LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3180, 3 September 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tlie usual full list ot' names drawn in the double ballot held lust week will be published in to-morrow morning's Dominion.

About 12.30 p.m. on Saturday the Fire Brigade recoived a call to the Occidental Hotel buildings, where there was an outbreak of tiro in a shop on tho ground iloor in tho occupation of tho Now Zealand Electrical Company. A case of benzine had become ignited through someone carelessly throwing down a lighted match. The case of benzine was quickly thrown outside, and the damage was in consequence very slight. A door was badly scorched and a fanlight broken.

A man named Warcup, a seaman on •the MaraToa, was admitted lo tho Hospital on Saturday afternoon suSoring from injury to his head and back, the result of tin accident when overhauling one of the ship's boats.

A deputation from tho executive of the New Zealand R-eturned Soldiers' Association will to-day wait upon tho Prime Minister, the Finance Minister, the Defence Minister, and the Oisjuargol Soldiers' Information Department, to discuss problems affecting returned soldiers.

"The professional politician in this country does not count for very much in my mind," said Mr. J. A. Frostiek on Friday night, when addressing the members of the Canterbury Cuaiubcr of Commerce. He added that tho people would have to rely on their own efforts very much, more in the future than in the past. Instead of going to the Government for everything, they should get together, as business men, in various forms of national life, aud seo that the best was done by those most capable for tho work. They had assumed, too much when they assumed that a member of Parliament or a Minister was an authority on every subject under tho sun. Thoy should see to it that the country was legislated for in the interests of tho happiness and welfare of the people.

An act of bravery was performed by a lad named D. Leslie at Porirua last weok. The lad, who is at. tached to J H Pressor's stables, was exercising a horse on the-, beach, and, noticing a woman get caught in a quicksand, he immediately rode to her assistance, and, after dismounting, -he plunged into the stream and brought her ashore. It took a long time to revive her, but eventually she came round. Tho lad's action is to be brought before the Royal Humane Society with a view to having it suitably recognised.

The Dunedin City Council's trading department's results as they would bo regarded if they were publio companies with a share capital equivalent tb tho amount of their loans, were stated at a meeting of the council on Wednesday last to be as follow Gas, ,£10,407, equal to Sl.fi per cent, on capital; tramways, J815.H43, equal to 6.2 per cent, on capital; electrio power and light, equal to 7.5 per cent.

At tho Summer Exhibition of tho Royal Society of British Artists, which was recently held at tho society's galleries in London, Mr. H. Xinley Richardson, R.8.A., head of the art department, Wellington Technical College, was represented by a watercolour of children in dappled sunlight. While on tho walls of the galleries, thiß work was specially selected as one of tho. representative works of members of the R.B.A. for tho Summer Exhibition at Bradford Corporation Art Galleries.. The Mayor of Christchurch confessed on Friday night in an after-dinner speech that seven, was a lucky number in his family. Both he-and his wife were born on the seventh day of a month, engaged on the seventh, and married on the seventh, and had seven of the finest children that one could wish. In addition, the citizens had honoured him with seven years of office.

Speaking of New Zealand manufacturers on Friday night before the Canterbury Chamber of Commorce, Mr. J. A. Erostick said that repeated endeavours had been made in other countries to produce a rug equal to a particular rug made in New Zealand, but tho attempt had never succeeded. There was a particular form of.blanket, also, which had never yet been made outside of New Zealand, although often attempted. The Dominion had raw material probaily second to none in the world, and if tho people did not use it to the "greatest advantage they, would' not be faithful to tho trust reposed in them by those wlio had handed the country over to them.

