LOCAL AND GENERAL HEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 13 July 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL HEWS.

A public meeting of Second Division men and their wives will be held in the Foresters' Hall this evening at 8 o'clock, when speakers from New Plymouth League, also Mr P. ODea and Mr B. McCarthy, w^- address the meeting. All married men are requested to be present.

During the quarter ended June 30, 22 horses, 2 bulls, 1 bullock, and 15 cows were impounded by the borough poundkeeper (Mr W. Davidson).

Bowlers in Napier are never at rest. The Herald says that six rinks will be available for play on the Napier Club's green on Saturday next.

Building permits to the value of £3610 were issued by the Hawera Borough Engineer during the month of June.

The borough inspector (Mr J. Ashforth) reported to the Boiwgli Council last evening "that the nuisance from the railway cleaning depot still exists at Glover road."

When sentencing prisoners at the Supreme Court at Napier, the judge lemarked that several prisoners whom the Prisons Board had released to enlist for active service had done exceedingly well at the war. Reports from England showed that all except one had merited their release.

A sad sight to be seen in the streets of Balclutha recently- was a, lorry drawn by seven horses, and loaded with, the carcases of drowned sheep. These were on their way to the freezing works, where, after the pelts were removed, the carcases would be consigned to the digester in the manure works.

During a recent bottle gathering campaign by school children in Invercargill in aid of the Red Cross fund, no less than 8301 bottles of all kinds were collected. The sales totalled £285, and when the bottles in hand were disposed of it> was expected that the total receipts would exceeel £300.

The Christchurch Press says it does not suppose that anyone conversant with politics will take very seriously the suggestion put forward by the New Zealand Times that Mr Wilford will be appointed to Dr McNab's place in the Ministry. We can imagine Mr Wilfed himself going about Wellington, like the great Crummies, and wondering "how these things get into the papers."

Friends in Hawera who have a very kind remembrance of" Mr and Mrs Arthur Gillies, and kntftf how generous th(^ were here, feel aft interest in their* doings elsewhere, fSfid offer their congratulation 3 on the rrtfrnificent gift they hafre1 roade to the' b6?rs>ieYs at Rotorua. , property is in a .most beautiful situation, and.the building" is■worthy of the 1 site iri .every way. It is l a most noble gif*.-

The Department' of. jinternal Affairs has informed the .rfa'Weya Borough Council that advice has bjeen received from the High Commissioner ; that the sum of £11, contributed %''\the Council on May 2, 1916, had been paid over to the treasurer of the'" Russian Prisoners of War Help Committee. The president, Countess Benckendorff, desired the High Commissioner to- express her warm appreciation of the donor's generosity. The Department' also intimated that £6 3s has been* paid over to the Serbian Legation.

One would hardly expect (says the Christchureh Press) to hear of Lieut.Commander Childers, of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, receiving tfte D.S.O. for his skill as an aeroplane observer. The m-oper place for the author of "The Riddle of the Sands," one of the best pro-war books on the German menace that was ever written, would seem to be in a small patrol boat at sea, instead of in an aeroplane up in the clouds. But, after all, the time for dodging about in a. Two-man cutter round the back of the Frisian Islands and along the waterways of the Gentian coast, has frone past, and any person who took on that sort of espionage noAv would have a short career. The modem riddle of the sands can be solved, when it presents itself, more easily and safely from an aeroplane than from the water, and Commander Childers' hard-won knowledge of German canals and "short cuts" may yet prove very useful.

The New York census (says a cable I message) shows the population to be 6£ million, and that of Chicago 5^ million. An Adelaide message reports that the South Australian Government has appointed fifteen women Justices of the Peace. i The "Wellington Anglican Synod, after further discussing the matter at an adjourned debate, agreed to the j 6 o'clock closing resolution without a ; division. I The Okato district was visited last . week by a whirlwind somewhat similar to the Moturoa visitation of a few ; weeks back. It unroofed a cowshed and levelled several fences over a mile and . a half from the first damage. j C. A. Wilkinson, Ltd., advised the I Waimate County Council that linseed I oil, of which the Council ordered a ' good supply some time back, is now much higher in price, and is still increasing. At the annual meeting of the Taranaki Master Tailors, held at Stratford on Thursday, it was decided to meet the Operatives' Union on Wednesday, 18th hist., to consider the conditions of the proposed new award, andj if possible, come to some agreement. Mr J. Robb was elected a vice-president of the association.

Burglars have been very active in Christchurch of late. The premises of McClatchie and Co., Hereford street, were entered, and the office ransacked. The cash tills were found to be empty, and the intruders then turned their attention to the offices of Kirisey and Co., in the same building, but the search for money was fruitless. These attempts, which were followed by a similar one at the High street post office, show that someone, it is supposed an amateur, is displaying much activity at present!

Replying to a question on the subject of men being improperly gazetted in the black list, Sir James Allen said that the Department was doing all it could to make these lists as nearly perfect as possible, but it seemed to be practically impossible to make them perfect. The last lists had been delayed until the last moment, in order that the department might find out whether certain men ought to be black-listed or not He could only assure the House that the department was doing as much as it could. He would be very glad to extend the enquiries so long as it was not made impossible to get the lists published. The object of the list was to ensure that all First Division men went to the front before Second Division men were called up.

A serious accident occurred to a party of motorists in the Taita Gorge on Wednesday (the Dominion reports). The party, consisting of three men and about four women, was proceeding to the Trentham racecourse in a Minerva taxi-cab. It is stated that the driver was about to pass another car that was coming towards him. He had not sufficient room, and the outer edge of tho road breaking down, he went over a 20-foot bank. The car turned two somersaults, and landed on its wheels. The men got clear, but a Mrs Anstice and a Miss Egan were not so fortunate. Mrs Anstice received a fractured rib and injury to the lung, and severe shock, while Miss Egan had a rib broken. At the hospital Mrs Anstice was found to be in a grave condition.

