LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A schnapper weighing lSlb was caught trom a boat in the Pammire Basin, Auckland, last week by Mr. Harvey boodwm-Archer. An ordinary line was employed, and it was not until the giant was raised to the surface that those in the boat could believe it was not a kinefish or shark.

After serving a term as a prisoner of war in Germany, Lieutenant A. Lindsay, of the Australian Flying Corpß, is returning home by the Niagara (states a .Press Association message from Auckland). Relating his experience, Lieutenant Lindsay said that throughout his period of internment ho was treated iairly well, except in the matter of food which was of very bad quality, and served out in exceedingly small allowances. Once away from the front line he was subjected to little actual hostility of an open sort.

A meeting of the general committee of the North Taranaki Head Centre of the Royal Life Saving Society was held last night. Mr J. Bennett presided, and expressed pleasure at the presence of Mr N. Winter, who recently returned from the front. Arrangements for the Tabor Shield competition to-dav at Waitara were reported' completed. ' Mr Winter waa appointed to examine the scholars of the iWarea school for their certificates. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Christiansen for his workas judge :n connection with the life-sav-ing competitions.

~vew Plymouth people are warned against a boy of about twelve years who is already well on the way to gaol, unless he quickly mends his wavs. He accosts people, mostly women," in the streets at night, telling them*a plausible story of how he had come up from the Wanganui district and lost his money and could not get board or lodging. In this way he has taken in not a few. Ha seems to have as an accomplice an adult who is generally more or less under the influence of alcohol.

It is not generally known that a soldier's wife cannot be ejected from a house she may be occupying. At the last meeting of the New Plymouth Hepatriation Committee the seerotary reported that he had been interviewed by a soldier's wife who had had her house sold over her head. He showed her that under the war regulations she could meantime remain, in the house, whether it was sold or not. This she is doing, and the purchaser is now coolinrr his heels until he can find her another home.

A Patea boy on leave in Glasgow, recently called at the Central Fire Brigade Station with a mate, and on explaining that he was a member of a New Zealand firo brigade, the superintendent showed the pair over the premises. Not content with this, the official sounded the alarm, and the New Zealanders had the pleasure of seeing the brigade turn out with their s!x cylinder motor upder their way in something under six seconds.

Some months ago the pupils of the Havera District High School, by saving up their pence, purchased two New Zealand flags for the purpose of presenting one to France and another to America, in exchange for a flag from each of the. respective countries. One of the fine-, has already beer, presented to France. On Tuesday an interesting ceremony took place in the school, when Cliancslhv G. H. Bradford, of the OklaUniversity, was presented with the New Zealand Ensign, 'to be placed in any school or college in his country which he thought best. Chancellor Bradford said he had decided (o present the flag to the Georgetown College, in Kentucky, where his daughter, who had graduated last June, was now on the st.ill' of the university.—Star.

When the Industries Commission has finished its business in Wanganui it will visit Hawera, arriving there on Friday, April Hth. The following morning (Saturday) will be a sort of holiday, and the members of the Commission will be motored over the splendid roads of the Wain at.' County, and will visit the Kaitpokomii Dairy Factory. They will also visit Kaponga and. go up to the Dawson's Falls Mountain House and there have lunch. Tn the afternoon they will visit the .Salvation Army Boys' Home, having afternoon tea at Mr C. A. Wilkinson's residence. In the evening tlipv will go on by mail train to New Plymouth, and when their business is finished there they will go on to Auckland.—Argus.

The Ptmgarehii School picnic is to be held in the Pungarehu Domain on Wed-m-?ilriv next. A dance will be held in the hall in the evening. Another moonlight municipal recital will ho given this evening by the Citizens' Band, this time at Kgamotu Palladium, commencing at the usual litiiir. The trams will run to suit, and ffiveii a fine night, there should be a large gathering. No collection will be taken on this occasion.

A breach of promise action in which both plaintiff and defendant Were septuagenarians, was heard in Nelson on Friday. After lengthy evidence the jury returned an 11 to 1 verdict for plaintiff for £SO damages for breach of promise and damages for loss of situation. It is stated on good authority (says the Dominion) that the whole of the Hororata's draft, including many officers, signed a petition to the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen), asking that the gratuity and clothing allowances should be raised to the Cauadian and Australian level. The allowance made for clothing ( £5), in particular, is deemed to be altogether inadequate. It was a pity that the armistice was signed so soon. This was the opinion of Private H. Dick, a returned soldier, in conversation with an Otago Daily Times reporter. Had the war lasted a few more weeks, or even days, longer, there would have been witnessed the greatest debacle in history, and the Germans would have gone down, never to rise again. As it was, up to the present, the German people believe their men have not been beaten in the field. "Altogther," said Private Dielc, "I have had an experience that I would never like to see repeated, and one I shall never forget to my dying day. I can only say, from my experience of seven months as a prisoner of war in the hands of the Germans, that one can believe all one hears of the inhuman conduct of the Germans towards those who have been unfortunate enough to fall in their hands, and even then a tithe of their awfulness will not have been told."

