LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 168, 13 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"My'"mother Eas-a - little -sentiment' about the house,", declared an appellant befove the , WellTngEoji Military Service Board, when explaining why his widowed -mother required six rooms for herself. : He added, quietly: "You see, I was- born there."

. The estates of ■ 320 deceased persons were placed under the charge of the Public Trustee during the month of June.

By an Order-in-'Council, gazetted lastnight, a duty of £1 per ton on co/pra and £4 per ton on pearl shell exported, from th-e Cook Islands-, is levied.

At. the Blenheim- Poultry Show 'yesterday, in addition to the : successful Nelson fanciers, who were mentioned yesterday F. . Gibbons--scored a first for Black Orpington Cockerel, a first for Buff Orpington cock, and second for Buff Orpington pullet.

T9ie Returned Soldiers' Association has invited Sir James,Allen to visit Nelson on August sth. The Minister lias replied that he .will make an effort to come. . -; ■ x

meeting of the General Committee of the. Nelson -Horticultural .Society will be held at the Institute at 7.30 on Monday evening.

-The call'for'Second Division men with up to four children is fast approaching. The Government allowances, though liberal,: do not place, .the prospective widow or orphans beyond the range of penury. •Many a far-seeing father to-day; is wondering, should he pay the supreme sacrifice, how his childreh will tie educated and given a start in life. As a cheap and certain provision-"" for the future there is nothing to equal a plantation of pines.. Vest it,in your children. Write Kingsland, Appleby. *

An Order-in-Oounci!, gazetted! thisweek, authorises the Petone Borough Council to borrow £2400 at a maximum rate of interest of per cent.

The arrivals in New Zealand during the month of June numbered 960, and the departures 1069. For June of last year the -arrivals were 1003 a-nd. the departures 932.

As an example of war prices, the Son-. T. M. Wilford remarked that a quantity oi' linen, drill., audi other materials, which could, have been bought for £I4OO four years ago, cost £3460 to-day.

A Wellington citizen who was in the French Pass, recently says' that the fishermgjj in mat locality- sell groper to a Wellington- merchant at 2s 8d for about (oressed weight)—about Jd per lb. The freight is 3s a sack (about £d per lb).

Consumers of meat in Dnne.din found, on Monday that they were required to pay an increased price for small goods. This is in consequence of the 10 per cent, war ■bonus' to all butchers' employees, which was agreed upon at the 'Conciliation Council last Friday, and l which is to oome into force on Monday next. Consumers are being asked lo provide the bonus payment a week prior to the employees receiving the benefit of it; but consumers (declares Otago Daily Times are among the. most -patient and long-suffering people on earth.

The Stoke Methodist Church will celebrate its anniversary on Sunday-, July 21st by special services, and on the Wednesday following a tea and concert will be held. A large number of ""singers' will take part -in the concert, and altogether a capital programme has been prepared'.

A general meeting of the Motueka Second Division League will be held in St. Thomas's Schoolroom oni Monday evening. A report- of the Dominion conference will be presented, and the meeting will be open for the discussion of other ■business.

"After the war! Everything is apres la guerre nowadays," said a deputat-ion-i®t at Parliament Buildings- yesterday,, says the Post, referring to the delays and interruptions of certain necessary public works in New Zealand, The Minister (Sir William Fraser) repeated' his words "of recent months, that there was a shortage of abour as well ae money. Nearly half the authorisations allocated to local bodies remained unexpended because they icould not engage sufficient labour. \Vhen a deputationist said that the -cost of these works was 25 per cent above normal, the Minister interjected : "More—fifty."

"Prison camps are, it is- understood, full of conscientious objectors l , and consequently there should be plenty of prison labour available," was one passage in a iplea submitted by a deputation to two-Ministers of the Crown for Government help in. ' 'having the main service road from Raurimu to Ohakune put in -a safe -and proper state of •repair, says the Post. One deputationisfc expressed doubt as to the. quantity and quality, of "'C.O." labour. "Con* -scientious objectors are working all right," commented the Minster of Justice, in a tone which indicated that he spoke, from -a (knowledge of facts.

