LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

ft is understood that the election of a member to fill the Taranaki seat in Parliament will be held on Oteober 10

it is stated that there are still between 1500 and 3000 deserters, at large m Xdw Zealand. * g

A I\ew Plymouth timber workers' dispute will be heard this morning at 10 o clock by the Conciliation Council, at tiie Magistrate's Court.

In the opinion of Mr. J. T. M. Hornsby, M.P., there will not be a general election until six months after the war, as the two major parties in the House are pledged to that course.

The Commissioner for Crown Lands (Mr. C. 11. Bullard) and members of the Land Board yesterday inspected ttu Croydon Returned Soldiers' Settlement, near Stratford.

It is a striking commentary on the demand for land in the vicinity of Levin (says the Chronicle) that within the past three months over £150,000 has been paid at auction for blocks embraced by a ton-mile radius from the town. On the motion of Mr Quilliam probate of the will of the late Mr Richard Street has been granted by the Supreme Court to Messrs William and Henry Street, the executors therein named. • In fining Henare Kaihau £5, at Waiukii, last week, for failing to obey the rabbit inspector's instructions, Mr. P. K. Hunt, S.M., said that if defendant did not comply with the instructions within a month he would fine him £IOO.

The sailings of the Arapawa from Onehunga to Waitara have been sus pended until further notice (according to the W&itara Mail), The management state this is a consequence of the poor cargoes the vessel has been lately obtaining for Waitara-

A farewell dance to Mr. C. V. Mead, organised by a number of his friends, was held in the East 1 End Pavilion on Wednesday evening. During the evening Mr- C. H. Wynyard referred briefly to the fact that Mr. Mead would shortly ha leaving for camp, and the health of the guest was drunk.

The following question was put to General Pau, head of the French Mission, in Sydney, a few days ago:— '[Row exactly does one pronounce the name of Genera,! Foch?" "!Fosh!" said General Pan, explosively. "Not Fbck?' "No; Fosh!' reiterated the General, and that question should now be sent to its long sleep-

Stonehengc, which has been presented to the iyition, is the remains of a great prehistoric structure in England, in Wiltshire, on Salisbury Plain, nine miles north-ncyth-west of Salisbury. It consists mainly of a circle of vast stones (nearly half |f them now prostrate). averaging about 14ft in elevation, whi?> originally supported and were joined by horizont.il stones, of a number of much smaller stone* (originally forming an inner circle), and of several pairs of huge stone columns arranged elliptirallv within the inner circle. This, the largest of British megalithic monuments, is generally supposed to date from the Bronzp Age. A reminder is given of the annual meeting of the New Plymouth Patriotic Committee, which takes place at the Soldiers' Club to-night, .at 8 o'clock. There is a big attraction showing at present- at the Empire in the six reel story of college life, "Brown of Harvard." The picture is based on the book of ihe same name and lends itself happily to screen adaptation. It stars Tom Moore in the character of Brown, the Harvard University mail whose idealism and Stirling qualities will set aflame the enthusiasm of youth in both sexes, young and old alike. "Brown of Harvard" shows to-night, at the matinee to-morrow and finally to-morrow might

The British Red Cross had raised during the four years of the war a sum 01 £11,000,000.

A meeting of the Whiteley • Flower Show Committee was- held on AVednesday evening, 'when the final statement in connection with the recent show was submitted, showing that the trust fund had benefited to the extent of £164 18a Of l . It is interesting to note that since the inauguration "of the annual flower show ten years ago a total of £023 16s 9d had iheen raised for church purposes

The New Zealand black ljd postage stamp has been withdrawn from circulation. The stamp to be used in future is of the same design, but sienna in color, with white embossings. The change has been made, it is stated, on account of the difficulty of discerning date-marks on the black surface of the earlier issue

