LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 March 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

According to a London cablegram the Profit made by the Bank of Australasia tor the past year was £323,3u9.

Attention is drawn to the alteration of the date for the closing of the war loan applications from April S to April 15 '

Some additional amounts have been received ia connection with the Okato-rataranuaka-Oakura day at the Wart making the final total' the creditable sum ot £lO2 Us Bd.

A special meeting of the New Plymouth Efficiency Trustees was hold last night, there being present Messrs T. turlong, junr. (chairmanj, z Whittle and P. u. Hill (secretary.) Seven eases relative to the adairs of soldi,rs came before the Trustees, and were satisfactorily dealt with.

At yesterday's meeting of ihe Polynesian Society, the president '(Mr. Percy •Smith) mentioned that the society was becoming known in many parts of the world. The latest correspondence received bad been from Tifles, near the Rus-so-Persian borders, from some one who desired to exchange with the society for copies of their journal.

Eobert John Riley, who .appeared before Mr. A. Crookc, S.M. again yesterday, on remand, on a charge of 'failing to register under the Military Service Act, was convicted and ordered to be kept in custody until taken in charge by the military authorities.

Since the outbreak of war the Railway Department has increased the charges on the haulage of goods from the Breakwater to the New Plymouth goodssheds by over 160 per cent. Prior to the war the charge from the ship's sling to delivery at the goodshed to a carrier was 3s. This has been increased bv the im. position of a charge of Is for'receiving into the trucks, Is for receiving out ot the trucks at the shed, and Is (id for sorting. Each of these charges has been subject to the two increases of 10 per cent., making them respectively Is 2d, Is 2d and Is lOd, whilst the original charge through the same medium has increased to 3s Bd, making the total charge 7s lOd, sheer robbery of the public, who have to foot the bill.

The captivating little Metro star, Emmy Wehlen, will Ibe featured at the Empire to-night and Saturday night, in a delightful photo-play entitled "The Trail of The Shadow," a story that contrasts the free open life of' the desert and the mountains with the high society life of the great cities. For tomorrow night (Good Friday) a special programme will be screened. The usual epecial children's matinee will be licid on Saturday when one of the chief attractions for the kiddies will -be the appearance of Charlie Chaplin in "Behind, the Scenes."

Staaner's Crucifixion will be rendered 3>y the Church choir in Whiteloy Memorial Church on Good Friday evening at 8 p.m. Tho soloists will be 'Mr. E. L. Cooper and Mr. W. Hutchins, Hawera. The choir will be under the conductorship of Mr. A. Gray. An offering will -be' .taken on behalf of the funds of the Ctrurch.

The toial number of members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who have returned to _\«w Zealand up to the end 01 February is Ui;2S->.

The following further amounts in connection with (lie Wiiiimirino Plains Tire relief have been received by us: R. M Skollon (Smart, Road) iCi'. W. .1. McKee £1; R. Pearce £2; J. Thrush (Inglewood) £1; T. L. Williams 10s; :\f. Richardson 10s; Friend 10s. We have handed the money to the Mayor.

The Hon. W. If. llerruw, has firm faith in New Plymouth's future. Yesterday lie expressed the belief that Xew Plymouth would become a largo ami important centre. Its port would probably he the largest on the west coasts of the Dominion and would serve the whole of Taranaki and the undeveloped 'district of the Ohura-

The Legislature Act provides that "the seat of any member of Parliament shall become vacant if for one whole session oi' the General Assembly he fails, without permission of tiie House to give his attendance in the House/' If the House does not grant leave to Mr. Webb he loses his seat, says the Kltlinm Argus. Will the House grant him leave?

The Wairarapa Age, deplores what' looks like Hie beginning of the end of the Forty Miie ■ JJnsh. At one of the leading cheese factories is to be seen on the notice board the following appeal:— ''For the economic working of this factory a certain amount of firewood is necessary. The. economical working of the factory is purely in the interests of milk suppliers. Therefore the manager will be very glad if suppliers will advise" him as to what firewood they can send in. Highest possible prices will he paid. Do it now!''

