LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 16 November 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Commissioner of Stamps has, says the Dominion, come to the conclusion that club subscriptions to such institutions as bowling, golf or tennis clubs are »ot liable to the amusements tax.

A number of education reserves were offered for lease by public auction at the Lands and Survey office yesterday afternoon. Section 47, of the town of Stratford, was leased to A. McLean, at the upset rental. Favored by fine weather, there was a large attendance yesterday at Omata, where Mr. Newton King conducted a clearing sale on behalf of Mr. D. Penwarden, who has leased his farm. The farm was looking well, and the cattle, a very choice herd of grade Jerseys, were in good condition and elicited keen bidding, realising as high as £3O, the herd averaging £lB lis. The principal buyers were from Stratford and Manaia. A very choice line of yearling grade Jersey heifers realised £8 10s. An excellent, suggestion is made by Mr. Stead, in his latest issue of his Mefhourne magazine, regarding the frequent losses of masses of mails through disasters at sea. He refers particularly to the losses of mail matter from the Mongolia (lost in the Indian Ocean) and the Port Kembla (lost in Cook Strait). Here is the suggestion. Instead of stowing the mail-bags below, why are they not enclosed in waterproof bags and left on deck. When tbe Mongolia went down, one or two mail-bags actually drifted ashore. If the waterproof ,bags had floats attached to them thoy would remain on the surface of the water when the ship sank, and would almost certainly be picked up. A good deal of comment has been made about the waste that goes on at Trentham and Featherston military camps, but this is not borne out, at least as far as Trentham is concerned, by a New Plymouth business man of considerable experience in the catering line. He was in the camp last week, and, after the mid-day meal, inspected the waste tins, being agreeably surprised at the minimum of wastage, seeing no meat nor bread. There was a small piece of butter, and the officer in charge (Captain J. Boon, of New Plymouth) immediately called the non-com responsible to account. Captain Boon undoubtedly keeps a close eye on any leakage in this respect. Considerable saving has been effected by the erection ot a digester, where all fat previously wasted is now rendered down, with the result that tallow to the value of £l3o'per month is disposed of, the money being utilised for regimental purposes. "When a woman attempts her life, some man must be responsible." Thus the Deemster of the Island of Man says when a woman is brought before him. Then, as he bows Ids head, a vision of the girl he had betrayed—the girl who was the wife of his friend, comes before him, and he sees as the woman on trial raises her head, that he himself is the "man responsible." This is one of the wonderful scenes in "The Manxman," the wonderful nine-reel picture that will be shown at the Empire next Monday and Tuesday. Messrs. Barton Bros.' circus last night drew a bumper house, which, to judge by the bursts of laughter and applause, was generally pleased with the programme. Most of the items were equestrian turns, square dancing on horseback, Roman and trick riding by members of the fairly strong company, etc. A Chinese trio went through some quick and effective tumbling tricks, and a tight-rope walker won well-merited applause. A stockwhip expert of the gentler sex provided a sensational item, winding up her turn by cutting a cigarette from a young man's lips, amidßt much applause. In spite of the roughnoss of the ring, some clever trick cycle riding was done. A bucking donkey, which defied all comers, provided an exciting ten minutes. The clowning and by-play was bright, and most of the jokes were now. A steeplechase, with local riders up, concluded a meritorious programme.

In "John Ayscough's" book, "French Windows," is given a terrible picture of a. French village from which the Germans had been expelled by the advancing ;AUicd armies. The author passed from one house to another, "finding in each the same ruin, havo?, spoiling, desecration, filth and shame, you would say that bands of malevolent apes had been holding spiteful, senseless., ingeniously destructive carnival there; as though long kept under by the superiority of man, they had seized a moment of anarchy for revenge—not revenge of an injury, hut of man's hated superiority. So they had outraged man's sense of decency and reverence; had marked for peculiar insult and desecration the things man holds sacred by nature—the privacies of his womenfolk, the play of his children, the shrine of his hearth."

