LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In a statement yesterday Sir Joseph Ward announced that Henare Parata was the National Government candidate, approved by the two leaders, Mr, Massey and himself, for the Southern Maori seat.

Yesterday morning saw the highest tide at New .Plymouth since the tide gauge has been installed at the breakwater. In point of fact the tides for the past three days have been much higher than usual, and yesterday morning's tide rose fully six inches above normal.

At a meeting of prohibitionists at the Good Templar Hall last night, it was decided, in view of an election and licensing poll before the end of the present year, to reconstitute the old. league under the title of the Taranaki Prohibition League. Mr. C. K. Bellringer was appointed chairman and Mr. G. Maunder secretary pro tern. The local branch of the Women's National Reserve will hold a meeting in Whitelcy Hall to-morrow (Saturday), afternoon for the purpose of entertaining the mothers and wives of soldier*. The vieitors will be entertained to iiitsriiooii tea, and during the proe'eedirgs badges will be given out to those mothers who have paid the cost of samo. The badges, .which are in token of having rent r.o:is to the war, will'be distributed by His Worship the Mayor (Mr. C. IT. Burgees) and the Veil. Archdeacon Evans. The scholars of the Bell Block school, accompanied by a good number of parents and friends, held their annual picnic at the East End Reserve yesterday. The .children took full advantage of the facilities for enjoyment provided at the beach, and a very pleasant day wan spent. The children were conveyed by inotor-lorriee, motor cars, and horsedrawn vehicles and so were able to spend a much longer time at the beach than would have been the case had they been dependent on the train service.

During the hearing of a case at the Sew Plymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, in which a woman was charged with stealing a pair of lady's shoes from the front of a Devon Street shop, counsel for defendant stated that it was his belief that if the tradespeople of this or any town were questioned on the matter it would 'be found that losses in such a manner were a serious item. The sub-inspector of police during the hearing of the case also expressed a similar opinion. The Magistrate (Mr- A. Crooke) said he foelieved it would be a wise thing to prohibit the displaying of goods in front of shops in such a manner as made it possible for people to indulge in petty thieving- There were people, he said, to whom attractively displayed goods were a. temptation, and he thought something might lie done to remove the temptation. If the big crowd of motion picture goers were asked "Who is the most, popular screen actress at present?" there is little doubt the immediate answer would lie Alice Brady, and this popular young lady deserving of all the lavish praise which is bestowed upon her, for she has won her way to the top through sheer ability and a personality that humanises all her picture portrayals. Her latest success, "A Self Made Widow," is the star item on the new programme at Everybody's to-morrow. Will blouses ever go out of fashion? Women oftcm wonder what will take the blouso's place. Most women hope that as long as Rennie's Sale oilers bargains like those advertised oir page 4 the blouse (like the, brook) will go on for ever.

By the kindness of Messrs Newton King and T. C. List, the beautiful grounds of "Brooklands" and "Maranui" have been placed at the disposal of the Citizens' Band on Sunday afternoon next, and visitors and the public should not miss this opportunity of viewing them. One tree alone, a Spanish chestnut, situate on Mr. King's propertv. is Well worthy of a visit, having sheltered 300 people beneath its branches. The recital is timed for 3 p.m. The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., draw attention 'to the cattle sale and sheep and. ram fair they arc holding in their Stratford yards on Tuesday, 19th inst. Full particulars will be found on page 8 of this issue.

EVEN IF YOU ARE TWISTED INTO KNOTS WITH RHEUMATISM, do not give up hope of relief. RHEUMO has cured thousands —some had suffered for twsnty years. It restores health by -driving out the excess Uric Acid in the blood. 2/6 and 4/8. fg •jCpp-.nb 6iuooß9nw utptnuZoij

Speaking of parliamentary affairs, Dr. Thaekcr stigmatised the "joint -«t ileuses" and ''secret session" as attempts t-> "bulldoze" the public He attended tlie caucuses and the secret session, but be heard nothing divulged that had not been said in .public. lie would attend no more of them.

Sumptuary law has at last struck a blow at women in Great Britain. From the beginning of this year no boots for women with uppers exceeding Tin in height,, if of leather, or Sin in height, if of any other material, from the seat of the lied to the highest point ol the top of the upper may be manufactured or sold without a permit from the Director of Raw Materials.

A peculiar discovery has been made in Auckland. In the Municipal Baths at Parnell silting has been' iroing on for some time, and it has been ascertained that the decrease in the depth of water is due to the erosion of the papa rock in the 'bottom of the baths. In the hope of preventing further silting a layer of shell three inches deep is to be placed on the bottom, at a cost of £1.40. If that is not a success the City Council will have to lay a concrete bottom at a cost of £IOOO.

