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Otago Daily Times, Issue 17424, 19 September 1918, Page 4

At last night's meeting of the City Council his Worship the Mayor (Mr J. J. Clark) was congratulated by councillors on his approaching marriage. Tho bride-elect is Miss Joy Mowat, daughter of tho late Mr John Mowat, Huzclhead House, Aberdeen. '

A Press Association message from Wellington states that proposals by the New Zealand Federation of Drivers.' Unions for a new agreement have been forwarded to the employers. The drivers are demanding greatly increased wages, fewer working hours, and improved conditions generally. Prior to the sailing of the Westralia for Melbourne yesterday, Detective Sergeant Kemp and Detective Hammorly went on board and arrested a woman on a. charge of stealing a sealskin coat and £5 note at Christcburch.

The trustees of the Dunedin Savings Bank have voted £500 to the Red Cross Copper Trail, and 100 gvinnis to the British Mercantile Marsivj Ueiief Fund.

The Harbour Board has boon much troubled with tlin depositing of rubbish on the foreshore and the casting of oil tins and other objectionable matter into the harbour. With a view to stopping the practioo it has decided that a reward of £5 will be paid to any person or persons giving information which will lead to the conviction of any offender. It was stated at yesterday's meeting of the Education Board that the Military Service Board had granted exemption until the end of November to three teachers who had been called up. The Hon. Mr Fleming read a letter he had received from a teacher, who said: " I think tho Otago Board has expressed tho will of the majority of the Otago teachers by not appealing. Personally, now that I havo been called up, I feel that it is my duty to go and do my share. Hundreds of our young men havo gone and borne the heat and burden of the day, and I feel it is only right' that others should go over and help now tliat their turn has come." Tho letter, he said, was signed by a married teacher who was going away in January. Mr Wilkinson remarked that the board's teachers were in favour of going forward to do their duty for their country. He did not believe there was a singlo teacher who was anxious to shirk his responsibility in tils matter.

During the hearing of a case at yesterday's sitting of tho City Police Court Subinspector Mathieson asked tho magistrate (Mr H. A, Young) to make an order for tho destruction of a savage dog. The owner of tho dog (a woman) took great exception to the threatened destruction of tho animal, giving as one of her reasons that taking life was against her religion, " Even human life," she concluded.

At a sitting of tho Juvenilo Court, before Mr H. A. Young, yesterday four youths pleaded guilty to wantonly removing gates from the premises of Alexander Murray Drennan (Maori Hill), Lawrence Fraser, and J. Ruston (Dnnedin). One of the boys also pleaded guilty to breaking a window, valued at 255, the property of James Smith (Maori Hill). After severely admonishing the boys the magistrate discharged them, and the mother of the boy who had broken the window was ordered to pay the amount of the damage (255). It was explained that the boy's father is at present absent on active service. A lad about 12 years of age pleaded guilty to the theft of Is, the property of John Stewart, and was convicted and ordered to be placed' under the supervision of Mr Axelsen. It is understood that the Dominion Executive of the Railway Officers' Institute has not yet formally submitted a request to the authorities for a 20 per cent, increase of wages or salary, though a resolution has been adopted by'the committee of the Wellington branch in advocacy of such an increase. The signs are (says the Post) that the Government will deal with railway demands as a whole when the various requests take definite formal shape. It is anticipated that the concessions to the police will stimulate other sections of State servants, particularly teachers, to continue vigorously with their campaigns for more money. Our London correspondent reports that at the annual meeting of the National Bank of New Zealand the chairman (the Hon. W. Pember Reeves) remarked: "The astonishing success of the New Zealand Treasury in raising huge sums by local loans is a real tribute to the financial strength of a young country which, 20 years ago, would havo thought the raising of a couple of millions locally almost impossible." Dr Truby King, addressing the National Party, at Kensington Hall, on "National Fitness, the Goal of Reconstruction After the War" said (writes our London correspondent) there was something radically wrong with tho social conditions in Groat Britain when so large a percentage 6f those who presented themselves for military .service were inefficient. Wo had received warnings many years before the war, but were too dilatory to heed them. Our main defect was in the proper bearing'and nurture of the young. Unless -we altered our present social and domestic conditions, in 20 years there would be a greater percentage of inefficiency among our young men and women than at present. Mr L W. Raymond, chairman of the Executive Committee of the London Federation of the party, also spoke. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that the Minister of Defence has received advice that the 42nd Reinforcements reported " health good" from their third port of call on September 17. A first offender for drunkenness was fined 10s at Port Chalmers yesterday by Mr J. MTjaohlan, J.P. The Clutha District Returned Soldiers' Association is looking after the interests of the returned men in • its locality. It has decided to set up a Discharged Soldiers' Information and Employment Bureau, and also to secure the services of local residents to act as advisors to soldiers desirous of settling on the land, so as to minimise the chance of the men taking up land under unsuitable conditions. Sub-branches are to bo formed in all the smaller centres in the district as opportunity offers. The Clutha and Matau A. and P. Society recently decided to cut out the annual horse parade this year,' as a wax-time measure: but at a meeting last week its was decided to revoke the previous decision. r