LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 10, 11 July 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Reference to the report of the Defence Expenditure Commission was made by Sir James Allen in an address at Helensville on Tuesday night, telegraphs The Post's correspondent. "I am not at liberty to disclose the contents of the report just yet," said Sir James, "but when it is published I think you will be satisfied that New Zealand has'done its duty well. You will have no reason to be ashamed of the work performed by the Defence Department, without any previous experience or precedent to guide it since the outbreak of the war."

News of the assassination of General yon Mirbach, German Ambassador to Russia, has revived in the mind of an old Wellingtonian recollections of a Dr. yon Mirbach, at one time resident in New Zealand, and who is believed to 'have been a brother of the German Ambassadoi". Dr. yon Mirbach was in practice in Wellington over thirty years ago, arid afterwards moved to Waipawa. Later he left the colony, and when last heard of was surgeon on an Atlantic liner. He had a brother in the German diplomatic service, and another brother surgeon on the Russian ship-of-war Vesnik, which made a sudden appearance in Wellington Harbour some thirty years ago, at a time when the Russian scare was the sensation of the hour. Dr. yon Mirbach was a powerfully-built man, considerably over 6 feet in height, and was esteemed a clever man in Ms profession. He was\ employed on two or three occasions on Government Commissions enquiring into medical and health .questions.

The immediate improvement which has been effected in the health of the troops in New Zealand military training camps was referred to by Sir James Allen in addressing a public meeting at Helensville on Tuesday night. Sir James said that the camps were now.probably the healthiest places in New Zealand. He had just received a return of the men admitted to the camp hospital at Featherston dm 1-' ing last week, and that return, although it was in the middle of winter, when serious illness might be expected among trio men, comprised under twenty cases. Similar conditions prevailed at Trentham.

The- Wellington Early Settlers' Association in its annual report records with satisfaction the establishment of a branch in the Wairarapa, with headquarters at Groytown. The report proceeds:—"At a meeting held at Greytown on 21st June this branch was formed, our president, Mr. J. E. Jenkinson, being present. A committee was set up, and Mr. Maxton was appointed secretary. The committee reports a membership of over 40. Mr. Workman was the prim« mover in this extension of work, and he sought the assistance of Mr. Maxton to bring it to a successful issue. Our sincere thanks are due io them, and we greatly appreciate the service they have done the association."

Praise of the prison at Kaingaroa is given by Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P., in the Worker. "I had an opportunity of looking over the_ prison camp for the first time —my practical experience of prison life never extended beyond the walls of the city bastille," he writes. "At Kain-garoa the little community is almost wholly self-supporting. They raise the stock and do their own butchering. They have a« admirable bakery, and turn ont excellent bread. They grow enormous vegetables that would gladden the heart of a rural judge at an agricultural show. Each man has his separate hut; and, bad as prison life must- always be, the conditions here are infinitely better than they could possibly be in any ordinary prison. There are occasional pictures on the walls —and one can generally measure tho mental attitude of tho prisoner by the pictures he delights in. A number of the huts are adorned with .Bible texts. These are the cells of the men who have found it not possible to follow both Christ and Mars—and who have paid with the. forfeiture of iheih liberty for Hie crime, of r>oMessrng an inconvenient Christian conscience. It is significant that many of the anti-militarists are deep students."

Kirkctildie's are now showing a splendid range of Ladies' Raincoats in :\U the. newest styles, including the popular "Trench"'Coat. Very smart and serviceable models; all prices.—Advt.

Tweed overcoats for boys from 2 years to 16 yours; from; 7s 6d to 25a for small boys, and large sizes ICs 6d to 455. Geo. i'owlde. Ud.'—Advt,

' The drowning of the racehorses Demotic, Informal, Hymeona, Lady Jack, and Deep Sleep' by the sinking of the Wimmera did not, as was supposed, result in total loss to the owners, information received in Auckland from Sydney states (telegraphs The Post's Auckland correspondent) that Mr. V. Casey, who is at present on a visit to Australia, effected an insurance of £1000 on Demotic and Informal, and that Mr. H. Cotter had Hymeona, Lady Jack, and Deep Sleep covered to the extent of £1300.

