LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2579, 29 September 1915, Page 7

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Since so many Nswr Zealand soldiers have been reported missing, a number of people have attempted to commuuicat© with, residents of Turkey to obtain ■ information regarding individual soldiers. As all postal communication with Turkey has ceased, theso lotters have to be returned to the senders through tho Dead Letter Office. The PostmasterGeneral states .that persons Laving friends or relatives reported to bo missing may writo a post-card to the missing soldier, and send it to the Deputy Cjpof Postal Censor at Wellington, who will forward it to the proper quarter for delivery. Tho post-card should be addressed'.to the soldier by his rank, number, naine, and regiment,- tlie words "Believed to' be a prisoner of war in Turkey" being added. Tho card should be fully signed by the sender. No. postage' stamps are required to be' affixed. The written. matter should be strictly confined to social and domestic affairs; any reference tp the war. or to politics or the state of the. country will -result; in the destruction of the card.

A cablegram has been received from the High Commissioner by the Minister of "Finance (Sir Joseph Ward) that,, the rato at Home for press telegrams has been raised to 2s. 6d. for seventy-five words, day rates,' and 2s. fid. for 100 words, night rates,-with a copying fee of Bd. ■ ; ' . ,r A suspicion, that much of the gelignite in use in New Zealand at the present . time is of an inferior quality was acknowledged yesterday by the : Minister of Mines (Hon. W. - D.'. S, MacDouald) \'jn .'reply to a question asked by Mr. Webb, lite unsatisfactory condition of the explosive, 'said tlie Minister, was supposed to be .the cause , of five. fatal: and several minor accidents! Tho matter was now boing inquired into, and the Government Analyst .was giving it jiis attention. ■ A Press Association cajile message' from London'- states that J. and N. Tajt, Melbourne, have secured the Australian and New Zealand , rights of "Peg o' My Heart." Tlie play will be produced in Sydney at Easter. ' The Alice Parkinson Release Committee are making_ arrangements for a deputation to wait upon the Hon. Dr. M'Nab (Minister of Justice) to present the.resolution passed at the public meeting in the Town Hall on September 16. iWhen arrangements are completed, date and,time with placo of meeting will be advertised, so that all women desirous of doing so will liave an opportunity of joining the deputation. Disapproval of school children being allowed to sell art union tickets for patriotic purposes was expressed by the Wellington Education. Board yesterday. The,bqard had before it a circular letter from the Greymouth Carnival Committee, asking that tlie children should \be allowed to sell such tickets. s The chairman, of the hoard (tho Hon. J. G. W. 'Aitken), expressed the opinion that it was reprehensible to wish to employ cliildreiv to assist in the carrying on of a'lottory. He thought that the board should declare' against the proposal; jnd; compliment teachers who had re-. !used,-to have anything to do witli such j, scheme. The board.adopted the chairman's view, and resolved accordingly Tlie question of the censorship of .moving-picture films was briefly discuss?cd at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Education Board;- The New Zealand Catholic Federation wrote to tho hoard asking support for its campaign against films which it considers should'not be screened. The Federation mentioned that tho Minister of Internal 'Affairs had -informed them, that the police had been! instructed to make a report on the matter. The chairman of the, Education Board (the Hon. J. G. W. Aitken) said that ho had been to picture shows cn three occasions, and on two of tliem'there were piotiires'shown which had no attraction for him, and he :ould not understand how they held attraction for anyone. From all one heard he'thought there should-be a censorship bf- films'.' He moved that the board should thank the; New Zealand Catliolio Federation, and inform it that it would communicate with the -Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Education. Mr. W. AJlan seconded • the motion with .pleasure, and remarked that 6omo of the pictures shown bore hut a thin veil over immorality. An improvewas desirable in the interests' of the young people of the community. Mr. C. M. Luke spoke in support/of the observations made, and the motion was carried.

