LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXX, Issue 14579, 2 June 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During last year the ratepayers of Nelson, authorised the raising of loans amounting to £10(5,000. j{\- command oi." the King there is to 1)0 no official celebration oi' His Majesty's iifty-first birthday to-morrow.

The Napier Borough Council is now endeavouring to raise a loan of £40,000 for tramway extensions, and anticipates getting the money at .11 per cent.

Tho Public Health Department inti-ni.-iU'S that Hie rate of cases of .scarlet fever notified to the Auckland oflice indicates a. slight abatement of the epidemic.

When the infantile paralysis scare was at its height in Tiinaru, and people ■wore advised that the disease wa.s readily spren.d by domestic pets, a great many people did away with their cats, with* the result that not nearly so many of them are now to be seen.

In connection -with Mr Combs' !(■•.'- tures, it will be noticed by an advertisement on page .1 that the lecture en

"Now Zealand's Democracy and Imperialism," announced to be delivered on Friday evening, Jikio 2nd, has been postponed until Friday, Juno Dth.

Entries for all divisions, including the Manawatu Poultry Association, of tho National Dairy Show, closo on Saturday, :>rd. iust., at 9 p.m. Entries posted uj) to Monday morning, sth iust., will be received by the secretary, ALr W. T. Penny, Box S5, Pninicrston North. The war has made a marked difference in the remuneration of seamen who sail from the port, of London. While their wages remain the same as before the ■war, about 35s a week, the war risk bonuses which are paid to most men bring the pay up to about £3 a week. The. sailors, therefore, are getting a sharo of tlve extra, freight rates. In spite of the risk and adventure of the sailor's life in war time, there is no dearth of men available for the boats which sail, from the port.

The annual meeting of the Wellington Fanners' Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company was held at Levin, Mr John Balsillie (Kaivanga), chairman of directors, presiding. The annual report showed a, considerable increase of business during the past year. The total .insurances now amounted to £350,----000. New business for the year amounted -to £75,666. The fire losses during tho same period were £2395, including £1000 on a cheese factory. The actual losses in farm properties, thereforce, were only £1395. Messrs J. Balsillie, W. J. Birch, W. B. Matheson, H. Booth, H. A. Nevins, E. Law, A. Howie and Sir James Wilson were reelected directors.

A total of over £1500 has been subscribed to the Auckland Provincial Aeroplane Fund.

The Band of Hope of the Laosdowne Presbvteriau Church will not resume its meeting until the day schools and Sunday schools re-opon.

Through a motor car colliding with Mr W. Cooper's, racehorse Franbonuet at Lansdowne, the horso sustained a broken leg and had to be destroyed.

Threo bales of wool donated to the patriotic funds were auctioned at the Jnvorcargill wool sale, and resulted in the handsome sum of £25.1 being obtained.

The Auckland Fire Board is considing a proposal to employ a proportion of boys at the city fire brigade station, owing to the fact tliat so many of the brigade members are enlisting.

At the annual meeting of the Gore Horticultural Society it was stated that the society lias been the means of raising the sum of £221) 17s 7d for various Patriotic funds during the last IS

months.

A reminder is given to the public ot the concert to-night in the Municipal Hall by members of the 15th Eeinforcements Band and Concert Party. An enjoyable and high-class programme is guaranteed by the promoters.

Neutrals travelling in Germany state that a. curious change had come over the women. Instead of looking up as they did before to the stronger sex, they now have an air of fearlessness and conscious self-control.

When the island of Heligoland way ceded to Germany by Britain in exchange for a million square miles of jungle rind swamp in Africa-, the great Dark Continent explorer, Sir 11. AL Stanley, exclaimed that Britain had secured a whole suit of clothes for a. "mere trouser button.' .

Captain Cecil Battine, writing in a Homo paper on "The prolongation of the war," remarks that the one organ which the British army still lacks is the body of officers failed in Germany the Great General Staff. And he further states that, whether neutrals like it or not, Germany should be debarred from importing raw material or warlike stores of any sort.

The management of the Ma-stertou Picture and, Entertainment Co., Ltd., and also the Thompson-Payne Picture Co., advise that their usual matinee will be held to-morrow afternoon at L1.1'.1), but will only be available for adults and boys and girls over 16 years, as the Health Inspectors desire to keep school children apart for the next fort-

niirht

It is the intent ion of the Health .Department (says the Wanganui Herald) to rigidly enforce the law as far as butchers'' shops are concerned. Within the last few days two butchers —one at Bulls and the other at Wanganui— were lined £.10 and heavy costs for having dirty shops. In oue case the Magistrate said that the maximum line was £50, and if any more, cases of a similar nature came before him he would have no hesitation in indicting the full peniiltv.

Colonel Kooseve.lt, just after the announcement of the sinking of the Arabic, said at a dinner in New York, "W<> have, been too meek in our discussions about submarine warfare. Meekness is not, the tone to use with Germany. , '

■'Bur, colonel,'" said a fellow-diner, "you .must, remember that the meek shall inherit the, earth." "Perhaps they will," said the, colonel. "Perhaps they will —when the. rest are done with it."

