LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 58, 1 December 1917, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The familiar admonition "Ten o'clock, centlemen," was heard in Wellington bars last night for the last time., presumably, until the close .of the war. A few customers showed a disposition to voice their regrets, but the hotels were closed quietly and with reasonable promptitude. The early closing, law will come into operation to-day, and the bars will be closed -this evening at 6 o'clock. . ' , • There was one bankruptcy in' Wellington in November of tnis year, and tor, the eleven months .of the year nine have been recorded. In the first eleven months' of 1916 there were sis failures, ■-' Mr. John Cullen, ■ ex-Commissipnej of Police, who lias been appointed the officer to control? the' mobilisation of. the.Jiigo-Slavs of'.the north of Auck-, land, is visiting Wellington.. Mr. Uillen will take up his new. duties lnvmedj-. ately. ,'' - : • .' How little some people know or care about -War Certificates, was, illustrated 'yesterday in connection with the sports.. ho'dies "surprise-packet" _-scheme. Some of the prizes consisted of \Yar Certificates of £10, £5. and-£1 denominations. One lW who drew a ticket entitling her to a £1 certificate visited Harcourt' and Co.'s room, where Mr. C. G. Wilson was.busy issuing.the scrip to lucky winners, and on being handed the paper threw it hack on'the counter, asking "what was tho good of such things" to her. Mr. Wilson tried to impress upon the indignant lady that the certificate 'really- had some value, but she said they wore no use to her. A gentleman who was standing bv asked her if she would sell it for 10s. Sho eagerly grabbed the cash, and left the room, as a smiling man picked up the £1 bond and tucked it away in his pocket-book. The first girl telegraph messenger has made'her appearance in Gisbornoy The toll of wharf accidents was addled to yesterday, when a worker named Lawes, a resident of Abel Smith Street, was injured through a bale of kapbc falling on his head. Laws is at present in the Public Hospital. '

There will appear in the Magistrate's Court to-day on a charge of attempted suicide, a man whose trouble is to' be that ho jumps- over, cliffs. .'lie was' arrested"' yesterday because '.he •had jumped over a 70 r foot cliff I ap; Is-' land Bay, and it is ..said .that he did a similar thing a few. weeks ago. Yesterday he escaped with a few scratches, but on the previous occasion ho was severely enough hurt to require • hospital treatment. He is about 30 years of age. . ' , s

' A seaman named Harry Jertsoir was knocked down by a tramcar in Courtenav Place last evening. >: He sustained injuries to his head, and. was taken to the Public Hospital. Jertson is a native of Norway, and is 53 years

of age. Over3so boys attending the Auckland Grammar School have made arrangements to assist on farms-and stations during the coming summer vacation. In the first instance the.-original Efficiency Board made representations which resulted in the school-holidays heinw extended to enable the hoys to see the. harvest through, nine weeks in all-from December'7.-.to February 10—being allowed. The new Efficiency Hoard did not, however, follow up the idea, and all hut 50 of the boys took matters into'their own hands (says the Auckland "Herald"). ■ .The scholars -still available are for, the most .part •big, healthy boys, capable. ol.doing a ■;good day's work-.,: - ■ " Over 17,000' acres' of unimproved land in the Auckland province wre thrown open for selection by : discharged .soldiers, and applications for holdings were dealt with by the Auckland' Land Board this week. Scarcely, more than 1000 acres have yet been allotted.- .

