LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15192, 12 April 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The total paid to date for produce requisitioned in New Zealand for Imperial purposes is £27,562,000. Meat accounts for nearly sixteen millions, and wool for ten millions. It was stated by Mr J. T. M. Hora»by, M.P., at a meeting of the Wairarapa Patriotic Association on Thursday that settlers in the South Wairarapa had recently promised to make close on 1000 acres of land available for wheatgrowing'. Although the weather conditions have been welcomed in the coantry districts, ainnch heavier rainfall is needed. The changed weather cocditioris, however, interfered somewhat Mith the Territorial encampment at the racecourse, the result being that the work has had to be curtailed. The machinegun firing at Putiki range had to be

A little fair-haired boy, eight yeare of age, dressed in navy shorts and a brown sports coat, has been missing from hit- home at Gor.ville since Tuesday at 11 am., arid information Concerning his vhereabouts will be gratefully received by Mr James Welsh, 27 Heads Road, or by the police. His many friends in New. Plymouth will be pleased to hear (says the Taranaki Herald) that Mr Keith Matthews, who has been working in Wellington for some months past, on a war invention, has been cabled for by the Admiralty, and leaves for England almost immediately. It; is understood that the invention is very highly spoken of and has passed all tests successfully.

"Well, this year promisee peace, ami I sincerely trust it will lie as we expect. If you only knew what we know you would bo an confident as Ave are. I dare not explain, or the censor would be down on this letter."—Thus writes Mr Ralph Brown, brother of Mr Byron Brown, of Otaki, who is fighting with the Tommies in France. The letter was received the other day. In connection with, the proposed foundation of Kitchener memorial scholarships, for which the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes gave £'looo as a nucleus for the fund, information has been received, that Kitchener scholars would bo ineligible to enter the Australian Naval College. The proposal to establish naval scholarships has therefore been abandoned. The Council of Education will further consider the matter, unless the Government in the meantime will formulate a practicable, suggestion. The Venetian Orchestra visited the Y.M.C.A. tent at the Territorial Camp last evening and gave a splendid programme of vocal and instrumental music. It was evident by the way the boys applauded the orchestral items that thoy were much appreciated. The soloists were Messrs Hoare (tenor), Weight (baritone), Turvey (bassoon), Von Haast (flute), and SbopJey (concertina). Encores were demanded from every performer, Mr Shepley (concertina) being in special demand.

In 1910, when the last census was taken there were in the United States 26,999.151 males of voting age, and of these 6.829,581 were of foreign birth, naturalised and unnatiiralised. The foreign-born (men, women, and children) numbered 14.7 per cent of the total population, or 13,345,000, of which number 2.500.000 were from the United Kingdom and 1,196,000 from Canada, as against 2,500,000 from Germany. Those who can trace their ancestry to Germany number many milbens, of course, but they, according to authoritative writers on American afairs, are Americans, and nothing moreAn itinerant preacher was discouring simewhat vehemently on a mixture of theological and political subjects in the Square, Palmerston North. The usual crowd had gathered round. His quotations ranged from nursery rhymes to the classics, but at times his metaphors got a bit mixed. "You remember the wreck of the Titanic a few years ago. That disaster was caused by rushing into an iceberg. Young men/' wagging a warning finger at a bunch of youths in the front row of his audience, "beware of rushing—beware of rushing into the iceberg of hell-fire!" And then he wondered why they laughed.

The Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister for Public Health) has received from the secretary to the Auckland Women's Political League the following resolution passed at a recent meeting of the League:—"That the time nas arrived for the Government to nationalise the medical profession, the fees charged, especially in country districts, being almost prohibitive to persons of limited means; also that nurses should be nationalised and utilised, from most proficient hospital sister to the probationer, and promoted according to their practical efficiency and suitability of character."

The story of a heartless desertion of a bride elect is told iu Napier. A wedding was to have taken place a few days ago. All arrangements for the ceremony were well in hand, and ,an hour before the appointed time, 'the bridegroom, who is a returned "berq," borrowed his prospective mother-in-law's bicycle to <ro on a small errand. The bride and the attendants and the impatient minister after a considerable wait at the church, were obliged to return to their home in great disappointment, the bridegroom having failed to put in an appearance at the church. He is believed to have pawned the bike at a well known dealer's, and then made good his escape, for he has not since been seen or heard of.

