LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 14 February 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

■'The Dunedin Star says that Oregon timber can now be bought for New Zealand at 40 per cent less than the quoted price in October last.

Potash, of which Germany claimed a monopoly, is being'obtained in abundance in America as a by-product in the manufacture of Portland cement.

At Christchurch on Tuesday Sir James Allen (Acting-Prime Minister) stated emphatically that the present Parliament would not be continued until next year.

A Napier soldier, writing from Mons by the last mail, gives the prices of some of the necessaries of life there, as follows:—Buittar, 8s per lb -. meat, 3s 6d per lb j eggs Is .each: apples, 2s per lb; grapes, 4s 6d per lb; little caramel, squares, 2£d each.

Manual labor in the Wairarapa is just now, a thing to be conjured with, reports an exchange. A factory manager stated that he had offered two men 14s a day to do laborers' work. They both stated that they wanted heavy boots before they could start. Orders for the. fook-gejar were given 'them, but neither has since made his appearance. The manager has had.to pay for the boots, one pair of which was charged up to 3os. .. ,

The opinion held by many people! that now the war is over paper will soon become cheaper is not borne out by recent advices received from Britain and America (states the New Zealand Herald).1 A prominent English firm states that an immediate drop in the price of paper is not to be looked for. This is emphasised by the fact that the paper controller will remain in office probably for another year or more. Advices from America are to the same effect. It is not expected that European countries will be able to export largely for some time, and their prices will probably be based on high costs. Many of the mills are still oversold, and are unable to accept new business.

"Your cup of joy must be full," remarks Major Hine, M.P., in a letter to Sir James Allen, after the signing of the armistice. "Your kind and welcome message to the troops in Egypt and Palestine was communicated to all units. They were all proud to have taken part in the great fight for liberty and justice, not only for the smaller nations, but more especially the British Empire. The lesson of the past four years, with all the trials and anxiety, has, brought. out the best in our manhood." The writer remarks that New Zealanders had become a pleasureloving people, but a great brotherhood for better things had been created by the war, and it would be a disaster if the selfishness of any class was allowed to check this spirit of the new brotherhood.

The Dominion's coal resources, according to expert opinion, amount to some 728 million tons. This may appear a big figure, but it is not so great that wastefulness" can be encouraged. Giving evidence before the Parliamentary Industries Committee Mr Frank Reed, Chief Inspecting En! gineer of Mines, said that approximately one-third of the annual production of coal (last year 629,000 tons) was dross or slack, practically waste. In America and Britain such waste was distilled for oil and other by-pro-ducts, and in Victoria the same industry had been started. The matter was worthy of investigation in New Zeaiand. Another coal subject which, was deserving of attention was the existence of coal seams on the western coastal area. The mountains now being mined were regarded as upthrowa, and there was a theory that the coal seam existed under the plains, though at a depth which would necessitate deep. boring.

Machinery Wanted. We have enquiries tor every description, new and good used. Send us full particulars of any you wish, to sell, also let us have your enquiries. Manning Machinery Co., 188 Cashel Street. Christchureh.— Advt.

SANDER'S EUCALYPTI EXTRACT, tiae unequalled remedy tor colds, chest troubles, neuralgia, rheumatism. Sander's Extract, the sure protection from all infections, fever, diphtheria, meningitis. Sander's. Extract, the great healer of wounds, burns, ulcers, sprains, skin diseases. Sander's Extract, proved at the Supreme Court of Victoria to contain antiseptic and healing substances not present in other eucalpytus preparations; hence its superior curative powers. Sander's Extract, free from the irritnting qualities of the common eucalyptus oils and the so-called "extracts,"' is safe for internal and external use. Insist on the genuine Sander Extract; there is none "iiiKt as aood " —Advt

EXTREMES OF TEMJ'ifiKATURE. People who have the interests of their family at heart should always keep Chamberlain's Colic and Diarrhoea Remedy on hand. The extremes of tempera turo experienced during the summer months give rise to many bowel complaints, but Chamberlain's Colic and DiarAoea Remedy will give relief in every instance. Sold everywhere.—Advt.

