LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 237, 21 September 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tcrala Mahuta and three chiefs who went to England to interview the King have reached Sydney. T hey return to Now Zealand 011 Wednesday.—Press Association.

Mr. E. J. F. King, in thanking Dr. McNab for his interesting address yesterday afternoon. said the speaker had undertaken a big task in compiling his-history of early NewZealand.

Mr. E. J. F. King, secretary of tlie Y’.M.C.A., mentioned at yesterday’s service in the King’s Theatre. Hast ings. that they’ were endeavouring to get tlie services of some outside speaker for the next patriotic service.

An outbreak of fire occurred in Hastings at 3.30 yesterday morning, in a house occupied by Mr. C. Kirkley. in Queen street. Very little damage was caused, the outbreak being extinguished before the arrival of the brigade. The furniture, which was insured for £2OO in the Victoria office, was not damaged. The is owned by Dlr. S. 8. Oliver. Hardships of bachelor life are in fltieneing at least one member of the Expeditionary Force stationed in Samoa to think seriously of getting into double harness when he returns to New Zealand. “V lien I get back to the metropolis." lie writes in a letter received in ’Wellington, “the first thing I intend to do is to get married. This unalterable resolution is the result of having to do my own washing and sewing-on o> buttons. Perhaps even before I return I shall have taken to myself a wife — from among the natives. They wash well, anyhow., although they do knock Hades out of the dot lies. Tim method adopted by the natives is to take the clothes to the river, soap them well and place them on a stone. Then they bang them with a stick, occasionally rinsing until the clothes are clean."

Among the smaller towns of NewZea and. which responded to the cttll of the Empire for men and money, l here was perhaps none more, patriotic than Hunt ly. On tlie very day of the disaster in Ralph’s mine an auction sale wtts to have been held of gifts which had been made, for the benefit, of the Patriotic Fund, aud on 1 he evening of the day of the second sad funeral a patriotic concert was to have taken place. Ar a subsequent meeting of the Patriotic Committee it was decided to close the fund with a sum of £336 in hand, and start another fund for the relief of local distress. Since then, liowevei. a letter has been received from the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. (. . .1. Parr) asking that instead of sending on this money for the Patriotic Fund the committee should retain it for the purpose of relieving local distress. Needless to state, this thoughtful action has been much appreciated in Huntly. Generous contributions are being received from all parts of the. Dominion, together w'ith numerous messages of sympathy.