Mr. James M'lntosh, treasurer of tho ; New Zealand Patriotic Society, reports that he has paid into the trustees' account at the bank a further sum of /ISJOOO, ' making in all £59,000 paid <in through the efforts of the society. There is still about £2000 in the hands of the society, bringing the society's total up to £61,000. Some £13,000 has been paid into the same fund (for wounded solfliers and sailors and StC John Ambulance Association), making a total of £74,000; The work in hand consists of the big raffle for the £4000 worth of , Waikato land shares, which is now before the public. Mr. D. M'Laren .has' been touring New Zealand in connection with this raffle for some weeks now. . Mr. J. Craigie (Timarii) - complained in tlio House of Representatives yesterday that soldiers 'in.-hospitals' and convalescent home's in England were in. many cases penniless, and Were cabling to-their friends stating that they were not receiving their pay}. The. Minister of Defence said that such men did not xecbive the full amount of their pay while sick,: but it went on accumulating, and was paid them on their,.discharge from hospital.. The Imperial authorities had found that where 'men in convalescent homes had been enabled to . draw .full pay the results in many cases had not been satisfactory, especially; as far as the recovery of the men.was' concerned: Through the medium, of funds for the sick and 'wounded 'men were provided necessities .and small comforts, such' as shaving ' tackle, .fruit, etc. In addition they might purchase comforts up to 2s. or 3s. a week, not drawing these sums in money,- but opening an account- which the paymaster settled. He thought it his duty to warn parents that t'hyo was.no_ real necessity for sending money .to tlieir. sons, and in some cases it might do more harm than good.

. It was pointed out in the House yesterday by Mr. Sykes that a- Government Department, by means of a trado circular, was advertising the goods of tho Continental Tyre Company, which' Was a German organisation. Specially reduced prices were being announced. Sir Joseph. Ward said .that the company, being an enemy concern, -had been taken over by tho Public Trust Office, and the Christchurch branch of that. Department having on its hands goods wliich were perishable and liable to depreciate in value, had issued the trade circular. - An Auckland Press 'Association message states:—A determined attempt to burn down the Miners' Hall at Huntly was perpetrated on Sunday night. The night was dark and stormy, and sorco one prized open a window at the back of the hall and sprinkled tho room with kerosene, using bagging to set the floor alight. The fire was discovered about 10 p.m. by two gentlemen connected .with the hall, wlkr promptly put tlie fire out. ■ The. floor was well alight, and only for the fact that the outbreak was/ promptly discovered nothing could have saved tho building and'adjoining private houses. A reward of £50 has been offered by the Hall and Picture Management for information that .will lead to the conviction of the miscreant. The first response to the appeal of the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. I'. Luke) for £3000 to assist in the equipment of the. Mara ma, New Zealand's second Hospital Ship, has been made'by Mr. Geo. SKirtcliffe, who has forwarded His Wor- , ehin p- tiheauo for £25,

As a result of tlio recent performances of '-The Toreador," the Masterton Amateur Theatrical Society has been enabled to hand a sum of £109 os. to the secretary of the Wounded, Soldiers' Fund. At the meeting of the Karon Borough Council last evening tlie engineer reported that Johnston's reservoir had been completed. The water "had been turned on on Monday, and the reservoir was now in use. A ''social ovening" was held at St. James's Schoolroom, Lower Hutt, Inst evening, under the auspices of the local branch of the C.E.M.S. The Rev. A. L\ Han sell presided, and thero was a good attendance. Several members of St. Paul's. C.E.M.S. attended, and an enjoyable time was spent. ■ The military authorities have decided to appoint a chiropodist to Treutham Camp for the duration of tho witr. In addition to his professional duties, the ofliccr will be required to givo a certain amount of instruction.

Ari alteration has been made to the regulations governing the selection and appointment of officers to tho New Zealand Military Forces, Henceforth, any man : who has- ever held a commission irt any part of the British Empire is eligible for a temporary commission in the New Zealand Forces. Also, in New Zealand thero are many capable noncommissioned officors, and their chances of sitting for- officers' examinations are to be increased. , , A Press Association telegram from Auckland states that a man v,as lined £5 and 12s. costs on ail unusual charge ,ofi assaulting a young girl. The accused spoke to the girl in tho street, followed her into a trajnear,' aaid stared at her the whole time;,he got out of tho tram when- Ae got cut, and kept-on shadowing right up to her home. The Magistrate said, the points to consider were the identity of the man, proof of the facts, and then whether, the'facts constituted an assault. His Worship, had no hesitation, in accepting.identification as tho accused sat staring at the girl in the tram, and she had every opportunity for identification ._ Staring at her was: insulting behaviour, and following the girl at night, and to rush after her when slio ran, -made it clear that he was following her under circumstances that constituted assfiult. The fine is to be paid in-instalments of 10s. a week. On the recommendation of tho Works Committee of the ltarori Borough Council it, was decided that if any resident of the borough communicated with tlie council officers stating that it was desired that accumulated tins, hut not garbage, should be removed, the council's carts would remove the debris at the first opportunity at a nominal cost. It was stated that at tho present time it was customary for several rosidents t<j deposit tins in the streets,_ and this had caused a'blockage of drains. The exr pense in clearing the drains had -been considerable, and by removing the tins money would 110 doubt be saved.