LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 December 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Palmerston North and Wellington South by-elections have been feed for December 19. —Press Assoc. "I am afraid to give out the Vital statistics,'' stated the Minister for Public Health on May, "I am afraid that i- v.-onld be regarded as another injustice for Auckland." A Wellington press message state that the matriculation and entiunco scholarships examinations of the New Zealand i.'Hsfcysity will begin on January 21. 1 ■ had been decided to close the Inhalation chamber at Fitsroy as f?om yesterday, but in response to the request of reidents it lias been decided to continue Ibis week from 5 to 9 in the evening. An enthusiastic band of Fitzroy residents has been in charge since its reception, and over 6000 visit 3 have be&a made. It is stated that not one regular "cs3> tomer" ]ias contracted influenza. The extensive defalcations in the Public Service were brought to tlis attention of the Government by Mr. W. T. ■Jennings,, M.P. for Taumarunui, on Friday. Ho statea that lis himself had totalled them up from the Estimates for the past two years,,and found that they amounted to som3 £50,000, The defalcations were rendered possible by the fact that the cuprits'had .'been treated as both certifying, and paying officers of accounts, and that state of affairs should not be allowed to continue. What steps, he asked, were being taken to stop the practice. The Prime Minister said that the 'matter wa3 a very important one, and if the hon. member would put Ms question on the Order Paper a reply would ha forwai-ded fo him in due course.

The closing of hotels apparently has not had tao effect of ensuring absolute prohibition (says an Auckland paper!, fov a badly ,:ui>briated roa.« was seed vainly trying to Induce a landlady to-let l>;ra enter an hotel by 9, side door.' The wife of the licensee, however,, steadily barred the way, and, was heard to remark; "I do not know where yust got, the liquor, but you ar» not, comiwg ij here." , \!en will go to preaS lengths to get a drink. [During the Waitoto war the soldiers would pay 'AM i'or a botr.le 'if whisky, sjJ.though tb«y 'hud ?, uniiy allowance of grog. On J-.» okh-sio-i an officer who came to town took a >?rgea«t with him iit order to bring hack » small kbg of. whisky v.- , the* aies. Oil the way up to Ngaj.-ua.wahk>, .nther i.i'.c- ofUeer or the sergeant «« o* that T -"'iw arrival, when tiie riergwni lifted the keg to carry it ashore it m empty. Someone had bored 1, siole throngs the dec!-: and the bottom oi' 'shs ke.a, ,md secured the whole oj' the whisky. *j;i)e olfiravr m still alive »tul hearty, though no\V well over eighty years of age, but he laughs iWrtiiy when he relates how cleverly he *aa fooled on that occasion.

PpoaWiy a, !Pre*> ruoortcr 'uu v'je plum question. Colonel Wyiic, vfv> hx* Inii! charge jf_ the ChTistchuich Hospital ior the past fortnight, said. ifch«i (ho mm building of nice Jiousw Aw worker* could not. 'entirely aolv.; K>i;',li': m called the shun qucstfosi. -ja'e know thai thoro was a certain eluM wf people '-vJio, given a new and ap-to-daie house', would reproduce slum conditions i:i ii in sh: months. I't wi>« sot aiva*:i » matter 0 i lads of .money jcii!ur>\ Be knew or a country diafcitS vh<v?e ltt» hiul worked wi ileuses ».» ixc&w I v.-Imto slum conditions could iw fittaa l . I; T.'aj houses might, and probably did, t.»h a phonograph, and. a- piwio os pianola, but there would be no ba-th-lvj d i..! it or decent wsfcrtie&ces, Wad Ks ::ii.'roundings Would 1» ffiily, il 0u.;.'1! tluvo was a, modem motor-citf-i.i tfis shad outside. The people fjouM 1-.:;vj to be educated to vippi-eeiave ami ■"oy-: for healthy living condition* us we?. ts given the chance to got them. Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Second Group) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable to-day, Monday, 9, at the Secretary's Office, Currie street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.,,and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.—Advt. There is only one SANDER EXTRACT, and that is why the people reject the many inferior and harmful substitutes and just as goods. SANDER'S EXTRACT is free from the objectionable qualities of the common eucalyptus* 'Sander's Ki.tract cures all infectious diseases, all winter ailments, ulcers, burns, sprains, eczema, etc. Insist on. the GENUINE. SANDER'S EXTRACT. Tiie ladies' Japanese silk sports, coats, ill the Melbourne's great sale are wonderful value. The styles are quite new and the quality of silk is, really splendid. The sale prices are:—White silk coats, 24s fid; cream fuji coats, 355. Kefni.lar price-, elsewhere for similar goods Me from two to three guineas teach.

