LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 75, 21 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"Wellington ran congratulate itself that the latest figures show a decrease in disease," remarked a member of the Hospital Board yesterday. Figures presented to tho Hospital Board showed that in November, 1916. sixty-eight eases of infectious disease were reported and that last month the number was uS.

"A Victoria Cross has been given to n young submarine commander for a docd which shows that the spirit of our Nnvy is stffl' o'tlk very highest," writes Sir Thomas Mackenzie from London. "One day he suddenly sighted two German submarines, Mie of which ho was smart enough lo sink, and tin; other was so taken by surprise thiit tho crew surrendered. He then took command of the German submarine (it might be said that he is an excellent German scholar), transferred the uniforms from the. Gorman officers to his own, and sot out for Heligoland, and on arrival he sent a wireless, purporting to detail his exploits ,m d the number of British ships ho had sunk, nnd asking for further instructions. He was told to proceed in n "crtain direction, accompanied by a German destroyer. In duo season ho sank tho destroyer, returned home, and received a well-earned Victoria Cross."

Funds established in New Zealand for the relief oi : sufferers by tho recent disaster at Halifax, Canada, have been declnred by the Minister of Internal Affairs to he war funds within tlii meaning of tho War Funds Act, 1915. _ They become liable to official supervision,

Tho number of bankruptcies in the Christchurch district this year show a large increase, as compared with thn years 1915 and 1916. Nearly a record was established last week, when seven petitions in bankruptcy wore filed. Tho figures for the past three years relating to the number of bankruptcies in Christchurch and district are as follow :—1915, 23; 1916, 15; 1917, 33. Some amended regulations for tho grading of teachers are issued in the j ■Gazette. On Thursday next Mr. J. D. Foster will attempt to swim across Wellington Harbour from Day's Bay to Pipitea Wharf. The distance from point to point is about 7$ miles, but it is reckoned that Mr. Foster will have to swim about ten or twelve miles on account of the currents, eta. Mr. Foster is a returned soldier, 42 years of age. He lias swum Lake Windermere from end to end, and in 1911 ho covered the 23} miles between Preston Docks and Victoria Pier in 8i hours. During November 198 patients were admitted to the Wellington Gener.il Hospital. Adding those admitted lo annexes and so forth, the total was 333.. The total in tho institution on November 30 was 356. It is notified in this week's Gnzetto that tho naturalisation papers issued to Hugo Knrl Albert Seewald on SeptoniDer 17, 1914, are to be withdrawn. Tho man will ceasn to bo a British subject, as far as New Zealand is concerned, on January 1, 1918. After a long discussion yesterday to unravel a tangle over a small matter the Wellington Hospital Board camo to the conclusion that it needed to change its business methods. Members said there was a great overdose of committee meetings, and they thought that if these were drastically reduced and the meetings of the board increased from one to two a month Letter results would be obtained. Also, it was eaid that the board, consisting of twenty members, was too largo— larger by far than tho Harbour Board and the City Council. It was resolved to get a report on the question of reorganising the affairs of the board. In the Juvenile Court yesterday morning Mr. W. G. Riddcll,-. S.M., fined a lad ss. and costs for riding a bicycle on the footpath. An Order-in-Council issued i'i this week's Gazette suspends until tlie eiid of next year the protection of hawks of all species, kcas, blaclf shags, whilethroated shags, and sea-shags. Tlie inquest concerning the death of Frederick Sandells, a petty officer in the Navy, who was the victim of a boating accident in the harbour Jasfc Sunday, was concluded yesterday before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M. The ovidenco of Pcreival George _ ■ Davey, seaman, who is still in the "sick bay," was taken, hut he had nothing material to add to what, was already known. The Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to the rupture of an old gastric ulcer caused while swimming ashore from a boat which accidentally capsized in a strong southerly squall. The Wellington Stock Exchange will be closed from to-morrow morning until the momnig of Monday, January 7, when business will be resumed. Tho Conciliation Council, presided over by Mr. W. Hageer, Commissioner, yesterday resumed the hearing of the adjourned dispute between the Wellington Gas Company and its employees. Mr. A. Adams replaced Mr. .Tames Koberts as one of the assessors, for tho union. Press representatives were excluded from the meeting. Although the parties reached an agree-ment"-on minor matters such as overtime, preference, etc._, they failed to do so upon the main questions of waßcs and hours of work. The dispute will now be referred to .the Arbitration Court as it stands.

