LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13811, 16 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

I.i't «•!)» thi::k,-tli he stand,.:],, tak, lieed lost In- lali.

.Tin- See.. ii.-| Auckhnd .Milium- SerVUl ' !! """ ! will set oat from Auckland on its next tour on August 5.

On Saturday last the position of the < nppi-r Trail was: Auckland H»7 miles, Wellington ;:(> miles.

A social and dame will be held in the Matangi Hall to-ni«ht. Those who attend should have an enjoyable time. A draft of ,'341 returned officers and »'«i disembirked a! Wellington ai nndda\ yesterday. There are no eoi C«S*S.

The annual meeting of the Hamilton Citizens' Association will be held in the Baths Boom to-night, at 7.30. All members are requested to attend.

'h is very refreshing to hear people say they have a road to their d'mr, ' said the chairman of the Piako County Coucil yesterday. "They so <aLea say they have a very bad road." "I'm away from home more than halt my time on county business," said the chairman of the Piako Countv Council yosiordav. "Well, sell vour home," suggested Cr. Fitzgerald. '

A meeting was held at Xgaruawahia on Friday night for the purpose of forming a branch of the Second Division League. The attendance was rather small. After the meeting had been addressed by Mr Fabling, of Hamilton, if was decided to form a branch of th e league and to hold a further meeting shortly.

Messrs Wallace and Co's store at Waiuku was broken into hv bandars between Saturday night and Mondav "■oi'iiing: So far goods to the value of about £4O are missing, consisting of boots, drapery, and ladies' underwear. Entrance was effected through a window over the storeroom door, and through an asbestos ceiling, into the drapery department. So far there is no clue. The police have the matter in hand.

The Piarere estate (formerly known *i th« Paeroa estate, Horahora, and Previously owned by the late Colonel layhurst), consisting of some 28U0 acres, was recently subdivided into eight farms and put up to public auction. Two sections were sold under the hammer, and five have since been disposed of by private treaty. Messrs T. Mandeno Jackson advertise in this issue the remaining section, and the owners are prepared to advance sufficient cash (to a bona fide purchaser) for building purposes. 1 lluslrativt' of the topsy-turvey condition of the times was a delightful incident which occurred at Grimsby. MiBert Brocklesby, of the firm of David Brocklesby, who is a corporal in the Lincolnshire Pegiment, and who has been on active service, returned home on leave. He was met by his son, who went straight intq. the forces from Charterhouse School, and obtained a commission. The returned father gravely saluted the boy, and the latter smilinglv retorted, "Stand easv, Dad!"

Speaking to a "Post" reporter at Wellington, Mr C. Grayndler, secretary of the Shearers' Federation, stated that some of the sheep-owners were becoming alarmed ot a threatened shortage of shearers for the next season. Usually, at this time of the year, sufficient applications have been received to fill all vacancies, but not so now. In many instances owners have received no applications at all, and they are beginning to wonder whether there will ,be enough men to go round. Sheep-owners it is stated, are regarding the future with some anxiety.

The Ashburton Guardian states that some workmen, while engaged in cuting firewood at the Ashburton County Council's large plantation at Tinwald last week, discovered a neatly constructed dug-out. They are of opinion that this had been used by a deserter; hut the sound of the woodman's ax> evidently became too familiar, and the inhabitant decamped for more secluded quarters. A reservist has been wanted for some time for deserting from camp. It was reported that he wa s in seclusion in the vicinity of the Pangitata Kiver; but a search proved fruitless. Another reservist is also numbered amongst the missing, and exhaustive inquiries on the part of the police have failed to locate him. In December (says our Wellington correspondent) the Tuapeka Times published very serious statements regarding alleged excessive drinking among the New Zealand soldiers at the wet canteen in Sling Camp. They appear;.! in a letter supposed to have been written by a soldier in th: camp. The Minister of Defence referred the statements to the Officer Commanding the New Zealanders at Sling, and he has just received replies to Hs inquiries. All the officers state that there is no excessive drinking in the canteen, and that numbers of the cases of drunkenness which do occur are among men who have, while on leave, visited hotels outside the camp. A F •esbvterian chaplain writes as follows: —"I must protest against the defamation of our soldiers and the alarming of their New Zealand friends by the publication of such misleading and pernicious correspondence." A medical officer also denies that anything in the nature of excess in liqour exists in the camp.

A house is being painted in Durham Street North, and one Christchnvch citizen will have occasion to remember the fact for a long time. The gentleman in question is a carrier by occupation, and his part in the affair was lo deliver various paints and other necessaries of the painting trade at the house being renovated. Amongst the goods to be discharged was a large drum of white paint, over the top of which, and hanging down its sides, was a piece -of sacking, thus concealing what was within. How it happened the scribe knows not, but suddenly loud cries rent the air, and, turning, ho beheld a dripping, stuttering, whiterobed figure, that shrieked curses on paints, painters and everything connected with paint, but the good carrier was nowhere to be seen. Investigation, however, discovered him in the pure white shrieking figure. He had apparently attempted to cairry the drum on his head, but disaster had resulted.

In every centre the sale season is in full swing Hall's Drapery Sale, the big Hamilton event, is now on, ' and judging from the generous reductions figuring on wanted lines should equal its predecessors. Hall's policy is to clear out surplus stock every season, and be advises patrons to' take advantage of these sale prices, as some lines will only l-.e replaced in the future at a big advance.* "A Faithful Friend is the Medicine of Life."—Proverb.

