TOWN EDITION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13575, 31 December 1914, Page 6

TOWN EDITION.

Excellent samples of bouth Canterbury grown wool were despatched'froni Tiinai'u last week for the Panama, Exhibition. The Turauganui Bowling Club's rink at the Napier tournament, starting tomorrow, is: J. J. Martin (ski])). M. Craig (3), B. Hird (2), A. Sawyer ll). This afternoon three additional births and one deatli Mere registered by Mr 11. E. Hill, Registrar of Births. Deaths, and. Marriages, making the totals i'or the month 63 and 13 respectively. The matron of the Children's Creche acknowledges the following gifts : Two loads of firewood from Mrs Morel 1, 41bs Flutter and 1 dozen eggs, Mr La wry, Whatalutu ; 4 dozen eggs. Mrs C P. Coll is. Advice has been received by Captain Rogers, of the local Defence Office, intimating that a number of men between lho ages of 40 and 47 years, suitable ?..s non-commissioned oliieers, for Samoa, aro required to proceed to Trentham early next weelc. In addition to this, all volunteers fdi* the Kxpeditiionary Force are to hold themselves in readiness to proceed South on January 12. In concluding his expressions of thanks for the hearty reception accorded him ■at Auckland, the Prime Minister of"Australia (the Rt. Hon. Andrew Fisher)" repeated the expression "'Queen City*," which had besu used in one of the speeches of welcome. "I suppose I shall be in danger elsewhere as I travel further south,"' added tha speaker amrdst laughter, "but it is worthy to be called a 'Queen City,' whether it is the best in "New Zealand or not. It is a lovely place, and this reception "has made it still more lovely to me." That there is a shortage of rubber and cotton in Germany is evident from the fact that the following official proclamation has been issued in Berlin : "SaJe of motor-ear tyres . prohibited. — The sale of automobile tyres to private persons, except for use. on . new motor vehicles destined for the army, is strictly forbidden. Private persons who wish to buy tyres must first communicate with the tyre office at the Schoneberg barracks, which, acting in cooperation with the transportation division of the War Office, will decide to what extent private individuals may replenish old tyres" or acquire new ones." A narrow escape from ai drowning accident occurred at Te Karaka last week, j and a fatality would certainly have occurred but for- the promot action of Miss Ivy Powell, who is only 14 years bf age. It appeal's that there were several young ladies bathing in the river about twelve or fourteen/ chains below tli© Ka,i.tara,tahi bridge. One of. l them Miss Powell, entered a deep pool j with a small child, and the latter became frightened and gripped the young lady's throat so tightly that the latter was soon in difficulties. The bathers on the bank at first thought it was only, a joke, but the seriousness of her sister's -j plight was realised by Miss Ivy Powell, who rushed 'in and succeeded in landing her and the child on tUe opposite bank of the river. There Miss . Powell lay for some ti'me unconscious before she could be moved. The younger sister | [is to be < warmly commended for her plucky rescue.

• "Tho whole remarked an A uckland returning officer in referring to tju; electoral muddle, "arises from the multiplicity of instructions and duties placed upon the deputy returning officers. ; The electoral system is all rij*h f but the men are over- weighted with instructions, and are consequently, in- some cases, likely to become confused, when a simpler instruction, would leave no doubt in their mind as to the conect course. In my opinion there should bq an officer apppinted in charge of every polling place/^whose ' duty it should be to deal with absent voters' jpcrinits, declarations, and. in. keeping order in the booth. The deputy returning officers doing the electoral work would not then be interfered with in their duty. This appointment * should be made a compulsoi'y one by the Registrar. If the duty of each deputy returning officer were confined, say, to the 'handling of ballot papers, of his own electorate, instead of including absent voters' permits and declarations, t-h^re would be practically no room for ;a mistake of any- sort. With an experienced deputy in charge of the booth, and parcels of 500 or 600 voting papers for each man to deal with, a schoolboy would do the work as well as an accountant. This, with simplified instructions— for the average man is not going to study up elaborate directions for . the sake of one day .jvery three years — would do .hiuch,.jn '.v»»vy opinion, to remedy present defects. "