LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A deputation representing the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational Churches waited upon the Defence Minister yesterday afternoon to enquire of him as to the general practice of the Department in regard to exemptions of clergy. Sir James Allen, informed them that the regulation by which the Minister of Munitions sent circulars to the Military Service Board suggesting that ministers of religion should bo exempted applied to all clergy No partiality was shown. The only . condition was that the head authorities of the different churches should apply in cases where' they deemed it necessary to make the application.

Since the inception of the Military Training Scheme, a certain portion- of the East Coast has been an exempted area, and the lads available for military training have consequently not been imder training. It has recently been decided to cancel these exempted areas and orders have been issued to establish the territorial training scheme at Tologa Bay and Tokomaru Bay.

What will be, when completed, one of the biggest suspension, bridges in New Zealand will shortly be commenced by Mr. Joseph Dawson, the well-known bridge engineer, of Pahiatua. The new bridge will be about 448 feet long, and will be situated between Foxton and Palraerston North. Messrs. Siefert Bros, are the owners, and it is estimated that the completed cost will be about £3000. '

The skeleton of a man was found on the hills about six miles from Manakau. It is supposed to be that of Petsr Smith, a German, who kept a shop at Otaki and has been missing since July, 1911. Yesterday, Constable Satherley, with a party of settlers, brought tlie remains into Otaki for burial. The sum of £8 16s 9d in silver was found near the skeleton, together with a silver watch and chain, and a silver ring. These articles are known to Have belonged to Smith, and it is practically certain that the finding of the skeleton solves a mystery of several years' standing.

A paragraph, appeared in the Auckland Star this week regarding an. old parchment deed having been used as the tympanum of a boy's drum purchased in Wellington at Christmas time. The date of the deed was 1851. It is a somewhat singular coincidence that, a family residing at Devonport have a tambourine, bought six years before the war, on which the parchment is also an old deed, and bears the same date of 1851.

" You can advertise for a boy and not get one single application," said Mr. W. H. P. Barber at the meeting of the Wellington College Board of Governors yesterday. "The same thing applies to girls. Where you used to get thirty or forty applications you now only get two or three."

. The Inspector of Factories (Mr. G. H. Light-foot) proceeded against Bing, Harris, and Co., Ltd., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, on a charge' of failing to cause to be placed on textile goods, 'which had been given out to be made, the label in the prescribed form.- A fine of 10s, with _7s costs, was imposed. Mr. A. W. Blair appeared for the defendant company

On tho 17th instant, Miss Polly Te Reti picked up on the :Waikarehu beach, about 75 miles north" of New Plymouth, a bottle containing the following message:—"Transport , Bth December, 1916.—Finder of this note please send to undermentioned address: Mrs. J. Benson, 2, Seddon-terrace, Wellington, New Zealand. All aboai-d doing well. A good picnic party.- From 30516, Sergt. B. Benson, B Company, 20th Reinforcements." The message, with a. covering note from Mr. Kelly, of Whareorino, Auckland district, 80 miles from New Plymouth, has been received by Mrs. Benson.

Speaking on the subject of the probable operations of the National Efficiency Board, Mr.-J. A. Frostick, Christchurch, said : "The board hopes that all males above military age will conceive it to be a national duty to offer their services to the State gratuitously in • such cases where their financial position will permit them doing, so; or, in cases of men who have retired from active business, to express their willingness to re-enter the ranks of labour in such occupations for .which they aTe physically fitted. It may be also necessary— and probably -will be necessary—to organise woman labour in such occupations as will relieve men fit for military service, or national service other than military."

Considerable interest has been manifested in Aucklad in steps taken by Mr. J. G. Restell, liquidator of the Dominion Mortgage and Finance Company, Ltd., against several of the directors, to recover two sums totalling £8400, alleged to be due to th!e shareholders. The case was set down for hearing before Mr. Justice Hosking and a jury this week, but it has been settled out of Court. 'A member of the oommittele of shareholders states that the terms of settle-ment-are : The defendants to pay the plaintiff company the sum. of £5200, of which £600 js to tye paid in cash and £4600 within one year, with interest' at 6 per cent. The plaintiffs costs are included in t!he Bum of £5200 payable by defendants.

