LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15711, 11 September 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The Defence Department in Wellington has now issued instructions that Imperial reservists resident in New Zealand, who are married, and who are going away with the expeditionary force, shall be paid at the New Zealand —namely, 4s per day. As British reservists, they were not entitled to more than Is 3d per day. They will continue to draw Is 3d per day while on active service, and the balance, 2s 9d per day, will be paid by the New Zealand Defence Department to their wives and families in New Zealand. As most of the reservists affected have been already some weeks under canvas, this new regulation will be retrospective. Reservists who have neither wives nor families dependent upon them will receive only the rate of pay provided by the Imperial authoritiesls 3d per day.

An official inquiry into the Jermyn Street outlet scheme is to be held by Mr. L. G. Kettle, S.M., on behalf of the Government, at the request of the City Council The Mayor has been urging the expediting of the scheme, and Mr Kettle's appointment is the outcome. He will investigate, among other matters, the reasonableness and feasibility of the proposal, and has been asked to report at an early date. A public waiting-room for women is to be erected in Upper Wyndham Street by the Citv Council. As the result of representations made by the Chic League the question has been under consideration by the Works Committee, which has now been authorised to proceed with the work. The structure, which will be the first of its kind to be erected in Auckland, will include a " rest room," equipped with mirrors and wash-basins. A woman attendant will be in charge. By a fire which occurred in the Hunter - ville district a large woolshed and valuable sheep-shearing planL the property of Mr. E. George, were destroyed. The building was insured in the Royal Exchange Office for £170. A blacksmith, Francis O'Bierne, employed at the Ohaire sheep station, was found dead on his bed yesterday morning (telegraphs our Wanganui correspondent). A post-mortem examination revealed that heart failure was the cause of death, and a verdict was returned accordingly at the inquest. The deceased was 50 years of age. " On behalf of the delegates to the congress who have visited your country, I want to express our appreciation of the kindness which we have received at the hands of New Zealand people," said Professor H. B. Dixon, of Manchester University, when commencing a lecture in the Choral Hall last evening. "But it did not surprise us; we knew you would treat us as friends. What did surprise us," prooeeded the speaker, "was the splendid unity we found here between the Dominion and the Mother Country. We are stimulated by the thought that you are one with us in this great hour of trial, and that our good word is your good word,! and that you and we are to fight side by (side, not in any spirit of aggression, but for causes for which every free man wants to fightthe honour of our word, and that freedom which we, all the world over, enjoy under the British flag." (Applause.)

The industrial depression due to the war ".s reported to have seriously affected the furniture trade in Cliristclxurch, and most of the factories have shortened hands. Many men who are old employees are stated to have been dismissed, the reason given being that the trade has teen so seriously reduced that the factories cannot retain the normal staffs.

Some of the farmers of Pa,nmur© and neighbourhood have much reduoed the area of land under potato crops this ve?. hatintr lost folly £10 per acre last season on account of the low prices ruling. One farmer, who had many acres under potatoes last year, is devoting nearly all his land to fattening stock. Throughout the district the land is dry and hard for want of rain.

A large number of Onehunga residents having business in Auckland have subscribed to the war funds in the city. At a meeting of these subscribers held at Onehunga on Wednesday night many of those present stated that they subscribed with the understanding that a portion of the money would go to the relief of distress in all the districts from which the money had been collected. On the motion of Mr. Wynyard the following resolution was adopted: —"That the secretary he requested to write to the Mayor of Auckland and ask the full objects of the funds to which contributions have been made, and whether, seeing that numbers of Onehunga residents having business in Auckland have contributed to such fund, any portion of the same would be available for the relief of Onehunga distress."

A patriotic concert was given on Wednesday night in, the Congregational Hall, Mount Roskill. Mr. J. Parr presided. The concert was promoted by members of the church and was well attended. The proceeds of this concert will form the nucleus of a war fund now being raised in Mount Roskill. Mr. J. Peel, chairman of the Mount Roskill Road Board, has completed arrangements on behalf of the board for a house-to-house canvass of the district by a ladies' committee.

At the beginning of the month Captain F. Col beck made an oJTcr to the Defence Department to raise between 500 and 1000 men, who were over the age of 35 years, to do garrison work at Samoa, and thus release men who were now there for active service elsewhere. The Minister has since replied to Captain Colbeck stating that it is not intended at present to send fresh troops to relieve at Samoa.

There is a reasonable probability that Parnell will very shortly be placed on the 6ame footing as the city with regard to insurance rates. The matter has been the subject of negotiations between the City Council and the Fire Underwriters' Association, the latter having been notified that the water supply to Parnell was now up to the city standard. A reduction of the rates has been favourably recommended by the local insurance companies, and the authority of the various head offices is all that is required to bring about the change.

A" return regarding the Maori epidemic ! of last year was presented to Parliament last night. The return showed that the total number of cases notified was 554, of whom 116 cases were believed to ha.ve been Europeans. It was estimated that a total of 1978 Maoris were affected. Fiftvfive Maori cases were known to have terminated fat-ally, deaths occurring at I all ages. There were no fatal cases j Amongst Europeans. Of the Europeans i affected none had been vaccinated, and it was estimated that at least 85 per cent, of the natives were unvaccinated up 1 to the time of the epidemic. I

The Takapuna Borough Foreshore Vest- : ing Bill was reported by the Lands Committee of the House of Representatives last night with a recommendation that it be allowed to proceed. j

