LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3197, 22 September 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Defence Minister stated yesterday, that he did not consider it necessary to introduce legislation lo provide that no person of military age be permitted lo enter New Zealand lo take tip positions of New Zealnmlers called up for service. The Postmaster-General has promised tn fipcnre a report on tho suggestion that I°,"should be erected at Titahi Bay, near Porirua, eo that In. times of southeasterly storms and when the strait near Terewhiti is unmissable mails and passengers may be taken from or landed at the bay, and communication with the Smith Island continue uninterruptedly. Air B M'Callum (Wairau) eaid that a l'auding-placo at Titahi would ensure a constant connection between tho two islands at all times. It was immnno from all storms except those from the northvest, which did not affect the ordinary passage route between Tory Channel and ■\Veiliii"ton Heads, and would prove a safety valve, onsuring communication for all purposes between the two islands ill all weathers. The Registrar of Pensions notifies that his oftico will be open on Monday for the payment of old-age, war, and widows' pensions. The payments will include for the first time tho allowances recently authorised by the Legislature.

The cliairmnn of the H.nwke's Bay Ilospilal Hoard is (says our -Napier correspondent) appealing for ,£OOOO with which to erect a Soldiers' Rome in Ihe vicinity of |the Napier Hospital. 11. is proposed that soldiers shall receive, when, desired, instruction in trades and useful occupations, ns veil as medical attendance. Already many useful pieces of furniture have been donated, including a. piano-player, a billiard-table, and several invalid chairs.

"Pretty hot, isn't it?" was the surprised remark of a man in the- Magistrate's Court yesterday when ho was sentenced by Mr. S. 13. M'Carthy, S.M., to three months' imprisonment lor stealing a hat valued at 10s. fid.

"There were some forlunc-telling cases before the Court to-day," said Councillor L. M'Kenzie, at question time in the City Council on Thursday night. "One of the ladies said that you (the Mayor) had been to her to have your fortune told. Can you tell us anything about it?" "Y/es," said Councillor M. P. Imekie, "and she got off with a less fine than any of the others because of that. "What's that?" said the Mayor, whose attention had been diverted for the moment. "I didn't catch that." Councillor M'Kenzie repeated his question, amidst a titter of lnughjer. The Mayor, in reply.said that ho had only had his fortune told once, when ho had been told some awful things.

The -enlistment of male teachers lor active service is reported to be giving rise to serious concern on the part of educational authorities. In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, Mr. Walker asked what the.Minister or Education had to recommend in view of the serious position which was likely tu affect this country if there were a further depletion of the school teaching ranks of the Dominion. The Hon. J. A. Hnnnn asked Mr. Walker to place the question on the Order Paper. It was a very important question, and before he replied to .it he wished to consult Cabinet.

The National Committee of the Y.M.C.A. acknowledges the following contributions to its war funds:—Nelson War Fund Appeal, .£100; Waituna West ladies (per Feilding Patriotic Society). .£100; Wellington War Belief Association, .£100; Wangnniii-Waitot.ira Patriotic Association, .£4B ss-; Marlborough Patriotic Fund .£32 175.; Westland Patriotic Society,' .£2U 145.; Taihape Patriotic Society, -£25: Stratford Auxiliary War Committee, .£2O; Waiwera Red Cross, .£10; John Lambert, Hunterville, ,£"> Is.; Matthew Bell. Taihape, .£5 OsPGd.; A. JVButt "Wellington, £5; S.R. Signal, Pakihikiwia, M 155.; Mfes M. 0. Huddleston, Bleniieim, £2 55.; Kaikom-a County Council, .£2 25.; William Davis, Ifongotea, A 2 fls. fid.; L.W., Mangaweka, .£2; Nurse A. Stamper. Dannevirke, - e £l: B. Hall, Ohakune, 1; Mr. and Miss Botting, St. Leonards, 12s. Gd. Three Territorials came before Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., yesterday in the Magistrate's Court, charged.with failing In attend drill. Ronald Yates was lined 40s. and costs Vs., in default 28 military detention; William Ernest lyree was fined 10s.. and.costs 75., m default seven days' detention; and, Percy Simmonds was convicted 'anil discharged. ■Frank Staveley and Oliver Weight, trading as Staveley and Weight milk vendors, were yesterday convicted by S. E. M'Cart.hv, S'.M.. in the Magistrate s Court for selling milk containing 10 per cent, added water. His Worship imposed a fine of JE2O and costs. Mr. J. ' villo appeared lor the Health Depait liient, and -Mr. G. G. -G. Watson for hie defendants. Security for appeal m.v> fixed at .£3O. The Auckland Education Board has considered a request'from the Weiniv ton Education Board that the Education Department be urged to authorise payment to non-commissioned tencheis luth the Expeditionary Forces of as much of their salaries as will, with their nuhtai J unv lie equal to their salaries as .teachers,plus one-eiuartei It was deededto reply that the board had . a l re |'' l . v ,, , " ad e e armlication to have the spirit of the le quest given effect to, and that they would renew the same. „ Their Excellencies the Governnr-Uen-ernl and the Countess of Llv . pl T o ° l intimated their intention ° the invitation to be present in the 1 Will this evening to witness the pre Station of the British Government official war picture, entitled ..ons Our Empire." " .' ' The South 'forriliaki' dairy otor -\, (:0 t l v: panics are making efforts through the West Coast' Refrigerating Company, to provide considerable cool btoiage lor their chccse and butter this son (says an exchange). At the voiksat Patea they aro building, addition; o G OOO maneiit storage to B«minodi»te -G 000 crates of cheese, and the} also P°P®j meting straight away n wooden Inn - ing of a more temporary nature toi hold 20,000 crates. They have plenty of po«ei to provide refrigeration for the whole of their storage, and the new M .horsepower suction gas engino that tliej ha\e recently installed has proved to bo j splendid engine of the very latest t F mid runs as smoothlv as a sc«m„ ma chine. In addition to the extra btoia e e ■provided at Patea there wr'l r j|™ insulated room at the Winter Show buildings in Hawcra, with a capacity ot 25,000 crates, and work on this lias already begun, and will he pushed along with all speed. Beforo tho North Island delegates of the Dominion of Zealand Boiling Association left for the council meeting in Dunedin, Mr. .T. X Roberts, E° n - 1 5C .®' of the Wellington Bowlihg Centre, submitted to them an idea to overcome the difficulty with regard- to the two-leet-on-tlie-mat" law; Mr. -Roberts- suited a liiat eighteen inches: square. With a-IZjn. seiiiare marked off the niat, the piS-yer to have at least one foot -inside- the square,' when the' bowl was delivered. Judging bv the report of the council received through the Press Association if would appear as if , the council tad decided to adopt portion of Mr. Robeitss suggestion, in so far as to keeping one foot within the 3-inch mark from the front of the mat'.':Mr. Roberts contend! that the council should have adopted the whole of the suggestion, because without the addition of lines three inches from both sides of the mat, those players. he stand on the extremo edge of the side of the mat when delivering the bowl wilt not. have any portion of either foot on the mat when tlie-bowl js delivered. Jlr Roberts states that it is tho councils duty to frame a law. that.can gnly bo broken by gross carelessness, and not a law which .will be unintentionally broken in the excitement of play. ■ However keen maay of our lude at the front are to see the end of the war, and return to "dear New Zealand, ■ .there is among the great bulk' of them • a. strong desire to see.it through, and a feeling of comradeship that calls them back tc the firing-line again, when, wounded anrl weary, they would fain seek once agnir some peaceful avocation. Writing ftoin a' hospital in England, an Aucklander, who has been wounded three tunes, once in Gallipoli and twice in Prance, say: he is waiting for, a report by a specialist, He is incapacitated' for active-service, and may bo put into a job in England. "But," he adds, "if I'm not bad enougii for a. -trip to New Zealand, I would rather go back and take mv chfi-noe with and (naming two brothers) whe are-still at the front.. It's no usowowy. ing what they are going to do Tulh-.ine, I'll take just what comes my way. "There seems to be every chance ol our getting at least one more winter here," writes all Aucklander now in France, "and from ;all accounts wintei is a pretty bitter time in thisi W,° the conntry. Just at presont (July) tnc place looks beautiful. I neverjaw■ *uch fine crops any where (the writer ' »as ■ a farmer), and the-marvellous thuig about it is that there seems to bo soJew n en about to look after them. are great workers, and jou .°l ten them in the fields m the spirit seems to be all right i : anvhow." Tho writer adds that .nojiu who have evidently great expei a good many others, thirtthe war is gom 0 to be won "in tho air.

