LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 August 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

_ The collection taken at the band recital at the breakwater on Sunday afternoon amounted to £l3 4 3 .

The quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court opened at Palmerston North yegday before Mr " Ju ßti<-'e Chapman. There were no criminal eases and his Honor was, as is customary, presented .with a pair of white gloves.—Press Association.

I The weekly meeting of the Whiteley |Uub last night took the form of a devotional meeting, which was conducted by Mr. 11. T. H. Grave, who gave a very helpful address on duty to the church, which he titled "Eyes Open and Hands Ready A number of appropriate musical selections were given during the course of the meeting.

The following additional subscriptions to the Ambury Memroial Fund have been received: Mr. Newton Kinc Mr* Newton King, D r . Leatham and Mr. R Pepperill, £1 l s ea _ c i l . > Mr . \y, j. q or _ don and Mrs. Honnor, 10s Gd each: Mrs P. Richards and Mr. R, H. George, 10s each; Miss A. Avann and the Baptist J ™iw Endeavor Society, 0s each; total, x»7 19s 6d.

In speaking at the Soldiers' Club last night Captain M'Diarmid said only those who had been in action with the men at the front could fully realise what "white men the great majority of them were. He said there was one matter, however, that he wished to draw particular attention to, and that was the fact that there was a very small percentage of the men who were wasters. Some of these had been known, on their return from the iront, to seek assistance from private individuals In most cases, they were men who least required help, and he deprecated the g.vmg of assistance in such cases. He pomted out that there were fmids specially raised for the assistance ot returned men, and the Returned Soldiers Association had also authorised its secretary to give such temporary assistance as seemed necessary to such men.. He hoped that if any returned men made application privately for monetary assistance, it would be declined, in tue interests of the men themselvesand that they would be referred to the Returned Soldiers' Association.

The statement by Sir Dou«las Ilai" in 1»h order to the British Army that the period of oriaU" has passed/recalls Mr. Bonar Law's estimate of the timelimit imposed on the enemy. "The result of coming battles must always be uncertain," he said on June 18, "but those who are responsible, those best competent to judge, look forward to the future without alarm. The next few months will form (h„ supreme ]lom . ,„ una light ji le Hermans have deliberately bent everything on winning a decisive result now before the forces of America, can be brought into play If three months hence none of the strategic objects have been secured by the enemy then their campaign wi|| have failed, and in spite of the victories they have aclueyed up to now it will be the most disastrous of all campaigns in which they have engaged. The future of our country and of the world depends on the !next few weeks. It depends, in the first place, on our soldiers and those of our Allies. They will not fail us. It depends also to some extent on the lines of communication—on those of 'us who i remain at home."

The secretary of the Postal Department, Wellington, advises: The mails for United Kingdom which left New Zealand on June 15 arrived at destination safely

Some people get "cold feet" ul; they read bad news, and others w!- fliey go to bed without a "TJtiioi Mot Water Bottle. Ask your Cheats for a "Unique" and you'll know what

Mr. Grainger remarket! at the last meeting of the Patea Haribor Board that it was not often they could work Patca when they could not work Wangamii, but that happened last month In mining circles at Recffon much interest is being manifested in the operation of a company, reinforced with outside capital, who are interesting themselves in tiie purchase of the leading mines in that part (says a. West Coast paper). The combination i 3 operating on a wide scale, and it is anticipated that its ambitions will be given practical expression to in the near future.

Tiie coal shortage must he Aentii.jp at least one Christchurch household (says the Lyttelton Times), for a coal merchant recently received a pathetic appoal for supplies, the following i>ar.sage fairly expressing the tenor of the letter: "Send me that coal T ordered on Moiiday, or we will all be dead witli cold and you will be had up for manslaughter!" The New Zealand Times states that information has been received in Wellington that there were a number of New Zoalanders on the hospital ship Warilda when she was torpedoed. It is understood that some have been reported as missing, but no particulars are available.

