LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15130, 26 January 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It officially stated that since July 1914, the pries of meat in Sydney has increased 63 per cent, and other food and groceries 20 per cent. Two soldiers’ pay-books, which were lost in town by a ladv last Saturday, have been left, at the Herald Office, and may be had by the loser oh application. The total births in the ,four chief cities and their suburbs during December last were 619; deaths numbered 273, of which 42 were children under five years and 103 persons 65 years and over. The various shades of flowering red gum present a pretty picture on.the hillside half-acre reserve at Wanganui East, opposite Mr. F. Walker’s residence. There are no less than 150 gums, in addition to the . flowering shrubs . planted in'the small allotment, and Mr Walker* and other local residents have also planted profusely, so that to-day’s picture affords but a faint idea of what will'be unfolded a few years hence in that picturesque spot. The lesson is obvious. Other suburbs should follow' Wanganui East's example.

To dhow its appreciation of the generosity of the Auckland Racing' Club in allowing the Seventh Day Adventists to hold its annual camp on the racecourse grounds free of charge, the latter body has deoi<|ed to give J4O fOr the endowment of two cots in the Auckland Children’s Hospital. ■' Some of the 73 applicants for ,the position of assistant secretary to the Taranaki Education Board, a position carrying <£3oo a year, have a quaint idea of the responsibilities of and qualifications necessary for the position. One gave a glowing testimonial as to his capabilities as a cheese-maker, while an inexperienced lad of 17 naively remarked that he was prepared to give his whole time to the Board’s service.

T am honestly convinced that the time has arrived when the Government of this Dominion should consider the matter of national service,” said Mr J. P. Luke (Mayor) at the Nurserymen’s Conferene at Wellington. “It is not a matter of how much money is at stake. The sacrifice of money is the least sacrifice of all, and is, in fact, only a secondary consideration. -Thorough organisation is necessary.”

A remarkable success was recorded af the recent University examinations by a pupil of the Gisborr.e High School, Master Aitken, a son of the Rev. Mr Aitken. The youth, competing against others ranging from the age of 18"years to 19 years, was able to qualify for a Junior University scholarship, although debarred from utilising the prize, because he is under 16 years of age. The student deserves warm oongratulatiop on his attainment.

At the Hastings Courthouse, Mr Kenrick, S.M., in commenting on the difficulty of licensees identifying prohibited persons, said that in these days of rapid motor transit a prohibited person could travel many miles and obtain a drink at a hotel where he was not known. The only way to deal with the position was to issue photographs of the prohibited persons on the prohibition orders forwarded to publicans, so as to facilitate the identification of prohibited persons by those whom they ask to serve them. “Why the trouble with leases has arisen in Wellington puzzles me,” remarked Mr Justice Hooking at the sitting of the Commission of Inquiry in Wellington on Tuesday. “It must be that an excessive view has been taken of values. In Dunedin and other places there may be a little more modesty in regard to the value of what people own.” '

"The only German regiment to stand up fairly well to the New Zealanders was a Prussian regiment,” writes a New Ze;, land soldier when speaking of the battle of the Somme. “The Prussians fought well while we had a barbed wire entanglement between us, but as soon as our boys broke down the barbed wire they turned and fled. We then had some sniping.” Imperturbole things, these Military Service Boards. A man came up on appeal the other day, and advanced two aged parents, a sick a healthy farm, a huge mortgage, and other 'pressing reasons for exemption, and wound up by triumphantly unbuckling a wooden leg and throwing kt on. the Board table. “Take that thing away,” said the chairman icily. “Surely I can get exemption for a wooden leg,” said the appellant uneasily. “Your leg, ' said the chairman, still more icily, “has nothing to do with the Board. Your appeal is adjourned for a month, pending medical examination.” “The future which lies before us opens up, big jossibilities,” stated the annual report of the Nurserymen’s Association adopted at the conference at Wellington on Wednesday “After the war conditions can only be favourable to our industry. Not only our own retained soldiers, but those from overseas, will flock-here in large numbers, and many of them are bound to take up orchard work as a profession. This will increase the demand for fruit trees, while the steady growth of our towns and villages and the development of our farm land will increase the demand for hedge, shelter, and ornamental trees.” The Minister of Defence says there is not a word of truth in the suggestion made in some quarters that a special form of exemption is provided by the Government for “Roman Catholic priests and other clergymen. The sole concession granted the clergy is that the heads of the churches may appeal on their behalf just as the secretaries of some unjons may appeal on behalf of members of the unions where essential industries are concerned. If a bishop makes formal claim, for the exemption of a priest on the ground of public interest the services of that priest being essential to a particular section of the community, then the Government will forward the appeal to the Military Service Board, and that body deals with the case as it thinks fit.

Thousandes of bales of wool are being brought ipto Wanganui daily, and the storage accommodation, is being well taxed. A large quantity of undumped wool is being shipped to Wellington, and it is stated that after the next Government valuation, which, is to take place at Wanganui on February 7, the congested state of the sheds will be much reduced. It is noticeable that at this time of the year there is always a difficulty in accommodating wool all over the North Island, but this season the position has been made much motfe acute on account of the exceptionally long spell of dry weather. Shearing has been proceeding without a break, and consequently the wool has been pouring in from the country at a greater rate than ever before.

