LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2986, 25 January 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

■ 4 When tho wife of a Wellington soldier, deserving financial assistance, goes to Auckland, and there makes an appeal lor monetary aid, tho Auckland Society is empowered te give that assistance and recoup itself by drawing on tho War Relief Association of Wellington. Such is the position, too, in parallel cases as regards Christohurch and Dunedin, and both of those cities reciprocate by allowing th© Wellington Association to reliove those who are correctly a charge upon the funds_ of one or other of tho southern cities. lii the case of Auckland, however, up to tho present the Wellington Association has no power to relieve Auckland cases. In Auckland thero arc two funds —a provincial ono and a local distress fund, and tho committee is inclined to adopt tho view that from neither of these funds can they assist people who are resident elsewhere, even though there is no question as to the origin of the case. As tho matter is ono that causes some little trouble, it is to bo brought boforo the next mooting of the Advisory Board of the Federated' Patriotic Societies, which will be held on February 22. The membership of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Club is now 4000. Tho secretary (Mr. Wills, of the War Relief Association qf Wellington informed a. Dominion reporter that up till yesterday 175 applications for relief or assistance had been received during tho present month from soldiers or their dependants. As showing tho rapid growth in tho number of claims which havo to be carefully inquired into by the association, Mr. Wills said that on January 5, no fewer than 45 applications for assistance wero received. The proposals of tho Governmont to' give further assistanco to soldiers and dependants to meet certain olasses of olaims are expected to reliove the burdens that are beginning to lie very heavy on the voluntary relief funds. An Auckland delegate to the Nurserymen's Conference said that Auokland had a reputation for beauty, but that if tho,hills and valleys of Wel r liugton wero clad with trees it could be made quite as beautiful. The Wellington City Council wero doing wonders to this end. A noto from tho Director of Base Recordsjtates that No. 1186 Pte. J. D. KPRao "(Australian Imperial Force), now deceased, nominated as his nert-of-Tnii Mrs. if. A. Creamer (sister), dray Street, Auckland, but communications so addressed havo been returned unclaimed. It is desired to dispose of certain personal effects of tho lato Pte. M'jTae._ Information in tho direction of tracing the next-of-kin's whereabouts will be gladly received at-the Base Records Office. The octopus is a fish that is usually regarded with the greatest honor by everyone. A curious thing in connection with this dreaded denizen of the deep is that though they are known to exist in largo numbers in Wellington Harbour one seldom hears of any accident in which they aro concerned. Tho fishermen get them nearly at every Waul of the nots, and_ they aro not fnfrequontly caught on lines from somo of the suburban wharves. These aro usually small specimens from two to three feet between the tips of the outfifSitched feelers. It is seldom that a big ono is landed. The theory is that the octopus comos to breed among the kelp, and having done so returns to tho deeper waters, loaving lho_ young ones to fond for thomsolvos in the warmer in-shoro waters. At Tuesday's meeting of the KaTori Borough Council the Mayor stated that he had travelled considerably round Wellington suburban boroughs, and lio thought that in connection with infectious diseases, such ns diphtheria, ete., Karori Borough was without doubt the freest in Wellington. Taking into consideration the fact that Kai-ori has no public dramage or Water supply this was a . remarkable circumstance. In a police raid at Gisborh'e'yesterday, six well-known residents were arrested on charges under the Gaming Aot. They wore released on bail of £100 each, in three major cases, and £50 each in the other three cases. At the Auckland Police Court yesterday, Alexander Mackie and David Henry Simon wero each fined £60 on two charges of being in tho street for the purpose of hotting. Frank Bathie, a barman, was fined £10 for receiving payment for liquor contrary to the antl"snouting" regulations.