LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 January 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The management of the Soldiers'* Club acknowledges with thanks a donation of literature from the Union Company and a parcel of magazines from Mr. Garner. Other similar gifts will be appreciated. A Taranaki dairy company has just received a demand from the Government to pay back three per cent, of- the amount that had been previously refunded to the company on account of the butter tax. This is an instance of bookkeeping muddling that would not be excused in the case of a private business firm. "I am losing 30s a day every time I come here," stated a waterside worker at the sitting of the Third Wellington Military Service Board. Captain Baldwin: "That shows why registered plumbers at 12s a day are hard to get." (Laughter.) Another waterside worker stated that he had lost 28s by attending the court. Some time ago the Reefton Times referred to the mysterious disappearance of a miner named James Dickson from the Murray Creek mine at Inglewood, who was seen scaling the hills as though demented, and no trace of him was found, though a party went out and made a thorough search of the district. Now, however, word comes from Wanganui that Dickson was arrested there on December 13 on a charge of indecent assault. At last night's meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council it was decided to cancel the present stoppingplace on the breakwater tram route opposite the oil works. Cr. Clarke said he had frequently noticed that the. stop-ping-place in question was confused with the Pioneer road stop, and passengers ringing the> bell for the latter caused unnecessayr stoppages at the point referred to. When appealing l for the exemption of a master at King's College, before the First Military Service Board in Auckland, Mr. C. T. Major, the headmaster, gave some interesting figures as to the school's record of service. He said there were 300 boys in the school, and 600 old boys had gone to the front, about 80 of whom had been killed. Eleven masters had gone to the front, und two had been killed. He claimed that no school could show a better record.

Noxious weeds growing on the council's property were the subject of some comment at last night's meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council. Cr. Browne said he thought the council should set an example to ratepayers, and keep its own areas clean. He said there were such weeds growing on the land on which the council chambers stood, and he thought they should be immediately cleared. The reference provoked some humorous suggestions, and it was left in the engineer's hands to have the matter attended to. The Defence authorities have no statement tc make on the subject of the treatment of the main body men on furlough, and who have had their pay docked, but one may hazard a guess that main body men will continue to arrive on special leave (says our correspondent). Preference presumably will be given to married men. It must ,not be imagined that any large proportion of the main body men will get leave in the Dominion. A certain number of men have to be given duty on transports returning to New Zealand, and the officers commanding are in a position to select men who have some special reason for wishing to get leave in the Dominion. The man named Alfred Sidney Leonard Brooks, who was arrested by Constable Wroblenski on the 12th instant, on account of his suspicious behaviour in the outskirts of New Plymouth, and was remanded on a charge of vagrancy, in order that he might be placed under medical observation, was brought before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr, A. A. Bennett appeared for accused, and, while admitting the police were justified in making the arrest, admitted also that his client had greatly benefited during the period of detention. He had served in the New Zealand Forces, and was wanted for further medical examination by the military authorities. Sub-Inspector Hutton said that, considering all the circumstances, he did not propose to call any evidence. The charge of vagrancy was therefore dismissed. OZO TOOTH POWDER has become popular in thousands of homes. Have ■you tried it? 6d per tin everywhere.

We hear a good deal Unit in mnom pliiueiiLiiry concerning the FlandeiV liiud, but that there is something lo bo said on the other side is evident from an extract from a letter by a Waugamii soldier received recently. He says: u \Ve all grow! at Lhe mud, but in one sense it is friendly to us, because if it were not for its capacity to smother shell bursts, a good many of us would not be squealing about it now.' 1 The record for persistency and consistency in volunteering for active service must surely he held by Trooper William Bassett, of Wellington (N.S.W.), who was rejected nineteen times before he succeeded in passing the doctor. According to the Sunday Times (Sydney), Bassett lias now been two years' in the field with the Australian Expeditionary Forces, and has come through seathless, without even a wound or a (lay's illness. He is serving in Palestine, and his father was recently advised that Bassett had been awarded the Military Medal. The colonel was addressing a band of Red Cross nurses who were about to start for the war. He said: "Some of you are very young and very prettymost of you are young and pretty—and I advise you to work 'over there, and to do 110 flirting. Serious court,ship is a different thing. Many of you, I'm sure, will be courted seriously, and will make good marriages with our soldier boys in France. .But flirting, I know, you will avoid. A flirt—what is a flirt? A flirt is a rose from which everybody plucks a petal, leaving the thorn for the future husband."

