LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17660, 10 August 1929, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Soring Flower Show and Sale of Work of St. James’' Presbyterian Church in behalf of church funds will lie held in the Hall, Pahau Street, on Thursday and Friday, September 12th and 13th.

The Hairy Inspector has ordered that water coolers with proper chutes shall be installed hi all milking sheds. To provide for this Mr. J. H. Batts on has a large quantity available for immediate sale. They are made of the finest tinned copper and guaranteed.

The High School Cadets are asked to parade in uniform to-morrow at the school at 2 p.m. -to attend tliefuneral of Lieutenant L. A. Watkins. The pupils of the school are also requested to attend the funeral.

, Practically the whole- day in the Hou/se of Representatives yesterday was devoted to a discussion on the Local Authorities Empowering Aviation Encouragement /Bill, which was read a second time without division.

A) cruel hoax was practised on Wellington people three or four days ago, and resulted' in a number—including some unemployed who could ill afford to lose 1/- —becoming victims of an unscrupulous individual. An advertisement was issxied,' “How to make £4 to £5 a week easily at home. Send stamped addressed envelope and p.o. 1/- to tt—, Box , Te Aro.” One of the Victims showed the reply he had received to a “Dominion” representative yesterday. In the envelope was a small visiting card, and on it was printed the advice, “Do as I do; advertise.” This enterprising individual has probably departed by now. and may attempt to dupe other victims.

With reference to an article on Robert the Bruce which appeared in a recent issue of an Auckland 1 paper, Mr. 0. D. Smith, of Waiouru, writes: ‘lt might be of interest to you to know that I, being a direct descendant of the Douglases, have in my possession the oi’iginal ring given to Sir James Douglas by John Bruce, brother cf Robert, when Sir James set out on the Crusade to the Holy Land, taking with him the heart of Robert the Bruce in a leaden casket. This ring bears the insignia, two hands holding a crowned bleeding heart, and Has since been used as a betrothal ring in our family and handed down from father to son. Incidentally the insignia has been the crest of the Lords of Forbes. The -ring is now so much worn that it is broken, but the crest can still be traced quite plainly, and on the inside the initials, ‘J.B.’ are plainly to be seen.” Recently a. notification was published that the Imperial Government was issuing Memorial Plaques and Scrolls together with a letter from His Majesty, on account- of those members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who have died since being discharged from the Forces provided the death took place on or before August 3ls't, 1928, and that it was the result of war service. The Government has now received a despatch stating that the Memorial Plaque factory will be closed as soon as the outstanding demands have been dealt with. In the circumstances, the Defence Department is forwarding to the United Kingdom a final list of applications, and this will include all those received by the Department on or before August 26th, therefore the relatives of the deceased soldiers should not delay communicating with Base Records Office, Wellington, relative to their- claim to receive Memorials. Subsequent to August 26th, all applications of this kind will he declined, and the relatives of ex-soldiers will not have cause to blame the New Zealand Defence Department if their neglect means to them the loss of the beautiful Memorials.

The old folding canvas lifeboats which in the past shore people often belauded and seafaring men more often condemned, no longer lumber the boat decks of passenger liners. A seafaring officer told a reporter that ships were well rid of them. It was true that they folded fiat on each side, and occupied only half the deck space of an ordinary ship’s lifeboat. That was about their only merit. It was a tedious and uneasy job to launch them at boat drill in the harbour. What would have taken place in a case of shipwreck in bad weather was another matter, even if the canvas shell were not perished in places where water lodged when they were folded away. The “contraptions” had about run their couase before the war period, and the war finished them.