LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16377, 3 November 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Notification ha* been received that, the San Francisco mail steamer, with English and American mails will not reach Wellington until Saturday morning. The mail numbers bags for New Zealand, and may include letters from the troops. The number of bags for Auckland has not yet been notified. They will probably arrive on Monday morning. Approximately 400 soldiers, members of the twentieth reinforcement draft, will arrive in Auckland this, morning at eight o'clock on final leave. The train arrangements provided that 450 soldiers were to leave Featherston camp yesterday, and some were to detrain at bhakune", Taumavonui. and Frankton Junction, and the remainder to come on to Auckland. The troops will return by special train, which will leave Auckland on November 11 at 10.20 p.m. The further hearing of the Auckland Abattoir and Freezing Works dispute was resumed in committee at the Conciliation Council yesterday. In order to give the assessors an opportunity of consulting their union regarding some matters, the commissioner. Mr. T. Harle Giles, granted an adjournment until November 9. Measles are unusually prevalent in Auckland and suburbs at present. As is usual, a large proportion of those, affected are children, and the attendance at several of the public schools has been considerably affected by the epidemic. The measles include some of the German type, as well as of the ordinary variety. The annual examinations of Auckland University students commenced at the Choral Hall on Wednesday, under tVe supervision of the Rev. Br. O'Callaghan. Owing to the war and other causes, there is a slight decrease this .year in the number of students offering themselves for examination. The examinations will conclude on November 15. The observations made by His Honor Mr. Justice Hosking at the Supreme Court on Wednesday relative to the alleged evils and temptations surrounding young girls in Auckland were directed towards the statement made by one of the children of a disso'ved marriage, and regarding whose custody the Court was concerned. It was stated that the girl had written a letter in which she said she had been for several rides in motorcars, had been to picture theatres, and had also been given money by someone who was not her father. His Honor said he had heard on good authority that Auckland was a "bad" place, but he thought that perhaps the girl had slightly over-painted the picture, and that being a child she bad exaggerated somewhat. He said he was not inclined to attribute to the letter written by the girl the importance which counsel had laid upon it. According to the last issue of the journal published by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in London, received by Mr. J. H. -Pagni, Consular Agent for Italy in Auckland, all goods shipped to the United Kingdom from Italy have 'been exempt from the requirement of consular certificates of origin. "It should be noted," the journal adds, "that this verv welcome concession applies to shipments to the United Kingdom, to British colonies not possessing a responsible government, aid to British protectorates, including Egypt. The Governments of India, Australia, New Zealand, and the South African colonies have subsequently adopted the same measure." ■ Yesterday afternoon at the ,Te Papapa School, Mr. G. W. Murray, of the Education Board, unveiled a tablet in memory of the late schoolmaster, Mr. Samuel Henry Macky. Besides the scholars there were present Mr. W. Martin, chairman of the Onehunga Schools Committee, Mr. i C. C. Davis, Deputy Mayor, and a large j number of parents of scholars. In a brief [ address Mr. Murray spoke of the sterling qualities of the late Mr. Macky and the high esteem in which he was held by parents and scholars alike. The tablet, which is surmounted by a photograph of the deceased, is hung in the main corridor of the school and bears the following inscription: This tablet- was erected by the committee, staff, and pupils of the Te Papapa School in affectionate remembrance of Samuel Henry Macky, first headmaster, who died greatly lamented, August 14, 1916." A number of appeals bv members e>f the railway service against decisions of the Departmental officials upon matters of classification will be heard at a series of sittings of the North Island Railway Apnea! Board to be held in Auckland next week, commencing on Monday, November 6. Mr. W. R. Haselden, S M., will preside, as chairman of the board, and with him will sit Mr. A. W. Hutchings, the elected representative of the first division, and one representative of the section of the service from which the particular-appeal in each instance emanates. At the annual meeting of the Mothers' Union yesterday, Bishop Averill proposed that a message of sympathy, and cheer should be sent to all the mothers of France, Belgium, and Servia, who have suffered so cruelly in the present war. The message would be sent through the British Mothers' Union from the mothers of Auckland, and would help to strengthen the bond existing between all mothers whose sons are fighting in the common cause. The resolution was carried with enthusiasm. ' The official opening of the Myers Kindergarten has been fixed for the afternoon of November 15. In mentioning the fact at last night's meeting of the City Council the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson. expressed the hope that members of the council would attend on the occasion. They could thus show their interest in this handsome gift to the city of the Hon. A. M. Myers, who, as they knew, had also given the fine park in which the building stood. The city engineer, Mr. W. E. Bush, was authorised to have a retaining wall built round the kindergarten, his estimate of the cost being £170. J

The packing of the November consignment of Dominion gifts for the men at the front took place at the Town Hall yesterday, when a large number of members of the Women's Patriotic League attended to complete the work. Many letters from soldiers have now been received, thanking the league for its kindly effort, and expressing appreciation of the good things sent. A request has been received from a prominent officer in the Imperial Army for a supply of sanitary singlets for the troops on active service, and in future these will be included in the gift parcels. The league is issuing an appeal to all branch leaeues. 6000 being required each month. Arrangements have been made with a local (firm for the supply of singlets, which are made of good quality of butter muslin, and they will be sent ready cut out, post free, with buttons, at a cost of £2 18s 4d per 100. The league has the correct formula for treating the vests when finished and will do it at the Town Hall offices.' Experience lias shown that, properly treated, the*? .singlets are a marked help in dealing with the vermin pest, and ill who are willing to give assistance are requested to write to the secretary, Mi*B B Speeding.

