LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 133, 2 December 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

By a Regulation gazetted yesterday, under the War Regulations Act,, 1914, the sale within j\row Zealand of certain naval^ statistical books has been prohibited. The volumes which have come under the ban are "Fleets of the World" (published by Evelyn N.ish). "The Naval Vocket-TJook," "Fighting Ships/ "The World's Warships," "Warships at a Glance,'' and ">i;ival Recognition Book." All the volumes are published in London. Certain new editions of these volumes have been sold locally recently, and the Defence authorities are taking steps to trace them. The Regulation is supposed to have originated with the Imperial Government.

Attention is called by the Mercantile Gazette to a remediabie nuisance, and one perpetrated by the G.P.O. at any time from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m., when collecting letters. "The silencer nuisance (states the Gazette) has often been commented on, and we think proceedings should be taken against offending motor cyclists. There is no excuse for any motorist who disregards the nerves of the public, and makes himself intolerable by the practice of riding at top speed frequently through the main thoroughfares. Only last week . a disgraceful scene of speed test was witnessed of two motor hogs, with numbers obscured, along the Island Bay Parade, Wellington. There is no excuse whatever for the offenders, and we hope the elusive man in blue will endeavour to keep his weather eye open in the direction indicated."

In" choosing China-ware as a- Christmas gift you should inspect the matchless showing at Kirkcaldie and Stains. Ltd. All the most artistic productions of Dutch. Continental, and English potteries are here displayed. Doulton ware. Royal Derby, and Wedgwood are included. Prices are right, so are the qualities. Select- soon.—Advt.

Officers" Kit Bags, in good strong canvas. Khaki, 9s 6d; brown, 12s 6d. We invite inspection. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners-street.—Advt.

