THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners’ Advocate. FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1918. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 30, Issue 17, 1 March 1918, Page 4

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners’ Advocate. FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1918. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Veitch and Allen, the reliable Wellington drapers, offer to forward free patterns of their famous ‘Eden Cloth.'

The launch Maritana, which struck a rock and sank off the Croixclles, has faeen refloated and beached for repairs.

“The average waste in each of the 200,000 N.Z. homes would feed our whole Expeditionary forces free of all cost.”

There was a fair attendance at the usual fortnightly euchre party on Tuesday evening in aid of the Soldiers' Parcels Fund. The first prizes were won by Miss Knott and Mr W. H. Smith, the consolation trophies falling to Miss 1 Donald and Mr W. Parnell. A liberal supper was handed round at conclusion of play. The receipts for the evening amounted to £1 Bs.

What is perhaps a unique record in New Zealand was mentioned at a meeting held at Waitahuna, Otago, last week, when Sir James Allen. Minister for Defence, made a presentation to returned men and to next-of-kin of returned soldiers. The chairman stated that sfi men had gone from Waitahuna to the front, and of that number 38 had been wounded and 11 killed.

We acknowledge receipt from the British Empire Trading Co. Ltd., of a set of the “Three Castles” War zone sectional maps, which the firm are presenting to smokers of this popular brand of cigarettes. The maps are rich in colouring and detail, and are well worth acquiring and keeping for reference purposes, as they cover the whole area of the great conflict.

Shine your tan shoos with 'TAN-OL' —the brilliant polish that won't rub off.

The oldest building in the world that has been uninterruptedly used for church purposes is St. Martin's Church at Canterbury (England). The buijdirfg was originally erected for a church, and has been regularly used as a place of religious gatherings for more than 1500 years.

The motor launch Virginia owned by Col. W. H. Hazrad, was being used for kingfishing off Cape Brett, when one of those on board hooked a sword-fish lift. long. The fish attacked the launch and drove its sword through inch-thick kauri planking below the waterline, close to the bow. The sword urns broken off short, and is still in the boat, protruding nine inches inside the plank. Colonel Hazard will not remove the sword until the , launch roaches Auckland. The launch was beached to get the leak stopped.

Some little excitement was caused on the waterfront, Wellington, recently, by an explosion which occurred on the coastal steamer Huia, says The Post. The Huia, which was berthed at the Queen's Wharf, was loaded with a cargo of case oil. It appears that there was a small leakage of benzine, which a member of the ship's company approached with a naked light, this action causing the explosion. The Fire Brigade was immediately summoned, but there was little work for it to do, as there was no outbreak of fire. With the exception of the lifting of the after hatch and the destruction of a few cases of benzine, no damage was done to the ship. No one was injured. A report that the Public Works Office in Blenheim is to bo closed, and that Marlborough is to be attached to Nelson led to prompt action being taken, and Mr R. McCallum, M.P., received the following reply to his telegram of protest from the Minister of Public Works:—“The amalgamation of the Nelson and Blenheim districts under the Nelson office is only temporary. Owing to Mr Widdowson's death and the calling into camp of three other engineers during the last few months no other course was open to me for the present. If still more engineers are drawn from my staff similar action will be adopted elsewhere. I regret the necessity, but it is quite unavoidable.” Mr McaCallum has replied, strongly urging postponement of the decision until the Minister’s next visit.

The German trade unions, in inviting American labour organisations to enter into a peace discussion have received a decided rebuff. The President of the United States of Labour (Mr Gompers) gave the German leader of the movement the following brief but emphatic reply: “We cannot talk now. Either* you smash autocracy, or we will smash it for you,” The American workers unanimously approve of Mr Gompers’ refusal to discuss peace with the German workers. The invitation was received through the Dutch Labour leader, who reported that similar invitation had been sent to the British and French Labour leaders. Mr Gompers points out that the Germans would not allow a delegate to leave Germany, unless he was a tool of the autocracy, America would gladly attend an Allied Labour Conference for the purpose of speeding up the war. The first of Thomas A. Edison's “invisible ships” to come to Baltimore dropped anchor off quarantine (says an American paper). It is a new ship of British register, and has just been completed after the original plans by Mr Edison. As she appears in the harbour the freighter looks like any other craft at anchor. The towering masts, with their massive derrick booms, form the chief feature of the invisible plan, for they are hinged at the deck. When the vessel is entering the waters infested by U-boats these masts are lowered to the deck in such a manner that they extend along each side near the rail. The smoke stack is removed, and any breaks left in the top line are boarded so that the line is straight. In her neutral colours the ship can scarcely be detected on the horizon. The decks are lew, and in the danger zone hard coal is burned so that there is no tell-tale trail of smoke.

