LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The school hours of (lie Wunganni primary schools, which opened this week, will for the present be restricted to 0-12, owing t.o the trying weather.

The band concert which was to have been held last night in Pukekura Park was postponed on account of the unsettled state of the weather.

"Can't you get a house for less than 10s Gd a week," asked the Magistrate, Mr A. Crooke, S.M., of u complainant in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. "Yon have to pay Ms a week for a very poor house now, your Worship," replied counsel.

The quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court will open in New Plymouth on Monday morning. Mr. Justice Edwards will preside, and Mr. P. B. Fitzherberi will act as Crown Prosecutor. A return of the number of births, deaths, and marriages for the district of New Plymouth for the month ended ■lamiarv 31, 1017, as supplied bv the Registrar (Mr. J. ft. ft. Medley) is as follows, the figures for the corresponding period last year being shown in parentheses:—Births 28 (27), deaths 20 (Mi), marriages 4 (10). The Customs duties collected in New Plymouth last month totalled £4540 5s sd, and the beer duties €123 I"i 4d. The figures for the corresponding period of lOlii were £-1000 12s (Id and .-€135 ISs 3d respectively, showing an increase of .C44G 12s lld in Customs duties, and a decrease of £l2 (Is lid in beer duties A military carnival was held at Masterton yesterday, about '2OOO soldiers from Featlierslon Camp being engaged in manoeuvres and competitions, in the presence of several thousand persons, including the Minister of Defence and the Headquarters Stall'.—Press Association.

An appellant (aged 28), in giving evidence at the Military Appeal Court. Hawera, yesterday, stated that he had never travelled any further than Hawcra on the one side, and Wanganui on the other. He was doubtful whether he would like to take a trip to France.

Quite a pleasant atmosphere permeated the sittings of'the Appeal Board at Tlawera for a short time yesterday afternoon. A fine stamp of a young fellow was called, who had appealed on all grounds. He cheerfully admitted in a brogue tint proclaimed his nationality that he did not object because he was not a reservist, nor because he was a religious objector. "Then,'' remarked the Chairman, "what arc the grounds of the hardship?" "No hardship at all," svas the astonishing reply. "I'm ready to go to fight any time I'm wanted." "Tjhen go to Major Cox," said the Chairman; you're the man he wants." Appellant went gleefully to the Major, who told him to come up for medical examination on Tuesday, appellant remarking that it would be a day out. As lie left the Court someone volunteered the information that he had eleven brothers at the front.

It has been decided that throughout the month of February the Mart will be run under the joint supervision of the Red Cross and Patriotic Committees, the executive feeling that during thin hot month it .vould be unfair to ask any outside district or organisation to take charge of it. It is hoped that a meeting n:uy shortly be called and arrangements made for Saturdays afteii. the end of February. Gifts of flowers, home-made broad, scones and cakes, eggs, oreain, butter, fruit, vegetables, jams, pickle., etc., will be gratefully received at the Hurt on Friday evening between 7 and 8 o'clock, or on Saturday. The Mart will be open to buyers from 10 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. Gifts may be taken to the side-door on Saturday morning any time after S a.m. Will all our country and town friends bring us something to help stock the Mart and provide funds for oni men at the front?

A busines nun writes to the London Dialy Hail:—"There are two wasteful customs in business and clubland that the war'has. not killed. One of them is the 'complimentary' lunch or diu,\er. the other is ihe ''testimonial subscription. Hardly a week goes in which I. as a business man or clubman, am not 'invited' (it is more in,the nature of a command performance) to some tiiecvasting, food-wasting monev-wastiii;' public baunuent or luncheon. The other custom that goes merrily on is the 'testimonial subscription' I have had throe circulars this week asking f.or my chcqiui -•■' limited to one guinea'—for testimonials to (a) a man I do not know: lb) a man T nod to in my club: (e) a man ulic owes me 31s. The self-advertisers who 'get up' these blackmailing 'testimonials' then proceed in war time 1e spend the sums ivaliscd on some nitirclv useless gift. No—we are not awake .vet."

