LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 September 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Minister of Defence lias receivedadvice that the 39th Reinforcements have reached their destination—all well. —Press Assoc. Companies, firms, and individual taxpayers who failed to -subscribe to the last war loan are receiving a circular from the Commissioner of Taxes, calling upon each recipient to explain its or his reason for not contributing (says the 'Wellington Post) ' The New Plymouth .Borough l CoiiDcft [notifies that the Saltwater Baths are wen*for ilie ..soaaon.''

The Passmore Challenge Shield, sentec! by Mr, J. L. Passmore (Dunedin) to the best-drilled and smartest-tumed-out secondary school cadet contingent in the Dominion, has been awarded to Christ's College Cadets for j their training during the past year.— j Press Assoc. An JEltham farmer recently paid a ■ visit to the land offered for the settlement of returned soldiers on the Gordon Goad, Inglewood. In conversation with an Argus representative, li» described the property as very poor, unfeneed, houseless, and roadless, and expressed an emphatic opinion that the prospects of any man talcing up sueli land as hopeless. Mr. J. S. Connett, president of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, attended the annual meeting of the Waitara Road Dairy Company yesterday, and gave a comprehensive address on the aims and progress of the society, in furtherance of his campaign. At'.the conclusion several suppliers (the majority of whom are already members) spoke in support of the work of the society, and the compa.ny unanimously resolved to vote Is per ton on its output towards the prize fund. Two or three new members were also secured.

During last year suppliers of the Waitara Road Dairy Company contributed to patriotic funds through their, factory the sum of £207 8s Id, which amount had been divided among the Wounded Soldiers, Y.M.C.A., and Salvation Army funds. Since the outbreak of war this factory has donated 1-Sd per lb butterfat to patriotic, funds, amounting to £OOI 8s lOd. At yesterday's meeting it was unanimously resolved to continue this contribution throughout the coming year, and in addition it was resolved to donate £IOO towards the Red Cross Copper Trail fund. Each individual supplier has the option of declining to allow the amount to be deducted from his cheque, but the secretary stated that only foruout of the eighty odd suppliers had not contributed last year. The defeat of tlie New Plymouth borough loan proposals can be largely attributed to apathy on the ■ part of the ratepayers generally and the lack of organisation of the progressive element.. No effort was made by the latter to secure a representative poll, whilst a little band of oppositionists were busy all day bringing supporters to the polling booths and persuading others to oppose the proposals. The central polling booth at the Old Drill Hall could not have been situated at a, more inconvenient place, and during the day many people called at the Soldiers' Club, where a booth had previously been located, and did not bother further. Polling booths were insufficiently advertised, as were the proposals generally. Had the council and supporters of the scheme evinced only ordinary, interest in the matter there would have been a representative vote and the proposals carried by an overwhelming majority. The failure yesterday was due absolutely to a "snap' vote of a few whilst the many slept. Says the Auckland Observer: It is better to have sound and healthy citizens than feable men and women with sixth standard "passes." The contrasts in the treatment of children by 'lie Xew Zealand Government is very marked indeed. You will find a populous district where hundreds at children are jammed into little wedges of rooms, and another district, where there is a great grammar school built on the best principles and giving the children every chance of health. Why one lot of children should be less the care of the State than the other lot, oio loaves the Minister of Education to explain. What is true of large insanitary schools in the cities is equally true' of many country schools. The Slate which sends criminals into the ?pe". air tree-planting in order +t give them physical health to morally regenerate 'might 'lm> 'equally kind to ch'ldren who have committed nn (ri'.me. Some of the schools need a firestiek very badly. The impossibility of imparting .knowledge to children crushed into pens like s-leep seems not to strike alleged educationalists, who, as recently pointed out, will sit and talk aiboitt hygien: m a closed dark airless room.

