LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 28 September 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The first test of shrapnel was made m England 112 years ago, when a committee of British Army men reported favorably on the invention of a fellow officer, Henry Shrapnel. The right wiing ov the 43rd Reinforcements has arrived at a port of call, the general health of the troops being excellent, though there were a few mild cases of influenza. —Press Association. When King Alexander of Greece was returning from the Serbian fron* recently, the Royal train, was bombed by •an enemy aeroplane at the Fiorina railway station. The bomb fell near the engine, but caused no damage.

Of the world's coal mined 1,235,000,----000 tons are wasted in heat radiation and other losses, • according to an expert on fuel economy. In 1&L0 the amount of coal mined in the world was about .1,300,000,000 tons, and it was improbable that anything like 5 per oetrfc. was ever turned into actual useful work.

As * .guide .to the courses of currents < in Cook Strait, the Marine Department has adopted a,, novel method for tim information of mariners. '■. The Department is arranging with captains, of vessels to drop in certain parts of the Strait at short intervals wooden discs eight feet in diameter carrying a tin flag. Tjfose objects, which will be painted red, are to be first put in use about. Wednesday next. A bottle containing ..instructions to report to tike Department should -any of these floats be washed ashore will b e attached to them. ~ The Katipo, the official organ of the N.Z, Post ;and Telegraph Officers' Association,; in this month's issue comments , severely upon the appointment of Mr G. B, Dallas Director of Postal Services... ; with .the N,Z.E.F. / The Katipo, af t ter expressing the opinion that a younger, man might "very well have been given, .the picking," says: "lira nutshell, no other officer i* to be allowed the opportunity of making a reputation for himself for.fear that ;he may :,prove that the right kind of brains and energy for administration work exists outside as well as inside the walls of the head office." In the course of conversation with a Dunedin reporter, Lieutenant-Colonel Sleeman said that the raw .material for the army in New Zealand had advantages over the raw material in the Old Country, in that pur recruit* here were better educated, and of higher -physique, and more accustomed to selfdependence. The disadvantages of the New Zealand recruits were, firstly, that they came from homes in which the parental discipline is not so stiff as in the Homeland. Therefore it was the harder to bring them to the military standard of discipline; and, secondly, the colonial recruit's time of training, reduced to hours, was only one-third of the time in England. The aim of the recruits here should be to so use their advantages, as to compensate for the shorter period; in other words,- they ought to do their best to learn a soldier's duty in a third of the tune allowed at Home. Military cyclists, have taken- a considerable part in the recent big engagements in France. The authorities have at length realised the importance or this arm of the service. In some respects it is superior to cavalry. The average .cyclist who is in. good form can cover 60 miles a day, and at the end ot it be quite fit for action, whereas an infantry man in the field would be done up after 20 miles, and, unlike horses, cycles don't need rest They are invaluable in an offensive or a rearguard action. Another'^advantage is to be found in the fact that machines can be left without anybody in charge; where horses are concerned one man out of four is occupied in holding the animals.; The cyclist, too, has the advantage of being able ,to carry his outfit without much inconvenience. As a rule motor cycle-drawn machine-guns co-operate with them, and are very suitable for the/purpose, tor they lose very little time in an advance or m retiring from line to line. Twenty years ago to-day (writes Mereurms" in tfa£ Hobart Mercury of September 7th) we' were alltossing up our caps in honor of Lord Kitchener's victory over the Khalifa, at Omdurman In looking up the records of that me^ morat>le i tome, I chanced to come upon a remarkable letter, written by General Gordon m 1887. "Every Briton," hJ says, -should think of the future of has country, and should insist upon the trovernment passing a measure for 6bm-: Pu^° ry; training. So far-as England is oancernedy:.She need be under no immediate apprehension. But in 1910 or thereabputs, there will > have risen a naval Power which may prove mightier than she. If that Power gains the supremacy, England will become extinct, both as a sfeb and a land Power, and all her mil , fall into the clutches of Germany. You may not live to see this; but if you ar© living when ■Boat time oomes, remember my words!'' It was. in. 1910 that Germany revived her famous Navy Programm©! A mile endurance run without leaving the showroom is the feat recently performed by an automobile at Boston (U.S.A.). In arranging for a test which would show the staying qualities of their car the manufacturers wished to secure the maximum [ of_publicity before the crowds which daily passed their showroom. So they took a car.out of stock, blocked the wheels clear of the ground, and belted the rear wheels to an electric generator. The electrical load on the generator was fixed at such a value as to put a load on the car engine equivalent to that- caused by climbing a 10.5 per cent grade at about 22 miles per hour.at high gear, part of the power generated being used to light tne showroom inside and outside. During the test period the motor was under continuous observation by newspaper men, automobile experts and technical men from the various institutions in and around Boston. During tne run the car covered a distance equivalent' to 26,149.3 miles, and consumed 1163 gallons of gasoline^ an average of 2%49 miles per gallon The oil consumption was 220 pints, 'being 950 miles per gallon. The distance exceeds the previous record for a similar test by over 4000 miles. The usual Public Service entrance examinations for shorthand writers and typists willbe held on 23rd November Applications close on November 13. There is a reason why you should collect Radium polish tins (boot or floor polish)—they are worth 6d per doz and any grocer will be glad to buy tnem from you, providing the tins are in good order. Start saving them today.—Advt. Protection for your soldier «<,, if- ij hlm a bullet-proof fabric body shield—non-metallic, light, warm and comfortable. Defies bayonet, sword |° rapnel, bombs, revolver. or lance—^ 'JJy V*. free t0 Trenches.—P.O. Box 657 Chnstehurch.—Aovt

