LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 123, 17 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Timaru reports that splendid rain fell all Thursday nighjt and practically saved the country. The. situation was'becoming serious. A heavy fall of snow in the back country did an hnmen.se amount of good." , At Whiteley Ohureh to-morrow evening the Kev. A. B. Ohappell's sermon subject will be "fs ileligion Reasonable V" Mr. Will Hutehens, of ILuvora, will sing Gounod's '"There is a Green Hill," and Miss Lilian Pickering, of Auckland, will sing 'Bryan Warhurst's "Jesu, Lover of 'My »ou'l." The awthem will be P. B. Gale's "Hail, Gladdening Light." h Our readers are reminded of the sacred concert to be given by the New Plymouth Orchestral Union, under the co'nductorship of Mr Will llutcheus, at tho Theatre Royal to-morrow night, commencing at 8.45 o'clock. In addition to the orchestral items, Mr Hutchcns will sing "Every Valley" ('•Messiah") and "The Lost Chord."

The influence of the war upon the real estate market was noted by his Honor Mr. Justice Cooper, sitting in Chambers at Auckland. In giving instructions with regard to tho administration of a deceased person's estate, his Honor stipulated that the property should not be sold at less than the Government valuation. "I make the order to sell at not less than the Government valuation," ho said, "because the market for real estate is dead, and the property might be thrown away," Icebergs, as everyone knows, are usually formed by the ends of glaciers dropping off into the sea. But occasionally the ends do not drop off, and "tongues" of ice are pushed out into the sea, sometimes as far as 200 miles. Each year sees a fresh stratum of snow added to the, mass, and the strata are clearly marked. In Wellington recently sir .Dong'as Mawson said that some'scientists believed that in former times these "tongues" extended from Antarctica as far north as New Zealand.

London was filled with German spies, who sprang up in most unexpected quarters, said Mr. M'aitland, who lias just returned from England, lie instanced the case of a German governess who had been in the employ of a I'.ritish lady in the West End for a period of three years. The governess was advised by her mistress to report herself to the llritish authorities, which she did. .She was evidently suspected, as the authorities had her detained, and her belongings being searched it was found that she was a spy in the employ of the German Government, and that she had furnished valuable information to the military authorities of the Fatherland. It was rumored that she was tried by court-martial and shot.

[ The English lead pencil industry, which is receiving a notable impetus through the war. dates baek to the early half of the eighteenth century, when plumbago—which hitherto had served mainly for the manufacture of shot and crucibles—was first used for writing purposes. All the black lead used in pencilmaking then oame from Seathwaile, which enjoys the double distinction of being the rainiest village in the British Isles and of being the only place in the world where puro plumbago nmy be found. This mine yielded a huge fortune to the Bankes'family, who owned it, the output in 10J3 amounting to 31 tons of pure plumbago, which realised £105,000. Twenty years later, foreign graphite began to take the place of plumbago in pencil-making, and in ISSO the Seathwaite mine was closed down.

At yesterday's meeting of (lie Harbor board a. committee n-a s set up to deal with tenders. Tho committee will meet his morning.

The public of New Flymouth will r oe pleased to know that; the bcaua-irul grounds at Brooklands and Maranui will be open for inspection to-morrow (Sunday). At J his >timo of th<s year these grounds are looting at their best, and tihe action of Mho owners in throwing ihem open to the puMic should bo greatly appreciated. At the Stratford Magistrate's Court yesterday Court and Cultier proceeded against Annie Abbott for £5 17s Id, balance alleged to bo due. on a grocery account incurred by defendant, members of her family or her eanployecs. Plaintiffs were non-suited. Judgment waa given I>V| default in tshe following eases: Newton King v. George IWard, £1 4s G I, costs £1 3s <Jd; Central Co-op. .Store v. Tlios. Christian, f"> 4s 10d, costs 18b Cd'; Bellringer Bros, v. Thos. Sargieon, £2 K>s Bd, costs 18b.

