LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 April 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Anzac commemoration services to be held to-day, collections will be made at the doors of the halls, in aid ot the Soldiers' Club. It is suggested that infants in arms should not be taken into the building iij it can be avoided. The tests at the White Clifl's factory are running very high at present, being from G. 3 to 0.2, the whole average being 5.73. It is .only taking barely 71bs of milk to make lib of cheese. It is the little Jersey that does it. In connection with the church services to-day, the Mayor asks us to state that the services at both the picture theatres will be identical, so that it is quite optional for the publifc to attend either. The military authorities will, of course, arrange for their contingent. A special medical board, comprising Drs. Leatham and Fookes, sat in New Plymouth yesterday, and examined three returned soldiers, two of whom were discharged, the third being an in patient at the New Plymouth Hospital.

. A medical board will sit at Hawera tomorrow, from !) a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Saturday until noon, for the purpose of examining volunteers from the C and 15 classes of the Second Division, and youths of nineteen who volunteer with their parents' consent, and produce birth certificates, as '.veil us youths drawn in the recent ballot. Preference will be given to those, who are prepared to go into camp on May 22.

The question of defaulting Crown tenants in the matter of rental payments occupied the attention of the board for some time at yesterday's meeting, when a statement in detail of the standing of each defaulter was brought forward. Though the position was regarded as satisfactory oh the whole the board decided to make a final demand on some teuants before taking extreme measures for recovery, and in a few cases decided to forfeit the leases if overdue rent is not paid within a month. The British Red Cross Society regrets that the date lixed for the local effort in aid of Sir Arthur Pearson's fund for which Bell Block and Tarurutangi have been for the past month working up to help the Red Cross funds through its mart. The appeal for help for our blind-, ed men is one which has the deep sympathy of the Red Cross Society, 'and which comes obviously within the scope of its work. As it was found impossible to alter either date, the executive of the l local branch of the British Red Cross has decided to show its sympathy in a practical way by giving i'so of the money it holds in hand for war relief work to the blinded soldiers' fund. The whole of Saturday's mart takings will go to Red Cross work.

One of the oldest of New Plymouth's residences is shortly to disappear. At yesterday's meeting of the Education Board an offer was received to rent, at a low figure, the cottage in the Courtenay Street grounds, which the members of the board inspected last meeting, and which it was stated had been erected prior to 1849. The board unanimously decided not to rent the cottage, but to have it removed and sold, the ground to be added to the Courtenay Street playground. One member remarked that there were too many old buildings in New rivmouth. The nett procseds from the sale will be handed to the Central School (".V-nmiittee for tht improvement of the Oor.rtenay Street grO'imU. A comparatively new shed will be utilised as a shatter slied

A little encounter took place at the New J'lyuumlk Magistrate's Court yesterday during the hearing of the Rahotu Maori riots ease, between a witness for the prosecution (Mr. W. Green) and Mr. P.. H. I'itzherbert (counsel for the defendants). Mr. Fitzherbert had suggested that the witness was bitterly opposed to the native race, and the witness resented such a statement. Mr. FitJS-' herbert then asked why Mr. Green had said to him that i£ something was not done about the Maoris soon it would be time to pack up swags and get out. The witness replied by asking why Mr. Fitzherbert had eoiue "sneaking" round trying to gather evidence for the case. Mr., li'iUherbert replied somewhat hotly that he would not he spoken to like that, and the witness responded similarly. Eventually the witness admitted he had said that if something was not done it would soon be time to migrate.

[ A full agenda paper occupied the Land Board at its monthly meeting yesterday. | In addition to the numerous detailed matters associated with ordinary land settlement, there were ten applications before the board from returned soldiers for assistane in acquiring farms or for advances to pay oil' existing mortgages., the erection of cottage homes, the purchase of stock, implements, etc., provision for which was made by the recent amendment of the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act. The board makes it a practice to deal >vith personal matters of the kind in committee, and the nature of the applications is known only to the men themselves and the board. A reminder is given of the sale of Mr. A. W. Guilford's stock at Tarata to-day, by the New Zealand Loan and Mercaii-) tile Co. Cars leave both Inglewood and'i Stratford this morning. >

For failing to supply meals lo a f I'n\ T cl lc:x - , I lie proprietor oj the Railway Hotel, Otaki, was on Friday lined £5 and costs.

Large number's of Indians continue lo (ravel about these days (says an Auckland paper). Among the passengers of a vessel which recently left Auckland, wore Chinamen, Japanese, and Indians. AH were well-seasoned travellers, and appeared well versed in the war regulations affecting the departure of vessels. The oyster season, which opens on Wednesday, la). May, promises to be a good one (slates the Auckland Herald). Mr. L. F. Ayson, chief inspector of fisheries, who is at present in Auckland, states that lie has been round the oyster beds in lite Hauraki Gulf and the' Bay of Islands, and found that the beds are in very good condition. He has vet to visit the beds at the Great Harrier and Kaipara Harbor, but he is of the opinion that quite as many oysters will be put on the market 'this season as was done last year, when, the season was a very good <me, considerably over 10,000 sack's of oysters being placed on sale.

