LOCAL AND GENERALS

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 30, 4 August 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERALS

It is expected that the debate*on.the/ 'Financial Statement will commence.in the,' House of Representatives on Tuesday.

•The National Efficiency Board recommends that the compensation paid fortheimmediate closing of'the liquor trade' should be based upon the difference between the market value of the assets a&< used at present, taking into considers tion the present licensing 1 laws and all" ■other circumstances and conditions associated with the trade, and the value of such assets without a license. A representative of the Otago Daily Times made enquiries to ascertain the amount of: money which would be required to be paid as compensation on . the foregoing basis, and he was informed on very -reliable authority that the sum involved would run into about £4.000,000— certainly not more-than £4,600,000.

Mr. Clement Wragge-states that newand tremendous upheavals have-appear-ed on the sun. This means further bad;' weather shortly in New Zealand, and;' also Australia, with, more rain when our atmosphere has become saturated-in titanic ether waves. Snowstorms areprobable in the south, and electric disturbaneesAgenerally are likely to "follow.,

It is. not often, that a member jokes, againsfrhisvown- profession, but'-Mr. Wil— ford made a good joke in the House last;' night. The Minister of Defence was;' stating former occupations of members of the New Zealand Staff who are being retained in the Dominion. <rWe have a bayonet instructor who was a ■-lawyer," he said. "He ought to be able to" charge," remarked Mr. Wilford. The House laughed.heartily...

It is announced that the British Admiralty has agreed to pay harbour dues on Government or Government chartered vessels on / the following basis : —(a) H.M. ships, transports, mine-sweepers, patrol ships, etc., 75 1 per cent.; (b)- requisitioned or prize ships carrying; coal' for the Navy,, grain,; meat, etc, other than military stores, 100 per cent.; ■ (c) services rendered, docking, ..etc., tariff rates ; (d) . wharfage on goods,' . tariff rates. These arrangements are retrospective' to 4th August, 1914. ■

A navel suggestion was njade to the Third Wellington.Military Service Board yesterday. A reservist called up in a. recent ballot- "sought permission to go to Tasmania to see :his parents, whom ho had left to come to New Zealand in ; 1913. The reservist's brother was also in attendance before the board, and it was explained that he.had.come over specially to assist the reservist 7 in obtaining the desired leave. They suggested thai, should the board grant 'the request, the brothel' ■would enlist voluntarily, and go into camp on condition that he received his discharge and' beallowed' to. retnrn home wlien the reservist came back. Although military representative -was. sceptical as to the .practicability of the proposal, and although it\sas pointed out that voluntary enlistment for First Division men had come to. an end, the, board decided to recommend the military authorities' to grant, the leave asiked'for on the additional condition, that £100 be deposited as security, for the return of the appellant. ■. , ' ■'•■-.■•;

The recreation fund: of the City Fire Brigade has been augmented to, the extent of £5 by the receipt of a cheque for that-amount" from Mr. G. W." Guthrie, manufacturers' agent, in recognition of . services rendered. at ..the ; Wakefield--Etreet fire on 18th May last.

There is every probability that the war canoe events, which have been a salient feature of the Ngaruawahia regatta in the past, will be missing from future,programmes, owing to the . apathy of the Natives. The present canoes have (says the New Zealand Herald) reached'that' stage wh'eu! they' should be relegated to the scrap heap, and .the,. Regatta Committee approached the Maoris at Huntly with the proposal that they_ should build some canoes for the association, the crews to be paid for manning them. The Maoris asked £30 each for building the canoes, stipulating that when completed' they should remain the. property of the ■builders. Another attempt is to be made 'to persuade 'the Natives to offer more.reasonable terms, but the members of the association apparently are not sanguine of! success. . . : -. . •

At Dunedin, on Ihursda?, two men. were sentenced to a month's imprisonment for failing to enrol as members of the First Division. The presiding Magisfi&ke '■■ (Mr, Bartholomew) remarked that one of the'defendants might have been charged-with making a misleading statement to the Statistician, an" indictable offence, ( carrying a maximum- penalty of '■three years' imprisonment.

An inquest was held at Hamilton this week concerning the death,of'a soldier's wife. It was stated (says an Auckland paper) that a year ago she came from Cbristchurcb. as housekeeper for a man and his brother, at Frankton, bringhig with her a boy aged 14 years and a girl, aged 12 years. . During that time, it was stated deceased indulged in periodical drinking bouts, taking little or* no food.. Death occurred on 23rd July. A doctor gave a certificate' to the effect that death was caused by alcoholic poisoning. Evidence also 6howed that-the men for whom she kept house were in the habit of supplying the unfortunate woman with liquor and drinking themselves. The Coroner returned a verdict that death was duo to alcoholic poisoning, and-com-mented strongly upon the sordid condition of affairs disclosed by the evidence. He said this was no doubt one of many •similar instances in the Dominion: Prohibition orders were issued against both men.

The Westland Advisory Committee appointed . under the : national efficiency scheme' has issued a circular urging residents in the district to grow potatoes as a means of helping to win the war.' It. is stated that potatoes can be ■ produced in tha district prolifically. . The invitation is issued not only to farmers,. but also to- the general public. . The former, it-is urged, can crop-largely and produce supplies for export, while the latter can help the local supply and add to the quantities-exported. ■ "There is no lack of land here for the purpose," the circular says, "and it. is only-necessary to arouse the interest nnd enthusiasm of the

"public. The proposal offers a practical means for a display of patriotism. With all the uncertainties ahead of us, the different districts of the Dominion cannot be too alert to national needs.. There must be a distinct national effort.. Food supplies will be one of the deciding factors in.attaining the goal, and all paa-ts of the Empire mast be prepared to help for the common good." Mr. J. A. Frostick^ the Canterbury Commissioner, expressed his appreciation of the committee's action, and said that the members of the committee evidently realised the national position. , ,

A. result of the war was to be seen;! .-.in the Mead district recently says the. Ashbuiton Guardian j when a woman was; observed ploughing ' with a four-horse^ '(team.

