LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1916, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A London message reports the death of Lady Tennyson. Of several further appeals imlgc-d rath the Auckland District Military Service Board, mi'der Spet'on ;)■">, tve are from llerekinO. The date has i-ot yet been fixed for hearing the appeals. On Tuesday and Wednesday of next week an examination will be conductor! by the Military Medical Board, in the Whangarei Drill Hall, of same SO men in No. '■'• Group, who come under • the first ballot and Section 33 of the Military Service Act. To give an idea of the high prices ruling for fat stock, if has ben brought under our notice that at a sale held at Kuawai on the 7th inst. one line of beef of 110 head realised *C~l 10s each, and the total result of the sale, comprising all fat stock, ran well over five figures. In the event of the Wlianiiarei Chamber of Commerce taking steps to secure 'and in the Whangarei district for the settlement of returned soldiers (which : s understood to bo the intention of the chamber) the Whangarei County Council has resolved to co-operate in tho movement.! A conference is to be held in Wellington on: the 20.th inst, between represen- • tatives of: the. United Federation of •Labour, : 'the Waterside ■ Workers' Union, and the Coal Miners' Union, to discuss the advisability of taking steps to secure the repeal of the Military Service Act, with special reference to the compulsory clauses. A telegraphic message from Wellington says: A combined meeting of the Wellington railway unions passed a motion affirming that the time had conic when all railway workers should be united for their own protection. It was also resolved to recommend the executive of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and Enginedrivers, Firemen and Cleaners' Association to take * vote of members on the , question of the federation of the two bodies. In the event of the vote being favourable, a conference will be held immediately to consider the Palmerston North scheme,, and any other schemes put forward by branches

"Are we going to allow- the Parliamentary tour party to pass through Whangarei without doing anything at all? We have given nothing, we have collected nothing, and at least we ought to arrange for a public meeting." That was the terse and abrupt introduction of the subject by the chairman at the monthly meeting of the Whangarei County Council yesterday. Complete silence reigned for some time, until Cr Finlayson expressed the casual view that the people might be given an opportunity of expressing their opinion Cr. Keay he'd that the Council ought to have some voice in regard to the route. It was decided that the chairman be authorised to confer with the Mayor of Whangarei as to the advisability of calling a public meeting in relation to the tour. . Tn the course of an interview . the Hon. James Allen, Minister for Defence, stated on Thursday that ..the area of land allotted under the Discharged BoltUe^s Act, il°.Js, to discharged* .soldiers, now amounted t0"70,40f> acres, which area was held.by IDS men. Ip to the present time 19:5,0(57 acres had been formally' proclaimed under the Act, which provides for 500.000 acres being made available. In addition to this area 7.'!2,000 acres of Crown lands iniiy be applied for at any time, either by discharged soldiers or the general public. For the purpose of assisting soldier settlers financially the Act authorised the Minister for Finance to raise a. sum not exceeding £100,000, and to date advances amounting to £21,:].•'..'! has been authorised, and £11,096 actually advanced.

Stone-frnit will probably lie scarce iv Auckland this season (says the "Herald"). The, fact has come somewhat as a surprise to those in the trade, since, in the spring, blossom was profuse and everything at one time pointed to a plentiful supply. The rainy season, however, upset all calculations, having prevented much of the blossom on poach, nectarine, apricot and plum trees from _ developing. Usually an abundance iof apricots reaches the Auckland market from the. Thames district. This year, there will be a great shortage, according t.p reports, which indicate that groovers in the habit of forwarding hundreds of cases for sale will this season be able to send only small consignments. Indeed so rare are apricots expected to be that one grower in forwarding a few cases, suggested to the auctioneer that the contents ought to be sold by the dozen. Henderson is a district from which a good supply of stone fruit is. generally forthcoming, but this - year a great scarcity is reported. Tho late Coal strike in Australia has prevented -the arrival so far of any Cherries. There is none of this fruit yet iv the Waikafo, though in that district, nectarines 'are reported to be more plentiful than elsewhere. Woman's greatest need supplied by "No Rubbing Laundry Help."' It does away witli the wasli board drudgery and washes clothes (dean without rubbing and scrihbbing and does uot injure the, hands or clothes. —Thomson *ud Rutherford.