LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 44, 8 June 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hon. C. H. Mills, of Wellington, is at present visiting Havelock. The annual meeting of the Havelock Patriotic Committee is advertised for Monday evening next in the Library. The Ronga Defence Rifle Club are holding a ball on Friday, 15th inst., in aid of Y.M.C.A. funds. The chairman of the Pelorus Efficiency Committee notifies that he will bo pleased to receive the names of gentlemen willing to act as trustees to manage soldiers’ farms.

It is reported in Wellington that considerable wholesale sales of butter from store have been made at prices that in the Auckland district, at any rate, where the bulk has been sold, should allow of a substantial reduction in the official retail price.

It is said, according to a Dunedin paper, that there is a likelihood that the Kaitangata miners will shortly hold a secret ballot on the question of their union withdrawing from affiliation with the New Zealand Federated Coal Mine Workers’ Union.

In our report of the proceedings of the recent Farmers’ Union Conference held in Havelock, we represented Mr Fulton as saying that local bodies did not receive half royalties from timbers cut from Crown lands. It should have read “half royalties from Crown lands weighted with timbers.”

“There is no doubt that dazzling headlights on motor-cars are a serious danger to the public,” said Mr L. G. Beid, S.M., when a number of drivers of motor-cars were before him the other day for having the headlights on their cars in, too bright a condition ■when passing through tho streets of Wellington.

A shocking accident occurred at Millcrton last week, resulting in the death in the Westport Hospital of Elsie May Williams, a daughter of Mr and Mrs George Williams, aged five years and eight months. A party of children obtained possession of a box of matches, whereupon they went into the bush and lit a fire. By some means the little girl Williams’ clothes became ignited. She ran away, her clothes were destroyed, and she was very badly burnt. .

There was a fair attendance at the 27th of the series of euchre parties held ia the Library on Tuesday evening, when competition for the special prizes was continued. Miss Phipps and Mr W. H. Smith, respectively, scored the best totals on the evening’s play, the former reaching the position of leading lady in the aggregate scores. Mr W. H. Orsman still leads by two points in the gentlemen’s division. The concluding evening of the present tournament will be held on Tuesday, 19th inst., when competition between those that arc well up in the list should be very keen. The proceeds for the evening amounted to £1 7s. To ensure getting genuine “NAZOL”—the true and tried cough and cold remedy —always order by name. Resist imitations and substitutes. Get what you want—“NAZOL. ”

That the German effort to stir up sedition in India earlier in the war was fostered and assisted by the Germans in China was illustrated in an episode related by the Eey. W. Mawson, a Presbyterian .. missionary, who has worked in Canton for 13 years (says the “N.Z. Herald”)-. He stated that on one occasion a shipment of timber which was leaving Shanghai for Calcutta attracted suspicion. The timbers were split open and found to be hollow, and to contain small arms.

He cruched in a doorway, hungry and

cold, Homeless and hopeless and sad; I could see at a glance he needed help, That, no friend in the world he had. So I gave him a crown and choice cigar, And advised him strong drink to abjure. He moaned his need was a bed and a feed, And Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.

Tenders, closing on the 20th inst., will be received for repair? to Havelock Dairy Factory. Wo remind our readers of the excellent programme to be presented at the Town Hall to-morrow (Saturday) evening by Fullers’ Picture Company. “A Modern Joan of Arc ” is a drama well above the average, and is described as being of sustaining interest, and full of thrilling situations. This picture should not be missed. The usual supports of a varied and topical character will also be screened. The programme was shown at. Canvastown last evening to a full house, and Carluke will be visited to-night. A remarkable coincidence, yielding a pleasant experience to a soldier’s mother, occurred in Wellington recently. The lady, passing a book shop, saw displayed a book descriptive and illustrative of the Somme lighting. Having a son at the front, she was interested. She purchased the volume, and on examining opened at a picture of a front trench. In the section there was only one soldier watching the enemy front through a periscope, but that one soldier, one of millions who might have been in the picture, was her own son.

In "A Modern Joan of Arc,” presented by the Triangle Fine Arts Company at the Town Hall to-morrow, Dorothy Gish and Owen Moore appear in a diverting travesty of the young society miss who relieves the tedium of existence by reforming "the lower orders,” the said orders in this case being an ex-pugilist who keeps a lowdown saloon, and his unsavoury patrons who consume his vile whisky. The reformation is a failure, and almost ends in disaster, but all ends well, the climax being a sensational and realistic fight between Larry O’Neil (Owen Moore) and the ex-pugilist, for the rescue of the lady from the clutches of the latter. The supporting films are also a good selection.

A motor car accident, which might very easily have resulted in more serious consequences for the occupants, occurred near Canvastown last Sunday evening. Those concerned are not disposed to speak about the mishap, but some particulars which leaked out have reached the ears of our reporter. It appears that a Blenheim car driven by a man named Broadbent had paid a visit to the “Golden Bar,” and on the return journey picked up a Canvastown young lady. The party had only just left the Canvastown hotel and was proceeding along the narrow road towards Havelock, when by some means the car went over the bank and overturned on top. of the three occupants. When released it was found that a man named White had sustained a rather serious injury to his left leg, while the lady and the driver escaped with bruises and a severe shaking. It is said that the efforts of three drafthorses were required to pull the car out of its soft landing-place back on to the road.

One of the natural products of intense patriotism is a Healthy and uncompromising hatred of the national foe and all his works—a hatred which, properly fostered, should result, among other things, in the encouragement of the national industries to the exclusion of enemy goods. This (remarks the Auckland “Star") is as it should be, but a resident in the vicinity of Auckland recently went so far that in effect he enunciated the principle thtt enemy goods should not merely be barred, but should be destroyed, lock, stock, and barrel, wherever the hideous trade mark existed in our midst. He possessed a Haake piano, and, as everyone knows, the Haake is “made in Germany.” This particular piano cost its owner eighty guineas, but he smashed it so effectually that little remains of it at this day but the iron frame and fragments of the general equipment. Had the zealous owner sold the piano, for which it is stated he could readily have obtained £3O or £4O, and donated the amount to some patriotic purpose, he could have turned the tables on the enemy by making the German piano serve the British cause.

Storage of petrol in unsuitable premises is regarded by fire-fighting authorities as a dangerous practice, and is rigidly prohibited. In reasonably safe premises the storage of one case (containing two four-gallon tins) is permitted. Where larger quantities are kept special provision must be made. As a party most interested in the observance of these regulations, the Wellington Fire Brigade sets a good example. The brigade's consumption of petrol is large, and to enable a sufficient quantity to be kept on the premises an underground petrol reservoir has been constructed. This is on the Bower system, which is generally adopted in America. Two feet below the ground surface the concrete tank is sunk, the space above being filled with a foot of concrete and a foot of asphalt. The tank is of 535 gallons capacity, and is tapped by means of a suction pump which registers the exact quantity drawn off. A hose conducts the petrol from the pump-head to the motor which is being supplied. Should a fire break out in the building there would be no danger of an explosion, because there is no means by which the petrol could escape or become ignited. In America this system is largely adopted, motorcar users storing no petrol, but obtaining their supplies as required from the “reservoirs” which are to be found in all localities. How careless some people are in the matter of petrol storage was instanced recently, when Superintendent Tait, inspecting some premises where a fire had occurred, chanced to discover 18 cases of the liquid' fuel. The occupier of the premises had no permit> and was very fortunate to escape with nothing more than a prosecution and fine.—“Post.”