The second annual meeting of the Thorndon-Wadestown Unit of the National Eeserve was held at the Thorndon School. Major 'A. W. Newton presided. The annual report and statement of • receipts and expenditure, showing a balance in hand of 10s 3d, were read and adopted, also a statement of receipts and expenditure in connection with the shooting range, showing a balance in hand of £1 17s 9d in addition to 10s prize money, which the winners desired should be donated to some patriotic fund, It was decided to discontinue drills for. the future pending some instruction from" district headquarters, but to continue shooting practice in the Harbour Board range, which had been rented for six months, every Tuesday evening from 5 to 6 o'clock. Those present promised to attend shooting regularly, also to endeavour . to rally the old members to take part and to bring in new members.

Bef erring to the report that the Waihi Miners' Union had decided not to support the Ohinemuri branch of the Amalgamatea Society oi Engineers'in its scheme for the boycotting of German goods on the ground that the society would not join with the union in preventing workers in their midst being boycotted, the Waihi correspondent of the New Zealand Herald says he has been informed that the intention of the union was not correctly conveyed by the resolution. It would appear from statements made that the two bodies referred to do not work in harmony, and that the refusal to join in the scheme was not because the union was opposed to the boycotting of German goods, or because the members were disloyal, but simply because it was not prepared to bo associated with the society in any action that might be taken in the direction suggested.-

-4t the meeting of the Wellington College Board of Governors yesterday, Mr. Millard, who has been with the institution for five years, was granted leavs of absence hi order that he might go to. the. front,,. ■ '■■ '

A Workers' and Returned Soldiers 3 ' j | Hostel is to be established by the Sal- »,■ vationArmy, the property of Mr. Ged.- I i Webb, grocer, at the corner of Vivian !j and Tory-streets, having been purchased | for the purpose. The property has ; frontages of 110 ft on Vivian-street and \ 88ft on Tory-street. It is intended to ■ enlarge the present substantial two-: j story brick building on the site, and to j run the.hostel on cheap but good lines..;, | In' response to a question at the open- ', ing of the new suspension bridge at i Upper Hutt yesterday afternoon, regard- !• ing the increase in cost of bridge building materials, Mr. Joseph Damon, the builder of the bridge, said that the new structure cost about £1400 completed, It could probably have been built before the war for £200 less. The local crop of Cape barley, this year has been very disappointing (says the Gisbome Times). Some of the far-_. mershave got their crops in, but others have been caught in the . heavy. rain this week, and they do not expect to save much of the-crop. 'The season altogether has been a bad one so far as 'Cropping, is concerned ; Mr. E. XT. Doddrell, who has held a 'responsible position in the D.1.C., Wellington, for the past five years, has been appointed manager for Messrs. Adair ' Bros., Gisborne, and will take up his new duties on 15th March. Mr. Doddrell has taken a keen interest in patriotic movements, and was one of those who did excellent work, on behalf of the Wei- ! lington Patriotic Society in connection j with the very successful carnival of 1915. Had it not been for the prompt action of a returned soldier named John Stanton, a boy named Chittenden would have lost his life in the Hntt River yesterday. The boy, who is about eight years of age, was bathing with two other children just above the bridge at Lower Hutt, when, he got out of his depth. He had gone under twice when the cries of the children attracted Stanton's attention, and' lie rushed down and waded in, and brought the child to the shore. Mr. D. Cairns and Mrs. Cameron took charge of the child, rendered first-aid, and then returned him to his grandmother, at .whose house he is staying while on a holiday visit from Nelson. Stanton, who comes from Asbburton, deserves to be ; commended, as he is suffering severely, : from shell-shock, and practically collapsed. ! after the rescue. . ■ i

Some of the discharged soldiers ■who have taken up land are doing fairly well in several settlements visited by Mr. W. ,T. Jennings, M.P. for Taumarunui. At Mahoenui a party of eight exsoldiers, all of whom are Anzacs, hava been milking cows this season, and they have an average holding of 70 acres. One of the men was a very serious cot case when he returned by the Willochraj on her first trip.