The regulation "now in force in regard to withdrawals from the Post Office Savings Bank, under which withdrawals on any one day, except when seven days' notice is given,, are limited to two pounds vae referred to in the House of Representatives last night by Mr. Russell (Avon). He said that it was a wise act to introduce the regulation when it was Ircraght into force, but lie thought the rule might now be relaxed. Mr. Witty' (Riccarton) suggested that withdrawals lip to £5 be allowed without notice. The Postmaster-General (Hon. R. H. Rhodes) said that he proposed to review the position nest ween. Matters in connection with the Post Office Savings Bank were now nearly back to normal, llie withdrawals during the first two weeks in August were very heavy, and this fact fully justified the restriction that had been adopted. Deposits, however, were now being made more' freely, and he hoped that next week it wouid be possible to remove the restriction upon withdrawals.

j An accident befel a stableman named James Palmer yesterday afternoon. Palmer, who is in the employ of Puilan and Armitage was exercising a young horse in a sulky at College Hill when the animal swerved in front of a tramcar which was moving in the direction of Ponsonby. The car struck the eulky and the occupant was thrown heavily to the ground. It was at once apparent that the man was seriously injured and Mr. W. Casey, who was passing in a motor-car, conveyed him to the, hospital. It was there found that the unfortunate man was suffering from a broken leg and injuries to his head, and he was also suffering considerably from j shock. An inquiry as to whether the Government could make a definite statement in regard to the offers of Maoris to go to the front during the war was made in the House of Representatives last night hv the Hon. A. T. Ngata (Extern Maori district). The Prime Minister stated that the matter had not been lost sight of. He had been in communication on the subject with the Imperial authorities through the Governor. He had received an answer, but he was not yet in a position to make a definite statement to Parliament. He thought that a definite statement would be made, although not that evening. The members of Christian organisations in the expeditionary force and garrison are to be the guests of their fellow members at dinner in the Y.M.C.A. rooms this evening. Mr. R. L. Stewart, president of the Y.M.C.A., will occupy the chair, and short addresses will be given by the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Dr. Averill, and Mr. C. J. Tunss, for the C.E.M,S., Mr. A. Jameson, national secretary, for the Y.M.C.A., and representatives of the various Young Men's Bible Class Unions. The Mayor, Mr. C. J. Parr, C.M.G., has consented to convey tie greetings of the citizens.

Certain amendments to the Auckland Co - operative Terminating Building Society's rules were decided upon at an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders. The alterations in the rules provide that the number of groups shall be increased from 30 to 40, and thai the surrender value of the profits in the earlier groups, after they have been in existence for 15 years, shall ' be one-half, instead of one-third, of the bonus value. The third of the principal alterations makes it possible for the surviving members of a group to terminate it by consent ~ if desired, -while at the same time the interests of the individual shareholders will be protected.

-The following returns of exports of New Zealand products for the week ended September 8 appear in a Gazette issued last night, says a Press Association message— Butter, £393; frozen lamb, £46,109; frozen mutton, £33,467 other frozen meat, £18,796: grain and pulse, £4669; hides and skins, £11,134; kauri gum, £11,652; flax and tow, £1628; tallow, £5856 timber, £400; and wool, £15,072.

A fund for the relief of distress in Belgium has been initiated by the ConsulGeneral for Belgium in Australasia. The Acting-Consul for Belgium in New Zealand. Air. Robert Bums, of Auckland, has been authorised to receive donations to the fund. AH subscriptions will be acknowledged and cabled Home through the Con-sul-General's office in Sydney.

Practically all the flaxmills outside the Wellington and Manawatu districts are closed, and in that area not all the mills are running, says a Press Association message. A week ago the demand from London and elsewhere warranted a price to millers of £19 10s per ton for good fair grade and £18 per ton for high point fair grade. To-day offers to sell on a basis to millers of £18 10s for good fair and £17 5s for high point fair failed to elicit any replies from London. These prices can therefore only be regarded as nominal. Work is being done only on part time at some of the mills now manufacturing, and they are keeping on in the hope of an expected improvement of the market. It is not yet clear that the fall in prices is likely to continue for any length of time, but it all depends upon an early improvement in the general tone whether the mills will continue, many of them not having sold the flax already in their paddocks.

The value of the production of gold by dredges in New Zealand during 1913 amounted to £195,848, as against £257,333 for 1912. The number of dredges in commission at the end of 1913 was 74, being 13 less than those at work during the previous year. When this branch of goldmining was at its zenith, about the year 1902, the number of working dredges was 201. The Minister for Mines, in his annual statemeut, says tho decline in importance of dredging is now rapid. Except for ground inaccessible by other methods, it has been found costly and inefficient in gold recovery

On a charge of attempting to murder hie father-in-law, Frederick Lefatte, a young man named Ernest Henry Mackay was arrested yesterday afternoon in Newton Road by Detectives Powell and De Norville. It is alleged that on Wednesday evening between nine and ten o'clock, Mackar went to his father-in-law's house at New Lynn to see his wife, who was ill in bed. After knocking at the door and being refused admission by his mother-iu-law, Mackay is stated to have fired a revolver. A few minutes later Lefat'-e appeared on the scene. He went out by a back door and chased Mackay round to the front of the house, where he alleges that his son-in-law produced a revolver and fired at him point-blank, and that the bullet missed him by a few inches. An information was laid by Lefatte yesterdar. and the arrest followed. Mackay, who is a young man between 26 and 28 years erf acre, employed as a carter, will" appear at the Magistrate's Court this morning.

The tender of Messrs. Bribes and March, of Huntly, at £880 has been accepted by' the Public Works Department for the erection of a new post office at Huntly. 'The following were the unsuccessful tenders: John Frankham, Auckland. £955 3s &d; C. H. Frankbam, Auckland. £998; W. A. Clarke, Auckland, £1020; Henderson, Ngaruawahia, £1099; H. W. Guthrie, Auckland, £1137; G. Rhodes and Sons, Auckland, £1165.