LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 134, 9 June 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In accordance with the British Government announcement, the Armies of Occupation to be maintained as from Ist February, 1919, pending the reconstruction of the British Regular Army, will bo.-—The Home Army, the Army of the Rhine, the Army of the Middle East and Egypt, the detachment of the Far North rind of Siberia, and the garrisons of the Crown Colonies and India.

A Press Association message from Auckland states : The passengers from Vancouver for Australia by the Niagara, who a-re detained in Auckland, have no-1 tifi'od the Union Company that unless they are despatched to their destination by Tuesday evening' they will take further action with a view to forcing the company to keep to its contract. „

"Acid drops may, not cause sea-sick-ness, I do not say that they do,1'1 said Bishop .Sadler in an address to the Nelson Senior Cadets, "but I do know that during the first few days of the voyage it was part of the padre's duty to hand acid drops round among the seasick boys, and they derived great comfort from them."

The King has approved of the undermentioned artilleries of the Dominions and Union of South Africa being shown in the Army List as allied to the Royal Regiment of Artillery: —The Artillery of the Dominion of Canada, the Artillery of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Artillery of the Dominion of New Zealand, tlie Artillery of the Union of South Africa.

Speaking at the Agricultural Education Conference, Dr. C. .J. Reakes, Director-General of Agriculture, said that oi late there had been an evergrowing demand from farmers for assistance and guidance in their work. Much, had already been done by tlie Departments of Education and Agriculture, but the time had come when a great deal more should be done. The two Departments should work, in cordial' co-oper-ation, and if a definite line of policy could bo laid down to bring that about much would be done in the interests of those engaged in practical agriculture.

Under the Education Department's regulations, any teacher has the right to appeal against his position on the grading list, of which the annual revision was recently issued.' It is interesting to notes states the Department,'that the-number of appeals have never been very large in proportion to the number of teachers graded, and that the number of appeals has steadily decreased each year. This would seem to indicate that the system is working very satisfactorily, and* that a close approximation has now been reached to the correct assessment of teachers' . general qualifications. The total number of teachers graded was 3934, and only 140 of these, or 3£ per cent, of the whole, have appealed. The number -appealing in each district is as follows, the number in brackets indicating the number of teachers graded in the district: Wanpranui, 2 (287); Nelson. 8 (138); Hawkes Bay, 10 (256); Wellington, 21 (538); Auckland, 50 (981); "Southland, 4 (233); Taranaki, 9 . (158); ■ Otao-o, 13 ■ (519); Canterbury, 22 (769): Native schools, 1 (55).

Apples have always been looked upon as beitTT grown for the public, and it is hot thought to bp n. crime--for orchards to be robbed and trees broken down (writes the Manawst-tn correspondent of the Farmers' Union -Advocate). Cabbages frequently caxise people to yield to teEiptatipn, and if one's firewood is handy I have known it to go; but a new game has .arisen. We have to get nearly oil our firewood by the Main Trunk lino, and pay a very high price for it. One .truck lately came down, and it was loaded with %}? cords, and meas-' nred when delivered 2§ cords; another, just over 3 cords. The purchaser wrote to the seller nnd told him about it. and he replied : "I am sorry your wood arrivnd disturbed arid short. ~ I have received several complaints concerning deficiency in hard wood firewood on arrival at their destination, but no such complaints have reached me where the Government soft woods. (firewood! is concerned." Those who take wood have a fair knowledge of the best class. ,0n one occasion a truck arrived at Makino threequarters of a cord short. . Posts have also been stolen from trucks.

The Labour Department, according to a statement by the secretary (Mr. F. W. Rowley) has been investigating the recent hold-up of the ferry steamer Maori, in order to see whether the men responsible have rendered themselves liable for proceedings for a breo.ch of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The history of the trouble, as the Department has learned it, is briefly as follows : About the time for sailing about sis firemen and trimmers were still required to make up the complement of fifteen. The firemen already engaged refused to sail until their number was augmented, and it. was then ascertained that in the circumstances the vessel might leave with the reduced complement of twelve. The twelve men were eventually obtained, but apparently one man was somewhat the worse for liquor. . On this ground the engineers refused to sail, though, according to the Department's information, the intoxicated man was not required to go on duty till midnight, and was fit to go on soon 'after eight o'clock. So far as the investigations have gone, they have not, in the view of the Department, disclosed any grounds for proceedings against either the firemen or the engineers. .