A gardener who was digging a trench at the new quadrangle, near the School of Art at Canterbury College, a few days ago, unearthed a human skull and leg-bone, about three feet beneath the surface. The skull has an excellent get of teeth, some of which are worn. It is believed (says the Lyttelton Times) that it belonged to a "Maori, and that it has lain there for about 150 years. Before the City of Christchurch was built upon there were fairly high sandhills in that part of the ground now occupied by the college, and it was used by the .Maoris as a burial place. During a waterside workers' ipicnic on Mototapu, says the Auckland Star, a young man,, about twenty-five years of age, went to jump across the creek there. The shock of landing must have dislodged his artificial teeth, for the plate jerked backwards and lodged in his throat. The man was slowly stilling, when, hy good fortune, Dr. ¥. King, who happened to be at the picnic, was brought along. Just in time he succeeded in shifting the plate, otherwise the victim would surely have been suffocated, as none of tho other persons .present knew what steps to take in such an emergency..

Another instanco of the inexplicable ways of the ofiicial mind, which, in ilia midst of an acute food shortage, 1. bids tho sailor to bring home food to hia own family, is disclosed iu a letter to a Dunedin resident from a marine engineer 'belonging to England, who says: " Just a few lines to say I have had to stay at Home this voyage owing to the very serious illness of rny wife, and I am writing to let you know that the Food Controller would not allow me to land your box of tinned meats. The sailed yesterday, and the box is safely in charge of the chief steward. I want you to go down and get it when the ohip ccincs to ■Dunedin. I had a bag of sugr.r on board for myself, and that has also gone back in the ship.''

Ail outbreak of highway robberies furnished ample activity, exercise, and target practice for the Cleveland (Ohio) police recently. Three highwaymen were captured alter a long chase through the crowded down-town district, one being severely wounded. A patrol, pursuing three other robbers, wounded, one severely and captured another in an empty piano box. While two gunners were holding up a citizen in front of tho lattcr's home, a third gunman emptied his re-

volvor at the trio from across the street. It is said he became peevish because territory regarded as his private hunting ground had ■been invaded. Nine other hold-ups were reported during the siune night.

"In the event of Mr. Brandon 'being elected, will lie denounce the Judgeship of Mr. Herdman " 'began a questioner at Mr. Brandon'3 election meeting the other evening in Wellington. The chairman (Mr. M- Myers) said that he could not allow the question to be put. The Supreme' Court was the great bulwark of our liberties, and It was th one institution which should not be com,mented on or criticised at a public meet- | ing. The questioner Insisted on trying to put his question, but Mr. My»rs very firmly ruled him out of order, saying that, not only as chairman, but as a member of the Bar, of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, he was not going to allow any question to 'be put which might reflect upon the Bench or upon any member of it. (Applause). "There are," he added, "some mattersof decency which we must everyone of us regard." (Applause). Colonel Repington'a letter of resignation from The Times in the Morning Post states: "I feel that our present critical position is largely duo to the subservient apologetical attitude of The Times towards the present War Cabinet, permitting neglect of the vital interests of army, particularly in regard to men. My articles containing various criticisms' and some of my letters, did not appear, and whole passages of others have been removed without reference to me, which I consider dishonest to tlte public and unfair to me. Reiterated protests brought no assurances that the practices would cease, ami J have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the vital interests of the Army are not secure in" the hands of The Times, leaving me no option but to sever the connection."

Aii indication of what the Americans have been doing in aerial matters is given by '.Air. Uurlon Hendrick in the World's Work. The great Dayton aviation camp, covering 2500 acres, was constructed in six weeks. There were twenty or thirty farms, with the ii.sn.tl buildings. These vanished. Plantations and patches of timber were cut down. A railroad was carried to the camp. ''More than a thousand teams, supported by road rollers ami other modern mechanisms, spent several weeks smoothing out the twenty-five hundred acres—or nearly four square miles—niiu convcrtinn the whole section into a beautiful ev° pause as smooth and level as a billiard table. Xot far from two thousand workmen, carpenters, -bricklayers, concrete workers, plumbers, gas fitters, electricians and what-not erected nearly two miles of hangars and a?l the other buildings needed for the complefe equipment of an aviation field. Before the six weeks had passed all -these buildings stood there, will, tbeir white sides and rod roofs glistening in the sun, several hundred, men bad -bee,, installed in the barracks, and green-horn aviators had been started on their first ,iH lts » rh s s the largest of the llyin-ground! but there were already twenty others in existence when Mr. Hendrick' was writing Probably this year there will be a T\ gr ° UndS in use ' out 5000 aviators a. moat'*