Aiheavy shock of earthquake was experienced in New Plymouth at 11.3 V last night. The influenza microbe, says a writer, is the smallest in the world, bat ho works in the inverse ratio to his fii*e. The disease is remarkably contagious, 'and it is estimated that eight million people will' be affected in all parts oi the world before the disease is stamped out. If so u, hundred working years ■will be lost, Laving a money value of £20,000,080, not to mention the cost of medicine and doctors' -bills. And all thu.-on uoeoirat of the smallest micwibo in the v/orld. A ewrespondftai of the Weekly Scotsman writes i '■ fairing some canteen work I rcOTitJy caoe hi touch with an escaped prisoner of war, who had spent one yo.SU' ia Ceimyji captivity, and vrho recited soiru of Sug experiences. He had atada uu fcyer than six attempts uo escape, and tiu> first five nusuecessf)il efiorts -v»Te jUßished in a most mrb-.u'oiui faabiop. He had to undergo a reduction oC rations to 2oz of bread and "oz of moat per day. then in a dark cell for a /ortuj.i:'ht, with only 2o v . 'bread per ils}. The tluird. tijttempt to escape! called tforl<h tlw horrible of being .nailed to plank of *vood by the fleshy web between the thumb and the iingier, where ,'arge .soars still remain. On the fcjirt/v oacar-'ion ( ths poor fellow received three -bayonet wounds in the stomach; fflid the punishment for the .fifth eftort was, lie said, too-terrible to be related. touching incident was witnessed the other evening, just pior to '.the departure of the ferry steamer from Lyttelton for Wellington. A young married woman, had received word from the military authorities asking hgr to proceed to OFeatherston Camp, as her husband was dangerously ill, and enclosing a pass. Thinking the pass included the steamer fare, and'ihaving little money i r i the house, sh« caught the express 'to ifiyttelton, only to discover at th? ship's side that the-pass was for the railway only. lit her distraction she appealed for advice to the constable on duty on the wliarf. Several passengers citne forward and offered the price of the fare. After the steamer left, a collection was taken among and over £0 was raised for; the distressed woman, TheTe had been no signs of life in a house in Auckland for a. day or two, so a Salvation Army worker determined to see whether all was well. Ha knocked, but ivas not answered. So he Went into the house* which seesaed aa though the offupp.ivtu b&d left vfc a mfrtute's uotiiss, for «i'erythr".g iusd beeii loft as if it b.il jtist been tscd. Vliua iie oame to a door that was locked. He knocked. ,ags,i?; but the uccaoay siixraco liiade him With ihelp the door was forbad, aad he- saw vkoi' that he v;y 3 a day v>:> .'a&-. A Mother lay dead i~--i one bed, and VsSnging fat' ma a little chili', Also -<bad. 'i'liTa wan hot sis, for thero aJso Wo yoang children, both dead, lyuj/ on tlie floov Evidently all tour 111 tho • little '/sscily vsre suddenly attacked Ijy tbn sickness, and had died hi neglect, <;f,iabli» iio sa~e themselves. Thaw icas sio na.n about the ptiee, and the iSal ration Army arc ?iot meeting with K/iy ia their s<sarch for relatives.