A reporter on the Otago Daily Times, when paying his fare on a tramcar on a recent Saturday, was asked by the conductor if he had any pennies of 1914 —that he would give 3d each for all the reporter had. The question was naturally asked what was causing this demand, and the reply was given that it had been discovered that a quantity of gold had got into the copper by mistake when minting took place, that the banks were eagerly picking up all the 1914 pennies they could, and were keeping Tery quiet about it. The banks have, unofficially, heard all about the wonderful assertion regarding these goldcopper pennies. Officially they have heard nothing, and are continuing to serve out 1914 pennies to their customers just the same as the makes of any other years. (We thought this myth had been got rid of by an official explanation made some months ago.) Mr Duncan Ruthei-ford, whose death was announced oa Tuesday, was a fine epecimen of the businesslike, jovial, sport-loving, generous runholder of whom New Zealand has produced many. He was educated in Christchurch, and was captain of the College cricket eleven and of the football fifteen, and played in the College cricket matches in 1867, 1868, and 1869. Mr Rutherford always took a keen and directly personal interest in the College, and especially in the College sports' When he started his working life he managed his properties with care, he was an enterprising breeder, was one of the first men to seriously tackle the rabbit nuisance difficulty, and he also took his share of local government work. As a horse owner he won great steeplechases, hurdle and flat events. Since the war few men have been more generous with purse or more actWe with brain in devising schemes of help for war purposes and the relief of the suffering.

The Dominion Boy Scouts' monthly Bulletin contains the following: Scout- ; master Yearbury, of Hawera, sent four t Pathfinders' maps this week to head--1 quarters. They are very well done indeed, and maintain the high standard attained by the twenty-four Soouta in i Hawera who competed for the King's 1 Stanuaru in I£U« Among the maps sent to headquiTters for inspection none excel th^se to'**»d tins week. The four boys are Sergt. %L Prown, Patrol Leader K. White, Corporal li Hannah, and Scout A. Loveli. Mr Yearbury, Scoutmaster", reports that Mr H. C. Johnson (agricultural instruotfor), who is examiner for the Nattoalist Badge*, complimented the eigTifc' boys who passed the test, and tljatf the examiner for the Pathfinders' Badge was greatly pleased with] the work done and the maps drawn try/the boys who passed that test. Mr ifeaT^ bury is.forming a troop of juniors StiS expects to make a success of them!/ The troops under him hare formed a library and have already about fifty books to start with, the boys making the cupboards, tables and stools themselves. They have instituted a, competition for badges, the patrol holding the greatest number having the leader's flag highest on the wall. Counting service stars the troop already holds 148 badges.

The services in the Manaia Methodist Church on Sunday next will be conducted by Rev. F. J~. Parker, and the service at Okaiawa at 2 p.m. by Mr J. Adams. The service at Auroa at 2 p.m.

will be followed by the Sacrament, the preacher being Rev. F. J. Parker.

"Ciyis," in the Otago Daily Times is a bit caustic on the new member for liawke's Bay: "Sir John Findlay.^having at last found constitituency willing to elect him, enters the House with a high look and proud stomach, disposed to make his own game and play a lone hand. He declines to move tlie Address-in-Reply, tables a disagreeable motion about judicial appointments and exchanges quips with Sir Joseph Ward across the floor. The ox knoweth his i owner and the ass his mater's crib, but Sir John recognises no obligation to Sir Joseph who made him a knight and first admitted him to the sweets of office.

"For the first time in the history of the board, a lady has been elected to represent one of the contributing bodies. I refer to the appointment of Councillor Wells to represent the City Council," said Mr George Scott, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Technical College, Christchurch, in the course of his renort to the board at

its meeting on Friday night. "As we have a very large number of girls attending ouk, classes, both in the day and in the evening, I feel it is very fitting that there should be a lady member on the board, and that we shall receive much assistance from her cooperation."

An unusual r>osition arose in a case involving the interpretation of a will in the Supreme Court at Christchurch last week, in which a party, in his dual capacity as a trustee and a beneficiary, was joined as both a plaintiff and a defendant. "Surely a man j can't sue and appear against himself," said his Honor Mr Justice Denniston. | "Does a man, as a trustee, brief a sol- j icitor, and thqnj as a defendant, go i rund to another solicitor and get him I to do his best in the opposite direction? This man is only one of the trustees, but it is the same thing as if there were only one trustee and he was suing himself." His Honor quoted authorities to show that it was irregular and inequitable in common law to make the same party both plaintiff and defendant. His Honor eventually decided to hear ! the argument in the case without making any further pronouncement. At a large meeting of dairy farmers at Bunnythorpe last week the question of milk supply to the factory was dis- I cussed at some length and Messrs Na- I than and Go.'s proposal to pay a minimum of 2s per lb for butter-fat for the coming season was received with much enthusiam, and. unanimously adopted. In view of high prices ruling for cheese, it was further agreed by the firm that should cheese companies pay out over Is lOd per lb for Dutter-fat, the suppliers would have the right to select any four-vat factory m th© Wellington province, and Nathan's would pay 2d per lb more than the factory selected, provided the milk supply at the Glaxo factory showed an increase of 25 per cent, on last season's figures. As this increase is well assured. Bunnythorpe suppliers may consider themselves in a most fortunate position (says the Feilding Star), when considering the shipping difficulties with which the country i is faced.