LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 43, 19 August 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Little now remains of the steamer Defender, which was destroyed by fire in Wellington Harbour a short time ago, and which was stranded off Leper Island, off the northern end of Somes Island. During the trial trip of the Aorere on Saturday, those on board observed a lifeboat davit and a few feet of superstructure showing above the water. An attempt is to be made to salve the machinery of the vessel, and from all ■ appearances the chances of this being successfully done are decidedly good.

A Christchurch soldier—a B class Second Division man—who left for Trentham with last Monday's draft, writes to a, friend, after two days' experience of camp life :—" So far everything has been tip-top—tucker, clothing, and the other necessities of life, beyond any possible reproach. The weather has been very bad since we arrived here, but we are well provided for, and are better off, many of us, than we were in our civilian life."

At a meeting of the executive of the Canterbury Patriotic Fund last week, the Applications Committee asked for a ruling as to whether advances should be made to assist returned soldiers to purchase residential homes. Mr. H. B. Sorensen, on behalf of the committee, said that .his own opinion was that such grants should not be made, and he moved to that effect. After a discussion the motion was carried, with one dissentient.

Describing the attention given to the wounded in France, Chaplain Bladin states:—Here there were sixteen hospitals, with 30,000 patients, and he could tell countless tales of bravery and suffering he had seen. The New -Zealanders were the envy and admiration of everybody _at the front. The Padres made_ it their business to visit every man in this area every week. As there were only three Padres this was a huge work. They sent cables home for the boys, and comforted the relatives. The boys badly wounded always said to him, "Now, don't ,l e t them think I'm badly hit. Mother will only worry."

The Otago Military Service Board on Thursday, considered the appeal of John Ira Fraser (solicitor, Naseby), who said he was the only solicitor practising between Dunedin and Alexandra; further, that his being called up would involve the sacrifice of his business, and be a large financial loss to the appellant. In answer to questions, the appellant stated that if there were not a solicitor in the district there would be great inconvenience. He did a lot of small work which would not warrant a man going to Dunedin to have done. He did a lot of income tax return work for farmers and business men. It would be impossible for the solicitors at Alexandra and Clyde to undertake the work. C. J. Inder (a member of the Otago Land Board) said he knew the district well, and he considered it necessary that there should bo a solicitor in the district. The board adjourned the case sine die.

The executive of the Nelson Returned Soldiers' Association has received a most generous offer frem Mr. J. H. Cock— namely, to assist to the extent of £2000 in providing a returned soldiers' club. An option has already been asked, for by the association, over several acres of land adjacent to the city, and it is proposed to erect a hostel and club rooms in concrete thereon. At present ideas are naturally iv an incipient etage, but generally they are as follow :—The building would contain some twelve bedrooms, necessary domestic offices, restaurant, comfortable billiard, writing, reading rooms, etc., and would be in charge of a caretaker, who would be responsible for the care and management of the premises. For residential purposes the club could be utilised by returned soldiere passing through the city, but more especially as a more or less permanent home for the returned men who are permanently partially _ disabled. The club would be a memorial to those who had fallen, and a. place of rest for those who return.

A report on the question of teaching the Japanese language in Melbourne University was recently received by the registrar of the institution, under cover of a testimonial to an instructor in the language, from Major Piesse, of the Defence Department, and was read at a meeting of the council of the university. Major Piesse, who wrote from knowledge of the method of instruction at Duntroon Military College and at Sydney University, expressed the view that it was really necessary to have two instructors one European and the other Japanese— owing to limitations on both sides. He paid a tribute 4 to the ability of Mr. tnagaki, a Japanese resident, and recommended him for appointment as an instructor on the Japanese side. The council already had in hand an offer from Rev. T. J. Smith, a Presbyterian minister, to teach the language, and, following the recommendation of Major Piesse, it was suggested that the system might be given a trial by appointing Mr. Smith and Mr. Inagaki. • Eventually the council decided to ask the Faculty of Arts for a recommendation in regard to the matter.

Old Maori middens in the Wellington district are the subject of another bright article by Mr. Elsdon Best in the Journal of Science. "At Te Paripari, about half a mile south of paekakariki," lie writes, "commences a series of sandhills that extend far up the coast, on and between which were situated many native hamlets in former times. Such signs of former occupation as shell-middens and village-sites are almost continuous fox miles in some areas. Most of these remains date from pre-European times, and many of them must bo centuries old. Wind-breaks followed by sand-drift havecovered some of the shell-heaps and exposed others, while some of tne sandhills show several layers of shells and other debris separated by deposits of drift sand of varying depth, possibly betokening abandonment and Te-occupation of the site. In some cases a shell-midden occupies the sharp summit of a hillock, showing that the winds have removed a higher part formerly occupied by Natives, for assuredly no Native woman would carry her cookhouse-reiuse uphill. A considerable number of stone and bone implements have been found in this vicinity. The late Mr. Hamilton here collected nearly one hundred stone adzes and parts of such implements. When a pond that formerly existed near the hotel was drained some wooden weapons—spears— were found in the bod thereof. The rapid growth of certain introduced sandbinding plants along this coast has much impeded the work of relic-hunters."

Mr. James It. Walters, one of the oldest residents of Auckland district, died on Thursday at his residence, Kin»sland, aged 75 years. He was born in Cornwall, England, in 18-13. and when five years of age was brought by his mother to Auckland in the shi'- Flora in IS4S. He was engaged in dairying pursuits for thirty years. During the Maori War in ISGI he served with the militia. When the various troo;>s were amalgamated in tho Nixon Light Horse, under Captain Isaacs, Mr. Walters was sergeant-major. Deceased was an enthusiastic member of the Auckland A. and P. Association, and was president on more than one occasion.

