LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3121, 27 June 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

His Excellency tho Governor has received tho following telegram from the Secretary of State for the Colonies:— "For tho duration of tho war His Majesty the King commands that at all State ceremonials vice-regal households shall wear leveo dress and officers of tho Army field sorvice dress."

The price of milk in Wellington is at, present receiving the attention of tho Board of Trade. Some readjustment of The iS&rges an between tho suppliers and the ve'ndoi* is considered to bo necessary in view of the cost of conveying milk to 'the city % motor on Sundays, but the board indicates that in any case there will

be .no increase in price to the consumers. The proposal mado in Australia that space in the freezing chambers of steamers should bo economised by the closer packing, of carcasses is receiving the attention of the Department of Agriculture in New Zealatid. Tho Hon. W. 1). S. Mac Donald stated yesterday that ho had communicated with the Imperial authorities with the object of ascertaining if they had any objections to offer. The plan suggested is to Rover the hind logs and place them insido tho carcass. Tho Constable Street cutting, which was disturbed by the recent heavy rains, is still in an unsettled condition. A slip occurred while a tram was passing yesterday, a considerable quantity of material sliding on to the footpath and somo largo rocks rolling out intfl\ the .road. ' ■ A conference of directors of technical schools will .be opened at Victoria College this morning. It is expected that Mr. W. Ferguson, of the National Efficiency Board, will be present at, some time during the proceedings. At the Wellington Philosophical Society's meeting this evening at the Dominion Museum Mr. Lawrence Birks will deliver an address on the development of kydro-electrio power in Canterbury. Tho address will be illustrated by diagrams and lantern slides Tho meeting is open to members and their friends. This subject is of considerable interest to the conimmiity, so that a large audience, is expected. A"conference of Y.M.C.A. field secretaries w'as held in the Soldiers' Hostel in Boulcott Street yesterday. Mr. H. W. Kersley, chairman of tho National Committee, presided. The object of the conference was to co-ordinate the work of tho various secretaries among the ' soldiers. Reports on tho activities of the YM.C.A. in the Now Zealand camps were submitted. All served to indicate how the influence of the .organisation was extending, and how its labours were being appreciated by both officers and men. One of tho matters brought urgently bofore tho conference was the need of good books for the soldiers to read. Reference books wero named as particularly acceptable to the men. Novels were available in considerable quantity, but tho difficulty was to obtain educative literature. Another matter mentioned was taht the association had purchased a kinema outfit, which was to be placed in Trentham Camp as soon as suitable accommodation was prepared for it. The medical examination of recruits lias proved a blessing to somo men (writes the Rakaia correspondent of a Christelvurch paper). One man,- who was rejected,several times on account of defective'hearing, at last got the examining doctor to investigate tho reason why he could hoar well sometimes and not at others. On investigating tho ear tho doctor found a quantity of indelible blue lead pencil. The recruit then remomberell having at school idly twisted the. pencil round in his car, and some of tho point breaking off. On tho ear being syringed out tho man becamo a soldier with perfect hearing.

The manager of an Auckland firm has received a letter from his representative in Kobe, Japan, dated tho end of April, stating that all Britsih subjects were being called upon to register with their 'Consul, and that batches of them wero being called up from timo to time. "Last week a big batch was called up," says tho writer, "and those who passed tho doctor havo been notified to hold themselves in readiness to leave at a week's notice. If you hear that your Kobo-offico has gono to tho war do not bo surprised. Ido not anticipate going for some time yet, however, as they aro taking first those who can bo 6parcd without interfering with British trade."

X man from tho back-blocks, who had been drinking frcejy, was taken in charge by the Christchurch police on Saturday iiigfit, and on being searched he was found to havo .£ll7 in notes and a £1& chequo in his pockets. "Ho would have ma3o a, nice mark for any hooligan who got him into his clutches," romarked a police constable to a reporter. "But do you think he was grateful to ns? Not a bit. When released in the morning ho was very angry indeed, though wo probably saved him from losing his roll of notos." Tho Government is to bo asked by tho Fruitgrowers' Federation to romovo tho duty on imported timbers-for case-mak-ing purposes. This, it is stated, would enable the fruitgrowers to get their cases at a, reasonable price, and would also consorvo tho supply of ■ white pine in Now Zealand without injury to N_ew Zealand sftwmillcra, ,

