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Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1717, 7 January 1920, Page 4

The vital statistics for Podding last vear wore: Births 205, marriages 77. dfaths 65. The rainfall at Dannevirke last year totalled 36.4 inches. It was the lowest fall for a decade past.

During tho Christmas holidays-a gang of Sydney silk thieves bored largo holes in the back door of a shop in Parramatta road, Petersham, and unfastened tho bolts. They stole silk hose, blouses, skirts, and children’s frocks and other silken goods, valued at £354.

A robbery is reported from Midhirst. It is stated that while everyone was absent at tho Stratford races a thief broke into a store in the township and secured £4O in cash from tho till. No trace of the thief has so far been discovered (says tho Ellham Argus).

There is a serious shortage of coal in Wellington at the present time, and householders particularly are suffering. Ope private dealer stated yesterday that he was unable to obtain an ounce coal anywhere. He was refusing to take orders for forward delivery.—Post.

The estimated value of the Cashmoro timber mill and plant which wore destroyed by fire at Herne Bay, Auckland, yesterday is between £4OOO and £SOOO. The timber stocks wore valued at £4OOO. The insurances'are understood to bo £SOOO. About forty men arc temporarily out of work as a result of the destruction of the mill. Members of the J. C. Williamson musical comedy company held a picnic at Cowea Bay, Auckland, last Sunday. One of the lady principals unfortunately missed theoutgoing steamer, but to the astonishment ol other members of the company arrived from Auckland by seaplane at the same time as the steamer, one having been secured from Kohimarama for the purpose.

Although the Queensland Minister for Railways (Mr Fihelly) recently made a statement that he had no intention of increasing railway rates, passenger fares and goods and live stock rates were officially increased from January 1. The wool and live stock increase was about 20 per pent., goods about 17 2 per cent., and passenger faros 30 per cent, for short distances. Two blackfish were seen off Kohimarama (Auckland) on Sunday afternoon. The unusual incident caused a considerable amount of excitement among the people on tho beach, and the antics of the fish were watched with interest. One of the blackfish approached fairly close to the shore, and it was estimated to bo about 12ft in length. It spouted in tho vicinity for some time, and then made off towards Rangitoto .Island. Speaking in Auckland on the Dominion’s financial position, tho Prime Minister said: “While we have still a very heavy expenditure going on in connection with our repatriation scheme and matters arising from tho war, it will not bo necessary for us to ask either this country or Britain for any more borrowed money for quite a considerable time. It is also practically certain now that there will bo a satisfactory surplus at 31st March next.”

One of the most expert wireless operators m tho world, Arthur Sawyer, of New Zealand, goes to the Antarctic with the Cope Expedition. In earlier days he was with the Now Zealand Telegraph Department. Then he went, with Sir Douglas Mawson’s wireless plant to Macquarrie Island. When war came, he was unable to pasp the recruiting officers at Homo, so he wont to India, where they know a thing or two about an army’s requirements, _ and did strenuous work with the wireless in Mesopotamia. He joins Dr Cope in London.

During last year 99,647 bales of hemp were graded in the Dominion compared with 149.235 the previous year. In December 2414 bales of tow, wore graded, as compared with 1187 for tlic correspondent month of 1918/ an increase of 1227 bales. For the twelve months ended 31st-December, 1919, the number of bales graded was 19,783, us compared with 25,496 for tho previous twelve months. For the twelve months ended 31st December, 1919, twelve bales of stripper-slips were graded, as compared with 1307 for the previous twelve months.

A boy named Willie McTaggart, 9-. years of age, was fatally shot at Howes Valley, Singleton, New South Wales, by his grandfather, who intended the bullet to lodge in a flying fox. The youngster, who lived With his parents eight miles away, was spending the holidays with his grandfather, and after tea climbed into a ooach tree near the house. His grandfather saw a flying fox and brought a gun out. Noticing a movement in the tree, ho fired, and the boy /fell to the ground, shot in the lower portion of the face, in the throat, and the right aide of the chest. Ho died within a few minutes.

Ladies black silk ankle hose, spliced feet, small imperfection in weave in some cases j worth 4s /lid to 6s lid, special price 3s lid pair.—The 0. M. Ross Co., Ltd. —Advt.

Croquet is the ideal game for young and old; for tho enjoyment of this game wo have landed some gbod English croquet sots, complete with all mallets, hoops, halls, etc.; best quality and finish; prices, £5 19s fid to £8 10s per set. —Collinson and Son, 11 Broadway and King street, Palmerston North —Advt.

Tested in thousands of kitchens, Shetland's baking powder has never failed to iwo. Costs lest than others—worth more.— Advt.

People from every part of the province speak in tho highest terms of “Nazol” as a remedy, for colds, coughs and- nasal catarrh. It relievos and cures more quickly than anything else. Price la fid.— Advt.

• Two degrees of frost were registered in Masterton yesterday • .

In common with many other, cities there is a pronounced shortage of copper coins in Christchurch. Tradesmen are feeling the shortage acutely.

The Customs revenue collected at Wanganui last year amounted to £82,579 6s /id, or £14,558 8s 9d more than the revenue for 1918.—Press Association.