That there is still plenty of room on the land for tiiose wishing to take up land was mad:: evident by figures quoted by Mr. W. D. Lysnar. at a meeting of tlw Caledonian Society at Gisborne recently. He said t-hiit within a radius of 150 miles of Gisborne there vas an area of <1.000,000 or 5,000,09 ft acres of virgin country. He had h'ail investigations made a few days ago. and it was ascertained that within an area of SO miles from Gisborne there was an area of 1,500,000 acres of virgin country. This area, he said, could be made use of for returned soldiers. He urp.ed the farmers to do the best they could under existing conditions and keep up the supply of produce—to make two biades of grass g:'ow where one grew I previously and for one man to do the work of "two men. He hoped that in this country now and after the war there would'ba no differences with labor. Capital and labor should - go hand m hand, one could not get along without the other.

TIIE BEST WAY TO MAXAGE BAGGAGE. "Old ways remain until someone invents better methods." Our system of cheeking baggage is the latest and best way. It saves passenger all trouble at departure and arrival. We collect, check on, and deliver baggage as soon as it arrives. Show us yoflr. ticket, or get us to issue it. It facilitates checking.—THE NEW ZEALAND EXPRESS CO.. LTD

The British Trade Commissioner, Mr. R. W. Ilalton, proposes to spend the next few weeks making a comprehensive tour of the South Island, meeting business men at the various centres and discussing with them matters of Imperial trade. Starting from Christehurch, he will proceed southwards as far as Invercargill. Then he will return to Canterbury, cross to the West Coast and proceed to Nelson via Greymouth, Westport and Blenheim.

A report has been in circulation to the effect that the Hon. A. L. Herdman, Attorney-General, v:as about to accept a seat 011 the Supreme Court Bench. The statement is that Mr. Justice Denniston will Cretins, with a knighthood, and that the Attorney-General will fill the vacancy. This report is an old one lic.w, but, says our Wellington correspondent. it has received some support within the last few days. Mr. Herdman has many qualifications for a seat ov the Bench,'but his Keform colleagues would be sorry to spare him from the National Ministry.

Mr. A. TJ. Milner had rather j unique experience recently while trout lishiii!, in the Tercmakau River. Frospectin; in its tidal watets, with that most deadly lure, the glow-worm (says the Grey l;iver Argus), he hooked a large fi»?i which he took to be a salmon, owing to its unusual strength and its efforts to make its escape. However, after ujuch patience and perseverance, he suc(tuled in landing his prize in exactly one and a-half hours from the time ii v,as hooked. Mr. Milner was much surprised on finding that his catch was a beautiful schnnpper, which turned out to be Iti'/db in weight.

Dean Carrington, preaching at Christchurch Cathedral on Sunday, said thai there had been a lot to read recently in connection with peace, but much of it was :-'ri futile. He did not think much 01 the peace talk from Presidents of politicians, but would prefer to leave I he making of a peace treaty to the soldiers fighting in the trendies and to these, especially mothers, who liad suite red bereavement through the war. fie thought the time had come when Christian people should pray to Christ :.i <end His peace. Ht could not pray, liowever, for the war to end if peace merely meant a bottling up of rosea', ments.

Manly, the seaside- rfsort of Sydney people, was raided recently by an »rmy of spiders. They came in aeroplanes—flying 1 webs which became anchored to Ivies, fences, and telegraph wires. Some ot these webs wore' only a few inches long. Othrs ran to yards. The invaders were so small as to be hardly distinguishable bv the eye. Uis 1101 kixwn, of course, where they cimp from, bill students of natural history are agreed that on occasion these spider* travel through the air some hundreds of miles before their webs come to earth. They apparently have no control ot their descent, for thousands Ull into the ocean contiguous to the town, while fishermen operating in boats in the vicinity returned covered with both spiders a>d webs.

Pome of the American magistrates pride themselves on , their original methods of dealing with 'accused persons A man who appeared recently before a magistrate named Koenig in Xew York asked to bo ''sent away" for the winter. "That's a long time," replied the magistrate. ( "You'll get tired :ind wish you were out. I'll make it a day, and you' can be brought back to-morrow night. If you're satisfied, I'll give you six months." "I'm euro'l,' was Leo's brief announcement next day, The magistrate gave him 10 cents, car fare, and told liim to go home. In ailother case a boy was charged with throwing a stone and cutting a girl's scalp. The magistrate ordered that the boy was to throw 1000 stones during the next two days. "He will not "be permitted to toss them. He must wind up each time, and throw with the full movement of the arm. Probation-offi-cer Farmer will keep count."

