LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 March 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A cable from London states that the list of colonial recipients of.the British Empire Orders will probably be issued about the middle of March.'

The police require an owner for a watch and chain-, with the Life-Saving Society's medallion attached, which was piked up on the showgrounds last week.

The Salvation Army Brass Band paid a visit to the hospital on Sunday afternoon, and played at four different parts, so that all the inmates could hear the music, which was greatly Appreciated, the hope being expressed that the band would soon pay another visit to the institution.

The Ked Cross Mart had a very successful day on Saturday the return from the sales yielding approximately £2O. There was a good response to the appeal for supplies. One enthusiastic Welshman, on Friday afternoon, left a-ton of Hotatoes, a sack of cabbages, a bunch of flowers and a £1 note.

The total gate receiptsVfor the. two days at the Taranaki Agricultural Society's Show amounted to £177 lis, compared with £ISG last year. It must lie remembered, however, that this year the membership of the society has greatly increased, Which would more than account for the difference in the takings. The receipts from the weight-guessing competitions were £2O 15s Gd, from luncheon and afternoon teas £lB2, 10s Gd, soft drinks, sweets, and ices £G. r > 15s lOd.

Afternoon tea arrangements are well in hand for Park Day on March 7. The Boys' High School, under Mrs. Moves, is taking full control of one tea booth, and the Girls' High School, lOntral an* Courtcnay, and West End schools arc organising sweet stalls. The Mayoress asks (he general public (who all share alike in the benefits of the Park) to help by donations of tea, sugar, milk, hams, or material for making sandwiches, also cakes, etc. There were many willing helpers at the patriotic depot on Monday and Tuesday to pack soldiers' gift parcels. The January mails brought so many appreciative letters that the ladies are more determined than ever to keep on with this good work. Six hundred and fifty of these parcels have been packed and despatched during the month. Any one wishing to have their name and addresn card enclosed may do so by donating 2s Cd. The committee wisli to thank nil kind helpers, also the Chetwode girls for liemming six dozen towels, and Major Sandford and Mr. Monk for assistance given at the depot. The monthly meeting of the West End School Committee was held on Thursday right. There were present Messrs A. K. Smart (chairman) W. Thompson (secretary), J. S. S. Medley, .1. Hurle, J. Sanders, J. ITawker, Bennett, Brokenshire. and Bullot. The headteacher's report stated that the school reopened with a roll of 5(10, and the average attendance since the opening had been 4RO. The new appointments to the staff included Miss E. Leech, seventh assistant, Misses P. Evans and M. Hawkes, pupil teachers, and Miss P. Heal probationer. The swimming tests had been completed. IS girls and 21 boys securing certificates for distances ranging from I<lo yards to 2y, miles. The secretary was directed to call the attention of the Education Board to the stale of (he front fence and ceiling of the gymnasium. Messrs Bennett and Sanders were appointed a visiting committee for the month.

Arrangements for the fete to be held in Pukekura Park on Thursday next in aid of the park funds are well in hand and, as will be seen by advertisement in another column a most attractive and entertaining programme has been drawn up—a programme which will provide amusement to young and, old alike. A wrong impression has pot abroad that the motor and motor-cycle events are for the lastest speed. This is not so. They are novel items, and at the same time will create a groat deal of fun, inasmuch as it will he the man who can drive his car or ride his motor-cycle at the slowest speed that will be the successful competitor. Anyone can go fast, but-it takes the expert to drive si owl v. The children's items will be a speciality, and will include many new attractions, as well as Hie aquatic portion of the programme. The procession of decorated motor-cars, etc., hearted by the. Citizens' Band, is timed (o leave (he Liardet S(reet corner at 1 o'clock. The afternoon tea arrangements will be in charge of the Mayoress (Mrs. C. 11. Burgess). June Elvidge, Montague Love and Arthur Ashley arc all co-stars in the brilliant World film success "The Guardian" which commences a three-night season at the Empire to-night. NAZOL relieves eold in the head and Nasal Catarrh

f--.poa.king in !!:;• llousV of Commons, Mr Bnnar "Law. Chancellor (if the Kxchequer, said thai 1.100,000 tons of new shipping hud been built in the United Kingdom in IHI7, and 1,500,000 tons of shipping had been lent to the. allies. Our guns in France had increased hy SO per rent., and our aeroplane* had been multiplied two and a-half times.

