LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 223, 8 June 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

J « All. accident nf a serious character oc'■iirrnl on the King's Wharf vesterdav aikruoon. From information "that could w gnthmd it .appears that a ladder loadiiin' to an overhead staging gave way, ruid several of 'the .men who were on it 101 l and were injiircil. - Three men, I'liomiis .lnnos, David Jl'Caim. and liobert Freeman, ljvre removed' to the Hospital suffering from . injuries . to their leps and foodie?. The ..others received minor hurts and' were- piven first aid treatment' by members of the Harbour. Board stall. .

A number of.inquiries, have been made as to the reason for tile cancellation of the naturalisation of certain alien subjects, now interned in New Zealand. Tower was given to the Governor-ill-Council to so cancel the naturalisation of any alien subject, under the I!evoca : tion of Naturalisation Act of 1917, whereby if it be deemed in the interest of tho State anil the defence of the Kealm the i.aturalisation of any .alien subject should . be. cancelled forthwith. ■. As to why certain German or alien subjects are deprived of the privileges of naturalisation and not" othets (when both may be interned) it can only be said to b? a. matter of policy, dictated bv evidence which cannot very ivnll, or with any advantage, bo made public; 6

■■"You. meet a man in the street, and he will' readily talk übout almost any subject but religion," said Bishop Julius at Leeston. "Ho will talk about the weather, and "discuss the war- news, or any;other cuirent topic, and even tell you about his .health—it is unfortunato if lie does trouble you about his health — but the one thing that matters most is scarcely ever mentioned. Why, it is the one subject that everybody., should be bubbling with, full to the brim. If you happen to mention religion to man he will shrink away into his shell at once. It is a sad tiling. I don't moan to say that I want men to bo always talking about their religion, or to be talking about.it at all wit.li long faces, but I do want, moil to talk about religion just as they would about anv othei' subject."

Writing to Mr. Itobert Hannah, of Wellington, 51 v. P..W. Ilaybittle, who lias teen doing honorary liuiior work lieliiml the .linos ever- since -the war broke oul, and has'been, attached to the-Volun-tary Motor Iteervs of the R.A.M.C. (based nt Etaples, Fraiice). has been promoted inspector nf tlm Motor Reserve, and has now to cover loiig distances up and down the. front" during his tours of inspection. ...He relates an incident showing the • value of .a little " fore-, sight ' as. "applied jo motoring in Northern - 'France in the winter "; time. Fourteen of Iho Motor "Reserve received orders one ev^niiij;, that tliev wero- to. make for a certain.' part of the lino at daylight tli? next morning as it was anticipated't fiat the. Germans were goiui: to attack in strength there. The night was very cold and a hard, frost set in early, 'ami''continued the whole night. Daylight came, and nf the fourteen voluntary motorists Mr. ITaybittle was the only ono to get away, on time, and that, being so he had the honour of .motoring one of the most eminent surgeon-general* in the British Army. Why he of all lhe:'e was able to gei: away was owing to his having taken th« precaution of b'anVetiii? his engine the night before. All the others had neglected to make [heir engines ''comfy," n'ul '*.s the result nvervthii!" was frozen hard —the water in tV r'-Hlialor, |l'« oil in the tank, and tin lubricating oil all over the engine. The eminent officer con«i'ntulnte'l Mr. Haybittle on his foresight, whieli had enabled him to reach his destination on fime.

A wee'uis of Hip council of ll'c Wellington Branch of Hie New Zealand Association o? TJf : ti.=h AfnnulV'-turprs and Wilts was lip'd in the Ciinmbcr. of Conuuprcp on Tupsday afternoon, and was i'l lo nd r d by Mc-sr*. C. T 1 ;. son, W. A. Ti. T?iley. h. T). TTi"'-" I '. >V. T. JM;. 1!. T-'lis,K. Scoil, Mid-Jain n s MVMiilosh. Th" secretary reported Hint ilie membership now con-, sistpd of fH local firms a"d SI British linises. Tt was i-cportnl Hint .Hi", comi,.;i wp'M as a (l»'ui(atinn . upon (li? Aeiing-VinWe l ' of France rcsrard-. in"? Hip provisions in Hip Finance .Ac l , of under which ''gents who ray i'jconip (as nil • behalf of principals *osidpiit abroad end Iv'itiL' in New '/e-'lavd are personally liable to contribute to war l(v>i<s in' Hip events of (lieir t>rircipals failing lo do so. It was reported that-the bad pureed to nermit of time being given to a rents to coni'mmicatp with Hieir iirincipn l '' nni) I'^cci''' 1 r-nliv l ' before action. be taken by'the'Commissioner o f T"*es under tbe compulsory clauses in the Finance Act. Tt was stated that it is expected that Ibe various brandies thvough •New Zealand will slwi'Hv 1« ptMiated under one wueral body. Mr. I.V. itidsirai was elected Hie association's r*w«ei;.afive on the council of tlie .\ellln3ton Chaniber of Commerce.

