LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16024, 16 September 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Advice was received by wireless message from the Huddart-Parker Company's steamer Victoria yesterday, stating that she expected to arrive at Auckland at six o'clock this morning from Sydney. In consequence of the delay of the Riverina at Wellington, it has been decided that the Victoria will return to Sydney, sailing at noon to-morrow. She- has about 1900 tons of cargo to land. It is hoped that, the Victoria will again leave Sydney for Auckland on September 22, and it has been decided that on her nest visit to Auckland she will again (return to Sydney direct, being timed to leave here on Monday, the 27th inst. The Riverina, on completion of repairs at Wellington, will come on to Auckland, and will leave here for Dunedin, via all East Coast ports, on Tuesday, the 28th inst. On her return from the South she will proceed through to Sydney, and then resume her running in the Sydney-Auckland service.

Four candidates were nominated yesterday for the two vacancies in the Devonport Borough Council, caused by the resignation of Messrs. F. L. Armitage and Thomas Lamont. Tho nominations are: Messrs A. G. Gasson, ]). W. McLean, W. S. Stone, and J. P. Wright. The poll for the election of two of the candidates will be held next Wednesday.

The public will have an opportunity of saying farewell to the members of the second Maori contingent at the Grey Statue at 2.15 p.m. to-morrow. The Maoris will leave their camp at Narrow Neck at one o'clock, and will embark at the Victoria Wharf, Devonport, at 1.25 p.m. for Auckland. Upon arrival at the Ferries they will be met by the band of the 3rd, Auckland, Mounted Rifles and the Garrison Artillery Band, and will march up Queen Street to the Grey Statue. The two bauds will not parade as separate units, but will amalgamate for the occasion, and will be under the baton of Lieutenant Cater, bandmaster of the Garrison Artillery Band. A guard of honour for the Maoris will be drawn from the St. Stephen's School Cadets. Speeches will be made by tho Mayor of Auckland, Mr. J. H. Gunson, and the officer commanding the district, Colonel J. E. Hume. A novel feature of the proceedings will be a representation of the old Maori war-dance by. a number of native women from Rotorua. The party will bo in charge of Bella Papakura and after the ceremony they will march at tho head of the troops down Queen Street. Though the general public . will no doubt bo anxious to give tho Maoris an enthusiastic send-off. it is hoped that they will assist the military authorities by not congregating in such a manner as to interfere with the carrying out of the arrangementii. The troops will leave for Wellington by special train at 4 p.m. The gates of the station will be locked at 3 p.m., and the general public will not be admitted to tho platform until after the men have entrained and disposed of their kits.

A short list of cases was dealt with by Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday morning. A woman named Alice Hartley was fined £2 for procuring liquor while prohibited. Leo. Frank Murphy was fined 10s for drunkenness. A penalty of £1 was imposed in the case of John James Roach for procuring liquor while prohibited. For driving a motor-car round a street corner in Parnell at more than a walking pace, Albert Victor Furness was 'fined 10s. Robert Hardy was fined £2 for. driving.-a motor-car across the intersection of Ponsonby Road and St. Mary's Road at a greater pace than eight miles per hour. For allowing a vehicle to remain in Burnley Terrace after sunset without lights, Russell Dick was fined ss.

A brief visit was paid to Auckland yesterday by -General R. S. F. Henderson, Director of Medical Services, and Lieutenant-Colonel C. M. Gibbon, chief of the general staff of the New Zealand Forces. They arrived from Wellington by yesterday morning's express, and left again at mid-day. During their stay in Auckland they inspected the Maori camp at Narrow Neck, being accompanied by Lieutenant-Colonel J. E. Hume, officer commanding the Auckland military district; Major J. E. Duigan, general staff officer; and Major A. G. Talbot, principal medical officer for the Auckland district. In conversation with a Herald representative, Surgeon-General Henderson said he considered the camp arrangements were excellent, and expressed his pleasure at the fine appearance of the men.

