LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2985, 24 January 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Paloona, which arrived at Bluff early yesterday morning, brought English and Australian mails. •Tho Royal Commission which is investigating tho corporation leases concluded its sittings at Auckland yesterday, and left for tho south by the midday express.—Press Association. A' deputation of Karori residents waited on tho Borough Council last evening with the object of having tho dog registration tax reduced. After hearing the deputation, the Mayor (Mr. Burn) moved to rescind the previous motion in connection with the dog tax, and the matter will, therefore, como up again at the next meeting of the council. . A number of thefts from hotels have oocured during the past week-end, and a considerable amount of property has been missed. A man was yesterday arrested by Constable Black, of the Taranaki Street police, on a charge of stealing a portmanteau. It is understood that when the prisoner appears before the Court to-day, ten other charges will bo preferred against Mm. A woman who will appear before the Court to-day on a charge of drunkenness has a record of 156 previous convictions for this class of offence. A cable message has been received from tho Overseas dub, London, acknowledging tho receipt of the donations for St. Dunstan's Hostel, sent recently by tho Lower Hntt, through the High Commissioner. Tho amount sent Homo waa £265 10s.In a communication addressed to tie Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), His Excellency tho Governor states: "His Excellency the Governor of French in a letter which I havo recently received from him, asks me to convey to yon his high, appreciation of the courtesies which, as Mayor of Wellington, you have extended to French soldiers and sailors from Tahiti who have passed through this Dominion from time to time. Tho Governor adds that tho troops have carried away with them most pleasant recollections of their stay in the city of Wellington and of the hospitality 6hown to them by its people." "Tho shigmont of cheese on behalf of tho Imperial Government is proceeding," said the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald yesterday, "and payment is being made by tho Government here in accordance with the instructions of the owners. Some points havo still,to bo adjusted,' but generally the scheme is in full operation." The Minister'mentioned that the payments already made for wool- under the requisitioning scheme exceeded £2,148,000. The orders for the requisitioning of skins, hides, and rabbits were boing prepared. The Discharged Soldiers' Information Department has disposed of 5558 cases up to tho present tune, while 595 cases aro under action and 439 oases, including men returned by recent transports, are not yet ready for action. The cases disposed of aro classified as follow (a) Men who have work to Tcturn to, and men who. have re-enlisted or roturued to military duty, etc., 2358; (b) meu placed, in employment, 1289; (c) men who have signed "Assistance not required," 1228; (d) left New Zealand or cannot ascertain address, 151; (o) men who havo not responded to repeated communications, and men who havo accepted work the Department found for ihom, but failed to start work, 532. Total, 5558. Tho number of men on the register of the Department as requiring employment is 110. 'ibo exports of coal from the port of Newcastle for the year 1916 reached 2,937,608 tons, valued at £1,556,29/, be ing a decrease of 1,068,569 tons, of a total value of £551,670. The total of tho Commonwealth and New Zealand exports was 2,332.823 tons, being 504,765 tons less than in the previous year. Tho foreign shipments totalled 60-1,G85, as against 1,168,589 tons for 1915.' The principal decreases were: Victoria, 200,000 tons; South Australia, 124,000; New Zealand, 154,000; Java, 132,000;, and U.S.A., 102,000 tons. These decreases aro duo to tho recent coal strike, the restrictions on foreign trade owing to the war, and the scarcity of shipping tonnage. In 1915 tho export of coal showed a falling off of nearly ono million tons in comparison with tho previous year's trade. The coal oxports have,, thorefore,'dropped two million tons, of the value of about £1,000,000, ill two years. The loss of trade lias scarcely been felt in tho district. Tho foreign exports will probably fall still lower, but it is doubtful whether the interstate trade will diminish. Writing from England a New Zealand officer says:—"Second-Lieut. C. F. Caroy, who has performed some particularly striking acts of gallantry lately, was accidentally killed on November 6, during an attempt to put a bomb, which had fallen short, out of action. Ho was a bomber, and this particular bomb hit tho parapet of the tronch and fell back into tho bay where tho bombers were. Lieut. Caroy rnshed forward, but was too lato to carry out his heroic intention, tho bomb exploding beforo he could got to it. He was injured to such a degree that ho died in the hospital. His acts of gallantry on provious occasions saved man v serious accidents, and also loss of life. I think that his wife will receive some form of recognition for the acts of gallantry performed by her plucky husband." Captain S. G. Green, superintendent in Sydney of tho E. and A. _S.S. Company, was, at a recent meeting of the Royal Shipwreok Belief and Humane Society, awarded the socioty's bronze medal and certificate for saving life. On January 6 last Captain Green's attention was drawn to a man who had fallen into the harbour, near the Lane Cove jetty, and was unable to swim. Captain Green divested himself of his coat, and, diving into the water, succeeded in bringing the unfortunato man ashore. Captain Green is 63 years of age. Thp fortnightly meting of the Karoi'i Borough Council was held last evening. The Jlayor, Mr. 18. G. H. Burn presided, and there wove also present Councillors R. T. Poll, \). C. Cooper, T. Lower, R. Faire, and A. Hamilton. Routine matters were the main topics dealt with.

