LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2679, 27 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Bussell) informed a reporter yesterday thai the hospital ship Marama loft Alexandria for England on January 22 with 470 invalided soldiers. These, of course, would comprise not New 1 Zealanders only, but different branches of the Imperial forces: "I believe that we will have to give up the voluntary system, and take on compulsion," said Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., at the Levin Show yesterday. "We should have done it long ago. If we had had compulsion a year ago the War would have now been over." Tho wool exported f,rom New Zealand during last year totalled 196,570,1141b., as compared with 220,112,8981b. •in 1914, and 188,543,0361b. in 1913, the values being £10,387,875, £9,318,114, and £8,057,620 for the respective years. "Carefulness, tedious monotonous carefulness, absolute punctuality, and grave attention to every detail —these are the warrior qualities in this war." Extract from a letter from an officer on tfhe Western front. A Wairarapa' farmer writes to' the treasurer of his local Patriotic Fund: "My wool returns for season 1914-15 come to £2700; owing to tlie war returns for season 1915-16 came to £3200; balance in my favour, £500. for which please find cheque enclosed. . "I think I should congratulate tho agricultural portion of the Dominion on tho very good season which is being experienced," said the Prime Minister a) Levin Show yesterday. "There aro exceptions, unfortunately. North Otago and South Canterbury are suffering bv a serious drought. lam quite sur« everyone will agree with me that those people, who number some of the most progressive farmers in the Dominion, are entitled to our sympathy. (Hear, hear.) Apart from that, everything is well. Production is going along splendidly. It is the best season for production we have had. People have put their best foot forward, and endeavoured to make up for men going to the front." The value of tlie butter exported from New Zealand last year was £2,700,625, ns against £2,338,576 in 1914, and the cheese exports were valued at £2,730,211, as compared with £2,564,125. The total value of the dairy produce exported in 1915 was £5,430,836, as against £4,902,701 in 1914, an increase of £528,135. The frozen moat exported totalled £7,794,395 in 1915, as compared with £5,563,062 in 1914, an increase of £1,931,333, or over 31 per cent. There is in the wind a proposal to harness the Mangahao River for the purpose of lighting and otherwise serving the coast in tlie H.orowhenua district, according to Mr. W. H. Field; M.P., who was present at the Levin show yesterday. Besides _ supplying electrical services, it is considered that the river could provide water for a contMer&Mo trn«fc of country. Tho idea i? beiiw investigated by experta.

The principle of co-operation has been put to good use by New Zealand farmers this year. When a shortage of shearers threatened some districts tho fanners overcame the difficulty by cooperating, and the same was done in certain localities respecting tho harvest. 11l born instances the results are said to have been excellent. Much as New Zealanders know about horses, they know little of war, and what war entails. Certainly few lovers of horses realise what hard work tho ivar horse is called upon to do when he goes on active service. For instance, the average New Zealand soldier probably weighs about 11 stone, and to this has to be added another § st-one for saddlery, feed, and fighting gear. Therefore, the horse's burden represents nearly 20 stone. If a horse in New Zealand carried even much less than 20 stone for a day he would probably get a spell the following day, but the war horse can rely on no such holiday. He may have to carry his 19 or 20 stone, 8 stone of which is dead weight, for days at a stretch. These are reasons why the New Zealand authorities are insisting on the selection of big, strong, well-matured animals when horses are being purchased for active service. 'There is said to have been some possibility of the property on which tho Horowhenua races and tho Levin Show are hold being placed beyond the bounds of availability for those purposes, but,a Dominion representative was informed yesterday that it is now considered that the land will be secured for those events for at least a littlo while ahead. "Air old dog for a hard road" is a principle which is being applied to the New Zealand war horse. Like the "old dog," the mature man weathers a war campaign better than the youth, and so it is with man's good friend, the horse. Young horses are reckoned un. equal to the tax which war levies upon them. For this reason several four-year-olds were passed over when the judging of horses for military purposes was in progress at the Levin Show yesterday, ana the prizes were given to older animals,