"There is no hope here that the war will be over shortly," writes an American business man in the course of a letter to a friend in Wellington. "Instead," he said, "it is figured that it may last for several yeara. After we have three million men in France, we look for things to change, and I can assure you that the Germans will know that the Americans are in France before the next spring passes." A country motor agent stated in support of his appeal before the Military Appeal Board that if lie was sent to camp his business would fail. "Nine out of every ten business men who go in for tiie business 'go through.'" Mr. Considine: "I don't know how it is over here, but I know that in the Wairarapa a motor business is one of the best-pay-ing businesses," Large numbers of conger eels were to be seen swimming close to the surface of the water in Lyttelton Harbor last week, and hundreds were speared from the Gladstone pier and the water edge. One young man is reported to have caught three dozen in an hour and ahalf. The influx to the harbor of icy cold water from the thawing snow on the surrounding hills is thought to be the reason for the eels rising to the surface, the theory apparently bein# that the eels dislike the extreme cold, and find wanner water near the surface.

Richard Harold Edwin Giles, aged eighteen years, who is under sentence to four years' reformative treatment, and while waiting further sentence" on two charges of theft, from the Palmerston gaol on (Sunday evening, wa/3 arrested again at Oroua Downs on Wednesday, having broken into two dwellings, and committed further thefts. He was brought before the court on Fridlay, and pleaded guilty to all charges. He Was sentenced to twelve months' reformative treatment for escaping from gaol, and two months? imprisonment on each of the theft charge's, the sentences to tie concurrent with the origial sentence of four years.

One of the difficulties met with in the creation <of Kitchener's new armies on the outbreak of war, Colonel Sleemantold the Wellington Garrison officers the other nigM, was the la«k of a leaven or "stiffening" of experienced men in the units. When they got into the forces the retired officers and n.co.'s there was a marvellous change, and progress was much more rapid. In New Zealand, the officers, n.c.o.'s, and men of the Territorial and Senior Cadet Forces had attted as a, leaven for the Expeditionary Force. He knew that some said that the Territorial training waa of no value to the man entering camp—<thatt he had to start from tho beginning, but, he remarked humorously, that was an old story. Ho had seen the same thing in india. A draft on its arrival would be inspected by the general, and even though it was ever so smart, he might damn it, say that he had never seen such a regiment and wonder how it hung together. "You might ask why he did that," said Colonel Sleeman with a smile, "but a year afterwards he would inspect the same unit again and praise it—that, of course, was different. I shouldn't be surprised if the same thing happened here—that when the troops get to Sling the Sling people say they wonder how they got through Trentham, and When they arrive at Etaples, the Etaples officers ask what sort of a place is Sling to send such a draft." (Laughter.) 'An American business man, writing to a friend in Wellington, ■under date June 31, state's that the spring weather ha* (been quite, favorable for crops, and indications were that there would be an immense acreage and yield of Wheat and oats. Hay crops also were good. PtitD Ibeef and cattle on the Chicago in the middle of June brought 18c per lb live weight, the highest price beef Siad ever made. Pigs were selling at about 17c live weight. Creani, based on but-ter-fat contents, brought 4fc ,per lb. "No one is permitted to use "pure whea/t flour for baking bread," the writer, states"Bakeries and house-wives must use> cereal substitutes to tho amount of 30 per cent. While there is plenty of wheat in this country, it is necessary for ; Allied troops abroad, and so we are shipping wheat away, and what wo are keeping at home we are mixing with, cornmeal and other cereals for our own use."

"High.Play" i s the title of the headliner at (Everyfbody's to-night, and th.chief character is portrayed by William Bussell, a big -vigorous actor who will soon Ibeemiie a popular favorite with New Zealanders. There is an excellent supporting list.

Lovely Japanese crepe de chine 10 moraine weight, 40 inches wide, is hein" offered by the Melbourne, Limited, in the following shades:—White, shell pink, pale blue and golden brown. The wearing qualities of this fashionable material are well known. Price, lis (id per yard.

