Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4852, 25 April 1918, Page 4

Local and General.

Pupils attending the Gisborne school have been granted a whole holiday for to-day (Anzac Day).

An unoccupied dwelling at Patutahi, on the Wairoa road, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday morning. Tlie" house was owned, by Air. A. Tuohy, the property being leased to Mr G. Bennie. It was not known how the fire started as the place had not- been occupied for some time.

A request has been received by the local Y.M.C.A. Executive Committee from Tuparoa. that the funds raised in that district during the Y.M.C.A. campaign should be earmarked for the purpose of providing a special hut- to represent the district. There are sufficient funds in hand from the district for this purpose.

It was suggested by one of the members of the Military Service Board at its silting on Saturday that Soldiers’ Wives’ Clubs, similar to that in Wellington, could with advantage be established in al] towns for the benefit of wives of soldiers on active service, particularly in view of the fact that the Second Division is now being called up.

“Couldn’t you . make the two drunks into one?” was the somewhat . curious request made by an accused at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning.- “I am afraid you rolled them into one,” replied His Worship. Sub-Inspector Dew said the accused, John Miller Graham. had been locked up for drunkenness. He was released on bail and employed his freedom in getting drunk again.

A particularly unpleasant experience was the lot of a boy aged twelve years at the Wellington Zoo on Saturday afternoon. The boy. George Kensington-, of Palmerston North, is visiting Wellington in company with his father. While sightseeing at the Zoo the lad poked his right hand through the bars into the black bear's cage. The animal seized hold of the hand with liis mouth and badly chewed it- before the boy was able to release himself. The boy was taken to the hospital, where it was found necessary to amputate some of the fingers.

Mr H. H. de Costa leaves for the Coast nett week in connection with the A.M.P. Society's war loan scheme, w-t.cn should* prove most attractive to anyone contemplating putting money into the Government loan. Mr dc Costa intends advertising in tiiese columns when be will be visiting the different East Coast towns and all those who wish to contribute can do so through his arrangement. It has been arranged with the Treasury to keep the scheme open so that people who have notsubscribed to the loan can do so through the A.M.P. Society.

Writing from England, a local soldier says: The people in New Zealand have, no idea of the conditions people live under here. Everyone nas a food card, and queues outside the shops are a quarter of a mile long. Soldiers" on leave carry their provision cards, which they are required to show before, obtaining any articlesFood hoarders are severely dealt with, and the surplus food found confiscated. When the German aeroplanes raid London the shelters and tubes are crowded. The anti-aircraft guns can be heard quite distinctly, and shells seen bursting miles away from London.

A respondent in a maintenace case at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday declared that liis earnings during the past two years had not areraged more than £1 per week. Since Easter Monday lie had only earned 15s. On account of illness he could only do light' work. 1 His medical advisers had hold him that if he desired to live more than twelve months he would have to get out into the country and live an easy life. His Worship, after hearing the evidence, considered that the respondent was capable of contributing maintenance and mader an order for a small amount. Respondent : “I will never pay it.” His Worship: “Then you will have to go to prison, you can pay if you are so inclined.” “I will not pay it,” replied respondent, “you can put me into prison now if you like.” With this parting shot he left the Court.

A red rag fluttering in the breeze from the mast of a small launch in the Bay yesterday afternoon aroused some anxiety and'alarm among those aboard the Tuatea, which had just Competed tendering The Monowai. and as it was regarded as a signal of distress. Captain Hawkes put the Tuatea about and stood off to the little craft with a view to offering assistance. There was a good deal of speculation among those aboard the Tuatea as to what could have happened aboard the launch, the possibilities ranging from a death among, her tiny crew to a mutiny or outrage at the hands of a prowling Üboat. Everyone rushed .to the .rail as the vessels came within distance and the situation can he imagined, when, in answer to a hail as to whether assistance was wanted, the launch replied laconically that the signal was merely an old flag which had got wet and had been hung up to dry! Most of those aboard the tender appreciated the joke, and the. Tuatea sheered off amid . general laughter, but one choleric individual aboard expressed, vociferous indignation, at a distance of several cables, against- the launch “giving itself the airs of a blank battleship.” This concluded the incident, and the Tuatea. with all,her brave hopes of salvage on the high seas vanished, slunk -back to the river, while the surface of the Bav echoed the merriment of someone aboard the launch who evident],- regarded the abuse which bad been hurled at him as the richest part of the joke.

In connection with the A tune I);,,celebrations thp City Band uj-1 parade, at the band room, -t 1.30 p. r , . to-day.