Hamilton Justly, prides itself upon the good work being done by the Beautifying Society in improving the natural beauties of the town (says the Waikato Times), but it is not alone in its efforts in this direction. Local residents who went South during the holidays found the Square in Palmerston North looking exceptionally _ well, great work having been done in making it beautiful. 1

An exchange prints the following under the head of “A Few Tragedies”: —A man struck a match to see if the gasolene tank on his auto was empty. It wasn’t. A man patted a strange bull dog on the head to see if the critter was affectionate. It wasn’t. A man speeded up to see if he could beat the train to a crossing. Ho couldn’t. A man touched a trolley wire to see if it was charged. It was. The fat stock season is opening and should prove one of good prices for graziers and sheep owners in Southern Hawke’s Bay, for while the northern portion of the province has been suffering from the severest drought for years past, the southern district has been blessed with a sufficient, though not by any means superabundant, supply ot moisture, and will bo able to send forward a very fair proportion of fat stuff. Yesterday morning, from Mangateia, were despatched 14 trucks of sheep to the northern freezing works, while 16 trucks went 6ft to Wanganui.—News. The Christmas gift by John D. Rockefeller of £20,000,000, to the welfare and education of mankind (mention of which was made in an American cable several days ago), was the largest single benefaction ever recorded. Altogether he has given away £90,000,000, considerably be- „ youd the benefactions of Andrew Carnegie. The estate of the'late Mr Henry Frick, an associate of the late Mr Andrew Carnegie, which was bequeathed to charity, was first estimated at £24,000,000. It now appears to amount to about £10,000,000, after inheritance taxes have been’ deducted. k , The aluation in Auckland of the sea-_. son’s wool clip by the Government valuers was resumed this week after having been suspended for tho Christmas and New Year holidays. Up to the last valuation prior to the holidays approximately 15,000 bales had been dealt with, and further consignments were sent forward to the wool stores during the past fortnight. The total clip is estimated to produce about 40,000 bales, and weekly valuations will be continued from now till the end of the season. It is stated (says the Herald) that the quality of tho wool that has valued this season is fully up to the etan- , dard of previous clips. The philatelic contributor to the London Daily Telegraph happened lately upon a genuine curiosity in war issued no fewer than 500 of stamps during the war. but this is not listed among them, possibly because It docs not appeal’ to have been put into circulation. The picture on the stamp represents Enver Pasha at the foot of the Pyramids. It appears that when Enver was at the height of his power he was so buoyed up by tho Kaiser’s promise of assistance, that ho was confident he could cross tho Red Sea and conquer Egypt. On the strength of this belief, which the New Zealanders helped to dissipate in their first experience of war, on the banks of tho Canal, the Turks ordered in advance from their Gorman printers a stamp to commemorate Enver’s victories in Egypt—the first case on record, it is said, of a country counting its philatelic chickens before they were _ hatched. But in other ways the Turks did a good deal of this sort of counting during tho war.

Trooper D. W. Banks, 19 years of age, son of Mr W. Banks, of Kimbolton, returned from active service a few days ago. He left New Zealand in 1918, worked his passage home, and enlisting in King Edward's Horse served on the Western front.- Later, ho volunteered for North Russia and took part in the Archangel operations with Carrol’s cavalry. On the evacuation of this front tie returned"l 6 T&frdohr ’ SpeiikiWg ist the Russians in the northern sector Trooper Banks said the majority were Bolshevik sympathisers, and could not be relied upon, while it was estimated that of the Archangel population fully 75 per cent, were proBolshevik. As the Bolsheviks on the northern front would not fight, it was possible for the British force to have advanced to Petrograd, but all the time its lines of communication would have been menaced by the population in the rear, arid so nothing of much value could be done.

The secretary of the Patriotic Society states with reference to the returned draft of soldiers ex Ruahine, which arrived in Auckland on Christmas Day and in Palmerston North Boxing Day morning, that notwithstanding the Christmas holidays, complete arrangements were made for supplying the troops on arrival in Palmerston North with fruit, cigarettes, etc., and a band of helpers were also arranged for to assist in the welcome. Instructions had been given for all telegraphic communications to be delivered, but, owing to an unfortunate oversight those were not carried out. Inquiry being made on Boxing Day morning, the secretary discovered that troops had arrived by special train about three hours before the usual time, and much disappointment is felt that after complete arrangements had been made for the reception of the Palmerston North men, and the troops passing through, that they were not accorded the customary reception and attention, for which tho secretary and the' Society are not in any way to blame.

Interesting particulars of the recent work of clearing tho mines laid off Cape Farewell by the German raider Wolf are contained in a letter written to a Wellington resident by the Engineer-Lieutenant ol * H.M.S. Geranium, one of the three vessels —tho Mallow and tho Marguerite being tho others—engaged in the work. The writer says: “This field, also the one near Three Kings, has already been swept by improvised craft under great difficulties, and, the object of the unit in ro-swe-eping them was to place them beyond doiffit of danger. , . Sweeping was carried out within the hours of daylight each day the ships anchoring each night under the‘lee of Cape Farewell. . On the 12th July, a strong gale and heavy sea got up, and instead of proceeding to sweep at 6 am. as usual, the ships had to run for safe shelter to a small place round Cape Farewell Spit called Totara Nui, about hours’ steaming from Cape Farewell. Heavy seas were shipped' and the ship rolled tremendously, occasionally 30 degrees to port and starboard. We were weatherbound hero till tho of the 17th July, Sweeping continued without ariy further delay, ana minefield was completed on the 20th July. No mines were found.”