LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 7 December 1916, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Diversified news, both interesting j and instructive, appears on the first page of to-day's '•Advocate," and includes a forcible article on those "two giants," M. Briand and Mr-' Lloyd George. Informative irems are also given respecting northern railways, New' Zealand finance.' and the cost of the war to Great' Britain. Additional war regulations under a Dominion Order-in-Council are fully reproduced on page -1. The regulations have reference to •'sedition" in many phases. A fact that must prove of great, interest to geologist's is that during the. sinking of one of the oil wells at New Plymouth, kauri gum was struck ;ii a depth of 44!!<i I'eot. Although the l>on; had pui.crised it, the gum was of line quality. This reveals an ancient story of buried forests which geologists can turn into romance —provided that the substance really is kauri gum. -A regulation of-the Pot'ence Department provides that a soldier (oflicer or private) wounded in action has tinright to wear n strip of gold braid for every wound he has received. Men who have returned to New Zealand with honourable wounds should make application through their Group Commander for badges. Northern men wiil need to apply through the Wha-

ngarei Office. The latest available news tt;-d.;v concerning the condition of Mrs \l. ii. Hody/e, who was the victim of tV vehicular mishap yesterday, i.=; th.;' she ha-; regained conccmusness. bui i: sr.'li in a very scrims sMi'.'. Many anxious inquiries iin'O be,ol !• i-i-I'. smcr the ar--Pb ;,; be.'-.iiim '."lown. and the hope is every whore expressed that a more, favourable report may he received shortly. There was a considerable inllux of marksman in Wliaiigarei this morning from several parts of the Xorth, the visitors constituting teams who are participating in tlie Xo. :'■ Group rille meeting which will o-eupy to day air! to-morrow at the Otaika rifle range. Lieut. E. T. Rowllings, X./.5.C.. area cillcer, is secretary of the meeting. The matches are allocated amongst rifle clubs, territorials and cadets. The results of the first, day's shoot will be published to-morrow.

Tliis afternoon the annual bazaar 'promoted by the Children's Guild of the Anglican Church was opened in the Parochial Hall, with every augury of v successful outcome, and it will be continued to-night. The children work in various ways throughout the year in furtherance of tiie bazaar, the prime purpose of which is the raising of a specified yearly sum in support of Mebmesian Mission students. Any balance beyond that sum is devoted to the Parochial Hall funds. _, --» From now on farmers and others who supply either stores or private persons with more than six pounds of butter a week cannot do so in the old haphazard way. A regulation to the effect that, all such persons must, have their butter properly wrapped and on which is stamped the maker's name (or brand) and address, and the nett weight of the butter is going to bestrictly enforced. At first sight this rule seems a rather unnecessary additional trouble for the dairyman, but a little thought will show that it is one which will afford beneficial protection to the consumer and to till but light-weight purveyors. .„>Chiefiy owing to war demands there is an abnormal scarcity of general labourers, and the Whangarei County Council is feeling the pinch so acutely that it is unable to carry on highly necessary works. Scarcely any undertakings i-iiti be proceeded with, and the road-grading machines tire lying completely idle. The Council would be willing to accept almost anyone of moderate energy and ability, but men are not procurable at any price, and ■it.-is hard to see how the road, requirements of settlers are to be met unless the latter can lind time fo come

to their owu rescue. The suggestion that -prison labour might be employed is not regarded with general favour, though apparently it is the only solution offering: otherwise the works will in-all likelihood !>e hung up indefinitely Several complaints have come to ham! from motorists, other vehicle drivers, and horsemen respecting tlie state of the main road in Hikurangi where reconstruction work is in progress. One complainant averred that the conditions "beat the buekblocks out of sight,'' and while lie knew that some inconvenience had to be expected at such a time, he could not lind any ox--1 use l possible for the extraordinary roughness which hud to be encountered. In. one .portion he alleged that there were lateral holes two feet deep, caused by the-drying of the mud-which had been faseined in the wet season, and he felt certain that the part in question would be impassable at nighttime without grave risk to life and limb. lie felt that the position was till tl'.e more regrettable since it could be readily remedied at small cost. His views and foldings were corroborated by tlu- remarks of the other complainants. At a. commill.ee- meeting of the Whangarei Howling Club, willi Ihe president (Serge;ini Moore in I he chair, the amine;: I mm; of Ii cc new members were appro\ed. Permission was given the .Croquet Club (on request) to charge Is entrance fee to I lie croquet grounds, the receipts to be devoted Io the Belgian Fund. Mr.l. Wilson was appointed to take the place of Mr F. Pearee (who litis left the district) on the match committee. A two-day's tournament, open fo all northern clubs, was decided upon and the dates fixed, ami the Rev. If. Daniel was appointed secretary of the Christmas f ourmimoni s. A refreshment, committee was set up, consisting of Messrs F. All wood, W. F. Thompson, ami A. Batty. It was resolved I hat a recommendation be made to the match committee that all draw games, ami the Stars. Ferns, Buckles, and Crosses, be of I ■"> heads instead of -L to enable matches Io I.e. ;;,.{ off more ■icidii/. ■• ' •'■••'-'"'" ' ""■■