A soldier lay dying of his wounds. As the doctor leaned over his bed the man whispered, "Hold my hand." A few seconds later he let go the doctor's hand, smiled an. apology for the weakness of his request, and died. Little daily bedside scenes such as these mostly pass unrecorded, says The Hospital. Nevertheless, they are the true glories of war, before which pomps of national triumph fade quite away. They show the martyrdom of the spirit before the savagery of blood and iron, the conquest of"the soul over the weakness of flesh. They bring a sure promise of the ultimate victory of the spirit, and of the immortality of the soul.

There are some nice crops of wheat to be seen in North Taranaki this year. One paddock of the Hunter's white variety on Mr. W. J. Freeth's property at Pukearu'ne is splendidly headed and stands up well. This variety is a winter wheat. It was sown in Mav, and Mr. i'reeth had two months' feeding for his young iambs and calves before'shutting up and they did splendidly. Another paddock of Bob's variety is also looking well, being just ready to cut. Mr. S. Cutton, at Urenui, has also x very fine crop, following the turnip crops wheat seems to do very nicely, the straw making a splendid balance ration fed out on the swede crops the following winter. A young man named Cecil Timothy Cross, aged about 27 years, lost his life on Tuesday under very sad circumstances. He was one of a survey party of four or five working for Messrs' Dix and Wail in the district above Pipiriki and in the vicinity of the houseboat. The party were surveying and cutting tracks in the bush, and the young man named climbed a tree in order to get a better view of the direction of the lint-, taking a slasher with him. As some branches were in his line of vision, he proceeded to cut them away with the slasher, which struck another branch and was deflected on to his arm, the result being that a nasty gash was inflicted and an artery severed. Cros;. descended to the ground, and one of his mates bandaged the arm, and appeared to have succeeded in stopping the bleeding. A start was then made to convey Cross out of the bush, in order to secure medical aid, but as soon as the journey commenced, the Weeding started again. Unfortunately, no member of the party was proficient in first-aid, and their efforts to stop the bleeding proved ineffectual, the result being that the unfortunate young man bled to death. The accident happened at about mid-day, and Cross died five hours or so later.

A New Plymouth motorist, who lias just returned from a trip to Tauranga, furnished a News' representative with a few details of the journey. From here to AwakiEO, he nays, the going is good, except in wet weather, when Mt. Messenger and the road to Mokuu are difficult, even with chains on tlie wheels. The surface on Taumatamaire Hill is rough, whilst on the other side, on to jVlahoenui, over 40 workman are engaged lin putting down a new road and the going, therefore, is hard 011 tyres. From Mahoenui to Te Kuiti, the road is firstclass. Some parts of the road between Te Kuiti and Hamilton have been metalled, whilst the remainder is difficult in wet weather. Prom Hamilton to Waihi the road is as good as any road in Taranaki, but the road thence to Tauranga is not goqd for motor traffic, except in fine weather. By the Rotorua route the road between Cambridge and Rotorua. is "absolutely rotten," our informant stating that tins stretch took more out of the car—and his temper—than the whole of the rest of the journey, there and back, entailing second-gear work practically all the way, and being quite unfit for motors. From Rotorua to Tauranga. via Te Puke or Orapi the goin" is fair in good weather, hut exceedingly difficult in wet. Tauranga roads are none too good, the methods of road-mak-ing employed being behind the times. Still there are now about 200 cars thereabouts, and there are indications of a progressive policy in this and other respects being pursued in the near future. Tauranga, in our informant's opinion! must become a gateway of a'largc and' fertile district that for the moat part is awaiting development. The first essential is good roads. With fliese the district cannot look back.

Mr. C. W. Hervcy, secretary to the Canterbury (N.Z.) Aviation Company, which controls the flying school at Sockburn (Christchurch), is in New Plymouth, with a view of placing before prospective pupils the aims of the company. At the present time the company has seven machines—two 100-h.p., one fiO-h.p., and four 45-h.p. flying machines—on which the boys are taught the art of flying. Pupils' are accepted on the following conditions: They must be between the ages of 18 and 215; must be of pure European birth, and must be approved by the Defence Department before they enter the school. To date. 27 pupils have qualified at the school, some of whom are at present being further trained in England for service. The tuition fee is £IOO, the lowest fee in New Zealand, and the pupil receives a refund of £75 by the Government, on behalf of the Imperial authorities, as soon as he qualifies in New Zealand. Mr. Hervcy may be consulted today at the White Hart Hotel, New Plymouth, between the hours of 2 and 5 P m -, and (i.,! 0 and S p.m. Particulars furnished to any intending pupil.—Advt. When you feel a cold coming on, don't wait until it has grijwed you. but take XAZOL at oner