•\Vt» have never made sufficient use of the opportunities for social and in- f itelleotual improvement provided by our 1 .schools.'' said the Hon. G. W Russell a urn-oiling a Roil of Honor board at the i Aramii school on Saturday night last ' i He continued:—-"Since the recent epi- •> demic I have had under consideration a < scheme by which I hope in the near fu- j ture to extend the knowledge of nurs- ! ang to the people in this country. It is,' ] at the present time being considered, |'' and I hope that one of the means by ! ] which we shall be able to extend know- i J ledge of the subject will ha by gathering j the men and women of our country to : ' schools just as w^ are assembling here j j to-night. I think, by utilising the sor- | • vices of th 6 Women's National Reserve ■' and the St. John Ambulance Corps, we i shall be able to send out medical lee- ' turetrs to the outlying districts of the j Dominion, and by maps, illustrations, ! and charts, be able to extend the knowledge of home nursing, and so- provide better means of combating any epidemic which may in the future assail this coun- i try. 1 believe that doctors travelled many thousands of miles during the recent epidemic where, had the people in the homes been able to take temperatures, and estimate the general health of the patients, tfhteir services would have been quite unnecessary/ "It has. been very gratifying to me as one of the heads of the Canterbury Rugby Union," said Mr F. T. Evans, president of the Canterbury Rugby Union, at the Merivale Football Club's gathering on Saturday night, "to see so many Rugb.y footballers go to the front. I understand that between 2000 and 3000 Bi-gby footballers go to the front. I lit derstand that between 2000 and 3000 'Rugby players from Christchurch and its suburbs went away with the forces, and I think that, if the numbers were totalled up all over New Zealand, it would be found that there were well on to 15,000 Rugby footballers who went away, and that i s out of about 90,000 soldiers who left New Zealand. Such a high, percentage is naturally a great feather in -our cap," and Mr Evaris went on to say that various generals had expressed the opinion that sport had had a great deal to do with the excellence of the New Zealanders. In fact, said Mr Evans, he had spoken to a man who had just returned from th© front who had said that, in the words of a famous British general, outeide one particularly well-known British regiment,, the New Zealand Brigade' stood alone as far as fitness and general appearance and discipline were-con-cerned, and that must be regarded as very high honor. As far as football was concerned, well, the New. Zealanders were "out on their own." On a recent Sunday morning, an Auckland paper states, as som^ peoplewere on their way to church, walking | along the narrow footpath which, skirtg ' the proposed Shoal Bay park flat across I , Auckland harbor^ they encountered | three boys, whose age might range from ,; four to six years, who were paddline i j near one of iho pools which had been! jlett by the receding tide. The young- ■ esfc of iihe three suddenly ©xclaimed, "A crab has got hold of nvj #oot!'"' '"There' 'seems dozens of the T' called-out another of the youngsters, and all three exclaimed one after another, ''This is ' *}° place for us to play in." ' Five \ , different places of worship were within ; almost a stone's throw of the sptft, but I when the rude little boys were checked '. tor what was undoubtedly very bad 'j language, they seemed unabashed «»d ■;. unrepentent. The remark made recently si by thp Acting Prime Minislteiv, when 1 j referring to physical culture, that there . was far too much bad, uncouth language i in New Zealand, and that it should he , checked m youth before it became too strong a habit, shows that some of the culprits commence at a Terr early age

After the cdafeitfenee with the Minister of Railways in Wellington on Wednesday, the secretary of the New Zealand Locomotive Enginedrivers, Firemen and Oteaners' Association (Mr McArley) stated (reports the. Dominion): "Ihe conference between the Minister ot Railways and the N.Z. Locomotive Engmedrivers, '• \Firereen, and Cleaners' Association to-day proved abortive. The Association's delegates insisted upon the press being admitted, and the Minister declined to allow them in, or that thes Association could hand a copy of their report to the press. After considerable discussidn the delegates retired to consider the position, and when adjournment time came the matter had not bee a finally decided. The Association holds that the, public have a right to^know what are the conditions under which am- men are. required to work. JLhe Minister, on, the other hand, initiate "Ohiat he is not in a position to discuss the matter in public. The Association also,masts -tfi.it the mattej-s in dispute nav c been discussed with himself and the manager for the lafet seven or eight years on various occasions, and that it was up to the Minister to show that he had considered these matters and had certain proposals to make. The delegates, expressed 'their convictions that the old method of listening to the men's argument and replying any old time had been called in." >

oir James Allen, iii a letter to Mr E Newman, M.P.; who requested that the definition of "discharged soldier," wider the Repatriation Act, he extended so as-to include men vrho had received orders to proceed to camp and had arranged their private .affairs in order to be able to do so, but failed to actually enter camp before the armistice was declared, says: "I will be pleased to see that your request for an amendment *£ ths Repatriation Act next session, to bring within its provisions the cases of men whowweer c ordered to mobilise with, the November draft, but who did not actually proceed to camp owing to the influenza epidemio and the signing of the armistice, is referred for the oonsiderafcion of the Repatriation Board.' 1 If this amendment to the Act is made itf wil] prevent an injustice being done to a. number of men who did not appeal'ior exemption, being anxious to do their 'bit' of service for. tlhp Empire, and who sacrificed their private, interests by disposing of their farms or businesses flfwrder to be ready to obey instructions when they received them. When the orders to- proceed to camp were countermanded, consequent on the armistice being declared, these men in many cases found themselves in the! position of having parted with their means of making a living, while at fh& j same time their services were not re- i quired as soldiers. The men referred to m Mr Newman's pioposed amendment not having actually reached camp, are barred from all benefits confer) ed by legislation and otherwise to "discharged soldiers." I

Attention is directed to the Melbourne's sale, which commenced to-day to record business.' This company's sales are always a success, for -the simple reason that the firm will not launch a sale unless the offerings are genuine and show a considerable saving on regular prices. Owing to unseasonable summer weather bargains at this sale are more numerous than ever.— Advt.

