LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16025, 17 September 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Two men. named S. Brown and S. Pickett, were admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon suffering from injuries caused by the collapse of a scaffolding on which they were working at the boatsheds at King's Drive. Pickett, who ie 39 years of age. and lives in Wellington Street, had hie leg fractured above the ankle. Brown is suffering from shock, and it is thought that he has received internal injuries- He is 42 year* of >,e and resides in Church Street. Devonport. Both men are married. They were taken to the hospital in the waterside workers' ambulance.

The Huddart-Parker steamer Victoria arrived from Sydney yesterday morning. The vessel brought 109 passengers, and about 2000 tons of cargo. Owing to the mishap to the Riverina it has been decided to send the Victoria back to Sydney instead of putting her into the East Coast service. She will therefore sail at noon to-day.

An extradition order against William Edward Linn, who was alleged to have deserted his wife at Orange, New South Wales, was applied for at the Police Court yesterday morning. The defendant was arrested in Auckland and Constable Perkins, of the New South Wales police force, who came over to escort Linn back to Orange, made the application. He identified Linn as the man mentioned in a warrant which he produced, and then gave evidence as to the authenticity of that document. The magistrate, Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., accordingly made the order.

While -working in the hold" of the steamer Hawke's Bay at the Queen's Wharf yesterday afternoon, a stevedore named T. Sunde received internal injuries through a case swinging in and jamming him against a shafting. He was taken to the hospital in the waterside workers' ambulance. Sonde is a single man, <& years of age, and resides in Lower Vincent Street.

" There are certain directors in Auckland who have declared, on being appealed to for contributions to the Patriotic and War Relief Association's Fund, that they have no power to give away the money of the shareholders," said the chairman of the executive of the association, Mr. George Elliot, in addressing a meeting at the Town Hall in connection with the proposed Queen Carnival. " I will guarantee, and the executive of the association will guarantee, to give back to any shareholder his proportion of any money that a company gives to the fund, if he objects to it having been given. (Loud applause-T And," added Mr. Elliot. " I should like to be the chairman of the meeting when that shareholder appeared to make his objection." (Lauchter and applause.)

The shortage of labour which is likely to occur during the approaching harvest was the subject of a discussion at Wednesday night's meeting of the executive of the Auckland Provincial Farmers' Union. One member made a suggestion that Maori labour should be organised. Mr. C. M. Alexander, of Te Awamutu, said he was very much alarmed at the prospects of a shortage of labour in his district and he moved that the branches be advised of the urgency of organising the available labour in their localities. The motion was adopted The suggestion in regard to the employment of Maoris was referred to the Labour Department.

A course of instruction for officers and non-commissioned officers temporarily employed on the Permanent Staff and New Zealand Staff Corps will be held at Narrow Neck Barracks from September 27 to October 6, both days inclusive. About 50 officers and non-commissioned

officers will attend the course, the object of which is to act as a " refresher '* to instructors throughout the Auckland military district. The staff which has been training the members of the second Maori contingent at Narrow Neck will remain in camp for the course.

The scale of rates for extra insurance of shipping against war risks has been varied by an advance from 15s to 20s per cent, for vessels and cargoes trading to neutral ports in the Mediterranean Sea. The current rate of li per cent, for insurance on shipping between New Zealand and the United Kingdom has not t-en altered.

The question of utilising waste products in the manufacture of oil has been raised in a letter to the Auckland Provincial Farmers* Union from Mr. G. Cory Wright, of Tairua, in reference to the Budget proposal to tax benzine. The executive of the union has discussed the question and instructed the secretary to submit the point to Mr. B. C. Aston, Government chemist, with a request for an expression of opinion by him.

Arrangements have been made for the holding of group rifle meetings in the Auckland military district for the training year, 191516. A meeting will be held in each of the four groups, and permission has been granted for the use of the .22 rifle. The general staff is arranging details in connection with the control of the meetings. As prize-money for the meetings, £40 has been allotted to No. 1 group, and £20 each to Nos. 2. 3, and 4 groups. To cover the railway fares of competitors, a grant of £10 has been made to No. 1 group, and £15 each to Nos. 2. 3. and 4 groups.' The No. 1 group meeting will probably take place at Penrose in the first week in January.

In memory of the late Lieutenant S. G T. Reid, who was killed in action in Galhpoli, a framed photograph has been placed by the Auckland Wholesale Merchants' Association, of which he was secretary, in their board-room. A p>py of the enlargement has been forwarded by the association to Lieutenant Reid's mother Mrs. J. Stuart Reid. A plate is affixed to the frame explaining that the portrait has been presented to Mrs. Reid as a token of the esteem and regard in which Lieutenant R-->id was held by members of the association.

As the Waitomo, which has been trading to oversea ports, is now about to. enter the coastal and inter-colonial service, the three extra firemen carried by her for foreign-going voyages were paid off at Wellington yesterday. This leaves six firemen on the vessel. The stokehold hands raised no objection. The Waitomo left Wellington yesterday for Westport to load for Auckland, from which port she will proceed to Fiji to load sugar for Auckland.

At the request of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, Mrs. W. H. Parkes gave a lecture in St David's Hall, Khyber Pass, last evening on the subject of the treatment of the wounded at the front. Mrs. Parkes told how the great hospital near Cairo, where the Australasians were treated was being extended to cope with the increasing numbers of wounded, and she asked those present to assist in the work of keeping up the supplies of clothing.