The fact that the National Efficiency Board reported that Prohibition was essential for permanent National Efficiency, yet recommended that compensation should be paid, has puzzled many. The Board pointed out that the benefits the nation would gain under Prohibition were so great that it should be brought into operation at once. But under the Statute, prohibition would not come into effect for four and a half years, even if tho prohibition vote was carried; hence the recommendation to pay compensation, and thus secure immediate prohibition. The Alliance Monster Petition asks Parliament to submit the Board's proposals to a vote. Every patriotic [New Zealander should sign, that petition *9>dftJter.Advt. ~

A Feilding farmer, in a letter to an Ash'burton resident, states that it is a wcll J kn<wn fact that there are a number of German settlers in that district. The residents of Feilding are at a, loss to understand a peculiar act on the part of a number of these German settlers in Halcomibe, Taonui and C'olyiton districts. Katih German has stripped one of his tallest pinus insignia trees of the brandies for a distance of about 20 feet, leaving only a tuft on the top. There is a good deal of speculation a<j to the reason of theEe landmarks- Some people suggest that in the event of an invasion the trees so stripped •would serve to indicate to invaders that the inhabitants of the farms were Germans. As the Hun s will never get a chance to land an army in New Zealand, tlhe. albove theory is, of course, discounted, and the only other practical solution of* the mystery the Feilding people can tliink of at present is that the Germans are preparing for the day when the Allies will be victorious so that they can hoist the Union Jack on the tree s in question.

Belief in the .good effects of healthy rivalry appears in the Defence Commission's report. "We were surprised" (state the, Commissioners) "to find that information on respective costs of rationing in the camps was not published lbrottdeast v from time to time. A feature of training camps abroad fa the rase made of thi 8 form of rivalry. The camp that has the lowest expenditure and cu at the same time Blhow perfect contentment amongst its troops is singled out for praise and distinction, and other camps are thus spurred on to attain that standard, tad, if possible, toTbeatt it, and the result ia keeh and healthy rivalry. The cost of Territorial camps is published yearly, but too long after the camps are over, and therefore of comparatively little value. With your training-camps, publication once a month, or at the most once a quarter, would have good effect, and we urge that this be done. Bearing on this point the following question was addressed to the Director of Supplies and Transport: 'ls any incentive given to the officer in Charge of rationing to keep his cost low?' • The answer, more 'military' than satisfactory, wa 5 sufficiently amusing: 'No incentive is given to an officer in charge of rationing. It becomes a dutyl"'

"Laugh, and if you can't laugh, smile," is being accepted as the new war-time injunction by thousands of persons in the Old Country. The darkest days of war and the most rigid restrictions imposed by the Food Controller have not succeeded in quenching the j cheerfulness of the British people. There has indeed lately sprung into existence a new society known as "the Ancient Order of Smilera." The rules are simple, [and are embraced by the one word "smile." Members' entrance fees and subscriptions are not paid with silver and gold, but with drafts drawn on good fellowship. "K. 0.5." ia the motto of the order, and the three letters interpreted in extenso read, "Keep on smiling." . Among the members already enrolled are Admiral Lord Jellicoe, ViceAdmiral Sir Roger Kcyes, and, quite aptly, George (Riolbey, the famous comedian. The late 'Lord REondda, the first British Stood Controller, was also a member. Vice-Adimatal Sit Eager Keyels, when accepting memtarslhjp.of the order, wrote; "I wish my fellow members could have seen the smiles oil the faces of the many wounded lying an the sfliipg which boardtha)t the MocMiip had achieved tilie object of the operation." Anrtralians in: England, coming from the land off Btnaleg and srawshSne, have Joined tihe Order of Smiters in large numbers. The «ert9ficate off memfbersMp given to each one of than Ibefwre going to the front providls a constant reminder that they have undertake* *o do their (best to dheer others affld make them also smile. On each certificate the Mowing lines appear "Keep on smiling when you've lost the 1 crops; tap on danfelng when the fiddle stops; keep on faithful till the curtain drops, and you'll get there in the nUarning."