Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4601, 3 July 1917, Page 4

Local and General.

Special jurors who were summoned to appear at the Supreme Court this morning for action 9243 will now not be required until Thursday, June 5, at 10 a.m.

The silver tea set presented by Mr. H. White to the Red Cross shop was won by Miss I. Shaw. Stout Street, whose computation of the number of seeds was 100-5, the correct number being 1066. The doll presented by Miss Clark was won by Miss Bullock, Mangapapa, and the turkey presented by Mrs. Baird was won by Mrs. Ward.

At the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon it was announced by counsel that arrangements had been made to allow the special jurors who were serring on the present case and who had been summoned for a second case, to be relieved of attendance after the conclusion of the present case. On behalf of the jurymen concerned, the foreman, Mr. J. J 3. Kells, thanked counsel for their consideration.

Sapper Moore-Jones. who is here in connection with the Gallipoli Pictures, is being entertained at a reception given by the Women’s Club at their rooms on Wednesday, July 4. from 3to 5 p.m. All members of the club are invited to attend and make the afternoon a success. The committee is sorry that such short notice has to be given, but as Sapper MooreJones has just arrived and his stay is short, will all members please accept this intimation.

At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, Arthur Owen appeared on bail to answer a charge that on June 30, being the occupier of premises known as the Hot Baths, ho kept a common gaming house. He was represented by Mr. Burnard, and pleaded not guilty. Mr. Burnard suggested an adjournment of the case until Friday next. Detective McLeod, for the police, offered no objection, and the Magistrate, Mr. W. A. Barton. adjourned the case accordingly. Bail was allowed defendant in the sum of £59, which had been lodged.

'File usual weekly meeting of the P.B. Hockey Association was held last evening, Mr Buscke being in the chair. A fair amount of business was gone through and it was decided' that the following matches be played on Thursday. High School B, v. Kia Toa; Combined Schools v. United. The following referees were elected. Mesdames Parker and Angland, Messrs McLachlan and Brown. Players are requested to be on the ground at 3 p.m. Second 1 match at- 3.30 sharp. The Association will not meet until Tuesday, 10th inst.

Reuter’s correspondent at British headquarters (writing under date June ISth) states that there has been a series of the most violent thunderstorms in the battle area, accompanied by typhoons which uprooted trees and bowled over waggons as if they were mpre pbiythings. “Despite these deluges,” says the correspondent, “to-day is hotter than ever. It is wonderful that during the entire storm our airmen operated serenely in the sunlight blue above the thundering canopy which was emptying its streams eartliwood. Indeed it was actually one of their most successful days.”

One of the Prime Minister’s experiences in London was watching a hospital train discharge its load of wounded soldiers at a big railway station. Referring to the experience, Mr Massev said that lie had seen careful attendants lift into an ambulance a nvan who evidently wassorelv wounded. A nurse was with tne man. Among the spectators was a London “flower girl,” with her armful of flowers ready t-o sell to those who would! buy. But the woman did not sell her flowers that day Hie stepped! forward and'threw the whole mass of blossoms on to the stretcher occupied by the wounded man.

When you think of household goo<L 'you at once think of the right people to buy from. You , consider tb.s amount of money you have to spend and then think of the store that offers you the best value. We ask you to fix your mind on “The People’s Emporium” for a moment. Here is ‘ a ctore that sells for. cash only. The goods are of the best quality, the variety is unequalled in Gisborne, and.the prices are the lowest. We can supply you with anything from a 2d Tea Strainer upwards. Don’t bo like one of our customers who told us that, lie did not know we stocked cutlery - . He bought this line elsewhere and then found he could have saved 7s per dozen on exactly the same knives. Surely this, amount was worth saving especially in these times of stress. You. will save .bv, buying from “The PeopleEmporium.”**

At last night’s meeting of the Mangapapa Town Board, the chairman, Mr. W. J. McCliskie, made feeling reference to the loss sustained by Air. W. Hay in the death of his son, who was recently killed in action. A resolution was' passed expressing the Board’s sympathy with Mr. Hay, and the secretary was instructed to convey this to Mr. Hay by letter.

The marks on a piece of steel were being discussed at the Supreme Court yesterday when witness’ suggested that the marks might be made by a series of light taps. “Would you undertake to carry it out?’’ asked Mr Skerrett of the witness, who promptly declined the offer. “How long shall we adjourn the Court for. - "’ asked His Honor amidst laughter.

A request was received by theMan--o-apapa Town Board last evening from the local Efficiency Board of Trustees to take a census of the population in the district with a view to ascertaining the amount of labor available for agricultural work. The Board decided to inform the Trustees that no agriculture was carried on in the Board’s district, and the small dairy farmers there did not use hired labor for v’orking their holdings.