DON'T LET TOUR LIVER RULE YOU Don't let your stomach liver and fcowe.s rule you or they will make you miserable. Insist on your stomach and liver acting naturally, then your he«d won t get a chance to ache. Take Chamberlain's Tablets to-m>ht and see what rrtief yon will get. Take a course of Chamberlain's Tablets and you will be, a new bewg. Sold ererywhere.—

. The Mayor acknowledges the follow- • mg subscriptions towards the cost of I bathing sheds at the beach: E. Dixon £1 Is, W. Duckworth £1. Assistance i m erection Messrs Bullock, Morrison, I W B. White, Duffill, Gibson, also to ! W. Duckworth for use of horse and ! dray. j • The difficulty of importing creosote I into JNew Zealand was referred to by a witness before the Industries Committee in Wellington (the Post reparts) "We can't get it from England, he said, "because of the high prices ruling there since the war. ~c get none from America, because America has no surplus for export. I We get none from Japan, oecause we ' can t rely on the Japanese article." More than one member of the committee suggested thai, there were other things than creosote coming from Japan which could not be relied on. Asked at Exeter in November last what he thought of the Prime Minister, Father Vaughan said: "No Briton could forget that if their David had not himself, with the sling of his eloquence, smitten Goliath, he had supplied the munitions which had broken him and his armies, but remember that, though sprawling in the dust, the Philistine was not yet slain." It is a strange fact that there has been no thorough investigation into the growth «&f New Zealand native trees An expert witness before the Parliamentary Industries Committee this week stated that such an investigation was very .desirable. For instance, it was not definitely known how long the famous kauri took to reach the milling stage. The rate of growth of several ' other trees had never been established, I and the lack of this data was a serious disadvantage. Kauri, it had been Bhown, was nearly twice as fast as the European spruce, and it would pay handsomely to regenerate the kauri. The rate of growth of all the New Zealand trees was much quicker than was generally supposed. An attraction which proved very interesting on the lake at the Returned Soldiers' Association's concert on Wednesday evening was the electricallydriven model 'motor boat built by Mr i L. Ron-son, of the Farmers' Co-opera-tive garage.- Th» boat is a neatly made model, with two funnels, two wireless masts, to which is .attached a string of colored lights. She has a draught of about six inches, and,, with her brass- I mountings and railing, has a neat and artistio finish. The motive power is - supplied by ah.p. }h.p. motor with batteries. A universal joint on the main shaft takes off any undue motion. The propeller and rudder are of brass, and the latter can be set to various angles,, to steer in different directions. In the bow is a little model anti-aircraft gun. Mr Row-son has an idea of rigging up a small wireless control, so that the boat may be under control all the time. The whole dividing and construction entitle the builder to great credit for his work. The omission to write "not negotiable" on a cheque is one that tradesmen should regard as extremely risky, as a case .just reported to the police proves (says the Lyttelton Times).- A Christ* church tradesman paid an account with a crossed cheque for £24 odd. The person to whom it was paid lost it, and the loss was reported to the bank, and payment stopped. Meanwhile the finder of th© cheque had forged an endorsement on the cheque in the name of the person to whom it was made.jpayable, and had tendered it at a city establishment in payment for a suit of clothes valued at £4 10s. This was on Friday night, at an hour when it would have been easy to find out the genuineness of tile cheque. The firm, however, j accepted the cheque 1, and gaye £20 j» change, together with the suit, The" cheque was paid in, but payment was stopped. However, it is stated that the drawer of the cheque will have to honor it, whatever further action he may take in the matter. " rxA 118*!*^ is bein S avowed to hear a little of what happened in the middle of last year out towards Amiens. It was dreadful. Certainly the only difference between officers and men of some portions of the Fifth Army was that the officers ran the faster. They both beat tne iicsche by miles. But every time any Australian sees or hears a reference to that performance (says the Sydney .Bulletin) he ought to visualise a few £ ■??£ ™gs; , He.ou gto to picture the ■British fleet t eepmg a way open across the seas, and escorting no less than 80 per cent, of all the American troops that landed in France; the British mercantile marine, feeding not jnly England, but largely France, Belgium and Italy also, carrying over 70 per cent or tne American troops; the British coal-nnnes. supplying not only home requirement* but those of France and applying four-fifths of the Allies' needs American included. It wasn't mauelW Ihaf iv. the Britfeh Army— tno largest of a ny army in Franco— th...*. k ..-ere saw j oor we^ls. The wonder was that Britain could have any army of consequence there at «l{.