The ooiidi) iorta under which settler* in the back blocks obtain their supplies were a revelation to some of thd parly " said Mr. T?. W. Dalton, British Trai Commissioner, who returned yesterday from the Northern Parliamentary tour. "We learned in some settlements that the farmers "lifid to pay £4 a ton freight upon their goods from Auckland. In other words, conveyance by steamer and road costs them nearly 2} times as much as freight oil the same goods frotn England." As British trade representative, Mr. Dalton was particularly interested in observing that the British motor-car* used on the trip stood the strain of the rough roads particularly well. It is lus intention to send to the British motorcar manufacturers photographs showing the state of the roads in the Far North, in order that they mav be in a position to realise the conditions for which they have to provide in building vehicles for that part of the world.

Toronto women have been raising money for Red Cross work by a svstematised junk-collecting business (says a Canadian paper). Women from all, parts of the city bring together whatever thc-v can firid of old paper, bottles, rags, rubber, and all the materials that are summed up by the word "junk.' Of (■curse, all the children were enlisted in the work. Kvcry house, every long-un-niolestert atVrt, ea.-int lots, and a thou-Si-hd other places yield up their quota o ! junk. A place became necessary to store it in. The city of Toronto's Harbor Commission offered a warehouse, and here a doaen women are. almost constantly engaged sorting and packing tlio collected matter. In the first month from this new and as yet not fullylearned business, the women.cleared 1019 dollars, and figures to date show that they have started a business whieh now looks likely to return 25,000 dollars a vear without the investment of a cent of capital, and which' requires only or, gniiisation and hard work.

An appellant wlio owned a. large block of land in the back-blocks stated at the Appeal Court at Hawera yesterday that he and numbers of others similarly situated were willing to go to the .front if the Government would take over their obligations. He suggested that the Government should purchase such places at valuation, and place thereon returned soldiers, instead of placing them on virgin country, where they would do no good for years. The hack country -was now ao depleted' of labor that many could do nothing but sell their stock and shut the gates.

An interesting item for the Northern Parliamentary mottling party at Fnirl urns, in the Mongwiiui district, was i,!>e felling of a kauri tree on the edge '■»" a fine bush, containing many beautifully I all, straight kauri trees. The t.iis-li-men had the tree just at the point cif falling when th« party arrived, and the fall was a most impressive sight. "The huge tree inclined slowly, then gathered momentus," wote an Auckland correspondent, "and the great head brandies its they rushed through the air, made a noise like tlut of a fierce wind. Then the great tree fell to earth. The loud crash could be heard a long distance. The branches weie shattered by the fall. The bole r,f the tree measured OS feet, the umal length of the uee being 123 feet. Some of the party received the. 'mpression of tragedy, as if some living giant had been struck down."

A remarkable rescue from drowning, displaying unusual presence of mind, has made a hero of Captain Jerrc Hicks, o? Cobdcn, Alabama, <t one-legged Confederate veteran. By quick thought and action he saved the life of Miss Dora Thomas, a young woman of Dauphin IsIn nil, in Mississippi Sound. Miss Thomas, who had been on a pleasant sail in her cat-rigged sloop, was returning to the wharf at the island, and was preparing to lower the sail of her boat, when a squall struck the craft, capsizing it, and throwing the fair skipper into the cold, icy water. Her screams for help attracted the attention of Caplain ITicks, who hobbled up the wharf as fast as possible. The girl was about exhauscd, and had given up- her struggle to reach the shore, when Captain Hicks sat down, unßtrapped liis cork leg, and hurled it far out towards the (iicwning woman. She seized it at once, and buoyeaAhy it, kept afloat until a rcFeue bont could reach her. Captain It.cks calmly sat 011 ihe wharf waiting for his cork leg to be rturncd. Then he buckled 't back in place and stumped back to his home.