Tlip Suburbs Defence Piiflp'f'l"b is pr»senting a. cheque to Hip patriotic funds, and is also sending n chco'ie to Trivalo U, Graham, president of the club, who is now in camp.

A Gazelle calling up the. remaining First Division Jlanri reservists 111 the Waikafo-Alaniapoto district will lie issued next week. It will contain about (wo hundred names.

Councillor Frost, chairman of (lie lieserves Ooinmilteo, acknowledges the receipt of the sum of Xt Hs being dniuitiuus as follow, towards the purchase of a nair of lii: n rs'—,J. J. Niven, 25., A. Walker, ill Is.

, A number of trophies of war liayc voicbcd Wellington, and those, taken by members of the 17th (Runtime). Regiment are being taken to Jlasierton (our special correspondent•. telegraphs). .

The Minister of Public Health las a ■iked the Minimal 1 Korough Council lor ils reason for saying Ihat llie iinicim of the contribution required <n it the Wellington 110-nilal and Charitable Aid Board was unjust.. The council derided lo reply that it considered tho hospital expenditure excessive.

Speaking on Hip question of cold storage at the' annual mcctim; of the Sonlh Island Dairy Association of New /faland. .Mr. T. W. l'Vicr (chairman) referred to the immense strides winch hml been made in tlic cheese and butler industries in the throe southern provinces. ,lt was worthy of mention that the increased output had necessitated the erection of. new storage buildings at the HIulT, Otago anil Lyttelton. The stores were proving of incalculable value, uiul it was difficult lo say how the factories would have fared had they not been provided with .thai, means of relieving the storage congestion of factories. Stores were now. carrying heavy slocks of cheese and butter. The Government hart assisted greatly jn financing 'tlio erection of stores.

_The oßicinl monthly summary, of the New iZealai'.d Division's work at the front iHafcs (under date June I):—"The division remained .in the il'ebutcriic sector. Several small, raids were carried out, resulting in capture of prisoners. There is nothing further to report."

The Advisory Hoard of (he War Relief and Patriotic Societies of New Zealand, which up to the present has met in Wellington, will hold its next meeting in Christchiirch un Juno 20. In his address delivered at New York on Jiiniiiiry 21 Mr. Charles M. Schwab, the steel ning.iate, is repoi'ted as having nude the following statement: "We are at the threshold of n new social era.

... It means one thing, and that is that the man who labours with his hands, who does not possess property, is ■the one who is going to dominate (lie affairs of the world, not. merely Russia. Germany, and thr United States, but the whole world. This great, change is going to be ,i social adjustment. I. reP»al, that: it will be a great hardship to those who control nropcriy. Wilt perhaps 1n the end it will work est.iinably for the good of us all. Therefore it is our duty not to oppo-e, but-to instruct, In meet and i« min»le with the idi'ns <>f others. The I rinisl.it inn from the old to the n-M order of things wilj he so gradual that v.e will li.u'dly realise-that, is has occurred. We may find it hard for a time, but there will lx' a l ' Adjustment. 1 am. not anxious to give away my wealth. The more wealth and power one acquires, the more one wants. 1. am not. one to carelessly. (urn over my belongings for the uplift of the nation, but I inn one who has come to the belief that the workers will rule, and the sooner we realiso this the better it will be fur our country and the world at large."

Archbishop lt|ley, of Perth, W.A.. has received from lus son, Lieutenant Riley, a letter written at the Hotel Abcelen, 'Schweninger on March (i last (says tlio Adelaide "Advertiser"). Lieutenant ji'iiey was taken prisoner in October, 11114. In 'his letter he promised to send to his father details of the ill-treatment of Australian soldiers in Genual) camps. He-suggested that the Commonwealth Government should insist on reprisals in order to improve their lot. He said: "It is a matter of life and death. Ever since IPIG and right up to the present moment tiiero are Australian nrisoncra working in France. These fellows have been reported to you as missing, hut. they hnvn never been reported as prisoners. Tliev are not allowed to send letters or postcards or to rtceivc parcels. They am fed on a pitiful soup ration (tiiey are usually in good condition on arrival), worked hard until' the.v are'reduced to skin and bone, and then sent to a hospital or to Germany to some prison camp. If they' get some food they live on, human wrecks, and write letters. If they die they are reported died of wounds some three or six months previously, or not reported at all._ This does not happen now and then i it is goin~ on liv month and by year, a regular syst»m. Unless a man lias been reported, killed there is a good chance that he is' still alive. I caii quite understand a certain number being blown up or buried by heavy shells, but what about all that crowd taken at Bullccourt? 1 have met a lot of officers from there, very good fellows, too, but Lord .knows where liiost of the. men have been .wit." A comnlaint was also made bv Lieutenant Riley that the contents of parcels sent to prisoners were sometimes stplen.