The decision given last week in the case in which John Endean, of the Waitemata. Hotel, Waitomata, was charged that on a day. when all the local hotels were ordered to close because a troopship had arrived he sold drink, exposed drink for sale, and kept his premises open for the sale of drink was of more than ordinary interest. The ordinary; bars in the hotel were closed, but a room upstairs had been fitted up as a private bar for lodgers, and in it ■were found some men who were said to be lodgers. Defendant contended that, notwithstanding the war regulations, he was within his legal right in sellingto lodgers. Mr. 'J. "E. Wilson, S.M., said the question was whether or'not war regulations absolutely prohibited tho sale and consumption of liqiior. during the hours the hotels were directed to be closed, notwithstanding section 191 of the Licensing' Act, which permitted licensees to sell to boarders during closed hours. He had come to the*conclnsion that the prohibition was an absolute one, and that while the order issued under the war regulations was in force it was an offence for a licensee to sell to .anyone, whether boarder or only an ordinary member of the public. "I think," concluded his Worship, "it was intended to effect a- complete, prohibition of the sale, exposure, and consumption of liquor. If not, the very mischief it was intended to prevent would be bound to cocur. Jn this pa.rticular case soldiers who had just come back had booked rooms in the hotel, and if the defence were correct these men would be entitled to be served while the man on the street. was not entitled to get drink. I have no doubt in my own mind that such was riot the intention of the regulations." As stated in a' Press Association message last ■week, defendant was convicted of tho: sale and exposure of liquor, and. fined £2 and. costs. The charge of. keeping tho1 premises open for the sale of liquor was dismissed, as the Magistrate was satisfied defendant considered himself entitled to sell to boarders.

Kirkealdio.and Stains, Ltd., are showing a range of yery pretty shades in new Fleecy Wool Scarves at 421 6d each. Visit tlie Fancy Department soon.—Advt.

At the last branch meeting of the Social democratic Party a motion was carried unanimously calling upon the National Government to grant the immediate release of all conscientious objectors, irrespective of their, ground of objection to military service.

An address on the subject "Science Superstition, and the Labour Movement " was given by Mr. A. M. Hall, in Alexandra Hall last'night, under the auspices of the Social Democratic Party. There was a good attendance, over which Mr. Maitland presided.

"Everyone was' going bankrupt when six o'clock closing was enforced," declared Councillor A. E. Wood, at the Birkenhead; Council, when the Waihi Council's proposal to make Saturday the statutory half-holiday in New* Zealand was under consideration (reports the Auckland Star). He said six o'clock closing bad proved'a permanency, and if the Saturday half -holiday were made universal people would readily fit themselves into the new conditions. The suggestion was approved.

With, high gla-ss and calm weather we have had a run of phenomenally hard frosts for the time of the year (writes the South Island correspondent of the Farmers' .Union Advocate)! In some of the inland districts as much as twonty-fivo degrees of frost have been registered for several nights following, and the cold ■has been most intense." Indeed, in the shade it has been freezing all day long, and on the dark facings ploughing has been difficult for some hours in the morning. If the frosts continue at their present severity work will soon be impossible on the shady sides of the hills. However, it is not anticipated that the weather will continue as cold as it is now. We are suTe to have a change sooner or later, and there is almost certain to be a thaw when it does come.

In the course of an address on soldier settlement, at the Waikato Winter Show (says the Auckland Herald), Sir. D. M. Ross, of the Department of Agriculture, emphasised the necessity for proper means of access to settlements prior to opening up sections for selection.. He dwelt on the hardships of settlers who had taken up land in the backblocks, and stated that the annual loss to the State through the lack of proper, access in many instances was greater than the amount necessary to meet the cost of roadirig. Referring to the pumice area-s, the speaker said it would bfc a mistake to hastirj condemn the pumice lands, for in them appeared to be,the greatest possibilities of development. Pumice was the basis of some of the .finest soils, and upon it the prosperity of the Waikato had its foundation. These lands merely required linking up with main roads and railways to be made highly productive. They * would be eminently suited' to soldier settlement if brought to the productive stage, and there was this great advantage—they could be easily worked in all weathers. v ; ■

That there is wealth in silt -was pointed out by Mr. D. L. Freeman in the course of a paper read last week at the Canterbury Philosophical Institute. T^sre were great tracts of lan,d adjoining -Canterbury's, streams Xwhich could be made to produce many profitable returns, and carry an increased number of cultivators, if properly controlled in regard, to the silt brought down by their waters and to the water that went unutilised seawards. A mountainous pile of valuable silt, that would considerably enhance the- value of great areas, and afford a better medium of : crop production than the present one, was being washed annually into the sea, and lost to the province. 'If the fugitive wealth was arrested it might result in a valuable mantle of agricultural land replacing present, unproductive areas, and converting Canterbury into a more productive and more valuable province, .with more people and more stock on its surface. An engineering scheme was necessary to the success of .that proposal, and. the aid of engineers would nave to be obtained. The diversion of the water on the area desired to be silted and irrigated should not be very difficult. -

