How Is It?: Dear readers, in your Christmas purchases, have you given the local dealers a chance to supply your requirements? Perhaps you have, and then again on the other hand, vice versa, dollars to doughnuts, it is likely many of you have not, but that you have sent your coin away to swell the surfeited coffers of the big departmental stores, which don’t care a rupee about you, and have no personal interest in your domestic and parishes, or local functions. During the first three days of the past week we are informed that some 150 odd postal orders for various sums were issued at the local office. Most of these orders went to Simpsons and Eaton’s. Probably at that rate the week’s issue would reach 250 orders or more. Averaging at $5.00 each (a low estimate) it means that $1250.00 went out of this community to build up trade in Toronto. In view of this sort of thing how can people expect a community to progress, or maintain its local institutions, churches, schools, etc., when practically all the surplus cash is sent away to swell the bank accounts of some big city concern, which contributes nothing to local taxes or civic up-keep?

Local news: The visits of the children’s friend, “Old man Santa Claus,” to the stores of the G. F. Hodgins Co. on Tuesday night and also A. F. Moore’s on Saturday, were among the most interesting events of the past week. On both occasions large crowds of the children of the town and surroundings were present to cheer his arrival and share in the old man’s beneficence.

Special Trains – Christmas Day and New Year’s: The Equity is advised by the local agent, Mr. C. A. L. Tucker, that the Can. Pac. Ry. propose running special trains on the Waltham Branch, both Christmas and New Year’s, as follows: Leave Ottawa 8.45 a.m.; arrive Shawville 10.50 a.m. Leave Shawville 4.24 p.m.; arrive Ottawa 6.20 p.m.