LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wm. Old writes to the editor in appreciation of the New Plymouth Hospital, stating that "kinder and better nurses and doctors would be hard to find."

I Tho Minister for Finance stated on » ednesday that provision was already made under the financial assistance scheme for the payment of life insurance premiums for soldiers. It was open for .any soldier or for his next-of-kin on his behalf, to apply for financial assistance for this purpose. A newcomer in World pictures, June Elvidge, appears with Carlyle Blackwell at Everybody's to-morrow in "The Social Leper, Miss Elvidge is described as an attractive and alluring personality and will no doubt prove a popular favorite with the fair sex, especially as she will appear in a number of other Brady-World features with handsome Carlyle Blackwell.

The New Plymouth Citizens' Band has made arrangements with the Rev. Bates to ensure fine weather on Sunday afternoon next, when a concert is to be given by the combined bands—senior and junior—in Pukekura Park. There will be fifty performers, and a programme of special merit is to be submitted. It will be the best concert the band has given, and an unusually *arge crowd is anticipated. At 11.4(Mast night the Fire Brigado receh ed a call in consequence of an outbreak of fire in a tool shed at the back of a five-roomed house. No. 8 Aubrey street, occupied by W. If. Way, a tramway employee, and owned, by Edward Francis. The brigade promptly put out the fire, but tho shed and its contents, of no great value, were destroyed. The outbreak was discovered by Mrs. Way, and her husband quickly gave the alarm. It is not known whether there w any insurance on the building.

Early yesterday morning a serious motor-cycle accident occurred on the Main South road. Two young men. named Phil Ashley and Richard Andrews, were on their way. home to Okato, and, while travelling rapidly, struck a horse on the road, the animal being tethered. Both young men wore thrown*, and on being taken to the hospital, it was found that Ashley was suffering severely from concussion, although no bones were broken, while Andrews, besides concussion, had a fracture at the base of the skull. Late last night Dr. Walker informed us that both were doing well though not yet out of danger.

The splendid "Metro" picture "The Power of. Decision" showing at the Empire to-night raised many important questions which cannot help being of the deepest interest to motion picture patrons. Among thein are "Has a woman a right to marry a man she does not love?" "Can she love a man she does not respect!" These and many other equally strong problems confront Frances Nelson as the heroine, and she is forced to face an answer in her own life.

The (Postal Department is anxiote that people who intend posting Christmas parcels for the Expeditionary Force abroad should post them at as early a date as possible, so that they may reach London not later than tho first week in December. It is only by doing so that the men in the trenches and in hospitals are likely to receive their parcels in time for Christmas. At that season of the year there is great congestion in the British Postal Service, and if the parcels do not reach London by the above date, there is a great probability of their being delivered too late.

The hearing of the 55 informations against 15 defendants for breaches of the liquor laws at the Now Plymouth Magistrate's Court did not take such a length of time as the portentious nature of the list might have been taken to indicate. In all except one the defendants pleaded guilty, and as a consequence the police withdrew alternative charges which had sen-'d to swell the dimensions of the charge sheets. The defended case, which resulted in a conviction, was also of short duration, sa that the whole of the pses had been dealt witli before .the luncheon adjournment. His Worship, however, reserved the imposition of penalties till the afternoon. The fines imposed totalled £llO, and the costs £l4 Is 9d, or a total of £124 ls.Od for all the cases. The hostesses for the patriotic tea last sale day in Rahotu were Mesdame*. Dawson, Hughson Jr., and Stewart, while those for to-day are Mesdames Dale, Field and Robertson.

Although it has a soft, delicate taste, Desert Gold is a full flavored tea, and economical housewives find that it makes more cups of delicious tea to the lb than any other brand. It is real thrift to purchase this high-grade tea—Desert Gold—for it gives full value for every pennypaid', the best quality at the price on the New Zealand market. Our readers are recommended to use it regularly—all grocers sell it. Order the 2/2 grade, tisn everywhere. 12

Somewhere a voice is calling, calling, A petulant hoarse refrain; 'Tis the voice of a loved one bawling! Calling me' back again. A wail from the nursery falling, falling Poor Clarice has croup, I'm sure; The voice of my darling calling, calling, i For Woods' Great Pemjermint Cure. 13

Over 3200 miles of concrete roads have been constructed in America during the past two years, and there is an almost unanimous consensus of approval of the system.

An officer who.took part m tho 'battle of Mcssincs relates that among tho prisoners were men so young that they looked like children. No other army in the world, he declares, would dare to send to battle soldiers of that age. An indication of how heavy the toll of war is bearing on Italy is given in the fact that from last month a new decree reduced the minimum height by 4in. I his affects 100,000 men whose height hitherto had been a bar to enlistment.

A lad named Sydney H. Nelson was granted exemption from drill as a senior cadet by Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., at the New Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday, on the ground that he resides eight miles from the nearest place of drill, tho defence authorities offering no objection.

"It. must be a source of pride to both Pakeha and Maori that the Maoris up to the present have secured all their reinforcements under the voluntary principle," said Sir James Allen at a Wellington Maori concert, "One tribe had not done its share, but they sincerely hoped that the tribe would yet come in, and that the voluntary principle would be maintained to the end." Witchcraft still has a hold on the popular mind, even in enlightened America. A news item in the Philadelphia North American tells of the acquittal of a man charged with arson at Pottsville, his excuse being that he was obsessed with a black "hex" or "witch cat." He carried with him as a talisman a silver bullet, but its charms did not alfect the "hex" on this occasion, for the man set fire to a row of houses, of which ha was himself the owner.

