LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Lake County Press, Issue 2669, 15 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr T. J. Cotter sold u quantity of tomatoes at his auction rooms on Saturday at from 7s to 9a per case. There is some talk about establishing a hydropathic institution at Queenstown. A J well conducted hydro would in all probai bility be a financial success. The following dates have boon fixed for I the departure from Dunedin of the next four Reinforcements. The 27th leave on Thursday, Bth March ; 28th on sth April ; 29th on 3rd May ; and 30th on 31st .May. No. 1 Otago Military Appeal Board will hold a sitting in Queenstown on Saturday next (says the Mail). It will clear up some appeals which have been held over, besides any new business which may bo brought before it. Mr It. M. Paterson registered another fast motor run to Dunedin on Saturday last. Leaving Arrow at 5 a. m. and travelling via Palmerston Mr Paterson and party reached Dunedin at 1.40 p. m. The actual running time for tho trip was seven hours forty-eight minutes. Plunket-Nurse Austin lectured to ladies only at Arrowtown on Thursday evening. Mrs Pope presided. There was a good attendance. Tho lecture, which dealt chiefly with the education cf children, was greatly appreciated. During the evening Miss Marguerite Jopp contributed a song. A match for tho Jolly Cup was played at Cromwell on Thursday between Cromwell and Roxburgh bowlers. Ciomwell retained tho cup, the scores being 20—10. Tho challenges at present in hand are—Clyde, Alexandra, Queenstown, Arrow, and a second Clyde challenge. Tho Appeal Board sitting at Queenstown on Monday formally heard the appeal cf Mr J. McChesney of Arthur’s Point, although no notification had been given of it. It was shown that the appellant was classed as a C2 man, and that therefore he would only be called up for home defence if that should become necessary. Sexual offences have become so common in Now Zealand that the Government has been asked by the Supreme Court judges to enable them to impose more drastic punishment—flogging in cases of assaults upon young children. The Gormans have announced that the appointment of General von Beseler as , regent of the new Kingdom of Poland will bo “merely temporary.” It is not often “that wo find ourselves in full agreement 1 with the enemy’s forecasts. —Punch. Another result of. the war is to be felt in all our homes. From Monday last no fresh butter is to go out from the factories, and and there will be no half-pound pats.- These changes are directed in accordance with the new arrangements made by the Government. “We underrate the Germans; we have underrated them from the beginning of tho war,” declared Rev. Eliot Chambers, of Lyttelton, at a meeting of the Overseas Club at Christchurch “ Tho only exception was the man who has gone to meet his God —Lord Kitchener.” People often thoughtlessly drink deep draughts of cold water when in a heate H condition, even though the danger of sac an action has rep; atodly been brought unde their notice. At an inquest held at Master ton l ist week (says the Age) rt was show that tho sudden death of a man in a measur was attributable to the fact that he ha drunk cold water while perspiring freely. Harvesting is now in full swing through out the district (says tho Mataura Ensign) but the c ops in most places are poor Some of the settlers in the Lougridge distric have turned sheep irdo the oats. Some veri Tair crops arc to be seen between Lumsdei and Parawn. The country has received t good soaking during the last few days anc an immense amount of good has resulted ti tho pastures and the turnip crops. Good prospects for winter feed are now assured. A man came before a Military Sorvict Board the other day, and advanced tw< aged parents, a sick brother, a healthj farm, and a huge mortgage as reasons foi exemption, sad wound up by triumphantlj unbuckling a wooden leg and throwing it or the board table. “ Take that thing away!’ said the chairman. “ Surely I can gel exemption for a wooden leg,” said the pellant uneasily, “ Your log,” said th< chairman, “has nothing to do with thr Board. Your appeal is adjourned for c month, pending medical examination.” An appellant who owned a large block ol land in the backblocks stated at the Appeal Court at llawera that he and numbers of others similarly situated ware willing to gc to tho front if tho Government would take over their obligations. He suggested thal tho Government should purchase such places at valuation and placa thereon returned soldiers, instead of placing them on virgin country, where they could do no good for years. The back country was now so depleted of labor that many could do nothing but sell the stock and shut the gates. The military authorities have decided to to appoint thirteen military police and one n.c.o. to have charge of Dunodin district. Tho duties of the police will bo generally to preserve law and order among ail men who aro under military authority, and include tho tracing of shirkers, tho apprehending of men illegally wearing tho King’s uniform or appearing in plain clothes when they should bo in uniform, tho checking of drunkenness, and especially the bringing to book of inou who aro attempting to evade medical examination. A Westport district young man has become a soldier of tho King in a peculiar manner. A “ Clausa 35” mau who had received the usual official notice to attend the Medical Board, with humorous intention only, erased his own name, inserted that of a friend, and passed tho document on. Before tho joke could bo explained, the second mau, accepting the notice in good faith, came to Westport, presented his paper, was passed in Class A. attested, and has been posted to tho next reinforcements. He has no regrets except that his funny neighbor is not going to Trentham with him. What may happen to the joker certain official people in Wellington will decide. Upwards of 100 rating authorities in the Dominion aro now rating on tho umimproved value, and tho now system of rating is so much appreciated by the ratepayers generally that they steadfastly oppose any attempt to return to the old system of rating on improvements. Tho rating authorities referred to include many counties as well as boroughs. The new system saves the pockets of tire smaller ratepayers, but it adds very considerably to the rate of large landholders. Tho main advantage of rating on the unimproved value is that it tends to stimulate building, and, consequently, is a stimulus to trade generally. According to the annual statement of atfairs of the Skippers Sluicing Company tho company was regi-tered on -November • 2>, 1911, with a nominal capital of £5500. j Of this sum £3450 lias been subscribed, and i £315 actually pai lup in cash. The present number of shareholders is 30, and tho number of men employed is four. Tho quantity jf gold won last year was U'Oo/ 13dwt Bgr, valued at £754 iris 7d, making the total j juantily produced since registration iltiooz j Idwt sgr, valued at £4IBB 4s od. The I unount spent in carrying on operations j ■ince last statement was£79s Is lid,bring- 1 ng up the total expenditure since regittia- 1 ion to £4550 13s Id. No dividends have j wen declared. Tho company has cash in muk amounting to £323 7s Sd, and owes lebts totalling £156 19s 6d.

Taihape is now *he dearest food town of the Dominion, Gisborne being next, and Blenheim remaining the cheapest. A good many of the people who bought houses under the Workers’ Dwellings Act find themselves hampered by several unexpected restrictions. If they wish to sell their houses they can only transfer them to persons acceptable to the Labour Department, and nothing can bo charged for any increment in the site value.