WE regret to have to record that the accident which occurred to Mr J. Holley, of Mornington Junction on Tuesday of last week, through being-run over by a goods train while returning home from the Dandenong market, terminated fatally on the 31st. ult.
The deceased was much respected and sincere sympathy is felt for the bereaved family.
One of the sons is at present fighting with the Allies in defence of his country.
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A DONATION of £5 5s has been sent to the British Red Cross Society, by the “Wattle” Club.
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THE Australian Club will entertain 100 returned soldiers at Clarendon House tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon.
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A CONCERT will be held this (Saturday) evening in the Somerville Hall by St Stephen’s choir and other talented singers, in aid of the local branch of the Red Cross Society.
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MESSRS Brody and Mason will hold a clearing sale at Pearcedale today, on account of Mr Leadbetter, who is leaving the district of stock, implements, vehicles, harness etc, and on Wednesday next the same firm will hold their usual sale at Somerville, when they will have a large yarding of stock, pigs, poultry and sundries.
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MR Rintoul, the Poultry Expert, paid his visit to a few of the poultry yards in Mornington Junction on Thursday last.
The weather was not very good, but it did not damp the ardor of the Poultry enthusiasts, for a good number followed him to the various yards to see his method of selection.
Particular mention could be made of Mr Wicker’s flock of beautiful white leghorns.
Mr and Mrs Wicker have spent both time and money in bringing their birds to such a state of perfection that Mr Rintoul’s first words on entering the yards were “There are several competition winners here.”
Mr Wicker has single tested his flock and several fine cockerels in the pen are from 230 egg hens, by a Tom Barron cockerel.
There were several more yards that Mr Rintoul will visit through the year to select the breeder so that their poultry business should get a push on this year.
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MRS Baker, of Glen Eira, Cranbourne Road, Tyabb, who died at the age of 80 years, was a colonist for 58 years, having arrived in Victoria in 1858 by a vessel called The Telegraph.
Mrs Baker had been a resident of Tyabb for 46 years. Her husband predeceased her by 35 years. She leaves a grown up family, there being four generations at the time of her death.
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Municipal Notice. Shire of Frankston and Hastings.
NOTICE is hereby given that NO PERSON will be entitled to be Enrolled in respect of any Property unless on or before the 10th day of JUNE, 1917, all sums payable in respect of any rates made THREE MONTHS before such day in respect of such property have been paid.
The Rate Collector will be in attendance as at present advertised.
NOTE.—Six Months’ Interest will be charged on 11th June on all Unpaid Rates.
JOHN E. JONES,
Shire Secretary.
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Dynamite and Peace
THE Huns were recently boasting that Germany was vastly superior to the rest of mankind because she had been awarded fourteen Nobel prizes, while France and Britain had only been awarded six between them.
This statement anybody, if he takes the trouble, can verify or disprove for himself ; and anybody who does so will find that up to date the number of Nobel prizes awarded to France and Britain, instead of being six, is twenty one.
The Nobel prizes constitute one the most piquant things in history, for they were instituted by the late Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, the first of the line of high explosives which have figured so constantly in our talk and writing about war, and—most piquant of all —one of the big prizes is to go every year to “the person who has done most, or labored best, for the cause of fraternity among different peoples, for the suppression or reduction of standing armies, or for the formation and promotion of peace congresses.”
There are five prizes provided, supposed to be given annually, although any one of them can be withheld if no candidate is considered to reach the highest standard.
The five subjects are physics, medicine, chemistry, literature, and peace, and it is a fact that Germans have been awarded fourteen science prizes and not one peace prize!
The only English writer who has carried off the literary prize is Mr Rudyard Kipling, who annexed it in the year 1907.
In 1914 it was not awarded, and in 1915 it was divided between two Danes, one Swede, and one Frenchman.
The value of each prize is about £8,000.
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Tommy’s Slang
MANY men who prided themselves on their general knowledge are finding out since their call to the Army that soldiers possess a peculiar and unsuspected slang, original to themselves.
Everyone knows “Blighty” but how many would recognised that expressive colloquialism for London, “The Smoke.”
No soldiers ever thinks of asking for bread—it is always “rooty” Jam is “pozzy” and butter is always the “muck in.’’
An entirely Army expression is “square pushing,”’ which is practically a synonym for flirting. Square pushers are civilian boots worn only for walking out purposes.
Our lads derive much of their slang from the Hindustani. Thus a rifle is invariably a “bondook” and a bed a “charpoy”. If a soldier wants a glance at anything, he “takes a dekko”. .
Potatoes are “spuds.” A man is never admitted to hospital, he always goes “in dock.” A defaulter is a “tanker,” and a Tommy always calls himself a “squaddy”.
“Quashy” is a word in very common use. It signifies easy or comfortable.
Nowadays one does not so often hear the phrase “working a ticket.” It means that a man is endeavouring to get a discharge either by malingering or by behaving in such a way that he will be “discharged with ignominy.” The latter inevitably means a spell in “stir,” i.e., prison.
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To The Editor
SIR—I was pleased to read the letter signed “A Soldier’s Wife” in your issue dated June 2nd.
I am a ratepayer, and very nearly went in for property at Frankston, as I am so fond of a good beach.
But the silly trifling squabbles about nothing which appear in your paper, put me off, and I took my money where there are “up to date” people, surroundings and cleanliness.
I wrote before on the subject of the dirty (so called) bathing boxes a disgrace to any place, especially so pretty a spot as Frankston, near town.
You were kind enough to publish my letter, and ask you once again to oblige me.
I sympathise with your correspondent in all she says. I am, Sir.
Yours faithfully,
RATEPAYER. 4/6/17.
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From the pages of the Mornington Standard, 9 June 1917