A. man named Peter Mouat- admitted to the Hospital at lA.\ last uight. It appears that he was travelling to "Wellington by the Waugatfui train, and while boarding it at one 9f the etatious slipped and fractured lus right leg. He is stated to be progressing favourably. At Wanganui the Post Office staff have been busy during tho past few days in respect to loan investments, and for six days ending on Friday ha 9 been subscribed. A brisk demand set in on Saturday morning, and before noon wESSOO of Post Office Wat Bonds and .£359 a War Certificates were taken out. From the country districts news of good responses cdntinue to come to hand, and in WaverleV one farmer alone invested -£10,000. On June 2 last President and Mrs. Wil60n attended tho opening of 'the first National Sylvan Theatre, an al fresco ; theatre, which has been arranged in the j giounds of tho Washington. Monument at; Washington. There performances, suit- i able for open air production, and of a j suitable character will be given, but no , charge can be made for admission. There is seating accommodation on a sloping sward for about 7000 people, ana the contour of the ground makes it admirable for the purpose, as the "floor gradually slopes-down to a natural proscenium of trees, and the grassy stage is bordered, by shrubs which form- natural wood wings. At tho opening performance there I were six thousand people present, lne programme consisted of a masque entitled "Tho Drama Triumphant/, a recitation bv Mr. Henry Dixey, an aria from butterfly," by Tamaki Minra, Florence Noyes, and her pupils in r ? thmlc ,i*f Sophie Braslau 111 an air from Orieo, and James K. Hackett, the actor who conducted three of his own musical compositions. still-bo able to take his family to the pictures at the usual price. If . - had been placed on the it would have meant a considerable hard ship on the man of email me,n 3 with a big family. .As it is, n^ e , r T) e his family is penali6(Ml by the t ? x lhe question of collecting the tax wi„ht pre sent a little difficulty in some ca.es at first, but these could no doubt be „ over without hr could were two methods by wluch the tax could be collected. It «£ by means of & stamp on the ets, and procurable, from the Com™ sioner of Taxes, or, in the case of places of arausoment which are statlonaiy, could bo collected by the Commissioner on the figures shown on tho automatic machines used in issuing the tickets. These machines are absolutely roliab . and could safely be used as a means of. collecting the t?s. There might be a little difficulty, too, in the wise of people wl"? after having 'pnrchßsed ft pW ticket, were desirous of Af.® ticket to. say, a should also bo possible of adjustment. Probably when tho history of tho war is written up it will be found that one of the brightest chapters in it will be that dealing with the part taken by members of the mercantile marine irom captain to junior officer, from engineer to fireman, and from steward to cabinboy. All ranks on deck and below have "played the gamo." That the spirit ot tho sea is not lacking in New Zdilnnd has recently been exemplified by a locallyowned barge beiug fitted up to take young New Zealanders to train as olhcers to man our merchant vessels. Messrs. G. H. Scales, Ltd., have provided ample accommodation for twelve. boys, and signed them on as apprentices. Everything possiblo has been done to milce the Doys comfortable, and electric light has been fitted to tho vessel, also bathrooms, etc. The lads havo no premium to pay, u.p.d after the first few months a liberal scheme of monthly comes into force. Several local shipmasters speak enthusiastically of what has been provided for tho lads and compare it with the hard conditions obtaining in the old days when they "ran the Easting down."

Dick Arnst, sometime worlds chrnipion sculler, is now doing war worjc with tho Sydney Harbour Motor Patrol, He volunteered lon(t sine® for active service, l>ut was rejected.

A Now Zealand orchardist "Somewhere

in Prance" writes to a Timaru friend in words'of great praiso of the thoroughness of the French email farmers' wetnods in the cultivation of their farms (states the "Post"). In l«s the French n.rfi great farmers, and their crops or wheat, maizo, potatoes, and clover all look splendid, and much superior to any seen in New Zealand. Every bit ot land, even that under shellfire, i 6 under cultivation. The orchards 6oem to lie remarkably free fr n blight, and no considers that orchard sprayers would not earn a ciecont living at their 'calling in France. One French custom did not and favour with tho New Zedanderand that was tho almost universal way of ■Keeping all manure, refuse, etc., in a bw lujlo in the ground near the ownerti house. This hole is cleaned out only about onco a year as a rule.