LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 6 May 1916, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Publication of the "Advocate" has been unavoidably delayed to-day owing •to a breakage in the printing machinery.

The Queensland Government has decided to 30 in for stock raising upon an extensive scale. Eight motor cars were observed on the stand in Cameron street this morning. A visitor to Whangarei, after seme years' absence, remarke 3 upon this goodly show as an evident sign of prosperity. The Army Service Corps was first instituted in 1880 under the name of "The Royal Wagon Train." It. was a combatant corps but yet its chief duties were the conveyance of sick and wounded, ammunition, and regimental baggage. The "Advocate" representative, learned yesterday, in Hikurangi, ihat they were feeling the shortage ci' labour very badly in the mines. A number of men were working fxira to c.ompen.sate as far as possible for the absence cf others. It w;:.- reported in Whangarei this morning' that the Freezing Works at Whangarei Heads are also finding a shortage of men. The exploring vessel Aurora still lies at tho export wharf, Port Chalmers. Captain Stenhouse is awaiting instructions from England. Another member cf the crew, an a bit seaman named Sydney Atkins (hern in Auckland), has enlisted ;.n..! signed off the ship. He is the li.mrfh of the Aurora's crew to volir.'leer for the war. Thirteen men, including the master, are still on the chip's articles. During the past ten days the Whangarei Freezing Company has been •■■hipping a quantity of frozen meat e.ncu.'Ti to Auckland for storage at the new Westfield Freezing Go's works. By this means the company h'-m been able to keep the Whangarei works open It is expected that the Auetraiian troopship Afric will arrive about May 12 or 1.4. She will call, at Auckland and Whangarei only inking from here about. 1000 head of ea Hie.

Stands Scotland where it did in the matter of cliurchgoing? Scarcely. It is now given forth that the total adult membership of all churches and societies in the country is 1,395,510. The Sunday schools contain approximately 531,261, Bible classes and youth societies 159,371; adherents and children not of Sunday school age, but belonging to church families, approximate . 337,897 —Protestant Church total, 2,427,039. The Romau Catholic Church claims to have in Scotland as the total number of souls r>--1.">,96',). The total church population would thus be 2,973,008. This deducted from the total population gives the churchlcss population as 1,787,896.

In the ranks of Garter Knights the Companionship is once more full. Their number is limited to twenty-five, thought it is possible to make additions by statute. Such, additions are very rare, and always become part of twenty-five when a vacancy occurs. Thore is no limit to the number of Sovereigns and princes who may- be admitted to the highest English Order, but the war has made havoc among thorn, no fewer than eight exalted personages, of German or Austrian origin, having been removed from the roll during ihe past year. it is quite exceptional for a commoner to be admitted to the Order, and Sir Edward Grey, who became a. K.IJ. in 1912, is (he only instance in recent times.