The increasing ravages of hawks in and around Mercer are causing fanners considerable. anxiety. The bird has entered on a new hase of dstruction, so far a« its habits in the district go, by pouncing dows on lambs and killing them, first denuding them of their eyes. They have been bold enough to tackle grown cast sheep and one settler has seen turkeys seeking" safety with the hawk in pursuit. Traps 'have been set and several caught, while others have been shot, but it has failed to intimidate the birds so as to make any appreciable difference in their operations. Mr. Gus. Venn yesterday wired Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P. for Taumarunui, stating that the ballot for sections at Mangaroa for returned soldiers had taken place, Messrs Kelland (2), Duller, Carlton, and Gus. Venn being the successful applicants. Venn is a Gallipoli man, and was in the Puh2J£ Works Department ibefore going to the front- He was, too, the champion hoxer of the King Country. It is stated that these sections are very suitable for the purpose, and that the returned" men will start under favorable conditions. "When this war broke out we were not expecting it, we were not prepared for it; and we had to stand up and fight," remarked Sir Robert Stout at a meeting of the Wellington Early Settlers' Association last evening. "And the English nation," he added, "has stood up and fought in this war better than it has ever fought before. It has done perfect wonders. Now we will be able to carry on with confidence, seeing what is happening in all parts of the world where this great war is taking place. The Amercans are coming in. That has been an enormous thing to us. The Americans are a fine people. I received a letter from a cousin in France the other day. He has been in close touch with the American troops, and" he says they are a grand people, and that he was proud to.be associated with them."

The cost of living in this country was a reproach to all of us, for we were individually and collectively responsible, remarked Mr Hornsby, M.P., in a ,pre-Bes-sional address at OartoH-nn We permitted the Government, lie continued, to delegate its powers, and as a result we had the worse than wicked subterfuge of a Board of Trade and Select Committees of the Bouse. If a controller had been appointed, and he had been supported by legal enactment, we should have ended the nefarious practices of the profiteer. The speaker then went on to give examples of the desperate plight of the wage-earner to-day in this Dominion. The late Richard John Seddon had what his opponents called a "rough-and-ready-way." Yes, he had; and he was successful in curbing the greed of certain people. Witness his method of dealing with the ferry steamer business between Wellington and Lyttelton; his handling of the fish supply monopolists of Christchurch; his proposal to do in England what the Americans have long since done—control their own depots for meat, cheese, butter and other products. We needed someone strong enough to take (hold of the shipping ring, the coal ring, and the merchant ring, and the cost of a great many of the articles so necessary to the comfort and well-being of oui people would come down with a run. There was no use in mincing matters; we were in the grip of a merciless set of profit-mongers, and when we as,ked for relief we were treated by the Board of Trade to a learned disquisition on Poli-tico-economics!

The story of Claire Ferchaud, the wonderful girl prophetess of the war, was related by the Hon. T. M. Wilford during fche course of a war lecture in Wellington the other night. "Claire Ferchaud," said Mr Wilford, "is a young girl peasant of 22 years of age—born in hilly, wooded country, -which makes for meditation, in the parish of Loublauau. You reach there from the railway station of Cholet, close to the harbor of Vendee.. She .is, the seer and the prophetess of the war—a deeply religious girl who has written works worthy of St. Therese. At the end of 1910 she announced to France that some of her most powerful politicians were plotting against her, but prophesised that they would speedily be punished. The prosecution of the Bonnet Rouge gang, the execution of 8010, and the imprisonment of Malvy, and that arch-traitor Caillaux followed. She warned the French generals that their front would hold. They all had announced that it would hold. The Bishop of 'Poitiers and the Archbishop of Bordeaux have proclaimed her prophecies. President Poincare met her, and a French general who won fame at Verdun went to Loublade to consult her. Clemenceau, the present French Premier, met her. She asked him to recall General M , who had been in disgrace, and give him his command back, and he would make good. General M , was given his command, and stopped the Boche at Compeigne. Me prophesied that the Italians would annihilate the Austrians at the 'Piave river and save Venice. This has come true. Soldiers swear by her; generals consult her; and France awaits Her pronouncement with every interest; while the Loublaude parish has become a place of pilgrimage." At the Bell Block Sewing Guild function last week, Misses Pote and Street arranged the flowers, not "Messrs," as printed in our report. /

The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., draw clients' attention to their Stratford sale on Tuesday, October 1, at 12 noon. Ml particulars on page 8. If for no other reason than its magnificent winter scenes "The Silent Lie" would he worth visiting Everybody's to see. But added to the scenic beauties there is a story of exceptional power. A glance at the advertisement will convince undecided patrons as to the. excellence of the programme being screened finally to-night. There are two kinds of people who don't know a" good tiling when they see it. Those who think it is too good to be true, and thoso who think it is so , good that perhaps it might be made bet- ■ ter. If you try "PERFECTION" Whisky you'll find no Whisky could be made better.