LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16459, 8 February 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

—, ♦ , ~. The delivery by the police of the third batch of notices calling up reservists who come under section 35 of the Military Service Act was completed yesterday. Another batch of 20 notices will be served to-day, and those desirous of appealing will bo asked to appear before the Medical Board for examination within the next five days. A widow. Mrs. Harper, aged 65, employed by Mr. Brewster, Bond Street, Archhill, was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning suffering from a fracture of the right leg, results from a fall down some steps. Her progress is reported to be favourable. The accumulation of wool in Auckland consequent upon the shortness of shipping for ita export, is considerably hampering the work of the Government valuers. Before the valuation was begun there was in the local stores some 15,000 bales, and this had to be dealt with before the incoming wool could be bandied. Another cause of delay in valuing newlyarrived clips is the fact that, for want of shipping, the wool disposed of cannot be cleared out of store, but has to be restacked before newly-arrived bales can be opened out. Moreover, there has been difficulty in finding storage space, and many large sheds and stores about the city aro now full to the doors- The brokers and valuers have had a strenuous time in endeavouring to overtake the handicap with which they started, but it is hoped that in about a fortnight or three weeks they will have worked off the accumulation, and thenceforward be able to handle current supplies soon after arrival. The chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board stated yesterday that he hopes to bring down a financial statement at the next meeting of the board. It is not likely that any new work will be sug 1 - gested, but owing to conditions caused through the war a policy of cautious expenditure will be followed. That the spirit of the pioneer still burns brightly in the hearts of the old colonists was amply demonstrated in several instances yesterday, o.i the occasion of the reunion of the passengers of the ships Devonshire and Gertrude. Arrangements had been mado for a motor-car to carry them from tho car-line down to the park, but, with a few exceptions, these vigorous old people disdained the motor and set off sturdily down the road on foot. When the attention of one veteran of 75 was drawn to the car, he laughed disdainfully. "Motor-cars!" he exclaimed. "What would I want with those things? They're only fo'r old folk!" Several industrial disputes will shortly come before the conciliation councils in Auckland, with the commissioner, Mr. T. Harle Giles presiding. The following is a list of the dates fixed in cases so far listed:—February 19, Auckland waterside workers; February 22, Kaipara waterside workers; February 23, Auckland Gas em-1 ployees; February 27, Auckland hair-' dressers; March I,Auckland chemists and! druggists' assistants; March 5, Auckland timber workers, at Auckland, March 7, same, at TaumarunuirJ&arch 7, same, at Mamaku; March 15, same, at Dargavillo; March 13, Auckland Furniture trades and upholsteresses:j March 19, Auckland timber workers, at Auckland ; March 27, Gisborne waterside workers. The problem of further accommodation for the nursing staff of the Auckland Hospital is one which will shortly require attention. At last night's meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board the chairman, Mr. M. J. Coylej, stated that the present Nurses' Home, commodious as it was in proportion to requirements at the time it was erected, was no more than adequate in 'that respect nowl With the prospective increase in the number of nurses when the new children's hospital had been completed extra accommodation would have to be provided for the former. The matter would require to be dealt with by the incoming board A proposed city by-law, which provided that no new building should be occupied until a certificate is obtained from the city engineer, gave rise to 'some discussion at ■ last evening's meeting of the City Council. Mr. G. Baildon said that builders and owners were subject already to inspections, not only by the architects, but also by building, scaffolding, sanitary and labour inspectors, and he thought the proposed additional regulation was carrying matters to an unnecessary length. Mr. Pi McElwain characterised the proposal as " most absurd." It was agreed to delete the clause. An interesting story of the building of the first boat by the Pitcairn Islanders was told yesterday by one of the officers of an overseas trading vessel now in port. For many months past, the men on the island have been busily at work building a schooner large enough to trade their fruit for clothing with the inhabitants of other islands. The schooner, which was 44ft, long by 15ft wide, was completed last month, and was launched on January 15. With a crew of 15 men, she set out for Mangareva and Tahiti, about 1000 miles distant. She carried no chronometer nor chart, and the men aboard had but the most primitive idea of the science of navigation. During the launching, she struck the rocks, and was leaking when she put to sea, the crew expecting to effect repairs at some island on the wav to Mangareva. This fact was known to the rest of the islanders, but they apparently experienced no misgivings as to the safety of their comrades. The demolition of No. 3 Jetty is being rapidly pushed ahead. Tho large shed on the north end was carried by the floating crane to its new position on the Central Wharf last week. The work on the Freeman's Bay reclamation will be finished in a few days. The new reclamation suffered somewhat by the easterly gale, which washed out some of tho sandstone filling. The residents of Maungaturoto have made a splendid response to the various calls on their patriotism. Over 60 young men, representing practically the whole of the eligible members of the community have enlisted, aDd contributions to the total of £1500 have been given to various relief funds. A patriotic fair, held recently, resulted in tho raising of £770, 0 f which sum £325 has been donated to the Belgian and Servian Relief Funds. Owing to a clerical error the narao of Trevor Wilfred Bennett was omitted from : the list of winners of junior free places published a few days ago. Preparatory to the opening of tho civil sessions of the Supreme Court on Monday ' next His Honor Mr. Justice Cooper will hold ' a Chambers sitting on Friday afternoon in : order to decree the order of hearing of ' cases sot down. A private letter received from an Auck- > lander in the trenches makes mention of i a new regulation in regard to soldiers' '. correspondence, namely, that letters must 1 Jjjj limited to four pages* li

On more than . one occasion .at the criminal sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court this week His Honor Mr. Justice Hosking has questioned whether too much reliance should be placed on the evidence given by children of tender years. On Tuesday, during the hearing of a ease of alleged indecent assault, a girl under sis years of age, was called to testify as to certain ajleged occurrences which she was supposed to have witnessed. His Honor said no doubt was thrown on the veracity of the child's statement, but ho considered that her version of the affair could not bo relied on to too great an extent, more especially as two or three month? had elapsed since the alleged' assault took place, and because a child's mind retained impressions for a short while only. With the exception of Mr. W. Sampson, the whole of the present members of the Birkenhead Borough Council have decided to seek re-election. The Mayor, Mr. J. P. McPhail, will also seek a further term of office, at the unanimous wish of the council. While many instances of keen enthusiasm have been recorded in connection with the enlistment of soldiers from the overseas dominions, the patriotism of a Canadian trapper who walked 224 miles in order to enlist probably establishes a record for cases of the kind. His story is told by Captain J. EUtott Brown, a prominent Canadian recruiting officer now in Auckland. Having decided that the life of a soldier was better than that of a trapper, this man left his homo in the woods of Northern Canada, and travelled on foot into Le Pas, Manitoba North, where one of the first men he encountered was Captain Brown. " How would you like to join th» army to-day?" asked the officer. " Sure!" was the reply. " Haven't I just walked 224 miles to s:gn up?" The attestation papers were promptly signed, and a few moments later this sturdy volunteer was passed by the doctor. Tho Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board some weeks ago declined to pay the doctor's fee incurred on behalf of an indigent person who was removed to the hospital by the police. The matter has been the subject of discussion between the two authorities concerned, the board adhering to its decision. At last night's meeting a letter was received from the inspector of police stating that, on this occasion, the fee in dispute would be paid by the Police Department. Application would, however, be made to the Treasury, he added, that the amount should bo deducted from subsidies paid to the board. The chairman, Mr. M. J. Coyle, said the amount involved was 10s 6d. At las suggestion it was decided to await the course of events. Copies of a pamphlet " under the caption of "Cancer: Is it. CuraKe?" were received by the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board at its meeting 1 last night from the Public Health Department, through the Inspector-General of Hospitals- The board decided to arrange for the distribution of the pamphlets, the contents of which contained a description of the symptoms of tho disease. Necessary precautions in regard to obtaining medical advice at an early stage, etc., were also emphasised. '. A donation of a bale of wool was recently mado to the Ohaeawai Red Cross Funds by Mr. H. D. Dickson, of the Bemuera Estate, Bay of Islands. The wool, which was sold by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, I Ltd., realised £23 9s 4d. Sunday was the hottest day experienced at Gore for upwards, of seven years; the ; maximum temperature in the shade being 92 degrees. Since the Wairarapa has been moving in the matter of a • local tydro-electrical scheme, the Manawatu district, realising the importance of electricity as a motive • power, has displayed some enthusiasm in the matter. An engineer who has ' visited the various streams in the Wairarapa has come to the conclusion that sufficient power could be obtained from the Waiohine River to supply the whole of the East Coast district. On the other hand, the Manawatu people claim that the Mangahao River, in the Forty-mile B<u6b, could supply not only, the Manawatu and Wairarapa, but the whole oi Wellington City. A fire at Tokomaru, last week, consumed about 250 acres of flax, and the damage, in all, is estimated at some thousands of pounds. Upwards of 300 men were engaged in fighting the flames. It was disclosed by a, witness before tho Royal Commission inquiring into, the leases by local bodies at Dunedin that in tho 21 jears ended.last year a number of properties in the city. had appreciated in value to a degree involving a radical rise in rent. Thus, in one case this witness said that the rent, which is fixed on valuation, had risen from £90 to £210 in another case from £116 to £163. In the former case the appreciation is partly accounted for by the fact of the changed ' locale of the railway station. Every New Zealander knows Bluff, the most southern port of the Dominion, but there are very few who are aware that hitherto the official name of the borough has been Campbelltown. The existence of this anomaly has now been terminated, as by notification in the latest Gazette the Government has given its consent to the change of the official name from Campbelltown to Bluff. Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, 780 sea miles from Singapore, is suffering as a result of the war. Its sole wealth consists n phosphates of lime, end exports decreased from 150.000 ' tons in 1913 to 25,700 in 1915. For- < merly Germany and Austria took lu-ge quantities of its phosphates; in 1915, ' the whole export went to Australia. Some of the West Coast towns complain \ of the dullness of trade owing to the war. • A recent visitor to Westport noted 38 empty shops in the main thoroughfare of ' that town. Some of these shops are offered at a rental of 10s a week. A spacious hall for the entertainment ' of New Zealand soldiers at Hornchurch : camp was opened in December. The Lon- ' don correspondent of the Herald, writing on December 29, says that the hall has ' capacity for 800 men. It has a stage at one end and a canteen at the other, with '■ i group of billiard tables in one wing and i writing-room in another. The " ;uahu- ' tonga Club " was erected by tho New Zea- ' land War Contingent Association at a cost ' >f £2500.' A representative gathering of New Zealanders attended the opening cerexiony, including the two visiting New Z,eaand Ministers. Addressing the gathering the Prime Minister, Mr. W. F. Massey, ' said that in the English climate every possible comfort should be provided for our nen. But no matter what the drawbacks if the climate might be, New Zealanders lad the consoling knowledge that they ' >vere doing their duty, and they would i :ontinue to do it. The Dominion would I see that its soldiers were not left in the < urch, and the country would be able to i :eep up its reinforcements for a long time l « come. ]