A Norwegian named .Tolm Hugo -lr>hansen. who has served terms of imprisonment ranging up to IS months on nrevinus charges (including five of breaking and entering, four of theft and two of vagrancy), yesterday was sentenced to another three months. Ahout 10 o'doek on Tuesday night, while in :i <>tmken condition, he hoarded the harqnentine Thrasher, which was lying at the wharf, with .the avowed intention of stowing away, as the master of the vessel had already refused him permission fo ship, on the ground that the Customs authorities 'would not grant, .the necessary permission. The night-watchman eventually turned the persistent visitor over to a, policeman, and he was charged before Mr. 'A. Crooke. S.M.. with being found drunk and with boarding an overseas' vesselwithout haying obtained permission from a competent authority, contrary to the War Regulations. Sub-Tnspeetor Hi'.tton ?aid the accused came out of the New Plymouth' Gaol last "Friday, having been sent there from f-Tnwera having been sent there from Hawcra iter making a false- declaration as an alien. ITis Worship convicted and discharged charged on the charge of drunkenness, and for the lireaeh of the War Regulations imposed a ' sentence of three ■months' imprisonment with hard laihor. For a breach of the War "Regulations an alien can be fined £IOO or imprisoned for 12 months, and any person other than an alien can he fined a similar amount or imprisoned for three months. National Prohibition has proved a wonderful success in Canada, and the Alliance Monster Petition asks that' the people of New Zealand should he given an opportunity of saying whether they want it here. Sign it to-day. Be sure you sign the right Petition! Look carefully, or you may be induce:! to support a proposal asking for nationalisation of the Drink Traffic with all its attendant evils. The Alliance Monster Petition is the one that every patriotic citizen should support. Sign' it and no other.—Advt. Every man, woman and child in Germany is a pawn in the hands of 'the Kaiser. Before the war Gentians spread throughout the world at his bidding—and now: they lurk and scheme among us under the guise of neutrality or (Citizenship. "The Spy System," to 'be screened at Everybody's next Tuesday and Wednesday, is a story of Mark Quaintancc,, who sought to warn U.S.A. of its peril. He delved' into the darkest centres of Potsdam espionage—and there met a girl who had been sent to spy upon him. In a sudden- love she threw down the Kaiser's work—and together, as man and woman, defied the wrath and torture of iPrussianism in a drama thai grips and sways with sheer intensity stiirough.,seven stupendous acts. If ( jrerar, ihroat is sore ana irritable' Jake -jSiSOIi. 4£%«^glira'yiH&relief.

"Smile when you pay your income tax; it means a tear for the Kaiser," is one of the slogans in the nationvide campaign undertaken by the United States Internal Revenue Commissioners. The object is to promote a, cheerful spirit among the 7,000,000' American ratepayers, ■who, for the first time, will be subjected to a direct Federal income tax- It was intended to collect more than £600,000,000 by the first of the month. Samples Jf Southland timber are to lie forward*! to Great Britain at an early date, so as to determine its suitability for pulp-making purposes, and careful tests, and trials will (be made Vy a committee of experts appointed by the British* Government. Similar timbers from the West Coast, which were dispatched to Switzerland before the war and made, into pulp, were reported to be admiraibly suited for wood-pulp purposes- ' A novel sight has bee* near Nolantown for some ; the Hawcra Star)., Ever;, ' about dusk, starlings in thousands alight in a paddook (changing their ground occasionally). The people of Nolantown consider it a most fascinting sight, and many turn up every evening to watch proceedings. Large paddocks are literally alive -with tie birds, and it would 'be interesting to learn what attracts them

