LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16283, 17 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

_«. A wireless message has been received by the postal authorities to the effect that the R.M.S. Maitai, from San Francisco, will not arrive at Wellington until ten o'clock this evening. The Auckland portion of the American and European mail which she is carrying will come North on Wednesday morning. A return of married and single recruits wRo volunteered during the period from June 14 to July 14, inclusive, at the Auckland recruiting station shows that 450 men offered their services. Of this number 101 were married and 349 were single. Fifty married men and 165 single men were accepted as fit, 28 married and 93 single men were deferred, and 23 married and 91 single men were rejected as unfit. The ratio of married men to single men who offered their services during the. period mentioned is as one to 4.5. In the MayJune period the ratio was as one to 4.6, and for the April-May period, it was as one to 4.8. It has been definitely ascertained that the lady pastenger who was reported missing from the Northern Company's steamer Rarawa when the latter arrived at New Plymouth last Friday morning from Onehunga was Miss Brown. She was engaged as housekeeper to the Rev. Father Skinner, of Waiuku, and was about 30 years of age. Miss Brown informed the stewardess that she. was going to New Plymouth to visit a sick friend. Shortly after five o'clock yesterday afternoon smoke was seen issuing from vacant premises in Beach Road, recently used by Messrs. J. J. Craig. Ltd., as stables. Neighbours hurried to the scene and suppressed the outbreak before any damage was done. The fire brigade was called out, but its services were not required. Judging from the indications found near the seat, of the fire, the outbreak was of accidental origin, and was probably caused by boys smoking cigarettes The conference between the Prime Minister and representatives of the cheese manufacturing companies regarding the proposal to requisition the whole of the cheese output in the coming season will be resumed probably next Monday. When the companies suggested, at the meeting on Friday, that B|d per lb for first grade cheese would be a reasonable price, the Prime Minister promised to communicate with the Imperial authorities. It was arranged that if a reply is received in the meantime the committee representing the companies will meet the Prime Minister again in Wellington on Monday. In the absence of any reply from the Imperial authorities the meeting will be postponed. " The soil in Mesopotamia, which is silted up by the Euphrates River and the Tigris River, contains 15 per cent, of lime, and that is one of the richest patches of land in the world, and will, I hope, soon be open to British sons to occupy," observed Mr. Reynolds, of Cambridge, at a recent conference of the Council of Agriculture!

Two little girls, aged five and two years respectively, were brought before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., on Saturday morning, charged with not being under proper control. The circumstances were that the father and mother had been living apart, and the children had been in the custody of the mother. The children were recently admitted to the hospital suffering i from a disease. As the result of inquiries . made by the police, steps were taken to place them under proper care. The children, who came to the Court in the custody of a hospital nurse, were committed to the Mount Albert Industrial Home. The father agreed to pay 7s per week to- : wards their maintenance. The magistrate also dealt with a small boy who admitted having thrown stones in Alpha Road. The ; danger of throwing stones and the annoy- | ance such a practice was likely to cause people were pointed out to the offender, who promised not to throw stones again. He was discharged In the Supreme Court on Saturday, James Simpkin, farmer, of Whangarei, was adjudicated bankrupt by His Honor Mr. Justice Cooper, on the petition of F. j G. Austin (Mr. J. B. Johnson). ! No more sympathetic and successful i < Sort on behalf of sick and wounded sol- ■ diers has been made by Auckland women than that which for some time past has | been occupying the attention of the Red I Cross Fund Committee of the Victoria j League—the addition of a comfortable Httingroom to the Domain military annexe. '. he new room was opened on Saturday iifternoon in the presence of about 200 quests. The afternoon, which took the form, of a musical "At Home," concluded with a short speech by one of the returned snlHiav' rTpTA=jir;j thanks for the new j room. I a very int. resting letter has been re- ' •eh ed by Mr. C. J. Tunks. in acknowledgment of the contributions despatched from An Island by the St. John Ambulance AsM>ciation, in aid of the Cripples' Hospit *1 in London. The writer wishes to ooi.vey deep gratitude to the children of i the Orphan Home, Papatoetoe, and Manure va Home for their efforts: also to the ! M ivo- of Auckland and all those who have svi 'sr.