The Ohinemuri Gazette. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1918. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXIX, Issue 3998, 25 November 1918, Page 2

The Ohinemuri Gazette. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1918. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The illness of .Nurse Pennell is causing her relatives grave anxiety. The doctors attending her hold out little hope' for her recovery. '

It was found necessary to erect another marquee to accommodate the natives at the race-course.

A notification is^ inserted in this issue that the grocery business conducted by the late Mr S. Robson will be continued.

The many Paeroa friends of Mr Edward Beattie will regret to hear of his death, which took place in Auckland'on Friday. His wife died a few days ago. Six young children have been orphaned.

A number of influenza cases are* reported from the Netherton district. No organisation has yet been made and many have had to leaVe their beds in order' to get the cows milked and in consequence suffered relapses. This is a matter the Netherton branch of the Farmers' Union might take up and take up urgently.

The Farmers' Auctioneering Co. notifies that owing to the epidemic the stock sale, which was to have been held at Hikutaia to-morrow, has been postponed.

As an instance of how big a part the imagination plays in a time like the present, a story is told of a whole family in Hamilton who took to their beds firmly convinced that they were victims of the influenza. The doctor was sent for, and the temperature taken, with.<the result that the thermometer in each case registered the temperature as normal. There was not a thing wrong with the family with the exception of that which was conjured in their imagination.

. There passed away at Somerslown, Te Aroha, last week, an old and wellknown resident in the person,of Mr John Timmins, • a victim of the prevailing epidemic. The late Mr Timmins, who was sixty-seven years of age, came to the colony close on 50 years ago, and joined the New Zealand railway service. For the last 23 years he has resided in the Te Aroha district, retiring from the rail-

way about six years ago on superannuation. Mr Timmins had the honour of providing six sons for active service as volunteers, one of whom made the supreme sacrifice, and the other five wounded.

There is a story of a traveller in the East approaching a plague-strick-en city. He met th/e spirit coming away from it, and accused him of causing the death of ten thousand people. The reply was: "I killed only 2000 ; fear killed the rest!" It is time people learned that the microbes of fear ar,e more deadly than any material germs, and that he who, in the face of danger from infection is absolutely fearless, has a protection from contagion such as all the chemical remedies ever invented are powerless to give. Let us take reasonable precautions, by all means ; but above all things avoid spreading the disease by foolish talk and death dealing suggestions..

Mr R. A. Law, who died at the Thames Hospital from pneumonia oiv Saturday, was a v,ery well known insurance agent, and his death will be regretted amongst a wide circle. Mr Law was for some years a member of the Thames County Council, formerly representing the Kauaeranga riding, and later th£ Waiotahi riding. While on the Council he represented that body on many occasions. At the time of his death -he was a member of the Harbour Board, the Hospital Board, and the newly constituted Board of Health. As a member of the latter body he was untiring in his efforts to beat the epidemic, to which he was finally a victim. He leaves a wife and grown-up family to mourn their loss, and much sympathy will be extended to them.

Probably many of the serious cases Avould be avoided if persons when attacked with influenza went to bed at once. The advice, no doubt, is excellent, but there are instances where persons suffering from the disease have struggled on in order to nurse those in their households who are in an even worse condition.

The buying public should realise that advertised businesses are safe to deal with, because a weak business cannot afford to advertise. More, and move advertising is being accepted as the hall mark of a reliable business, and the non-advertised business is becoming regarded as lacking; in those qualities which make for success.