LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 November 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Regular supplies of trout from Lnke Taupo are abuut to be made available lor sale in Cliristehurcli. The arrangements which, have been in train for some time have been completed by the Minister for Internal Affairs.

Although Kaikoura is a great stock district, the town is in the unique position of being without fresh meal, the butcher having been obliged to close his shop last week owing to the high price of stock.

Mr J. N\ Jeffries, Times' correspondent in' Italy, quotes an example of unsurpassed enemy spite and brutality. Two British airmen fell with their machine aflame Hungarian officers found one living. They slashed his face with knives and kicked him till liie was dead, declaring that this was lit treatment for an Englishman.

A shortage of medicines end disinfectant:! i'i Marlborough recently led to a critical situation, to relieve "which the Marino Department granted v. special permit .o the small steamer Adifliral io make a trip to Wellington although the vi'i'.nniug ,-.eak of the ; v k: could not be broii'g'iit up to requirements.

A striking instance of the overcrowding iu houues in certain districts, which is doing a good deal to retard the speedy checking of ti;s epidemic, was located by a visitor in the Weliing--ton East district. She reported that 1 fix families were occupying five rooms. One of. ihe "rooiiia" v,aa the baihVooru in which a bed was made up (in fiiie bath) at night. ..

A suggestion has been made at Christchurch that every employer, as booh as an employee shows the least sign of indisposition, should send him or her homo. It is reported that many employees in public places obviously' suffering from the first stages of the 'influenza trouble, are allowed to re-

gain at their work. Another suggestion is that inspectors should visit public places and order home anybody likely to spread the disease. An American, who spent some little time in Kngland, before going to Ifrance says the chief impression that country made on him was the groat contrast between the calm and business-like way in winch the Avar was treated there, and tho emotional way in which it was taken in America. In New York, he said, you could not walk 20 yards without coming upon somebody making a patriotic speech, whereas in London the war almost seemed to have become an industry and to be taken as a matter of cour.se.

A press cable states that the value of the estate of the late J. P. Ormond in the United Kingdom is £3132. A London cable states that Mrs. Hope, widow of Colonel Hone, who was killed in tile war, is opposing Mr. Asquith for Ladybanlc. On one of the health progress cards: — "Rev. Blank called this morning. Ever since the patient ha 9 grown worse. A doctor is immediately required." The chief postmaster notifies that as from o-day telegrams may be accepted at ordinary rates for all offices in the South Island. All offices to continue to close at 5 p.m Amongst the many who are doi goou ,u,rk m the campaign against the epidemic are the ambulance drivers and assistants. One man left' town on Ihursday evening at 10 o'clock on an c-ighcy-mile journey, reaching home at 3 am. A lew hours later he was on hiway on a sixty-mile run to bring in two serious cases. The vital"statistics for Dunedin for show that the births wer« 1-n.ys corner..,! v.-th 127 for November, Ult;. mr.rr. : ;. .-, -a, aga inst 34; deaths '~' A < '''-■ '' ''-'d with 77 last November. T.'ji. ,1,,-uhs for the last four months v.vr,.--J u ]y ]0 ? ; August 121 September 107, October 79. Mr. J. Knight, of Puniho, who has been rendering invaluable assistance to settlers along the coast, was picked up unconscious on the roadside yesterday, evidently haying been thrown' from his' motor-cycle. Ho was removed into Warea hospital and was later seen by Dr. Walker, when lie was found to be suffering from concussion and severe abrasions on head and faceThe Postmaster-General (Sir Joseph Ward) promised the member for Motueka (Mr. Hudson) in the House that he would cable to the Imperial authorities asking when the. restriction on the despatch of code cablegrams might be lifted. He said that the removal of the restriction could be dona only with the authority of the Imperial Government, which had not yet moved in the matter as far as he knew. "Where there are good homes, proper drainage, and sanitary surroundings, you don't see the influenza very bad," said one of the country inspectors connected with the New Plymouth Health Committee yesterday. That was his experience in moving about the country. He cited Lepperton as an example. This, district was practically clean, chiefly because of the good homes and surroundings that obtain there. "The repatriation scheme iias been very carefully considered and it will require legislation," said the Minister for Defence in the House of Representatives. "The necessary Bill has already been prepared, 'but it has not yet received the approval of Cabinet. When Cabinet lirs dealt with it the Bill will be introduced in the House and a full statement will be made regarding the Government's intentions. The repatriation scheme embraces a great deal more than settlement on the land-" In connection with the epidemic, it is a striking peculiarity that some houses give out infection to all who enter them. There is one house in New Plymouth where every person who has called, including a Medical Assistant, has taken the disease. In a 'house situated towards Mokau, and another on the Opunaks coast, the same has occurred, it A-ould be interesting to know if there is any cause for this, or if it is merely coincidence that all visitors to the houses lhave been infected.