"If .von want to see a muddle you ought to see a camel convoy under sliellfire," writes an Australian officer from Palestine. "The natives who lead tho camels run away Tirst shot, and then the white mon try to induce by all tho pro-, fanlty they can muster those accursed' camels to hurry out of rango or under tho cover of a liijl. All tho tirao good lives aro being lost, trying to savo tho convoy, which perhaps has tbo water supply of thousands of meu in tho firing ffiio away from the water, and they aro dependent on its reaching them." "It is in a measure a great pity that the Japanese manufacturers did not realise their opportunities in this country," said a local business man to a Dominion reporter yesterday. "Their goods aro still coming forward in large quantities, but there , are certain lines that will never be repeated in Japan, because they have not 'made good.' Aid yet tho Japanese Commissioners came to mo and promised to mako the real thing. 'Show us what you want and we'll make it!' they said. I not only showed them what wos wanted, but gave them samples which they took away. They imitated them perfectly in appearance. So perfectly, indeed, that tho trade, mark of the English firm was faithfully reproduced, but the article itself was next to useless. Yet these people by turning out tho real .thing could havo practically secured tho bulk of tho trade of Australasia, so urgent was the need of goods." During the final exhibition of tho "Battle of the Ancre" picture at tho Town Ifall on Saturday evening tho chairman, Mr. C. M. Luke, expressed the thanks of the National Committee of the Y.M.C.A. to tho maiiy who had contributed to tho very successful showing of tho picture. They vrero indebted, in tho first place, to tho Mayor and city councillors for tho free use of tho Town Hall. But for their assistance tho picture could not have been shown in such favourable circumstances; and every pound saved here enabled the association to spend a pound more at the other end in the interests of the boys and the alleviation of their suffering. The thanks of the association wore also due to Mr. Bernard Page, tho city organist, to the 'Women's National Reserve, tho Bed Cross, tho Ladies' Auxiliary of tho Y.M.C.A., the Y.W.C.A., the orchestra and other musicians and. performers, and to numbers of others who by giving their services gratuitously had assisted the association to carry out the exhibition with economy in all s its details.

Speaking it the meeting on Holiday, night, at which lie was presented with a petition in favour of G o'clock closing, Mr. G. R. Sykes, M.P., said the time had arrived when' tho payment to married men going on active service Should be increased and l the pensions liberalised, i The entire proceeds of the collections to be taken at the 6 o'clock closing meeting in the Town Hall to-night will be given to the fund in aid of children' who wore victims of the recent airship raid on London. Advice was received in Wellington last •evoninff that the Wanganui Borongli Council has accepted the tender of Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald, of Wellington, for a Bessemer motor wagon, complete with tipup body. According to a return prepared by the Karori Borough Engineer there are 700 gallons of kerosene stored in connection with five stores in tho borough. Considerable care appears to be taken with, the storage, for the kerosene is either in cellars or in detached. buildings, only small quantities being accommodated in tho stores themselves. Furthermore most of the stores have no dwellings attached. The executive of the Crippled Soldiers' Hostel art anion acknowledge Teceipt of the following donations:—Previously acknowledged, jCI3 lfis.; John Hutcheson, Wellington, £a;. W. J. Birch, Marton, .£ls; F.J.M., 10s. Gd,; W. M'Koimo, Masterton, £1; Mr. Kershaw, Wairarapa, .£1; Mr. Trapp, Carterton, £1 ; "Well-wisher," Lyttolton, Is.; "Nemo," Palmerston High School, 2s. Gd.; Sir' James Wilson, Bulls, .£10; sale of scarf, Greytown, £7 18a. Gd.; G Hanna, Tmiamii, Feathcrston, £2 10s.; A. E. Pearco, Kahantara, Fcatherston, £2 10s.; W. if. Kummor, Rangiora, To Wharau, £i 10s.; Mrs. J. M'Rae, Weraiti, .£2 10s.; E. J. Carman, Awatea, Master-, ton. £2 10i; 13. E. Sutherland, Moeraki, Foatherston, £2 10s.; Robert Cameron, Snowden, Mauricoville, £2 10s.