" The violins used by the performers al. a concert in New Plymouth wore .-(tho."Taranaki Herald" states) of iocai manufacture. The finger-board of. Miss. Hirst's violin was mado from a piecfc of puriri taken from the old Waiwakaiho bridge,-and the back table and sides from kauri and lancowo'od. 'The kauri used in the belly of the second instrument was obtained from an old pionoer- . built hoiise, which stood . in Vivian Street, 'and the .maker considers it probable that the timber was cut 50' ■years' ago. He himself, cloven years ago, felled the lahce'wpod from which the back ta'blo was mado/so that the materials were thoroughly seasdneo. when .l,ho instrument was constructed in 1912, r ' . :. Discussing he living conditions ol manual labourers and their families during the hearing of a case at., the Arbitration Court at Auckland, Sistei Esther said that whilo there had been a general reduction of ronts since the. ■commencement of. tho war, the saving effected had been more than offset, by the"increased cost of food and clothing. Boot* and.shoos in particular, wero now costing more than- formerly, children's footwear alone showing an increase of 25 per cent, • Sister LsthcJ mentioned that in several ■ cases wliicu had come under her notice-the tootwear of the wives-and children was in 'a denlorable condition, -the-ava.ila.hl6 cash having to bo spent on boots )oi the husband. r It is understood (says the.-. Manawatu Times") that Government engineers have been engaged, during -the past'week in surveying he route "1 .the electrical supply line £ merston and tho site of the proposed Mangahao power-house at the foot ol tho Tararuas, behind Shannon.

A staunch supporter of Rugby football- while a resident of Dunodin, and a keen followor of the fortunes of the Otago University Club, writes from. London by the last mail: Soccer.)s the game here, and so it ought to. bo, tho way they piny it- It is entirely a different gamo from what they play in the Dominion. Here it is science, there beef and brawn. Messrs Win ; Campbell, Ltd;, recom--mend "NO RUBBING" -Laundry Help for washing clothes: clean ;without rubbing or injury to hands or. fabrics..-Is. packets every time.—Advt. '/... •

' Some years "ago," at a criminal trial; in.Dunedin, the-offence charged being a murderous assault, the jury con*' victcd. One of the jurymen after* wards told a friend how ho came to! vole "Guilty." Ho ; said: "You re-i; member.the prisoner tried-.to'prove art-' alibi-by a comparison .of the true timerwith the time shown by. a clock in a/ certain shop. .Well, I said to myselS, that if a man would set out to com.-; init a murder ho wouldn't stick at<; going into the shop and piling back); the clock. This novel logic of assum-; iiig guilt and then looking for some 1 ' fact to prop up the presumption, seeme to be on a parallel with thV'argumentj that the Rev. J. Patersoif spoke ofi at the Presbyterian. 'Assembly on MonJ day night .(says the Dunedin "Star").* Th'o subject,before the Assembly wasj the Mormon influence in ..the King* Country. The- reverend '.gentleman; fiaid.th'at ho'and.a Mormon once got info a.discussion'." .The Mormon*., beingasked where bis people.got their doc. trinal authority. .replied: ; "Have 7$ ever read the.last, chanter, of Markr;' "Yes," replied Mr. Paterson. "And about supernatural gifts-being . con- - timie'd?-"The answer Was. again in the", affirmative. .."Well,;.we have those! gifts," -Mr/ Paterson .a.sked: "What gift do you nnssess ■".' The,: JMormoni answered: "I have-the gift, of knowledge." Asked- "In what way .is Touf. rift manifested?" tlie. gentleman from' Utah crushed his opponent with ths' answer: "I know that. I'm. right and vyon're wrong." . It is pleasant to see about our streets those tall, clean-cut soldiers ..of tha Regular Army of the United States so* journing in this country oii .their way* to the tragic slopes of France (says London "Opinion"). They resemble in many-ways, and particularly m ttieiii lithe and smart, appearance, the lads, who come from New Zealand to fight - tho battles of the Mother Country. Indeed, at first many people mistake them for Now Zealanders, since thou hats are practically the same. Tha brown cord on collars and cuffs gives tho first indication of distinctive dif- - ferenco—and when they open then mouths all doubt vanishes. '

