LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

On the sth inst., Mr. Justice Edwards granted probate of the will of the late Miss Emma Russell, to Mr. \Y. P. Bickers, the executor named in the will, on the motion of Messrs Standish and Anderson-

At last night's meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council, a resolution was passed: That, the borough engineer be instructed to eradicate fennel 011 the roads and borough reserves, and that hoped that everydne will respond to Inspector Day be instructed to give the be eradicated 011 private lands, and to see that such notices are complied with, sold. Tbo Mayoress and her helpers will work up street stalls, etc. It i 3 tish Women's Hospital Saturday. February -23, that Mrs. Walker with the Scottish ladies bo in ciharge of the shop, necessary notices to require all fennel to qgnojog oq| jo Supaara -jsiij -|y wher c all Scottish cookery, etc., will be Council the Mayor intimated that he did not intend to accept any honorarium for the current year. It was, therefore, decided that a further subsidy of £l5O for this year only bo granted to the Pukekura Park Board, on condition that the amount be expended on the park in such manner as the Mayor shall direct.

The Women's National Reserve are making arrangements for the second gathering of soldiers' mothers to be held in the Wliiteley Hall on Saturdaynext, lfith inst., at .2.30 o'clock. It is hoped by having chosen Saturday for giving out the badges that many of the soldiers' mothers from the country will lie able to attend. All members of the Women's National Deserve are asked to be present and help in providing cakes, Plymouth on Saturday of the ladies who are making arrangements for the Scotetc., for afternoon teaIt was decided at a meeting at New this appeal by sending gifts of money or goods. At the meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council, held last night, a letter was read from a local carrier, who had recently had his attention drawn by the council to alleged cases of over-charging by him. The communication was a lengthy and explicit one, and went into details in connection with every charge mentioned, and the rates charged were held to have been perfectly reasonable, considering,, the time lost through delays caused wholly through the faults of liis clients.

At Saturday's meeting of the Moa Road Board, the overseer (Mr. R. L. Hogg) applied for an allowance for the use of his motor-cycle. The matter was dealt with in committee, and, on resuming, it, was decided that .£ls be paid to the overseer for extra work done by him in connection with the preparation of plans and specifications. Mr. J. McCluggage, sawmill owner, of Pohokura, has sent the following message to the Rt. Hon. the Premier: "Timber industry may close here through want of trucks, though empties continuously passing mill. We wiire better served with bullocks than with present management of railways. In a replace advertisement in this issue Mr. T. W. Welch advises lie has placed a large roomy powerful motor car upon tie local taxi stand in charge of Mr- J. E- H. Scott. Anyone requiring to hire tllie car can apply on the taxi stand to Mr. Scott or to Mr. Welch, whose telephone number is 472. Mrs- Burgess wishes to acknowledge with thanks an anonymous donation of £2 for boys' parcels, also £3 3s from Messrs Ambury Btm.

A proposal is beign iiiade to establish sugar of milk works in the Wairarapa. "If a piece of brcaa a couple of inches square: were discovered 111 a rubbish tin at Sling Clamp," said a returned soldier, "there was as serious an inquiry as though it were a plug of dynamite! " Mr. B. I. Rodger is relieving -Mr. T- S. Young, manager of the New Zealand Express Company, Xew Plymouth, who is leaving this morning on his annual holidays. Mr. E. M. Chettle, formerly manager in Hawera for the Bank of Australasia, has been appointed manager at Dunedin, and will shortly a»3ume charge at that branch.

The will of the late George Henry Salisbury, of Mangorei, has been proved before Mr. Justice Edwards and on the application of Mr. Hughes, probate; Was "ranted to the executors, Matthew John Salisbury and Lewis Fisher. From a small stream known as \ The Rum Keg, which joins the Manganui at Midhirst, an eel four feet long, twelve inches in girth at. the thickest part, and weighing Hilb, was speared and taken on Saturday by Mr. R. Rogers, of Pembroke Road. The pool was a small one, and the depth of water was only about nine inches.—Record.

