LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXV, Issue 5609, 27 February 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Khaki was first worn by white troops in India in December, 1849. Englishwomen are said to average 2in. more in height than Americans. Prisoners of war working in agriculture now number 5,063, and 1,400 more are to be employed. What are known as “ tidal waves ” have nothing to do with the tides, but are supposed to be caused by ea tbquakes. Dining cars were first used upon an English railway in 1862. They were attached to trains between Doncaster and Harwich. The sound of a bell can be recog* nised under water at nearly one hundred times the distance which it can be heard through air. On the 1913 figures, Ireland had the lowest birth-rate, the highest death-rate, and the lowest marriage rate, compared with England and Wales and Scotland.

During the screening of the film “ Always in the Way,” at the 'lheatre Royal on Saturday evening last, Miss Winnie Sweeney delighted the audience with her rendering of the song of the same title, and for which a well-deserved encore was responded to. The Waikato Co-op. Dairy Co, Ltd., advance payments for January butterfat was 1917, £20,648; 1918, £26,098. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, called for Monday evening last, was compelled to lapse owing to the absence of even a quorum. The few members present expressed disgust at the apathy of the majority of our business people regarding the welfare and advancement of the town and district in general. No less than seven locally owned and trained horses wero entrained to Rotorua yesterday morning to complete engagements at the Rotorua Jockey Club’s annual race meeting, which is being held to-day. The equines in question were Don’t, Hello, Kereone, Earlswood, Poi, Moneymoon, and Rangi Aroha. Said Mr Holland, labor candidate for Wellington North at his meeting on Friday night :—The school buildings of Wellington wero ugly, dilapidated, sombre, and heart-breaking to teachers as well as scholars. The environment was decidedly desponding. The school grounds were a disgrace to a civilised community. The N.Z. Government is prepared’ on and after March Ist, 1918, until further notice, to deliver first grade butter to retailers and others engaged in the local butter trade, now held in store in Wellington. Purchasers must make written application for supplies to the Controller of lrbperial Government Supplies, Wellington.—Times.

A rumour is current in Copenhagen that the Kaiser has found a way of communicating with the ex-Tsar in his Siberian retreat. It would not be altogether unexpected if the kaleidoscope of events should turn in the direction of an attempt to restore the Emperor. This is the belief in certain circles usually well informed.

The Te Aroha technical and continuation classes will recommence during the weok beginning March 4th, and students will be enrolled at the local technical school on Thursday, 28th inst., from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The classes comprise courses in trade drawing and woodwork, home science aud hygiene, dressmaking, arithmetic and English, bookkeeping, and shorthand and typewriting. The Education Boa’d specially emphasises the fact that, by law, boys living within a radius of two miles from the school, must attend until they attain the age of 17 Jyears. Further details regarding the classes will be found elsewhere in this issue.

Cows which have not been getting an adequate supply of water will increase their production of milk two or more pounds per day when permitted to have all the water they can drink at any time. It has been found by investigation that a cow will drink more water at night than during the day. If by water we can increase the production of milk two pounds per cow it means a substantially increased income, This is an income of sufficiont size to warrant every owner of dairy cows to give the subject of watering cows more than passing attention. GOOD PRINTING !—not printing is the cheapest description—is a good advertisement for any business. Don’t spoil your Billheads, Letterheads, Envelopes, Business Cards, and other classes of commercial and general printing by asking for a cubap job. A shilling or eighteenpence saved in this way may be sovereigns lost by creating a bad impression. Get good printing and get it at the News Office. Don't judge Cornflours by the packet, it’s quality that counts. Duryea’s Maizena is first quality. *

The Minister of Defence states that he bai received the finding of the court of inquiry set up in connection with the escape of German prisoners from Motuihi. As the result the Minister says there will be no further courts-martial.

Persons in the habit of using ob-scene-language—and their numbers are by no means negligible—received a warning frem Mr S. F. McCarthy, S.M.. at a recent sitting of a Magistrate's Court. The magistrate said that if fines would not check the habit the court would be forced to try gaol as a deterrent. “I do nob know whether lack of educatian is responsible,” commented the | magistrate. “ but these people seem toh.veno vocubulary whatever.” , Mr Holland, caudidate for Wellington North, wound up his speech at the Masonic Hall on Friday night with an appeal for equality of sacrifice, aud declared that the Government was now preparing to send the boys of uineteen to the front. “We will want all of them,” interrupted one of the audience. “Yes,” retorted Mr Holland, “ you grown-up men would shelter yourselves behind immature youths. Why don’t you go to ihe front yourself?” The audience applauded, and the interruptor subsided. It has been asserted more than once that the preset t sea on has not been altogether favorable to the dairying industry. From a return as published below and furnished by the Waikato Co.-op. Cheese Co., Ltd., we have undoubted proof that so far as this district is concerned the payments for butter fat for the month of January is considerably in excess of those for 1917. At the five branches of the above company there was paid by the Co.op. Cheese Co., Ltd., for January butter fat:—l9l7, £3933; 1918, £7558.

A little exchange of words on the drink habit enlivened proceedings somewhat in the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Friday. Tn the course of his cross examination of a witness, Mr H. F. O'Leary asked him how many diinks he had had. ‘‘ One or two,” .replied the witness, who added that he had been under the influence of liquor once only in five years. “ Does it take much to knock you over ?" queried counsel. Witness : “ Yes, I am a big, strong chap like yourself, Mr O’Leary.” Counsel; “ Well, we will have a test some day to see.” The Minister for Finance directs me to acknowledge receipt of the sum of 10s, forwarded to the Railway Department by a person unknown, as conscience-mouey to the New Zealand Government.’’ Thus a paragraph in the current issue of the Government Gazette. Curious that these trifling sums should disturb the conscience so much. One never sees’consciencemoney reaching any dimension. £1 is rarely seen, and £5 is unknown Where are the men alleged to be making thousands out of war conditions ? Can it be they have no conscience ?- Or is it that like the late Charles Lamb, they have made an “ arrangement ’’ with it ?

“ All the talk is about the returned soldier; they say little or nothing about the returned sailor, ’■ declared a returned New Zealand Navy man at Mr Poison’s meeting at Wellington ion Friday night. “ When we came back,” he added, “ they sud, ‘ Well done, good and faithful servant. Here's Is 4d a day, go and live on i f .’ (Laughter.) I used to get a dinner, Is, and a glass of beer, 4d ; and then, ‘jnafeesb,’ I was finished. The Is 4d was gone. (Laughter.) But I cau’t do it now. Tho beer is 5d (“Shame!” and laughter.) Is that the way (ho asked) to treat a man who comes home after three years to find an increase in the family (Loud laughter).

At its last moeting, the National Board of Agriculture discussed the opening up of crown and native lauds, the cutting up of private estates, the best tenure for leasehold lands, and the purchase and subdivision of suitable land for the settlement of returned soldiers. The question of how to meet the case of returned soldiers who prefer to live in the country and who were willing to take up some light farm work but were unable for health reasons to undertake very heavy work was also carefully considered ; various suggestions as to the best methods of helping men of this type were put forward and it was finally decided to make a strong appeal to the farmers through the National Efficiency Boards of Truatees and the various Committees of Advice throughout the Dominion to take returned soldiers without farming experience, and enable them to gain a knowledge of general farming work.