Staff-Sergeant G. E. Cartwright, of the staff of the National Bank of New. Zealand, Wellington, who left with an early reinforcement on Headquarters Staff, has just gained his commission in the Royal Air Force. After serving in Egypt and England with Headquarters, Mr. Cartwright went to France, and served on Headquarters, 2nd Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier-General W. G. Braithwaite, D.S.O. He was invalided to England last year, and subsequently joined the O.T.C. at Cambridge.

Mr. P. C. Webb, a prisoner at Kaingaroa, was. visited recently by his successor in the Grey seat, Mr. iff. E. Holland, M.'P. "He is looking stouter and 'better than I have ever seen him look," states Mr. Holland. "He says he was never so free from worry as he is now. He is reading industriously, and is seeking to take advantage of the leisure hours compulsorily imposed on him to enlarge his fund of knowledge and further fit himself for the time when he will once more take his seat in the Legislature." Excellent work has been done already by the Voluntary Motor Corps organised recently in Wellington for the purpose of facilitating the transportation or returned soldiers from wharves or. trains to their destinations. Members of the corps are pledged to give their services whenever called upon, or, if unable to attend themselves, to find a substitute. The register of members now contains some 80 names, and it is hoped to bring it shortly to 100. Members are supplied with arm badges, and on each occasion when they are called upon for duty they are'supplied with an order for a tin of benzine. The officers of the corps are : Chairman, the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke); organisers, Lieutenant-Colonel A. F. Roberts, Captain W. Pryor; committee, Messrs H. W. Lloyd and L. E. Partridge ; secretary, Mr. H. J. Stott, 12, Panama-street. "Under-rate Workers" is the heading of one passage in a special report published by Quick March, the returned soldiers' paper. Though Ministerial assurances have been given that a pension will not be allowed to act as a factor in reducing the wages of a discharged soldier, the executive of the N.Z.R.S.A. sounds a note of doubt in the following statement :—"The problem of the under-rate worker who is art ex-soldier is one of the most important and difficult which the association is called upon to face. In | future years there will undoubtedly be a j tendency for the incapacitated to gravi- | tate towards the lowest paid and most casual classes of employment in every occupation. His pension will undoubtedly J tend to minimise the wage paid, and it j will be the duty of the association to devise and ensure the operation of such a system as will effectively prevent this." i For the State to embark on a scheme for the thorough technical education of children would be a sound and reproductive investment, in the opinion, of Mr. W. S. La Trobe, M.A. Addressing a meeting of the Philosophical Society last night he said that the Americans reckon every day of technical school life by each, pupil to be worth nine dollars to the State, and he saw no reason why the figures did not apply closely to conditions in New Zealand. There were 12,000 pupils in New Zealand, who cost the country £240,000 a year, and another 42,000 scholars between the ages of 14 and 17 years who leave school each year, and do not seem to get any value from technical education. That alone meant a decided loss to the State, not only in efficiency, but from a monetary point of view as well. Actually a child would earn more for the State while at school than it would at any other period of its life. * For the future we have only to persevere consistently in the policy which the conference has throughout pursued, said Sir George Clifford, Bart., president of the New Zealand Racing Conference, in his annual address to-day. Comparison of the present with the past well justifies it. Nono can quote any country in the world which has done so much as our own to promote clean racing for the benefit of its supporters. Where else do we find the bookmakers barred? Where else are proprietary clubs non-existent? Where else is every penny earned by racing institutions devoted to the maintenance of the sport? Our policy has been to gain the confidence of the people by removing all grounds of suspicion. Let us pursue that policy without fear or favour, and, if we are but true to ourselves, no fictitious opposition from adversaries without knowledge of our methods or understanding *o"r our principles will avail to injure us. The staffing of of hospital ships was considered at some length by a meeting of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association last evening, when the suggestion was made by the Auckland Conference, that members of the' Medical Corps serving in the front lines of the battlefield should be given a spell on the ships or in base hospitals. It was suggested that the work on a hospital ship was anything but strenuous; in fact, it was asserted that an orderly's job was a "real soft job." The staff did one trip lasting three months, and then had nine months on shore in some easy billet. Could not. a C 2 man, a man with hammer toes, for instance, do really good work as an orderly? Another member asserted that it was not fair to cast any reflection on the Medical Corps. Perhaps the authorities were to blame. Perhaps they were not utilising the N.Z.M.C. to the best advantage. "That was another question. Besides adopting the decision arrived at in Auckland it was also decided to recommend that returned sol--diers should be given preference to reenlist for service In hospital ships, should vacancies occur in New Zealand. A burglar has been at work in Dunedin during the past few weeks, quite a number of householders having been awakened at night by a man going through the rooms and disappearing quickly, when challenged, ■by an open window. On Sunday morning a Servian named George Slavitch Milan called at the police station for a permit to kave the Dominion. He was under suspicion, and on being questioned by Detective Cameron, who knew him in Wellington, he admitted entering a house at night and leaving his boots, hat, and torch behind when chased by the occupant, who was suddenly awakened by a man in the house. A question concerning the succession to tlie property of a dece.i-sed Maori woman ut the Chatham Islands was argued' before his Honour the Chief Justice in the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon. Mr. C. B. Morison. K.C., with him Mr. G. Watson, appeared for the next-of-kin of deceased, and Mr. M. Myers, with .Mr. M. Luckio. for the children concerned. His Honour reserved his decision. Two boys, iiged 10 and 17 veins, wore charged before Mr. F. V. FrW.er. 8.M., who presided at a sitting of tin; Juvenile Court this morning, with having discharged a firearm in the city. Evidence was'.iriven that- the boys had been shooting ;it birds ;it Wiu'.wlowu on 3rd June, ;iud'oiic shot had «oiu' unjileKsantly close to ;i neighbour. ICaeh boy was convicted and fined as, with 8s costs.