Reginald GeirvaSs Hamerton appeared at the Stratford MjigistrateYCouat yesterday on a charge of having on or aJboufi, September 20th stolen one ewe valued at £1 2s 6d, Ithc, property of Henry Benjamin Worthinffton and another. Sergt. McNeely asked for an adjournment for a week, stating lihat owing to distance from Stratford' the vritne&ses could nod be got in for thait day. Mr. Stanford, who appeared for accused, offered no objection, and bail a*s previously was granted—accused in £IOO and two sureties of £IOO each—PobL

When the New Zealand expedition was leaving Noumea for Samoa, the natives showered them with cakes, sweets, fruit, etc., and were apparently overwhelmed with joy at seeing them. They also threw great cocoanuts on to the ships, and one of these unfortunately struck a man in the face and knocked him out for half-an-hour. Although the natives had not intended to hurt anyone, they seemed to think it a great joke to see the man fall under their cocoanut fire, for they laughed heartily . Says tho Bulletin: Those impatient critics who are wondering why Admiral Patcy doesn't run down the Scharnhorst, Gncisenau and other German cruisers [who are wandering round the islands in | the Pacific, and blow them out of the water, should remember the case of the Perthshire. This big cargo steamc* broke down between Sydney and Wellington some years ago. A small fleet went in search of her, and though she blazed the trail with rockets, flares and lights, it was six weeks before she was found. That was the experience in the case of a big, slow-drifting vessel, in comparatively narrow limits, calling tenders for discovery. Admiral Patey's job isn't so easy. The wide and meandering Pacific is open to the speedy German cruisers, and at latest information they had not hung up any notices of their whereabouts.

It is surprising (writes a correspondent of an Australian paper) to read of the great damage and loss caused through frosts when a simple, inexpensive remedy is easily available. Thorn is always plenty of litter about every holdin", and all that is needed is to place heaps of this throughout the orchard, something that will make plenty of smoke, and light before sunrise on frosty mornings. In a large orchard here, right on the bank of the Mulwani and in a low situation, in 14 yeara, we never lost a trea of fruit, and smoke was our only safeguard. The remedy is in the reach of all, and will never fail if properly carried out. At a meeting of the ecmrcittec eet up by the united churches Ho collect donations for the Huntly Relief and Poor-in-liritain Funds iheld last niglht, tt,he Eer. A. B. Chappcll nresided. The treasurer reported having £IS7 12b 2d in hand, and further donationn were to come in. Votes of thanks were a-oeorded to the local press, the lady captains and assistants, also to Messrs Goodaore 'and Luscombe for the- use of cars for the lady collectors, >lo the treasurer, Mr. McDiarmid, land secretary, Mr. Ilutton, Mrs. MacDiannid, Mcsir* Nippcrt Bros, the Pukekura and Hospital Boards, the chairman and Ito all others who assisted. It was decided to present the collection boxes to the Pukekura Park l?oard; to pay 'the railway a.nd carting diaries 0:1 clothing went, to Britain, £3 10a; that one fourth of d'hc net proceeds be given to the Huntly relief fund, and ',(he balance to the Poor-in-Bri/iain fund. Ac'countg amounting to ii IBs Od were passed for payment. The comniitltee then adjourned sine die. A naval engagement, in .many ways, is a much more serious matter than a battle between land forces. It is in general a light to a finish, involving the loss of a large number of men, who face' not only the horrors of the sword, but the terrors of the deep as well. The stall'-surgcon of a cruiser of the Jewel ohiss stated to a press representative that every possible provision was made on his Majesty's ships. "My own vessel," he said, "will be in control ■ of some twelve destroyers, each of whieli has a surgeon on board. If, however, any men are seriously injured they are brought at once to the cruiser, when, should it be deemed necessary, they are removed immdiately by the fastest boats to the nearest port and taken to inland hospitals. For these cases preparations have l)ocn made, of which the general public know little or nothing." Everything in connection w.Xh the sale of grocery plan;, on account of Whit-laker Bros, advertised for sale by Nolan and Co. is in fjood older and grocers and sliorckcepws requiring any of the items can inspect same at the mart.

Following are tlie Presbyterian Caiiroli scvvJees for Ito-nnorrow: —St. Andrew's, 11 and 7, Hev. K. U. Kosevcare (ymmg people's iliw); Tnglowood, 11 and 7. Mv. X. J. Kov'n; Kainiala. 2.30, Mr. N. J. Horn; Wailii, 11, Mr. W. Ihinlop; Ureimi, 2..'10, Mr. W. Dunlop; Waitara 7, Mr. W. Dunlop; Punilio 11, Mr. P. H. JiaHcy; Pnni'ho road 2, Mr. Y. H. Bailoy; Oakura 7.30. Mr. P. H. Bailey; IVriih Road, Tuesday, 7.30.