The fact that when lignite is sold with other coal the full price of bituminous coal is charged for the mixture was mentioned in the House of Hepre-Kc-ntiitivps The Minister for Mines (lion. W. D. S- MacDonakl) said the whole matter was being considered by t'.i» Tioard of Trade, which has investigated the coal trade in the North Islan.l and in parts of the South Island. The Board would have completed its work by this time had not its members contracted influenza in Cliristchurch, where they had all been laid up. Some fmmy experiences are related iy the medical assistants. It whb on one of the country roads, and the lady of the house was reported to be very ill The medical assistant looks her up and takes her temperature, etc. Just then in comes the daughter of the house, who promptly proceeds to sit on the bottom of the bed. The old lady lets out a scream. ''What's wrong?" meekly asked the AI.A. "She : s sitting on the chicks!" Sure enough, in the same bed as the patient was a brood of chicks, put there to keep thorn warm! No amount of expostulation on the part of the M.A. would make the old lady remove the chicks, which are still there!

Following on the signing of the armistice, wool brokers in Auckland anticipate a:i early resumption of the quick dispatch of wool from the Dominion to the Old Country, and the consequent re-' lief of pressure en the storage'capacity for wool in the city. The number of bales at present in store is 37,000. made up of 24.000 of greasy, and 13.000 of scoured and slipe. This number will be reduced by 2000 by a shipment to leave the Dominion at im early date. Ttrnkers do not anticipate any great difficulty in the handling of the coining season's clip-

"do near tlut house? Not, much!" That v;as the. explanation■ giveii a Kew Plymouth Medwal Assistant'!>y a young settler whom lie had asked to drive the car that was in a shed near ft house, the inmates of which had 'contracted the disease. II waJ pointed out to him that the car wouldn't' possibly harbor anv olmovU'.iis" germs since ■ it had not been used fm- a fortnight. But he would not budge." He tried other*, but wit'W no success. The house was "makutued," and ho one would go within a mile of it. : This is carrying precautions too far. The car in (his case was required to Bring in a patient to the hospital, and eventually' the Medical Assistant had to Bend into town for another.

A dav or two ago a man was walking along Queen Street (says an' Auckland paper), when he was accosted by a friend with the well-known formula "Comeanavadrmk." "Where*!! you get it?" said the man- "Sever you mind nboitt that, leave it to me." said his friend. Po he left it to him, and followed his lead. The friend took him hv devious ways, entered a door, went alon? a corridor, and into a bathroom. Tt was .just -an. ordinary bathroom, but the man ffot a considerable surprise. when his friend went up to an innocent-loo-king mirror, swung It to one side, and bared "a small panel-door. On this he knocked, and it opened. A few words were exchanged, likewise some tnortoy, and hack came two Kinases of ale, The man friend swung the innooent-looking | mirror hack into its !pl"\ee, the two mojj, I drank their beer, afid departed. This ia aiact.

I A local gentleman,, who has a good deal to do with boys, got the shock of his life the other day. One of the boys was taken ill with "the flu" tmd his temperature was being taken; The tem-perature-taker left the room for a few minutes, and discovered that the thermometer registered 107. Doubting his eyesight, he shook the mercury down and again took the temperature, staying in the room meanwhile. This time the I emperaturc read 101. "Now, what did you do, you young rascal?" he asked. ''l put it on the hot-water bottle." Recently a pamphlet containing adverse criticism of hydro-electric undertakings was issued by Mr. Low, managing engineer of the Auckland Gasworks, Mr. J. Craigie (Tiraaru) mentioned this pamphlet in the House of Representatives, and suggested that Mr. E, Parry, the Government's Chief Electrical Engineer, should be asked to reply to the points raised before he left New Zealand. The Minister for Public Works (Sir William Fraser) said he was glad toa have the matter mentioned- Mr. Parry had already replied most completely to the statements made by the Has engineer. The Minister aded that ho intended to have Mr. Parry's reply published. Some people cannot or will not learn. In one district not far from New Plymouth the iliead of the house took the disease, then his wife. " The former had quite previously been in an infected area, and brought it home with him to the district that had' hitherto been absolutely free from the disease. They had many relations and friends, who took the first opportunity to look them up in their bed room, which was illventilated, and before a week was out the whole of the district was down with the disease, which has already carried off several lives, and is still raging virulently and giving the authorities no little anxiety. Boys are requested to read the British Empire Trading Co.'s advertisement in to-day's issue, relative to collecting empty tobacco tins. Good pocket mosey may be earned by energetic bpye,