DANGER OF NEGLECTED (JUTS. Maybe it's a mere scratch now bat it needs only a little bit of dirt to change it into a dangerous septic poisoning;. Have Bee Ointment handy. Its wonderful antiseptic Qualities '.. mil prevent all chances of: infection Stands supreme as a reliever- of all outs,' bruises, sores'*, and abrasions. 1/g everywhere.—Advt.

At a sale of unclaimed luggage held m Christchurch on behalf of the Union Steam Ship Company, the pocket of one very well-worn coat was found to hold a savings bank book with a balance of £228 10s Bd.

The Hon. Arthur Myers (ActingMinister for Finance) states that the average monthly expenditure of the Dominion for war purposes during the 5o IK e naq^" ter °f this ?ear was under sbZ,UUv,UUU.

A letter received in Gisborne from Canada states that Professor W. Mills who visited New Zealand some years ago on labor and prohibition matters has been arrested on a charge of sedition, and, if convicted, is liable to ten years' imprisonment.

Mr Newton King has decided to open a permanent office in Regent street, Hawera, Mr W. T, Bailey, late stock agent at the firm's Kaponga branch, will be in charge of the office. In consequence, Mr Morgan Priest, who in the past has worked the Whangamomona-Kohuratahi district has been transferred to Kaponga, and Mr Henry Anderson appointed to succeed him at the Whangamomona office.

Some of the soldiers who marry overseas look as far as Wellington for help in. housekeeping. . The Applications Committee of the Wellington War Relief • Association reported on Wednesday to the executive: "We are receiving such a large number of applications from soldiers having married overseas, who ask us to provide them with furniture, that as it is utterly impossible to gorant all such requests, it has been decided that unless exceptional circumstances can be proved, such claims must be declined in favor of a,pplications from soldiers deeirous of re-estab-lishing a domestic position broken up when enlistment occurred.' The report was adopted.

In these days, when the pualitv of various articles is being caUed inta question,..any suggestion which will add to their length of life will b© welcomed. Carbon paper is an article much used in commtjrcral offices,, and, while it is an expensive, item of office equipment, its life is verj' transitory. It has been found that extra work may be done Avdth slightly worn sheets if such are held over som c foi-m of heating apparatus, sufficiently far away to. prevent' their catching fire. Experiment will demonstrate that the effect of this is to causa the carbon-surface to run slightly, and the worn surface receives a small amount of recoating.

A fairly large number of residents in Christchurch hav^, handed to the Canterbury Chamber of Commetrce letters which, iit is believed^ were written with the object of securing trad© for Germany, states the Lyttelton Times. These letters como from neutra] countries. In most cases the wording is guarded, and leaves room for only a suspicion, but in at least one case tha writer frankly states that he is ready to overcome the difficulty in the way of eommuriipation between New Zealand and countries engaged in the war. Several tempting offers of business are made. The Chamber of Commerce will^ forward the letters to the Board of. Trade, and it is pi-obable that thfty will be brought under the notice of the Imperial authorities. • .

The New. Plymouth trustees of the Efficiency Board met yesterday (reports the News). An amount of correspondence was dealt with, 'and ten new cases of varied nature were considered and dealt with. An Auckland firm, with large, interests in Taranaki, wrote' in respect to the condition of their business on account of a number of their Taranaki men having to go into camp in October. It was stated that the men were working night and day, endeavoring to complete orders; but it was doubtful if this could be done in time. The, company was unable to send-any men here to take the places of those going to camp, and the board was asked to secure extension of leave for them until after the end of the busy season. A similar application was received from a South '.Taranaki' firm, and it was decided to refer all the correspondence .and particulars to the Commissioner at Wellington. ; *■ General Pau, of the French .Mission*; has confounded the wiseacres. He has proved, to his own .satisfaction, at "all events, that the great! Australian term "hosker" is really of French origin.. The general made the discovei-y ■at I Wentworth Fills. Mr James Dodleyy MiL.A., and Lieutenant Howard, local staff officer, were -accessories to the fact. Appalled by the majesty of thte scene j; Btretching 40 miles before him, the general confessed that the, words failed him. ''Bosker,'' suggested Mr Dooley, and then the geneiral learned it and said it. But at: the luncheon at Katoomba he spirang his surprise. He had, he said, found in Rabelais an allusion to a beautiful and fertile country called Beauce, a icorruptioii of beaii cela, .An examination would show, that "bosker" was not purely Australian/ "It is certainly French," added the general, amid cheers; • 'for some Frenchman must have come here betfore; and said. 'Plus beau que ca,' and from that you get; your-'bosker.'''And it is 'bosker,',". The igenefal threatens to. discover the origin of "wowser" next.'.;.' .' . . '."-■'■' :

