LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3185, 8 September 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

■ \ Press Association telegram from Grcyinouth slates that ihn'Onouri lias bJen abandoned to the underwriters. Salvngo of" the cargo is proceeding.

An incident which may raise a controversy on Hie question, "'ls hockey good for girls?" -occurred during the Manii-watu-Wollinglon. hockey match yesterday. ' So strenuous was the contest that two of the girls fainted, but they were Boon restored, and both continued tho game, and saw it out without further trouble.

Tho nautical assessor* at the Magisterial inquiry to ho held into the circumstances of tho stranding ior tho Opouri at Greyniouth are Captains Lobb and Crawford, of Lyttelton. The engineer' assessor will be Mr. E. P. Turner, manager of the Christehnrch tramways, The inquiry will open on Monday morning.

The Poet Office announces that letters aro forwarded by the San Francisco and Vancouver routes only uii•less specially ' superscribed. Persons and firms ' in tho habit of posting duplicates of business correspondence to the ' United Kingdom should note that in order to avoid posting duplicates by the same mail as tho originals tho original letter should be- ioiper«eribed "Via- Sa,n .'KKi.ncieco" and the duplicate "Via Vancouver," and vico versa. The superscription "By direct fitoamcr" will also servo to eusurn duplicates going by a separate Touto if originals are posted without super, scription.

Hid Honour Air. Justice tloskiug yesterday hoard a petition in divorce by Margaret; Sophia Whiting against James Whiting, on the ground of criminal misconduct. Mr. D. Ji. Boggard appeared for tho petitioner, and Mr. Cheek (Nelson) for tho respondent, who in 1011. was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. The only matters contested on behalf of the respondent were tho custody of the children and the costs of the proceedings. It was stated that the parties were married twenty years ««o, and that (hero were seven children of the marriage. Flit? Honour granted petitioner a decree nisi, and the custody of one child. Ko order was made as to costs.

A meotins of tho Mayor's P:\iiiolic Committee was li«lil in the -Mayors room last evenhiff. Air. .T. .P. jircsidiiiß. Other? present were: Archbis.iop O'Slica, Bev. W. A. Tsv«n.«. Uev. IT. van Stavernn .lames Mncililnsli. L. M Tjiike*. C.-B. Smitli. 0. 13. NonraiM, ■h' Seaton, and J. ft. ■ Pnlmcr (Town ClerJt). treasurer. The cliiof hiisiness was the presenUtion ot -thn uiilanOTslieet for )lio last six months. Hue showed that there was n. credit Imlnnce 01 , £IM .Is. 2d. at the W -neetnur of the committee on .liiniiary M.lasl. hincn that dalo Hie llayor has received £.3.3 n<; :id .■ hrinpiup the amount available ■for thre oinmittee's work up to -2R!S 12s. fid. Of Ihn later iinionnt £Vin tjik ieceivcil from Hie Y.M.C.A.. l>u o:irmarke.l liv that body for specified .-.lsbiiweiiienls. Apart from that amount, the cost of a .piano and orßa.li (for the -troopships) and 4320 S'*en to Airs. Lulcc-s rommitteo, tho hospitality of tho city, towards the soldier? sroins and comiiiß, has amounted to some _.CSO. A cwllt balance of .C3S6 (is. Id. i? in hand. Khaki -Handkerchiefs 6d. each, '2e. nd. half-doz.i also 'Jd. and lfld. All article everr soldier needs. See our stocks.Gfo" Fowldla, Ltd., 'Manners istreet.— Advt. '

A return..presented to the House of Representatives by Sir James Allen yesterday gave tho following number of men who having passed tho Medical Board, have entered camp in New Zealand as ruemlwrs of tho various reinforcements have afterwards been discharged from camp us unfit for service:— Twciity-sccoiid Reinforc'emcnls, 2; Twenty-third Reinforcemi'nts, Hj Twentyfourlh Reinforcements. Ill; Twenty-fifth Reinforcements, ■!!); Twonly-snth 'lieinI'orconients, 1 !»">; Twenty-seventh Untnforccmcnls, 153; Twenty-eighth Reinforcements. J:ifi; Twenty-ninth Kcinforccliients. 10i; Thirtieth -Reinforcements, 7!); Thirty-first Reinforcement,*, 27; Thirly-second Reinforcements, 15: Thirty-' Ihird Jieinforcemehts, 11; Thirty-fdniih Reinforcements, 2; Thirty-fifth Reinforcements, 3: total, 815. Sir .lames Alienexplains that the high figures for liie-Twenty-sixth, Twenty-seventh, and Twenty-eighth Reinforcements were dun to the fact--, that about fiwt time an alteration was made in the standard of examination .at the suggesionof the Imperial authorities. Since then we had reverted to our own methods, and Ihn number discharged as unfit had been very largely reduced. .