A meeting of members of A Company, returned soldiers, and cadets, is called for 7.30 this evening, at the Coronation Hall, to discuss ways and means for holding a Soldiers' Day, the proceeds of which will go towards providing comforts for Taranaki boys at the front. The arrangements to be made and the details to be attended to are many, so a large muster of those concerned is necessary.

The patriotic mart to-morrow will bo in the charge of the ladies of the Baptist Church Guild, and gifts and donations will be gratefully received by Mrs. Honnor, Courtenay street, or at the mart this afternoon. A number of pretty articles for children's wear and other articles! of needlework, home-made goods of all descriptions, and two pairs of Persian kittens have already been received. Despite the high prices of good quality silk and other blouse fabrics the Melbourne, Ltd., again submit the following lines at prices which will bt> found to be actually lower than wholesaler Fine radianta blouses with sailor collars, 7s lid; veined ditto, 8s lid; best quality white silk blouses in all wanted styles, 10s Od, 12s 6d, and 14s fld; crepe de chine blouses, lovely quality, and stylishly made, 2la and 22s fid. in white and color*.

It transpires in connection witli the •Greyniouth hold-up and murder that Hall was the only one of the three armed men who refused to put up his hands. He fired four shots at thd masked man. He feels confident that his aim was true and believes that the man wore armour of some kind beneath his clothes. After two and a-half years, Mr. and Mrs A. Bissett, of Wanganui, have received the bugle used by their son, George F. Bissett, before lie was killed on Gallipoli. The biigler boy had engraved on the instrument the name of eaeli camping place, and the bugle has three bullet holes in it. A sensational motor accident occurred in Queen Street, Mnsterton, last week, when n. ear, driven by a lady, crashed through an iron verandah post at Watson and Co.'s drapery emporium, and pulled up after badly damaging the big plate glass window." The ear was dam" aged and the lady driver suffered somewhat from shock.

The New Zealanders under General Allenby's command ought to read their Bibles with fresh interest when they return from this expedition. In l?«ypt they camped on or near the site of'On, a city mentioned in Genesis. More recently they have been entrenched in front of a town associated with the names of Samson, Alexander the Great, the Crusaders, and Napoleon. Beersheba takes us back to the time of Abraham, for it was by the wells of Beersheba that the patriarch planted his tamarisk trees.

Fair supplies of strawberries are now coming to hand in Auckland daily, though the full crop has not yet ripened. Providing favorable weather is experienced, growers anticipate that the flush of tho season will be reached in about eight or ten days. It is also expected that the crops will be heavy, and that the season will not last quite as long as usual. 'Prices in Auckland during the past week have varied from Is 4d to la lOd a box, but when the main crop is marketed prices from the best samples 'will probably not e.veeed Is a box.

Circat strides are being made with the ■motor tractor for ploughing purposes, particularly in England and America. During a test recently conducted in England one outfit ploughed seven acres of ground per working day of ten hours, while a kerosene, consumption of 3 2-3 gallons per ilere. The tractor was handled by the man only, and a seveninch furrow maintained throughout the test. The day will come when the motor tractor will play an important part in the development of this country. "The Soul of a Magdalen" shows a room with a secret panel, which, sliding dack. discloses a richly decorated inner room, called "The Garden of Kdcn.'* Here a Bohemian set disports itself uo . der the leadership of a.wealthy patr© n of the arts. A raised glass stage ,|. I'.iminated from below, throwing into..' re . lief the figures of Hawaiian girls daw mn to their native music. The centre <>f the scene U the "Eve" of the moment 'j3 [ mo Pdtrovn). This fine film is .»howinp;.J ltta in to-night, at to-morrow's matinee :u id for the last time to-morrow niglit. <