The State schools in Wellington will reopen after the Christmas vacation on Tuesday, February 1. The City abattoir manager reports that in December last the number of stock slaughtered aggregated 7986, an increase of 638 over the figures of December, 1914. The number of stock condemned was 35. The fees for the month amounted to £499 7s. 6id., showing nil increase of £•17 los. 2d. on the November figures, o-nd £17 4s. 9Jd. as compared with December, 3914. A' conference of trauway managers from Wellington, Dunedin, and Christchurch will be held at Ohristchnrch for the purpose of arranging a unifom system of classifying operating expenses in the principal municipal tramway systems in the Dominion, so that satisfactory comparison of items of tramway expenditure may bo made. The "Taranaki News" states that whilst in Wellington last week, Mr. H. Okey, M.P., waited upon the Minister for Mines (the Hon. Mr. Mao Donald) and found that, as a result of the re-: cent inspection of the works of the Taranaki (N.Z.) Oil Wells, Ltd., by the inspecting officer of the Department, Mr. Reid, the company had won the final bonus, over one million gallons of oil' having been taken from its bores at Moturoa. The papers were now before Parliament, and would he dealt with in duo course. Mr. Okey, who had been in communication with the Minister in connection with a subsidy for the Huiroa bore, there being £1000 out of the £9000 voted by Parliament some two years ago to assist the oil industry not as yet allocated, made 'further inquiries into this matter. Tho Minister stated that he considered the company should receive 6ome assistance, and the report of his officer was also in that direction, but Cabinet was reluctant to enter into further liabilities before March 31. However,_ he had placed the position before Cabinet, and it would receive consideration.

A Dominion reporter was informed at the office of the Minister of Public Health yesterday that by the _s.s. Ruahine, leaving New Zealand; this month, the St. John Ambulance Association, Christclnirch, have shipped 20 cases of Red Cross goods' addressed to the British Red Cross Society, St. John's Gate, London, of an approximate value of £620.

■ An analysis lias been prepared by the Government Statistician and is published elsewhere of the reasons given by the 8390 single men and widowers without dependents who stated they were unwilling to serve with, the Expeditionary Forces,- or in a civil oapacity. Considerations of health apply to 2692 cases and business reasons account for ,■ another 2237. The reasons set out under the heading of "personal" will be read with interest. Fifty-three announced that they were contemplating marriage, while eleven set down viheir unwillingness to the faot that they wore afraid, i The statement by the Minister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell) published yesterday with reference to the complaints made by Charles Angrove, a returned soldier, to Dr. Thacker, M.P., contained a typography cal error. Mr. Russell stated oil lubs- j day that he had received a further telegram from Dr. Herbert, stating, inti ? alia, "I am informed he (Angrove) left for Auckland on the 20th, not the 18th." The former date was yesterday erroneously given as the 25th. • "How is the country looking?" was a fairly general question at the _ Levin Show yesterday. The answers indicated that the land is looking particularly well throughout the Horowhcnua district. There is ample feed, and farmers say that they have had plenty of rain. The land close to the railway line bears-out these statements, and it is said that the land back near the hills has had even more rain, and, in consequence, is looking 'wonderfully well. Scarcely anv complaints about the season is heard in Horowhcnua j what one hears is in tho other direction. Few records can beat that of the Now Zealand Rugby football team winch visited Australia in 1913., There were eighteen in the party, including the manager, and fourteen are already at the front or on their way there. The manager proposes to make, tlio full team—fifteen. Tho remaining three are said to be likely to be wearing khaki very soon. Tho manager of the team was Mr. AV. Perry, a Welln.gton solicitor, who was a member of both the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Wellington Rugby Union, and is now a member' of the Eastbourne Borough Council. Sonio loss on wool is said to have been incurred by farmers 111 the '-'Cvin district through late shearing. Seed has got into some of tho fleeces, and depreciated their value. The late shearing is said to have been caused lhrougl° a shortage in shearers earlier in the season. The party of eight, who left Wellington, on Friday night to climb over Mt. Hcctor, did not get further than Mt. Beeves owing to rain. Had tlie.y Bushed on to Mt. Alpha they could probably have got over Mt. Hector on Sunday. The party intends making another effort to accomplish tho trip. The efforts of Mr. R. Darroqh, honorary recruiting officer, and his helpers, to secure recruits at tho Trentham races resulted in five lit men joining tho colours. Considering- the rush and bustle of a race crowd, this tally is considered to be a satisfactory one, and woll worth the time and trouble expended in fitting •up recruiting tents and canvassing the young men m the crowds that visited the racecourse.

It is understood that a new, military remount depot is to be opened'in Dunedin. This will very greatly relieve Che pressure of work at the Wellington depot, which, up to the present, has handled all the horses bought by the New Zealand Military. Probably the horses secured by tlio Dunedin depot will not come to Wellington at all.