With the object of studying the probable effects of the war, on education, and arousing public, interest in the sub jeer, the New Zealand Educational In stiti'.re is arranging to hold a congress in Wellington during the New Year holidays. In this connection a meeting is to be he'd in the Town Hall concert chamber on January 5, at which the principal speakers will be Sir liobert Stout, representing Ihe Eniversity and higher education, Professor Kastcrfiehi, and Sir .lames Wilson, the hitter as representative of country interests. A discussion will follow the addresses, which are to be brief, and it is hoped the public will be sulliciently interested to attend. The war is giving a chance of dying well to people whom society as at present constituted (to use a phrase o! the Australian Prime .Minister) has not been able to make good citizens of (says a contemporary). Whether society or Henry Aiken is really to blame for the fact that he is an incorrigible rogue is perhaps open !o doubt iml there is no doub'. thai he got out of Wnikoibi p,:>.-a, '•silently, recrotly .-ml sum-jaii i..>..5!v. - ' lie escaped the ; oiialfy el' this oltVm-e by enlisting anil going info <-;<:::p at Treutham. Ap patently I lie ?\!agistr:!ti v held the view that no one lit to wear His Majesty. khaki should be deemed an incorrigibk rogue, and he merely ordered him to he -■eat back ■•> the prison aulhorities. A'i,-<,i! may ge{ a ihar-ce yvi of ''mafci>..,- 1.,,;: i " a: ii c f;ont, where ma no coirvo ':■ r;i \ c proved the tru, a 01 !';i ri \i'''s v.. ■■!■!- li.a e v e;-y man is a poiontial heio. ,-More rii.-in >■;•-' gedd-miuc. payable 'Hi ot hervise. baa kc-ru opcav! up in 'ho Auckland province siiuce the fo'iowing paragraph appeared in the "Herald," under dare December <k 'Sdii:—"The matter nf offering a. re ward for t'ae discovery of a payable goldfielj (as recently suggested in the "Herald") was discussed at the. last sitting of the Provincial Council. Mr Cad.man moved that, the Superintendent of lhe- Province be requested io offer a reward of ijoooo for the dis- - civery of a payable goldtiob.l in tlm ! Province of Auckland. If some re ward, he said, were offered it might ' induce many energetic men to prospect the various parts of the province - where gold was likely to" be found. i> 3 was said gold was likely to be fount' ; at Tauranga and i:t various parts o! <■; the Waikato, bur there was no encour-

ugement to any person to risk expense in prospecting those places. Mr MePeod said he had himself many years before prospected various parts of th" province, such as Mercury Bay antl Cape Colville, and he had found gold in nearly all the rivers, and taken nearly an ounce of gold out of alluvia' soil. After some further discussion, the motion was carried." Pursuing its determined campaign against enemy possessions on Italian territory, (he Rome Government in seized vast Bourbon estatfj a.t Vm Reggio. These estates, consisting of a stately villa, woodlands and farm, lands, in the neighbourhood of the sea-shore, were formerly the property of Duke Robert of Pa-ma, who pass ed them over to Don Carlos, by whom they were subsequently transferredpartly as an heirloom and partly repurchase, to the Austrian Archduke Leopold Sa'vatorc, that, illustrious offshoot of the Tuscan branch of the family. Bei'.f on minting money from the liewly-acquircri property, he erea'ed large sawmills and proceeded with the systematic destruction of the picturesque pine forests, hitherto one of the main attractions of that fashionable bathing resort. His vandalism provoked numerous protest.- front th? inhabitants and foroP.ru vb itors. let: the Italian Government fo <nd itself powerless to interfere unrp now. The sequestra)'."m of Vustro.G rman be longings in all pans of Italy proceeds apace, and runs into many million lire already. D-astie steps 'wv being taken t n P''f a stop to the enormous exportation of Italian merchandise io Hermanv via. Swityorlam!. which has been carried on chiefly by cliques -if cv.convicts,.. who had. lied across the Swiss fronii'T. A consignment of at 1.000 e-gs. intended for this de-

filiation, v'-i ZuriMi. was confiscate.! in the Ravenna prov'tice. All l.om'i Storekeepers are authorised to giv, -'.'P 1 sunrantee with every Is package of Xo Robbing Laundry Help to wash a!' Co'bes rlm.i without rubbing or injury. FKKSON.«.?;. Mr W. A. bart'otb. hmamah so'mifor. returned lo " : '"\ nigarei yes'erday after belne: :-'\-.e:u. \ov several cars on a trip to We-ili::g;oii. Mr 80/d'Bonnie. Government Inspector of Minos, is on :-. vis.il 1o !lio AVhaugtirei district and is to-day paying attention to the Puhipuhi area. Prof. Hutton, P.N.CM., left by today's boat to examine musical candidates in the .Rntormi district under the auspices of the .National College of .Music, London. Messrs AkLeod and MoCombie, mining experts, arrived in Whangarei from Auckland this morning with a view to investigating the mineral deposits in the Puhipuhi lield.