LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2929, 15 November 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho_High Commissioner has been compiling a return!of the numbers of New.Zealanders serving.at the war. in Imperial Forces other than the New Zealand Expeditionary Eorco. His lists are incomplete, but in September last tho total was 713.

The cost to Now Zealand of tho occupation of Samoa to date has been £289,768. The principal items in the cost have been as follow:—Pay, £139,228; transports, £84,777; : rations, £36,398; and forage, £11,537.

Colonel Logan, in his report dated November 10, on the health of the troops in Samoa, states that the "health of the troops is good. There are no hospital cases."

Campers have asked permission of the Hutt County Council to erect tents in Lowry Bay during the summer months, and the request has been refused. \ It is pointed out that the council has other suitable places, such as MaEina Bay for which the necessary permission could bis obtained. It 1 has been decided not to allow tents' to be orected on any road reserves in future.

Yesterdas', tho Napier Harbour Board decided to discontinue the system of paying excess wages to employees who enlist, and in future to establish a fund by monthly payments, such fund to be. administered for the benefit of the men on their return or their dependants. Twenty-six men applied for work at the Wellington Labour Bureau last week. Twenty-four of them were placed, 19 in private employment. The applicants were 23 labourers, one tradesman, and'two hotel workers. There- is said to bo some shortage of coal-miners in New Zealand, and the Wellington Labour Bureau wants men for work in the West Coast mines. Out of a population of 2500 white persons Fiji lias sent over 400 soldiers overseas under the purely voluntary system of recruiting.' "The sugar industry of FijV 6aid Mr. Harold Beauchamp in Auckland, "is in a highly-flourishing condition, but trade in copra is suffering from tho embargo placed -upon its export to the United States of America, one of the largest and most profitable markets. This embargo has, I understand, since been removed. In conversation with several business men I met at Suva the opinion was generally expressed that, after the war, it would not be in the interest of Fiji, with its mixed coloured race, that is, natives, Indians, and other Orientals, to become, an appendage, so to speak, of Australia or New Zealand. Most people favour tho idea, of creation of a separate confetteration, to l embrace Fiji, the Tonga Islands, Samoa, and other islands in the neighbourhood of these territories." As evidence proving the identification- of a person, a photograph was hold by His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking at the Auckland Divorce Court to bo insufficient. In tho petition before tho Court a photograph of tho respondent, showing him in, his shirtsleeves in a hairdresser's shop, was handed to tho Judge as part of the evidence to prdvo that the person in the picture was tho particular man on whom., tho citation papers had been served. His Honour said it was an impoverished proof of identity. In England it had been laid .down that such evidence was inadmissible. Tiie proper method was for the person serving the citation papers to find someone who knew the person to to served; and for each of them to make an affidavit.

"With) perhaps, tho exception of wool I do not think New Zealand can extinct to do a lnrgo reciprocal trade with British Columbia," said Mr. Harold Beaucahmp in Auckland. "From time to . time wo--have made extensive shipments of butter, but these, henceforward, are likely to decline, consequent upon tho steady in,.' crease in tho local production."

Messrs. Bamiatyne and Hunter are wholesale-BRents for "Tho Thinkers' Favourite" Writing Tablets. School Exercises, and Note Books. The. "Thinker" brand is now the favourite throughout New Zealand.—Advt,

_ 'At a meeting of the* central excou-' tivo of tlio New Zealand Moderate League, held yesterday,' tho following resolution was carried: "That the Now Zealand Moderate League places on record its gratification that the inspection of liquor, under Part VII of tho Licensing Act, advocated by the league, is now being carried out by tho Police Department, notes with approval that in cases of conviction tho fines have been made exemplary, and trusts that this policy will bo vigorously pursued, and that this resolution bo forwarded to tho Minister in Chargo of Police. ,

Recently thero has been an improvement in the subscriptions to tho Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and at yesterday's meeting of tho executive tho presidont (Mr. F! Meadowcroft) said that this was duo to the assistanco giveu jjy tho Press of tho city.

Mr. W. H. Cox has received a letter from his son, Sergeant John Cox, who was wounded on September 22 in tho great offensive on Flers. With two or three other snipers, ho was ordered the previous night to locate some snipers who wero causing some trouble to our men. The party secreted themselves that night, and in tho morning thsir man hiding behind a sheet of iron. "After an exchange of a couple of shots, Fritz sent ono along, which traversed tho barrel of my gun, smashed tho back-sight to splinters, and deflected the bullet to tho right. To this I owo my life." ■ Sergeant Cox is making a good recover} - from his wounds.