An amended scale of fees to lie paid for warrants to make cigarettes by hand in commercial quantities is issued in the Gazette. The -nimnium charge is 10s., rising by 2s. fur each 5000 cigarettes over 25,000. It is rather singular that at tho present time .there should lie in Auckland a French chef wlio actually had Count von Luckner under him as a kitchen boy in Adelaide. This is M. Alex Fail re, proprietor of a fish delicacy shop in Symonds Street. M. Fauro showed a representative of the "Star" bis discharge certificate from Larfi s Pier Hotel, Adelaide, dated 1904, and signed by E. Alexander. M. Fauvo said: "I was chef when Von Lnckner was kitchen boy. It happened this way. The barmaid was a German, and sho got Von Luckner the job of kitchen boy. Of course I did not know ho was a, count at that timo. The barmaid said to me, 'Don't be hard on this boy. Ho knows nothing, but bo cood to him.' It was quite true ho knew nothing of his -work, lmt I could see ho was a eontlcman After peolina potatoes or doinp; any dirty job ho was very careful to dean his nails and linvo a bath in (he middle of tlii day. 1 should think lio was about 17 yours old nt that time, mid rather'effeminate loolcimr. It was tho Gorman barmaid who nskccl mo to find something for the lad to do. Tie left about tbrec weeks afterwards. Two or throe weeks later I wr.s in Adelaide, and tlioro I saw my old kitchen boy, lnit this timo ho was dressed as a Kcntkniiiii, the cut of his clothes Doing faultless."

At a s|)oci.il meeting of tlio Lower Hutt Borough Council held last ovening a resolution was passed glaring foxglove to be a noxious weed within the borough. The season for the taking of yidwits (curlew) in the North Island (elsewhere ihnu in the Auckland acclimatisation district) is to be from .l.iuuary 1 to March 31. The birds may ii'.t bo trapped, netted, snared, or laken by any other means prohibited by tlie Animals Protection Act,

The award of the Arbitration Court in the tailors' dispute has been filed Willi tho Clerk of Awards at 'Vcllington. It is to take effect from February 4, ISIIB, until February i JH2O. Tho minimum weekly wage 'is f'xed at £3 Ds., and no deduction is to to made for time- lost, except through tho worker's sickness or default. Time payment is to bo at the rate of ]s. Ld. per hour. When other than weekly hands are employed at Indies' tailoring, the work may be done at tho option of the employer either at loo;rates or at the minimum rate of Is. 6d. per hour. Under tho heading of "General Conditions" it is provided that there shall bo a fair distribution of work anion" all operatives m each workroom by the employer. employer shall have the right to introduce whatever machinery his business may, m his opinion, require, and io divide and subdivide labour iu any way he may doom necessary, provided that tnero shall be employed on coats not less than ono journeyman to every four journoywomen or apprentices. The usual conditions in regard to underrate workers and preference ?ro included in the award. Tho Commissioner of the National Efficiency Board for the Canterbury Military District has (says an exchange) had his attention drawn to a rumour that some reservists, moro especially musterers, are being granted total exemption from military service. The Commissioner states that nobody who is of military age aud medically fit has got or can get total exemption ; oven in most essential industries exemption is only granted temporarily, and for specific purposes, and so far as mustcrers holding certificates are concerned, they are only'exempted until tho dato endorsed on tho certificate, and then only conditionally upon tho holders continuing their work until that date. Consequent on the increasing cost of carbide and difficulty in procuring regular supplies for the municipal gas lighting tho Milton Borough Council last week increased the price of its acetylene gas from Bs. Gd. to £1 per 100 feet. A meeting of consumers was also convened by the council, at which it was unanimously resolved that the gas works bo closed down until carbide is again obtainable at a normal figuro. Present stocks will last onlv until about the middle of January. The last consignment of carbido from Sydney cost over £83 per ton, as compared with about £15 in pre-war times. Tho business premises and churches will thus have to revert to kerosene lamps or Eomo other illuminant. The prizes and proficiency and attendance certificates wero distributed ab Glmzneo Street, Mitehelltown, and Willis Street Schools by tho chairman (Mr. H. A. "VV. M'Kenzio) yesterday. There was a good attendance at tbe last-mentioned sohool of parents and others interested in the results. Hie silver cups for sports (boys) wore won by Bernard Wolff, Ralph Evans beiug second; girls: Flora Martin, first; Mary Atkinson, second. Theso cups, after bavin? the names engraved, wU be held by the winners for the year 191 <- 1918. Cheers were given at each function for all concerned.

"Wβ have lost by death tlie first chairman of the Dardanelles Commission," writes New Zealand's High Commissioner, Sir Thomas Mackenzie, who is a member of the Commission. Lord Cromer was an outstanding man, and Ins death was much deplored. Wo aro still sitting. The work has been a great experience; we have had before us as witnesses men who have been, and are, prominent in controlling the affairs of the nation; wo have reviewed the Balkan and indeed all European diplomacies. Sometimes the evidence is of a most thrilling nature. It is hoped that action will bo taken on the report if it is, published, although I think it is a-mistake to publish reports of the description during tho war. Indeed, it ought not to be necessary to hold these inquiries, becauso the Department sliould know tho condition of affairs and who is responsible for errors from their confidential reports. Howovor, as I am on tho Commission, I have to do my duty and to bring to book any who may have been unfaithful to his trust—and there- are. t think, some such—so that sliould our New Zealand lads again go to war they will know that tho duffers'will have been eliminated and good officers put in charge."

Tho record of tho I'orirua School champion soccer football team last season was: Games played 12, won 11, drawn 1, lost 0. Tho team scored 80 points, and liad only ono scored against it.

Holiday traffic out of Wellington has within the last clay. or two assumed very big dimeusions, and it looks as though now records will ho established this Christmas. From about 11 a.m. until 'well on in the afternoon the Railway Department's city bureau, in Willis Street was besieged by an eager crowd of trippers, which bulged out across iho pavoment in such a solid mass that a police constable had to keep an eye to see that something like order was maintained. The rush was so great that a notice had to bo posted notifying the public that South Island railway tickets were being sold at the Lambton Station. The abnormal rush suggested tho idea that a 'separate exit should be provided to allow those who had been attended to the chance of geting away as soon, as possible. Right up till Monday tho bookings for the two daily expresses north are very heavy. The holiday rush for steamer passages south, and to Pictou and Nelson, is also extremely heavy, and the Union S.S. Company's staff is having its work cut out to cope with clients' wishes. All tho time-tabled boats aro fully booked for days 'to come. Tho To Anau lel't yesterday and the Monowai sails to-day for Lyttelton with drafts of troops on holiday leave. Corporal Keith Mitchell, formerly of tho staff of Wright, Stephonson, and Co., writes interestingly from a London hospital:—"! received my wound (a machine-gun bullet through the left shoulder) on Octobor -2, during tho battle for Passchendaelo Ridge. Our boys had tho hardest" luck possible, uvnry thing, including the weather, being against us. Wo had to try and fight our way forward through mud up to our middle, and through a tremendous artillery and machine-gun barrage. Needless to say our losses were very heavy. I was hit when endeavouring to work my way forward, all my section having previously been hit. . . . 1 will uow tell you of a rathor peculiar coincidence that occurred after I was hit. I was lying in a sort of shell-hole trench, awaiting my chanco to got back to the dressing-station, when suddenly someouo jumped in alongside mo and brought a machine-gun into action. I looked at tho gunner, and it was Sid. Gully, of the linn's shipping department. It was as strange a meeting as one could well imagine."

"Absolute prohibition exists in Canada, with the- oscention of tlio Uuebec Province," says Mr. Frank Meadowcroft, who has returned from that country tin's week. "It is anticipated that prohibition will be carried in that province in the near future. That, does not mean that no driul; may b'c obtained at all for homo consumption, but it must not bo drunk in public, suoh as in a restaurant or cabaret." DOCTORS' CREAM O , GttOA'rS arc always fresh ami pure. Gel a uaeltpt from your grocer to-clay.—Advt. Your Own Invention.—That little coiitriviuico of your own that .yon are usmp in the workroom or home—that you find such a time-saver in your work cii'il and i tell us about it, or write for "Advice to lnrcntom," free from Henry Hughes, Ud.,.157 Peathorston Street. Wellington. —Advt.

The prizes given annually for the dux boy and girl attending the Taita Hchool by Mr. and Mrs. H. A. W. M'Kcimc, were won this year by Uoitgias M'Artlmr, who easily topped the whole school, and Maud Hunt tho uirls.

Tlio standing orders at Somes Island provide that in the event of any of tlio prisoners of war escaping from tho island, that the authorities should be immediately notified by the firing of rockets on the island. It is desired that tlie general public should he awaro of these arrangements in order that they may co-operate in effecting tho recapture of the escapee, and to notify tlio nearest polico officer of tho movements of any persons who may be suspected as having escaped from tho island. Members of the Thirty-third Reinforcements and other soldiers in Trentham Camp will liave their Christmae dinner at noon to-day. The special comforts arranged by the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luko) have all been packed, the work at the Town Hall having been carried out by the Mayoress and her committee of helpers. No fewer than forty-five largo cases of goods are being forwarded, per motor lorry, early tin's morning. Hospital patients and staffs are included in Christmas cheer. .Comforts for all sections at the forts and other military organisations will bo sent forward to their destinations to-morrow morning. Since the beginning of the war the Mayor and Mayoress have each year extended similar hospitality to the last-mentioned units.