A demand was received by 'the Mangapapa Town Board last evening from the- Cook County Council for £279. which sum the latter body considered it had cost it to repair the damage to the County roads by extraordinary traffic on behalf of the Mangapapa Town Board. The period of time was from November 1, 1917, to May 31, 1917, and the statement of account prepared by the Cook County related to the following roads: —King’s road, amount claimed for reinstatement £43: College road, £2O; Makauri-Waerenga-a-hika £4O; Ormond-Whataupoko £l7O. The Board decided to disclaim any I liability whatever, and to refer the letter to its solicitors.

Members of local bodies occasionally experience some unusual incidents in the course of their duties in looking after- the needs of their district, but it is safe to say that the experience of the members of the Mangapapa Town Board upon a recent visit of inspection around the district was out of the ordinary course of events. Previous to the members setting out on their tour, notice was sent to a resident of the district, a lady, to vhom,_ judging by subsequent events, the dignity ot the office of members of the Mangapapa Town Board had no terrors. This ladv promptly advised the Board that she would have nothing to do with it and would not receive its members when they came to visit her humble abode. True to her word, they found, when they arrived there, the" door closed and the place apparently deserted. Presently the ladv of'the house arrived on the scene armed with a big'shillelagh, which dip flourished like a true daughter or -'uld Erin, at the same time telling the visitors what she thought of them. She was ably supported by her ; son, armed with a spade. The visitors, not being prepared for such a demonstrative reception, considered that discretion was the part of valour and waited not for the order to go but beat a hasty retreat. The members have agreed t-o ask the local policeman, to interview the irate lady to try and reduce her to a more favorable frame of mind.

“Owing to the restriction on the output of beer,” says Punch, ‘■'the passing of the village inn is merely a question, of time.” Even before the war it. often took hours and 1 hours.

A Scottish doctor who was attending a laird had. instructed the butler of the bouse in the art of taking and recording his master’s temperature. On paying his usual morning call he was met- by the butler, to whom he said, “Well, John, I hope the laird’s temperature is not any higher today?” The man looked puzzled for a moment- and then replied, “Weel, I was just wonderin’ that myself. Ye see, he deed at twal o’clock.”

With over 1,500 entries gathered under the American flag by which President started the race, the seventh annual modified marathon of the New York Evening Mail was run on May 12. Hannes Kolehinainen, the great Finnish runner, won the contest for the fourth time, covering the 12$ miles in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 11 4-5 seconds. The runnel’s were started over Xew York streets when President Wilson pressed a button on his desk at the White House, thereby releasing the folds of a big flag and giving tile signal to “go.”

Writing from the front-, Private Thomas Frederic, who left here with a reinforcement about twelve months ago, forwards a cutting from a Xew Zealand newspaper wherein he is posted as a deserter for not answering when called in a ballot. Private Frederic is still at the front, and expresses in very strong language his opinion of the Defence authorities in maligning a man who volunteered, his services (lie was twice turned down, but persisted.) and; is still fighting.—X.Z. Times.

“During the voyage across the Pacific the steamer that was bringing me back to New Zealand struck a whale broadside oil.” said the Prime Minister at Wellington. “The stricken whale stuck to the sharp bowsW e all rushed on deck thinking, we had encountered a submarine. The ship was stopped and then it had to be backed for some distance before the whale became Now I hope that when we have finished with Germany she will look as limp audi powerless'as. that whale looked .when it dropped off the bows of the steamer. ’

According to a London paper all farm stock' is to rationed. A grave warning by Mr Prothero to the farmers and stock-raisers points out that while the concentrated feeding stuffs available this year will be ouly .a sixth of the pre-war supply, there is more live stock than ever. It farmers do not voluntarily reduce the feeding stuffs to the animals, rationing will be made compulsory. " Ihe number of cattle must be substantially reduced! before Christmas, but the ‘milking herd must be kept up. Corn must not bo given to pigs. more poultry should be kept than can be maintained on scraps andi waste food.

The engagement of Lady Ninian Crichton-Stuart, whose was killed in action in Octobei, IMo. is to be followed by an early marriage, according to the announcements m the society columns of the London papers The announcement lias been given wide publicity and lias cm so l considerable, gossip, for Lady Cnch ton-Stuart, who is now in he doth Year, is one of the beauties oi Fn~Usb society The man slie .lias chosen for her second husband is also ran armv officer— Captain A. Maule Ram--sa y, ‘ of the Coldstream Guards. first husband, who was 111 of a Welsh regiment, was i ° J of the Marquis of Bute. They-JJU four'children, and three, of them iiow living-

The following cable from Rio Janeiro, dated April 13. was sent to a London newspaper: —The iie-asp J O- Imparcial says that tile ruptuie of relations with' Germany and the sew_. ure of German slnps are the forerun ners of warlike measures, and it considers that Brazil- may eventually, send to Europe a contingent ot - uo, “ 000 men, exclusively infantry./ Brazil, the journal adds, could casus- raiso such a force. - ' - A practical gin for the toby Toilet seta in cases, 12> Go Stark La-writ* oiwmitt °

“I think it is a great mistake for parents to take their children away from school when they are twelve years old just because they have passed the Sixth Standard.” —A speaker at. the Conference of Technical School Directors.