“The workers/ who. compose the mass of the and especially their leaders, distrust the Church,” said Bishop Gore, preaching recently in Westminster Abbey. “They think that it has beCu, on the whole, on the side of Capital against Labour, even when the complaints of Labour have been legitimate. They think that it has administered charity rather than contended for justice. They note the seating arrangements in our churches as savouring of injustice, and they are scandalised by the contrasts and inequalities which exist in the salaries of the clergy. They do not look to the . Church to represent their point' of view. At notable , moments it has, in fact, been ranged against them. Very rarely has it stood out corporately -against -bad wages or deficient houses, against the lack of opportunity and reasonable independence for the workers, or against an organisation of industry which treats men as ‘hands’ rather than persons, or as mere instruments in the production of wealth. Church organisations, though vigorous and excellent, have had in them too much of the elements of patronage and control of the poor hy the rich—not enough of the spirit <Sf brotherhood or sisterhood.- All this has' produced in the democracy a spirit of distrust. Thus the atmosphere of workingclass homes and working-class comradeship obliterates the influence of our re-, ligious education with marvellous rapidity.”

The police made a raid at Gisborne yesterday. Six well-known residents were arrested on charges under the Gaming Act. They were released on bail of <£loo each in three major cases, and .£SO each in the other three cases.

It is probable that the carpenters and joiners of Christchurch will take steps shortly in the matter of endeavouring to obtain increased wages. The Union and the Canterbury branch of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners are working in unison in the steps that are being taken.

The strawberry season in the Auckland district has been an extremely short one' this year. At the outset, too much " moisture was experienced, and this, being prolonged, resulted in fruiting being tarded some three weeks, compared with preiaujis years. Other fruits have also suffered from the excessive moisture, and £re generally scarcer than usual.

In connection with his remarks at the Gisborne Harbour ‘ Board meeting on Monday of last week, Mr Preston states that the point which he wished' to convey, in connection with the river was that if the harbour was to be maintained by pumping alone it was doomed. He recognised that even in firetclnss harbours more or less maintenance dredging was absolutely necessary. The collection of cocksfoot grass seed in various parts of Wellington city and suburbs is affording profitable employment to a number of boys during their holidays. The grass is growing luxuriantly on the Town Belt and other open spaces. The boys cut it and take it to their homes, where they thresh out the seed with long sticks. There is a ready sale for the , seed at 8d or 9d a pound. At a rece.it drapery sale in Wellington a costume was marked in the window at five guineas. As soon as the doors of the esiablishme.it were opened there wa« a rush of women bent on securing the bargain. The position became so acute that the premises had to he closed again until the management succeeded in pacifying the bargain hunters, which proved a difficult task.

As 'an instance of the shortage of houses and the difficulties experienced by would-be tenants in New Plymouth at the present time, it is reported that an official on the local railway staff was recently transferred to New Plymouth, but was unable to secure a suitable house for self and family, with the result that he was re-transferred to Stratford, where the house problem, though serious, is not quite so acute. Captains of vessels trading to Wanga. nui speak highly of the new harbour light which has been'established at the signal station at the Heads. It is said to be a great improvement on the old port light, which had practically outlived its usefulness. Captain Thompson, of the Himitangi, informed Captain McIntrye, Harbourmaster, that he had “picked up” the Wanganui light twelve miles off. The captain of the Wallsend, which arrived in the roadstead at an early hour this morning from Melbourne, also made complimentary refer* ence to the new light. A number of Staff sergeant-majors and other non-commissioned officers who have come from all over the Wellington Military District are at present in Wanganui attending a refresher course on the Wanganui Eacecourse. The men assembled in Wanganui on Monday last, and part of their training' was put in on the Putiki Eifle Eange at the recent rifle meeting. The refresher camp is being held to make new N.C.O’s. conversant with their duties at the forthcoming annual training cafiips to “brush up” the older men’s knowledge. The refresher camp will conclude to-morrow.

Republican simplicity, about which so much is said, condemns the* people of the United States once every four years to hold more than 50,000 separate electoral contests for the election of a Chief Magistrate. Thirteen months is the measure of time covered by the various stages,' and it has been estimated that at least .03,000,000 is legitimately expended in campaign work. The electorate of the United States is the most cosmopolitan in the world, and represents all nations, creeds, and races. No American President has been a wealthy man, and Mr Wilson is no exception to this rule.

In conversation with a lady who has, spent some time in Switzerland, she stated to a reporter of the Evening News that she was much concerned regarding the attitude of the German cantons. Knowing them as she did, and seeing that no less than 10,000 Germans had been nationalised in' Switzerland lately, she felt sure that there would be a great difference of feeling 'between the two parts of Switzerland.* ‘She said no one who had not been to Switzerland had any idea of the extent in which the German element had penetrated Zurich. The businesses were German, the waiters in the hotels were German—-the German influence was everywhere. And aS it was on the Zurich side eo. was it from a French point of view with the other o? French cantons ■■

.Answering a question regarding home service, the Minister for Defence sayd it was impossible at the present stage of the war to say what demands may or may not be made upon the men who have been' declared unfit in a medical sense for service with the forces in the field. Thei rejected men certainly cannot be regarded as exempt from further obligations. The Government may call upon him later to relieve, some fit man. who is required at the front. The Minister mentioned he has already invited rejected men to volunteer for clerical and other duties in the camps, in order that some of the men engaged in those branches of the work at the present time may be released for active service.

The cheery way in which New Zealand soldiers who have returned home permanently disabled in the loss of a limb lias become proverbial. Last evening there was a three-legged theatre party at the: Theatre Eoyal (says" the Christchurch Press). The members of the patty were three young New> Zealand officers, each of whom had lost a leg on active service. In London, by the way, such reunions are. quite common, .and one annual gathering of officers has become an established fixture. ;all of whom have suffered some form of disablement in the war,, gather at one or other of the big'hotels, and oyer a iolly dinner discuss the old days in thf trenches and- fight their battles o'er again