The following paragraph Sxom aa-ex-' change shows how the war is affectingr. She supply of building material. A syndicate of Kumara young men is-operating •• in/that district .in buying up. old'houses^ and .sheds for the purpose^ of .getting iha\ ■corrugated iron thereon. There is a-: brisk demand from settlens fop the oldi; iron, the price for which (has now' more than, equalled that for new iron before = the war. ■. . . ;

■ A.pleasant little .function took/place, at the Muritai School-yesterday in connection with the third- -anniversary of the war. Mr. Charles Russell, chairman of ■the School Committee, addressed the children after school hours. He apologised for the unavoidable absence of the; Mayor of Eastbourne (Mr. P. Levi), and: introduced the Rev. T. Gardner, who •gave an interesting address on the component parts of the Union, Jack. The National Anthem, was,.; sung, and the school, flag hoisted and-saluted by all the scholars. The function closed with ringing cheers for the King aiidfor Mr. ■Russell.

The Auckland correspondent of The ■.Post telegraphs :—Fanners are unanimous in stating.'that the excessive rainfall is seriously affecting farming operations throughout the district. The getting in. of the early potato crop in the Puke'kohe district, it is stated, has been-de-. layed, and if similar weather is experienced for another few weeks the proaspects of beginning a profitable crop will disappear. { .The mortality among -lambs and calves is' abnormally high in all localities.^ The. effect of the rain in the-swamp districts has been very sev«re, and thousands' of acres in the Rangitaiki district are under water, while the Hauraki Plains are also suffering badly.

The- neglected state of the little cemetery at Great Barrier, 'where victims of. the Wairarapa wreck were interredvin 1894, has for many years (telegraphs The Post's '■'• Auckland correspondent) been a source of regret to visitors,- but until lately no steps were taken to im-' prove matters. Some 60 or 70 unidentified bodies lie.buried in one large grave ■■coveted .with a tangle .of',.-flowers and ■weeds, and surrounded by a. wooden fence, which in: late years .-. has be/en partia-Ily buried, in drifting sand. A smaller grave, also . overgrown with . weeds, Jies; beside the other. ; The ■ surroundings of this last resting place of. the unknown, dead are very beautiful.: The graves are shaded by pohutukawas and puriri trees, and .face . Katherine Bay, one of the loveliest of all the Bar-' rier.'s many picturesque- bays., A few months ago the condition of the cemetery was brought to the attention of the ■Government by Miss'E. Statham, Inspector of Historic Graves,, and as the outcome, the work of clearing the sand,; ■weeding, and repainting thevfence- is now going forward. ■ ' \ ,

' Apropos 6t the attempt to sawe the Athletic Park, it is- worthy of note that, the formation •of ...the ground in the first instance was undertaken not for purposes of private profit, but in order that athletic sports might be helped by the provision of a convenient and central ground suitable for big meetings. The' promoters of the scheme gave financial assistance without any hope of gain, and their services without thought of reward.The -directors at the first annual meetinglof. the Athletic 'Park Company, held in Tfche early 'nineties, were Dr. Collins, '"Messrs...H. D. Bell (now. Sir! Francis),. J. P. Firth,C. H. Izard, C. A. Kn'app,' and iW. M. Muir. The secretary, was Mr. A. T. Bate. /Others who did I good work, for the furtherance of-, the .company- and. the. sport in general were Dr. A.,'. EL. Newman,. Messrs. Stan. Brown, 3; P. -Maxwell, W. E. Pearson,, and G. F. C. CampIsell. ' Among the gentlemen who have now giveu their suport -to the effort' to' save the Park are.two of those originally associated with its "formation, Dr. A. K. Newman and Mr. V( J. P. Firth, also the Commandant of Trenihani Gamp, Colonel H. R. Potter. A - history of the, Park and the reasons for the appeal are set forth in an article on another ■ .pagej of; this issue. .'! . '..'.'

. A few. words about Palestine from a-. New . Zealand soldier who is there: — This land is rich—yes, very rich—in creeping and flying pests. I could tell you of ground covered and honey-combed with ants, beetles, lizards (saw one in broad daylight 18 inches long) moles, snakes, and countless others unnameable, repulsive night-mares—but I cannot do so now. The flies forbid it. Here we have -7- ' thousand; of the boys, and every man jack of them is a fully-train-ed, industrious, merciless "fly swatter." It is-only at the end of the perfect (?) day, wehn the sun goes down behind clouds of matchless, beauty—far beyond my ability to describe—that they, give you an oportunity: to consolidate your position overnight, for -the attack that will most certainly take placa^ in the morning, as sure as the sun rises. Trooper Jeff, putting his head in my bivvie, says:—"Got. it. straight from the stable jnst now —bombardment begins at dawn." Being very tired after a 12-hour no decision bout with 3,000,000 flies, I,say: "Ah—the bombardment—good—at dawn —splendid, and the flies ?'■ But Trooper Jeff, muttering something under his breath that shall never be put. on paper,' strides off into the night. The flies, the flies! Oh, ye Conscientious objectors—lf thou wilt not join us here, tho Turk to. pot, Then come thou on speedy wings, The fly to sw.fi't!

A number of frost fish, several measuring over 6ft in length, have been picked up on .the New Brighton beach during the past few days, says the Cliristchurch Press. ' .