LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 59, 3 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho names of the Class A (Second Division) men drawn in tho thirteenth ballot will be issued in a Gazette Extraordinary this evening. The Gazette will contain also the names of First Division men who have become available during recent weeks. The names of the selected men in the Wellington district and neighbouring districts will be published in The Dominion to-mor-row morning. A charge of arson was preferred against John Parry Jones in the Magistrate's Court on Saturday. It was stated that the police suspected him because a fire had occurred in the room he had occupied in a city boardinghouse. Jones was remanded till Wednesday, and bail was allowed. At the Dunedin Police Court on Saturday, Rowland P. Besto was charged with the theft of six sums of money, totalling £12 18s. Tho accused started a debt-collecting agency in August, and obtained a number of debts to collect from shopkeepers, doctors, lawyers, and others, but failed to account for the money. Tho magistrate mado an order for tho detention of tbo accused for reformative treatment for a period not exceeding threo years.—Press Assn. The maintenance hands of the Wellington City Corporation held their annual picnic at Day's Bay on Saturday in fine weather. Hamilton Perry, who was alleged to have deliberately jumped over a 70ft. cliff at Island Bay, was before the Magistrate's Court on Saturday. One of liis arms was in a sling, and his faco was bruised and cut. Tho magistrate remanded him for a woek so that he could be medically examined. A grass fire on tho flat ground between Lyall Bay and Kilbirnie caused a lot of smoko and a certain amount of uneasiness among residonts yostcrday morning. An alarm was "iven shortly after noon, and tho Kilbirnie engine and tho motor chemical engine went out, but found that their services wero not needed. Greater Pood Vnlue in DOCTORS' CREAM 0' GROATS than in any imported Groats. Try it. All Grocers.—

All candidates from the Cros3 Creek School, who sat for tho Sixth Standard proficicncy examination at tho Featherston centre have boon successful. To date, this school lias raised nearly £300 for patriotic purposes; a handsome amount lor a small wage-earning settlement.

At l'almorston Court on Saturday Louis Clark was sentenced to ono month's imprisonment for giving wrong information in respect to tho Expeditionary Force Reserve. Ho gave three different nanios to tho police—Lamb, Clark, M'Kay—and said that lie had walked from Wellington. He had no registration papers. Later on be said he had fivo fathers. _It was impossible to find out anything definite about him.. The accused said ho had registered in Wellington as Louis MacKay.

Lecturing in Auckland on the subject of "Unpreparedness for Motherhood and the Best Age for Marriago," Dr. Truby King said ho thoroughly understood the responsibility in giving advico on tho age at which a woman should marry. Looking at the matter from all standpoints ho coull only think that early marriago was best, and in his opinion eighteen for tho women and twenty-two for tho men were tho most suitable ages, both from the point of view of health, morals, and tho nation. Judge Chapman some fifteen years ago pointed out to tho speaker the difference botween the birth-rate in Franco and in Germany. Tho latter was increasing at the rate of ono million a year, while Franco almost stood still, from ta mistaken nense of thrift. To show how desperately the French nation were striving to combat this at tho present time, the speaker mentioned that tho Government was paying £20 for tho firs child, £20 for the second, £30 for the third, «nd £40 for the production of four perfectly healthy children belonging to one man and his wife A proposal to erect an obolisk to mark the site of tho old buildings that were tho first liome of the General Assembly of New Zealand was made to tho Auckland City Council by tl« Mayor (Mr. J. H. Gunson). The spot, he said, was of great historio interest, and' should be marked in some way after the buildings were removed. It had also be-on suggested that the old assembly hall itself might be preserved and re-erected for a P™ elsewhere. This was a question which might be considered at the same tame. The matter was referred to , the Committee.

A protest was made by the , ion Executive of tho Farmers Union at its last meeting against the <usbandment of the Req ulsltl o ns ,, Con ™i tee and the handing over to the agei t of the Imperial Government the sole control of the machinery of the requisitioning ,of produce. The Imperial Supplies Department, ecutive resolved, "has not tho confidence of tho producers, and as at constituted is not satisfactory. ' it is imperative that, a requisitions connrnttee of experts in whom tho fanners have confidence be appointed to rov-£ the actions of the Imperial Supphes Department in all matter affecting our produce until it is on shipboard. Tho Wellington Social Democratio Party (which is affiliated to tho Wellington Labour Representation tommittee) have decided to nominate Mr. H E. Holland for the selection ballot for a Labour candidate for the Wellington North by-election. '