotels,