LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15195, 16 April 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The names drawn in the recent ballot to make up deficiencies in the 30th Reinforcements will probably be available for publication to-morrow. Bradford, which, derives a revenue of £&S,000 a year from what was formerly the unutilised refuse of the city sewers, now makes £2 a week out of old tramway ticket©, which are collected in boxes placed on the cars. Ashburton residents who visited the mouth of the Ashburton River (Hakatere) on Monday was surprised to notice a stag, which had apparently travelled down the Rakaia River from the (Jorge and then followed the coast, arriving at the mouth of the Ashburton River. The animal, instead of making across the river, took freight at the people viewing it from the huts and made straight out to sea and swam until it was lost to sight. A schoolboy wa* responsible for considerable anxiety yesterday concerning the hospital ship Marama. He stated that he had read a notification in the "Herald" window to the effect that a number of survivors; had been picked up from the Marama, and the rumour that the vessel had been sunk with nearly all on board spread with almost marvellous rapidity. No such message had been received in Wanganui, and what led the boy to spread such a mischievous yarn is beet known to himself. A nasty accident happened on Saturday evening to Conductor A. E. Ogier. The Glasgow Street special car, which runs to Aramobo at 9.30, had pulled up beside an ordinary car at the terminus, and a passenger, jumping aboard the latter, caught his foot against the brake safety catch, and released it, just as Ogier was between t,.e cars adjusting the special's trolly pole. The ol&er car moved, and he was caught between them, receiving several nasty bruises, which had to he attended to by a medical man.

Speaking at Westport recently, Mr .T. A. Frostick, National Efficiency Board Commissioner, said that there was a splendid opening for the paper making industry on the Coast. Newspaper had risen 300 per cent since the war, and there were millions of cords of timber going to waste. He was speaking with u knowledge of the subject, and he would say that if the papermaking industry were established there, newspaper proprietors would be able to buy all the paper they required at prices comparable to those obtaining under the more favourable conditions existing before the war. There wottld be good wages foT the employees, and a good profit to those who put their money into the industry. In New Zealand 50 tons of news paper were used every day.

"An apprentice who has worked hard at the bench all day does not feel disposed to attend classes in (he evening, and I have some sympathy for him," said Mr W. Ferguson, chairman of tho National Efficiency Board, at the Coachbuilders' Conference. Mr Ferguson explained that, when he was a boy he had spent four very un«happy years working hard in an engineering shop all day and studying at night. He would not care to face such a period of strain again, and he fully understood the desire of the lads to have some time for relaxation after their day's work. He would like to see an increased effort on the part of employers to provide facilities for their apprentices to attend technical classes during the day. The loss involved in sparing an apprentice for an hour or two was not great, and the advantage to the industry in the production of better craftsmen would be marked. The " barraclis" held at the Wanganui Collegiate School, under the direction of Major J. L. Sleeman, 1.G.5., director of m"l'tary training, concluded on Saturday. During the four days of training the .Collegiate Cadets wore treated in exactly the same manner as regular soldiers, drilling assidonsly from 7.15 ,a.m. to noon each day. The afternoons wore- occupied with tactical operations and exercises, and in the evening the commandant criticised tho day's work, and lectured to all ranks on mlitary The object of "barracks" was to train the school forces of tho Dominion in such a manner ■•:« to arrive at o, general high standard of efficiency. Major Sieeman waa very pleased at the way the Waoganu-; Collegiate Cadets carried out their training. The irtmost keenoss w«; sihown in the work, aitd the discipline wa,s Major Slecman will next conduct a "barracks" at the Wn.'tak.i High School.

At a time when reduction in New Zealand train services is to be brought into operation, it is interesting to note the restrictions which the people at Home have to put up with. A London journal states that a Canadian soldier, James Niehol, who was taken from Greenock to Vancouver at the age of five, was recently on furlough, and went to the Glasgow station to take the train to Greenock. He found that there was only one train per day, and it had gone, so he walked the distance, twenty-three miles, in order to have as much time as possible in his native city. Greenock has over 80,000 inhabitants, and one train a day must be an enormous reduction on pre-war traffic. It is also stated that 200 of the London a.nd North-Western scheduled trains, have been cut out, and that hundreds of miles of rails have been torn up and taken to France. Wherever duplicate 3nd parallel lines have been laid one set of rails have been 'removed.

Regarding the disappearance of the young man George Foreman Bell at Christchurcii last Monday, t<he Press states that it was ascertained that he did not obtain the marriage certificate he wanted, as owing to Monday being a holiday, the office of the registrar was not open. Inquiries at the railway booking office have not resulted in any information being obtained. The railway bookings on Monday were heavy, and it was impossible for the clerks to recall whether or not Mr Bell applied for tickets. The police authorities regard the young man's disappearance as being one of the most mysterious happenings that have occurred in the city, and they are inclined to the belief that there was possibly foul play. One theory was that he may have injudiciously, or accidentally, shown .strangers that he had a considerable amount of money in his possession, that some desperate characters had attacked and robbed him, and, having rendered him unconscious, thrown his body into the Avon. Another is that he tired of waiting outside the registrar's office, and. as he had onlv recently recovered from a rather, severe lilness, he may have started off on his bicycle on a more or less aimless journey. Mr Bell, sen., doe*? not think for one moment that his son has "cleared out," as he showed no indications on Mondav of being otherwise than being in his normal state of mind.

A Feilfiing farmer who <has property on the other side of the range states that lambs hare already begun to appear on his Pahiatu farm. A Russian officer who visited the Allies' western front was shown a remarkable road ten miles long: and wide enough for four motor cars abreast, which had been built in one day. Sixteen thousand men had worked on it. The luxuriance of the pastures throughout Southland at present is remarkable, even for Southland, and as otic trawls over the country the fact is train'"'akeably driven home that the pro ;ce is largely understocked (says the Southland Times). Farmers state that even with the same number of stock as in former years it is impossible to keep the grass down, and that the autumn has been a wonderful one. The pastures a,re now far better than they were at New Year. In all parte of the province the turnip crops have come away splendidly, particularly in the Eastern district, and there be a superabundance of winter feed this year.

The Earl of Derby, most strenuous of recruiting sergeants, and now Britain's Minister of War, was asked the other day what effect be thought the war would have upon party politics in the future. He replied: "When this war is ended, this country is not going back to the old political parties fighting against each other. There must be one central party—a party with a business mind, with a fixed determination that out of the shattered industries there shall arise greater industries which shaP make England greater even than in the past. The Empire has been brought together by war, and must be kept together in peace, and no effort must be left untripd to wipe out the smaller differences."