In another column we-publish a review of a-leading-barrister, of. Mr.-U. B. MorisonV work on '"The Rescission, of"■ Contracts,"- recentlypublished in, London by Messrs. Stevens and Haynesy, The work has been favourably, reviewed! both : m England and' America. Hie, last number of "The. law Quarterly, Review," the leading; English law periodical, edited, by the Right. Hon< Sir Frederick Pollock, Jart.,. D.0.L., LLD.i refers to the-work as a boob 'of unusual merit," and,'after outlining the "author's •treatment of. various bronchos' 'of 'the' subject, j says: \Na •oanndtlna short justice to, still'less can we discuss, Mr. Monsonb Argument.' Suffice •it -to. sa yi that he makes good his points by.clear reabhinc and by honest endeavour to Unfile authority .with sound prux crole. He does.not throw oyer, an authority which does not suit him. 01 attempt to justify unwelcome, decisions unTUnds other than those iuk, which they were given. The book « well worth the most careful study, and should do much to throw JigM upln. some of.thd most difficult poinU in the law of- contract. ' The evidence t of Mr. J. B. Reed, K.C., has been taken in Auckland H the Public Service Board of Appeal uf 'reference to the application of Owen B. Bowling, Deputy-Registrar of the, bui preme Court at Auckland, for the posiSoTofCrown Solicitor at We l.ngton, Mr Bowling'was unsuccessful in h.S .application for the. position and appfied to the Supreme Court_ or a *nj of mandamus against the, Public Service Commissioner, in. consequence of the provisional appointment of. Mr. Pendevillei a solicitor .practising a« Eketaluna.' Theapplication was on the ground that ;.the,. Public Service Act .provides,, that no, outsider--be appointed?to a>giti Public Svice unless tibte isUio member of the" S Supreme Court. hearing, Mr. Justico Stringer dismissed the motion for a writ of mandamus. The plaintiff, how™;;stiiiwtiV i P M«f^f« the Commissioner's decision, and tins appeal is now in progress. ' Wangauui is at present very much concerned, over its. water ierv.ee, on which £100,000 has been spent, ine "c lonicle" states that a serious position in regard: tc.the supply was d> - closed at the last meeting of the Borough Council. The.engineer' Mr. IS. Crofton Staveley) said that at the present time the dam was down seven Let, and.as a lead had been'discovered n he pipe-track, the town: was dewndent upon the Westmere Lalo. The location of. the leak might be,» long and expensive business. After discussing- the matter,-the council Ictided to put on-two inspectors for the purpose of supervising the-use of the- ™ he people from north of..the Tweed, who hail St. Andrew as their patron Lint-, Sned with :the sports bodies o eday in making the .day .memo ' able from a patriotic point ' of vim. JEarlV'in the' afternoonHhe Well ngton H Klland "Band paraded' "the street, and a troupe of .juvenile Scotch dancers visited many, places, and gave evidenced of their .agility and grace in dances to encourage the clink of silver "for. the cause In, the afternoon they visited. the \\ climeton Bowling Club, and. tested by the velvety smoothness .of the. sward, a quartet, of- the : ypuiigsters danced a Highland rcclwith rare elan, and^ .ere duly rewarded by: a'good collection and much.applause. ..'-."". r :.. , We have to acknowledge receipt of a parcel of interesting war namph ets from Messrs. Mgety and Co.. WsJ include copies for-June and. July or lhat excellent illustrated the "War Pictorial,", pamphlets gmg particulars of tho war on hospital ships, Ae"horors-of Wittenbur* Germany's ost Sire, and. a' statement by h« American Minister .to Belgium on tb Sul a d criminal deportation o! wome. and other civilians, by the GerTan authorities. There* also a copy if Mr John Buchan's "Story., of the n f ,J pof he Somme: First Phase." Th! collection is a most interesting and '■'• r „»ti,-n selection of war literature. SSSffiftSsrf Co. Intimate that nnbi pavment of postage-they are pre. Cl to forward gratis a small supply if each pamphlet to country schools of art libraries.'etc. a generous otfe* which should fiiid eager acceptance. ,