An indication of the terrible privations to which a number of shipwrecked seamen must have been subjected during the war is given in a letter from a member of the crew of the steamer Serapis, which was torpedoed off the West Coast of Ireland soma time ago. The writer says: "The vessel was torside, and sank in about 40 seconds. Im-. mediately the explosion occurred a rush was made to get the port lifeboat away, but, owing to the vessel's heavy list to starboard this was rendered quite impossible. We all then took to the water, clinging hold of planks and other pieces of wreckage. After the ship disappeared the submarine came to the surface, and took on board as prisoners the master and mate. She then steamed away leaving the rest of us to die like a lot of rats. Fortunately I happened to get on to a portion of the bridge, out of which I constructed a rough raft, and on which I took four men. One man and the third engineer were some distance away holding on to a plank. After a time both these men disappeared. By nightfall the cries and moans around us had ceased, and we drifted slowly from the scene of horror, at the mercy of the waves. Next morniug our raft capsized, which resulted in the death of three men. Shortly after this happened the other man left with me went mad and died. Drenched to the skin, and numbed with cold my feelings can be imagined. However, I managed to keep up my spirits, and at three in the afttirnoon I was picked up by H.M. Submarine E32, and next morning was landed at Killybags, Ireland."

Describing a visit to the fastnesses of the Urewera Country, the special correspondent of the Auckland Herald writes: "At Moungapohatu the country opens out somewhat, and the scenery changes. Many hundreds of acres have been put down in cocksfoot, and there is pasture enough to carry large herds of cattle. Whatever Eua's faults may have been and are, he is certainly a captain of industry. Maungapohatu is a model of neatness, and besides the big grass clearings, which are remarkably free from timber, there are extensive cultivations—fields of potatoes and other crops, all in excellent order. The fences are exceptionally good, consisting of wire and split pailings, being cattleproof and pig-proof. The houses of the village look neat and clean; the narrow roads, or tracks are in excellent order and well graded, and altogether the village bears evidence of better management than many a New Zealand township I have seen. It is a picturesque place. The grassed clearings slope up to wooded hills, and beyond the hills rise the massive heights of Maungapohatu mountain, one of the most striking features of the Urewera country, whose cliffs and crags reach considerably over 4000 ft above sea level. When I 'looked on this place and realised that this indeed was the last centre of Maoridom I confess I felt a strong sympathy with those natives who wish to preserve it forever against European acquisition "

There are many autumn blouse fabrics on the market, but none so sweet and of such fine quality as the beautiful range Moray's have now displayed. Compare the prices, too—they are quite an reasonable as elsewhere. * Read Morey's advertisement in this paper. To-night in the Soldiers' Club a meeting is being held for the purpose of organising a campaign for the alteration of the municipal rating system to that of the unimproved value.

A garden party in aid of St. Mary's Home, "Otahuhu," will be held at "Shalford," Devon Street East, to-day. Competitions, music, afternoon tea, games etc. will be the order. '

Children's combination sleeping suits 3s 6d at the Melbourne, boys' and youths' two piece pyjamas 5s 6d and 5s lid, men's pyjama suits 9s 6d, 13s Cd to 16s 6d, men's Petone flannel undershirts 6s Od, men's warm wool and cotton singlets 5s Od, pants to match 5s lid, men's all. wool knitted underpants 5s

Rehearsals for the play to be staged at the Old Girls' concert next week are proceeding apace and intending patrons can rely on seeing a comedietta which fairly scintillates with wit. It is only necessary to state that the artists taking part are Mrs. Claude Weston, Mrs. J. C. Nicholson and Miss Bedford and the public will know that the very most will be made of the humor abounding throughout the play. A reminder is given: our readers of the land sale to be conducted by Mr Newton King at his mart, New Plymouth, on Saturday next on account of the estate of the late H. J. H. Okev's estate. J PRACTICAL ASPECTS OP PROHIBITION. In his treatment of the question of No License Mr. Bruntnell is essentially practical. What benefit will accrue to Labor? Will the position of the individual working man be improved? These are important aspects which will have practical bearing on the way many will vote on April 10. At the big meeting being addressed by Mr. Bruntnell this very real aspect of the question will be exhaustively dealt with; how it will improve each section of the community as well as increase the comfort of the home are indications of the line the famous New South Wales politician will'take at the big meeting in the Empire Theatre on Saturday, Doorg. open at 7.30.