LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 41, 17 August 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In reply to a question, 'the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) told a Post reporter to-day that the City Engineer (Mr. W H. Morton) was now preparing plans for the proposed lift from , Boulcatt-street to Wellington-terrace. The lift will be of the style familiar to people who have travelled in the underground railways of London, and will be double. In preparing the plans the City Engineer has been hampered by the fact that his technical staff has been reduced in numbers by the call to active service. It has been difficult ,to maintain the crcfinary services of the city on the engineering and technical side, and the development of new works can be proceeded with but slowly. However, every opportunity will be availed of to push the work forward.

■With reference to the difficulty that some passengers by a recent mail steamer to Australia experienced in obtaining permission to return by the Vancouver steamer, the Auckland Star says thatthe Union Company has been in communication with its Sydney office, and has received a cablegram as follows : —"Passengers arriving by mail steamer with New Zealand permits will be allowed to land and return to New Zealand by any steamer, including mail boat."

The Rev. A. E. Hunt, at yesterday's conference of the Congregational Union, referred to the trouble his church had ha.d in getting a chaplain into Trentham Camp. The reason given had been tha-t there were not sufficient members of the Congregational Church in camp to warrant a chaplain. At Featherston Camp the trouble had been overcome, as they had a. united institute representing all the Free Churches.

During the discussion at last night's meeting of the Victoria- College Council on the question of -providing additional library accommodation, Mr. W. Ferguson smilingly remarked that he hoped somebody wouid die and leave £15,000 for the purpose. "It is not necessary that somebody should die," remarked Dr. Knight, amid much laughter, "if they will only provide the £15,000."

Lady Stout addressed a public meeting at Palmerstou on Tuesday night on the aims and objects of the Anti-German League. At the conclusion of her address the following motions were ca.r----riecl:—(l)—(1) "That this" meeting respectfully requests the Prime Minister to have legislation immediately passed to prevent any naturalised British subject of enemy parentage from holding or being appointed to the position nf member of any branch of the Legislature, council of any local authority, or the Civil Service, or the Reserves or the Expeditionary Force." (2) "That this meeting views with alarm the amount of German duplicity carried on throughout the British Empire, and urges the Government to take stronger measures when dealing with the question of interning Germans in this Dominion."

The members of the 16th Reinforcements have presented a testimonial, a' cheque, and a silver watch to Mr. F. Y. Rutherford ("The Little Cobbler"), who acted as their mascot on their recent march from Featherston to Trentham. '

The Commissioners of the Land Purchase Board (says the Otago Daily Times) have acquired for subdivision 6000 acres of Mr. William Telford's famous Clifton estate. It is expected that the blocks will be surveyed and ready for balloting about February or March.

I;he curator of the Masterton fish ponds (Mr, J. G. Miller) expects that the trout ova collected this season will reach half a million. If the weather Droves favourable next week the fry will be distributed among the various sub-committees of the Acclimatisation Society for liberation.

According to a recent letter received from Home (states the Hastings Tribune) a well-known Hawkes Bay man, who is at present residing in Paris, has no fewer than twenty motor-cars constantly employed, at his own expense, in connection with the ambulance transit system with the British .forces in France.

In connection with the appeal which was made recently by Mr. Alma Baker, of the Malay States, for funds to purchase aeroplanes for the Imperial Government, it was announced recently that Mr. Sidney Kidman, the well-known New South Wales pastoralist, had made a gift of an armoured battle-plane at a cost of £2700.

" It would be easy to prove that the universal conviction is that the Day of Judgment on Christianity is upon us," said the Rev. J. R.eed Glasson, in' an address yesterday afternoon. The. heart of the people was ready, but had they the leaders and Church statesmen who were broad and high enough to submit everything to the duty of throwing all the power of Christianity into the present conflict?

It is stated by the Thames Star that the Saxon Gold Mining Company has obtained six months' protection from the Minister of Mines. The company has sp§nt over £30,000 for a return of a few hundred pounds, and owing to the stoppage of operations by the Drainage Board was compelled to close down just as good stone was reached. The presence of gas and water in the mine rendered stoppage an imperative necessity.-

One or two of the leading Melbourne merchants have .recently taken up a strong position in regard to persons and, firms of enemy origin, whether naturalised or not, and are refusing further business connections (states the Sydney Morning Herald) . Some of those whose orders are being refused, have been customers of long standing, and have resented as a personal matter the determination arrived at. Although regret is -expressed at the offence given, the firms concerned are adamant. •