"There is a great waste of khaki in New Zealand at the present. time," stated a member at last night's meeting of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association. After some discussion, the following motion was carried : "That tlds meeting is of opinion that, from an economic point of view, any returned soldier who is in possession of uniforms and great coats should be permitted to surrender same at an assessed value."

The Pahiatua County Council unanimously endorsed the proposal that any surplus from last year's wool price should go to the dependants of men of the nayal and mercantile marine. It •>was pointed out that few realised what the Navy had done, and the council considered that the above step was the least appreciation that could be shown to the men who had kept up the prosperity of the country. A motion to the above effect was carried unanimously.

Legal argument was heard by the Court of Appeal yesterday afternoon in connection with an action brought against the City Milk Supply, Ltd. In the Magistrate's Court, Mr. S. E. M'Carthy; S.M., imposed "a fine on defendants of £15 for selling milk containing dirt without informing the purchaser of the adulteration. Mr. M. Myers appeared for appellants, and Mr. J. PrcndeviUo for the Crown. The Court reserved judgment.

Four more Maoris, residing at the pa at Mercer, who have been called for military service, were arrested On Saturday afternoon for failing to parade for medical examination. The pa is at present under water, owing to recent heavy rains, and the policemen made their approach in a wagon through two feet of watpr. The Maoris adopted an attitude of passive resistance, and refusing to walk, were carried out and placed in the wagon, hi which they were conveyed to the railway station.

With every other class of stock at abnormally high level of values, the condition of the horse market is an anomaly (says the Otautau Standard). The horse is one of the greatest factors in increased agricultural production; in fact, is indispensable if production is to be maintained, and yet horses are a drug on the market. A good four-horse team can be purchased at less money than the prewar value of one decent gelding. Is it the shortage of suitable trained farm labourers that accounts for thjs position?

