LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"My firm lost about £IO,OOO as a result of the closing of all theatres during the epidemic last year," was a statement made by Mr. Walter Fuller to the Bylaws Committee of the Wellington City Council on Friday last.

Sir William Fraser stated at Waitara on Tuesday that some local boJies were going in for big metalling schemes which he would not consider, as he did 1101 think it fair to embirws ar.\ fut.ire Government by making arrangements extending over live or six years As a member of the National Government lie could only consider questions from ytar 10 year.

"The deposed German War Lords," says the illustrated World, "were expert trainers of animals and men. They were not content, however, to let then men slaves do the fighting, but drafted soldiers from the animals as well. An educated monkey was trained for service in the Held. His work was throwing hand-grenades, and he did a lot of damage in the Allied trenches. With an armful of grenades he would slip across "No Man's Land" at night, and follow the instructions of his masters. One night he was captured and taken to headquarters, screaming 'Kamerad' in the monkey language." A photograph shows him in an automobile with the French his captors. '

At Waitara on Tuesday evening, Sir Wm. Fraser said he had, during his term as Minister of Public Works, come to tin.conclusion that to spend money on formation work without metalling immediately was a snare and a delusion to the settler and a wasteful expenditure of money, because, from the nature 01 the country, it soon became a bog and a quagmire, and the work had to be done again. He therefore always urged local bodies to borrow money, not an overdraft, which was limited, and was meant for maintenance only, but from the Local Bodies Department for a term of years, and on this amount he would giant a £ for £, subsidy. In this respect he had just issued an authority for a subsidy of £OOO on a £ for £ basis to do 81 chains of the Awakino Valley Koad

An extraordinary burglary incident has been reported to the Palnierston. police (says the Mauawatu Times). The story goes that a turf enthusiast had had the odds laid to him by a local bookmaker and got the worst of the deal in a way that made him sad. He decided to get his own back in quite an original manner Ho invaded what he thought was the "booky's" house, in the wee sma' hours, and came away with a substantial haul of jewellery and a small amount of money. Later he made the discovery that he had entered the wrong house Nothing daunted he returned to the domicile on the following night, replaced the jewellery, and expressed his remorse in a polite letter in which he notified his intention of using the money to redeem his fortunes on the turf. The police are now trying to link up the threads of this moving incident.

A married man named Robert Andrews employed by Mr. Winter, contractor, of Levin, met a terrible death near Mr. K. C. Gaisford's homestead on the liulls-J-uiakiiia road on Sunday. According to ,an account given of the regrettable occurrence, deceased was in the act of removing a traction engine from the homestead and having turned on the steam, was about to start the fly-wheel, when he got caught. He was immediately drawn into the machinery and twisted round His neck was dislocated, besides terrible injuries to his right side. The man at the steering wheel observed that something was wrong and stopped the engine, to find that his co-worker had met with fatal injuries. No blame was attributable to any one, it being one of ; those unaccountable mishaps that occur from time to time. The deceased leaves a wife and grown-up family. At Waitara on Tuesday, Sir Wm. Traser said there had been a good deal of talk about the Government taking over the maintenance of main roads. Any road once made is a county road, unle/s the Government proclaim it to be a Government road. In many parts the Government undertook to look after roads which pass through country where there were no rates collected or the rates were very small. Suppose the Government did maintain roads, the desire apparently was to save payment of rates, but they must not suppose they would •benefit as far as their pockets were concerned. Maintenance would have to be done out of revenue, not out of borrowed money, and that would mean a tax the greater part of which would have to come oft the land. Moreover, there would T>e no certainty that the Crown would expend the money in the locality in which it was raised, whereas under local body control ratepayers see the local bodies do their duty. He urged them to keep the maintenance of roads under local body control. He believed unless in exceptional eases of very high rated land and weal hy districts the Government should help to maintain the roads

A medical correspondent of The Times, writing in regard to the influenza epidemic, suggests that there is room tor a useful investigation of the influence of the weather on the course of the plague. During a spell of cold, dry weather, he says, there was a marked decline in the number of cases, but a new wave of infection seemed to pass over the country with a change of the wind from east to west and with the arrival of hot, damp weather. He mentions that climate is known to have ■a. very direct influence on certain diseases, scarlet fever, for instance, being I'.vtremely rare in tropical regions. Altitude, again, has a well-known value ■n certain diseases. The correspondent 'Tiers to the investigations of two nlch medical ma „ ( , vho folmd t])at the sugar content of the blood was increased to a noticeable degree in hot Tlimates, and he argues that this fact may be_ at the base of the explanation of the .affluence of weather on disease. Utlier correspondents have marked the tendency of influenza to come in waves and have endeavored to identify the waves with certain kinds of weather, but the evidence is conflicting.

