LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, 29 May 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A considerable area of Cape barley is being grown in the Masterton district as winter feed for stock.

A company is at present engaged in experimenting with a view to the manufacture of paper in New Zealand. Machinery' is in operation on the Main Trunk line.

The Government has decided to take a census next October, the work to be carried out by the Postal Department.— press Association;

Constable Neil, who was severely •wounded with pellets from a shotgun on the occasion of the arrest of the "prophet" Rua- on April 2, left the Kotorua. Hospital on Saturday for Auckland, lie is now quartered at the police barracks, but it is not expected that he will be fit for duty for many weeks.

A deputation from the Tahuna School Committee, consisting of Messrs Bobbins, Wells, snd Kingston, waited on the Nelson Education Board to-dayi asking for an enlargement of the School, and an additional area for a playground, and also complaining of an offensive smell from the boiling down works. The QBoard gave a sympathetic hearing, but "before taking any action decided to visit Tahuua School to-morrow.

A visitor to Samoa, writing to a lady in Christchurch, says that the soldiers from New Zealand' were frill of praise for the way the. Christchurch patriotic people looked after'them'. Christchurch had sent them presents of socks, tobacco, and books, the- last-named being what they want most. The Lady Liverpool 'Committee would be glad to receive gifts of magazines or other suitable Heading' matter for despatch to Samoa.

Never brfore in the history of the Cape Foul-wind quarry was such a successful blast fired, as was fued a few days ago at the new quarry at Tauranga Bay ■(•says- a Westport paper). Millions of tons' of stone were shaken from the solid hill, and are now lying in an immense heap in the quarry, ranging in weight from 661b to 40 tons.

The Post Office advises that the Niagai'a' reached Auckland at 5.50 this morning. She is believed to have an American mail on board, which should) arrive at Nelson on Wednesday morning.

■Plow strong neighbourly competition runs in soma country places was demonstrated at a sale at the land board of seven acres at Makuri, near Pongaroa. The upset price of the land 1 was £B4 the lot, or £7 per acre. There were but two competitors, one of whom was adljoining- owner. Tho other was a neighbour. Betwr-cn them the price was forced up to £3Ol, nr £43 an acre. _ 7t was knocked down to Mr R. C. Ellingham, the owner of the land adjoining.

As the winter approaches the volume of work offering for skilled tradesmen is usually much diminished, and /the number of such workers out of employment shows a marked increase says Monday's "Post"). This year practie-, ally all skilled trades are in tho forfcun.-* ate position of having plenty to do. Weekly and monthly reports issued }'by the Labour Department show that what little unemployment obtains at the present time is almost wholly con firted to -unskilled occupations, and even men who have no trade- have not long to wait for work, especially if they will Accept country jobs. This state of affairs is attributed not to greater ' prosperity than obtained in pre-war years, but to the enlistment of great numbers of skilled workers. Improvement of .conditions in occupations to which no apprenticeship is necessary had also affected the employer of journeymen labour. Where advanced 'tprices of materials have ihot restricted the output, the employer has now, in some instances, to make sure of his labour by offering a .wage aibove the minimum rate.

"There are still a lot of very sick men in the hospitals of Egypt," said Mr W. G. Jamieson (chairman of the National Council of the Y.M.C.A.), who has justreturned from Egypt. "We visited many of the 'hospitals an,d> foundi them' all pretty full, though they arc beginning to thin out a little. When wo arrived, the New Zealand 'Hospital at Pont-de-ICoubbeh was quite full, and in addition, there were patients accommodated m marquees in the grounds. Some of them are still very bad, but as they get strong enough to stand the" journev: they are being shipped away to a more bracing climate."

The Tasmanian Government Microbiologist states that there is considerable risk involved in 'putting wooden drains in orchards, as this encourages the dangerous foot parasite, Armhlariamellea. Several cases have come under his notice in which the fungus has attacked trees along the course of woodem drains, even in districts where the parasite, was previously almost unknown. The fungus appears to exist to a greater or less extent in tho native, timber in many parts of the State, and when this timber is • buried in the ground) favourable conditions for the development of the rhizomorphic form of the fungus are brought about. The rhizomorplis"travel for considerable distances through tho soil, and are capable of rising to the surface from a depth of several feet. Amy roots of living trees that come in their way are at once attacked, when the fungus slowly spreads until it eventually kill* the tree. Apart from this wooden drains,. are always a source of trouble and annoyance, as they are very liabfo to get stopped up through the derav of the wood used • in- them. Pipe or "stone drains, the former for preference, are much the cheapest in the end, as they are practically everlasting','and do not encourage dangerous root parasites. The nimble shilling is ;o Iby-word, but Cut Ninepence will buy a Lady, a pair of Warm Slippers at Lightband's Cheap Fortnight, which starts June Ist. Come aight in..* ' ; - "The Government have no intention, at the present time, at all events, of buyine; American-built ships," said the [Prime Minister in answer to Mr J. Payne in the House of Representatives. "Buying ships now would probably mean that ,at tho end of tho Avar the ships would not be worth one-third of what tlK>y are now. We. think it very much better to go on as we are. in tht" hope, that the war will end in the near future."

