LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 24, 23 October 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Wellington and southern drafts of the soldiers who returned from England on Sunday arrived in Wellington yesterday afternoon, and were met at tho railway station by the Mayor (Mr. J. p. ],uke) and ii largo number of relatives and lriends, who extended tho men a hearty welcomo.

As tho harbour steamer Duchess was berthing at the Wellington Ferry Wharf about ti.ls p.m. yesterday, an accident occurred to one of tho crew, a seaman named Edward Durney, or Durning, who attempted to jump ipom the 6teamor to tho wharf with a line, with which to make the vessel fast. As ho jumped it is presumed that ho slipped, for ho fell between tho steamer and tho wharf, and was pinned there. He \i;as quickly lifted to tho wharf, and was remjved to the Hospital, where lie was found to bo suffering from internal injuries.

Tho following question was addressed te the Attorney-General in tho House of Keprescntntivos last night by Mr, It. Fletcher, M.P. :—"VFhettier it is a fact that a man employed at tho Wellington i'oiico Station is an unnaturalised Austrian who has to report himself once a week to the authorities, his namo being on tho polieo records."

A questioner at Sunday evening's meeting of tho Second Division at tho Kind's Theatre drew tho attention of tho chairman (and ovoTyono else) to two linos in tho league's pamphlet. Ono referred to tho paramount importance of winning the war', and tho other to equality of sacrifieo. Ho wished lo know whether tho members of the league, by making extravagant demands and holding such meetings as tho ono .that evening, thought they were helping to win tho war. So further wished to know whero England mid the world would havo beon if tho Second. Division of Franco (which received 7}d. a day ( , and no allowance) had made such demands before going to war against Germany. Tho reply of Mr. C. H. Chapman was that a man owed a duty lo his family and a duty to his country, but tho duty to his family came first. (Applauso ancf dissentient murmurs.)

The Publie Petitions Committee reported to tho House of Representatives yestorday on t>o petition of JJ. A. Wilson and 53 others, of Waikielrie, praying for tho conscription of internment of all alien enemy labour. Tho committoo is of opinion that tho .petition should bo referred to tho Government for favourable consideration.

A motor lo,rry which was carrying a full load of people to the races at Trentham yesterday ran into a bank at tho side of tho road and overturned. Several of the passengers sustained slight injuries.

Andrew Lashiitßky, a rigger, working on the roof of Philadelphia's City Hall, escaped death recently by an almost miraculous cireumstanco. A scaffold on which he was working 160 feet from the ground broke, and he fell head first aad with feet dangling outward. Sixty feet down a one-inch rope from another scaffold hung liko a hangman's noose. By a spectacular trick of Fate, one of Lashinsky's flying legs went into it, and drow tho noose tight. His fall was stopped with a jerk, and he hun" head downward, swinging in space. Ho managed to swing himself back and forward till he found a rcetingrplace on tho ledge of a window not big enough to permit liiin to get inside the building. Workmen toro away tho window sides and pulled him to safety..

During his visit to Devon recently tha Commissioner was invited to speak at balcombo, and ho took tho opportunity of making a few plain remarks on the scandal of London streets and the temptations they place before the yctmg Now Zealander. lie cited the extraordinary number of public houses in such popular thoroughfares as tho Strand and tho by-streets of these more public highways. The stand-up drinking placcs he stigmatised ns simply drinking dens. Tho men who have to nao them must drink; they aro not invited to sit down and loiter over' the glass, of beer. Tho system is tho worse possible. It positively invites over-indulgence in liquor. Tho abuses are plain to the blindest passing along the public streets of London, yot the authorities take no action. It is not fair to tho men r{ tho Dominions, especially of those in which drinking facilities aro not extensive.