Matin Kapa, of Kaikohe, Bay of Islands, writes to the Auckland 'star:—

"In reply to the A raw a tribe's report in your paper, I should like the following to he a reply regarding native enrolment:—We, the Maoris of the North Auckland district, do not consider it i|uite just that tile Arawa tribe, Rotorua, should classify our district with the Waikato, regarding loyalty to King and F.mpire. There is no opposition to conscription from us. We have forwarded to the Minister far Defence the following telegram:—'We will assist in this good cause to the very cud-'" A lady farmer, a witness at Monday's sitting of the Hawcra Military Service Board, said she was not in a position to pay for labor Witness admitted, however, to owning a motor car, and contended she was not the. only woman who had a car. The chairman: Apparently you are the only one who is hard up capable of buying a motor car. Witness retorted that she had to work for the past ten years practically on her own, and was entitled to a vehicle that she could get around the country sometimes. Her counsel pointed out that it was now customary for small farmers to get a loan on their stock in order to purchase a car —Star. Mr. F. Mitehinson, the ex-All Black footballer, had a startling experience iu

oonnection with the liaetihi fires. ITc I was caught out on the Pipiriki-road in tile midst, of a burning inferno, and had Ito take terrible risks. Ho fouglit his way through the ilames, reaching the Mangaituroa TCivcr, into which he plunged, and swam for some miles with a roaring, fiery furnace on each side of him . On occasions the flames met overhead and formed an arch. On leaving the river he took to the bush at a favorable -opportunity, but the (ire, running low, chased him into trou-t .pa, whore ho rented while the inferno raged ■underneath him. Climbing from tree to tree, he at last managed to get clear, and reached Raetihi

Replying to tlio, congratulations of hydro-electric delegates under his natal caibbage tree at Wairoa tlie other day, Sir Hames Carroll said the was somewhat overwhelmed with their kindness. Ooing back into the past, lie pointed, out the site of his father's house, only a few yards distant- lie was born at the foot of the tree, which is now decaying, but kind friends had restored itBefore he was born he was claimed by the chief, and one of his nurses is still alive at the age of 110 years. Ik was educated at, the Priest College till he vras seven years of age, and then he was. claimed by his father on the death of the chief. Shortly afterwards he was sent to Napier to Mr. 0. Richardson, and his career began. He would be 01 years of age next August,- and the tree was much older than he was. He thanked them very heartily for their tribute.

Thanks to the employment of a seaplane, Lieutenant-Colonel .1. L. Sleeman, Ul.-S., Director ot Military Training, was able to carry out two inspections at widely-separated points in record time n'hile he was in Auckland last week. He had to perform the double duty of inspecting some Hying pupils at the Kouiinaraimi School and the Territorials and "Maoris in training„at Narrow Neck Camp. As the Territorials \vere leaving i-amp at midday, botli inspections bad to be performed the same morning, and these being at widely «cparatod points the problem was how to accomplish both. A seaplane from the Kohimaraina School salved the difficulty. Colonel Sleeman was met by the plane fit King's Wharf, and Hew down to Kohiniarama in 3'/; minutes —a journey which usually takes half-au-bour to do ifi-y motor-car from Auckland. Having inspected the pupils at the flying school be then Hew across tile harbor, and along Kangitoto Channel to Narrow Neck Camp, landing on the beach- The journey occupied only four minutes, as compared with the usual three-quarters of an hour taken up in crossing from Auckland it-self. Thus the Director was able to perforin a full day's work in the course of the morning only. Upon being interviewed subsequently, Colonel Sleeman stated that in bis opinion—and lie started flying in Mil 3 —flying was a necessity for the future, was equally as safe as motoring, and those business and professional men who realised its possib-ilties and made use of them would certainly outdistance their competitors.

The Management of the Marble Bar apologise to the general public for the hundreds of patrons unable lately to obtain seating accommodation, ami the company proposes shortly to enlarge their premises.—Advt.

Householders in the urea affected should note thai owing to the holidays an alteration is being made in the time r or removal of rubbish, Friday's work is being done on Thuwday afternoon, and Monday's work on Saturday afternoon.

A BOY'S ESSAY. Tea prevents women, including grandmothers and sisters from dying. Yon get it either from Ceylon, off a tree, or from next door, out of a packet labelled ARCADIA.