LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 3 June 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

I A London cable states that Knight of the Air has been sold at Newmarket for 4400 guineas. The steamer Devon arrived in the stream at Lyttelton at 6 a.m. yesterday, from Newcastle (states a Christchurch telegram). The vessel has nineteen soldiers on board for the Dominion, including Major J. B. Hine, M.P. She has been declared a clean ship, but will undergo 24 hours' quarantine. A. full rehearsal is to be held this evening of 'The Desert," when the Rev. N. H. Papakakura will be present. It is hoped that all those assisting will make a point of being present. A Press telegram from Palnierston North states that a conference of local bodies set up a committee yesterday to report on the feasibiliy of arranging I for shipping to Foxton, or, as an alternative, purchasing a steamer. A London cable message states that the Migoma, with 180 officers, 450 men, and 150 women and children, has sailed for New Zealand, via Panama. Gazette notice has been given of the reservation of a piece of land at Trentiham and Tauranga. for a prison site. !It is said that subject to the consent of- Parliament this is preliminary to ; removing Wellington prison out there! from the Terrace. j At the Hamilton Police Court yesterday, Bola Aldred was fined £50 for impersonating a soldier on active service at the recent licensing poll, Aldred voted himself JUi the morning and, returning in the afternoon, asked for a voting paper in the name of John Duck, a soldier. He was challenged by the returning officer, but denied that he was the man who previously voted.

Our Wellington correspondent writes: A paragraph in. South Island newspapers suggests that the Education Department proposes to close the Otakaike institution for backward children. This was brought under the notice of the Hon. J. A. Hanan, Minister of Education, who stated that the matter had not' been considered, and the paragraph certainly contained "news" to himself.

In the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch yesterday Arthur Vincent pleaded guilty to a charge of being drunk while driving a horse and cart on the Riccarton road and driving on the same road at night without a light. About a week ago defendant had been fined £10 for being in charge of a horse and cart while drunk. Magistrate S. E-. McCarthy, in sentencing the man to a month's imprisonment, said: It appears to me that you are determined to kill somebody. You are a menace to the travelling public.

The "Wellington City Council at its last meeting adopted tlie- recommendation of the Finance Committtee that "it is not desirable that th© funds of local bodies should be applied towards the erection of general peace memorials."

A start is to be made shortly with the first building in Christchurch to be constructed in reinforced concrete (says tho Press). It will be a large warehouse and factory for the Wellington Woollen Company, will consist of four floors and a1 basement, and it is estimated to cost about £40,000.

A letter from the Merchants' Association of New York read at the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce meeting the other day, stated that the United States Government was fast removing the temporary obstacles to international business which were necessary during the war. This action, together with the increasing number of vesels available for commercial cargoes, tho declining freight rates, 'the rapid abrogation of restrictions and needs which diverted raw materials from their normal and pre-war channels and uses, al! forecasted a vigorous resumption of normal trade. Houses in the United Slates were again anxious to purchase and sell merchandise abroad, and the falling of prices to a firm basis daily encouraged such business.

It is an interesting bit of history in view of the importance of posers during the last few years as an inspiration and interpretation of patriotism, that the "Marseillaise" was itself inspired by a contemporary poster. At first thought one might imagine that the art of the poster, as it is now understood, was u^fa^ivn in 1792, but the proclamation of the Mayor of Strasburg, with its terse ringing sentences, beginning "To arms, citizens!" was no doubt as effective as the posters produced in 1918. ' Posted on the city walls, as Mr Jean Richepin, of the French Academy, has just pointed out, the words of the proclamation directly inspired Rouget de Lisle in the composition of the "Marseillaise," or as it was first called, "The War-Song of the Armies of the Rhine." Later the Convention at Paris entitled it the "Hymn of Marseilles," but the public promptly named it "La Marseillaise," and it might almost be said to have set the Mayor's poster to music.

• Reference to the Egyptian rioting is made in a letter just received by Mr and Mrs Arthur De Castro, of "Wellington, from their son, Captain Baron T)e Castro, who has been on service with the Auckland Mounted Rifles, states , the Post. "Egypt is in a state of . riot," he writes. The 'Gypos' want to clear the military element out of the country, so they have been running wild, and have been knocking, people about. . . . They are holding big meetings to-day (14th March) in the Mosques to decide whether they will carry on with the business or not. We art- all hoping they will, because they will get the biggest hiding they ever , had. The shop people are barricading ; all their windows. . . The students here are the worst, but, of course, it is the 'heads' who are really responsible. I mean to say, the higher Egyptian elementis trying to incite these people to strike. General Watson had deported several of them to Malta, and that has had a great deal to do with the reusing of things."

