LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 May 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The next draft of men from New .Plymouth for tho CI Camp will be farewelled at the railway station to-morrow morning. Official information lias reached Wellington that the 3Stn and 30th Reinforcements have arrived safely at ports of call. Flags were flown on the Government buildings yesterday, the occasion being the eighth anniversary of King George V. to the British throne. The Taranaki County Council's contribution to the Taranaki Hospital and Charitablo Aid Board on the county valuation of £2,224,347, amounts to £10(18 0s per annumIt is estimated that over £l5O will be raised as the result of the Okato patriotic «fl'ort on Thursday last. In addition to the ladies already mentioned, the following 'rendered invaluable assistance:—Mesdames J. Wooldridge, J. L. Power, Bridgeman, Misses Bridgemau, Drader, Corkill, and Gray. There were 224 new consumers connected with the New Plymouth electrical mains last year, together with 73 additions to old customers' installations- The manager states in his annual report that the plant will frequently be called upon to handle overloads but the plant is in good order and should be able to hear the strain until the new turbine arrives. Some comment was made at the. Now Plymouth Borough Council table last liight on the late lighting up of the Post Office clock at night. One councillor alleged that the clock was not illuminated until about 6.30 each evening, whereas it was too dark to see the face of the clock for nearly an hour before that time. It was resolved to call the attention of those responsible for its lighting to the .jnater. An alluring and fascinating Nihilist beauty entices a man to let her travel ■in Russia as his wife, and then begins ■the deadly and perilous struggle with the. all-powerful secret service. This is one of the events of "My Official Wife," now showing at the Empire, in which Clara Kimball Young is featured. A penny trail which was held yesterday at the Central School resulted in SS3 pennies (£5 13s 7d) being donated towards the blind soldiers' fund. ' A similar trail at the Courtenay street infants' school collected 324 pennies ( £1 7s). This makes the total from the Central School £5 0s 7d. The fund collected in New Plymouth for that purpose i s over £2OO. With reference- to the representations made by the deputation which waited on the Mirtfeter of Railways at New Plymouth recently regarding a certain car rim on the Wellington-Now Plymouth mail train, Vr. TO. If. lliley, General Manager, notified the Taranaki County Council that the complaint evidently referred to a first-class car with longitudinal seats, which was run for a short time on the mail train one day per week. Arrangements had now been made to replace it with a ear of the type usually run on the mail train. The season at the New Plymouth Bowling Green closes next Thursday at 2 o'clock with the usual match president v. vice-presidents. Visitors can be sure of a warm welcome. ' A welcome home is to be tendered to five Tariki boys on May 23. Get a North British Hot Water Bottle with the patent "Unique'' stopper. Made of best rubber, tight well-vulcan-ized seams, they last for years, that's why all chemists recommend them. CARE FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS WILL CARE FOR YOU. Don't lie awake with cold feet listen, ing to the clock tiek-tock, and wish you could sleep. ACT. Get a North British Hot Water Bottle with "Unique" ! stopper. The cost is small compared to \ the comfort I

Koferenec was made at la.it night's meeting -.A the New Plymouth Uorough CVjiinr-il by Cr. Short to what lie termed (lie disgraceful si ale of the woodwork tif (he Post Ofliic building--bolli the oh! pnrli.m mid the new. jlc II ght the atiention ot tin- Public Works Depart mi'iil should be railed In I lie miilicr. A s-iiggc-liiui tlial il nas a chance for a (lovoninicnt (Ic|iai'l incut to pniuLica economy, drew from Cr. Short Iho reply Ibat it vtts an extravagant practice to leave tlie woof/work of a building for a lon/.;- jieriocl without a- fresh coal of paint.