William Frank .lones and Frank l!owlingson, whn stole articles from hotels and boardinghouse.s ciime up for sentence at Ihe Supreme. Court. .Uuiiedin, yesterday. ,lones (.four charges) recnhvd twelve months' imprisonment, and Tvcnvlingson, ajjainst. whom there were eleven charges, including false 'pretences, received in all thirty-three months. Both prisoners were ordered to lie , detained for 'reformative treatment. Robert Hage-i, on two charges of receiving stolen property, was sentenced to' twelve, months' imprisonment.—Press Association.

A. sum of ,678 lias been collected by the Knrori School Committee from the residents of Kurori • towards the cost of a grounds improvement scheme. 'J'lie amount is to be subsidised by the Education Department <£1 for £h On, receipt of the subsidy the work will be put in hand at once. The borough engineer, Mr. Brigham, has supplied a plan of the necessary work freo of charge..- In the meantime prices for- the work are being obtained by the committee. The addition of two extra rooms to the infant school is beiug considered by the Educa-. tion Board. This work, in the opinion of" the committee, is very essential.

Patrick Smith was fined J£"A at -Auck land yesterday for assisting in the commission of tho offence by betting in au hotel on July .11 last—Press Assn.

At a. conference of Seventh Day Adventiste held at Loma Linda, California, 011 July 10, it was decided to send a base hospital to France at a cost of ■iO.OOO to 75,000 dollars. The staff, of the institution will include twenty-tfour doctors, fifty women nurses, and seventy-five orderlies and* other'assistants:' The physicians and nurses will'be selected by the ,Foreign Missionary Board of the church. In' the course of an interview with an American journalist, .Mr. W. F. Martin, president of the South-eastern. Californ.ian Conference of Seventh Day Adventisfcs, said the Adventists as a denominaopposed*to the bearing of arms, but in the. present crisis they desired to do something for the good of the nation actively, and they believed in this work of mercy they had found an important thing'to do. ■ '

Some, 'interesting remarks were, states. the "Otago Daily Times," made at a social gathering of the Railway Offices Institute at Dunedin on Tuesday by Mr. J. . Young (president), respecting the relations of the institute to the management of the Deportment. In past years, he said, there' had been a feeling in some quarters that the institute was to a certain extent antagonistic to the management, but he thought that feeling had now entirely disappeared. (Applause.) The management iiow realised- that lie institute was not out to secure anything unreasonable, and as long as it hail rpa-sonable-men to control its affairs the individual memliers need,have no fear, and could be confident that these relatbis would go on improving. As an example ot ! what he was referring' to he had that day received a telegram from the General Manager askin?,' him to convey to the officers and io the railwaymen senerally the fact that ths nianacMnent »j>.. predated very much indeed the loyalty and good work of, the members of .the service in tliesr frying, having to work, as they dfd, under, the disabilities occasioned bv the war.; He thouu'ht they, all nnpreciated very highly the fact (hat the General Manager reen*;ni?ed thai* in (liesG dnvs railvaymen were working wilder adverse condition?, and were doing eylrn work, and good work. It wn.= a cood thine; for them that the public should know lh.it the management appreciated tho service they were rendering. An instance of what might be described as an' intervention of Providence, says a northern paper, was related in Masterton last week by a. man who was recently employed- as a, trimmer on a deep-sea steamer. Not long ago the man —who, by the way, is.unfit for military service, owing to having undergone an operation to his side—was engaged on* a steamer carrying wheat fro:n A. ln ?rica (o Italy. Several of the ships in Ihis trade had boon blown up by infernal machines, and gr.?at precautions were taken Io nrevent Iheso machines beiny placed on board. On the .particular ship iindji* notice several detectives kept vigil during the loading operations, and it was thought when the vessel sailed that she was free from nnythins in the way of explosives. Shortly after leaving * th« American port (he ship struck a reef, and an inrush of water comnelled he captain to put' into port. When the wheat was removed from the hold a -enso over four feet long was discovered. 'In this ca<*e were five.cells, containing liit'h explosives, and connected with clockwork, which would have caused an exulo'ioi! but for the that the water li.-ul iinurr-ti into tho holtf and stomipd Hip action of the deadly contrivance. Unw Ilio machinn was put on board is a mystery, but (ho crew realised the oxtrem?lv narrow -"icnnp they had from being I>'""**i I" etprnity. . :

Wendcls, Limited, wore fined .Eofl at Auckland yesterthiy for selling hop beer oontaining'inore than 3 per cent, of &1('Ohol. The evidoiict' showed that the Aatives at the tivniti at Otorohan?a I'ad boon affected by the hop beer, which contained as much as 10 per cent, of proof, spirit.—Press Assn.

