LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

It is rumored in well-informed circles (says the West Coast Times) that all single men will be discharged from the Otira tunnel works.

It has been decided by the Public Service Commissioner that this year girls shall be admitted to the Public Service entrance examination.

A special matinee performance of "My Old Dutch" will be given to-day (Wednesday) at the Empire Picture Palace at 2.30. Picture-goers are reminded that the final screening of "My Old Dutcji" takes place to-night. "Without exception," said Captain Donald Simpson to a Hawke's Bay Herald reporter, "the man who returns from active service is a better man now than he was before the war, owing mainly to the military discipline through which he has been."

"There are not enough doctors in Wellington to attend to the people who need medical attention," said a wellknown practitioner in conversation with a Dominion reporter. "I am working fifteen hours a day, and' others are just in the same position—going as hard as they can." The following paragraph appeared in the Dunedin Star forty-four years ago: —"Every publican in the rural districts of Canterbury is sworn in as a special constable on receiving a renewal of his license (fee £5), and in every publichouse bar arc suspended a pair of handcuffs and a baton."

Inspired with a sense of her duty towards her country, an Auckland lady presented herself at the recruiting office the other morning and offered herself for active service as a motor-driver. As such applications cannot bo dealt with by the recruiting authorities, she was referred to the higher office of the Defence Department.

The Public Works Department have received the following tenders for the election of cottages ut Tahora, Strat-ford-Main Trunk railway:—J. W. Boon, Stratford, £2304 (accepted); A. B. Burrell, Ilawera, £2500; _U. A. Ryan, Manaia, £2700; J. M. Thompson, Stratford, £27G3; C. P. Baker, Eltham, £2840.

Considerable difficulty is being experienced by the Hawke's Bay Education Board in obtaining the services of sufficient teachers to carry on the work of tiie schools. It is stated that in addition to the number of male teachers leaving for the war, many of the ladies in the Board's employ have left to marry soldiers and civilians, thus further depicting the Board's resources. "By the very fact that freedom has existed for us always," said Father Goggan, preaching at Taradale on Sunday, "there are some who yet fail to realise that it can be lost—that victory for the Germans would mean, for us and the democracies of the world, the irreparable loss of civic liberty. Perhaps this is why some are so unpatriotic in their speech, so unwilling to give their personal service, so niggardly with their purse."

# Mr. Harold Gregson, wall knowii'as judge at the Competitions, has been giving organ recitals at the Panama Exposition. When in New Zealand he wrote: "I have teated Fluenzol, and it is an excellent remedy for lore throats and colds. I can recommend it as a gargle to those who take part in competitions and who aufitr from huikiness. 1/6 & 2/6.*

A young boy from Opunal.e, who was admitted to the Hawera Hospital oh I'riday suffering from infantile paralysis, died at that institution on Sunday.

Captain F. Hartael] has been appoint' ed a member of the Patriotic Commit' tee.

Overheard at Marton Court. —Counsel to defendant: "And ysu say that you have only been able to obtain two weeks' work since Christmas. How is that?'' Witness: "I haven't had time to look for it."

A fatal case of infantile paralysis occurred at Xgaere yesterday morning, when Meta, eldest daughter of Mr. N. Hollard, died after a short Illness. The greatest sympathy will be extended to Mr. and Mrs. Hollard in their sad loss.

Serious and well-founded complaints are made by those who have to run the gauntlet of the noxious effluvium emanating from the rubbish tip at the entrance to the Carrington Road from Powderham Street. During the recent hot weather passers-by have been nauseated by the stench, which is a menace to public health. Some details of the funds which the New Plymouth Patriotic Committee now have in hand were given at last night's meeting. The original fund raised on the outbreak of the war for patriotic purposes amounted to £2185, and there is now about £290 of this left. Since then a sum of, roughly, £5200 has been raised for wounded soldiers.