■ The loss of food due. to the depredations of rats is something enormous (says the Auckland Star), and -the urgent need for a united crusade being made..: .<to exterminate some of the predatory rodents.. may be. gathered from the fact that no less than sixty were killed at Tooman'e Mart in a space, on the main floor 12 by 12 feet. On. this-a stack of fowl wheat had stood, for about a couple of months, and that the rats were having a goodtime was manifest from the way in which the stack was sinking. It. was decided to fence the area with wire netting, and this was done, but unfortunately only to a.height of about 18 inches. Then the sacks of grain were removed, and the slaughter began. The result was sixty dead bodies,. and it is estimated that an equal number escaped, by leaping the wire barrier. Other sacks of grain showed evidence that the rats are equally . ( at work in them, and will all have to be shifted. In many cases the wheat will have to be resacked. On the 12th of this month the firm wrote to the CSty Engineer as follows: "The rat nuisance in our stores is becoming a very iserious matter, and we have no hesitation in saying we have lost in wheat alone over £50, to say nothing of the damage done to oats and other grain. Can you suggest a remedy. Of course, we have laid poison, but this appears to have made little difference."

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■ •- , PROFITABLE PATENTS &&ch.. day you a.T«, nroagpt into <x>n tanfc with scores of inventions which have made fortunes for. the discoverers. Perhaps you hare an idea that wi\\ I"-: iff you fame- Why not patent it at once,, 'otherwi#6 sonieout< ti.-v- .i... drop on the same idea and protect it Consult us—our long experience and wide oonn^tioin onaiyle us t« a^ist yon acourately. Henry Huighe3, Ltd.. Patent Attorneys Featherston tiut-^ Wellington .—Advt.

The wireless station at Rarotonga is now m full working order. The provision of wireless telegraph facilities for Karotonga has been under discussion for some years, the residents urging that the absence of any means of communication with the. outside world has been the cause of much loss, particularly to those engaged in the fruit export trade. In July, 1916, the fruit exporters agreed to pay a duty of Id a case on fruit, amounting to about £700 a year, to provide for the main- 1 tenance of a wireless plant, and this duty has apparently been collected ever since, though the plant has only now been brought into operation. Rarotonga, in common with the other islands of the Cook Group, has always suffered through the lack of telegraphic communication, the nearest point from which messages could be despatched being Tahiti, where there is a wireless station. This is nearly two days' steam from Avarua, the principal town and port of Rarotonga. A site for a wireless station was acquired 6ome miles from Avarua about three years ago, but, as wireless plant could not be secured owing to war needs, the erection of the station could not then be proceeded with. The South Pacific is now provided with a chain of wireless stations, capable of communicating with New Zeaand under favorable conm^i 0. 11. 8' These are at Fiji (Suva), Tahiti {Point Venus), and Rarotonga (Avarua), and both Rarotonga and Tahiti can transmit messages to Fiji, which is connected with New." Zealand and Canada by cable.

An unusual event —the arrest of a Teasel—has occurred at the port of New Plymouth this week (reports the Herald). On Tuesday a writ of summons in rem, to use the correct legal term, was issued against the schooner Ottillie Fjord by a firm of merchants trading in New Plymouth., in respect to an action for damage, to cargo. On Wednesday another writ was issued by a second firm. The proceedings were taken under the Admiralty jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the writs were served by nailing them on the mainmast of the vessel. Subsequently warrants were issued to the Marshal under the Admiralty jurisdiction, requiring him to arrest the schooner, and these warrants were ' executed in the same, manner as was done with the write. As far as is known this is the first time that a vessel has been arrested at New Plymouth, and the course has, not very frequently been adopted at any port in New Zealand. It is a provision to protect people having claims against a vessel. In most cases of^hnilar claims the companies owning the vessel have agents or offices at the port and action can be taken against thorn, but. in the present,case the owners belong to San Francisco and have no agents here, so that action has to be taken against them through* the tesseL itself in the first place. Tie Ottillie Fjord is at present, therefore, lying at the wharf in custody, and proceedings in the Supreme Court will follow. The vessel's cargo consisted of benzine and lubricating oil, and general merchandise, including a quantity of dried fruits. . It is undieinsrtood that the actions ar© being taken in respect of the dried fmits. -