" A wonderful feature of the war," remarked the Rev. W. G. Monckton at Onehunga iast night, "is the awakening of Russia. The people of the world now realise how great, generous and noble the Russians are. One is impressed with their exceedingly quiet, modest and deeply religious temperament. This religious feeling penetrates all the great leaders engaged in the war. No person in the world lived nearer to nature and to God than the Russian peasant. He is in this war. not only to attain higher civilisation, but that his fellow Slavs may worship in the way they have been used to worship. He is fighting because he believes it is the will of God, and because it is for freedom and the relief of the down-trodden and the oppressed."

A total of £112 14s has now been subscribed to the fund opened by the Auckland French Club in aid of the French Red Cross Society. Contributions which have not yet been acknowledged are as follows:—Arch. Clark and Sons. £20: E. Bouillon and family. £7 7s: Mrs. A. M. Myers. £5: .E. T. B. Moss. Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Hills, and Sacred Heart College, Ponsonby, each £2 2s: Alex. Wyllie and A. Hegman. each £1 Is. Donations 6hould be forwarded to the treasurer, Mr. L. J. Du Flou. care of Farmers Milk Supply Company. Newmarket.

Some difficulty has been experienced by the Union Company in obtaining a stokehold crew for the steamer Kaituna now berthed at the King's Wharf and which was to have sailed for Westport today. It was pointed out by an official of the company yesterday that under the New Zealand articles the company was obliged to carry only three firemen and two trimmers, but the men had claimed that the company should provide six firemen for the steamer. The men state that some time ago the Kaituna was laid up for overhaul, and the men, who had been sailing under Australian articles, were paid off. Under the Australian Act. provision for a stokehold crew is made upon a coal-consumption basis, and while the I crew was working on Australian articles, six firemen were carried. The New ZeaI land Act bases the number of stokehold ; hands upon the vessel's indicated horsepower. The men, however, state that whereas the New Zealand Act provides for trimmers, under the Australian Act the stokers do their own trimming. Yesterday when the inei were asked to join the ship under New Zealand articles taey refused and urged that an extra fireman should be appointed. The company refused to accede to this proposal. It is anticipated that the difficulty will be settled to-day. ,

. One of '-he members of the Japanese Trade Commission. Mr. J. Muira. secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, has written to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce thanking members for the reception given him in Auckland. The quaintly-worded letter reads as follows:"I have the great pleasure to inform you that I have returned here on July 23 after lucky travels in your country, and express myself deeply appreciative of the courtesy which you extended to me during my sojourn in your country. I feel sure that this cordiality has been able to succeed beyond my expectations the completion of the mission on which I have been instructed to visit your country. I have reported to the superiors, as well as to the chief business men of the principle towns and cities in our country, that I had received the most cordial supports and kind attention from you and many of your business men, while engaged, in carrying out my mission. They have been deeply gratified for such friendly treatments as have been favoured to me and earnestly desire for further development of the trades between both countries."

Lite question of weighing live fat stock at Westfield was discussed by the executive of the Auckland Provincial Farmers' Union at its last meeting. Letters on the subject were received from a number of the branches, and the secretary was instructed to ascertain the cost of installing weighing machinery there.

i Generous hospitality is being extended j to the soldiers who are now in the care I of the Epsom Convalescent Home, and the authorities in charge of the home have found it necessary to draw attention to the fact that the men are subject to certain regulations. A rule has been fixed that every patient at the home must return not later than 10 p.m.. except on one evening of the week, when special leave is granted. The routine of the home does not provide for night nurses or porters, so that any dilatoriness on the part of the men in returning from leave entails extra duty upon the senior members of the staff, since it is necessary that someone in authority should remain on dutv until all the men have retired.

The commercial agent of New Zealand Railways, Mr. T. W. Waite. who is at present in North Auckland, is to meet Auckland business men in the Chamber of Commerce at 10 a.m. on Monday.

Over 40 schoolboys belonging to " The Triangle Club" of the Young Men's Christian Association Boys* Division, gathered round Private H. H. Martindale, on Wednesday evening, and listened eagerly to the many incidents connected with" the life of the men at the front. Private Martindale was wounded by a Turkish sniper, and returned by the Tahiti on Saturday.

The City Fire Brigade received a call just before noon yesterday, their services being required to extinguish a fire in the chimney of a house in Great North Road. The House is occupied by Mrs. C. Hulse. No damage was done.

Two young men were arrested by Detective. Powell yesterday on a charge of stealing two motor-cycles, each valued at £50. The accused will be brought before the Court this morning.

A lecture, the proceeds of which are to be devoted to the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association, will be given in the concert chamber of the Town Hall to-night, by Mr. C. M. Carter, headmaster of the Napier Street public school. The subject of the lecture will be Ceylon, and it will be illustrated by some three hundred lantern slides. The lecture will be under the patronage of the Mayor. Mr. J. H. Gunson, and the chairman of the Education Board. Mr. G. J. Garland.

The New South Wales Government having decided to reimpose the motor tax for the present financial year, the police were instructed by the State Treasurer to collect the tax when the car 3 were being registered or re-registered, as this procedure would facilitate administratiou. In conveying this information to the Legislative Assembly, the Premier. Mr. W. A. Holman, said that since July last the tax had been paid on 2000 cars; 150 owners had refused to pay, and action against them was being deterred pending the passing of the necessary legislation. It was proposed to introduce a Bill to reimposc the tax shortly after the delivery of the Financial Statement. The amount voted last vear for main roads was £255,000— than four times the anticipated revenue from • the motor tax— under the circumstances, it was not proposed to allocate the receipts from the tax for the improvement' of the roadways. * i