The Stratford abattoirs manager reported yesterday that during last month the following stock was slaughtered:— 5G cows, 40 heifers, 2 oxen, 4 calves, 252 sheep, 58 lambs, and 18 .pigw. Slaughtering fees were £53 14s Sd. Stock condemned: Cows, 2 wholly 1 partly; heifers, 1 wholly and 4 partially; sheep, 1 wholly. The Borough Council will meet for the first time to-night in its capacity as a Recruiting Committee, formed under the Recruiting Board's scheme. At last night's meeting of the Patriotic Committee a letter was received flora the Mayor (Mr. C. H. Burgess) asking the committee to appoint delegates to attend the meeting. Messrs J. E. Wilson, C. Carter, and D. J. Hughes were appointed delegates. A suggestion that returned soldiers should be combined with the Veterans in the annual re-union of the Veterans this year was made by Mr. T, C. List at the meeting of the Patriotic Committee last night, The idea was supported by Mr. J. E. Wilson, who thought the younger men of the town should be induced to take more interest in the function. It is proposed to hold a meeting on Friday evening to make the necessary arrangements for the function.

The following teams will compete in the annual life-saving competition for the Tabor Challenge Shield, which takes place at the Ngamotu beach to-morrow at 3 p.m.:—East End (holders): Henrichs, X.. Winter, W. Davis, N. A. Christensen (captain), C. Winter, Elliott, S. Stroud, Ngamotu: McMillan, W. Whittaker, A. 11. Staxdish, Jack Stohr (captain), D. Sykes, N. Perry, and Lauder.

The Egmont County Council ia effecting considerable improvement to the Main South Road beyond liahotu. A considerable length has been re-metalled, blinded and rolled, and when the metalling contracts now in progress are completed travellers should find little to complain about in the state of the road from New Plymouth to Opunake.

At the conclusion of the Egnioni County Council meeting on Friday, members met to discuss recruiting waiters, and it was decided to convene a conference of members of the Egmont County Council, Parihaka Road Board and Opunake Town Board, to be held at Opunake on Thursday, 23rd inst., for the purpose of discussing the matter. The idea is to appoint a returned trooper as recruiting agent, his salary to 1.0 borne pro rata by the three bodies mentioned.

The DunediH Star says:—"There is a prospect of a prominent newspaper in New Zealand being prosecuted for publishing information calculated to be of assistance to the enemy. If the prospect be real, the authorities should give wider exercise to their policy of defending the realm and appoint special men to discover the originators of sjicli wicked rumors (as have been distressingly current in Dunedin recently) of disaster to hospital transports, presence of enemy cruisers in the Pacific, return of Reinforcements and so on. It is time that the Government made an effort to seize and severely punish the idiotic persons who originate alarming stories."

The question of making a further appeal in the New Plymouth district for funds for patriotic purposes is to be discussed by representatives of the Patriotic Committee and leading business men. At the meeting of the Patriotic Committee last night Mr. J. E. Wilson said that he had approached New Plymouth business men on the matter, and Messrs Newton King, R. Cock, M. I'raser, and W. .1. IViin had expressed their willingness to assist the committee in deciding upon a scheme for raising money. Mr. Wilson suggested that delegates from the coinmitee should confer with these gentlemen on the matter, and Messrs J p E, Wilson, L. A. Nolan, T. C. List, and J. R. Hill were appointed to do so.

. The organism of the Fete of Nations entertainment have arranged to show this popular dnuv at Stratford to-night, i)' aid of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. No less than G2 performers are being transported by motor ear, practically free of cost. Cars have been placed at the disposal of the committee by Messrs Newton King, A. E. Sykes, B. Byrne, Criterion Garage, E. Nopps, J. Waldie, Slmw and Payne, P. Ijealand, F. Plumtree, Dr. Leatham, Gilinour and Clarke, A. Alexander and J. Paton. A further two or three cars are required, and owners disposed to take some of the performers to Stratford are asked to communicate early with either Mr. J. Clarke ( 'phone 99) or Mr. J. MeLeod ('phone 145). The procession of ear,? will leave the Theatre Royal at 5 o'clock sharp to-night. To-morrow (Thursday) the Fete will be shown at Inglewood, and on this occasion also the committee hopes to have sufficient oars at its disposal to ensure the transport involving no charge on the funds.