Representatives of the newly-formed Laundry Workers' "Onion met the employers in conference on Tuesday night, to discuss proposals for an award in the industry. No settlement was arrived at, and the union is now taking steps to bring the dispute before the Conciliation Council. Complaints having been received from employers that sonic officers commanding companies have called whole and halfday parades at inconvenient tinies. instructions have been issued to all'conI cerneri that no parades are to be held \on other than the us;ial night, local weekly half-holiday, or public holiday, without permission of District Headquarters. In every case it is notified the convenience of employers of labour must be considered. In connection .with the article in last night s Post describing Petone's new sewerage scheme, it should be added that while the official records bear out tho statement that .Mr. Fox was appointed by the council to carry out the work in conjunction with Mr. Cowie, the Borough Engineer, yet (he actual preparation of the plans and specifications and the whole of the supervision were the work of Mr. Fcx. An undefended divorce action was heard at the Supreme Court before his Honour the Chief Justice (.Sir Robert Stout) to-day, when Laura Louisa M'Kenzie petitioned for the dissolution of her marriage with Francis M'Kenzie on the ground of desertion. According to petitioner's statement, the parties '.vert married on 16th January, 1907. Shortly afterwards the husband left his wife and had not returned. Petitioner did not know his whereabouts. His Honour granted a decree nisi to be made absolute in three months. Mr. H. Buddie appeared for petitioner. "In the last big bayonet charge I lost everything I had, including my hold-all and camera, but saved my films," writes Pte. Harry Andrews to tlie Eltham Argus. "My mate is going home to Auckland owing to the shock of a 65-pounder howitzer shell killing seven and burying nineteen of them in a tunnel. We soon dug him out, but he seemed a trifle upset owing to tho suddenness of it. I have met him several times since, and he is as thin as a, rake. These high explosive shells come through the air with a tearing sound, and bury themselves about four feet in the earth before they explode. Nothing but flying sandbags' and dirt, etc. But our 14-inch naval shells, such as the monitors use, are some shell. They just lob into a Turkish trench full of men and guns, and we say 'Ma Faesh' finish. A good few of the Kltliam chaps have been wounded. In fact. I think nearly every one of us lias been hit somewhere or other. We are all like colanders." Residents of Worser Bay are complaining that the Miramar Borough Council —meaning well with a scheme of foreshore improvement—has spoiled a pretty piece of beach. In this pleasant curve there were dunes, of beautiful model, with marram grass as a strong sentinel on the sand. This natural rampart formed a good wind-break between the sea and the road, and amid the hillocks ! bathers could find very comfortable sunny spots, not visible from the highway. Along came the council, with a notion that it would make a growing ground for lupin. The dunes were levelled down, and the binding cover of marram was swept away. The winds are now free to sweep over the road from the ocean, and the sand has liberty to smite the eyes and faces of people who use the road. It is contended that this is another case of Wellington's many instances of thoughtless alteration of landscape, where beauty has been sacrificed in vain—indeed with a penalty to be suffered by the innocent for the blunders of others. In the course of editorial comment upon the strictures which Mr. P. C. Webb, M.P. for Grey, passed in a recent speech at Christchurch upon the May-morn Camp (and incidentally on employers), suggesting that they should first don the uniform before asking their employees to do so, the Grey-mouth Evening Star (which has supported the Liberal interests) says :—"Now, we have a wholesome regard for Mr. Webb's sincerity in his efforts to uplift and improve the conditions of the toiling masses, but we are not going to stand the member for Grey hiding himself behind a bushel and abusing the employers, many of whom have died in the cause of justice, righteousness, and liberty, when he himself, a single man, has not donned the khaki in a manner which has brought upon Lieut. T. E. Y. Seddon and Lieut. Downie Stewart the high encomiums of Reformer and Liberal alike. The present is no time for cheese-paring: a man who is not for us is against us. We do not want any maudlin philosophy; the present is time for action. .. ." The paper calls upon Mr. Webb to define his position or else "return to the electors that trust which they on two occasions have so handsomely reposed in him." An example of rumour's quick run in tho field of war pensions was mentioned by an officer of the Pensions Department the other day. A friend met him in the street and asked why the Board had refused to grant a pension to a certain woman. The officer soon gathered that a rumour was spreading to the effect that the Board had given a callous refusal. Further questions showed that the rumour's busy life had begun soon after the claim had been lodged, and before the application had been considered by the Board. The allegation was passing from mouths to ears and on to other mouths and -ears at the very time when the postman was carrying the news to the woman that her request had been granted. Probably the inaccurate assertion had its origin in the mind of a neighbour or friend to whom the woman may have remarked that she had not, up to a certain day, received the Board's decision. An impetuous person could have easily built a refusal on that situation—and away flew the rumour. Another baseless allegation is that applicants are questioned about furniture ; this canard is absolute fiction. Another common assertion -is that the "widow's home " brings a deduction. So far the home alone, says the Board's secretary, has not lessened a single pension. It 'is possible that property such as a home, in conjunction with a substantial sum of money in the bank or other appreciable assets, may be taken into consideration, but the home alone does not affect the pension. The Post has also quoted cases in which the home, with the addition of superannuation allowances or insurances, has not reduced tho pension. The man who wears Gauze Underwear always feels cool and comfortable. Prices run :2s 6d, 2s lid, 3s 6d. We also offer a good strong Sock at Is and Is 6d. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd.—Advt. Help with baggage! We give it. Just check through us. We collect, check, receive, deliver immediately. The N.Z. Express Co., Ltd., 87-91, Custom-house-quay. —Advt. The recent wool sales have somewhat startled many folk, prices eclipsing all previous records, which have shown us that New Zealand lms a substantially prosperous outlook, for the high prices realised will mean greater spending throughout the country, and in turn the city shopping centres will benefit. All those contemplating an curly visit to Wellington will do well to inspect the magnificent stocks of Messrs. C. Smith, Ltd., Cuba-street, who have well provided for the coming Eeason. Any lines showing a scarcity can be had in abundance there in all dep*rtmenw.—Advt. J