At the New Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. A. Crooke. S.M., the following defendants were 'dealt with as stated for breaches of the borough by-laws, Chief Inspector Day representing the borough council Francis Patrick Jones, driving motor car round a street corner on the wrong side of the road, fined 10a with costs 7s; Korohike Tito, driving a motor car at Fitzroy past a tram car on the wrong side, ordered to pay 12s coats; Thomas ;Mani, driving motor cycle with sidecar attached after dark without a light on each side, ordered to pay 12s costs.

A request for leave for some of the farmer!) now in the mounted camp at Tauherenikau was made to the Defence Minister in the House of Representatives on Monday by Mr G. Witty. It was stated by Mr. G. Witty that there were fully trained mounted men at Featherston who were held in New Zealand because of the lack of transports. He asked whether these men could not be given three or four weeks' leave without pay, in order to return to their farms for the lambing season. He thought they could do more valuable work on their farms than tiiey could in camp, seeing that their period of training was completed. Sir James Allen said that he could not give a definite reply to the question that day. He asked for time to make inquiries.

The farmers of North Otago (says the Oamaru Mail) have given a substantial rc .ponse to the appeal of the Governn- :nfc to sow wheat. Practically all the wheat-sowing has now been completed, though a small area may yet be put in. The total area under wheat will, we believe, be found to be between 22,000 and 2,>,00t) acres. last year's total was about 17,000 acres, so that the increase will be equal to 30 per cent. The harvest \va... an indifferent one, the total wheat production being only about 490,000 bushels, and thus, with fairly good yields all round at the next harvest, the wheat should reach about 730.000 bushels, or an increase of something like 290,000 bushels.

The visit to Now Zealand a few years ago of Siusa's Band is still remembered with pleasure. News has just reached these shores that Mr. Sousa lias enlisted in the United States Navy in order that he could organise a large military band for the Great Lakes naval training station. Mr Sousa is one of the best known musicians of the United States. From 1880 to 1892 he was a resident of Washington, and leader of the United States Marine Band. Then he organised his own large group of expert musicians, and toured Europe, and later, went around the world, visiting New Zealand among other countries. He has .many decorations from Governments. The list of his compositions is long, and the royalties therefrom are large.

For a long time the German attitude toward prisoners has suggested that Germany was determined by dint of extreme cruelties to compel England to agree to an exchange of all prisoners en bloc. As matters stand the English hold more German prisoners than .the Germans do English, while in the matter of civilians interned in the two countries there are about 400 or 500 Britons in Germany and 35,000 Germans in Great Britain. The Germans made the pmuo-sal that they would release all the British civilians in Germany if Eng> land would send home all the German civilians in England. This was so hopelessly impossible, in view of the faat that almost all the Germans would have been subject to military duty, that the English Government refused, and an exchange of arrangements which had been negotiated earlier had to be dropped.

Mr. C. H. Elisor, a wel-knjwn sheep--1 breeder, who is back from Queensland 011 a visit to. Canterbury, was greatly interested in the packing of mutton at the American meat works on the Bris'bane river, Ho told a reporter that the method of halving the carcases and [tutting one inside the other as adopted in New Zealand, saved 33ft. to the ton, and the carcases had to be packed. This method, however, was more costly, and was giving way to the now method of cutting off shanks and necks, ana packing head to tail. This saved only 27ft. to the ton, but was more, satisfactory. Mr. Ensor expressed the opinion that this method might be tried in New Zealand. He was also greatly interested in the making of tins for the export of meat. The sheet of tin was put into the machine by women, and came out as a tin. In five minutes it was filled with cooked meat.

CHAMBERLAIN'S COUGH REMEDY THE BEST OBTAINABLE, Thfs remedy has no superior as a cure tor colds, croup and whooping cough. It has. been a favorite with the mothers of young children for more than forty years. - Chamberlain's Cough Remedy can always be depended upon and is pleasant to take. It not only cures colds and influenza, but prevents their resulting in pneumonia. Chamberlain's Cough Remedy contains no opium or other narcotic and may be given as confidentially to a child as to an adult. Sold everywhere.

A writer 111 the Ciiristchureh Press, in commenting upon the supplies of garments sent to England froih this country, mentions tho fact that each garment we send to England is worth more than four times ita value by the time it-da given out to a convalescent. This will surprise many, hut it is in reality quite easy to understand. It is entirely a question of labor; eo many of the women of England, who were Red Cross workers at the beginning of the war, have had to take up men's work in order to release men for the army, and it is extremely diflicult to procure labor for making up garments. Also the price paid for it is almost prohibitive, and more than our funds could stand for any length of time.

The Manawatu Daily Times has it on reliable authority that moneys derived from Tattertsails' sweeps, bets with bookmakers, or investments on the totalisator, are regarded by the Income Tax Department as an accession to capital, therefore not subject to taxation. The story published the other day that a woman in the South who had a win in Tatts' was obliged to pay a substantial contribution in taxes is absolutely without foundation. In this connection it is interesting to note that men who make money out of speculation on land or stock, provided they are not recognised agents or dealers, do not have to pay income tax on lucky investments made outside their ordinary spheres of operation. The ladies' committee of Kawaroa Park intends holding a competition for tho best decorated sponge cake at the Mart on Saturday next, for which prizes will be given. Those who have promised goods would greatly assist the committee by leaving same at the Mart on Friday afternoon or evening, between 3 and 5 or 7 and 9, when members of the committee will be at the Mart.

"The lowest prices on boys' clothing since the war began." That is the popular verdict respecting the offerings at the Melbourne Clothing Company's great reduction sale now on. Here aro examples. All wool tweed knickers all sizes 4/9. Pure wool saddle tweed knickers 5/9. Pure wool Foxes serge shorts all sizes 0/11. Roslyn sport suits sizes 7to 12, 25/ G. Petone ditto 2U/9. Kaiapoi ditto 27/6. Entries for the Farmers' Co-op. Stratford sale are advertised in this issue,