Writing to a friend at Port Chalmers, Mr Frank Agnew, a shipwright, who, failing to pass the medical test for active service, proceeded to England after the war started, stales that at a certain shipbuilding port in England he is working at high pressure. Great preparations are being made for the big blow in the spring. The shipbuilders will overtake the Losses in mercantile tonnage in twelve months. The standardised type of ship can be built anywhere at suitable places for launching. It is all done by template work, every part going ahead at once. The record time for building a standardised ship 450 ft in length is 3£ months. On Saturday Mr H. J. Ranger put up a record for a motor-car trip from Christchurch to Dnncdin and back which will take a lot of beating. The double trip had not been altera peted before. He did the journey from Christchurch to Dunedin in 8 hours 34 minutes, and the run home in 8 hours 20 minutes, or a total time of 16 hours 54 minutes. From this has to be deducted an estimated time, of 1 hour and 45 minutes for sundry stops at different places, so the actual running time of the car on the journey was 15 hours 9 minutes, which means that an average speed of about 35 miles per hour was kept up —a remarkable performance on a long trip over roads which were indifferent in parts, and which had to he negotiated fox some hours in foa; and darkness. The car used was a Chevrolet. Paul Biro, aa unnaturalized Hungarian, committed suicide at Paradise the other day (says the Otago Daily Times). The deceased was a miner by occupation, and had worked at the scheelite mine for about five weeks, and during last week he had been very quiet. He had been living in a but with a man named Thomas Knuekey, does to the mine. At 6.50 a.m. Knuckey mi«eed deceased, and noticed that hfl had left the hut in his light shoes. Ae the deceased did not go to his work a search, was made by his mates. The body wa« found about eight chains from the hut with the chest blown away and a hole in the ground close to the body. Apparently deceased had lain on the ground face downwards and put a plug of gelignite between his chest and the ground and set fire to the fuse, with the result that the chest was partly blown away. At the inquest Hie verdict was that the deceased committed euickle while in a state of unsound mind. The deceased's relatives reside at OsoJ»srrad, Hungary. The deceased was single, and 37 years- of age.

"If the war continues for another yea* it will be seen how essential it ifl for the Dominion to be self-supporting in the matter of foodstuffs," said tifo Hon. Mr McDonald in the course of his address in Masterton.

"A lot of people's patriotism is measured by £ s. d., not by flesh and blood," said Mr CaHister at the farmers' meeting in Masterton recently. "These r>cople don't care for the boys lying dead or fighting, all they think about is how they can swell their banking accounts."

Sir W. C. Buchanan remarked at the meeting of farmers, held in Masterton on Monday evening, that m Germany the authorities were encouraging potato growing in order to cope with the shortage of'wheat, etc. He wished to know whether it might not hi hiore profiatable to grow potatoes fhan wheat. The Minister "for Agncuture replied that he was obtaining a report from his Department on the subject of potato growing. In growing potatoes the fact of the blight must not te lost sight of. The ; more potatoes that were grown, the less quantity of flour would be required.

At the Napier Police Court yesterday, Thomas McGhee, a reservist, was sentenced to eleven months' imprisonment for attempting to leave New Zealand without a permit, sentence to be concurrent with that imposed recently by Court Martial for deserting from the reserve. William Ennis, boatswain of an overseas steamer on which McGhee was secreted, was convicted of assisting in the attempt. As he is already in ga,ol for. six weeks, a further six weeks was imposed. A coloured man named Lopez, convicted of assisting, who has also been m gaol for six weeks, was sentenced to 14 days. A very distinguished English family has (say's "The Clubman" in the Pall Mall Gazette) been thrown into gTeat distress by one of the accidents of war. Soon after the war began an officer member of the family was reported miming, and though every investigation was made nothing could be learned of his fate. Quite recently his wife, believing herself to be a widow, married again. Almost immediately thereafter news arrived, from the missing officer suiting that he had been unable to write before as he had completely lost his memory. He is a prisoner in Germany. At the annual meeting of the N.Z. Poultry Association, Mr H. M. Boddington moved ? on behalf of the Wairarapa Egg Circle, "That the New Zealand Poultry Association b<= requested to appoint egg circle agents in centres or districts where necessary, such agents to be recognised as the official agents of affiliated circles, through whom all circle eggs must be marketed. Should any affiliated circle fail to comply with this arrangement, their affiliation to the N.Z.P.A. to be cancelled." Mr E. Oswald lliley (Dunedin) considered that the remit proposed was far too drastic. Other members of the conference thought the same, for the remit was defeated by a big majority. The award in the Wellington biograph operators' dispute has been filed by the Arbitration Court. Minimum wages have been fixed as follows: —Continuous theatres: First operator, X 4 10s per week; second operator, .£4; night theatres, £4> per week. Operators with less than a year's experience may be employed at £3 per week, but such engagement can only be made once in two years. Hours are fixed at seven per day, or 42 per week. Overtime is to be paid for at the rate of 4s per hour. A fortnight's holiday is "to be given on half-pay each year. The award operates from yesterday, and applies to picture theatres within a radius of three miles from the Chief Post Office.

A story comes from the Featherston Military Camp, which, if it had not a serious side, would be rather amusing. A number of men were sitting in tile bakehouse when a soldier approached the water tap. He drew some tablets from his pocket, and swallowed them with a. drink of water. Those present took no notice of this apparently harmless procedure until the man suddenly bolted off at full speed as if his life depended upon his swiftness of foot. It was later ascertained that tie tablets he had taken contained morphia, ami that immediately he swallowed them he decided to bolt for a "doctor. The doctor duly pumped out the tablets and the soldier recovered.