It was reported at yesterday's meeting of tho Hutt County Council that tho Day's Bay water and drainago scherao was being proceeded with Xs expeditiously as possible. Tho Health Department wrote drawing attention to the unsatisfactory sanitary conditions at Day's Bay. It was decided that the council should take steps to have the matters seen to. It was also decided that no more permits should bo granted to build septic tanks.

Galloping .horses on tlio Plinimerton Beach seems to be a favourite pastime with some people. Complaints were made to this effect at yesterday's meeting of the Hutt County Council. As the council has no jurisdiction over tho beach at present, no action could be taken. It ; was stated, however, that an application had been made to havo the beaches at- Plimmerton, Paekakariki, and Paraparaumu vested in tho council for the safety of the public The matter is in hand now, and when negotiations are completed the council will be able to tako action.

"The effect of the war upon the .building trade is, in common with other trades, being'seriously felt," says the annual report of the Builders and Contractors'' Federation. "Only necessary work is being carried put, and the natural business expansion of normal times has ceased. Owners and capitalists are cautious in their invests. nients.' A large number of the best workers have volunteered- for active sorvicoj thus creating a shortage of competent journeymen, resulting in tho necessary employment of less capable men and the consequent lowering of the standard of work performed.. As to building materials, prices kave_ increased beyond conception, importations have been curtailed, and many classes of goods are now unprocurable."

The New Zealand Natives'. Association Band will play at Newtown Park this evening.

A case of considerable hardship in the nondelivery of correspondence sent to a soldier son at the front is reported by Mr. A. Asher, of Marion Street. Mr. Asher- has a boy, Pte. J. Asher, serving -.with the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force. He was through the Gallipoli campaign, and he is now in France. From time to time he has written to his parents complaining, that he never gets a letter or parcel from them, and they have been unable to understand how this can be so, because a letter has been written and sent to him every week, and parcels worth several pounds in the aggregate have been sent ' periodically. _ Mr. Asher has, however, just received a bundle of letters marked "Cannot be traced. Return to sender," and bearing dates of 1915 and 1916. On the other hand, Mr. Asher's other son, Sergt.-Major C. Asher, who is with the New Zealand Forces, Rets his letters,. papers, and parcels regularly. He is also, in touch with his brother, 'and the two ■hrothers correspond with one another at the front. Apparently the Australian Army Postal Service does not work ns well 'as the New Zealand Army Postal Service.

Comment was made at lastnight's meeting of the Karori Borough CbunI cil on the smallness of the number of permits for dwelling-houses to be erected in the Borough since April last. The engineer reported that altogether eleven permits had been granted to £2747, with, fees totalling £14. -These consisted of three dwellings, five additions, one shed, and two stables. Councillor Henderson remarked that there should' he more dwellings erected, and asked how it was that the number was so small. Tlio Mayor said that ,no doubt the war had something to do with it, hut other councillors pointed out that other districts were -progressing. "Well," said the Mayor, "the only way to get the district to go ahead at the present time is for councillors to induce some of the hig landowners to take up property here." The matter then dropped. Yesterday afternoon, when the Supreme Court resumed after the luncheon adjournment, the hearing of the claim for damages, Cocker y. Nightingale, the foreman of the jury asked His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards, who was hearing the case, whether it was not possible to supply the jurymen with cushions. He complained it was very tiring to sit for hours on a hard bench. His Honour, laughing, replied that while he commiserated with them, he could not help them. The Government considered cushions were an unnecessary luxury. "Perhaps they think you will go to sleep," suggested His Honour.

Three Pitcairn Islanders have arrived in Auckland by steamer. They bring the first news of isolated Pitcairn for some months past. There are at present on the island 165 persons, including the missionary and his family. This missionary was sent to tho island from Australia, and the church to which all the Islanders are mombers is that of the Seventh Day Adventists. Plenty of fruit is grown, and passing ships have of late taken large quantities away with them in exchange for clothing and stores. The steamer by which these three men came to Auckland arrived at Pitcairn about sixteen days previously, and immediately several boats put off from the shore to trade with the officers and crow. These descendants of the Bounty mutineers aro a most industrious people, and besides, the fruib which they sell, they manufacture from tho scanty means at hand many articles which find a ready sale among tho sailors calling there. At the present time a largo number of the men aro engaged on the island in building a schooner. This ship will bo constructed from their own timber, and oven tho nails and rivots which they aro using are being mnde by the Island>.ers. It is intended that it shall bo used to trade with Tahiti and other islands. It will ho also used for missionary work. A large number of boats are made on shore, and these aro used for visiting poszing vessels. Built from the English design, they resemble the typo of lifeboat, carried by oversea, ships. The Islanders report that nil their fellows aro iu good health', and that there is satisfaction with the conditions under which they lire.