It will come as a. surprise to mostpeople to learn that at present there are many hundreds of wild pigs roaming the hills within a few miles of Duiiedin (says the "Otngo Daily Times"), Theso pigs are lo bo found ranging over the watershed at the head of tha Silverstw sun, ■»"« a. responsible authority slates that, they are in such numbers that in places the pnsser-by can actually "smell" them. They are under n, strong suspicion of toting a heavy toll of the lambs born on the Tiins adjacent to the locality, arid, are now becoming so .numerous as to constitute a nuisance.

The Awamoko Committee having charge of tlio soldiers' Christmas gift, parcels has made arrangements whereby the London headquartei-s of the Salvation Army will undertake lo pack and forward from London a Clmetmas parcel to ench Awamoko soldier at the front. Such an arrangement will effect tho maximum economy, and will enable? a much more valuable gift to be sent than could otherwise be the case. The suggestion is worth consideration by other organisations forwarding gift parcels for Christmas.

The Prime Minister stated yesterday that when financial conditions permitted the Government would consider the recommendation of the -Agricultural Department that legislation should be introduced to enable the Government to make advances to co-operative companies and to proprietary concerns in suitable circumstances for the establishment of such businesses as meat works, <lairyfactories, cold stores for poultry P™<- lU *- lime works, works for the utilisation ot waste timber, and wool-scouring p.ant?. London is still a city of darkness, for the Zeppelin menace is 100 serious to allow the old brilliance. Yet many people must go out into dark streets, and key are tryinf all manner of means to make themselves somewhat visible ml he darkness (says an English writer), lno most effective is the glow-worm hat, it is so called for the soft, faint light with which it penetrates tho gloom. The women, munition aod other night worKeis, are responsible for it, and find it v s much comfort as the soldier finds hit, luminous wristlet watch. The hats are an invention of a progressive millinery house in response to the insistent clamour of the women for some slight means to save them from being run over toy cabs and 'buses, and from colliding with other foot passengers. They are not 1111<=i»htly, being- of any size and shape suited" to or desired by the owner, and gain their illuminating effect from their trimmings, which look quite ordinary in the daylight. , , , ' Describing an experience on patrol duty in "No Man's Land" on the Western front an Auckland soldier writes that it is a somewhat creepy experience. J.n one such adventure one of our officers was lucky enough to find in a shell-hole a wounded man v;bo had been there fo three <lav. The officer thought he had "bag-ed"' a German listening post at first, and, presenting a revolver, ojdered the man in the hole to "hands up. The poor beggar was too weak to do more han nod his head, and no doubt thought his end had come; but the officer acted with coolness, and had the satisfaction of discovering that the unfortunate or-ap was one of our own men. Ihe inane thHi was broken, ami the patrol party had to carry him a mile and a half o*er ploughed-up country, back to the dressin" station. Though the wounded vc.nn h-id been in a shell-hole in No Aans Land for three days, the writer states that he was safe to make a good recovery.

Some lime ngo Messrs. F. Cooper, Ltd., seed merchant, presented to the authorities at Featherslon Camp a big consignment of seeds and bulbs, in order that the men in camp might have a hobby in gardening, and by indulging it brighten the camj>. Writing to Sir. Cooper, Colonel Adams, Camp Commandant, says:— "With reference to the seeds which you so "nilly gave the camps, I would like to tell yon that these are now' looking well, especially the anemones. ihe bulla have finished and the anemones made a great sight, and.are a great credit to the seeds which yon supplied, seein- that we are not expert gardeners, and perhaps have not treated them so. well as could have been done in some cases If you care to come up and seo the results we bo very pleased to show them (o yon." Messrs. Baldwin aad Wayward, patent attorneys and consulting; engineers, or 215 Lainbton Quay, ■Wellington, report that recently they acted as agents m tiling the following applications for letters patent of New Zealand Craw, Linton divider for flax fibre: Hon. Ohiirles Parsons, "Wallsend-on-Thames, rioulile lielical sew trains: Belay Automatic Telephone Co.. Ltd., London, automatic and semi-automatic telephone systems; F. α-lonjr, Auckland, guard for brooches; 0. Mortimer, Auckland, Minal for railway level crossings; .1. If. Morris Wellington, boot, floor, and furniture polish; 0. E. Nielsen, Auckland,.sijrnalliiifT apparatus for fire-alarms; 0. A. Ooodnll, Darlington, duplex locomotive; E W. Thlirlow, Brighton, obtain m<: motor fuels and light paraffin oils, from shale, and benzine; toluene, and solvent naptlia from coal.' ■ .