The returned soldiers' settlement started in this district about nine months ago, and is on property that had .been the home of a fine lot of stud and flock Romneys, and well cultivated (writes the Bay of Islands correspondent _of the Farmers' Union Advocate). The grass in the spring was very plentiful, and the cows put on by the settlers soon told heavily in the supply of cream to the factory, and of course in fairly good monthly cheques; but the conditions have changed. Old residents that knew .the properties expected some trouble in the summer, but not so trying as at present, and the timo has come for -those hi auttiority to act. We don't want a repetition of the village settlement fiasco of thirty years ago. The present settlers have gone on the land in good faith. To some of them the conditions of life are new. The shrinking, if not the ceasing, of the cream cheque, the going down in condition —in a few cases loss of cattle

and the closing in of the winter days, which" even in the "winterless north"

are trying at times, are all apt to tell on those used to city life. If in addition to this there are money worries in not only providing the homo comforts in the, humble surroundings, but in the calls

from the Government Departments. Then there will be failures.

The claims of the Auckland Museum as Auckland's wax memorial are set out in a leaflet issued by the curator (Mr. T. F. Cheeseman). He narrates the steps by which the museum has grown since the first building was erected at a cost of £4400. A scientific and technological library of over 6000 volumes has been formed. A yearly course of popular scientific lectures has been maintained without a break. The membership has been raised to 450, or considerably more than a third of the total membership of the New Zealand "Institute. The revenue has reached £1700 per annum, and the invested capital has been increased to £23,000. The money value of the contents of the museum, including the unequalled Maori collections, cannot be estimated at less than £35,000 or £40,000, while that of the library may be safely stated at £5000. With regard to the adoption of the museum as Auckland's permanent war memorial, Mr Cheeseman. says : "To erect a new museum for Auckland, planned on such a scale and equipped in such a manner that it may adequately serve for the recreation, instruition, and intellectual advancement of the people of Auckland, the cost of such a building cannot be much tess than £50,000, and may be much greater. It is obvious that such a. task is beyond the capacity of the Auckland Institute. It is of' such a magnitude that it can only be dealt with by the collective enterprise of the whole community. The Auckland Institute suggests that tho work is one that can be appropriately included in the war memorial to be formed by the citizens of Auckland." Kirkcaldie and Stains, Ltd., intimate that Tuesday, the 10th instant, is the last discount day .for monthly accounts.. —Advt. ' Doctors recommend groats for invalids. When you ask for Doctors' Cream o' Groats you get the. best. All grocers.—Advt., To wash clothes clean slice into copper about six ounces pure Golden Rule Soap, add small packet No Rubbing. Laundry Help, boil briskly for thirty minutes, blue, and hang out. Result will delight you. Geo. Thomas and Co.—Advt. "What a lovely idea sending a motorvan to move our furniture ! . See,- too, how careful the men aie." The New Zealand Express Company, Ltd., 87-91, Custom House-quay.—Advt.

The City Council will have no surplus shrubs for private planting this year. Councillor &' Frost, Chairman of the Reserves Committee, states that all the shrubs that have been raised at the municipal nurseries will be required for planting in the Corporation's own gardens and reserves.

In discussing the question of erecting a memorial to fallen old boys (states the Christchurch Star), Mr. C. E. BevanBrown, headmaster of the Christchurch Boys' High School, at last night's meeting of the Old Boys' Association, said he had communicated with several of the leading English schools, and "had ascertained that they were adopting the 'scholarship system in connection with memorials. In New"1 Zealand, said, the speaker, he did not think that the position with regard to scholarships wns different. Here we had Government war bursaries,: patriotic fund bursaries) and the proposed Trentham Dominion scholarships.

Recently several further wilful attempts _to damage the. Lake Coleridgo transmission lines and interrupt the supply of power to the city of Christchurch have come to the notice .of the-electrical branch of the Public Works Department. These have generally taken the form of rifle shooting at insulators, but in one case a piece, of fencing wire several feet in length had. been thrown across the lines. In view of the serious loss and inconvenience which must* arise to • the community as a.result of any interruption, the department invites 'the co-oper-ation of the public in protecting its property, and announces a standing reward, of 810 to anyone giving information leading to a conviction.

A Southern exchange, prints-, apparently in .all seriousness, a prime car story An English firm, the paragraph runs, has made arranpements^to pat on the market a small light car, which will cost less than the new ■ £50 Ford. Tax and freight charge? are expected to raise the price of the American article considerably above the figure asked from United States buyers, whereas the. British concern are confident they will be-able to offer their car at £50 or £60 in the home market. The English car will be something quite new. Hardly any wood will be used in its construction. It will be made almost entirely of a new substance—a kind of concrete,, light, but strong and durable, produced from waste material such as slag, clinkers, sawdust, and so ,on, and covered with a metal solution.