Newton King's Kaponga sale will this week he held on Thursday instead of Friday. A special sale of first class furniture is advertised fur Friday next on account of Mr. A. Csxhead. The list contains many items of general interest. The whole of the furniture was specially made for vendor, and is to be sold without reserve.

The Melbourne, Ltd., announce that there are still limited quantities of the following lines in stock at reduced prices:—Ladies' white and navy print aprons, Is lid; khaki handkerchiefs, 6 for 2s 'Jd; cotton tussore shirts, 4s 3d; bouquet toilet soap, 9d bos.'; lace edge bedspreads, 8s lid; and men's cashmere 'socks, 2 pair for 2a 6d»

A Wanganui message says that two infants, aged twelve and eighteen months, died from infantile paralysis in the borough yesterday.

Additional cases of infantile paralysis reported in the Wellington Health District yesterffay comprise two at (lisborne, and one each at Wanganui, Eltham, Patea, Paimerston North, and Waipukurau. No further cases were notified in Wellington City or the immediate neighbourhood. All the patients were children under two years of age.— Press Association. Last session the Prime Minister, replying to complaints that Friendly Societies were being injured by the operation of the National Provident Fund, promised that a conference of societies would be called to discuss the position with the Government. The Minister administering the Friendly Societies Act (Hon. .1. A. Hanan) stated yesterday that a conference would be summoned in about a month's time.— Press Association.

A romantic story of a miser's lioard is reported from Welwick, a little East Yorkshire village. There has just died Will win A damson, who for many years had been considered to bo in poor circumstances. He earned trifles by keeping graves in a tidy state and by hold-, ing horses' heads. A search of his cottage has revealed a large number of secret hiding-places, in which packages of-sovereigns have been found. Some of the coins are nearly a century old. One package of seven .sovereigns were discovered in a ball of putty, and others were wrapped in rags and paper. Many valuable antiques were also found.

Last Tuesday afternoon Sergeant Cassells was apprised .by telephone from To Uku, near Raglan, that a young man named Charles Davidson was alleged to have entered the house of Richard Livingstone earlier in the day, and, taking a gun from the wall, loaded it with a cartridge from his pocket, pointed It at Livingstone's head, and forced Livingstone to write out a cheque for £4 18s i'/gd, Which sum Davidson said Livingstone owed him for work done. Davidson was arrested at Whatawhata on a coach bound for Hamilton, with the cheque in his possession. He was charged before M:\ Rawson that while being armed with an offensive weapon, lie did rob Richard Livingstone of the sum named, and was remanded till the 17th.

Messrs Fratclli de Pasquale and Co., manufacturers and distillers of essential oils, Messina, write to Messrs Kempthorne, Prosser and Co., of Dunedin:— "The landing battles on Gallipoli seem to put in the shade everything ever done before. We must say, and in saying this we simply echo what everyone here thinks, that the surprise of this war is the appearance of men whose liomos stood in no danger, who had nothing to fight for except an ideal, and who would sacrifice their all on foreign territory for a grand ideal on behalf of their mother country, with whom (as we thought) all blood bonds had been weakened by time. You have shown us a great truth, that blood is thicker than water, even when there are some 12,000 miles of it, and it was j almost worth the war to have the lesson,"

j According to semi-official authority—the Haw era railway stationmaster—a dock for the Opunake railway is to be built at Hawera, and "there is no doubt that the Opunake train would commence from Hawera/* Comments the Eltham Argus:—"So everything is cut and dried and the Government. have cleverly arranged to so construct the railway that a large section of trade that at present comes to Eltham is to be diverted to Hawera. The trains at* to come well into Eltham territory, mop up the traffic, and then carry it back to Hawera. We must congratulate the Government upon the w»y fn which ihey have 'silently, secretly and surreptitiously'—they will rwognise the quat* tion—managed to jockey thl» town out of its legitimate claims to he a terminal point for the Opunake railway. But surely the member for this district has been somewhat scurvily treated. Common courtesy demanded that he should have been made acquainted with the fact that tf;p trade from this district it to be deHwttely diverted to Sawera. But he has beis knew soMnag about the intentions 5? the Government "■til the cat was let out of the bag by the accident of a casual interview by a reporter with the railway stationmaster at Hawera." It is stated by a reliable authority that after the present Public Works credit* are exhausted public works construction throughout the Dominion will be suspended until the war ends, at least.