The Hon. James Allen (Defence Minister), with Col. Gibbon (Chief of Staff), motored to Featherston to-day to arrange important details in connection with the camp at Tauherenikatt - It has been decided that sick and wounded men who have been discharged from the Expeditionary Force will not be required to carry' out training under the Defence Act tor the year ending 31st May. 1916, and will receive credit / for the year. The total amount collected for the Huntly Mines Disaster Relief Fund was £7430 9s. By the addition of £141 2s 8d as interest the total amount available is £7571 11s Bd. Of this amount £1573 3s 6d was paid to beneficiaries, and £20 8s 2d was spent in office expenses, leaving the sum of £5976 to be administered by the Public Trustee. Two communications—one from the LdTiour Representation Committee and the other from the New Zealand Federation of Labour—concerning the question of conscription were received at a. meeting of the Institute of Marine Engineers , last evening. The letters were not discussed, and it was decided to take no action at the present time. Four small boys came before Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court this morning. Two were sent to the Weraroa Training Farm—one had stolen several small sums of money and the other had got out of control. A, boy who had stolen a small sum of money and one who had interfered with the tramway points were admonished and discharged. A contract has been let to Mr. W. Williamson, of Christ-church, for the erection of the Farmers'- Freezing Company's Works at Kaiapoi. Haslam machines are to be installed by Messrs. John Chambers and Sons, of" Wellington, and a manure plant will be supplied by Messrs. W. Cable and C 0... of Kaiwarra. The works have been designed by Mr. A. S. Mitchell, of Wellington. Before his Honour Mr. Justice Hoskmg in the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon, argument was heard as to whether the V.M.C.A. Trust Board has power to borrow the sum of £5000 on the security of its property in Willis-street to repay a loan of £SCOC to the National Mortgage Company. Mr. Kennedy appeared for the V.M.C.A.. Mr. IJ. O'Shea (City Solicitor) for the' Sink-" ing Fund Commissioners, and ths Soli- ! citor-General (Mr. J. W. Salmond) for the Attorney-General. Judgment was j reserved.■ Yesterday the apparent new desire of the Railway Department to change its timetables with a minimum of cost in announcements caused a sad surprise to numbers of the travelling public at Lower Hu'tt and Petone. Some business men and others were on the Lower Eutt platform at their customary time, waiting for the train which was wont to depart at 9.25. They soon had the annoying knowledge that between a sunset and a dawning a new time-table had quietly come into operation, and their old-time train .had been moved forward some minutes. Thus they were an hour | late in reaching town. The Departn?nt issued cards, and it is also stated that a little poster was put on notice boards at stations, but people who catch morning and evening trains in a, ' hurry do not tarry on platforms to read hoardings, nor do they linger for similar literature at the home end. To the average user of the railways the new time-table seems to have been a "surprise packet," which came in on silent wheels—almost "secretly, silently, surreptitiously," as the late Mr. Seddon used to say. Mr. Samuel C. G. Vickers, whose death at Khandallah was announced yesterday, reached Xew Plymouth in 1851, and from there went to Auckland, where his parents went on to the land. Tn 1863 he" entered the. Government service (the Native Department), and two years later, on the transfer of the seat 'of Government, he was removed to Wellington In 1872 he was retransferred to Auckland, where he became Chief Clerk of the Civil Commissioner's Office, which position he held until 1882, when he was again removed to Wellington in the Native Office. In 1886 he was retrenched from the Public Service, and in 1894 was appointed Town Clerk of the Borough of Onslow, which position he held until about three years ago, when he retired from active service. Apart from his official connection with the Borough of Onslow, the late Mr. Tickers took a keen interest in the social and religious life of the community. He was a prominent member of the Anglican Church, was greatly instrumental in the erection of the Khandallah Church, in the establishment of the first public school in the district, and in ttie vesting in the Onslow Borough Council of the beautiful domain which is one of the features of the Khandallah suburb. He leaves a widow and a family of five—Messrs. H. G. Vickers (of the Lands and Survey Department), H. Vickers (of the Survey Department, North Auckland), and W. G Vickers (of the Wellington Meat Export Company), Mrs. C. T. H. Brown of Wellington), and Miss Vickers (of Khandallah).