"The New Zealand Mounted Brigades Operations" was the subject of an address given by Lieutenant-Colonel C. G. Powles, ,C.MsG., D.5.0., N.Z.S.C., at the. Wellington^'College on Saturday evening. There was a large attendance of old boys, students, and parents, who found the. lecture both interesting and instructive. Dealing chiefly 'with the operations from the Canal to R-afa, Colonel Powles outlined the many difficulties which confronted the1 brigade in driving back the Turk. Whilst at Bir-d-Aba, Colonel Powles took the names of v all college old boys in the brigade— about 20 or 30—and during the eveninghe read these names over. In the Sinai campaign Colonel Powles was for a time brigade major, but subsequently joined Headquarters Staff of the Division as A.A. and Q.M.G. Colonel Powles is to deliver another lecture on Saturday next on the operations in Palestine.

Thursday was the third anniversary of the death of Earl Kitchener The late Field-marshal left England in H.M.S; . Hampshire, on 4th J ( une, 1916,' en route for Petrograd, and was drowned off the west coast of the Orkney Islands on the evening of the following day, the vessel striking a mine and sinking within 15 minutes. Earl Kitchener was seen going (to the quarter-deck with a naval officer, and shortly afterwards the captain called to him to go to the forebndge,1 near where the captain's boat was ready to be lowered. Whether Lord Kitchener entered the boat or not, or whether -any boat got clear of the ship, was never ,' ascertained. Of the ship's company, 12 men\ who were saved by means of rafts,. were the .only' survivors. ,j The Earl Kitchener Memorial Fund was inaugurated by the Lord Mayor of London in aid of disabled oiScers and men in. the army, and over £300.000 was raised within nine weeks. ■ ■ . ■

Any person, who is at "all superstitious would have had an anxious time if he had been on board .the troopship At-henic, which left New Zealand in, June last with the 39th Reinforcements. Bishop Sadlier mentioned in his address to the Nelson Senior Cadets recently that before the vessel left Wellington . the ship's cat went ashore, which was considered a bad omen, but it was cap-tured-.by the crew and taken aboard ' again. The vessel left on the 13th of the month, and'hi the Panama Canal the cat fell overboard, and to prevent it from drowning it was shot by a soldier— another ominous happening. During the voyage it 'transpired 'that there were thirteen officers on board and there were, thirteen boats on the ship. At Jamaica the Athenic went ashore, and the troops were transferred to a Dutch cargo tramp and called at New York. The voyage across th& Atlantic occupied thirteen days, and. the convoy consisted of .thirteen destroyers, and they arrived at-Livei-poofon 31st August (the n'gui'es re- . versed). Incidentally, Bishop Sadlier ' mentioned that the O.C. celebrated his thirty-ninth ..birthday on board (three . times thirteen), and they were the 39th Reinforcements!

Old members of the Second and Tenth South African Contingents, the Legion of Erontiersmen, and- the Zealandia Rifles (one time crack companies of the Wellington Battalion), heard with great regret of the death in the Palmerston North .Hospital, on the 2nd inst, of Corporal M. J. Molloumby, of the 11th Reinforcements. "Mick," as he was always affectionately known by his wide . circle of friends, returned from France' about a year ago. He developed tuberculosis, getting slightly gassed, and gradually declined. He was one! of the founders of the New Zealand .Natives' Association, from which sprang the Zealandia Rifles, and he was' one of the Zealandia's team which won the New * Zealand championship for physical drill, and manual, and bayonet exercises. On the outbreak of the' South African War he enlisted with the Second Contingent, and became quarter-master sergeant, going over again-with the Tenth Contingent, and returning with—commissioned rank. He had some difficulty in getting accepted for the Great War, but ultimately succeeded, and not waiting for a commission, got away as a trooper with the llfh Reinforcements. He was buried with military honours at Palmerston North on Wednesday last, and it was pleasing to note among those present, - representatives of the South' African Second Contingent, the 11th Reinforcements, and the old Zealandia Rifles- . Much sympathy is felt for Miss N. Molloumby, of Palmerston North, in tho loss of her only brother.

"Velour Hats" always look well. See our stock in Slate, Beaver, Smoke, and Black at 27s 6d. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Mariners-street Advt. -

For on 6 weok tho ladies of Wellington and surrounding districts will have an exceptional opportunity of restocking' their wardrobes with Now Blousa^Frocks, Camisoles, and elegant Nujhtdrapqs, etc., at a'much more reasonable outlay by buying White Crepo de Chine at tho special prices prevailing at The People's Store for this we-ek; 40 inches wide, at' 7s lid, 8s lid, 9s lid, to 21s yard. Us/the. New Moa. Paper Patterns for all garments. They simplify homo dressmaking. Stocked only by C. Smith, Ltd., 96-102,. Cubastreet, Wellington.—Advt.