The Xew South Wales Government is about to issue the prospectus of a new loan- The stock will be ofl'eral at par, and will bear interest at 5% per centThe money is required in connection with a conversion loan of £12,000,0(10, which falls due this year and which was obtained at 3£ per cent. A chemist carrying on business in the Otago police district is to be prosecuted under the Social Hygiene Act of last session, which .provides that any person, other than a registered medical practitioner, who undertakes, for payment or reward, the treatment or cure, of any social disease, commits an offence. This will be the first prosecution under the Act in the Dominion, —Dunedin Star. In the Rakaia district is one highlyrespected resident, who has lost one son at the front, nml another son is a prisoner of war in Germany. Lately he had a large area of dead-ripe wheat, Labor was scarce, and on account of advancing years, he was not able to do much himself. He ,18, however, an early riser, but nevertheless other people evidently got up before him, for on coming out to make a start one morning he found several machines of neighbors already at work on bis crop. ■ It is a far cry from Messines to Stratford, but the great gap is bridged by a small act of devotion and esteem (says the Post). Mrs. MeMenamin, of Lower Hutt, mother of the late Father MeMenamin, in whose career the Rev. Father Maple* had always taken a deep interest, on Saturday last forwarded the actual Book uf Prayer which was in the. hand of the late Chaplain-Major MeMenamin, who was senior Catholic chaplain to ths New Zealand Forces, and from which he was reading the burial service on the battlefield of Messines when he was himself suddenly killed by shell-fire. The man named John Joseph 1 "rhen, w'lio was arrested for drunkenness in Devon street on Saturday afternoon, was admitted to bail on Sunday jiight and when his case was called in the Magistrate'.; Court yesterday morning bo failed to appear. There were a number of previous convictions against accused and the Magistrate (Mr. ACrooke) imposed a fine of £1 and costsA sitting of the Juvenile Couvf wan held at New Plymouth yesterday morning, Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., presiding. Two bny.i aged 12 years of age appeared on two chr.rgM of theft. The first was of stealing, on January 17, a wristlet watch of the value of £2, the property of Reginald Howell • and the second of stealing, on January 22, a money-box containing 20s. the property of the New Plymouth Soldiers' Club, from the shop of Mr. J. Bennett, jeweller, Devon street. The boys pleaded guilt/y to both charges, and were ordered to receive two strokes of the birch each- The watch was ordered to be returned to the owner, and the parents of the boys were ordered to repay the sum of 2'te between them to the Soldiers' C!ub, The parents of the boys undertook to keep them under proper control in the future.

What is the nationality of a man whose father was a German, "his mother a Dane, and who himself was Ibom in Denmark, and had lived for many years in New Zealand. This was a question that came up fpr solution before. a meeting of the executive of the Christchurch Overseas Club. The case was further complicated by the fact that the man himself did not know his nationality, although his father had been a naturalised Britisher- The executive decided that the solution of the question was beyond its power, and resolved to await the decision of a higher authority. Jt was with some hesitancy that the foreman of a jury in a case before the Wellington Supreme Court last week rose t 0 ask a witness a question. ''May I ask-a question, your Honor?" he enquired. His Honor replied: "Members of a jury are entitled to ask as many questions as they like. The more they ask the better, in order that they may clear any doubts existing in their minds. It is not necessary that questions should be asked through the' foreman." Juries rarely take advantage of the privileges which his Honor made it clear they had''The mother of a king who has lost his joh," was the description given by Brigiidier-lleneral Sir Robert Andoreson, at the Red Triangle meeting the other day, to a lady who, in the earlier days of the war, frequently visited New Zealanders in hospital and rather annoyed them by her foolislh questions. The ''old hands" in hospital soon learned to | know her and feigned sleep when she approached. But newcomers suffered as they had done. On one occasion she approached a rough Australian who had been wounded so badly that bandages completely covered his liead, leaving small openings at the eyes and mouth only- The dear lady approached in a fussy manner and enquired: "My dear fellow, have you been wounded in the head?" Calmly, this reply was given: "Oh, no. mum. I received it in the ankle, I did, but the bandage has slipped."

It cannot be reiterated too often that hosiery in the near future is going to be exceedingly dear. It therefore behoves everyone to replenish their stocks of these goods without delay. The Melbourne, Ltd.. according to advices received, will require to advance all hosiery prices in about three weeks. Bessie love and six of the quaintest little kids imaginable delighted a full house at The Empire last evening, in the Triangle feature, "A Sister of Six." Although the kiddies make plenty of fun in this picture there are also plenty of exciting thrills, especially when the youngsters are called upon to fight for their home- "A Sister of Six" will 'bo shown again to-night and to-morrow night and it is well worth seeing. On Thursday next the famous screen star, Olga Petrova, will bo featured in her ereat uictura triumph, "To the Death."

A visitor to Queenstown amusing himself last week by trying to do a hit of trout, tickling in the creek, was jokingly advised by a passer-by to look out lest an eel should snap as hia .hand, state., the Dunedin Star. Barely hud the answering laugh found utterance when a huge eel thrust forth its head and seized the tickler's hand, severely lacerating three lingers, and t.h« p*lnj. The man bound up the hand as wall as he could, rushed into town, borrowed a pitchfork, and went back and threw up tons of the creek bed, at hist finding and spearing the assailing eel, or one very like it, and hanging it in |,;lie willows. The eel measured nearly five feet, and weighed 131'b. In the night the man's woYfnds looked so set ions that he had to get a doctor to attend to the hand.