A point that may not be generally known was mentioned at ■: a meeting of creditors in Palmerston North, a ievf, days ago. This was to the effect "that » registered bill-of-sale over goods or chattels lapses at the endi of five years* and the registration must be renewed in ox*der that the creditors' interests may be preserved. In the event of the bill-of-sale not being renewed and. the person who negotiated) the loan becoming bankrupt, 'i£is particular creditor has no preferential claim, and becomes an unsecured -creditox'.

"When arrears in maintenance orders are allowed to mount up to large sums of money there is no possibility of defendants paying the amounts," said Mr L. G. Keid, S.M., in the Wellington Magistrate's Court the other day. 1 "A defendant' may be sent to gaol, which is the only alternative, but this does not give the redres? asked for. In reality, the porson who allows an order to mount up is to blame."

A Masterton. resident recently received a letter from a British prisoner in a prison camp in 'Germany, the name of which is "Kriegsgfangerriasludi'uag."

A record number of cases was dealt with the other day by the Claims Board of the Auckland Patriotic Association. The total of 37 included 22 new applications. Several applications from soldiers who had been successful in land ballots l were granted. D'iscussing this matter later, Mr V. J. Lamer, the chairman, said the paying of the first half-year'd rent on behalf of returned men • who obtained sections was •becoming' rather a. serious item, and it -was.a question .who-' ther the board could continue to- make , the grains indefinitely. T'o the mdnd ' the board this was a matter that should be taken up by the Government, which should make, some arrangement with the men in regard to rent. The Government had' set its hand to the. plough and should either give the men a half-year's rent or make it payable at a later period, ■ when the men had had time, to* get on their feet. '•

The Austrian question was discussed, at a large and representative public meeting, held at (Kaihu oil Tuesday night (writes the Darga villa correspondent of the Auckland Herald). It was unanimously resolved :—"That tlio Government

bo informed that are stepping into the places of men who have gone to tho front, and are reaping the benefits which should rightly belong to them when the return; that there are good grounds for believing- that every alien is

provided with firearms; that it is unjust to the women iand children that their

menfolk should ihe called to the fighting ' and the aliens.be left 'behind as a menace to tho unprotected ; that the Government be askedj to grant facilities to the . subjects of Britain's Allies to return to their native lands, and that ,all enemy aliens .bo interned; and that copies-of the ibefore-mentioned resolutions, be 'for- . •warded to Mr Massey, Sir Joseph "Ward,*' i and Mr J. G-.u'Cbatos, M.IV Messrs. Ed'win Trounsoil, Gaze, Bullitt,. Hume, ; and Tuohey .were appointed a committee to deal with the replies from the' Go-', '-, vernment. t >'• . / , ..', While it is • highly gratifying) to - see' ~ ' the Dominion so: prosperous, and .money so plentiful (remarks.the Trad© Review); ;' yet it is somewhat regrettable that more of the available funds, do hot find useful .' and profitable: employment.. ComimfcrciaV > enterprise is, no doubt,, somewhat harar, , pered by war prices? and inability to obtain supplies—but< there is > .also a "certain amount .of-timidity nnds. disinclination to invest capital in undertakings that moan locking it up' for long periods, in view of uncertainty as to what rates will .rule , later 'bn,* and also' what., "further taxation ihay be -.imposed , on capital. Undoubtedly,we,shall.have to bear heavier taxation; ibut" it, is unlikely that this -will boar harshly in any particular quarter, and in view of the I prospects for our staple products the. -, i general outlook for Now Zealand' is very j satisfactory. -• .A. '■> The report 'of the- explosion .at the ■ Ohakune quarry was "heard at Raetihi, I some eight miles distant (sayis th.Q Taum- ' } arunui correspondent of the■ New Zoa-. land Herald)." l Mrs Mellsop, wife of the ~ ' assistant engineer,- who ( was one of those - 1 killed, was anxiously, the arj rival of iier husband, knowing the danIgerous nature .of tho work, when "she heard the explosion. ' She .knew -that ,on ' accident ,haa taken place, as the charge ' was not'to'l&ve been' fired till Wednee'day. After'the explosion,* Sheehy fecal- . ed the face 'o'f/the quarry and'entered the tunnel, wn&e'he was terribly,.'burn- ._ ed by the ignited gas fumes.''Ho crawl*a out and /lowered himself by-'a rope ~ han°ing from a scaffolding the quan-y. ' This would have been" no mean feat for a -man in tho prime ot health, and was remarkable for A'man , in Sheehy's.mjiuxed condition.