Five fat wethers given by Mr von Pein and sold at the Matawhero stock sale yesterday for the benefit of the Y.M.C.A Fund realised 28s each, and a lamb given for the same fund was sold and re-sold until the total bids from ten different purchasers amounted to £ f J 11s.

The stockowners’ list for the East Coast Rabbit Board came before Mr. W. A. Barton at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon. Mr Burned and Mr. W. J. Bennessy (secretary j appeared, for the Board. No objections were lodged and the list was passed.

A 3 to-day is to he kept as a full holiday in town, the chairman of the Gisborne School Committee (Mr Geo. Wildish) has given instructions that the school is to have a full holiday instead of a half holiday. Notice was received too late to inform the children before the close of school.

On Tuesday night a loose letters when being transited from the Tuatea to the Arahura were dropped into the sea. Some six of these" were recovered, but the remainder—about 12 letters—were lost. At present the addresses on the recovered letters were not available, hut the Chief Postmaster is endeavoring to obtain this information.

A verv special line of Dress Tweeds "in dark grey stripes and grey mixtures at 2s lid per yard, is now being sold by Messrs C. Rosie and Co. The present value for these tweeds is ouite 4s lid, but like a good many lines stocked bv_* this firm the selling price is actually much less than wholesale rates. *

Although many donations were received during the Red Triangle Campaign for the purpose of replacing a Gisborne hut destroyed during recent fighting, the amount- has not reached £2-50. It will he remembered that a resident, who _desires to remain anonymous, offered £'2o(j for the purpose of replacing a nut provided the public subscribed a similar sum.

’Writing from Palestine on March 3 last. Lieutenant Frank Moore, of Johnsonville, says:—“We have just completed a hurried tour of all important- places captured from the Turks in the past year. M e . Kited Bethlehem, 'Jerusalem, Jericho, the Dead Sea/and the River Jordan. I seized the opportunity to note nature of - sac-red spots in these historic places for future use. It was very severe on our horses. For miles we rode in single file along Aiinglv nasses. We are now resting on the banks of the River Jordan, considering our next, move otter gauging me enemy's position.. i -£- a - disease known as •'trench mouth.” ha-5 trade it* appearance at Palmerston. The _ disease is well s,na rrom me **“l rm.TZJ/n. spiels to t>6 7T T-'” : /-r fJ/Ljs?g- g ir neglect to acute ;nnamnnettcu_ rnT-ufnr "al/trir,' L 5 men's Hotel) sued me Westport license fee at £4O per annum rrc-m June. 1917. to June. 1915, as under 10 o’clock and 6 o’clock license- The Magistrate and counsel had s lengthy many phases of the subject, eventually 'the Magistrate stating that -here was no doubt in his mind that the vculd be dismissed.

A woman who fills Uer proper place in the Lome and social life has many duties to attend to. Her working day is often long and very full. Especially so at the present time. To give her best her energies must be propel ly directed, and -here must be no waste, and. it is in this important respect that mistakes are frequently made. Why should a woman use many precious hours of he • time, and perhaps injure her health and eyesight, making underclothing when she* can buy al] she requires for practically the same amount as she spends on the materials- - Miss M. Neill, Gisborne’s ladies tinderclothing specialist. has large stocks of underclothing, and is in a position to sell much cheaper than present wholesale prices war-rant—-at the bid corner and at Everybody’s Buildings.*

Our _ Harbor.—The burning question just now is: Can Gisborne isce an expenditure of £1.000.000 on a harbour scheme? This knotty problem will giy e a lot of settling. The members of the Board will have, to nut on their thinking caps in real earnest now. some of them are not in favor of hying to do anything more with the “ditch,*’ while others are afraid to commit the district to a scheme winch, involves such a huge outlay. While the members are so divided there need be no division of opinion on one other very important problem* viz -: Where can ‘the Gisborne public _ get _ best value for their money? “The People’s Emporium" fills the bill in this respect. Good goods sold at the lowest possible price still makes this store the most popular store iu Gisborne. Do you deal there, if not, why not ?

The Dunedin Boot Manufacturers’ Association officially denies that i* is m any way unwarrantably torch g m the prices of its goods, reports Otago Daily Times. Figures showing the cost of the articles required to manufacture a pair of boots in 1914 as compared with those ruling in 1918 demonstrate that in the three chief materials—leather, lining, and hardware —prices have advanced from 100 to 400 per cent. The association claims that its prices to the retailers represent, only a fair margin of profiton the capital involved. The position, however, appears likely to become more acute in consequence of the withdrawal by the Government of the embargo on the export of hides. The withdrawal will permit speculators to operate on the market, with the object of exporting the hides to other countries, and this must tend to harden the hide