"If members want to alter the. c!,-.s.~i-fication *.vstein. I quite Jisree with them." said Hip Minfster of Eniiways In the House of Hejirescntntive.« Inst niphl; replying (o a suggestion that, he should promote promising .vonnjf men. "Tho classiiicntion is ft cnsf.-iron rule. If tlie Minister of Hallways should liicfc out. a promising young man from the butlom of the list,' ho would have forty ov fifty •men anopn-linj; from higher up on the list. Tho system is statutory liw, nn.l it almost compels the Minister to pick out the top man from flie list. htOcss +hat man Ims done something that innkes ft quito certain (he Minister roiild conrince an appeal board that lie should not be promoted. Then the Minister who picks out a promising man for promotion is onen to a. charge of favouritism. I quite ai>re« that, it is a prjier thine to pick out. the best men, bnt unfortunately no Minister can do it wlien he is tied by a classification s.Vstem."

The paper which was nresented to the House 'by the Hon. 0. W. Russell showIns the'-state of _ Southland's ■■ patriotic funds doe* not disclose tho actual position (states a Press ( Association telegram froni Tnven?ar»ill). 'On-inu to the rhnnge in the system of management, only part of the funds were taken iiilo account in the Government, return. Th? ainminl. siiboriliofl was ,£112,62(1. instofld of .Sfl.n?fi ns sTiowti, and the sum expended was .£41.831. instead of JJlfi.Wfl. The contributions per head were ,£1 l"s. 4d., inBtend of .C 1 10s. Id.

The fact was disclosed at/ a ■ meeting of tho Canterbury Philosophical Institute that there is a real danger of the ancient Maori paintings ou cave ajul rock shelters in the Canterbury district being destroyed )>y curio hunters mid the nibbing of Block, etc. (says the Cliristchnrcli

"I'rcss"). On the motion of. Mr. Skinner, n resolution was passe.! to the effect that tho Minister of Internal Afftiiis be requested te at once take measures to protect tho paintings. Mr. Skinnar slated that the association, had been moved to approach the Minister owing to a number of the more interesting figures having boon cut out. on bloc, from the limestone roof and sides of certain of these shelters aud. moved away for exhibition. Suck action, if continued, would rapidly destroy the whole ethnological value of tkeee aboriginal drawings.

- Speaking- with regard -to the staf<v oienfc made by. the' Hon. A. Myers, that the most stringent'economy was necessary in the use of white lead, in view , or an anticipated shortage of that article, Mr. D. Leo, president of the _ Christchurch Master Painters' Association, and of Uio Federation- of Master Painters, remarked to ;i representative of "The Press" that he cid not think there would be any eeriqus diminution in the white lfad supply.' An old-established English paint firm hnd recently installed an extensive white lead manufacturing plant at its Sydney branch, and n shipment of 500 tons of its output was expected; to arrive in New Zealand early in November. Formerly lead had been sent from Australia to England,- prepared there, and shipped back, but now that'the neK plant had 'been set iip in Sydney the material could he received there direct! from Broken T lill, and converted into white lead forthwith. The process after the raw material reached the.factory was a lengthy one, as the oxidisation took several months, but once-the output, had commenced a steady- supply would be assured. Sufficient supplies were available to enable necessary--work to be carried out until the Australian shipment came to hnnd,- ™ that no serious inconvenience need be feared. Tt was obvious, however, that the due -.".trival of. this shipment would depend largely upon whether the shipping between Australia and New Zealand would by • November have been sufficiently reorganised.. .

, A returned soldier tells the following story, which ho heard from officers, in Trance, and which lie-certainly believes (says-an exchange) :—A New Zealander was missing from his. charters.- After a .critical fcght somewhere oiear • A nuentieres he was found idlin's-in that-or some neighbouring town. -He was cnuvtmartialled and sentenced to death for desertion. The. sentence .was ..coufirwfed by the.Brigadier and by. the- General of tiie Division.. Tt then came before. General Godley, who examined the papers minutely, -sintl found- something in the evidence, which uid' not seem -to have r.eon quite cleared up. H« accordingly referred the case, back to the court-mar-tial for further inquiry. Having oV tdine'd answers, he either quashed rv varied the sentence, and the man's life was spared. ' The narrator seemed to think that the man. had been allowed to go back into the firing-line with a modified sentence hanging over him to be served after the war. The soldier who told the story admitted that General Godlev was not popular, but -dwelt on the fret that his-care for the well-beingof even a law-breaker Rave.the iinpressiOD that he wag a just man.