Kceent charges against people who have employed nnenrolled men or deserters through ignorance of the men's military position seem to show that it is not safe to accept anything hut documentary proof. The attitude.of the police, it; that an employer should insist on seeing a registration eeriiticiite and if this shows that tin; employee helots to 11 class already called lip the employer should then ask for a medical certificate •-.bowing that the reservist has been rc'jeet.ed. (Hherwise lie cannot bo certain that he is not employing a deserter. Itis urged by the police that it is the duty of every cmplou-r to lake these or similar precautions, as is systematically done hy all large employers of labor.

| A well-directed shot from an individual in the crowd outside the Evening Post on Thursday night found a resting in one of the optics of the Prime Minister. The vision of Mr. Massev was clouded for a moment with a piece of banana peel. Tin; crowd linsynipalhoticall.v yelled its approval of this testimony (o the marksmanship of the imlivirtual who had thrown tie banana peel. "Why, he couldn't have been more starlied if he, had stepped on it," remarked a watcher. "Yes, there's many u slip 'tween the cup and the lip," responded another person in the crowd. Madge Erans. the delightful little .juvenile actress who appeared with Kliiel Clayton in "The Web of Desire." at Everybody's - on .Saturday, won her way into every heart, and will be welcomed in any future pictures in which she appears. ''The Web of Desire", shows attain for the last time to-night. The attraction on the change of programme for to-morrow v.Tll be the i.ppearaneo of Theda Tiara in the powerful dramatic feature ; 'Tlie Vb.'en." "The true basis of life the very essence of life, is i-trmtalo," said Professor 'Macmilliin Tirown at Christclmrcli, "and if you cease to struggle, you may as well die. T have voyaged much among primitive peoples and have seen this point emphasised time and again. Whenever war, the only occupation of the men. ceases fliey die off. T have seen this last winter in the Marquesas, where v population of half a million at the bciinuiug of lust cenlurv has dwindled down to SoOO, chiefly because they have ceased their usual occupation. The men loafed, there was no more struggle; they were dying rapidly." On a station near Featheraton, the whole of the shmaring operations this Wilson have been supervised and controlled, by a woman. She had the lleeces brought |o the table for her by a woman

'•|leeiv-o " Tlic wool was perfectly jjtrmlod, and, as financial results proved, mast advantageously classed. The lady took lessons and qualified at Miistorton list, year in wool-classing. Brides this she is a qualified export with oil engines and shearing machines. Tliis season in the shed, besides doing thl? wool-classing, .slie attended to the machinery and kept the shearing hkiles in order for the shearers.

A deserter from ramp was nrrcstei by Constable M'lntosli' in the baek-eoun-try of Mackenzie County, and was brought to Timaru on Monday. He was placed under military guard, asd sent to Wellington. The deserter aviis to have returned to camp three weeks ago, but failed to do so, and missed the boat by which his contingent left. He adopted a very running method to avoid detection, says the Timaru Herald. Considering that he would lie safer in the Mackenzie than in Timaru, he took the train for Fairlie. with the object of securing a position on a wayback run. He arrived at Fairlie with a green shade over one eye, a. pronounced limp in one leg, and generally bore the appearance of having been so cruelly handled by the war machine as to excite the sympathy of all who saw him. By the time he reached, his destination, however, the invigorating air of the Mackenzie had caused his ailments to disappear as by a miracle, and when arrested he was pans eye-shade, sans limp, and sans/ everything wive the appearance of a well man who had never been touched by sword or bullet. Even the coachman who brought him down did not recognise in him the same man that he had taken tip a few days previously. A reservist who appeared* before the First Auckland Military Service Board yesterday to claim exemption on the ground that he was over military age was unable to give the exact date of his birth, lie said that., although he thought he was 17 years of age. he could not prove this, as his birth, which hok place in Auckland, had uot been registered. A memorandum from the registrar of births stated that a thorough search, of the records failed to reveal any mention of this man. An ofh'cial record produced by Major Conlan gave the age of appellant as -14, .kit the latter stated that this estimate was based on information given by himself. A sister of appellant was called to give evidence, but she could not throw any light on themat.ter, as her own birth had not been registered. She, however, stated that she knew she was three years older than Iter brother, and considered herself t/> be about 10. she alsfi meiilioned that both she and her brother had been baptised in Auckland, hut the records had been destroyed in the fire at St. Benedict's some years ago. It was discovered subsequently thta appellant had not been medically examined. •.<■, be bad slated that be belonged to Class 0 of t .Second Division, whereas be had been divorced, and was not supporting his two children. The appeal was adjourned to enable appellant to be medically examined. Attention is drawn to the advertisement of a lecture to be given in the Rood Templar Hall, to-night bv Miss Boniwell, travelling secretary of. the Sudan T'nited Mission, who is touring New Zealand-in the interests of this mis" sion. whose objective is the formation of a blockade of mission stations from the Niger to the Nile in order that the rapid advance of the Mohammedan religion among the pagan tribes in Central Africa may be stopped. Competent judges sav (hat the next ten years will see equatorial Africa won for Islam unless the Christian church takes immediate action. The .Samssi, a most fanatical Moslem sect, arc making rapid headway. Further donations toward making up the .C'lOO aimed at for the Scottish Women's Hospital Fund:—Mr. Oold-watc-r and "Anonymous," 10s each, a little boy 2s lid. Messrs Wright and Kelly notify that they have purchased .the tailoring business of Mr. Alec Forbes, Devon' Street, New Plymouth. The new firm are prepared to guarantee all suits and costume* entrusted to them.