The fair '■ id] friend is tiio iM>'ai'."-j: friend. That aptly dosr-rihos Baxter's l.un.ti Preserver. It, is cue you ean always depend upon. When your head is all stuffed up with a cold, when your throat is sore and painful, when that chest roimli keeps you awake ai ni>:ht. old Baxter's can always he relied upon tn eavo vou relief. Keep i; handv. I.aiye hollies lis. All chemists and sluivs. (3) Emliroidcry eottons : >i creaia, taai?.-. pinks, lilu.'-. iinvns lavender, lil.;ck and several oth, r colour*, are eonimandinji much ' item ion jus; now at ihe Auld Stores. These colours are fast, and will, if required, stand loilin:'. The pri-e ai pre.-em is ',][t\ per skein for ah ck'oim-n. S;,unred camisoles and ■ : a many cliff rent d"si_;is are al-o showing al Auld and ( o's, the fir;r. for <;ood drapery values.

Is a C2 man liable lor s< r\ icr in tin Territorials? Mr Martholoinew vvjr asked to settle this pohit at Dunedii recently, and lie has derided in lis. sfi'irmativ".

The Hamilton Coursing (In 1 , iniiniate that the coursing hxtnn ai ranged ior t(J-HU)n'o\v has In en cancelled owing to the unpropil ions \vi n'.h t. A meeting will, however, l, ( . \-,,.\>\ , » Saturday afternoon, the draw lor which will he arranged on I'ridav next.

A special troop train, with RU or f)'l returned men aboard, passed ihruii'ih Frankton early this morning. IU men disembarking there for Hamilton, !!otorua and Thames. The train was met by the Hamilton Patriotic Committee, who did all possible for the men. It was only by a Krankton hotelkeeper telephoning to know how many rooms were re(|uired that a member of iiie commit too heard of the expected arrival of the train. One would imagine that the authorities would have informed the committee that the train was passing through.

i At the Dunedin Pancr Mills, Aberdeen, the success of the experiment in making paper from sawdust has now been practically demonstrated. The Aberdeen Evening Express was recently in part printed on paper which eonlamed a large percentage of sawdust. the experimental reels were in every respect satisfactory, and the Express is the first newspaper in the United Kingdom to have proved the practical Utility of sawdust paper, the output of which promises to have a far.reaching effect on the paper scarcity problem' A hundred years ago experiments in paper-making from sawdust were made at a small mill in. Bermondsov.

Consumers of meat in Dunedin found, last week, that they were required to pay an increased price for small goods. This is in consequence of the 10 per cent, war bonus to all butchers' em. ployees, which was agreed upon at the Conciliation Council last Friday, and which is to come into force on Monday next. Consumers are being asked to provide the bonus pa...., ... ;■ ... ,■!, prior to the employees receiving the benefit of it; but consumers (declares th? Otago Daily Times) are among the most patient and long-suffering people on earth.

A unique fraud has boon perpetrated on a general agent carrying on on extensive business in c '',-lr v ("reports the "Sydney Daily TcJ«*irru>h"J. ' A f.-w days ago a. man offrr, ! him , consignment of olive oil, and tendered a sample, which the agent examined, and found to he of decidedly high quality. An agreement was conic to, under which the agent was to pay an open cheque for £1750 on delivery of the oil. When the consignment was delivered several (-"--• • ■ <<• l.'a'.mg. but the leaking oil was of the quality sh»wn in the sample. The agent accepted delivery of all save the leaking cases, and paid over the cheque for ilTofl, which was promptly cashed. The cases on examination were found to contain mn'c\. ' > :-. Referring to the i ' ' >,r ■■ •' f • for the past quarter, tii ' i'eview -ays: "The position revealed by the figures is disappointing, and one effect will he to make dili'eult the flotation of the next War Loan, unless, of course, there is a magical change in the situation by the close of the September quarter. Such a hone cannot be reasonably entertained under present conditions, and it will therefore he necessary to pay due regard to liie prevailing circumstances and endeavour to me.'t the situation Those who would subscribe to the loan wili nol he able to do so because their money may be tied tip in produce on which : : I.; - been obtained, and for this reason the Treasury must try and tan other sources. Much mere can be done in respect to the sal-.' of war certificates, and with regard to bonds the currency of these could be reduced to two, three, or four Tears, to meet the requirements of those who must have short-dated seenlilies.".

Reference to the published report of some remarks by the High Commissioner in London to the effect that the Dominion's man power was diminishing, and hinting at the possibility of the Americans taking the place of the New Zealanders, was made by Sir James Allen. The Dominion, he said, had entered the campaign with the intention of seeing it through, and he believed the people of New Zealand were still determined to do so. He lvethe men at the front wished to fight th? matter out and intended playing their part to end. There was a great strain upon New Zealand's man power and resources, but, like our allies, we were prepared to meet those strains and to <lo and give all we could in this fight for freedom. We were glad to the Americans coming in and we hoped that they would come in such numbers that victory would be certain. So far as he was concerned he considered himself pledged absolutely to keep the Now Zealand division up to strength as long as he had man-power to do it.