Dunedin Hospital is overcrowded. As many as 300 returned soldiers have been under treatment at one time, either as in or out patients.

The First Wellington Military Service Board—Mr. D.. G. A. Cooper, S.M., chairman —leaves for Wanganui to-mor-row. Mr. W. Perry will be unable to accompany the board on this circuit, owing to urgent private business, and his place will be taken by Mr. T. Young, solicitor.

After having required unremitting attention for a period of 32 hours, the fire in the benzine store in Beach-road, Auckland, was extinguished by the Fire Brigade at 6 a.m. on Friday., As a result of the skilful work of the firemen, about 3000 cases of spirit were saved.

On Saturday afternoon the small steamer Aorere, making her trial trip, had on board 50 tons of State coal, which ;s to be landed at Eona Bay to morrow, and distributed amongst residents of Eastbourne. The vessel has the distinction of being the first steamer in New Zealand to carry municipal coal for distribution to householders.

"There are no religious distinctions at the front," remarked Chaplain Bladin at a meeting at Palmerston. "A man is appreciated foi- the work he does, not for the cloth he wears. When one comes home and finds the little petty grievances in the following of Jesus Christ, one wishes that the same spirit prevailed at home that there is at the front."

Soccer players rightly rejoice in the fact that) in Association Park they have an "all weather" ground, for by nature of the subsoil the playing surface is always dry enough to play on. The dress-ing-shed, however, is but a poor apology for a mere shed, and is certainly not suited for a dressing-room. Another urgent need on the grounds is a sanitary convenience

In the case of Hughena Jessie Donnelly v. Marshall John Donnelly, a claim for judicial separation, heard in the Supreme Court on Saturday, the jury, after a short retirement, found that the respondent had been guilty of misconduct, and granted the separation sought by the petitioner, with costs. Mr. M. Myers, with him Mr. G. G. G. Watson, appeared for the petitioner, and Mr. J. ,T. M'Grath for the respondent.

Alluding to the unemployment of soldiers, the Mayor of Auckland, Mr. J. H. Gunson, states that ho has received a communication from a Wellington firm, who stated that they had openings for a large number of carpenters • who were returned soldiers. If employers in other trades and employers of labour generally would do the same it would, added Mr. Gunson, help very much, as undoubtedly the returned men should receive the preference.

Lieutenant A. M. Hogen, a member of the famous "Blue Devils of France" Regiment, and wearer of the Croix de Guerre, was a through passenger by the Niagara for Sydney, say's the New Zealand Herald. He won his honours at Verdun. He was wounded, and is now on his way to his home in New Caledonia to recuperate. When war broke out he was attending a French University, but immediately gave up his studies to join the famous French shock troops.

Generally speaking, the rabbit was expected to get a bit of a set-back through the snowstorm, but- according to reports "bunny" got instead a, bit of a lift over the fence, literally and metaphorically, in some parts of the- district' where the snow fell to a -good depth (says tire 'Wakatip Mail). We have been informed that at Kawarau Falls station and at the Ayrburn orchard, v^hero the snow was almost level with the wJre-nettiug encircling the gardens, the rabbits gair.ed easy access to the fruit trees, and wrought considerable havoc to a number t-i apples, barking them ns- high up as iar fat era's. la the case of the latter orchard a continuous watch had to be kept in order to check their depredations.

A Wellington citizen wrote to the editor of the Journal of Science for an explanation of N the appearance of light clouds about the m.-ists of the Wireless Station during fine days. The question was referred to Professor H. Clark, Viciaria University College., who suggested tne following explanation :—" It is well known that air, in rising to region of lower pressure, expands" and cools. The water-vapour which it contains may be-, come saturated;- in quite clean air ifc may become supersaturated. A great electrical stress ionizes air. and the ions act as nuclei' for condensation. Thus a cloud would form about the high-tension electrical conductors if the air at the summit of the hill were slightly supersaturated."

Dr. W. Fox, superintendent of the Christchurch Hospital, in giving evidence on the death of Ronald Opie, drew attention to the "enormous number of accidents that take place nowadays in connection' witli motor traffic." D.r. Fox stated that 50 per cent, more accidents were caused by motring than any other classes of accidents. Pie thought some attempt should be made to regulate the motor traffic. At present no-.heed was paid. Hs commented on the speed of motorists past the hospital, and also along Park-terrace. It was time the police took some notice. On Thursday last five people had been brought in to the hospital suffering from accidents, and two of them had been run over by motorists. He had, from a window, seen one small boy knocked over by a motor and left in the roadway, the motorist going on.

A remark by a member of the Auckland Patriotic Association Executive to the effect that some of the members of the Military Pensions Board appeared to have been acting "like Tsars," brought from Mr. J. H. Gunson, Mayor of Auckland, an explanation that the association had found the Pensions Board quite ready to meet reasonable claims, and to re-open cases on the representations of the association. The system, too, of paying a temporary pension pending the investigation and final adjustment of the claims had been adopted, and a refund was not pressed for should the permanent allowance be fixed at a scale lower than the amount which had been temporarily paid out. There was, natur-" ally, Mr Gunson said, some want of elasticity in the board's operations, where there must be individual hardships, and that was where the Patriotic Association was intended to afford relief.