LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Growers of fat lambs say that buyers are offering them 4s to 5s per head less for such stock this year than they were paying at this time last year (according to the Tiinaru Herald). A Masterton soldier states that much amusement was caused among the rank? of New Zealanders in France some months ago on receipt of an Auckland illustrated paper, which contained an illustration showing "New Zealanders mending their shirts." As a matter of filet, he says, wAen the photograph was taken the New Zealanders were investigating their garments in order to deprive themselves, if possible, of unpleasant parasitical acquaintances. Ngamotu beach was very much alive yesterday afternoon, when a large number of young people were busily engaged in decorating the sand. Some excellent and original designs were executed by the little hands, and the effect was very pleasing. Archdeacon Evans gave an Interesting talk to the children at the meeting which followed. It was altogether a bright and happy gathering, and largely attended. A lollie hunt and scramble followed. The closing beach meeting will be held this afternoon, and a final rally this evening in the Baptist Tabernacle, Liardet Street, at 7.30. when the Rev. Palgrave Davy will give a farewell address to the boys and girls. In a case heard in New Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday, in which the driver of a motor lorry was charged with driving negligently so as to impede the progress of a tramcar, some comment was made by the presiding Magistrate (Mr. A. Croo'ke) regarding the obligation of drivers, whose vehicles were particularly noisy, in respect to other traffic coming behind them, Mr. Crooke said he thought in such cases drivers should be required to have a mirror affixed to their vehicles a.s for them to 'be able to see what,was coming behind them. He said a simple remedy for many of the difficulties that cropped lip in this connection would be for local bodies t.o make by-laws compelling drivers of such vehicles to have a mirror so affixed to their motors. Every appellant before the No. 1 Military Service Board on the grounds of wrong classification was asked by the chairman of the board (Mr. D. G. A. (Cooper) why he had not furnished particulars regarding his dependents on his national registration papers. The majority of them stated that they had, or thought they had, filled the forms in correctly. One appellant, however, was very frank about the matter. He admitted that it was his mistake and that he would have to pay for it. He had travelled 50 miles, 40 of which was by coach. The chairman pointed out that he had : put them to the expense of hearing his appeal. Another appellant, a Norwegian, adopted a different attitude, claiming his expenses. The chairman informed him that it was his own fault in not furnishing correct particulars, and that the hoard had nothing to do with .granting expenses.

All amorous British youth was being taken to task for his flirtations. "10ngaged to four girls at once!" ftxclaiineil his horrified uncle. "How do yon ;-x----|)laiii such shamekss conduct?" "V don't know, 1 ' said the graceless nspfew. "Cupid must have shot lue with v : machine gun." The Wauganui Chrcsiiele states that as a reprisal against the Murton Borough Council for insisting on the payment of a gas bill by a certain date, and exercising a penalty for default, the Postal Department is cutting out the municipal supply and placing an order with a private lirm for a separate equipment. In a lecture in Invercargill, Sir Robert Stout said: "We have heard much of late of Belgium, Koumania, Switzerland, and Serbia. The area of New Zealand exceeds the total area of all those four nations. The population of those nations was before the war 20 millions of people." A Maori witness for the prosecution in a sly-grog easo heard in the New Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday gave some trouble and caused not a little amusement when an endeavor was umd* by defendant's counsel to get from him the date of his arrival at a certain place Several evasive answers were made, but eventually a reply was got by asking the witness how long it was between the time he arrived at the place mentioned and the lime he last eame-out of gaol. "Of course we shall win," says Lovat Fraser in the London IJaily Mail. "On that glorious day of October 31, 11)14, out beyond Y-pres, when our line was broken and all seemed lost, one of our best generals, since killed,/ Stood looking nt the great wave of advancing Germans. His companion muttered that things were black. The general turned with eyes ablaze and said: '-God will never let those devils win/ In that strong faith we must go forward and build this shattered world afresh." William Patrick Conriek, being called up for military service, wrote as follows to the chairman of the Wellington Appeal Board: "I am of opinion that there is a. mistake, as I have eight children. 