LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, 21 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A marked difference between the state of trade in Wellington and Christchurch has been noted'-receutly. Excellent tiade is being done in Weljingion. while the very opposite condition is reported to obtain in the Canterbury centre.

The Napier Chamber of Commerce has decided, to .-npport the Davlivht Saving Bill.

'flnntly lffis put up something in the way of a record for births. The vital statistics for tile June quarter, as supplied by tile registrar, are as follow : Births. 30; deaths. 2: notices of marriage, 7.

As the Stoke School was having holi-days.-no special effort was made on behalf of the j>elgian on Children's Day. but a concert, is being organised for that purpose, particulars of which will be published Inter.

Stephen Phillips, the .poet and dramatist, who died at Deal*" last December, left £5. Letters of administration have been granted to the widow, .Mrs May Phillips, of Ash ford, M.'ddlesex.

It is reported that an enthusiastic resident of a district near Eketahuna went to Wellington and ott'ered' his services for the front. He passed the medical examination as far as physical h'Cess was concerned, but the bar was his age—something over 70 years.

J>uring 1915. 57,032 debt cases were tried in the M-'.gistfate's Courts of NewZealand. Tip amounts sued for totalled ±1445.979. and the amoamts recovered £333.531.

In the Supreme Court at Wellington on Tuesday hist, in Chambers, on the application of Mr A. C. Maginnity. his Honour the Chief Justice granted' probate of the will of the late Hugh Kenyon to Henry Bishop Thorn and Arthur Alexander Kenyon, the executors named in the will.

'The largest, chestnut tree 1 have seen hi New Zealand is one at New Plymouth, in the grounds of Mr Newton Kind's house. Tt is 60ft high, some 6ft in diameter, and 68 years old : it has a branch spread of lOOi't. Amongst trees, it. is one of the sights of New- Zealand."

—Mr D. E. 'Hutchins (South Africa), in an address before the iC-our.cil of Agriculture at Wellington last Tuesday.

The military authorities of Bavaria have decreed a rigid curtailment of business hours for publicans on ev€ry day of the week, in order to reduce the sale of be-er to the general public, ami avoid the danger of inadequate -'applies for "harvest workers" during the next few months.

A Chriftehmvh medical man who wer.t through the Gallipoii campaign writes as follows concerning medical and surgical att-endan.e in "Fiance (says the Press) : "The people of New Zealand will be relieved 01 one great anxiety, and that is in regard to the treatment of their wounded. One can only admire the care and organisation expended on this branch of the service here. The wounded and sick get the best 'Britain can give them. One cannot say move. 'lt is a lot for the people overseas to realise.'

Mr Will Crooks. M.P., speaking at the annual meeting of the After Care Association for Blind. and Crippled Children, said' it was not everybody who was born with tact. Only, the Speaker of the House of 'Commons ' has tact. When'there is a turmoil and £0 or 30 people are on their feet calling "Mr Speaker! -Mr 'Speaker!" Hi Speaker merely looks round and calls upon the biggest bore in the House. "Then everybody heaves a- sigh and walks out."

At Overstag, a" village partly in Holland and partly in 'Belgium, "summer time" is causing great confusion. The church is on (Belgian territory, and the tower clock indicates German summer time, but in the church itself the old Belgian (Greenwich) time is still observed. The Dutch officials follow the new Dutch summer time, and in the Dutch schools the time differs by an hour from the German summer time. At the same hour, therefore, the tower clock shows 2 o'clock, the clergyman's watch 12. the school clock 1. and the Dutch officials clock 1.20.

The North China Herald relates that the .police at Harbin (Manchuria) have unearthed a thieves' school, and among the things seized were translations .nto Chinese of the doings of ' Sherlock Holmes, and, according to the .tatememts of the anested, they all attended a daily school which was conducted by their chief, who read, to his pupils the exploits of famous cracksmen and detectives and instructed them in the art of housebreaking. Account books were also found, and "entries were made daily as" to the' .pracerty they had got hold of, how much'it realised, and how the money was divided.

•H t-he beginning of the war each GeV.T.-a.n soldier wajTtold to keep a. Ivary while on active service. Now, however the German Chief Command has issued the. strictest orders forbidding all privates. N-0.0.'5, and officers to keep them.' The reason is -because the enemv ha? constantly published the contents" of diaries found on the fallen or taken from pr'soners, which disclose the moral slate, of the army am* tell of terrible- experiences on the •ba.ttle-neid. Hereafter. whoever keeps a di'iry <>f events during his life in the field -nil be liable to he shot. At the same time, the cnisorinc of the German soULiers' letters home'-has been made much stricter. , . In sending to the President ol the W.C-.T.U. her written resignation as a member, Mrs Hampson referred to the name of the Union as in her opinion now tending to be a misomer, coupled with her thought that the order of the motto was being reversed, and that the Union was becoming in her opinion a political organisation, while in two or three of the last seven resolutions sent to the Prime Minister and members *.? the Ministry, the possible good of one section of New Zealand men under present New Zealand camp conditions was outweighed in her opinion by greater uossible danger to women. The writer feels she owes this explanation to all in consideration of her influence, worlc, and position with the ©iris' Friendly Society, Mothers' Union, and other worK, both Anelican and undenominational.