"That's how 1 got the Butt-road'," remarked the H'on T. M Wilford, when deputataonists from fthe middle of this island threatened to worry and pester Ministers, and agitate and deputate, on and on, year after year, till the needs 'of their district received something better than the old "careful consideration,"- says the Post. "We have been left in a hole because we have not done sufficient pestering of Ministers," said bne' visitor: "We'll be a thorn in the side of the Government " remarked another, cheerfully. Sir William Fraser smilingly replied that deputations were never a thorn. Another, hopeful that a persistent agitation by deputations and might accomplish something* quoted an old proverb:—"Constant dripping wears away the stone."

Dr. Trumbull, states the Waiau correspondent of the Lyttelton Times, had an unpleasant experience durin gthe storm last week. (He motored from Rotherham to attend a patient at Waiau. and set out on his>return journey shortly after 8 o'clock in the evening. About 'two niiles dowft the Toad, h-pwever, he got into difficulties and. found he could- drive ho fur--5 ther. He started ,to walk the -remaininig distance and reached the residence of Mr a mile or -so on, in an exhausted condition, being, obliged; to i remain there for the night. Next morning he borrowed -a draught-horse and tried to reacTl his home by road. This he found and he had to return and take a road, over the hills, _arTivincr at Rotherham on the following day.

Mt Duncan MTiachlanj, C.E., of Mas teuton, i s dead 1 , agedij 60. At the age of ten he came to Wellington with his parents from Inverness, • Scotland. For 3 syears he had /been associated with various county xsounfails and road boards in Wairarapa as erigmeer aind surveyor. Eor 15 years he had been engineer to the Mastei-ton County "Council, but during the jpasfc two years he hi>d practised'his profession of engineering privately. He leaves a widow at),d two daughters ('Mrs: J. -G. Wingate and Mrsi H. R-. Biss, wife of Lieutenant Biss. of Wellington, who is on active service).

The allocation of the reward of £SOO offered by the Crown for evidence that would lead to thie- conviction of the •murderer of the lad 'Cou'lthard, and' of Mr Hall, the second victim in the West Coast shooting case has not yet been finally determined by the Justice Department (says the Otago Daily Times. It is supposed that some' nine persops twill participate in the .distribution. The official opinion is said to be that if Mr M. O'Brien, the licensee of the Empire Hotel, in Chistchurch, had not ihad a doubt cast on his suspicions when he first met Eg-gers in his hotel, he would have secured the full reward. When Eggers went to the. hotel he' deposited a portmanteau in the office. Tli'e licensee having occasion, to go to his safe, lifted the portmanteau out of the way. The weight of it, and the fact that the -man had just arrived form the West Coast caused- a suspicion to flash through Mr O'Brien's mind. Hist suspicions were not shared by those to whom ,he confidentially ■mentioned them-, and he. did not communication! with the police that evening. Subsequently it was Mr O'Brien, who very materially clenched the suspicions, which at t/he time of the- arrest were .suspicions only, that .had been- formed regarding Eggers.

On General Pershing's recomirpenctation, the War Department lias recognised that tobacco is as much a necessity for soldiers as clothin.Gr. and food. Each soldier with the American forces yrill be issued a dailV- ration : 4-10th of an ounce of' smoking tobacco and 10 ci.earette .papers. As an alternative four ready-made cigarettes will be issued, or, if .preferred, 4-lOth of an ounce of chewing tobacco. Just how 4-10 th of an ounce is .goinsr to ibe issued to the men (ha® not yet been •determined-, but t"he quartermaster is l novy working out a' plan..

Mr Robert A. Chieholm, formerly well-known! in the banking circles of Canterbury and Southland', (passed! away, in his 79th. year, at his residenceInvercargiil, a few days ago. Mr OhiisJiolm arrived at Auckland from Scotland in 1852.