The ladies' fine lisle tliread gloves at I/!' per pair at the Melbourne's great stocktaking sale are an extraordinary Imiwxin, a fact which Ims been quickly ™«l'«ed by scores of customers. Similar gloves are being retailed by other diapers at 3/6 per pair. The art stall at St. Mary's Guild sale his Qhursday) afternoon will have a I.'ir;.v selection of lavender packets fas(•iiiadmr neck posies of all descriptions l'l-«tv boxes, silk theatre caps, dorcas chatelaines, passe partout, pictures, etc A special feature for children will W scrap books from 5s 6d to 10s Od on unteavable linen and stout photographic paper.

Actual road tests show that the NORTH BRITISH "DREADNOUGHT" MOTOR CYCLE TYRE outwears all | others. Used on Western ffront En-i jtuire as-to saegr' " ~* g

The 'Frisco and Expeditionary Forces mail which wa9 notified to close at New P,ymouth on Wednesday 19th, will not close until to-morrow (Friday) 21st atf 0.15 a.m.

Mr. W. B. Grant, vice-president of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, and several members of the committee, were present at the Stratford Show yesterday, and secured numerous entries for the New Plymouth Show to be held on March 5 and U.

A meeting of those interested in the Chatauqua movement, and the bringing of its representatives to New Plymouth, was held yesterday. The local guarantors met a touring representative of the movement (Mr. Paget), who further explained some of its features to them. A preliminary committee was set up, who are to report on some matters of detail to the guarantors at a further meeting on Friday night.

The returns in connection with the poll for raising a loan over the Moa Riding of the Taranaki County for bridgebuilding purposes were incomplete last night, but from the figures available it appeared that, the proposal would be defeated. In a county area a three-fifths majority of the total valid votes cast is required to carry a loan proposal. The returns which reached the returning ollicer last night were: Inglcwood, 65 l'ov the loan and 103 against; Kaimata, lb and U; Kaimiro, !) and 0; giving a majority of 27 against the loan. The other booths from which the returns are yet to come are Maketawa, Tariki and Egmont Village. A general meeting of the New Plymouth Pierrots was held last night to determine a course of action in conueetio with the patriotic "9tunt" whicli was postponed on account of the epidemic. It was decided to have a street day on Saturday, March 29, to dispose of the bak< nee of the surprise packets, raffld the gifts which have been presented for the purpose, and to generally wind up the whole effort.

''Many people hold the view that New Zealand can never he a manufacturing country, but must devota itself to primary industries in the main," said Mr G. Mapplebeck at a meeting of the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce, "but this idea is a fallacious one." Mr Mapplebeck said that as a matter of fact over half the population of New Zealand lived by the secondary industries. Up till about fifteen years ago the same idea was held in Canada, but at last Canadian business men became wide awake to the possibilities, and Canada became an exporting country for manufactured goods. In 1001 Canadian manufactures exported were valued at 16,012,208 dollars, whereas in 1915 they had increased in value to 55.539.501 dollars.

The Battle of Passchendaelo is debited with a loss of 7500 New Zealanders, for a, single day, of October, 1917. That is clearly the biggest loss ever sustained during the war by a New Zealand Force. On that day two brigades of the men of New Zealand were cut to pieces. It was a grave disaster. We all remember what u chill it caused after the victories, which had preceded it, victories in which the soldiers of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia had done their share beside the New Zealanders, who had added to their fame at Gravenstnfel. We got some explanation of the disaster at the time. That told of wire entanglements uncut by preliminary artillery fire, of morasses, grievously hampering the march of infantry, and absolutely paralysing artillery movement. It told also of clouds of machine-guns playing on our brave men as they "stuck it," despite the awful conditions, sweeping them down from the flanks in appalling numbers. But no one thought to see the bill of costs total up to 7500. The return of the number carries the explanation of the disaster to the point of full realisation. On that day the New Zealand Division lost its rank of First. How far down it went we do not know. We only know that, by the time of the Armifltice, it had recovered so far as to stand Third. An inquiry is wanted into the Passchendaele disaster Who blundered? How is it that these splendid troops were sent to face impossible conditions, in which death was the only certainty? What brought disaster on troops uniformly victorious, and prevented the conquest "of Flanders ? The time has come for these questions to be answered. The honor of our army demands the answer. The Dominion public and the Dominion troops have a right to an answer, full, complete, and at once.—N.Z. Times.

King-fishing enthusiasts from Auckland and the South are reported to be having excellent sport at the Bay of Islands. The fishing, which is done chiefly off Cape Brett and The Ninepins; is stated to be very good this year, and several large catches up to 781b have been recorded. There are plenty of kingfish, but so far no sword-fish have been caught. This is the most spectacular and exciting form of rod-fishing in the world, and encounters with these fisji during the last few seasons have added keen zest and no small element of danger to the sport. Several well-known Aucklanders will be leaving for the Bay of Islands within a week or two, when it is expected that the warm weather will have brought the large fish nearer the Northern coast. The holders of books of tickets for sale in connection with the Victorian raffle for dolls in aid of Red Cross funds are requested to send in the bookß by Saturday to Miss Baker's private hospital.

Searchers for good farm properties are directed to W H. and A. MoGarry's advertisement on page 1.