As there is an impression- f hat the git!, motor car was 'very badly damaged in Tuesday night's incident it is intend.:d to have the ear on view at Paddy'* Market this evening in order to show that there, was nothing .seriously wrong. The ear name in from Stoke under it's own power. and. prart i<-n'Jy the only damage was to the snirht and hood, which has now been ' ' notl - * he police, are still making u.'p;i; ies as to the person who removed the ear from the garage.

The hoive to one <d' Mt-ssrs -J. Anstiee and Co.'s bread delivery carts .met with an accident in Brook street this morning. While the horse was bojnn- led t.hr, hack hand broke. letting down the shafts, and the animal began kicking, and it is struck the step, "causing a broken fetlock. Both shafts of the i art were broken.

The Hon. G. W. Russell, replying to a deputation from the Wellington Hospital Board this morning on the question of subsidies paid to Hospital Boards, said it was proposed next session to introduce legislation to amend the present system. One provision would he that Hospital Board estimates must bo submitted to his Department before, being passed. It was also proposed to call a conference of representatives of Hospital Boards before finally framing legislat inn.—Press Association.

A lad. named Sydnev Harold Kay, H-.-ing at Hillmorten, Christehureh. died suddenly this morning. He complained at breakfast of pains in the head, and vomited. He died in a, few minutes. The lad was aged 15. and was studying for matriculation. —Press Association.

Mr H. G. Hill received a telegram last evening advising that Mr A. H. Mazure, who was recently in Nelson addressing meetings of fruitgrowers, would arrive in Nelson on Xuesday ■nrorning to spend; a. fortnight going round the whole district in the interests of the Nelson District Fruitpackers' Btd., and to bring down a comprehensive scheme for utilising the second and third-grade fruit by erecting evaporating works, and installing plants for the manufacture of cider and vinegar. Mr Hill also received a, cable last night from one of the .best housese in America regarding sending out one of_ their experts to superintend the erection of the machiuerv, etc.

The public are warned against- a superstitious chain- prayer -which is being circulated as "the Red Gross Chain."' Itpromises a great joy for those who Keep the chain -moving and a misfortune for those- who fail to"" do so. The waste paper haskct or the fireplace should- be- the destination of such communication's.

In the Legislative Council yesterday the Hon.. A. T. Maginnity said that he had at first felt inclined to oppose the Legislative Council Bill on the ground that the principle of the existing Act might be endangered and perhaps lost by "these repeated -postponements. However, in view of the special circumstances which had given rise to the pi'esent Bill ho would support- it. The Hon. J. Barr moved as an amenS.ment that the Legislative Council Act be repealed. He defended the nominative, system. The debate was adjourned and the Council rose.

Tire value of physique in; a Prime Minister lias never been more strikingly shown than in the last few years- Even Mr Gladstone could not have sustained the .burden which has been laid upon Mr Asquith. In all his long period of office tii& Prime Minister has had only two slight breakdowns. After the coa.l strike a touch of influenza and nervous work compelled him to take a short holiday, and! earlier this year an attack of bronchial catarrh kept- him away from the House for about a fortnight. He has a splendid constitution, but owes his immunity fromi serious ailments to the same cause as did my Gladstone. Like Mr Gladstone, he has the power of dividing his mind into water-tight compartments, and -when once a subject has been temporarily disposed of it ceases to worry hint.

This story of cross purposes is vouched for by a naval officer: A lieutenant, seeing- a sailor fall overboard, jumped' after him. The paymaster, shaving in his cabin below, -saw the -lieutenant pass the port-hole- on .his- way do.vnjwards. anished' on; deck and jumped after 'him, thinking he had' fallen, overboard. The lieutenant, .recovering- from ■his plunge- .and seeing the paymaster in- the water, thought he was the man he was trying to save, and clutched him. The paymaster reciprocated, and they had- a violent struggle trying to save each other. Meanwhile the sailor was under the ship, drowning. The other two were at length hauled' onboard. It was not until the evening, wfeen the roll wa.s called that it was discovered that a bluejacket was massing.

Messrs Levin and* Co., Ltd., advise that the next crutchings sale in Wellington will be held on the 18th August.