Motor mechanic and medico were the contestants in a civil action heard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. W., G. Kiddell, S.M. Headland and Eobinson, for -whom Mr. J. J. M'Grath appeared, sought to Tecover from Dr. Faulke the sum of £48 12s 7d for materials alleged to have been supplied and repairs to two motor cars. Defendant, who was represented by Mr. E.^ C. Levvey, counter-claimed for £95 13s for alleged faulty workmanship and damages. After partial hearing, the cas« was adjourned for one week. ,-

During the course of a chat at the opening of the new suspension bridge over the Hutt River yesterday afternoon, Mr.. Joseph Dawson, the veteran bridge designer and contractor, informed a Post reporter that he had been building bridges for the past 36 years, and during that time has built in the North Island no fewer than- fifty. „ ...

Yesterday, in the Magistrate's Court, Robert Henry Davenport was charged ■ with engaging in sanitary plumbing while not being a registered plumber, contrary to the Plumbers' Registration Act. Defendant admitted the offence, and a small fine, with costs, was imposed.

Every opportunity that offered of supporting various movements in aid of war purposes ways taken advantage of during ithe last season by the Wellington Savage Club, according to the annual report of that body. The council has pleasure in calling attention to the fact that 120 members of the club have enlisted for active service—a. remarkable proportion when ilb is considered what a large percentage are over military age. A. temporary roll of honour is still being kept of the members on active service, which will be replaced by something handsome and worthy of the' club- when the war is ended. During the season the club, in addition to investing £500 of its funds in war certificates, has raised over £450 for patriotic purposes. The items were as follow:—Collection taken up; for Jutland Battle Widows and Orphans' Fund, £117 0s 6d; gross proceeds ladies' evening, £141 10s (donated to War Relief Association and. Citizens' Christmas Gift Fund); gross proceeds of concert given in conjunction with ithe n.ao.'s, 24th Reinforcements, in aid of Red Cross 1 "Our Day" appeal, £172 7s; collection taken up for Rev. W. Mullineaux's Comforts • Fund, £20. In addition to these efforts the club forwarded a hamper to Savage Horace Hunt, who has had the misfortune to bo interned in Germany since ithe outbreak of -war. A set of music stands was presented to the hospital ship Marama, and a Christmas number of the various New Zealand weeklies was sent to every member on active service.

"I am cctLvinced,"' said Mr. Joseph Dawson, bridge constructor, at the opening yesterday afternoon of the new bridge over the Hutfr River, "that the day of the wooden bridge is gono. Ferroconcrete has come into its own, and in a few years' time new wooden bridges will be something in the nature of a curiosity."

A somewhat- unusual case of alleged theft occupied the attention of the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when. Thomas Parker was charged with stealing a bag of malt, valued at £3, the property of the Central Brewery Company, Auckland. According to ChiefDetective Boddam, who conducted tho prosecution, a carter named Archibald Mintyre took a load of 25 sacks of malt from Queen's Wharf to the Lambton Railway Station,, and when the cart was passing Bunny-street four of tho sacks fell off. Tho accused was seen to pick up one bag, and put it on an express, which was driven to his home. When asked by Constable Burnett for an explanation, the accused stated that a man had put the malt on his cart and then walked: away. In dismissing tho case, the Magistrate (Mr. L. G. Eeid, S.M.) stated that a simple mistake had been made, and there was no stain oa Parker's character. The latter was .represented by Mr. H. JV O'Leary. ' .