LOCAL AND GENERAL.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13929, 11 July 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Writes the Sydnoy; Sun's special "ret presontativo in London: Tho military police are tlio higgest and 'bulkiest moil! in tho force. Most liavo been; policojiien. Others have a natural respect for tlio law. They seem to thrive uponcn-* forcing tho King's regulations and tho thousand-nnd-ono particular regulations of each military district; thoy grow daily more sedate and respectable, ind hourly moro (leaf to tho explanations of unfortunato fellows who liavo" no loave passes, or forgot to saluto, or stray into a prohibited area, or get excited in a theatre. For all these reasons they are disliked.

"I fought with Haig in'the South African War," said the Mayor of Prah* ran (N.S.W.) lately,'' I remember when I saw him first. Things we're pretty warm—bullets were flying everywhere—' and most of us were exposiug ourselves as little as was consistent with the demands of duty. All at once an officer rode up and circled about as calmly as though there was not a bullet within thirty miles. 'Who on earth was that?' I asked after he had gone. 'Oh, don't you know? That was Haig, one of kitchener's pups,' an Australian lieutenant replied. 'Tho pup,' added the Mayor, 'has turned out a darn good dog' "-ra sentiment with which most of us will cordially agree.

"I was on board a l&/](11 - -ton oil steamer at Home, which had .been tor-i pedoed and had escaped being sunk'only because it was built in stated Mr Massey in his statement to the House of Representatives last week, The vessel had not suuk, ho added, but it sank the submarine. They had only on eightccn-pounder gun on the vessel, aud the submarine came up so close that they had the greatest difficulty in depressing the gun sufficiently .to bring it into line with tho pirate. However, they did iT, and sank the submarine; and tliov were prouder of that than of anything they "had ever done. Ho was aboard another big boat that had got into port in spite of being torpedoed. It also was built in compartments, and he thought that, if possible, all ships should be so built,

An unusual position arose in a ease involving the interpretation of'a will in the Supreme Court at Christchurcli last Wednesday, in which a party, in his dual capacity as a trustee and a beneficiary, was joined as both a plaintiff and a defendant. "Surely a man can't sue and appear against- himself,"', said his Honor Mr Justice Denniston. "Does a man, as a trustee, brief a solicitor, aud then, as a defendant, go round to another solicitor and get him to do his best in the opposite direction? This man is only one of tho trustees, but it is the same thing as if there were only one trustee and ha was suing himself." Ifis Honor quoted authorities to show that it was irregular and inequitable in common law to make the same party both plaintiff and defendant. Ilis Honor eventually decided . to hear -tho argument in tho casei with" out making any further pronouncement.

There' appears 1 to ho some' misapprehension as to the Prime Minister's opinion in respect to the payment of compensation in connection with the possible early closing of hotolsi In the House one afternoon, the member for Christchurcli North informed Mr Massey that from a report of tho Prime Minister's reply to the deputation from the New Zealand Alliance last week some people inferred that he (the Prime Minister) -was personally committed to the principle of giving compensation. He (Mr Isitt) did not think that this was correct, Mr Massey replied that although his secretary's shorthand notes had not been transcribed he would take the opportunity of saying that tho report was not quite accurate. lie en plained that he had stated, in reply to the deputation, that a licensing poll had been taken, and the vote given favoured Continuance, and that by that an implied contract had been entered into so that the Government would have applications for compensation from all over the country. That was what was in his mind at the time—Parliamentary