LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A large contingent of men returning from at-tive service are expected to reach New Zealand about the end of the present month. ' The Central School Committee acknowledge, with thanks the donation from Messrs Bellringer Bros, of a set of wickets for the boys' cricket club. A medical board, consisting of Captain W. R. Wade, N.Z.M.C., and Dr. H. B. Lcatham, sat at the Coronation Hall for the purpose of examining 'three returned soldiers (one officer and two riflemen). It is stated"that as a result of the examination two of the men will receive their discharge. TTi'e line of serviettes offered by the Melbourne, Ltd., at 7s Gd per half 'dozen is probably the greatest bargain of the firm's special ten days' sale. These ser\ieltes arc full dinner size measuring 2~> inches square and are made of pure Iri«h linen wWlo the quality is superb. Will make a most acceptable Christmas sift.

The s.s. Huia, bound from Wanganui lo New Plymouth, took slieltt* at Pa tea, says the Times, at (1.40 p.m. od Xucsdity, through stress of weather.

Sir. .1. Marx, chairman of tLi A'lan«atoki Dairy Company, told an .<rgus representative that his company lias now suflicieiit accommodation to store almost the entire output i'or the ri'iiminilei' of the season.

A hero all the time,: John Edwards, of the ltoyal Naval Reserve, whose home is at Bristol, and who for nearly three years has been prisoner of war in Germany, has been given a German certificate for saving a German boy from drowning in a canal.

A leeturar on dairy farming in New South Wales was telling his auditors in a country place that in dairy farming great care should bo taken in the purchase of the cattle. There are, says ]m>, some cows that pay and some that do not pay. '■Quito right," sang out a storekeeper from the audience, "this hall is filled with the latter class.'' The usual united monthly intercessory service, held under the auspices of the New Plymouth Ministers' Association, took place in the Whitelcy Memorial Church last night. There was a good congregation and the service was of a very devotional' character. An appropriate address was ' delivered by the Rev. H. L. Richards of Fitwov.

A Sydney paper recently published the photo of "Doctor" Kwong Sue Duck, of Queensland, surrounded by his three wives and sai .children. The gentle Kwong is 58, very wealthy, and worth a mint of money to any country trou'blcd with a failing birthrate. Recently ho took a number of his family to China, and The outlay for fares alone was over £4OO.

Tlierc was a large attendance at the euchre party held at the Jiawaroa Park bungalow on Tuesday evening, fifteen tables being engaged in the play. For the ladies, Mrs. J. Harvey won first prize (quarter-ton of coal) with thirteen games, Mrs. Milman being second with eleven games and winning 251b bag of flour. For the men's prizes Mn. J. Harvey and Mr. Woodhain tied with 1!U games, and in the-play-off Mr. Harvey secured first (quarter-ton coal), Mr. Woodham second (2olb bag flour).

Tiie Daily Mail of October 12, in an article on "The Zepp. Fighters," makes reference to the deed which won for Lieut. W. W. Cool:, of Palmorston North, his Military Cross. The article says: "When the war is over what deeds'of heroism and daring will bo told, which are now concealed for military reason?. The immediate instigation of this remark is the award of the Military Cross to Lieut. W. W. Cook, of the R.F.C. The full story of his long, stern, singlehanded chase of a Zeppelin will make thrilling reading." Lieut, Cook was decorated by the King at Buckingham Palace on 20th October.

.After the infliction of many little discomforts in the way of increased fares and lessened facilities, the Railway Department is offering a balm to the wounded, feelings of cradle-fillers by putting on a special carriage for the convenience of ladies with children (says the Manawatu Times). This car put up it.s maiden run on Monday's Main Trunk, was well filled and much appreciated. It is divided into first and Eeeonrl ■ class, with larger and improved lavatory accommodation between tin t.vo, and a stewardess is in attendance The terrors of taking the family on tour has thus been considerably reduced.

Everybody's particular favorite, June Caprice, at Kvcn-lwdy'i theatre tonight in tlic Fox feature,' '-The Ragged Princess," a delightfully human picture which simply bubbles over with good-will and the joys of life Miss Caprice is supported by Harry Milliard and the Lee kiddies. The programme also includes the Creator Vitagraph feature, "A Son of the Hills," in which Antonio Moreno and a new female star, Belle Bruce, have the leading roles. This programme is boinw shown at the usual admission prices

Unlike some other Ministers, Lord Rhondda is ready to acknowledge the great debt whicli the nation owes to the newspapers in these days of war, and, being, aware of the measure of their assistance, he felt constrained recently to pay a notable tribute:—"l fully realise and acknowledge the value of the help the Press has given the department of which I am the head," he said recently. "I know only too well from many years' experience of political life that unless one secures the co-operation of the Press one's efforts can bo of no avail. I consider we have been handsomely treated, as have the other War. Departments, whose heads, I am sure, will agree with me in saying that without the- iPrcss the nation could not be effectively organised for war."

