LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A London cubic slates that (lie I', and 0. Company lias declared a dividend on deferred si ot.'U of 12 per rent. Clirislclimvh reports. that for the city and district £20,095 Ims been raised for tile V.M.C.A. Fund.—Press Association.

According lo a contemporary, if half the -10,00'J car owners in -Xcw Zealand each travel but five miles a day for pleasure, we. thus burn a (juai'ler of a million cases of,benzine annually. Cable advice lm« been received by the Minister of Defence that one of the New Zealand hospital ships, which is outward bound from New Zealand, has reached a port of call "all well."—Press Association.

Mr. Okey is asking the Minister of Dc- j fence whether his attention has been called to the large number of young na- ! tives, apparently eligible for military service, in and around the Taranaki district, who do not appear to have any calling in the direction of assisting production, and whether lie will take the necessary steps to have these men brought into cam]) before members of the .Second Division are called up. A return in connection with the shipment of butter to London, which the Prime Minister has shown to Mr. H. J. Okey, il l'., shows the charges to be as follows: Freight 10s per cwt., marine insurance la lid, war risk lis ftd, exchange Is Id, landing charges London Is, commission 5s Sd, discount Is lOd; total £1 13s 3d per cwt. At Hawem on Tuesday three men pleaded guilty to being found on licensed premises after closing hours. Fines of £1 and costs were, inflicted, the S.M., Mr. W. K. Tlaselden, adding that hotelkeepers had better be careful, as there was another tribunal —the Licensing Committee—which iiad great powers. Two men charged with being found on licensed premises at Normanby under similar circumstances were also fined £1 and costs.

At the Magistrate's Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, before Messrs. H. R. Cattley and T. Avery, .T's.P., Mmiga Munga Whakaawe, who pleaded guilty to a charge of using obscene language in Devon Street on February 8, and elected to be dealt with summarily, was fined £o, in default 3 months' imprisonment. Accused was allowed one month in which to pay tiie fine.

The Taranaki Education Board has been advised that the Department has authorised a grant for the extension of the Now Plymouth Technical College buihlinirs. It is expected the work.will be carried out in concrete and brick, the latter being used to keep the face of the new portion of the building in conformity with the main structure.

''lt, was to be regretted that shopkeepers encouraged the wives of working men, and women who were not the wives of working men, to run up bills without the knowledge of their husbands, and much in excess of their husband's earnings. "A remark bv Mr. S. 13. M'Cnrtliey, S-M., in the Wellington Magistrate's Court recently, after hearing evidence in a maintenance case.

A Masterton settler some months ago protested against one of 'his employees being sent into camp, as lie was obviously unfit for service. The Defence authorities practically suggested that he was harboring a shirker. He was taken to cam]), drilled, and sent to England, where he was immediately rejected. He is now back in Masterton looking for work, and he has cost the country anything between £3OO and £JOO.

■Pome of the prisoners at Kaingaroa tree-planting ramp are adopting an mifriendly attitude towards conscientious cl>j(>ei.oiK to militarism who have been sent to the camp for disobeying the law. The ordinary convicts at this "camp — most of whom are said to be people who belonged to genteel professions—decline (says the Manawatu paper) to work or have any intercourse with the conscientious objectors. Tliey regard it as an insult to themselves to have sr.ch men as the anti-militarists placed alongBid* them. Tliey declare that, while they have done wrong and broken certain laws, they are loyal folk, and do not believe in anyone who is fit who would not fight to win the war. Tt is an appalling fact, says Dr. Robert Bell, that during the past forty-five ypars in England the death-rate from cancer lias risen close upon 300 per cent., until t'lie annual mortality in that country alone has reached the enormous total of 30,000; while, if the habitable globe be taken into account, there are at present living on the earth 25.000,000 persons who arc destined to die of this scourge if steps are not taken to nullify the causes which lead up to its incidence. Operations, far from proving efficacious, are largely responsible for this terrible state of affairs. Many Burgeons have staled that never in one instance have tliey known cancer to be cured by the knife. Tn connection with the death in action of Bandsman "Bert" Mason, Mr. F. W. ft. MeLeod says the news of his death was received with something of a shock by his local comrades, with whom he kept in touch by regular correspondence. Mr. MeLeod recently received a letter from him, in which he hoped to get leave and go to Blighty soon. He also enclosed a card from the New Plymouth Women's Patriotic Committee, bearing the name 1 of Mrs. I t. Dempsey, Mangorei Road, with the words written itn it, ''Hope yofi will return safely." Mr. MeLeod states, that as the band is to play at the park oh Sunday afternoon next lie intends to include in the programme some items by which the death of "this sterling chap" may be appropriately honored. The second series of "Bairnsfather's War Cartoons" will be shown on tlitnew programme at Everybody's to-night. These cartoons arc famous all over the j English speaking world, and their extension to moving pictures add the life to an exceedingly clever and amusing series of sketches. Alice Joyce stars on the same programme ill a Greater Vitagraph drama "All Alabaster Box."

Next to good food, warm clothing is necessary for the life of all children and fond mothers thinking of winter clothes for the kiddies will lie clad to see tile new jerseys, advertised on page four by The Big Store. Waitara. They are so cosy and serviceable, vet so easy to buv.

Once upon a time the "golden fleece" was only legendary—now it is real. The war is sending wool prices higher and higher and ladies are therefore advised to lmv all the woollen underwear now. In tliirf connection no finer values are offered than at Morey's and we refer yon'to their advertisement.

Picture patrons are given a reminder that to-night will be the last occasion on which the "Bairnsfather's War Cartoons" series 2 will be screened at Everybody's. This programme also includes the Greater Vitiigraph star film "An Alabaster **0?:," with Alice Joyce in the lead,