The geological occurrence and origin of petroleum formed the subject of a paper by Messrs. M. Ongley a-nd W. Gibson which was read,at a. meeting of the geological section of the Wellington Philosophical Society last night. The paper gave an account of the several theories proposed, and the various indications of the presence of an oilfield. It was asserted that the most favoured theory is that the oil is formed by the decomposition of organic matter at the surface of the land or sea bottom, and its subsequent deposition along with clay as actual globules of oil. For the collection of an oil pool a porous rock, such as sand, was necessary, but unfortunately no oil sand lias yet been found in New Zealand. Professor Easterfield exhibited samples of crude petroleum from various localities in New Zealand, ajid also of Orepuki oil shale and its distillate. An interesting discussion followed the reading- of the paper.

The policewomen whom the Chief Secretary of Victoria (Mr. M'Leod) has decided to appoint for the better protection of young women and girls will, like the ordinary constable, have a. multitude of duties to perform (sa-ys the Argus). The policewomen will be expected to put detectives on -the track of persons suspected of endeavouring to decoy girls, and will visit railway stations and tho wharves to give advice to unsuspecting strangers. They will probably also be required to patrol slum areas, and keep a watchful eye on houses of ill-repute. The public parks will be visited, with a view of preventing young women and girls from being molested. Another duty will be to endeavour to keep •children off the streets at night, and to prevent truancy from school. It is likely that appointments will be made within two or three months. In reply to aquestion in the N.S.W. Assembly last week, the Chief Secretary (Mr. Black), said that the appointment of women police in Sydney had been justified by results, and others were going to be appointed. . .

Owing to the prevalence of infectious diseases, the Christchurch Hospital authorities have issued a notice that no visitors will be allowed into the wards of the hospitaJ, the prohibition extending to official visitors and ministers of religion. Enquiries made by the Christchurch Sun showed that during the past six weeks there had been nine cases of infectious diseases in the wards, seven of them being scarlet fever, and two chickenpox. Dr. Scott, the Medical Superintendent, believed that the disease had been carried in by visitors. Two wards had been affected. Isolation was secured, either by removing the patients to the isolation ward, to Bottle Lake, or by closing the ward until it was ascertained whether .any of the other patients had been ' affected. How long the present restrictions will continue cannot be stated, as the period will be dependent upon the conditions of public health in the city, ■which at present is very unsatisfactory. It is probable that at the present time there, are in the vicinity of 180 patients at the Bottle Lake isolation Hospital, and a number of other cases are being nursed at home.

It is stated by the Wa.irarapa* Ago that the Nireaha Cheese Company has so far this season paid, out Is 5d per 1b for butter fat supplied. It is expebted that there ■ will be a further payment of 3d per. lb by way of a bonus, bringing the price up to Is Bd.

An inquest was held before Mr. W. G. Piiddell, S.M.. yesterday, concerning the somewhat sudde"n death, at 73, Hollowayroad, on 13th August, of John Chester. A verdict that death, was due to heart failure was returned.

The unique sight of the Prime Minister driving a traction engine was furnished at the opening of the new ferro-concrete bridge over the Tamaki River, near Panmure, on Monday. At the conclusion of' the ceremony (sa-ys the New Zealand Herald) the chairman of the proceedings, Mr. 'H. R Mackenzie, called upon Mr. Massey to drive the engine over the bridge. He said that Mr. Massey had driven engines across the old wooden bridge several times in the days of his youth. Mr. Massey promptly acceded to the request, and he piloted the ponderous machine across the bridge with ease, showing that after the lapse of over a coupTe of decades his hand had not lost its skill. Mr Massey's action was loudly cheered, and the impromptu conclusion to the ceremony was greatly appreciated'by the crowd.

The Health Inspector of the K"apier Hospital Board reported-on Monday that indications suggested that the diphtheria epidemic was nearly at an end.

The death took place at Napier on Sunday of Mr. George P.; Wake, barrister and solicitor, formerly of Eltham. Mr. Wake in 1905 unsuccessfully contested the Patea seat, and in 1908 fought a second ballot with Mr. Bradshaw Diye for the Patea seat. In 1911 he was elected Mayor of Eltham.

A small boy named Willie M'Leod, aged five years; residing at Myrtlecrescent, while crossing Adelaide-road yesterday was knocked down by a motorbicycle and. side-car, and severely injured. He sustained a broken thigh, and severe cuts about head and'face.