Beftfencc . was made, at Saturday's meeting of the Eltham Branch of the N./. farmers Union, to the serious menace lo the country in the rapid spread of blackberry. Mr. H. Wood said it was particularly dangerous in the swamp land, which it threatened to completely overrun. He expressed the opinion that unless strong measures were taken to eradicate it or at least to keep it cut down that the whole of the Ngaere swamp country would be infested w T ith blackberry within the next ten years. It, was at present very bad in some places , and was spreading with remarkable rapidity.—Axgus.

Popular little .Viola Dana will star at the Empire to-night and the following two nights, in the pleasing Metro feature, "Alad4in's Other Lamp." This is quite a delightful story adapted from Willard Mack's "The Dream Girl." It is entirely free from any Sensational happenings, but nevertheless the quaint bcaut\ of the theme will prove very attractive to all picture goers. The programme also includes the eighth episode of "Peg o' the Ring." Why should men doing clerical work in the Defence Department—men who know nothing of military manoeuvres—bo clad in khaki and called upon to salute superior officers? This is a question that, states the New Zealand Times, has raised before the Defence Expenditure Commission, and the opinion seem? to he gaining ground that this presentation of military clothing to clerks is absolute waste of money. From the trend of various questions' put to witnesses it would seem that administrative matters for which the average brave soldier is eminently unfitted, should be dealt with by a civil staff allied with the military.'

_ A party of Aucklander's who recently journeyed to Spirits Bay, near Cape Maria van Diemen, to witness the flight or the god wits, returned disappointed. On arriving at Parengarenga they were informed by residents that the" birds 'apparently taking advantage of a favorable wind and fair weather, had left on their long journey to Siberia a month before. The only' birds they saw were old weaklings, which, according to local residents, a*e always left behind. The migratory flight did not start from Spirits Boy, but from the mud flats around Te Hapua, in the Parengarenga Harbor. One reason for this may be that the birds have been shot at in the vicinity of the North Coast Bay, and another may be that the mud flats on the shores of Parengarenga Harbor make splendid feeding .grounds for the long, billed godwits. Residents who saw the flight told the party that it was a wonderful sight. It continued for several days, but for some time on the first day the sky was literally black with birds, all "squaking" at once, and making a great noise. Before actually leaving the laud the birds flew to a very great lieight, and then made off in a northerly "direction over Tom Bowling Bay, on the north coast.

When Colonel Campbell mentioned the name of Lieutenant-Colonel Sleeman to the Defence Expenditure Commission on Friday, states the Post, the chairman (Brigadier-General Sir Robert Anderson) asked: "Is that the author of a number of text books which are in universal use?" Colonel Campbell'indicated that this was the same officer. "He was at the Marne?"—"l believe so." "New Zealand is very lucky to have a man like that out here," remarked the chairman. "He is a 3pan who would bo invaluable in the camps—we have heard that their need is just such a man.' When Colonel Campbell explained that Colonel Sleeman's duties at present comprised the training of officers and men ,of the Territorials and Senior Cadets, the chairman expressed surprise. "Colonel Sleeman is'not only a man of experience but a distinguished officer. You have power to run a railway engine running a sewing machine there."

One of .the most remarkable experiences of the war was that of Private J. laylor, of the London Regiment, whose home is at Holloway, and who received •the Distinguished Conduct Medal for "extraordinary pluck and endurance in his determination not to fall into the enemy's hands." He was cut os from his company and received a bullet in the thigh, causing a compound fracture. To avoid capture he crawled into a shellhole, where lie remained for over seven weeks, during the whole of which time the surrounding district was subjected to a severe bombardment by our artillery. He lived on tins of bully beef collected at night from dead bodies, and water which he obtained in a waterproof cape. After some weeks three of the enemy visited' his shell-hole, but b> feigning death he avoided capture and eventually succeeded in crawling back to our lines—a distance of some 900 j yards.

The story of a man of rugged courage who fought his way to the top of the financial ladder, is graphically unfolded in "The Conqueror," which commences a two night season at Everybody's tonight.. There is a big theme to the story, and a surprising climax where love enters the strong man's life. The third series of the "Bairnsfather's Cartoons" aro also included on this programme.

The members of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade have very kindly arranged to attend to the comfort of the veterans who assemble at the fire station to-day, prior to attending the church service. Light refreshments will be provided. The way to decide a cough or cold I's knowledge worth much more than gold; So, as you'll catch a cold some day Read, mark and learn the surest way. Spread extra blankets on your bed,' And just before you lay your head, Drink down n steaming" dose, he sure, Of well-stirre<l Woods' Great Peppermint Cure.