-ibed. "As a recognition of the spl='.did support received from the citizens of Auckland," the letter adds, "it has . be'-n decided to instal a cot at the hos- ■ pital, to be named " The Auckland, New , Zealand. Cot." and a little patient has been admitted from the waiting list, and : is now the occupant of this particular cot, which will be placed by the side of the Falkland Islands Cot." The patient., Annie Stocken. is a child of seven years ;of age. and suffers from cervical caries, a ■ severe form of spinal disease, which will J permanently cripple the child unless effectively treated. Annie Stocken's father is ■ now a prisoner of war in Germany, and j the case, I am sure, will readily appeal to the residents of Auckland. It is very encouraging and cheering to have evidence of the practical sympathy from young and I vigorous parts of the British Empire, and , there is something particularly appropriate in this help when a considerable portion of it comes from healthy children, which shows a warmth of sympathy for the ' afflicted little ones in the Home Country, which will be deeply appreciated here." The official assignee, Mr. W. S. Fisher, : has been appointed administrator in the j estate of James Richardson, farmer, dej ceased, late of Te Awamutu. The schedule of accounts shows stock-in-trade to be worth £500. furniture £43, and real property £9350. a total of £9893. The I liabilities include £445 9s 4d to unsecured creditors, and £7816 9s lid to secured creditors, making a total of £8261 19s 3d. these figures showing an apparent surplus of £1631 0s 9d. The first meeting of I creditors will be held on July 25, at T» Awamutu. A most impressive service was held at St. Philip's Church. St. Heliers Bay, yesterday morning, when Dr. A. W. Averill, Anglican Bishop of Auckland, unveiled a brass tablet to the memory of Sergeant A. G. P. Brookfield. formerly scoutmaster of the St. Heliers Bay troop, who fell in action on June 23 in France. A silk flag forwarded for presentation to the troop by the late scoutmaster was dedicated, and handed to the members of the troop present. In the course, of an inspiring sermon. Bishop Averill referred to the many brave men who. in emulating the example of the Great Master, had laid down their lives for their friends. Sergeant Brookfield and his brother had responded to the call for service, and had, with others, gone forward with a singleness of purpose to safeguard the interests of humanity, and to crush that extreme spirit of militarism and materialism which I had plunged the nations into overwhelming sorrow and sadness, and had deprived civilisation of thousands of valuable lives. To the scouts he commended the fine example of their late leader, whose desire had been to extend that high sense of honour and integrity which was part of .their scout law. Bishop Averill was assisted in the service oy the Rev. W. H. Wilson. Members of the King's Veteran Guards, senior cadets, the district, commander of boy scouts, two cyclist patrols from St. Barnabas'. Mount Eden, troop, and a. large congregation attended. The half-yearly report of the Flying Angel Missions to Seamen is as follows : — Visits to shipping, 85 services held in institute, 18 : subscriptions received, £277 Is 5d : offertores. institute, £2 15s ; parcels of literature distributed, 42: letters received for seamen, 115 ; letters written by or on behalf of seamen, 77; letters of gratitude received, 37 ; seamen having obtained employment through the agency of the mission, 24 ; seamen assisted |in various ways, 54 : visits to Auckland Hospital (mission visitor. Miss Hagser), 23; visits to H.M. Prison, 2; visits to waterside workers' shed. 9 ; entertain- ! ments provided. 15: funerals conducted, 2: attendance at the 18 services. 175 seamen ; attendance at institute, games, entertainments, etc., 639. Wellington College has now reached the 1000 mark with regard to enlistments by "old boys:" 1020 are definitely known to have enlisted. Many others doubtless have gone also from other parts of whom it has not been possible to get. any record. A freak of nature was raptured by a resident of Hedgehope. Southland, last week. His dog rounded up a wild boar which he shot. On examination it was found to be without ears or apertures by means of which it could hear. The animal was an old one. and displayed a pair of splendid tusks. A new bomb-thrower has been invented by Mr. George Sydes, of Fast Oxford. At the trial at Oxford, in the presence of two officers from the Defence Department, the invention is said to have proved satisfactory. It discharged bombs at the rate of 50 or 60 a minute. The machine is devised to drop bombs at any distance between seven yards and 200 yards by a simple adjustment of its springs. Mr. Sydes has also invented an impact hand grenade, which obviates the danger of the premature explosion of time fuse hand bombs.