Lieutenant W. T. Appleton, , formerly manager at Melbourne for the HuddartParker Company, was killed while on active service on 24th July. Deceased was the eldest son of Mr. W. T. Appleton, managing director of the HuddartParker Company. Lieutenant Appleton, who was about 33 years of age, went to the front with the 12th Australian Infantry Reinforcements. About eight years ago deceased was a purser in the Sydney-Mew Zealand-Melbourne service.

Proposals that the Education Department should consider the establishment of a supply store for school requisites were discussed by the Brooklyn School Committee at its last meeting. The committee decided to support the representations of . the Educational Institute in regard to this question, and to urge the opening of a central supply depot where parents might obtain the school requisites for their children practically at cost price.

The Rev. J ? Sharpe, of the Methodist Church, died suddenly in Auckland on Tuesday. Deceased joined the Primitive Methodist ministry in 1871, and afteiv wards went over into the United Church, and during his ministry, from 1871 till his retirement in 1910,-he had charges afci Thames, Christehurch, Ashburton, Ti'maru, Geraldine, Waimate, Dunedin, Invercargill, Feilding, New Plymouth, Auckland, and Edendale. He was president of the Primitive Methodist Conference in 1889 and again in 1905. After his retirement in 1910 ho served as a) supernumerary, and at the time of his" death was doing supply -service at Takapuna.

The Australian Minister for Defence, Senator Pearce, lias made available a copy of a report on the situation in Poland issued by the general committee for the victims of the war in Poland. It states that there are 5,000,000 people in Poland without any resources. Innumerable villages have been destroyed, the prices of foods and medicines have increased by 400 and 500 per cent., much, of the arable land used by entrenched combatants will be out of cultivation for years, and practically all live stock have been either killed or requisitioned. Even people formerly considered well-to-do are unable to get sufficient to eat. The war has -paralysed »H the Polish industrial forces. -Counting, children, 10,000,000 persons are victims v of unemployment. iMedicines arc almost entirely "lacking, everything is terribly dear, and the state of things grows worse every day.

. As showing the extreme views held by some Labour organisations towards conscription, the following message from. Broken Hill to the Sydney Morning Herald makes somevjha't amusing reading : —"At yesterday's meeting of the A.M.A. it was resolved that the executive be instructed to take immediate steps to protect the interests of members of the association who may be prosecuted, and that the A.M.A. reaffirms its previous ■ resolution . against. conscription. One of the speakers declared that if the woikers'could not hold -the fort in Broken Hill they could not <lo so anywhere else in Australia. Now was the time to organise. They should be prepared to fight, to take all risks, even to be killed or sent 'to gaol. If the A.M.A. were not prepared to back them up it looked as if 'the backbone of the working class and the sting of the movement had gone.'" '

Speaking at the war anniversary meeting in the- Melbourne Town Hall, the Acting-Prime Minister (Senator Pearce) said they could look back over the past year and feel encouragement from the survey. Australia had played-a worthy part in the war, both in men and money. The naval expenditure for the year 1915 was £4,440,000, and for the year 1915-16 it was £6,760,000. In addition £2,000,000 had been received in freights, and £1,000,000 from the Admiralty for services rendered. These amounts were paid into the revenue, and re-spent. Thus the total naval^ expenditure was £14,200,000 to the end of the financial year, 1916. The military expenditure in 1915 was £10,606,000,' and in 1916 £32,498,000, a total of £43,104,000. The combined naval and military expenditure for the two years was £57,698,000. It was a worthy effort, of which1 the people of _the Commonwealth might well be proud. The people had shown during the past few days that they were prepared to provide still further the sinews of war by subscribing £21,500,000.

The subject of the war loan was discussed by Mr. J. H. Upton, acting chairman of the Bank of New Zealand, at a recent meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. He had no doubt, he said, that the £8,000,000 would be raised, and without any appreciable effect on trade. The country as a whole had benefited, pecuniarily from the war; millions of pounds were possessed by people in New Zealand, which would not have-been gajned but for the war. That money mfght well be used to subscribe to the loan. The fact that a tax of 45 per cent, had been placed on excess profits had nothing to do with the question of the loan. If those profits had not been made the counti-y would still have had to carry on the war, and that out of antiwar resources. It would be a discredit to New Zealand if the war loan failed. Wealthy men must speak loudly, and subscribe handsomely. The financial institutions of the country, it would ba found, would do their duty in a way which would be approved by the community. The sum of £8,000,000 would not be subscribed by the small man oniy, but by everybody frankly doing1 their duty. The Chamber unanimously carried a motion recommending its members to subscribe to the loan.