("lie City Council recently provided a site for the St. James's Free Kindergarten at a nominal rental in Hepburn Street. Subsequently, however, this site -was found to be unsuitable, and a site elsewhere was approved. Then the latter was found to have been already leased on behalf of the council, and the Kindergarten Committee therefore asked for an area in Upper Nelson Street. The matter '■'. as referred to the Finance and Legal Committee at the council's last meeting, and this committee last night recommended that, provided the Kindergarten Association approved the site, the council take steps to lca.se an allotment with 60lt frontage to Upper Nelson Street in exchange for the surrender of the site leased in I'icton Street. The neeomniendation was adopted.

The committee which has in hand the task of raising sufficient money to found and perpetuate the proposed Frank Wilson Memorial Scholarship has ' decided that instead of confining it to the- th|jte Ponsonby and the two Newton schools, as was at first intended, it will extend it to include all the schools in Auckland City and suburbs. Many subscriptions have already come to hand, but more are needed to properly establish the scholarship.

"The street looks as if it had been bombarded by ' Jack Johnson's* for about 48 hours over its entire length," declared the owners of a factory in Sackyille Street in complaining to* the City Council by a letter last night of the " disgraceful state" of the roadway in question, between their premises and Richmond Road. " Surely the City Council, with its army of inspectors, should know the condition of the street, such as this has got into," continued the writers, "without it being necessary for residents to write and complain." They hoped something would be done to relieve the position. The city engineer, Mr. W. E. Bush, reported having examined the street. Naturally, as it had never been taken in hand, it was not, he said, in first-class order, but there was no money available to metal it. The latter was the only way to improve its condition. The letter was referred to the Works Committee.

The Ladies-' Committee of the Navy League continues to'work busily for the wives and children of naval men in England, and, as a result of recent efforts, five cases of clothing were despatched last »veek for distribution among those in need of assistance.

A joint recommendation that the license for Everybody's Theatre, Queen Street, be not granted was received by the City Council last night from the superintendent of the fire brigade, Mr. C. A. Woolley, and the chief building inspector, Mr. J. H. Maxwell. It was decided accordingly to decline to issue a license.

The Birkenhead branch of the Workers' Educational Association closed the present session last night, Professor J. P. Grossman lecturing on "Interest," a discussion following. Consideration was also given to arrangements for next session, proposals being put forward to hold alternate meetings at Birkenhead and Northcote.

In the course of a lecture on " Infectious Diseases" at Christchurch, Dr. Lester departed from the impartial historical, survey of the progress of bacteriological research with which his lecture was principally concerned, and expressed a few personal opinions. After advocating the addition to the list of "notifiable diseases" of whooping cough, measles and venereal complaints, he inveighed against public apathy in the matter of public health organisation. After asserting that the people of this community did not care for the efficiency of their public health organisation, he reminded his hearers that every community got very much the sort of public health administration it deserved. The public health organisation in New Zealand- was far from perfect, but its nutations were largely imposed upon it by false ideas of economy. If the people were prepared to pay for the proper safeguarding of public health, they would get it.

A Christchurcb man on opening nis morning paper the other day was amazed to learn that he had died the previous evening at his residence, on the Bottle Lake Road. Having serious reason to doubt the truth of the announcement, the sceptical citizen turned to the back page of the journal, where the funeral notices generally appeared, and there, sure enough, was confirmation of the startling information. The advertisement intimated that the funeral would leave his residence at 3 p.m. on Sunday for the Linwood cemetery. In a short time telegrams couched in the most sympathetic terms began to arrive, condoling with the family on it* supposed irreparable loss. The citizen thought it was time to act, and he astounded the undertaker, whose name appeared at the e.id of the funeral announcement, by informing him that he was alive and well, "'he undertaker states that.this is the fourth time he has been victimised in this way in one week. The joke—if it can be called a joke— been perpetrated on him at different times during the past 10 years.

At the annual meeting of the South Canterbury War Relief Society in Timaru it was decided to urge the Government to adopt some means whereby those people who have failed to contribute to the patriotic funds, though well able r 0 do so, will be compelled to pay their share.

The congregation of Knox Church, Invercargill, is taking out a policy of £500 on the life of its minister, the Rev. Hector McLean, who is joining the twenty-second reinforcements as a private.

Returns received by the New Plymouth office of the Agricultural Department show that the percentage of lambs born in the districts surrounding New Plymouth this season is about 100.

It is announced that from November 1 the butchers of Invercargill have decided to sell meat for cash only. The trade says they have been induced to adopt this course owing to the small margin of profit caused by the continued rise in the price of live stock, and the fact that they have to pay cash for their purchases.

On his wife's application at the Nelson Magistrate's Court a prohibition order was made out against a local resident for the 21st year in succession. " is some thing.in the nature of a record," said the magistrate in making the order.

A Marlborough farmer speaks highly of the value of small birds in keeping down insect pests. He says many years ago, when the birds had not multiplied to their present numbers in his district, the barley crops were frequently ravaged by caterpillars. As showing the severity of the pest, he told of a case in which*a neighbour's barley had been wiped out by the caterpillar. The insects then began to cross a road dividing the destroyed crop from a paddock of barley on the* opposite side. The owner of the threatened field successfully met the invasion by driving a roller up and down the road, crushing the caterpillars in masses. Of late years (presumably owing to the increase in the num-, bers of birds) Marlborough has been £ reo j of the pest. j