At a specrnl meetiog of the Horowhenua County Council held at Levin last Saturday Councillor Ryder, in moving that toll-gates be erected said the council had a through road of tremendous length and suggested taxing through traffic, and not the local. If the council collected the latter it would be an injustice—it being chiefly through traffic that caused trouble. They had forty miles of road to maintain, and it was on this that the rates were spent. After some discussion the motion was carried, only two councillors voting against it.

To correct acidity and flatulency take SHARLAND'S FLUID MAGNESIA. Being freshly prepared and always full strength, SHARLAND'S is the best yon cam buy.

The General National Secretary of the Y.M.G.A., (Mr E. C. Brownell) Wellington, states that the response to the recent appeal made through the columns of the press for spare chess sets for the use of the boys on the transports has been most generous. In several cases sets were forwarded which must have been in use for many years, the parting of which no doubt caused the donors a certain amount of regret. Mr Brownell, in thanking those who so kindiy responded, gives the assurance tint the games will be put to the use intended.

“Eoui ounces of meat wasted daily by each household in N.Z., means the loss of 26,000 prime fat bullocks yearly.”

A determined suicide is reported from Christchurch. John Truman, a retired farmer in comfortable circumstances, was found hanging in a' shed at Spreydon on Sunday. The deceased left a letter setting forth that he had determined to do away with himself; that he would probably be thought mad, but was not mad, but that he was suffering from sciatica, and, believing ■hat ho was permanently disabled, he did not desire to become a burden on his children. The writer added information where the body would be found. At the inquest a verdict of suicide by hanging while of unsound mind was returned.

The recent arrival of Turkish troops in Belgium is interpreted to mean that the divisions used against the Russians are being brought westward. Austrian troops are apparently intended for reserves, says the United Service special correspondent. Ho states that the ground on the West front has hardened, and that the worst period of mud and winter is over. Calm cheeriness prevails in all the ranks, and everything is in readiness for the new campaign. Nobody at the front believes that the Central Powers are capable of breaking the Franco-British lines. General Smuts, after an inspection of the British and French lines, expressed the opinion that the Boche would have no chance in the coming offensive.

“TAN-OL” does much and costs little. Renovates leather, shines tan shoes, polishes furniture, brightens floorcloth. Quick, easy and economical

It is a well-known fact that earthquakes are just as distinctly felt at sea as on land, but the following interesting phenomenon in connection with last week's earthquake is related as having been observed at a coastal town near New Plymouth. According to this correspondent the tremor district was very severe, and a strange occurrence was noted at the wharf. The incoming tide ceased and there was dead water. As the tide was due at full at about 4 a.m. the correspondent stayed to make observations, For the next two hours the tide did not make, but remained at one level for nearly the whole of that time, when it commenced to recede. Taking particular measurements at the wharf, he states the tide was from 12 to 15 inches lower than at ordinary tffles.

The city of Jericho, recently captured by the Anzacs Mounted Division, has an ancient and interesting history. It is a point of great strategic importance, fourteen miles north-east of Jerusalem, and five miles north of the Dead Sea. Its possession by the British interposes a very strong barrier to any possible counter-attack on Jerusalem from the north and east. It was the first Canaanite city to be attacked by Joshua and reduced by the victorious Isralites, the romantic story of its conquest being fully narrated in the first seven chapters of the Book of Joshua. The destruction of the city by the Israelites was almost complete, as for many years afterwards little but a hamlet marked its site. Thereafter it gradually grew until it was again a city, when the last battle was fought there between the Babylonians and Zedekiah, wherein the Kingdom of Judah came to an end. The extraBiblical history of Jericho is as disastrous as are the records preserved in the Scriptures.

“John Bull's Register" relates a story told in the law courts of a tall, blond, mild-mannered gentleman who went to the Gore district for a day's shooting at the New Year. “Are there any rabbits about!" he asked of a local farmer. “Yes," replied Mr Wheatenoats, “but the ducks are the best sport.” “But isn’t this the close season for ducks!” queried the visitor. A smile and a wink of the optic, and confidential information was imparted, to the effect that no notice was taken of such a small matter as that down there; ducks were shot every day. The mild-mannered gentleman didn't think ho would have a pop at the ducks that day, thank you; he would just scare the rabbits a bit. After the visitor's departure Mr Wheatenoats enquired of some of the neighbours who the “conscientious bloke” was, and the reply was such that for weeks after that farmer trembled violently every time he saw anyone who looked like a police officer. The tall, blond, mild-mannered gentleman was a stipendiary magistrate from Dunedin I

Remember, if you want to get rid of that heavy dull feeling in the head, which accompanies Nasal Catarrh, just take a good inhalation of “NAZOL" through a Nazol Inhaler, and get im-