An interesting exnerimenfc j£ beim' made by Mr. Richard Kcene, o/E Island Bay, on his Pareuga Estate, in iit e north of Auckland. When he wa3 in j» .uckland lie found out that rubber plrri- were being cultivated'there by o?i , 0 f the nurserymen. Mr. Keene secu p e "d 200' of the plants, and during his i ie cent visit to Parcnga had them plan b h\ ' out in sheltered spots that were considered most favorable to the grr n vth of the plant. As the summer of. Parenga' is very warm, and the wintry q U ;t e mild, Mr. Keene conceived the ii lea that the soil and climate might W favorable to flic growth of the tropica 1 tree. K they do grow, the discovery p j]i he a valuable one for New Zealarri ; if no t nothing much would be lost.. "Human Vultures." Under that heading the Wairaro,p a Daily Times publishes the followin g : _«y er y we jj j will wait until the f Second Division'is railed into camp, andj then I will get a house at my own prii *i» This was the retort of a prospective house-purchaser to a Masterton resid * nt a few days ago, when the latter w,i/ 3 asking a reasonablo figure for his 1 f juae, and would not reduce his price; ' ? Don't you think this is a disgraceful rrf.ate of affairs," remarked the how it .owner to a Daily Times representaf a ve. "I know this man i 3 only one of many who really want to buy pro p erty, but are holding off until the mai.'ried men are called to camp, and in mat iy instances compelled to break up their homes. Then these human vultures , will have their chance of securing a l«iuse at a sacrifice. I intend to ment'io n my experience to the Second Divisioii League, to see if they cannot do some thing to prevent these sharks taking a/Ivantage of the men who are giving up practically everything to go and fight ;fit,r the Empire." The originatt arrangements for the bus service to Mfsssrs Sole Bros.' reserve, "Aoten," for f Sunday's band recital have been altered. This bus will run from the corner of Devon and Eliot streets at short intervals during the afternoon Commencing at, 1 p.m., and not from Hookham's codkt. A fare of sixpence will be charged/.

On the motion 0 f Mr. Quilliam (flovett of Qmlliaro.) probate of the will of the late Mr. Frederick Gilbert Was .been granted 'by the Supreme Court to Mr. Percy Gilbert, the executor, and probate of the \\>ild of the late Mr. Walter Bishop to ibjssrs Samuel John Bishop and James Albert Bishop, the executors. As a result of a fight between two young girls in Queen Street, Auckland, on a areeent Sunday evening, the Tirls were tUmrged in the Police Court with committing a breach of the peace. Sub'lnspector Broberg said the girls met and there was a heated argument over a letter. Blows followed words, and in a. few minutes both girls were engaged in a stand-up fight. A large crowd gathered, and the girls were separated by two soldiers and sent home. It was really a most dis-race-fiU affair. One girl said the other had written a letter saying she was going about with strange men. She resented this, and when she met the other <*irl the trouble commenced. The magistrate pave them a lecture, and asked them if they would shake hands and be friends, but although they agreed not ;to resume hostilities thev refused to accept Hie su?ffestion. Tim magistrate adjourned both enses for 12 months on tlm nnflprstnnd'Djr that if there was any repetition of the trouble in the meantime thev would he brought up and severely denlt with.

! WOMEN'S NATTCWAT. RESERVE. ' Yes, T'm willing to join such a worthy hnml. M tho same time T am nf thc» opinion tliat n. good sunrilv nf AROADTA TEA is the Women's National Reservr* because its rich and economical.

I A gale with a, velocity oi: '7O miles per hour pussed over London yT recently, uprooting numberless trees j md wrecking houses. Two people w0 ,e kLltc-d. and many injured. With live silver ribs, a. silver plate iu his head, a glass eye, urtj bullet wounds iu tho week, buck, and ± X tx, a. withered ana and a shoulder w? and, Lieutenaut W. Kennedy, of Cobraw,, has been nursed back to life by his snw ; etheart. A group of scientist s , including Professor Parker, of Am d riea, made a. descent the other day j' tl t o the crater of Vesuvius and stay ».1 there a whole night. Important observations were made regarding the , nature of the volcano.

I hear from un 'American correspondent (writes «CV 4' bman" 5n the Pall Mall Gazette) ths A a party of about a hundred Japanese « doctors are expected shortly in Ro' it mania as an addition to the Red Cross units operating in that country.