1 thought it best to write to you and explain. as all my children are under fourteen years of age." The letter was written from Porirua. Unfortunately for his case Conriek omitted to' supply proof that he was a proud parent in the eighth degree. The hoard therefore dismissed the -appeal, though, of course, if eight birth certificates are later produced the matter may be re-opened. Among the Germans the comic figure is said to have been von Egidj", the Samoan planter, masquerading as a petty officer of the German navy (writes "Mereutio'' in the New Zealand Herald), lie is reported to have taken himself with thorough German seriousness and to have displayed considerable indignation when respect was not paid to his rank. Was lie* not sworn in beyond the threemile limit? So impressed was he with his importance that he refused to herd with common Germans, and on the way home removed his mattress from their quarters aud slept by himself within sight, of the sentries, and in considerably less comfort than was the lot of the German sailors. An exciting motor car smash occurred at Puha, near Gisborne, last week.' Mr. J. U. Johnstone, of Waihirere, was motoring along the road, and in negotiating one of the several bends at this point the front wheels swung over the edge, with the result that the car went over the bank. In addition to the driver there were three or four of Mr. Johnstone's children in -the- car at the time. It dropped a considerable distance. Mr. Johnstone states that in falling it overturned twice. Fortunately no one was seriously injured, although one of the children fell out, and the vehicle landed on its side with the child partly underneath. The car was lifted up, and happily the injuries all not of a serious nature. The ear was damaged, one of the back wheels being completely broken. A letter received in Manaia from a -Main Body man who arrived in the Dominion with the last lot of returned soldiers, says:—There was a fair number of "Us Main Body men on the boat. We were given light work to do on the voyage and got three weeks furlough without pay. Our furlough commenced from the date the boat touched at Auckland, though my home is in the south. What do you think of it? Pretty sharp practice don't you think? Practice doesn't accord with preaching in our case. We get a plentitude of fine words, but the actual treatment leaves a considerable lot to -be desired. 1 believe that is the uniform practice it is intended to follow with those of our lot who get a furlough home. I put in an application for a furlough when the general leave to the Main Body was cancelled and they sent me out on the last troopship. But I tell you it is good to be hack for a spell on any terms. The full text of the messages which passed between the Greek Court' and Government find Berlin before the dethronement of King Coiistantine i# a piquant contribution to history. The most active correspondent was Queen Sophia, whose messages to her dear brother, the Kaiser, betray a temper and a savagery that account for much in the action of Greece. She saw "a great victory 'against the four Powers" in flic treacherous attack made upon the detachments landed at Athens at the end of last year; but a few days later 3he was admitting that the game was up. "I consider the game lost. If the attack is not made immediately it will be too la.te." Altogether Oueen Sophia must be admitted to have worked hard to the end which came with the deposition. Had this correspondence -been known earlier the days of King Constajiti lie's rule would have -been fower. "Of all the hole-and-corner places I have been in in my life," said Dr. Thacker at _a social at Ohristcburch the other evening, "it is Parliament. Truth is till! greatest jewel in the world, and for me to overlook the humbugging nonsense that goes on in Parliament would be to neglect that jewel. Our- Parliament as at present constituted is a mockery and a sham, and a member of Parliament is about the last man to hear about what is going on—things are [dealt with in Cabinet, and if there's anything it can't deal with, a caucus is held. The National Cabinet," he asserted, "is frightened to face the music. The present Parliament should have existed for three years, then there should have been an election to let you people tell us what you wanted. (Applause). I am quite prepared, as an individual memlx»r of Parliament,' to face the music at any time. Tf the hofcTi-potcli, muddling National Government had f.'.ced the music a lot of things would be a lot cleaner, and a lot straighter, and we would not have the wire-entanglements of wav regulations. and the press censorship. Why should the people of New Zealand be humbugged and censored? I say it is wrong, and huge humbugging of Parliament doesn't suit my taste at all in any way." 07.0 TOOTH POWDER has become popular in thousands of homes. Have you tried it? 8d per tin everywhere.

We were shown yesterday a unique and beautiful specimen of cactus dahlia, I\'cw Plymouth. It is white in the centre New Plymouth, tl is white in Die centre with a border of pale pink. ''Just like Alt. I'igmnnt on a fine evening," said Mr, Urooks, who has appropriately named it "Mt. Egmont." It is really one of the finest blooms of the dahlia family we have had the pleasure of seeing. The typewriter versus shorthand writer had a bad advertisement at the Military Court of Enquiry itj Christchurch on Thursday, when a witness was held up frequently in order to allow the official typist, to get his evidence down The chairman (Major A. TO. Loach) remarked to Dr Thacker that the Court intended (o take the full evidence. "So do I,"' said Dr. Thacker, who had a stenographer by him, "but this is.only another instance of out-of-date military methods." A financial authority, Dr. Schwarst, in a public lecture on ''Germany's Economic Power." estimates that even if the war should end soon the nation must - prepare to shoulder a permanent peace burden in the form of £750.000,000 new taxes a year. This exceeds the'fpre- ! war tax Budget by ,C4ofl! 0001000 or £f>oo,ooo,ooo. Schwa rz holds out no hope of lightening the load by the indemnities Dr. Helfferich once promised Germany to extort from "our vanquished foes." The lecturer said that the loart could be carried if Germans "were strong-willed enough to save,'labor, and increase their production." The private gardens, "Brooklsnds" and "Maranui" adjoining each other, are to be thrown open to the public on Sunday next. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, land. agents' licenses were granted to Edward L. Humphries, of New Plymouth, and Joseph Crockett, of Omata.