LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 89, 15 April 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In accordance with the directions of the Imperial authorities, the New Zealand Government has added butter, tobacco, cigarettes, cocoa, and soap to the articles that may not be sent through, the post to soldiers. In the House last week Dr. Thacker urged the PostmasterGeneral to withdraw the prohibition, but Sir Joseph Ward stated that he could do nothing in the matter. The Postal authorities, approached on the subject this morning by a Post reporter, stated that it is quite true the articles mentioned have been prohibited from. going through the post.. The Minister, however, is now awaiting a reply from the Imperial authorities as to whether or no the prohibition applies to parcels sent to soldiers on active service. On behalf of thirty-six industrial unions in Auckland the following telegram is being sent to every Cabinet Minister and to every member of the Labour Party in the House: "Labour in Auckland emphatically protests against any extension of the life of Parliament, and demands an appeal to the people on the Government war policy." The telegram is signed by Messrs. Savage, Martin, Watts, Sill, Bloodworth, Horling, 'Ansell, Jackson, Carry, Mortensen, and Culhane, all secretaries of different labour organisations. Eggs are selling in Wellington' shops at 3s 3d per dozen. Supplies are by no means plentiful. An explanation of the high price now ruling is that the birds are moulting, and consequently not laying, and that: a large number of poultrykeepers have been forced out ot the industry in consequence of the high cost of fowl foods.' Proceedings were taken at the Magistrate's Court this morning against Hubert Broderick, who had disregarded a maintenance order in respect to an. illegitimate child until his arrears amounted to £10 ISs. Mr. H. F. O'Leary, who appeared for the defendant, established that Broderick's health was so bad that he was unable to do any work, but was dependent on charity, and therefore could not.be sent to gaol for non-com-pliance with the order. Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., accordingly dismissed the information. • In announcing two subscriptions to the New Zealand War Loan, each of 1000 dollars (£4OO in all),-Mr. George A. Highland, producer of "Katinka. for the Royal Comip Opera Company, stated on Saturday night at the Grand Opera House that he had subscribed to loans in every country taking part in the war. He bald American war bonds, British bonds, French bonds, Canadian bonds, South African bonds, Italian bonds, and now hs would hold New Zealand bonds. (Applause.) He believed it was everybody s duty to subscribe all the. money they could to the war funds of the Allies. At the annual meeting of the Women's Reserve, held at Auckland on Thursday, reference was made by Mr. George George to the lack of precaration for the future (says the Auckland Star). ' He felt sure the Dominion would have to call upon its women to replace men in many industries, and no attempt .'was being made to prepare them for this possibility. The only thing the women in Auckland had been asked to do was to go round and collect money by begging for soldiers to give' them those comfarts as charity which were theirs by every right. The day was nearly here when the women would have to replace men, and there was no organisation for training them; in fact. New Zealand did not know the first thing about organisation. Many industries could be occupied by women if they had the necessary training, but they must be trained, and no move was being made to prepare for this emergency. When Herbert Presbury was arrested for drunkenness in Molesworth-street at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday he was found to be in possession of a "pewter" bearihg the Hotel Cecil stamp, and valued at 16s. When charged with the theffc before Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court this morning, Presbury denied having stolen the measure, and suggested that if it had been slipped into his pocket by one pi his mates he would not have'noticed it, as he was very drunk at the time. The Magistrate pointed out that Presbury had made himself liable to a term of three months' imprisonment, but took into account that drink was responsible for the stupid action, and convicted and ordered Presbury to-come up for sentence wiien called upon on the charge of theft. A fine of 10s, in default 24 hours' imprisonment, was imposed on the charge of being found drunk. Presbury consented to the issue of a prohibition order, which will remain in force for twelve months. Trooper C. A. Giblin, who was wounded in the right knee at the battle'of the crossing of the Eiver Jordan, and was lying dangerously ill at the 43rd Stationary Hospital in Egypt, is now pronounced out of danger. Trooper Giblin, who was 19 years of age at time of enlisting, was on the staff of Messrs. Murray, Roberts, and Co., Ltd., in their wool department, and left New Zealand with the 24th Wellington Mounted Rifles. The crisis in the meat industry at .Darwin, Northern Territory, has been in part averted., the labour unions having accepted the offer made by the owners, Messrs. Vestrey Bros. . Threa first-offending inebriates were each fined 10s, in default twenty-four hours' imprisonment by Mr. S. E. M'Carfchy, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court this morning.

It is advised by the Telegraph Department that the Cook Strait cables are now all in good working order. The sum of £6 10s has reached the Catholic Field Service Fund, through His Grace Archbishop O'Shea, from the Anglican Military 'Affairs Committee, being proportion of £50' sent to that body by the Hunterville Lady Liverpool Fund and Red Cross League for the chaplains at the front Another rise in the price of gas is announced by the Auckland Gas Company. The present price of gas is Ss lOd per 1000 cubic feet, subject to a discount of Id per 100 cubic feet. On and after Ist May an aditional 6d per 1000 cubic feet is to be charged, making the gross price 6s 4d. A round-faced and. curly-headed boy, James Millar, seventeen years of age, but looking several years younger, was charged before Mr. S. E,. M'Carthy, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court this morning with ship desertion. His boat hasnow sailed, and a remand was granted in order that enquiries may be made as to finding the boy employment. It was stated from Auckland List week that the carcases of the twenty-five whales recently stranded at Bayly's Rbserve had been washed away to sea. The New Zealand Herald states that none of the mammals were lost. The tide merely disturbed their close location. The high tide caused a loss of oil, valued at £70, but boiling down operations are still proceeding briskly. A soldier named Timothy O'Leary, on leave from Featherston Camp, was admitted_ to the Hospital at 8.30 o'clock last night suffering from an injury to the head. O'Leary wag standing on the step of a tramcar in Lambton-quay when he slipped, and feU heavily. When admitted to the Hospital he was considerably dazed, but his condition is not serious, and he was reported to be much better this morning. Some few weeks ago a description was given in The Post of a design for an unsinkable ship, the invention of Mr. G. Thomas, a New Zealander, who had 1 been for some years resident in America.' It was then stated that the designs had been placed before the New Zealand^ military authorities. They were consid-^ cred by Captain Hall-Thompson, Naval Adviser to the Government, on whose favourable report Mr. Thomas is to be sent to England, as a member of the Engineers Corps, with, a view to placing his designs before the Inventions Board ■ Persons giving evidence at the Magistrate's Court quite frequently pay the Magistrate the compliment of speaking to him as "Your Honour," or, better, "Your Lordship"; but a female witness this morning, apparently overawed by the solemnity of the occasion, went one better. She hardly waited till she had taken the oath, and began, "Your Majesty " "I am not Your Majesty," said Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M.,"Oh, no, I mean 'His Worship,' " said the witness, and then proceeded with her story. Under the heading of "Slums," the following paragraph appears in the an. nual report of the Hataitai Municipal Electors'' Association:—"ln spite of the representations that have been made to the council by the association during past years, permission is still.being granted for the erection of houses in the district, having even a less frontage to a street than twenty feet (the limit- under the existing bylaw). At the instigation of your committee, this matter was taken up with the council by the Greater Wellington Town Planning Association, but no satisfaction was obtained. Theincoming committee Should continue to urgQ the adoption of a minimum frontage of forty feet for future sub-divi-sions." ' . "During the Bible-in-schools movement," stated Dr. Gibb at the laying of the foundation-stone of Scots College on Saturday, "the Presbyterian Church was taunted with neglecting to_ take a leaf out of the Roman Catholic book, and provide schools in which the spiritual as well as the material welfare of the children could be safeguarded. Now that we are doing the very thing they asked—but not in deference to their taunts—these same critics allege that we are doing a thing inimical to the State school system. The Church has now put its hand to the work of education, and will go on. We will go on erecting secondary schools until we have a large number of them. We will then, probably, take a hand in elementary training as well, and have our own schools scattered from one end of the Dominion to the other. s A motion was passed at the annual meeting of the Lower Hutt Football Club, ■ "emphatically protesting against the action of the Wellington Rugby Football Union in placing an agelimit of twenty years on its competitions!" Cricket, tennis, golf, and racing continue'to flourish under open competition, this, eminently sensible attitude in no way prejudicing the prosecution of the Military Service Act ; seeing that all members of tile First Division and Second Division A Class are now either under arms, permanently rejected, or on leave of absence. Furthermore, the continued reference to the brilliant achievements of Eugby footballers on the greatest playing field of all. should act as a strong inducement to the Wellington Rugby Union to afford facilities for play for members of all ages in order to render them physically fit for all or every emergency." ■ " Peace Movements—False and True " was the title of an address delivered by Mr. T. Brindle under the auspices of the Social Democratic Party in the Alexandra Hall last night. During the course of his remarks he said they now had to choose between a peace dominated by the capitalists, which would embody the old game of secret treaties and commercial intrigues, and a democratic peace reflecting the wishes of the peoples concerned. Unless the Imperial ambitions and diplomacy, which are now prolonging the war, were abandoned; unless nations adopted radically different ideas of national welfare and different methods of attaining it, the next war would come so surely as night follows the setting sun. A League of Nations which did not make disarmament its objective would not go far towards solving the problems of peace and war. If militarism survived freedom could not survive. The future security could never be safeguarded by war, but by the spread of internationalism built upon, the foundations of goodwill and mutual confidence between nations.