A woman of 26, who, in Melbourne, sought a divorce from her husband, a laborer of So, on the ground of desertion, told a curious story. Her husband, in. 1912, was out of work, and he made her go out and seek employment, an^3 suggested that she should go in man's clothes. She- went to a country town as a man, and got farm work. Fronv there she went to Bendigo, where ." the police dis-= covered her masquerade, and she was sent to a home. Later, she joined her husband. He again persuaded her to dress as a man, and they were employed as farm laborers. T,hey were known for some time as "the brothers; Bob and Jack Lavell," The man treated her badly, however, and presently left her penniless. The woman pawned' her ring, and still in man's attire, went to Melbourne. Here, for eight months, she held well-paid employment as a driver. She associated with a rough class of workmen, and none of them suspected her sex. Later, fearinpr discovery, she reverted to woman's clothing. This plucky young woman was granted a divorce.

"There is a crisis approaching in the history of the Dominion/ said Mr J. G. Harkness, at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce last week. "Have we the courage and determination to face the facts? At a critical period of the late war, it was thought that the submarine warfare might cut ocean borne food supplies to England. What action was taken? The Lloyd-George Bonar-Law Imperial Government took hold of a practical man, Mr Prothero, not a politician, placed him in charge of the Board! of Agriculture with a free hand and these instructions: "Increase the food supply of the United Kingdom." In twelve months they rose from 50 per cent, to 75 per cent, in output. We need the same movement here, and now. It is absolutely essential that four bales of wool are produced where only three are now, and so with meat, dairy produce, and every industry. It would pay the Dominion to hand over to competent men the unocupied areas, the waste lands of this country for a term of years at a nominal rent, or even without rent, provided in a given time they added to the wealth of the nation. It would pay handsomely. It may be urged that the settlement of returned soldiers on the land will asist production materially. No great returns from that sourc© can be forthcoming for some time. What is needed most of all is increased production, not only from the soil, but from all the industries and mines. It is those who are now ■settled in the business from whom the necessary help must come. Not only must the soil increase its productivity at a greater ratio than heretofore^ so must the manufacturing industries add their .quota, and' last, but not least, the coal mines of the Dominion must put out ample supplies for local requirements '. and sufficient to meet the demands of j of the ocean and intercolonial trading ' steamers. . Restricted output is injurious to a-11 concerned. It alarms Capital and reacts on Labor by reducing wages. Increased productivity brought about by all sections is the only potent factor, to coin a phrase, which will 'stabilise' the finances of the Dominion,."

The art of washing clothes clean without rubbing! Slice into copper 6oz. of the pure "Golden Rule" Soap, and small packet of "No Rubbing" Laundry Help, boil briskly for thirty minutes, then rinse thoroughly, blue and hang out. Result will delight you. s

It is understood that the Riddiford! estate have sold the Egmont Hotel ' premises and the other buildiings i n the olock to Mr T. C. Grormley for about £38,000. There is a story current that a cargo of coal arrived ia Wanganui river one day last week, but this happened to be race day, and the men ' would not work the ship. So tlhe '■ cargo was sent across to Picton. At the Returned Soldiers' Conference in Christchurch a speaker, in claiming that men coming back should •' be provided with first-class accommoda- '> tion, said that "Paddy." Webb, a con- J scientious objector, was provided with j finst-class accommodation to go to gaol, i Recently it was announced that the • Public Service Commissioner was put- I ting into operation the provisions of the statute compelling the retirement ; | of public servants who have reached the i age of 65, or completed the prescribed j term of service (states our Wellington I correspondent). There is another class ! of public servant which does not come j under this regulation, but in the interests of the younger men of the ser- ! vi&e, and particularly those who are! now returning from active service, the ■ Government has directed that the re- >:. tiring rule must be put into general ; operation. ~ i The annual report of the Taranaki ' Farmers' Mutual Fire; Insurance Associ-! ation stated that the past year had i been the second most successful in the ' Association's history. The net premium ! income for the year amounted to £1922, being £378 in excess of that of j the previous year. The insurance liability at'the close of the year under re-' view (after allowing for re-insurance): amounted to £507,489, as against £431,-. 797 at the close, of the previous year, ! being an increase of £75.692. Five fire losses occurred during the year, total- '■ ling £650. The profits on the year's '' working amounted to £1101 5s 9d. The ! cr c branch general assets over general liabilities amount to £35,640, an in-1 crease of £4410. The receipts from accident premiums amounted to £641. : Claims amounting to £224 were paid. ' The directors have extended the scope of tlhe Association's risks to include approved motor cars, the property of farmers and other approved private persons. The ratp fixed is 30s per cent, per ' annum. At the end of the period un- ' der review, 32 policies were issued ag- ■ gregafcing £10.465. and yielding a pre- ! mium income of £156. The fut'rtr c looks promising for this branch of the business. In response to overtures from the Auckland Farmers' • Union, two, agencies have been opened in the Auek- ! land province—one at Pukekohe: and ! another at Morrinsville. So far, the re- ' suits have not been sensational, but the' future looks bright for both, agencies. A reminder is given of the clearing sale to be hold by Smith and Easton on behalf of Mrs Butler, at the house, Ta-« whiiri-Ohangai road, to-morrow (Wednesday) at 12 noon. |