LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16909, 23 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The Australian mail which was due to

reach Wellington yesterday, did not arrive there in time to connect with the Main Trunk express. The Auckland portion probably will arrive here to-morrow morning. Another small Australian mail of a later date is duo at Auckland on Thuisday.

A court-martial will sit at Auckland on Friday for tho purpose of trying Private Egerton Gill, who is charged with refusing to bo medically examined. The president of the Court will be Major 11. Peacock, and Captain W. L. Titchener and Lioutcnant W. Roberts members. Lieutenant J. H. Horneman will be waiting member and Major J. F. Pullen will act as prosecutor, The Native Military Service Board will hold its first sittings at Mercer to-day, the board consisting of Judge MacCormick, of the Native Land Board, chairman, Mr. J. Ormsby, Otorohanga, and Mr. Pieiera Taipua, of Orahi, Major Conlan accompanying the board as military representative. Tho itinerary includes Huntly, To Awamutu, Ngaruawahia, Te Kuiti, and Thames. In tho first native ballot 400 Maoris were called up in the Waikato and Thames districts, the only areas in which the Military Service Act has been applied to the Maoris, and some 70 appeals have been lodged. Wanton damage to shrubs and trees on Mount Eden was reported by the Mayor, Mr. C. Hudson, at the meeting of the Borough Council last night. Mr. Hudson said that a number of beautiful native

shrubs had been ruthlessly hacked, appar-j ently with an axe, and a tall pine had

been deliberately ringed. Members of the council expressed concern for tho safety of tho many ornamental plants on the mountain, and a Domain Committee, consisting of the Mayor and Messrs. K. Yates and W. Woollev, was set up, with power to take action against offenders who may be apprehended. The committee was also authorised to have notices erected offering a reward for information which will lead to the conviction of anyone guilty of damaging the trees.

The domestic help problem In Auckland remains as acute as ever, and there is stated to be heavy demand for all classes of workers in private homes. The Women's Employment Bureau reports that general helps are almost unobtainable, even though mistresses are offering higher wages and better conditions than formerly. It is stated that the tendency of girls seeking employment is to take up work where the hours are clearly defined, and evenings and Sundays are free. Inquiries are received from time to time from girls seeking orchard work, gardening, or any light outdoor employment, but so far there has been little demand for this class of labour. Tho deputation from the Mount Eden Borough Council which waited upon tho general manager of the Auckland Tramways Company at the beginning of the present month,, with regard to tho tram services, reported the result of its mission

to the council at its meeting last night. The Mayor stated that the inadequacy of the Mount Eden Road service and tho stato of the tracks, had been fully debated, and Mr. J. J. Walklate had promised to have full inquiry made. Asked whether

it would bo possible to charge minimum car fares to prevent people using Mount Eden trams for short runs, Mr. Walklate had replied that the consent of the local bodies interested would be necessary. He

promised to endeavour to arrange this with the City Council.

There was some difference of opinion at the conference of the New Zealand Council of Agriculture, in Wellington on Thursday, as to the value or otherwise of opossums. Sir Walter Buchanan brought forward a remit giving it as his opinion of the conference that the protection of opossuma is not in the interests of the Dominion. Sir Walter said that fruit farmers wero suffering heavily through the partiality of the opossum for fruit. The majority of the delegates had exactly opposite opinions about opossums. Ope speaker said that in Otago there were the finest : opossums in the world. Another delegate read a telegram from the Otago Acclimatisation Society stating that the passing of such a remit as proposed would be a great mistake. The opossum was a national asset. The remit was lost. A fire broke out in the Clyde, Otago, Presbyterian Church on a recent Sunday afternoon, during divine service. Shortly i after the opening devotional exercises the, minister, the Rev. T. Standring, and the. congregation were startled by a sudden outburst of smoke and flame from around j the stove and pipe passing through the wall. The building being of wood, the J fire soon spread, and for a time it looked serious. Willing helpers from the congregation set to work, and while one' party of them tore down the piping and removed the stove, another party applied; water, which, fortunately, was near at hand, and the fire was ultimately got i under. After the danger and excitement had subsidod the service was resumed. ' Investigation proved that the fire was, caused by j-xibbiah from birds' nests falling down from the eaves between tho outer wall and tho inside lining on to the stove piping passing through. The work of the Government statistician, Mr. Malcolm Fraser, in connection with the military service ballots, is not without its humorous side. For example, he recently received a post-card bearing the legend: " I should be in Class C. See that you call mo up to-day." On Tuesday he received the following telegram: " I wish to notify you that I have anothor son. Please class me D." In the latter case a post-card was evidently considered much too slow a means of communication

An old-age pensioner who resides on the banks of the -Ashburton River recently handed to an Ashburton resident tho sum lie had saved for his funeral expenses. He instructed tho gentleman in question to invest the money until required, the interest to be used for somo patriotic purpose. The old-age pensioner concerned has previously subscribed to patriotic funds.

| The record of the Ngatiwhatua tribe in regard to enlistment was referred to by Mr. Tau Henare, M.P., at a largo gathering of the tribe held at Reweti, in ; the Kaipara district, on Saturday. The meeting was called to discuss Maori matters, particularly in relation to recruiting, and over 200 natives from the Maori tounciJ district were present. Mr. Tau Henare spoke at some length on conscription. He Mid tho young men had volunteered to the number of over 600, and this had rendered the record of the Ngatiwhatuas so worthy of its traditions that tho Government had refrained from applying conscription to tho district. The remarks of the speaker wero heartily applauded, and replies were made by the Rev. Te Paa, King Ruarangi, and Tapihawa Paikea, on behalf of tho tribe.

A labourer. Mr. Thomas Donovan, aged about 41, wne found dead yesterday at Drury. He left for work as usual on tho railway grade easement works, and shortly afterwards his lifeless body was found lying at the entrance to tho works' shelter-shed. At aji inquest held in the afternoon by Mr. C. Boadley, district coroner, a verdict was returned that death was due to heart failure. Mr. Donovan, who is thought to have come from Australia some years ago, had been employed by the Railway Department at Drury for the last three or four months.