LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15136, 2 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The shearing season in Victoria is reported to have been the wettest on record. On© shed had seven and a half fine days in five weeks.

It is expected that owing to the dry Weather the season for slaughtering sheep in the Wairarapa will be shorter this year than in former years. The Mungaterere Stream at Belvedere has ceased to flow—the first time in the last twenty years. This is an indication of the effect of the long continued dry weather.

The Tuatajetfe Guardian states that a careful estimate of the loss incurred throughout the Waiau district by the recent bush fires is considerably in excess of £ IO,OOO. A military carnival was held at Masterton yesterday. About two thousand soldiers from the Peatherston Camp engaged in manoeuvres and competitions in the presence of several thousand' persons. The Minister for Defence and Headquarter’s Staff were present. The largest girder ever constructed in Canterbury, and probably in New Zealand, was placed in position on Wednesday at new premises in High Street (says the Lyttelton Times). The dimensions of the girder were 32ft 1J in by 2ft 3in over plates both ways. The girder was made up of three rolled steel joists 24 ft by 7-) in, with fin plates top and bottom. The total weight was nine tons.

A family well known in Foxton that is splendidly represented at the fighting front received a cable message from a son on Friday notifying that the four brothers had met in London. Charlie, Alf., and Fred. Stun'nel, it appears, are at present in London on well-deserved leave from the French front (a fourth was still in France), and they had met their younger brother Henry, who had arrived in England with the 17th Reinforcements.

-n interesting to the Magistrate’s Court case on Wednesday, when a returned soldier was fined 5s for calling another man a shirker, is that a well-known farmer in the Fordell district, whose sons are at the front, has expressed his views of the proceeding by offering to pay the returned soldier’s fine and expenses. The following telegram, which speaks for itself, was also received by Mr Caldwell last night: “Auckland Returned Soldiers’ Association would consider it a great privilege if allowed to pay your fine.” It is reported that plain-clothes police from another visited Palmerston on Saturday with the object of ascertaining how the anti-shouting regulations were being observed in the local hotels. Their investigations, it is stated, showed laxity in more than on© “ instance, with the result that there will bo more heard of the matter at the local Magistrate’s Court in the neaf future. A simultaneous descent was made on Feilding, where it Is understood that invitations to “hav© one,” were also in, evidence, and that prosecutions ffre expected to follow.

A first offending inebriate was convicted and discharged at the Police Court this morning. Some hoodlums -were observed shooting seagulls on the seashore on the south side-of the river on Sunday., It is point-' ed out for their benefit that all indigenous birds of New Zealand are protected except when protection is removed by Gazette notice. Seagulls are protected, hence the warning. " /

There was to have been a meeting of the Wanganui County Council this ■morning, but it was decided to postpone it till Wednesday, February 14. A specia Meeting, of the Council has been called for that date to discuss the application of the Mangawhero Road Board to be merged into the Wanganui County Council. Subsequent to this meeting the ordinary meeting of the Council will be held.

Representatives of the cheese factories met in Wellington on Wednesday to consider some points connected with the Government’s purchase scheme. One of the matters under discussion was the positions of the factories in relation to consigning agents who had secured contracts for the purchase of cheese before the Government’s scheme was announced. The conference considered, also, the disposal of the cheese that'had been placed in store in Wellington and elsewhere before the Government took over the output. Some of the cheese is stated to have suffered deterioration owowing to the delay of shipment. The conference made some recommendations to the Minister in charge of the purchasing schelne, the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald. Some voluntary recruits are said to be taking up a position which is not consistent with the military regulations. The recruits in question, who enlisted previously and were turned down for some minor’ defects, have been under the impression that in order to keep their names from the ballot they had only to be medically examined a. second time. This is not the case. Recruits must attest again, irrespective of the fact that -they have previously done so. The other day, at Wellington, a voluntary recruit, who had been previously turned down, on being examined by the Medical Board was passed as fit and refused to re-attest, being under the impression that he would be again rejected. A Gazette notice issued on January 25, 1917," contains an Order-in-Council removing the protection of hawks of all species, kea (or mountain parrot), and shags. The protection extends to December 31, 1517.. In connection with the above, a' tourist who came down the Wanganui River laet week told a “Herald” representative that he was surprised at seeing the hawk in New Zealand. He said that the New Zealand Government was the only Government he had met with—and he had toured the world—that had protected the hawk. The bird had no redeeming eaturee, and was a deadly enemy to anifauna, or bird-life, of all countries, and was “as useless in keeping down bre’r rabbit as a spoon is to the empty ocean. - ”

■ Speaking to a reporter yesterday, Mr George Spriggens, Superintendent of the 'Fire Brigade, commented on the large number of grass fires which have occurred here lately. He expressed the hope that the public would assist on every occasion by quelling the outbreaks, especially when it was found that the fire was in an incipient stage. He added that “beating” a fire was not always an advisable method of stopping it, and the use of sand where procurable was preferable.' The Superintendent had also something to say about the constant danger of sparks from the railway engines. In this connection it is .probable that the Borough Council will support the recent protest from Palmerston North to the General Maha* ger of Railways urging the desirability of spark-arresters being installed, A fatal case of snake bite occurred at Mirboo, Victoria, last week; Maurice and Rita Wanke, aged 15 and eight respectively, children of Mr Carl Wartke, farmer, were in their father’s paddock, and, thinking there was a rabbit in a hollow log, the boy put his hand in. He was at once bitten, but was under the impression it was done by a rabbit. His sister then put her hands in, and was also bitten. Soon afterwards a large tiger snake crawled out. The boy chopped its tail off and ran home, where his father treated both children as seen as possible. Then he brought them into the town for medical treatment. Not until then was it discovered that the girl had been bitten on both thumbs, Although attended by two doctors, the girl died yin a few hours, but the boy was book out of danger.