LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 8 May 1916, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Three sportsmen on Lake W|hangape bagged 39 brace of grey duck and four swans in two days

A fire in Dargaville on Friday morning broke out in the general store of F. F. Day. Damage to the stock is estimated at £1000. Insurances on the stock . amount to .£ISOO.

The defendant has 68 charges against him, and is continually in and out of gaol for theft," said Inspector Hendrey, when John Oliver Armstrong was placed in the dock at the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, for stealing an overcoat.

The Taupiri Coal Mines, Ltd., reports a loss on the year of £6,763. This is due, however, to extraordinary, outlay in connection with the Huntly mine disaster. Over £10,000 was paid in connection with the balance of claims for compensation, and legal expenses, bringing the total of such payments up to nearly £26,000. On this year's working, therefore, the company shews a profit, apart from these extraordinary erpenses.

Quite a little chapter of machinery accidents occurred in Whangarei on Saturday. First the wharfdale printing machine in the "Advocate" suffered a smash; it was fortunate that the damage was not very much greater than it was. In the evening the Lyceum pictures were temporarily suspended and at the Britannia there was even more serious interruptions, due to troubles with the electrical appliances. At the Commercial Hotel there was also trouble, the lights there failing. Each of these places has its own plant.

Mr C. J. Robinson, of Whangarei, luio brought to the "Advocate" an interesting curiosity in the form of two apple tree sprays bearing .a healthy second crop of fruit. On one spray there are five apples and on the other four. The fruit is well-formed and has reached almost liEuural size. A remarkable feature of this crop is that Mr Robinson only picked his first crop about three months ago. The trees now look as if they had never been touched. The apples which are of the Irish Peach variety were grown on Mr Colebrook's property just beyond the town bridge. Mr Robinson also re ports that his grape vines also show f:igns of a second growth.

The effect of the war is becoming more and more marked upon sport. There is a growing feeling that, while it is quite foolish to suspend all sport simply because the nation is at war, it is necessary and vital that men of military age should not be encouraged to indulge in sport at home when they ought to be fighting abroad. At the Auckland Rugby Union's annual meeting on Friday night a motion was carried that no player over twenty years of age on April 1 of this year, should be allowed to play in the Union's competition during the war. The president, Mr J. Arneil, said that members on active service had already made great sacrifices, and those who were now debarred should be pre. pared to make sacrifices also.

Satisfactory conditions as to employment throughout the Dominion are still shown by the weekly reports received by the Labour Department. For the week ended April 29 the number of applicants for work in Wellington was 26—15 married and 11 single men. Sixteen of these —10 married and six single-—were placed, two in Government and 14 in private employment, leaving 10 for whom work is still required. In Auckland there were 17 applicants—eight married and nine single men, of whom two single men were placed in private work. The number of applicants in Christchurch was 27—13 married and 14 single men. One married and six single men were placed, all with private employers; and of the 20 remaining cases none is considered specially urgent. In Dunedin three married men and four single men applied for work, and all but one were placed, five under Government and one in private employment. Two applicants in Greymouth were both placed in Government work. In Masterton there was one applicant, unplaced; in Oamaru two, .both unplaced; while in New Plymouth, Napier and Wanganui there were no applicants for work.

On Thursday evening a young lady while the public telephone at Courtenay Place, Wellington, was suddenly seized with an epileptic lU. She fell to the floor of the telephone bo:-:, and Sergeant Badger, cf the N.Z. Medical Corps, and a tramway official who went to her assistance found that on account of the small space in the box entrance was .difficult. The tramway official eventually gained admittance, and after a great deal of trouble the sufferer was removed to tho tramway ticket office, where she recovered and later proceeded to her home. The suggestion is offered that the doors of trie telephone boxes should be made to open outwards.

A letter was read at the Hospital Board meeting this morning which, it was remarked, stood in refreshing contrast to the easy-going forgetfulnesr; of hospital benefits which some patients manifest when they recover. The letter read:—"As a token of gratitude I beg to enclose £4, o.f enclosed account. Too much praise cannot be given to all those who attended me at the hospital. They often have disagreeable duties, but they do their work with devotion, and make you feel that you are really amongst friends. I will send you the balance when I earn it." The Secretary reported that the account was £ 5 and the balance was only 10s as there was a sum of 10g to be deducted as discount.

An extract from a letter sent to friends in Whangarei county, by Lieut. P. H. Morey, O.C. New Zealand. Field Engineers,' 10th Reinforcements says: "We have just had our second burial at sea, and it is the most impressive ceremony I have ever witnessed. It was the burial of a man from this boat, one of the wireless troop attached to my Company. His name w as McMillan, from Waipu. He was suffering from measles and had a relapse. His temperature went up to 108.6, and though the doctors got it down with ices he did not regain consciousness and died at 10 o'clock last night, Everything possible was done for the poor chap. We tender our sincere sympathy to his people. I was standing close to the body when it was put overboard and the 'Last Pest' sounded." \