The amount of dairy produce exported from Auckland during January shows a considerable falling-oti' as compared with the quantity exported tor the same period last year. Last month 6a,000 boxes of butter and 5750 crates of cheese were sent away from the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company's stores, as compared with 77,500 boxes of butter and £OOO crates of cheese exported during January last year. The quantity exported is no indication as to the amount produced, though in respect to butter the amount received to date in the Government grading stores t'his season is considerably less than the quantity received during the corresponding period of last season. The production of cheese has been maintained, the amount received at the grading stores this season to date being practically the same as was received for the corresponding period last season. A Press Association from Wellington recently referred to the investigations Dr Cockayne is making into a fungoid growth which is causing serious damage among flaxmills in the Manawatu district. The Post states that Dr Cockayne is working on the matter at tlhe invitation of millers in the district. The effect on the leaf is that it turns yellow, withers, and dies down to the roots, which are also affected. Already some 1500 acres in tl; Manawatu have heeri infected, and the output of fibre is likely to be materially reduced if the ravages of the pest are not arrested. Millers ar e inclined to regard it as far more serious than a fire in the swamps and likely to reduce the production of fibre by 70 to 80 per cent. The trouble does not appear to be with the soil, which is as rich in the swamps as it has ever been. The weather, too, lias not been unfavorable to the growth of flax. Unfortunately, the disease has been seen in flax growing in other places, as far remote, in fact, as Wbangarei, North Auckland. Results of Dr. Cockayne's investigations, and the discovery of remedial measures are now ar.xioualy awaited by flax-millers.

A visit to a troopship bringing b:'-ck man from the fighting lines is always interesting. In a recent cuse it was somewhat out of the ordinary. They v/ers all Mounted Infantry, wounded or invalided, straight from Egypt aud Palestine. ''What's tho desert like?'-' n. trooper vts ;i3'.:cd. "I)cn't talk about it." was the reply. ''Nothing but. aar.d, sand, sand. I've brought "jlck enough 'desert in my inside to start a new colony.'' "Thirst!'' said another. "You don't know what thirrt ia till you experience; the desert. Then, when your tongue is getting bhek, atid yor. c~n scarcely tail;, you come to a well. The vr.ter stinks, but you're mightly gird al it. I though! I knew what it was to be dry in Nov; Zealand country, but the deceit .! Then you enme to a well of pure v/ote;\ A bucketful <ro«;e down before you know anything about it. Their you start ha."ing a drink." "Ib wts hr.rd going," s;aid another. He was with the Camel Corps, but tlhe experience was one of perpetual motion, (Day in, day out, they wore after the Turk, scarcely a moment for rest,, journey (succeeding journey with awful monotony—and then the clinch." "Yes," he added, "the Turk is all right as a fighter in the trenches, but not much good in the open. He is well armed, but very ragged in respect of equipment."

A man who was classed as an out-and-out shirker came before Mr. F. V. Fraser, S M., at Auckland, on Monday, on charges of having ttsed a name other than that by which he was commonly known before the war, and of having falsely answered a constable on questions relating to his enrolment. The Star states the defendant had been arrested as John Edward Powe, but h> subsequently gave his name as Ernest James Kelly, and his age as 27 years. He had been drawn in the tentli ballot in Westland, failed to answer to the notification to come up for medical examination, and had subsequently been arrested at Huntley on a military warrant. As the medical board did not sit on the day that he was supposed to come up at Hamilton for examination, he was released on a promise to appear on another day, but he cleared out and was not, seen again until arrested at the boardinghouse in Auckland, where ho had a female companion. He was a single man passing as a married man, and was of pronounced anti-military ideas, having taken a prominent part in anti-conscription propaganda. Kelly admitted the breaches of the regulations, and intimated that he had nothing to say for himself, and the Magistrate, remarking that the case was a bad one of deliberate shirking, sentenced the man to three months' imprisonment, with the comment that the military authorities wouid he notified of his new place of abode in order that he might he taken for military service if he was wanted.

Pcople at home who talk of the slight distress caused by the war should see Armentieres, writes t!he Common wealth official corrspondent in France. For two year: the town has always been under shellfire to a certain extent, but within the last six jnonths the Germans have prosecuted a scheme of deliberate destruction, just as they threatened Paris in 1871. Quarter by quarter, street fr! street, the town has been systematically bombarded- There lies wanton destruction—not a house is untouched; many were ripped open, and revealed tumbled furniture, floors littered with household possessions, just as tflie civilians were obliged to leave them. Many hundreds of women and children have been killed or wounded by high explosive gas shells. Armentieres, dead and desolated to-day. was once a flourishing residential garden city, with a history which reached back to the earliust times. This treatment at the bunds of the CJfennans, whether or not. it is defensible o n the grounds of military necessity, serves as a perfect object lesson of the merciless German destruction, no less than at Bapaume, Peronne, and other towns which were blown up in the south. Pacifists who talk of a diplomatic peace should see Armentieres and hear its story as representative of German savagery in an invaded country, firumhlers at home would nerve themselves to exact retribution from the destroyers with gratitude for what they have themselves be§n spared.