An appellant who appeared before, the Military Service Board at Auckland appealed on the ground that he was a Second Division reservist. Ha Mated to was married last year at the ago of 19, and did not become a reservist until last June. Ho contended that when ho became a reservist he was a married man, and therefore entitled to bo placed in the Second Division. The board held that the appellant, directly ho became a reservist, came under tho provisions of the Military Service Act relating to reBervists who have married subsequent to May 1, 1915, and ruled that he 'is a First Division reservist. The appeal was dismissed, appellant being granted leave until February 8. Mr. J. 11. Upton, who had been a member of the Auckland Anglican Synod ,for 43 years, did not seok election to the new synod, which assembled for tho first time on Friday. Mr. Upton was chairman of committees from 1893 until last year, while for many yenrs ho represented the dioceso on the General Synod. Ho has been a member of tho Melanesian Trust Board since 1873, and of the Dioceson Trust Boni'<l sinca 1881, iukl lie still retains his seat on both beards. From 1892 to 1912 he was also a member of tho St. John's College Trust Board. "Such a record of service," said Bishop Averill i" his address to the synod, '•'sneaks for itself and ueeds no comment, save the remark that few men 111 their day and generation can show a similar record and no man can take his place." The pro-pci-f.s of the iisning season at f Uolorna are considered decidedly favourable (says the "New Zealand Herald ). The trout in the lake are in such good condition that it has heen decided not lo continue netting (here, getting iwll. however, be undertaken on Lakes Rotoili and Tarawera, and also c>. Lake TiUi.w. Oil Hie 'n.st-named it will be carried on by means of a- <loublo bhill, working night and day. The fish obtainPfl in Lako Taupo is lo hn oouve>0(l Ij> motor from Totauum to Waimwrno roiliViv elation, whence it will he * islributed nortt ami souiln a portion sent to Wellington. The Government lnllnc ' l Nimrod is to be transterred Iroin RotoT„n in Ta"PO for use in the netting operations. At Inst evening's meeting of lae «e.-lin-ton Industrial Associations executive Mr. Watkins laid stress upon the necessity for encouraging apprentices to qualify themselves as competent rl r men In the city of London, ho stated an apprentice might, by diligence and sood conduct, earn tiio freedom of t.ie filv . ife laid before the meeting Uio , foliowiii" interesting document, conferred j upon ono who had well served lus apnrentieeship tho privilege referred .0: Fmleriei; Hill Porter, son of James Alfred Porter., and late apprentice of .To-icpli- Spedding Cut wen, citizen and illa'noner of London, was admitted into tiio freedom aforesaid, and made tho deel .ration veil 11 ired by law m tho ma.yor"l'v rf s ir James Thomson Ritchie, Bart., and the Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Cockfield Dinsdalc, Bart., Chamberlain.

Jlr. A If. Iliudnmrsh (Wellington South) lias given notice to add a now clause relating lo llio limitation of freehold tu the I,and Laws Amendment Hill miw before Ihe House of Jfepreseiitnlivrs. Tho proposed clause reads: "Jt shall not lie lawful for any person to become the [(im.'hnsiu' in fee-simple of any hu.il exceeding in area ten ucrcs if .such land, together with all other freehold land of an area of morn than ten acres owned b.v liim (whelher in severalty or jointly with any other person), exceeds in unimproved value the sum of JlflOOO." 'the clauso is qualified by a sub-section relating to land Required under a will or by a mortgagee.

Officially there is nothing new to report respecting tho local strike of seamen on tho small steamers trading out of Wellington. It was rumoured about the waterfront yesterday that tho men were contemplating returning to duty this week, but authoritative endorsement of such action was not obtainable, as tho day was observed sis a close holiday.

A modification of tho Anglican form of church sorvico is suggested l>y Bishop Avorill (says the "New Zealand Herald"), la his address to the synod on Friday ho remarked: "I am not prepared to beliove that our Liturgical services aro at fault, ur that wo Jiavo any need to disponse with them, but I am prepared to believe that they need to be supplemented, and that men need educating up to an appreciation of tliem. AVe are lace to face with an appalling mass of ignorance on. the simplest religious mattore, and wo too often attempt to build upon a non-existent foundation." Tho change supported by tho bishop is a simpler Sunday evening service, based upon evensong, "but with considerably more variation in the way of extempore praver, times of silence, and simple, definite teaching. ]Xe added that lie was no believer in substituting a "pleasant Sunday evening" for real instruction and worship, but they needed to aim more definitely at real conversion of life and real edification in. tho principles of the doetrino of Christ. "At present/' he said, "we arc taking too much for granted, considering how little religious teaching there is in the homes and the sclioois, and wo need to substitute teaching on the fundamentals oC tho Christian faith for tho constant stream of exhortation.

•Ail Auckland officer, writing in. July from Sinai,' says: "Yesterday morning we had one of tho most exciting rides possible, aud a meet of tho Pakuranga Hunt Club would bavo been a drawingroom aifair compared with it. Wo had a good two-milo gallop ovor very rough Bliingly country into new positions, and 'Jaoko' peppered my trcop all the way. Imagine tho Great Northern Steeplechase run at Ellerslie with three or four guns epraving tho contestants from Mrs, Cotter's, and you have some idea of what it was like. Even the grandstand is thero, if it is hilly country, with 'Jacko' oil ono'sido and our own chaps on the other. X do not want you to imagino the -usual thing you see in tho illustrated papers, of a crowd of fellows waving swords and shouting, and. hats flying off. Some hats do fly, and a few horses with hard mouths get a little in front, but we make it a go-as-you-please across an open space. .Lhen. when it looks like shelter, wo go slower. While wo were moving up yesterday morning a liigh-eiplosivo shell landed just in front of us, and. simultaneously, a shrapnel 6holl burse overhead and caught tho front of my troop. My horse was hit in tho jaw and the neck, my sergeant's horse alongside was hit in the back, and my groom on tho other side liad his horse hit in three places, and his animal died of wounds. Two men in the leading section were int. It is wonderful how eleso you can get to tho shells and yet not he touched. As a rule my horso takes absolutely no notice of tlio shells, but on this occasion ho hesitated and garo a grunt, and then settled ints liis stride again. .Wo sent tho wounded horses to hospital, just the same as tho men. The animals ■will get a spell, and be back again shortly.