LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11578, 23 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The telegraph office advises that afc 9 a.m. to-day tho Wairaakariri north and south wero discoloured, the Rangitata and tho Rakaia were dirty, the Opiln was fishablo, and the Waitaki very high and dirty. At Auckland yesterday, states 3 Press Association telegram, & r&ilwaj er.gino driver was lined £5 for an utterance held t-o prejudice recruiting. He inlormed a cleaner who had enlisted that youths going to thei front were "mugs" and were, practically shot before they arrived there. The Magistrate said that it was not a very bad caso and so inflicted a light) penalty.

Mr Mathoson, of 114 Victoria street, iifis received tbo following letter from 1 j l'rivato J. 11. Mathe-son, 21st Battalion 6th Brigade, Australian lorees:— from boys in hospital and myself. \Y© wish to give our greatest thanks to the people of New Zealand •md Australia for the comforts they have given us over here, both in hospital and the trenches. Wo feel we have been most nobly treated by all and we cannot express the thanks wo "would like to, for we think it is most generous for citizens to keep on giving o make us .feel at home in our new homo over here." taken by mother to mo Father ylu'istmas and the toys is the prevailing delight, at this time of the year, of many youngsters, but occasionally it happens that the children get tired of uio shops, and whilst the maternal eye and hands are busy, the youngsters wander away. Sometimes their absence is not noticed, until too late, then follows an anxious search. Yesterday, five disconsolate small boys were found at various places by kindiiearted policemen, who took them to police headquarters, making their guests as happy as possible until claimed by tho concerned parents. At the breaking-up ceremony at the Waltham School yesterday, Dr Thacker, M.P., criticised tho arrangements for the children's comfort, and condemned the desks in use, saying that they were quite obsolete. The chairman of the School Committee (Mr C. D. Harvey) announced that it was intended to apply to the City Council for municipal electric current to light and heat the school baths, which, he said, would ba a notable step in the school's progress. J)r Thacker intends to start a crusade against out-of-date school desks in the Waltham, Sydenham, East Christchurch and Moorhouse Avenue Schools, which are in his electorate. Last evening a, combined meeting of , the various patriotic committees in

Rangiora was held at the Municipal Chambers, to make arrangements tor providing afternoon tea for the party of returned' soldiers which the Automobile Association intends to take for a motor rim on Sunday, January 16. There was a. large attendance. The Mayor (Mr C. I. Jennings) presided, and said that the opinion was held by some that it was wrong to have an- outing of the kind on Sunday, and that an alteration to Saturday would be ac- \ ceptable. It was resolved to write t-o the Automobile Association stating that the entertainment of the soldiers would he undertaken with pleasure, and asking whether the day could' he changed to Saturday. It was decided to havo the tea catered for, and' to collect subscriptions to meet the cost. It was left to the ladies of the Red Cross and 1 Lady Liverpool Fund Committees to make arrangements for (serving the to a, and Victoria Park was decided upon as the p-lace of the entertainment. It was decided to ask tho brass band to play in the. rotunda. A men's committee was formed, consisting of the Patriotio Fund Committee, with a few additional members. A crusade against fruit vendors who fail to protect their stocks of perishable goods from contamination by flics and dust, has been commenced bv Mr C. T. Haynes, the Auckland city "sanitary inspector. The requirements of the by-law are that fruit and vegetables which are ordinarily eaten in a, raw state, without first removing tho skins, must not be exposed in shops, unless protected "from d'ust and flies] by etorago in covered receptacles, by covering with gauze, or by other effectual means.'' This necessitates not only protecting fruit or vegetables exposed on the streets and in- doorways, "but .separately protecting each lot exposed within shops, or providing doors covered with gauze of a mesh not coarser than forty to the inch, or fitted with glass or other dust and fly-proof panels. In tho Auckland' Police Court on Thursday several fruiterers wero charged with having failed to protect their stocks of fruit from dust and flies, until delivery to purchasers. Mr Haynes explained that most of tho fruiterers had' provided glass or gauzo doors to their shops, but the trouble was tluit these doors were not kept closed. His Worship said it was just as well that the city had taken action, because the pest of flies in this hot weather must have a serious effect upon fruit and other kinds of food!! Each defendant was fined £l, The Oamaru correspondent of th« "Otago Daily Times' 1 writes:-! Though there havo been recurring showers and one or two good rains lately, the feed problem is about as acute as ever. _ Grass has made but little growth, tor the moisture has not on any occasion penetrated any deoth in+r» the soil, wid the sub-soil has not beS wetted ioi Hc&rly couplß of vo&rs A few inches below the surface the soil remains dry, and each accession of surface moisture has been licked up by drying wind*. As a consequence of the shortage of teed there is a bic decline _ m tho flow of milk, and the dairying season has been a poor one, with no likelihood of being redeemed in tho early future As with tho dairy cows, so with the ewes, which leave little milk for their lambs. Tho proportion of l?mbs milk-fattened will be very small, some farmers setting it down at not more than one-third of "the usual proportion. A few small drafts' of fat lambs havo been- made, and these have been sent to northern works to be dealt with. It is understood that tho works at Pukeuri will shortly bo opened but it is very doubtful it they will bo kept m regular opera!l° V + l] fl le .Probability is that after the first flush 1S over, they will hav e to be dosed down for a while to await the ialiening ot the lambs on rape and turnips, which wiU be the end of 1 ebruary or the beginning 0 f March. Fortunately, hot.li rape and turning have done very well so far and if rams continue to be experienced thl crops will be unusually large esneei! ally of turnips, which have tfeenTor* extensively town than fe my Readers will studv • j. jrad purses by purchasing Rood* Presents J l Ladi?s recommend Mart in c> a • i and Steel Pills. Sold bv ri Apo * and Stores. Secthat vou STSJ" genuine. y &et the Readers will study their infmvf.j and purses bv purchasiua; Toys V & - « 5^7., 1 )