Reporting to the Karori Borough Council last evening, tho engineer stated that on Monday, January 22, Anniversary Day, four picnics were held at Karori Park, and altogether about 500 people wero in tlio park. Ho recommended that on holidays in the futuro cars bo run more frequently than one an hour, as at present. Trooper Francis J. G. Moore, of .Tohnsonvillo, wroto to his father on December 4 last from tho vicinity of El Arish, as follows: —"I am still going strong, and so are the remaining members of tlio Main Expeditionary Force that landed here exactly two years ago. Tlicro are not many of us left in tho field now, hut this makes us all tho keener to seo tho war through. Thank tho people of Jobiisonvillo for tho cash donation thoy send every Christmas. I shall enjoy spending this money, and perhaps cablo for moro when wo have conquered tho Turks and tho Germans are down and outed for ever. The nights are cooler now, enabling our horsos to stand hard work, so wo' arc forcing our way across this arid country." Tho Commission set -up to adjudicate upon the dispute between tho City Council, tho Harbour Board, and the Patent Slip Company met in Unparliamentary Library Wing yesterday, and tlion adjourned till February 6. Tho question at issuo is as to tho necessity of diverting the present road round Evans Bay in the event of tho construction of another slip, as required by tho Harbour Board. Mr. 31. Myors appeared for tho Patent Slip Company, and Mr. T. S'. Weston for the Harbour Board. Mr. Weston stated that ho was looking after the interests of the City Council in the absence of the city solicitor (Mr. O'Shea). Ho added: "I do not think I will be committing a breach of confidence if I say that I think, the appointment of tho Commission lias meant, ipsi factor, a settlement of tho dispute." Mr. Riddell: "That is so." At the same time, he said, the Commission desired that tlie tally of traffic round the road, and the proposed new road, should be proceeded with. !A South Canterbury angler is said to have had an interesting experience recently. He was making a long cast, when ho realised that his_ line was caught behind him, but to his astonish-, ment he got tho distinct and unmistakable thrill that denotes life at the end of the line. Ho had foul-hooked a rabbit with his devon, and recovered from his astonishment barely in time to prevent it regaining the 6afety of its burrow. The angels of Mons, said. Major Sleeman, during the course of a' lecture delivered at Lyttelton, did not come within his vision in the early days of' tho war, but he could tell of one remarkable thing that those present could put their own construction on. One night at a quarter past 12, when the British were holding the line near Armentieres, they found themselves very weak in battalion strength, and all the ammunition had' been ordered; hack. He was then second in command of his regiment, and in charge of tho ammunition, and they had two boxes, when they should have had 40, and no bombs. There wore no supports for four miles, and' if tite Germans broke through, they would have captured Armentieres. Just after midnight a message arrived from General French, that they were going to be heavily attaoked by a monster German, assembly, and simultaneously came a report from the right that the Germans were massing. They liad also cut tho barbed wire along the whole front of the company. They waited all night expecting the attack. No reinforcements could- get up till 10 next day, and there seemed to be a prospect of annihilation. But at dawn next morning, for tho first time in six weeks, the ground was covered with a dense white mist, and the Germans, not being able to sec their target, could not follow cut their usual tactios prior to an attack. The mist held until four battalions had come up to the relief, and the Germans, observing the reinforcements, put off the attack. "You may be very materialistic," said Major Sleeman, "and think that the thing was quite simple. I can only tell you that two days later the Germans moved off towards Yprcs, and wiped out nearly tho wholo of two battalions there." For tho latest soft felt hats, including favourite light colours with dark bands, also Stetsons, etc., inspect stocks at Geo. Fowlde, Ltd.—Advt.