When the Ai q erican army goes into action it will r « as a thoroughly musical force (writ- jg. a correspondent of the London Daily h'.ews), for the War Department in , Washington is said to bo making a spec- j f: ] feature of teaching the soldiers to si „.,, % ac ] x camp j 8 sa j<i to have its sin g lhg masters—"not," says an enthusias' tl -'opera loaders; just plain chorus loadei u—good fellows, with mellow singing voi< «h who can sneak into a bunch and f faxt a bellowing song aroaring."

The Ger Ban press is lamenting the death of tl K famous chemist Baeyer. He was tho r* in w j, o f oUlu i out ]', ow io make the j nanufacture of synthetic indigo a paj i n g industry. This chemically produced i ndjgo was turned out by Ms process c) n . apcr than the vegetable'indigo that 0 i me from India. "In this wav," says the * ,- asß Gazette, "ho had the satisfaction 0 f killing one of tho most important British industries, one that brought, millions of pounds into British coffers.'''

A lfjf tei- recently received from Glasgow ?■>' /es nn idea of the normal prices ruling for the necessities of life. When the 1 .*f .tor was written, butter was coat«ig '»* Gel per lb, coal Is !>d per sack, in contr lßt to B}d to lid before the war, siigw • Cd per lb, bread 6d per 21b loaf, wa '. .is per lb, steak to 2s to 2s Cd pre b, < Iripping Is per lb, ham to 2s 6d per lb » eggs 3s to 3s 6d per dozen, and other cc» imodities five or six times as much as ti» ee years ago.

Xo one interested in motion pictures * .n afford to miss the programme showu iS for the last time at Everybody's 7 o-night. William Farnum is superb'in the Fox Film success, "Fires of Conscience," and sweet Peggy Hyland has never appeared to better advantage than in the Blue-ribbon feature, "Bahette." ' In an instalment of his reminiscence?, published in the Daily Telegraph, Mr. Gerard relates how in an interview with the Kaiser he put his unanswerable points against the legality df the submarine warfare, and the Kaiser brushed them aside, and said, "Anyhow, their

is no longer any international law." "To this last statement," adds Mr Gerard, "the Chancellor, Bethuiann-llollweg agreed," as he necessarily would, considering his views upon scraps of paper. Here is our whole case epitomised. The Prussians have destroyed law in Europe and point to their handiwork in justification of each new outrage. Our task is to restore law and destroy the system

that lias broken it.—Westminster fluzette.

North Island grain merchants have not

been buying Otago oats freely of late, large quantities having been landed there from Australia at a. lower price than Otago can supply for. Farmers, says in Otago exchange, have, however, found n good market in Canterbury for seed oat*, the last crop in that district having been poorer than usual. It is a little difficult to ascertain how much oats there are in stock in Otago, but the general opinion is that the holdings are about up to the average at this time of year. The acreage put down in oats this spring is smaller than last year, due largely to the wet weather making much of the land unworkable, and also to the shortage of labor.

A true though most incredible story is narrated in a recent London Opinion. A British officer, following up the German retreat) from the Somme, entered a church and found a black cat secured by a wire to a crucifix. The poor starved animal wa« screaming piteously. The officer, -without thinking of anything but the cruelty to the poor beast, ordered on(e of his men to cut the wires and release it. The man cut the first, wire, nnd an explosion immediately followed, blowing the man, the'crucifix-, and the cat into fragments. Fright at the sound of guns during a recent Satnrdnrf morning air Taid on London results in Miss Ruby Rugg, of Rosebank Ronjd, Hanwell, recovering her sight after bejng blind for four years. Sho complained of terrible pain at the back of her lead, and then, in her own words, "soraijjihing seemed to snap," and she rushed to her mother crying, "Oh, mother, I cw> seel"

Advices from New York, under date October 3rs, states that the training of the first n«t ional army is und«r way, and that a good portion of the 087,000 men Is now in. the cantonments under instruction. Over and above this national army thci.tt are now bearing arms in the army andi navy more than 800,000 men, all of wbxMn volunteered. It is expected that a sfwond call for about SOO.OOO men will sooni be made, so that a new contingent 9/ill be ready to take the place of the 6:jr,000 now training.