A meeting of the committee of the Taranaki S.ociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held yesterday. Mr. T. Hirst presided, there' being also present: Misses Curtis. A. Wilson, J. A. Curtis, Messrs P. W. Sandford, E. Lash, and R. C. Hughes. Apologies for absence were received from Mrs. Martin, Rev. W. A. Sinclair, and Mr. J. Paton. The secretary was instructed to apply to the Railway Department for the usual con: cession of a free pass for the society's inspector for the main line «is far as ilawora and the branch lines to Wnitara and Kohuratahi. Some discussion took place on the inspector's report regarding the lack of water at nn accommodation paddock on ,tho South Road. It was resolved that no meeting of the society be held in January. The secretary reported that Mr. J. Paton, to mark his appreciation of the response of the To Eoti School Band of Mercy to the essay com-' petition, had presented a prize for the best essay from To Roti, as the Te Itoli essays had not secured a prize. Letters from the head teacher of t'lie school and the girl (Alma Matthews) who received the prize, expressing appreciation of Mr. Paton's thoughtful generosity, were read by the secretary. The Borough Council's clean-up scheme is being continuously prosecuted, and up to yesterday a total of 115 loads of rubbish had been removed. To-day rubbish will be removed from the area from Dawson Street to Belt Road, between Devon Street and the sea, but excluding Devon Street. To-morrow the locality to he attacked lies on the opposite'sid» of Devon Street, as far back as Wallace Place, and between Dawson Street and Belt Road. Notice is given by the Borough Council that the electric current will be cut off between midnight on Thursday and 2 a.m. on Friday. ■ Under the auspices of the Thoosophical Society, Miss C. W. Christie will deliver a lecture this evening, at the Central Tea Rooms, Hawera, on "Is Prayer Answered ?" "OZO TOOTH POWDER sterilizes the mouth, sweetens the breath and makes the teeth pearly white, and invigorates *.lie ((rain. lid tins everywiierH

,' Mr. A. B. Gibson acknowledges vo eeipt of ,-ei lis from tlie Baptist Ladies Guild for the Red Cross.

A Gazette Extraordinary contiiiiis an additional list of companies, firms and persons declared to be enemies; also numbers removed from the list.--Press Association.

H is said that, thanks to Professor Kirk, there are no flies about Featheisto:i camp. They ara not allowed to live there, and invading or straying strangers are given short shrift. It is said that Featherston camp is perhaps the cleanest village in the world. A deputation consisting of Messrs J H. Stevens, J. Balsillie, J. A. McLcavey Tu S. Abraham, and P. C. Frecth, representing the Paltnerston North trustees of the National Efficiency Board, waited on the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward at Palmerston on Saturday, for the purpose of urging upon them the necessity of formulating a scheme of food conservation. Air. Stevens, the spokesman of the deputation pointed out the great aggregate loss of foodstuffs occasioned in households by small individual acts of wastefulness, and suggested that wo should follow here the example of Gjrcat Brfv tain and America, and employ the newspapers and the moving picture to educate the public as to tho necessity for greater economy in this respect. ' Mr. Stevens said we did not want, to interfere with the spending capacity of the people, but to increase their saving capacity. The Ministers listened very closely to the poinnts raised, and promised to give them their earnest attention.

The trouble with the Railway Department, all through the chapter, has been that it is governed by an autocracy of rod-tapo and officialism (says the Christchurch Sun). It has too'many hoary traditions in the shape of regulations and customs, the object of which it is difficult to find. Run on the lines of the present policy which—the -war notwithstanding—we conceive to be as mistaken as it is retrograae and unnecessary, the Xew Zealand railways arc likely to become as unremunerative as were the Victorian railways in their worst days. Bumping up fares and freights, and introducing obnoxious regulations whittling away such righta and concessions as the travelling public have enjoyed for so long, must inevitably end in reduced earnings. People travelling during the coming Christmas and New Year holidays will have to pay practically as much again as thev did under the old excursion rates, which stimulated and made the railway traffic so profitable. And the increased freights' throw another heavy burden on °the shoulders of the people, especially in inland towns, who will find a pennv here and twopence there added to the cost of their groceries and foodstuffs in consequence.

Many unofficial descriptions of the British "tanks" have given credit to American firms for the tractor system of propulsion employed in the construction of the moving fortresses. British engineers as a matter of fact, did not have to look to the United States for their ideas. An English firm. Messrs Kornsby, fitted a chain-track drive to a powerful motor-car in 100S, and showed that the car could travel rapidly and securely on loose sand and over rough country. Their car was inspected on several occasions by the Mechanical Transport Committee of the War Office, and photographs show that the Hornsby tractor, if armoured, would have been a very fair model for the tanks at present in use on the West front. "There is a good deal to be said," states the "Commercial Motor," "in favor of n scheme that has been approved by the French Chamber, under which large numbers of agricultural motors are apparently to be manufactured as quickly as possible after the war. and put at the disposal of farmers on easy terms. The essence of the idea is the supply, not only of machines, but of service depots where they can be maintained and repaired, and where spare parts will be available at a reasonable cost." These agricultural motors will do all the workthat a horse can do, and may be used also to drive other machinery. Their price and their running costs are to be low.

Owing to the action of the War Office (so the cable informs us) all linoleums and floorcloths have advanced 33 1-3 per cent, in price, and further supplies arc nlmost impossible. Fortunately the Big Store, Waitara, has anticipated this alarming advance, and offer for the last time their big stock of linoleums and floorcloths at the old prices; see pago four.

'•lt is for .England," a picture to be screened at Everybody's next Tuesday nnd Wednesday, has met with phenomenal success throughout the Dominion. Audiences in the centres have been stirred to spontaneous bursts of enthusiasm "and patriotic fervor at cve.rv session.