LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 1 August 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Try D. Jones, Egmont Street, for plumbing and tinsmithing repairs.*

Says the X. Z. Times:—“'The payment of £1 per meeting to tho members of the numerous .Repatriation Hoards constitutes a grave impeachment of the patriotism of the leisured gi ntlemcu composing those bodies.”

During the war, said Colonel Betrington, R.A.F., during his lecture on “The Air Force” in Wellington, the British fighting machines brought down 7950 German machines, while tho total manlier of British machines brought down by the enemy was 2XIO.

Beyond totally disarming Germany am! keeping' her that way, making her restore, repair, rehabilitate, and cough ’until she is hanging over the ropes, to

-ay nothing of cramping her in a disciplinary strait-jacket for two generalions, we believe the Allies should be '•■eucilialory and generous with Germany. “It will 1)0 possible,’ ’ said Colonel Batlingion, Royal Air Force, ai We;-'b-gton, “ lo bnk up New Zealand and AuHraiia with an air service. Airships will prove just as reliable as ships on the sea, ami they will prove very much quicker. I suppose a twenty-two Imurs’ service could bo arranged between New Zealand and A -, «tvalia.”

The Auckland t-'-tar is rc**.>nsiv»!e for the following : —Bo many people are .-hi fling nowadays, owing to the daman.! fur houses causing them to have to liml new quarters, that, it is assert •d, though the truth of the assertion is not vouched for, the fowls have boon so frequently chased and captured for removal that (hey begin to cackle and run am soon as they hear the rumble of a furniture van.

“How are the mighty fallen,” ob-s;-r\ (■:•: Table Talk (Melbourne), it is act long si me the (then) proud Kamor boasted that he and his troops would bivouac in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Web. lie is about to visit

Boud.'n, ’(is said— not as (ho mighty conqueror, but as a. wretched culprit. !o stand be fori.' the bar of just ice, and answer for his crimes against humanity. The dream—Buckingham I’uhicc. The real!tv—The Tower of London.

“.Yew Zealanders made splendid lighters in the air,” said Colonel Bettington, in Ids lecture tit Wellington recently, “and (hey did marvellously good work. I mention the’ mimes of Brandon and Park, amongst many others. 'The New Zealander is left a good ■leal lo his own resources when ho is young, and lie generally is a much betLr man in the air than the average Londoner. Be learn;; to think and to art quickly in his ordinary life, so

that when he becomes an aerial tighter he lots more initiative and more general capacity than the others. The same remark applies lo all the oilier colonial lighters—they were splendid men.”

Another record has been established by the (Junard liner Mauretania. On her last westward voyage, after disembarking Canadian troops at Halifax, Nova Scot lit, ;;lie proceeded to New York and broke ail records for running time between those two ports, making 'he trip in just twenty four hours. The pre\bms record was thirty hours. Tin l Cmiarder’s achievement is actually twelve hours faster titan tho fastest trains which ran between tho Nova. Pcotinii port and Now York. The Mauretania which is (he fastest passenger liner atloat, established a world's record by steaming (>7t> knots

in one day, eqnivalenl to an average speed of over Ihlrly-ime miles per hour.

Under the Pee.ce Treaty Germany .veep!a responsibility for all loss and damage suffered by Iho Allied and Associated Governments. "Within Iwo years she Avill pay £1,000.000,000 ; and lifter 192! £2,(Kill,00(1090, bearing 5<J interest after 1920 ; finally she will

give an undertaking to deliver £2,000,OOn, OiiO bearing- interest at 5(4 on terms to be fixed by an International Commission. This Commission will fix the total obligations of Gerisany in the matter of damages before "May L 1921. * ''lipping losses are to be replaced (on for (on, Germany handing o\er till her ships over 1(100 tons and undertaking to build 200,000 Jons-an-mr.iliv for the Allies fur live veers.

The ex-Einporor Karl of Austria, in ihe course of a comersalion with M. de Villeroy, of Geneva, stated that his principal reason for lea-sing' the Castle of Warntonegg, on the banks of Bake Constance to live- at (he Chateau Brangins on I lie Bake Geneva, was to avoid ihe perpetual irritation caused him by looking across (lie water at German territory. The ox-Emperor said that ihe mere sight of this fragment of Geimany visible from Ihe Swiss side of Lake Constance exciled his annoyance and resentment against his former ally, to whom he ascribes Ihe re-, sponsibility for his own downfall.

The- Wellington branch of the Navy League is offering a prize of a Now Zealand Ensign to each school that enrols 100 members of the League. Now is the lime for pupils of the Patca and Wavcrloy schools to get busy.

Tho Old IBoys of Christ’s College have succeeded in raising no less than £lo,Lit) Is (id towards the cost of a Memorial Hull for the College. The Hall is to l»e large enough to accommodate the whole of the scholars and is to be used for prize givings and ■oilier functions. The total cost is set down at £15,000. Old boys of the local school are asked to follow in the lead of the Christ’s College boys and assist with the memorial to the late Lieutenant Robbie and the boys who fought so well in the Great War.

A colonel who was a stern disciplinarian gathered his officers about him ami issued orders for the regiment’s furthcoming train journey to the coast. “1 don’t object to an innocent good time on the men’s part during ILis journey,” he said, “but you will see lo it that there's no swearing, no .sky-larking, no card-playing, and as little cigarette smoking ns possible.” “Pardon me, colonel,” said a timid voice, “but would you object if I took along a little plain sewing to occupy my coinpaip' and myself.”

A pendant to the story of the Aucklander who wanted to know what Burns had done to deserve a statue is s .j.plied by the gallant Dr. Buck, otherwise known as To Rangihiroa. Dr. Pack explains that the Maori Pioneers at the front for a time lost the designation of Maori, and the men felt sore about it. One day ho came across a

“grousing” Maori soldier, and asked hie) what was the matter. Hori, a typical back country native held forth in the grievance of tho lost name. Tho Maoris, he said, wanted to lie known ns Maoris. They had come to New Zealand centuries ago, whereas the p-.kena was cpiiie a “young feller.” “Never mind,” said Dr. Buck, consolingly, “what’s in a name, anyhow ? You remember what Bliakesn are said about names ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’.” “'Shakespeare!” exclaimed Hori, “who to hell’s Shakespeare ? What rein forcemeat he come over in ’ \Vhat company he in