LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The University of Edinburgh has decided to establish a professorship of German language and literature; Winifred Carrick, who wiis charged at Christchurch with the wilful murder of her child, was remanded till December 18.

Mr Wilford, Minister of Justice, states that he intends taking over Wanganui Gaol and converting it into a prison, to be used exclusively for military offenders.—Press Association.

An English journal states that in eonsequence of the fall of Riga deliveries of ordinary orders for linen have been suspended indefinitely. Riga was the principal source of supply of linen to manufacturing districts in Scotland. Slaughtering operations commenced at the Taranaki Farmers' Co-operative Freezing Works at Smart Road, yesterday. There was a full board, and matters worked well. Beef, mutton and lamb were slaughtered. Speaking at the opening of the new offices of the National Provident Fund, the Hon. Mr. Myers said the fund, which had proved actuarily sound, now stood at £150,730. The annual contributions were at the rate of .€41,132 per annum, and the total paid by the contributors was £124,710. The total membership exceeded £IO,OOO. The amount paid in maternity allowances was £21,638. In reference to the cases recently reported from England in which dealers were heavily fined for selling potatoes at more than the fixed maximum prices, a lady resident in Hawera lately received a letter in which the following paragraph occurred: "George was fined £5500 and £270 costs at Spalding, and eat down and wrote out a cheque for the amount in court. Dad calculated his dealings, and said he had made £20,000. He is a good fellow, and is the pioneer of potato growing in the Marshes. He is 74 years of age." A film drama of striking and unique appeal for preparedness and industrial organisation is unfolded in the Blue-bird Extraordinary feature showing to-night and to-morrow at Everybody's. It refleetsr operations in the manufacture of munitions, .guns, shrapnel, fuse, armor plate, castings, and every element that enters into modern warfare as conducted bv civilised nations. While these important matters are progressing the leading characters' love affairs advances propitiously and with the close of the story the hero and heroine are seen happy in tile prospect of their approaching marriage. The following bargains at the Melbourne's special ten-dav sale are creating quite a sensation. Men's minceyctfe shirts with collars, 2s (id; boys' white tennis shirts, 2s fid; men's white tennis r-hirts, 3s fid; ladies' Japanese crepe kimonos, 2s lid and 3s lid; navy print Dorothy overalls, 2s lid and tobralco ghirts. &a 6<L

Sharks are becoming more common off (lie coast of New Zealand. The Xel-:on livening Mail says that no fewer tlmn ten sharks were counted in the Blind Obannel on Sunday morning. A deal of considerable magnitude has (according to t'he Auckland Star) 'been concluded between Mr. fJcorgo Cornfoot, of Hamilton, and Mr. Owen Monckton, of Waipukurau, Hawko's Bay. The value in land and stock is computed at £140,000.

A family which has a striking record In connection with the New Zc-aland Expeditionary Force is that of Mrs. Ryan, of South Dunedin Mrs. Ryan has Beven eons, all of whom are in khaiki. Mrs. Ryan's sister, Mrs. O'Gorman, of Wellington, has five son? in khaki. Rome excitement has been occasioned in Takaka by the discovery of what is believed to lie a valuable lied of slate on the property of Mr. William Smith, of Long Plain. The Times states that Mr. Manoel Kitto, of the Howard, has lodged an application for a prospecting license, and an area lias been pegged off. Further developments are being awaited with interest.

The medical examination of the Class A Second Division men drawn in the twelfth ballot six weeks ago is nearing completion. The returns are satisfactory from the point of view of the recruiting authorities. Tho first group of married men is providing about as many fit recruits in proportion to its strength as the balloted First Division men did. It has to be remembered that the First Division had provided very many thousands of men under the voluntary system before the balloting- commenced. The married reservists naturally had a much smaller proportion of volunteers, and so conserved their fit men.

True to its promise of six months ago, the "Hank of New Zealand is about to issue ten-shilling notes of a new design. The new note is printed in light pink and dark blue. It has the hank's name in old English lettering in a straight lino across its upper half; a..i the vignettes of : Kew Zealand scenery, with Maoris and 'kiwi? in the foreground, on cither side, which are features common to ail t'lie lower denominations of notes issued by the Dank nf New Zealand. The pink note- of the present issue will not he immediately withdrawn from circulation. They will he reissued until, by wear, they have become unfit for further circulation.

According to a. loading Wellington licenced victualler who was consulted by the Times—one who has a general knowledge of the trade throughout Now Zealand —the effect, of tile reduction in hours is going to be most serious* From reports he lias received of the working of the new order of things, he has not the slightest hesitation in saving that, within a few months many hotelkcepers of the Dominion will recognise that they have "ruin staring them in the face," and there will lie 110 alternative for them but to leave the trade and seek "fresh woods and pastures new." The loss of night business in the cities is serious enough, hut in country and certain suburbs is simply appalling. His assurance is that "fully fifty per cent of country and suburban hotels will have to shut up."

"You may be interested to know that the Government, owns -practically all the hotels in the Territory," stated lir. 11. E. Carey, Deputy-Commissioner of the Northern Territory, to the Dominion. ''Two in the south country are in private hands, but we own the four in the north part. When the State took them over it paid compensation to the owners. We find that our system of State control works very well indeed, and the enterprise shows a reasonable profit. There were two reasons for the resumption of the hotels by the State. One was that is was desirable that only the best liquor should be sold, and the other was that we did not want to have men encouraged to drink to excess and spend all their money after months of labor in a drinking bout. Our managers are not paid by results, and they do not care whether a man has one drink or twenty. We have early closing there too; the hotels are closed at eight in the evening."