In fortunate Otago (says the Dunedin Star) quite a large number of people live to what Moses in his psalm regarded as the exceptional age_ of four score years, their longevity being t of course, by reason of I*heir strength, but this strength being largely due to the sound climate. For the year ended 30th April the Otago Early Settlers' Association recorded 195 deaths of old identities, mostly members of the association, all arrivals prior to 1864, and the average of the total of their ages is a fraction over 80 years,

"Up to the present we have been an association without a home," states the Executive Committee of the Wellington Early Settlers' Association in its annual report. "Can we by any means acquire a room as a headquarters, where members can m>2et, and in which the pictures, photographs, etc., can be placed? This is worthy of your serious considertion." The foregoing suggestion was discussed by members of the association at a meeting last evening, and a general feeling was expressed that action should be taken to secure permanent and suitable rooms in which the society could meet, and in which historical documents could bo safely housed and displayed.

A first offender who was brought before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court this morning was fined ss, in default twenty-four hours in gaol, for drunkenness. Charles M'Geahan for a breach of a prohibition order was penalised in the sum of £1, in default seventy-two hours in the cells, and was convicted and discharged for drunkenness. Bichard Jones, a seafaring man, who was arrested on a charge oi assaulting Andrew Neilson in Manners-street on Monday evening, and was subsequently bailed out in the sum of £3, was convicted and ordered to forfeit the amount of his bail.

The Auckland correspondent of The Post states:—Land aggregation was stated by Mr. E. E. Hornblow, at Tuesday's deputation to the Acting-Prime Minister, to have been brought about in the district beyond the terminus of the Kaiiiu. railway through want of communication with the outer world. Small settlers, lie said, had been obliged to sell their holdings, which had been bought up by their wealthy neighbours. Sir- James Allen asked that specific instances should be supplied to the Minister for Lands, who, he said, was most anxious to stop aggregation if it were going on. He added that the Government would not put up with it. Mr. Hornblow undertook to furnish riarticulars.

That it is not wise to_ be careless in little things, a local resident found to his cost- a few days ago (writes the Mataura Ensign). Some three months ago he left on a holiday to the North Island, and" in the natural course of things gave the local Defence Office his future address. Some weeks ago lie returned to his home in Gore, but overlooked the necessity of informing the Defence authorities at the town at which ho had been staying that he intended to return home. In the meantime he was called up for medical examination, did not appear, and could not be found. Warrants for his arrest were issued, and after some little time reached Gore, where he was arrested and escorted to the police station to explain. A visit to the Defence Office at Invercarglll and medical examination classifying him 02 saved him from an awkward situation.

The breadwinner of a family of nine, whose ages range from three months to 14 years, "appeared before Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., at- Oamaru, last week, in response to a judgment summons for a sum of about £12. Defendant (says the Mail) explained his position to the Magistrate, stating .that his weekly earnings averaged £'2 10s. Mr. Bartholomew remarked that- according to law full enquiry should be made before a judgment summons was issued, but apparently no enquiry had been made in the cas"e being dealt with. The man should never hav-e been brought beforn the court, so he would refuse the order, and allow him 12s expenses for the time lost attending tho court. Mr. Onglcy asked if there was no way of niaUiiL,sure that the man actually would rnceive the expenses allowed, as. plaintiff would not pay the money, but would simply set it off against the judgment. The ■'Magistrate pointed out,that there was no provision in the Act to prevent the latter course.

No Rubbing Laundry Help in brisk demand. Is 3d packet sufficient for seven 'weekly family washings. Order ■ quick. William Gore, Cash Grocer, Willis-street. —Advt.

A cup of good, strong, fragrant tea — such as Desert Gold 2s 4d Tea—is what you want for that fagged feeling. The tea with the special flavour. Anot-hei good blend at 2s 2d.—Advt.

Got to move ? Well, engage the New Zealand Express Co.'s special motor. Quick. And it's saving. Storage if required—the best —SO' safe and clean. 87-91. Customhouse-quay.—Advt.

For the coming races C. Smith, Ltd., Cuba-street, have just opened the latest fashions. These include smart Navy Coating Costumes, in the newest winter styles, at £5 15s. to £8 8s; also stylish Fawn Gabardine Costumes at £6 15s to £9 9e. For suitable Gloves, Hosiery, Xeckwear, try "Tho People's Store." Al-fl ways something now to be seen.—Advi*. "