—Press Assn. "If the Government were to say tonight that they would supply us with ; fresh meat at Imperial prices there I would not be a butcher in Wellington who would not givo them his order in the morning," said ono butcher when consulted about tho Government's State butcheries. "If the Government start their own shops and sell frozen meat they'll fall in. In this weather it's awful stuff to handle. It is not bad to eat, if one can get it straight from the shop when it has just come in from the freezer, and cook it straight away, out that means that a man must eat his dinner before he has his breakfast." Writing from Sling Camp (Salisbury Plain) on November 22, to a friend in Wellington, an officer says:— "The Seventeenths arrived in camp the other day, rather unexpectedly. They had a nasty reception, in the shape of a snowstorm, with a bitterly cold wind. Snow commenced to fall, and by the, tipio they arrived in the evening was lying pretty thick all round. However, they marched in cheerily, and wero soon fixed up in their huts, where fires were burning. Tho training here is entirely different, and is based upon war experience in France. All methods of tho latest trench warfare are taught, and the latest in every form of attack and defence 1b imparted to the troops before they aro drafted over to France. That is to say, that when a soldier leaves here, he knows nearly as much as tho man who has been in the trenches on the Wostern front." A' small informal luncheon was tendered by Captain Tanaka, of the Japanese mercantile marine, on Tuesday to Captain Dawson (harbourmaster) and Messrs. Brahazon (Collector of Customs), Ferguson (Rurns, Philp apd Co., Ltd.), and Sando (manager of.. The Dominion). Captain Tanaka- is an accomplished English scholar, and regaled his guests with a very interesting account of his experiences of many years at sea, and exprossed his appreciation of his stay in New Zealand. Lieutenant-Colonel ,T. A. Cowles, who recently returned to New Zealand from the war zone, via America, sums up tbo attitudo of tho intelligent American citizen on the war as expressed by the said citizen, as follows: "I'm neutral; but T don't care a cuss who licks Gormany!" For flexibility, springing, silence, power, and lieautifully oven torque, if. is impossiMo to beat the eight-cylinder Kiiiß Car. This car may now bo inspected al. The Dominion Motor Vehicles, 65 Conrtenay Vlace. If yon cannot call, personally, write or 'phone for a deronstration or catalogues, whloh will mllingJjj ne,peflti sp.ti EJthoub ohlujation^rddjt.

At a brief meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board last evening, the credit balance in tho current account was reported to be £27,38?, while that in the imprest account was £2924. Payments for the mouth amounted to £43,375, tho greater part of this sum being tbe half-yearly expenditures on interest and sinking fund. A striking incident of a trench raid made by New Zealanders, "somewhere in France," is related in a private letter received in Auckland. Amongst the prisoners taken in that raid was a German who spoke English. This person showed a desire to cultivate familiarity with his captors, and put to them the question, "Is there anyone from Taumarunui amongst you?" Afterwards it was discovered that tho man, who gave tho name of Jorgansen, had been in New Zealand,'and had worked in a sawmill at Taumarunui. Ho expressed the wish to meet any of his former workmates who might bo amongst tho British troops. If any Taumarunui lads were about the tranches,' however, they showed no eagerness to renew acquaintance with their ex-colonist fooman. It ta'kos £5 a week to run a butcher's delivery cart, a Dominion reporter was informed yesterday. Yet the public at times complain, when they are charged a little more for booked meat; delivered, than the cash price over the counter. "One would think," Baid one butcher, "that it was something degrading and lowering to one's dignity to carry home a pound of chops, and yet tho cost of delivery is so great that one feels inclined to give some people a penny and ask him to go elsewhero for his chops. No, they must be delivered, and the price must he booked. All the ready cash is required for the races, the pictiire shows, and the marble bars, where they don't give tick!" "I don't think any man is indispensable—every man has a place to fill and he should, fill it," said tho Ma3'Or on the subject of national service, when opening tho Nurserymen's Conference yesterday. No more clothes destroyed with the constant rub-rub-nib, since "No Rubbing Laundry Help" does tho washing without rubbing or injury. This wo guarantee. William Campbell, Ltd.—Advt. For the latest soft felt hats, including favourite light colours with dark bands, also Stetsons, etc., inspect stocks at Geo. Fowlds, Ltd.-Advt.