11l addition to Cie mail no{ k<.-, public oil this morning tin; chief postmaster no. titied Mini nit EngUh, European, American. KtrypUau and Expeditionary Forces mail was to lie dispatched at (1.15 this, morning, but it is obvious lint, tlil> informat ion in too laic to be of use to our readers. Doubtless Head ODice, Wellington, is responsible. Cm -tin. night of the Wellington election, missiles, in tlip shape of stale eggs, etc., were plentiful. One gentleman, standing in a prominent iiosition, not far from Mr. Massey, received the i ' force of the impaci in (be c.w. Later (lie perpetrator of this crime apologised to the oll'endcd party, stilling ill explanation that be had meant the egg for Mr. Masscy. "Well," replied 11 in receiver of the apology. 'I wish you bad meant it for me. and hit Mr. Massoy." "The old pioneers of \ew Zealand are passing it way. This c:«w borne to me when I looked over fie list of the men. bers of Parliament of ISi'.'i; that is only ■l:l years ago. There were then 44 meniher.-, in the Legi'lative Council and XO members in the House of Representatives—l2l members in all. How many, think you, of that list is alive to-day? There are only three—tlve Hon. Captain liaillio, Mr. Donald lieed, and myself," said Sir Robert Stout during an address given by him last week.

The continued absence from bis home of Mr. A. .7. Thompson, L.L.P.:, late clerk of the Court at Queenstown and more recently of Patoa, is causing great anxiety to his friends, says Monday's Utago Daily Times.. Some mont.lis avo Mr. Thompson snli'ered a nervous breakdown, and for some time, lie has been "übject Co fits of deep de]iression, losing for the lime all sense of locality, lie left his home on Sunday week to visit a friend at St. Clnir. and since then flic lias been completely lost. At the front and in other parts of the old world where aviators swarm nowadays it ij nofc uncommon for airmen to be lost in the clouds for a time, nl fact, Lieutenant A. do 1). "Brandon, D.5.0.. \f.C., the well-known Wellington aviator, got lost in a fog when he'wcjit up for his eerlilieate at llendou. The Ill's I. experience of that kind which has happened to a, pupil of the Canterbury Aviation School was on Saturday afternoon (says the Christchuroh Sun). Advantage was taken of a visi? from Lieu-tcnant-Clplonel J. L. Sleeman. and a break in the weather, for a pupil to go up in bis hying test- The pupil went up and returned without mishap, and then, the rain still holding off, ho went up for a section Hijjlit. lie was in a light mat: I .inc. While be was in the air dn this second occasion the clouds gathered again, and a rainstorm swept across the ground, shutting off the aviator's view of the earth. Close on half an hour passed without his returning, and then, as some anxiety was being felt, Mr. Mercer, assistant' instructor at theschool, went up in a more powciful machine, to search for. the'missing man. After searching for some time, Mr. Mercer found the pupil preparing to descend near Lake Ellesmere. in order to get a telephone. Mr. Mercer -then piloted the pupil back to the school, his performance evoking admiration from those who' knew of the incident.

ft. lias lifcn ascertained on inquiry at Auckland insurance offices, says the Herald, tlita the insurances on tiie hull and cargo of the Wairmia, which was'sunk by a Herman raider in the Pacific, have been paid, the payment.? having been made by the companies holding the war risk and those holding the marine risk. the contributions beim/ eq\ml. The Court of Inquiry held in respect of the vessel satisfied the English and colonial officers interested of the vessel's loss and the payments were made on the understanding that when a decision is arrived at as to whether the ship was destroyed as the result of an ordinary marine .nishnn or an act of war, an adjustment should be made. Tn regard (o the Burns Philip Company's steamer Matuiun, which was also sunk, it is understood locally that no insurances have been paid on this vessel or her cargo, as the Court, of Inquiry set up to investigate her disappearance adjourned without coming to a decision. Life and workers' indemnity policies in respect to several officers and members of the crows of these vessels are held l>v local insurance offices, but as far as can be ascertained no payments hare been made.