At yiv.iorday's meeting of the Taranai;i County' Council, Cr. Laurence stated that the Tariki Dairy Company recently obtained a truck of eoai lor their Kugby road creamery, and as the Uailway Department wanted tlie truck urgently I hey iiad to put on two carts to cart the coal and had to pay £2 Os license fees, or at (.lie rate of 7s per ton. He understood it was impossible at present to get in a quantity of coal to make further use of the carts and so reduce tlie cost per ton, and!, tmder the circumstances, Cr. Laurence thought the factory should l,p given some rebate. Members expressed their opinion that the charge appeared out of all proportion, but regretted that there wa a no power to make any rebate. Jaw-hones of the imitara lizard have been found in a number of middens and old steam ovens on the Miramar Peninsula, writes 11 r Klsdon Best in the Kew Zealand Journal of .Science and Technology. "It is unite possible that the former inhabitants of these, parts utilised the creature as a part of their food supplies, as (he natives of the Bay of Plenty district undoubtedly did. At some time in the past the tuatara must have existed here in considerable numbers, and some were caught by early settlers, as recorded in various publications. One was seen in Soanies Island, about the year 1577. and the writer has been informed that one was actually caught anion;,' rocks above high-water mark at Miramar in 1910. Bones and fragments of egg-shell of the moa have also been found at Miramar, and at least one implement of moa bone, though there does not appear to be any conclusive evidence that these creature's existed here since the advent of the Maori."

To be a New Zealander and a resident in tiio South Island and not to have received or seen a newspaper or letter for eight months in the present stressful times is a statement hardly possible- to give credence to (says the "Blulf Press"). Yet that is the experience of Mr d. M'Kenzic, of Martin's Bay. who was in BIiil! on Thursday. Mr M'Ken:'.ie is a runholder with his brother on the West (.'oast in the vicinity of Martin's Bay, which is situated about 20 miles up the coast from Milford (Sound. The brothers ran cattle, and once a. year drive their surplus stock overland to Lumsden, a journey occupying six weeks. There is no other civilisation near the brothers, as Greymouth is 200 miles up the coast, and their mails are expected quarterly by the Ifincinoa, which failed on her last two trips to call. Despite the hardy existence of the brothers, neither was able to pass for military service, even the fact that they made an overland trip of 200 miles to the medical board failing to satisfy the examiners that they were up to military standard. Martin's Bay secures a great deal of drift in the. course of the. year, and paragraphs have appeared from time to time in relation to bottles containing messages thrown over from troopships, which have been picked up by the brothers, Une of these, thrown over in the Australian Bight, travelled a distance of 2240 miles before being picked up by Mr M'Kenzie. Shortly after Christmas a great deal of drift entered the bay, no fewer than 20 ships' hatches coining ashore, but despite a most careful examination the brothers could find nothing which would point to the name of the vessel evidence of whose disastrous ending seemed to 1)0 present before them. There is not much pre-war material to be obtained nowadays. This gives special interest to the announcement by The Modem Tailors, Ltd., that they have forty-eight pieces of Tweeds and Serges that they will make into tailormade skirts for 355. If you are handy with the needle they will sell you the cloth for 10s per yard. As prices are to-day this 10s is well below the wholesale price, and it is worth while callng to test the quality and examine the patterns. Remember there are only 48 lengths. Do it now. Says Melbourne Table Talk: It is a long look back for the Chief Justice from the senior position on the Supreme Court Bench to the day when young William Irvine, newly landed

from Ireland, cheerfully undertook a job at wheeling cases about the halls of (lie Centennial Exhibition over 30 years ago. To-day he is Sir William Irvine, acting-Governor of Victoria. Picture-goers are reminded that the colossal programme showing to-night at Everybody's necessitates an early start. 'Plie operator will get busy at 7.45 sharp. The Melbourne, Ltd., advise they have still a small stock of children's black :>nd tan all-wool cashmere three-quarter socks, with double-ribbed lops, in the famous "Jason" make, at the following prices:--Size .", Is Oil; fours, Is lid; fives, 2s Id; sixes, 2s 3d; sevens, 2s Sil; eights, is 7<l; nines, 2s Oil; and tens, 2s lid. These socks are guaranteed to wear well, and to keep a good color. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile draw clients' 'attention to their Tavata sale on Friday, May 10, at 1 p.m. Pull particulars on page 8.