“Cannot yon get a manager for z your farm ? ' was a question put to a •\ V r-i? ess § lv big evidence before the Military Service Board at Wanganui. j- ou can get managers and. managers; was the reply. The inference was that gqod farm managers were not a drug in the market at the present time.

English society has become somewhat shocked by the speed with which many young , women among the aristocracy, who have been made widows by the war, have consoled themselves with new matrimonial partners. Naturally, there is no disposition to lay down as a, .social law the theory that a war widow should not marry again, hut it is felt that good taste should decide that only in very exceptional circumstances, should the widow of a man who has given his life for his country forget his memory and his sacrifice to the extent of finding solace in another man’s arms. Of course it is impossible for society to possess a. full understanding of the circumstances of any of the numerous cases in which war widows have again become brides, and, without a full understanding, Criticism of any particular case must savor of impertinence.

Preceding the recent>6 o’clock closing demonstration in the Wellington Town Hall was a procession through the city, which succeeded in rallying several additional hundreds to the main demgnstration. The procession was a waving forest of sign-boards held aloft, and telling in bold letters such terrifying things as “Drink, Disease, Death!” “Why Bar Full, Your Fireside Empty,” “Drink Produces Lunacy.” An unsympathetic sightseer was heard to make a very uncharitable remark on the last-named sign. “Yes, so I would gather,” ,he remarked, eyeing the component parts of the procession critically. Of course, there were more than signs in the procession. Signs and wonders go together, and there were to be seen various tableaux depicting the results of drink. There was the happy home where drink was absent, ancf the miserable home where barrels plentifully adorned with X’s were the only furniture. The crowds on the streets viewed the passing show amusedly.— N.Z. Times.

But the discussion which has arisen in England as to the national dangers which may result* from the intermarriage of European royal families, as shown in Itussia and Greece, where tlie consorts of the sovereigns influenced their partners in a direction opposite to that in which the interests of the nation lay, has brought forward the suggestion that the future King of England should] find his bride in England, andv not at a. foreign court. As a result of this discussion, London society has found a bride for the Prince of Wales in his cousin, Princess Maud, the second daughter of the Princess Royal, the widow of the Duke of Fife. Princess Maud is a year older than the Prince of Wales. Like her elder sister, who married Prince Arthur of Connaught, in 1913, she has been very strictly brought up |>y her mother, and tor a person of her high rank she lived a very quiet retired life-

“I don’t think we have taken proper steps to make our technical education the great-asset it should he,” said Mr. G. George (Auckland) at the conference of directors of technical education in Wellington. National efficiency was very closely associated with the education of the people. Then there was the important point that many men who had received all the advantages of technical education had been lost at the front. These would have to be replaced. The shortage of goods imported before the war had caused new industries to spring up. These industries would grow as time went, on, and technical education was to fit men for them. An instance of new industries that had sprung up in the Dominion was pianomaking. A firm already had commenced operations in Auckland,, and had on hand 200 orders for pianos. It would be a crime if such industries were not fully developed. The country had the raw materials. . These should he fully utilised and the Dominion made self-supporting.

Tlie appointment of a man of German birth as a member of the Petone Fir© Board resulted in; tlie meeting called for Tuesday being ‘adjourned for want of a quorum. Messrs Ching and Kempthome, the insurance representatives, and Mr R. Motlies, the Government appointee, were the only members present. All the representatives of the Borough Council (Messrs J. W. McLean, S. Newlands, andi J. McDougall) were absent. Mr McEwen, who is Mayor of Petone. when seen subsequently, stated that his objection is on tli© public ground of the appointment of a man of German birth by the Government on the Board. He held: the opinion that: no German, whether naturalised or not, should hold a public position in New Zealand at the present time. _ It is understood that this opinion is also shared by the other absent members. Mr Mothes has been in the Dominion soma 40 years. His son. Fritz Mothes, was wounded at Gallipoli, and is now in the Records Office at London. N.Z. Times.

Christian ' Benzing, the returned' soldier who was /■ executed at Sydney on June' 16 for murdering a young girl, made a confession before death, adhiitting that he was guilty of the crime with which he had been charged. He stated that a murder-lust had taken hold of him, and he wa s always wanting to- kill. He still felt in a murderous frame of • mind, and his keenest desire was to do away with someone in a sensational manner "He mentioned that one day lie gripped a cat around the neck until it died; at Scone he had! tried to choke a warder, and on another occasion endeavoured to choke a drunken man. On the .dav he met the little "irl whom he had murdered, he induced lief to walk into some scrub, and when away from the view of anyone he told the girl that he was going to murder her. He sprang at hr, and grabbed her round the neck, and held her until she died. He left the girl s body in the shrub and moved away. As he was withdiawing fiom the bushes he saw a boy walking along ihl road and the murder-lnst again Krt hold 'of him. ,Th»M however, walked quickly and got away.