NORTHERN NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 15 February 1916, Page 5

NORTHERN NEWS.

CP.n lIN’ITM.I CRMPK AKtIOCIATIOs TF, K TTTI Feh. I I All (-Iderly singh> man named ,lohn Scott, a ri'sideiu of AI a n ;g;i) ii *1 >i, died siiddcnlv on Salnrdav evening, when rein' nuig 111 Tc Kn ii ti nm the ra econi'sc. The impHNl 10-d'iy showed that, death was due In nalnril cause-. TI MAIM’, .Feh. I I An i 1I‘( lies|. was held to-day on the Ivihlv of George Hracetield, aged Ml years, who lived near Pleasant. Point , and who committed' suicide yesterday. At S,.'t() ycsterdav meriting, while his wife’s hick was milled m the kitchen, he shot himself in the hre.'i-t, with a pea-rifle. The hit Mot- severed The arteries, and he semi died front internal haemorrhage. He It ml beep drinking. The coroner returned' a verdict, of suicide while (emporarilv insane.

T french women workers m] - ‘I I SCENES IN THE FIELDS. n(-- ■ - - ' TH F.ll! All) TU 'TH LIB CdLNTBV *’ A correMaindeitl ol the ‘New Anil ’ Win Id.' writing from (. ciitfal Franci' sa v s : , The. women of France have ga iheri d I l.'.e crop- this veiir while (licit 'dim and brothers are lighting at lln f ron I , a ltd t hey are leg crops. Tiu harvest is just closing; the ha rn.s u " ! ||iis vast farming regain are lairiv 11 bursting with wheal, oats, hay. and’ : l- multitude ol I arm products, and Lln ■ s fields ".re Stacked With the straw-cov-ered yield ol potatoes, carrot.-., beets '- and vegetable.- of all kinds all the,si e crop.- a tribute to these Spartan peasJ uni vvo iieii of France, who m a way an ■- fighting the eon 11 1 1 y - battles jiti-t as n 111 ;Ti as the men in the (nmehes. Ter three days a correspondent ha- - passed through ?0(1 nilVs ol fills rarntI ittg regoii, under escort, of army ofI lieers ms gited hv the Aliiiisiry of War. e primarily lor the purpose oi seeing the I lion -it mis of German prisoners gathers ia! iii from ( ha mpagive and el.-evv'icre I hnf ilieidim lal i y giving the opport nn ■; y of ,-eeing this,. French peasant women i cultivating the fields, driving the oxen 1 lor the fall phmliL'ing. Peking, sort tig. - and shnpiing Irnit. and gathering in * the slores iff vegetables and lohaco. - W( IM TIN WORK FALBVWII KBL j Women were lo he semi ev erv vv here bending over the furrows or will: pan- ’ nid's on their hacks eariying Ihe heavy loads of earrots and turnips; on top • of straw ricks patching the grain into place or loading it on waggons; in the j freight, yards near the stations bringing in The farm products amli storing (hem on llai ears, and in long, .rregnlar eoinp.'i n ies ahmg the mads ;>! 1 night going home from work w.itli their dogs, vv heeMia rrovv-. hahas. and '.hI tils of faggot s. In one .'it)-acre he'd of turnips live -liii'dv mai rule wife at wink, and one venue woman, wifi an ofil grev-hoarded pea-,a nI . ev 'den Ely Ihe fa I her. in a chair under a sheKei'ing Irce with :1m hahv heside Inn. He was leu old lor the lighting line or for tins other wartare of the vvoim n in llm fields. The vviiiiii ids work in the farm regions is not confined lo The fields, hut covers the whole range of work tm idenl, to a grien't n re. Dim stretch of country wa- pa: t icnlarlv abundant in straight, vuiing saplings, and lima* ihe women were at- work hewing the saplings, piling ihe'ii like corkwood along the mad readv for the earls in lake to Iho slaI ioic. Fnrt her on, a I the station, women were on the Hat ears receiving saplings from other women on carts, and ihn- thi- nrodnei. for t.e'egra; hj foie-, railway lies. etc., goes steadily on vv li le 1 lie men are a w ay. (li'easfiin.'idv a few men are seer 1 in the Tm'i 1 .. hn! I Inn -eem out ot' li'iaee .sur'iiKled ' a nioit" I li** ranks of the ro- • li'isl ii. lie'll. Th-'v are e’llmr old ineti.j n-nally hmii and crippleD. who go al l lh"’r work n I'.- 1 ea d. d\ . or very voiing mmi and h-iys, pot veT 'll the class of ; I 7-V'l ar I ill 1 1' e ITII 11 - . Blit tlllse nielli ■ne mere - n pern ilium are- nevvnh'Vs | iiimii ;>s tin - vviiin.'ii vv ero hi-ioi-c tlm| wa". when time gave a hele.mg hand; when the harvest prisstiie wa - great -1 NT’.W HAH IKS Alv’F. FFAV, Tlio imw lialii", mo, are very lewin the tartn legions. In tho t liree dayst tin ■<ll;g i i the. larm regions, only two; larni vv emen vv;■ i " o i n i ;in v .ip yonngj ha hies. Hm. I lie lit 1 1 e children are I I'ViTiwllere ple-ellt. aml arc helping- I t iieir mot hi",';s in g.i l iiernig I In- crops, j In one lii fii iwo Inth* g : rls were gnid mg' lim ox -ea ns, aml ;n a not her a j group ot little lot;- were polishing off] tile leave.-, of < a hluiges. so an lo make each one look fa I and profitable. ( fii rams dm a;i ; Kveii lhe fa nil heasl -. ilie cow - at e hearing I lie hnrdi-n of the war Imre in the larni region.. win e most of I heir undo I'm <-.f hj p. II - I lie (.veil have he. ‘l l mobilised at 1 In- lis m • ol Ihe supply vv aegoll .. T.v o In a. '/s lahired aloii", the pad. drawing a In -a v y ia rl ~f Ia mi ero-1 m-e, as the armv eha n!! ei; r s 1 te, ml to is nap- a lyre. Tim anima’.-. slramed under 11 1 <* leg wooden yoke, hilt insiead ol bein'.;' DM II they well* -.leek young cows. Mieir hags 1 1 • ■a' v vv ’lh milk. A woman driver guided ilii-m, and they sn k under the yoke like the larni women heating their panii'ers oi iris l l s. Ami : I vv a - in r i her x nla i m-d that tile few hm ’s' seen in the fields Wire mares, as .1 he heavy stallions 'were 11. eded for arld'erv, ex'-epl the lew re taim d lor siml mi rpo-e,s. ami the geldings wets- li'isl tor cavalry and simnlv I rain -. 1 hn.- war mnl' Aol C'e maV an i Ilia U for the h-' II 'e I i ne. apd I urns tin- lei 11 ah- animals into beasts of burden'. Olle novel olii'l'e developed hv the lin|iiiriis was that the ainrv in France is largely an armv of fanners. For example, in Ihe I ! ; (IX ela-s, Ihe yuting in.-ii eaT"d to the e-ohirs included 12(.’! farnnTs. or almost as manv as from all oilier hl"l Ilches eomhilied. Th’s shows how t In-’ fa niters are doing tin* fighCng. and how the funig have, been left to the women. ’Tin* same proportion of (armors ls in ah the classes now ea'li’d to the colors, up lo the chi.x.s of 1 M (i.