About 50 members of the second Maori contingent were entertained last night at the Soldiers' Club, an interesting musical programme, which included Maori songs and dances, being arranged. The Maoris marched from the Ferry Wharf to the club singing thei? marching songs and attracted a great deal of attention. The comfortable clubrooms were decorated with flags and tho ante-rooms were also made gay for the occasion. Favourable comment was made by tho visitors on the appointments of the club and its convenient and pleasant position.

A spectacular street procession and a large all-nations' meeting in the concert chamber of the Town Hall have been arranged by the Salvation Army authorities to take place to-night. Tho procession will include fiv_< tableaux representing patriotic subjects and Salvation Army rescue and social operations, four bauds, and various officers dressed in different national costumes. About 200 boy scouts will also take part. The procession will, be divided into four sections in charge of Adjutants T. E. Holmes, Bear. Rudd and Hill, tho whole being under Brigadier Car-, michael, assisted by Staff-Captain Thur-, kettle. Tho tableaux will be under the headings of "Patriotic," " Ambulance Vans," "Prison Gate Brigade Work," " Broken Earthenware," and '* Naval and Military." The Auckland City, Newton, Onehunga, Eden and Parr-ell bands will take part, and in addition to members of the city corps, Army soldiers from all the suburbs will bo present. The commissioner, Mr. H. C. Hodder, will take part in the procession and will conduct the meeting to be held in the concert chamber of the Town Hall. Features of the meeting will be the special addresses on tho world-wide operations of the Salvation Army by Commissioner and Mrs. Hodder. The gathering is ir. aid of the Mayor's Fund and collections will be taken up along the route of march and also at the meeting in, the concert chamber.

A man named Walter Hawkins. 48 years of age, was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning with several of his ribs fractured. Hawkins is employed as a porter at the Waverley Hotel, and injured himself by a fall while engaged in a bathroom. He is a married man and resides in Crummcr Road, Ponsonbv.

The escape of a long-sentence prisoner named Thomas Carroll, from the \Vaikeria, prison camp, near Kihikihi, Te Awamutu, was reported yesterday to the police. Carroll escaped last Monday night and was dressed in prison clothes. He is a young man, short in stature, and has a broken nose. There was no news of the escapee last right.

A lad named Harold Perkins, a son of Mr. E. Perkins, broke his left forearm last evening as the result of a fall from a bicycle. The lad, who is about 15 veal's of age. was riding along Pitt Street, when a bag which he was carrying caught between his knees and the handle of the bicycle, with the result that he was thrown heavily. He was taken to the hospital for treatment, and subsequently proceeded to his home in Williamson Avenue.

There are new in the Auckland Hospital 10 of the sick and wounded soldiers who returned by the Tahiti, and reached Auckland last Sunday. All the patients are reported to be progressing favourably, including Private R. H. Good, of the 6th, Hauraki, Regiment, who was yesterday successfully operated upon for appendicitis. One of the returned men has been admitted to the Epsom Convalescent Home. The residents of the suburb are taking a great interest in the soldiers in the home gifts of fruit, eggs, etc.. being sent in daily. A new piano,, and eramaphone, a croquet set. and two sets of boxing gloves have also been donated recently.

Three subjects of wide interest have been submitted for discussion at the first evening meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, which will be held to-morrow. The present pro'ijranime for the meeting, which may be extended, is the consideration of the following questions: The best means to be adopted to foster trade within the Empire during and after the war; the advisability, in the interests of the community, of the removal of all needless restrictions against boys being apprenticed to trades: and that the present system of taxing commercial and industrial improvements and premises is unjust and impolitic.

During the month of August the number of books consulted in the reference library was 7090 volumes, a daily average of 229. Of these volumes 372 are classed as general in character. 839 in philosophy and religion, 682 in sociology, 1404 in language and literature, including fiction, 638 in science, 1427 in arts. 1728 in history, travel, and biography. In the lending departments there were issued 6025 volumes, of which 2080 volumes are classified as general literature, including magazines and reviews, 3818 fiction, and 127 works suitable for juvenile readers. The number of visitors to the art gallery during the same period was 8406. a daily average of 271.