Eacli summer sees the Opunako Bay becoming more and more popular as the seaside resort for a large area of Taranaki. The efforts of the Opunake Seaside Society have done much to add to this popularity, by providing conveniences for bathers and visitors. These wishing to spend a few days on the beach vftll find their creature comforts provided for at the Opunake Hotel, which has just been taken over by Mr. A. C. Walshe. It is new and modern concrete structure, furnished throughout by the Red Post Furnishing Co,, of New Plymouth, and Mr. Walshe intends that it shall be second to none in the province, and to this end is paying particular attention to the dining-room, where a fine table is kept. Visitors and travellers will find the terms moderate.

The New Xealfinil Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., draw the attention of the public to their Matau sale which they, are holding in their Matau Yards on Thursday, March 10, 1916. Full particulars will be found in our advertising column on page 8 of this issue,

For the convenience of people who cannot attend at the evening sessions of "My Old Dutch," tl ie Empire Theatre management are runnintr a special matinee this afternoon commencing at 2.31). The picture -uy Old Dutch" will commence at 3.15 and conclude about 4.30.

I The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., draw the attention of clients to the fact that owing to the East Road Sheep Dog Trial being held on the date advertised for their Te Wera sale, they have decided to postpone the sale to the following week, Wednesday, April 5. "The finest picture that hns ever hit tlie screen in New Zealand," were the words of Mr. K. J, Righton, director of the New Zealand Picture Supplies, Ltd., speaking of the fine film "My Old Dutch" which has been shown to capacity houses the past two nights at the Empire Theatre. "My Old Dutch" will be screneed at a special matinee this afternoon, commencing at 2.30, and for the last occasion to-niglit. ANXIOUS MOMENT.

One of the most anxious times of a mother's life is when her little ones have croup. There is no other medicine so effective in this terrible malady as Dr, Sheldon's New Discovery, It can be safely given and depended upon. No mother should over be without a bottle in the house. Price, 1$ 6d and 3a. ObUiaafele evgrywkMfc

On the motion of Mr. QuiJliam (G(H , vett and Quilliaraj, the Supreme Court |liss granted probate of the will of tha late Airs. F. A. Leatham, to H. B. Leathara and Mr. W. Cutfield, the execu- ' tor s therein named; also letters of administration of the estate of Mrs. Matilda C'oupland, late of Midhurtt. to Mr. John C'oupland. <

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., judgment was given for plaintiff in default of defendant In the-following cases:—Hal. lenstein Bros., Ltd. (Mr. D. Hutchen) v. M. O'Halloran, £5 is /id (costs £1 1J» 6d); W. C. Weston (Mr. If. K. Billing) v. H. W. Saiton, £35 7s (£2 14a); S.' B White and Sons (Mr. A. Bewlev) v Mrs. M. Lttrkin, £2 lfls 7d.(105). „ ' The returned soldiers at the Centalescent Home, Rotorua, are a very Happy family, states a New Plymouth resident who has just returned from a visit to the thermal regions. The conditions ate ideal, the building being on a commanding site, overlooking Oliinemutu and the lake, with Mokoia Island in she distance, The building lias been etkted with a view to obtaining a maxlnuA of air and comfort, and all the nlen an progressing splendidly. The hoMe is hi charge of Lleut.-Colonel Newall, a fine old soldier, whose interest.in and solicitude for "the boys" is quite paternal, Colonel Newall, it may be added, eaw war service in Taranalsi,. One of the roads constructed by hi* old xompaay, No. 4 Armed Constabulary! bears Ma name—Newall road, near Rahotu. Taranr.ki therefore lias a/ special interest in this gallant soldier, who feemi at sprightly now as many men in theto» twenties.