At. the Wellington .Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M ~ delivered his reserved .iudgmcnt in the case of the inspector of awards (11. H. Moston) against the i'etone Woollen Mills' Industrial Union of Workers. The plaintiff claimed from the defendant union the sum of £200 as a penalty for an offence under section (i of the Industrial Conciliation ad. Arbitration Act, VMS, "in that the defendant, during the months of February and March, l<)Hi, did instigate certain workers employed by the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company, Ltd., to become parlies to an unlawful strike, the said workers being bound at the commencement of the strike by an award of the Court of Arbitration. "

His Worship gave judgment for plainti(V i'ov the '-urn of £51.1, and solicitor's fees !..'> Ids. Security for appeal was Jixe.i at V-;.

In hi;: yeuii;....'. .l.iy.-; General Sir .lohn Maxwell, now iii command in Ireland, whose nickname in tins service is

"Coukey," enjoyed a. great reputation as a boxer, lie is said to be the hardest and quickest hitter in the army, and on one occasion at least this" quality stood, him in good stead. There was an outbreak of mutiny, quite a

small affair as it turned out. but the new Egyptian army was in its infancy at the time, aiul there is no telling what, might have happened. Maxwell, wJio was at that time aide-de-camp to the Sirdar —bis nude, Field-Marshal Lord Greiifell —was sent to inquire into tiie disturbance, and arrived to .find (lie mutineers firing' on all and sundry' from the shelter of a thick-walled mud hut, bei'ore which, badly wounded by their bullets, lay their English ofticor. There was m> time to bo lost. Quite unarmed. "Conkey" took charge, and, dashing iuto the hut in the darkness, used his fists with such good effect that in two minutes the mutineers were almost literally pulversied and the incident was closed.

The story of the retreat of the Servian army is , one of the most tragic, stories in history. Mrs St. Clair Stoburt, who spent nine months in Servia doing hospital work, writes of it in the "Contemporary.'- Here is one passage: — "The retreat in which wo took part was the retreat, not only of the Servian army, but of the (Servian nation. Tliis meant that thousands of women, children, and old men, driven from their homes by the advancing enemy, were, in ever-increasing numbers as we progressed southwards, adding to the difficulties of the safe retreat of the army. Waggons tilled with household treasures, beds, frying pans, chairs —even geese. But most frequent and most painful, waggons filled with little children —the oxen, weary and hungry, led by women also weary, hungry and footsore. The congestion occasioned by the retreating of all the various convoys of the army, 150,000 strong, with "their innumerable horse and ox waggons, plus the fugitives with or without waggons, was the more dangerous because the enemy were close upon our heels. At one bridge, so narrow that passage could only bo effected in single file, it was reckoned that 5000 waggons were at one time struggling for places in the line. Tho journey, on foot, over the mountains of Montenegro and Albania from Ypek to Scutari, is for thousands of human beings a memory which will cause life to be seen henceforth through darkened spectacles." But the behaviour of the Servian army, says Mrs Stobart, under circumstances " usually provocative of demoralisation, was marvellous.

At a meeting of the representatives of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Sunday ischooW, held in the V.M.C.A. rooms this afternoon, it was unanimously decided to comply with the recommendation of the Health Department and close tho Sunday schools of their respective churches to children under sixteen for two Sundays.

Dr Seton-Watson, the authoritative writer on Balkan matters, states that when the first fund for the relief of war distress in Servia was started at the outbreak of war, not more than £15,000 was expected, owing to political events in the recent history of the country. But admiration for tho gallant stand of tho Servians against the Austrian invaders overcame all other feelings.- and £:>50,000 w:is raised.

Mr T. Dixon requires grazing for three quiet cows.

Mr A. J. Minilie requires a smart youth for the grocery. Messrs Fly and Young's motor will leave the Masterton Post Office at 10 o'clock to-morrow morning for the Greytowu Trots. The return faro is us. A reward is offered to tho finder of it greenstone fish brooch, lost between Lincoln Koad and Thompson-Payne-*k. Ladies and gents who require .little things in dress for the holiday are reminded that Messrs Hugo spd Shearer's promises will be open till 9 p.m. to-night. A reminder is given of the dance to be held in the Exchange Hall to-n.ight, when a good evening's pleasure may b<; anticipated. Visiting soldiers arc cordially invited.

The very latest novelties in solid E.P.X.S. tableware, made in Sheffield, have just been opened up hy Mr L S. Nicol. Included in those goods are manj' lines which are absolutely now to this district. The defrigns are neat and tasteful, and the range of articles well varied, as will be seen by a perusal of the list given in a change advertisement on page 6.

In a change advertisement, Mr J. C. Ewington notifies that he has just received tho latest model eight-cylinder Eegal cars, and they can be inspected at his garage. These Regals are fitted with all the necessary equipment, including electric lights and. starter, and though they are full 5-seaters, and have S-cylinder engines, they are iighter 'than tho majority of 4-cylinder cars. It is claimed, in brief, that the greatest advantages of the 8-cylinder engine areits- sinail size, light weight, excellent torque, perfect balance, and good construction, in all of which points it is excelled by no other engine at present applied to motor car propulsion. Mr Kwington will be pleased, to arrange trials to suit prospective purchasers.

.Many a. person is unable to get .'& sound, sleep on wintry nights on account; of cold feet. If it is so in , your case, you had better got one of the hot water bags Mr If. T. Wood is advertising oa another page of this issue.