While Mr. Edward Jones, an employe© of Messrs. P. Hayman and Co.. was riding a motor-cycle along New North Road yesterday morning, the front fork of the machine broke, with the result that the rider was thrown to the ground. Mr. Jones was injured rather severely about the face, but after receiving attention at a chemist's shop, was able to proceed to his place of business. The bicycle had a side-car attached, and this, together with the fact that he was travelling at a moderate pace, probably saved Mr. Jones from very serious injury.

Important improvements in the firefighting appliances at Newmarket have been decided upon by the Borough Council. At last night's meeting authority was given to purchase a motor-chassis and reel at a cost not to exceed £475. Prior to this decision being arrived at the members of the council tested a chassis placed at their disposal by a Newmarket firm. Inquiries have also been made as to the cost of installing an electric fire alarm circuit in the borough, and an estimate of £226 was received from the New* Zealand telegraph engineer. The question of making this installation will be considered later.

The vain* of kauri gum exported from New Zealaad during 1914, as shown by the annual report of the Mines Department, was £497,444, or £51,662 less than that exported in 1913, the decline being due to war conditions. Since the outbreak of war the quantity of gum shipped weekly from Northern Wairoa, it is estimated, does not exceed three tons, as against thirty tons under normal conditions. It is estimated that the war has caused a reduction in the number of gum-diggers from 6000 to 1000.

The annual reunion and concert in connection with St. James's Presbyterian' Church was held at St. James's Hall, Wellington Street, last evening. The celebration began at half-past six -when tea was served to a large gathering of parishioners. At a quarter to eight o'clock a musical programme was begun which included ma.iv bright and entertaining items. A feature of the evening was the unveilof a roll of honour of the names of soldiers from the congregation who had been killed or wounded at the Dardanelles. The St. James's Sunday-school, half-yearly entertainment will be held at six o'clock this evening at St. James's Hall.

The poll taken at Epsom yesterday on the question of raising a loan of £3500 for laying and connecting 4in cast iron water mains for that portion of the district not within the Manukau Water Supply Board's area, resulted in 32 votes being recorded for the proposed loan and eight against it. There are 284 ratepayers on the Epsom roll, and they are entitled to record 373 votes. Only 34 ratepayers exercised their privilege, the total number of votes registered being 40.

A lecture entitled " The Prussian Spirit, its Genesis and Nemesis," was delivered by the Hon. Geo. Fowlds, at the Y.M.C.A. rooms last night, as one of the Y.M.C.A war series of lectures. The lecturer traced the spirit of Prussianism to its beginning and showed how it had changed a nation of peace-loving people into one of the greatest menaces the world had had to combat. The only remedy for this godless spirit was to eradicate it entirely so that the peace of the world would be no longer! endangered.

The following statements have been extracted from a letter written by a New Zealand soldier serving in the Dardanelles campaign:—"We have four Japanese bomb-throwers with us now. manned by Japanese. They throw a. 351b bomb, with a secret Japanese explosive, a distance of 450 yds. They can land • a bomb on a target a foot square from that distance, and the explosion is reckoned to be ecual to that of a 9.2 in shell—so they have something of an effect. They have the rummiest explosion I ever heard. It's exactly ' whoof," and everything all around seems to be ripped up to nothing. It's a lucky man that can sort out a whole Turk after one of these bombs has landed."

The New Zealand Power-boat Association has secured a site at Mechanics' Bay, at low rental, for the purpose of erecting a clubhouse. On the motion of Mr. E. L. Buchanan, at the annual meeting last night, it was decided to hold a special general meeting at as early a date as possible to thoroughly investigate the question of erecting a clubhouse.

A lecture on "Curiosities of Sound" -will be delivered at the Leys Institute tonight by Professor Gwilym Owen. It has been prepared on popular lines and so should prove of general interest. Professor Owen will demonstrate how musical and other sounds are produced, and his experiments will deal with some striking phases of hk subject.