The mobilisation of tho Forty-third Reinforcements will take nlace this month, bestnnin? on June 18. Volunteers are now beimr accented for Ihe Forty-fourth Reinforcements, which will enter camp in July. Only First Division men who have not yet be n n called for service, and reservists of Classes C and D of the Second Division are accepted es volunteers, and the Forfyrfourth draft is: the only nno open for voluntary enlistment. Men who have been drawn in tho ballot and. setvdown for later drafts can secur n permission to enter camn with tho Fortr-fourfh Reinforcanients.

Class C nf the Second Division, ''l which a ballot will 1>» taken, next we°k, contains nojv about SS.Oflfl reservists. Recently the Government Statistician sent a card to each member of the class, »;k----ins for information regarding anv alteration of .status, and 'he .information secured by this means has enabled Ui»i (o move nearlv one thousand men into Class 0 (three children). Other men liavo massed out of tho class bv voluntary enlislmont or by passing the age limit. The Christchureh Defence Committee have "-eeeived word front Wellington tli-t cabled advic» Yrom Eneland states it is useless for fit men to apply lo be returned on furlough to New Zealand.

The departure from Samoa recently of Jlr. A. R. Coberoft, who intends joining the New Zealand Forces, recalls a somewhat sensational nursuit of native murderers, in which Mr. Coberoft took nart. In February, 1914, four of the native constabulary murdered a German planter, named Trevirairas. and his manager, Kchtitt. and tcok to the .bush. An expedition agninst Hie murderers was organised by Mr. Coberoft .'nd Herr von Ifoidy, eleven Euron«ans taking part, and after a fight lasting five Tfonrs.-tliree of the natives were shot, a"d the fourth captured. Dnriin» the'fight a German planter named Helline was killed, and a native police official severely wounded. Herr von Heidv. who assisted in organising the /expedition, was snhscfiueiitly interned. .He was one of the nartv that escaned from Motuihi with Count von I.uckner, and was recaptured at the Ivermadecs.

Not the least useful work done, by thi Australians since th-vr came on tho Somme,- cables the official correspondent; '■.as been the salvage of Trench publ>". and private property in towns and ullages, which are under constant German shell-lire. From factories, stores . and- mills, many mil'ion francs' worth of wool and enftpn dyes wore saved n"d sent back lo Di'o French'authorities, also groceries. wine, and a quantity "f private household valuables, furniture, mid ornaments. One unit calculates that it caved six miHieu francs' worth. of such property in threp or four weeks. .Another unit estimates it saved .£IOO.OOO worth of w'ool alone, amirt fror. % . forage and foodstuffs: and sixty large casrs of private household m-operty—all this from two or three villages. The ml r vaged material includes' much valuahln sninning and other machinery. The work of salvage is proceeding day and night, and often under the most trying circumstances, coining some casualties among, the Australia" soldiers i'.nd transport drivers engaged. Many appreciative V>t»rs have been received at the Ausir.-i'jau Headquarters from the French civilian and military authorities tha"king the .Mirtratiau trom>= for tb"ir i.illant voif duct in the alleviation of civilian hardshin a»d distress. One French factory owner forwarded W'tli thanks IjW francs to the Australian Tied Cross, IXH) francs to the sports fund of tho battalion closeIV couceni"d. and COO francs among tin l transport drivers' Several hundred bead of stock of various sorts were driven back. Where the trooi>= consumer! Mate-—sin-li as forag® md foodst'iC's-this was issued them officially and duly unid back in kind to tho French authorities frrmi Hie stores l>"se. Bv the last mail the Church of England Military Affairs Committee received a letter from Prelwndarv Cariile, D.D., founder of the Church Army, in which lie stat"s lliat dnrii>" (he recent Gernihn offensive over fiflv Church' Army huts were destroyed. There is no doubt that some ol' those erected by New /calami funds were amongst the ones that suffered, and money is needed to replace them.