'•Gentlemen must (111 their bottles before 5.30 p.m." This is the gentle reminder printed in large, warning type, that now fronts the frequenters of most of the city bars, says the Wellington Times. The notice, of course, has made its appearance only since December ]. liut there is a new problem gradually becoming more acute for the already harassed person who enjoys his glass of evening beer Bottles can be filled before 530 p.m., but where are the bottles? That very handy utensil, known technically as "a square rigger," is becoming as scarce as the golden coin of the realm. Soon the familiar "square rigger" will not bo had for love or money. Of course, there are other bottles, but none so handy, none so compact as (he "square rigger." "Necessity knows no law," however, and in the meantime the hotels are doing a lively business in the bottle line. "Beer to take home" will be quite as familiar a quotation in hotels as "chips to take home" is now in fried fish emporiums.

An army surgeon in Flanders, writing to a little girl in Hastings, says: "You ask nie about the French and 'Belgian children. One sees very little of the poor little French and Belgian girls. Poor little things are all working in the fields, and are so grimy and dirty that you can't tell what they are like. On Sundays they get into their best frocks and do look a bit nicer, but are more like old women than happy children. The boys are, like all boys, a lot of mischievous monkeys. Those who are too young to work in the fields are just happy little children. The war to them is the ordinary commonplace thing of life. Troops and columns of transport, moving guns, and even bursting shells (the long-range guns can throw shells 15 miles quite easily), are the natural order of things. They are not a bit afraid. 'Have I told vou of the kitten at Ypres, a year ago? Well, the weather was very wet, and we lived in a cellar, mainly to keep reasonably dry, and partly to avoirl the shell:?. One day the sun came out end we were all so glad to sit out in the kindly heat and brightness. I was sitting on a bench when a little kitten jumped up beside me. We had a friendly conversation for a while when a shell fame pqucaling overhead (the squeal lasts quite a long time) and kitty disappeared like a shot under the bench, hut, directly after the shell burst, quite a long way off. as a matter of fact, out strolled Miss Pussy and jumped up once more beside me on the seat. She knew a thing or two about shells. It doesn't •>eom to know how to do anything but rain in Flanders, but it makes a thorough job of that." This fine Triangle photoplay is again screening at the Empire this evening, and on the same programme t'he're is a good Pathe ilazctte, an interesting scenic, "Around San Die<ro," and a Keystone comedy. "Maggie's First False ' Step" which develops 'cto an absolute riot of loucr-lifex*.- " ,

It lias been ascertained that Sir John Denniston intends to retire from tlie Supreme Court Bench at. the end of the law vacation.

The next sitting of the Medical Board at New Plymouth :ire set down for January 3 and 9 next, when men drawn in the last ballot will be Examined. The Minister of Defence has received advice that the 30th Reinforcements have arrived at their destination, all well.

For the past month the New Plymouth electric tramways carried 105,741 passengers, and took £734 14s 3d, an increase of (1185 passengers and £37 Is lid in' fares over the corresponding month of the previous year. There were slaughtered for local consumption in New Plymouth last month 155 cows, 3 bullocks, 20 calves, .10!) sheep, 88 lambs, 119 pigs. Tripes cleaned were 151. Two cows were condemned. Fees, rents, etc., were £ll4 7s 2d.

Persons intending sending Christmas greeting cable messages to soldiers for delivery in England or France should lodge messages not later than 15th instant.

Last night being the last meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council prior to the holidays, compliments were exchanged between his Worship the Mayor and councillors, and general felicitations indulged in before the meeting terminated.

In November 032 men and 040 women attended the New Plymouth Municipal Baths, the fees amounting to £l2 19s, There were 57 hot baths, which produced an additional £3 8s revenue, a total of £lO 7s, as against £2O 8s 3d collected in the same month of last year. In the course of some remarks by his Worship the Mayor, at last night's meeting of the Borough Council, on the question of the state of the footpaths, Mr. Burgess suggested that the ratepayers could assist the council a good deal if they would clear away the growth that came through their own fences and obtruded on to the paths. If the occupiers of property would do that, each in front of his own place, a good deal of time would be saved to the borough's surfacemen.

The local Defence office has been advised of further alterations in regard to the mobilisation of reinforcements. The men notified to parade for mobilisation lu .January have been granted further leave until February 0, so that there will he ;io despatch of troops to camp .luring January. The February draft is t» be put back until iWarchj but tin arrangements for the mobilisation in Atarcli are to stand ns at present. The men concerned in the drafts mentioned will b; duly notified of the alteration. Ivecently amended regulations were made whereby facilities were granted for the exemption from parade - of members of the Territorial Form whoso services were considered necessary in the carrying on of national industries. The Def'cnc" authorities .state that so far there has been practically no demand for exemptions under the new regulations, indicating that the necessity for relief from '(rill is not a pressing "one. The Eketahuna Express states that a rather serious accident is reported as having occurred last week. Five soldiers were returning to camp by motor car, and being late, offered the driver an extra half-crown to reach the? camp in time. Speed was put on, but the steering gear went wrong, and the car dashed into a telegraph pole, throwing out one of the occupants. The driver was seriously hurt, one soldier had a leg and arm broken, another two fingers broken and badly cut about, two others much bruised. The fifth was the only one to reach camp, and he, too, was injured.

Splendid advice to wives is given 3>y Bessie Harrisonle as (bp actress heroine of "The Last Act/' when she takes Mrs. Hale to task for neglecting her home and husband for the sake of public charities. Messrs Gilmonr and Clarke, of Kgmont street, Xew Plymouth, have a replace advertisement on page one of this issue which our readers should pursue.