A monster shark, some s'iteen feet in length, visited the New Plymouth harbour on Sunday. The huge brute cruised right in between the >"harf and the breakwater, and was observed to swim against the latter structure, where ho apparently enjoyed himself nibbing off the barnacles, etc. His •dforsal fin was some three ; feet high, and the spread of his tail was about live feet. '.the fish was jvobably of the species ki < wn as the white shark, or Lamia, being white in colour be'ow and brown on the upper part. It is found in most seas, and attains a length up to 25 or even 30 feet. This shark is one of the ferocious species, and many incidents ire related of its lavage voracity. While driving a pack horse not more than 300 yards from the homestead at Mahia Peninsula, a Finnish boy named Jack Matson, employed by Messrs. Cook Bros., was attaoked by a stag. The boy never having seen a stag before called out to his mate, and attempted to get behind a stump. The stag charged, and drove one of its tines between two of the boy's ribs, piercing the lung. Seizing iihe animal's antlers, the boy managed to hold it off until his mate came to his assistance with an axe. The stag then drew off about 12 feet, and Matson was helped on to a high log. the mate then went for assistance. The stag, failing to reach Matson again, waited for the manager and the boy's mate, and charged them, but wag stopped by five or six shots. It then went into a small gully and was killed. The victim was attended by a doctor from Wairoa, and his recovery is doubtful.

An embarrassing five minutes were experienced by a young man and his lady friend ae they stood by the side of a Wellington city street on Monday morning, VrUtching a squad of soldiers' go marching: by. It was merely a case of "eyes right" wrfch the soldiefs at first, as smiling eyes were turned on the young lady. Half the squad had" paeeed ' v the pair, when, a somier in the rear, ~itk a mischievious eye, commenced to hum tho words: "Oh, you naughty, naughty boy," to the tune of a popular march. The man on his left took up the refrain, then the man on his right, then the whole of the line. The men in front caught up the lilt of the improvisation, and in a few minutes the entire company had swelled the song to a big chorus, the while every laughing eye turned to the right. The young couple looked embarrassed, the lady blushing furiously, but still the melody increased in volume to the beat of marching feet. The tune died away as suddenly as it had risen when the squad passed by, but it took several inmates before the young couple regained their normal composure.

The committee responsible for the sale of Bed Cross art union tickets wish it to be known that it is imperative that all butts of ticket books should be returned to Mrs E. H. Suistod at once. If this is not done buyers of tickets may be left out of the drawing, which takes place this week.

Included in the list of names of men who reached Auckland m a hospital ship on Tuesday are:—Lieut. A. A. E. Pennefatber (Mrs. Pennefather, Caius Avenue, Gonville, wile); Lieut. P. A. Spurdle (W. H. Spurdlo Alma Road, Gonville, brother) ; Private J. McKinley (M. McKinJey, Patea, father); Private L. H. Saunders (G. Saunders, Wa. verley, uncle). The Hon. W. D. S. McDonald (Minister for Agriculture) stated at the farmers' meeting- in Masterton on Monday that the wool taken over in New Zealand on behalf of the Imperial Government wa« as follows: —Bales valued, 419,234; bales shipped, 208,4&7; available for shipment, 209,737; ho space allotted, 99,046; number paid for, 376,487. The total payments for wool amounted to i>8,791,759. At the Military Service Board a* Wellington the Commissioner of Taxes appealed on behalf of a senior officer, one of six whose services were essential for training juniors and the supervision of the work. It was stated that out <A a staff of 82, 12 bad gene on aetive service, and o| the remainder 3<3 were untrained cadets and girls. Five of the six senior men left were engaged in assessment work, and one in book-keep-ing. So great has been the pressure of duties that they bad been -working ever time since last Jury. The case was adjourned sme die. Mr D. L. A. Astbury, writing to tb» Hawera Star, says:—"l submit a saner and simpler met&od would have been abolishing the .£SOO exemption under the land tax and striking a higher rate, together with a temporary export tax commensurate with the revenue required. This would have been simpler, cheaper to collect, infinitely more just, and would not have created tne bitter feeling that exists, would not have tended to make men dishonest, would not have thrown taxpayers into the hands of the solicitors, and would have secured all the money needed."

It is reported in the Christchurch Press that Mr It. English, speaking at a meeting of the Canterbury Football Asociation", said that one of the greatest difficulties with which the association had to contend was the fact that boys, after leading the primary schools and entering secondary school? were not allowed to continue the Association code of sport. "The schools that do not allow the Association football to cater for Eugby, hockey, etc., and we see no earthly reason why we should be so severely dealt with. W T e do trust that those concerned will remove the barrier and give us an equal chance," concluded the speaker 1 . A Christchurch telegram states that on Monday morning George Foreman Bell (who was employed at Petone), a son of A. J. Bell, of Gresford Street, St. Alban's, left his father's house for the railway station to purchase tickets for Dunedin, after which he purpc-sed seeing the registrar of births, deaths and marriages to obtain a marriage certificate, preliminary to being married. Since leaving his house, there has been no sign of bell, jnnr., absolutely no trace of him having been discovered. The poliee cline to the belief that there foul play. All Bell's affairs are in good order, and he was in a normal state when last seen. He is 32 years of age, and over si?, feet in height.