New Zealanders have beer, surprised at the largo proportion of recruits that has been rejected by the examta: ing doctors, The opinion used to obtain that New Zealanders were equal to the next best in the whole world, but this belief no longer prevails. A high medical officer attributes the lack of physical fitness largely to the smoking habit, particularly amongst the youth. Smoking, he said, undermines the constitution, retards development and lays up a heap of physical trouble when a man gets on in years. Physically General Eoch, the Allied commander-in-chief, is a little man. llii; inches are about those of Napoleon's, and he has Grant's fondness for the cigar, according to frank H. Sim* onds. Like Joffre a Southerner, lie has a frankness of speech which his old commander has never displayed. Unlike Retain, his words are rarely caustic and ho has made friends among all hw allies. An old-man, close to 70, yet ynu.MCPr than Clemenceau, lie was still n'andsomo when the war began, but the strain has marked his face and only his eyes reveal an unshaken spirit. There has been a good dcil of motor car thieving at Gisbornc lately. The other day a motorist who left "his car outside the Opera House found later on that it had disappeared. He informed the police, and engaged a tax] to look for th> car, which was subsequently seen being driven'in an erratic manner. An exciting race ensued, the thief .eventually jumping out of I the car as it was moving and ttreaking across country. A detective in the i pursuing' cjir mie chase and eventually, after a, struggle, caught the delinMiifnt. vim viti no hronsrht before the court. The stolen car ran into a sandbank and was not injured. i A strange story of how the news of a soldier's death was conveyed to Iris' mother in a dream is recorded at Batburst. She dreamed that her son, on service in.Europe has been shot in the head; but when she related the details to the other members of the family in the morning they treated the matter lightly, arguing that the dream was explained by her anxiety concerning her boy. Some, time afterwards w-rd was received officially from the Defence Department that the son had ■beer, reported missins. Later there ?ame an unofficial intimation that lie had gone out with an attacking party one night and had not veVrned, anil that a pal had immediately gon* V-aek im-\hhi]. .The would-be reseller, however, also failed to return. He wrote later that hi himsell wai a prisoner in the enemy's hand?: but added that on gv.ng out to .search for the Batluirst hoy he discovered him lvimr dead with a bullet wound in the head". The date and hour mentioned in the letter eorrcpniiile.' with the time of the mother's dream.

Wellington lias echoed the verdict of Auckland in regard to tl'ie first Pctrova production, (lie "Daughter of Dastin'.'." It is recognised by nil as a picture'o." high artistic merit, with a powerful]*interesting s(tory made doubly nttracti'-'e liy the superb actiiiT of Mine. Potrovn who. imtramellcd by director, prov™ that she it; really a great artist. Mr Bov-Offlce, who is claimed to !<« i<-,? best critic' of' them all, says that the "Daughter of Destiny" U a' remarkahiv good picture—very big business bein''; the order in borii Auckland and Wolihiv lon. 'J , hi"-MipcTb picture eomm nvc- a three-night sr.iM'ni at The Umpire towight. Our readers are again reminded of the closing' dajj; of the Melbourne's sale. Last opoprnvnity to buy cottons,-tapes, Horrockses' calicoes,' Horrockses' flannelettes, Prestwieh's "Advance"' and 'S.S/§-" drills; large brawn towels, 23 x ■47 inches, 2s lid pair, ladies' pure'cashmere hose 2s fld, ladies' vyliite ..silk "olousea lfls Cd, Fuji and crepe da chine blouses, navy skirts 7s lid, and scores of other great bargains. On Saturday next the New Plymouth Coursing Club propose running an open Maiden Stake at their New Plymouth Coursing grounds. The object of the meeting is to allow several members who are proceeding to camp on the 11th mst.j a chance to fry out their dogs. Nominations and acceptances close with the secretary, Mr 0. Bruce, on Friday evening, when the draw -ivill also be made. Mum may pour her tea into her sjiucor, hut she still remains the dearest old thing we've met on the screen for a do l cade. She is one of the leading characters in the Triangle prize drama "Hea] Folks," showing at. Everybody's to-night and to-morrow, June Caprice also stars on this 'programme in the elisu-uiii!i» Fox comedy drama "Patsy.'" 'Patrons are requested to note tiiat ti>6 programme commences at 7.45 sharp.