The subject of the war was touched on by tho Prime Minister at Levin yesterday. He was glad to say that tho New Zealand people had risen to the occasion, and were doing their best to find men and supplies with which to help tlie Empire.. Men were the most important of all. "Make no mistake about it, the fighting man is the man' of the hour. (Applause.) No man was doiiig his duty by staying at home. Moreover, a mail who held back was assisting the enemy, and a traitor to his'country." ■Residents of Wellington are again reminded of the danger of entering the Defence Reserve at Fort Dorset. Yesterday afternoon two ladies (one a visitor to "Wellington) asked pnrmission of a soldier if they might enter the reserve. The answer being in the affirmative, they entered and sat down in the shade. Shortly after a rifle shot hroko tho stillness of the air, and landed uncomfortably close. This shot did not startle the ladies in the least, but when a second ana third camo along in quick succession the ladies beat a hurried retreat. Thev were indignant at beiiu* fired at, but as there are notices posted around, the, ladies should not have entered the reserve without the permission of the officer-in-charge. This may serve as a warning to the general public. A soldier from the Canterbury Plaint was sitting on the steps of his new quarters at Featherston Military Camp, and looking at the hills which rise, tier upon tier, range upon, range, behind Featherston. In the evening light they looked immense and solid, with peaks and dark against the sunset. "Well," said tho soldier, '.'I heard there was lots of land in the North Island, and there must be when they've got to pile it up in heaps like that." The question of week-end tickets ba-t-ween Palmerston and Wellington on. tho railways was brought up at the meeting of the Palmerston Chamber of Commerce by Mr. J. it. Johnston on Monday evening. Mr. Johnston said that the regulations governing the issue of the tickets made them available up to 12 o'clock on Monday night only. Ho thought representations should he mado to the Department to allow the tickets to be available as long as the passenger left oil his roturn journey before' 12 o'clock. Under the present rules, it meant that one had to leave Wellington' 1 hy the slow train'in order to get to v Palmerston before 12. Otherwise one would be able to catch the 9.10 p.m. express on tho week-end ticket. Mr« 11. H. Oram suggested that the motion should be altered that passengers be allowed to travel by the express to the first stopping station after 12 o'clock. The motion a 6 amended was carried. ' The local ceremonies in connection with the death of the Hon. Wi Pera •haying concluded, 6ays the Gisborno "Times," it is now necessary, according i to Native custom, that "the ashes," or i mementoes, of the late chief should bo oarried to the tribes who sent represent ! tatives to his tangi. It is reported that ■ the first party will sot out in motors cars and other conveyances for Wairoa, ■ where great preparations are being madia ' to receive them. Incidentally they will i visit Nuhaka and the othor Native seti tlements en route. It is expected that ' the journeying will extend to the Wai« ' rarapa and other distant parts, and tho & party will probably be away about three I months. During tho various procecd.- ! ings gifts of valuable mats and other ' articles will be exchanged, according to 5 olden customs, but in-these latter days j there are mutual understandings by 1 which the gifts are not always accepted, ■ or, if so, are returned to be used at the : next stopping place. In addition to ' these ceremonies there will be 'much. ' speechmaking at- the different gatherings, not'only concerned with the merits fc of the deceased, but also with many : topics of interest amongst the Natives - respecting their lands and other sub- , jects.

Some interesting facts concerning the effects-of the war in South Africa were given to a. Palmerston North "Times reporter in conversation with Mr. A« Matheson, of Johannesburg, on Tuesfoy. Mr. Matheson said that prices had gone up considerably, and exports had "decreased materially. Gold waa the only product that was being exported to any extent, and'that industry was very busy, employing a very large number of men. At tlio outbreak of war the banks were ordered not to ship any gold, but a few months later £32,000,000 of bullion was sent to London in one shipment. The_ diamond industry was at a standstill, and the mines liad closed down. There was talk of their being reopened soon. Some arrangement had been at whereby the employees and their _ families were permitted to remain in their homes rent free. Many of them had responded to the call to the colours# -Recruiting had been very brisk, especially in Johannesburg, where great enthusiasm had been shown. Out of 10,000 recruits called for b.y tho Union of South Africa for service in German East Africa, Johannesburg had contributed 7000. Altogether 12,000 had volunteered in that city, 5000 being rejected. A large number of those rejected were put out. not because of physical infirmities, but because they we're wanted for their work in the gold mines. ,