LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11512, 7 October 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ixx his address at the Philosophical Society last evening Dr Hilgendorf in referring to the influence of the Russian wheat supply on the price said that if the Dardanelles were forced wheat would fall 3s per bushel. ''lt says a good deal for the patriotism of New Zealanders," remarked the lecturer. '' that our men are fighting to accomplish an end which will mean a lost* to this country of over £1,000,000." Owing to a mistake by the _ Gorernirent Statistician, said Dr Hilgendorf in his lecture before the Philosophical Society last evening, many of the millers who bought in large stocks will be hard Int. The Government Statistician estimated the 1915 wheat yield at under 5.000.000 bushels, and the millers bought in heavily when the prico of flour was £l4 per ton. The actual yield turned out to be nearly six and a quarter millions and the price or flour has fallen considerably. The Mavor stated at a meeting in St Michael's Hall last evening that he had been told that twenty men had gone to the front from Cashmere Hills community, ajjd that all had suffered, eight haying been killed ana wn wounded, one was missing and one in hospital. Canon Burton,, commenting on this, said that it was absolutely unthinkable in such circumstances that those who were left. at home would not make every sacrifice to render tho lot of tho wounded as comfortable as possible. Sydenham people, particularly the young people, are promised a treat tonight, in the shape of a concert and variety entertainment. This will be given in St Saviour's Schoolroom, and will consist largely of selected items bv priw-winners in the recent Band of Hope Union competitions. A large proportion of the numbers are of a humorous character, and on the whole a splendid programme is promised. The causo is a most worthy one—tho Sydenham branch of the Red Cross—and if for no other reason, there should be a bumper attendance. This concert was inadvertently advertised in hwt evening's papers a.s for last evening. Tho telegraph office advises that at 9 a.m. the Opihi was clear, the Rakaia, Waitnki, JUingitata, and Waimakariri smith were dirty, and tho Waimaksriri north discoloured. Mr 3D. J. Howard, secretary of the Canterbury General Labourers' Union, has been in communication with tho Right Hon W. F. Ma wavy, Minister of Labour, in reference to workers who arrange with the Government Life and Accident Insurance Department for compensation, being compelled to obtain advice from a solicitor. Section 12 of the Amending Aot of 1913 makes it. necessary for a worker to obtain a certificate from a lawyer stating that ho has sought legal advice. Previous- i ly he merely had to go before a map's- j trate or attend at a Labour Bureau, j Mr Howard has protested against this ! practice, and in a letter ho received yesterday Mr Massey states that the provision was inserted in the Act at" tho suggestion of his Honor Mr Justice Situ, who considered that the previous arrangement was unsatisfactory. Mr Massey has consulted Mr J. H, Richardson, tho Government Insurance Commissioner, who is looking into the position, in order to ascertain if _ the Department can make some modification in its methods that will remove the objection. Ladies recommend Mart-ins Apiol iuid Steel Fills. Sold by all Chemists and Stores. See that you get the

Mr J, Jeffery. the I Otago Educational Institute, las srajt'i j tbe following telegram to twenty-throei j members of Parliament:— J< la the iji4 Wests of economv, efficiency and oft ] education generally the Otago IDdu^a-: 5 | tiojiel Institute ask you to support sos.} ' " or ' L f° r reduction of the oJ Education Boaj<ls to seven." is stated that the shipment of} 17,000 crates of rabbits which the' Arawa will take away to London is tile; largest ever despatched from Port Chalmers. There are from tweatv-', lour to thirty rabbits to the crate, sol that tlio shipment (says the Bunedial correspondent, of the* '' Lyttoltoii' Times'-') amounts to from. 408,000 to oil). 000 carcases. ' » A meeting of the General Committee' of the Canterbury and West Coaati centre of the St John Ambulance Association was held last night, air Aw E. G. Rhodes presiding. The chair* l man said that the meeting had been*' called to make the necessary arrange* j ments in connection with his early ac- S partiire for England. It was decided]' to give the chairman nine months';, : leave of absence. The secretary s&idj that the oash to th© credit of the:< association was £398 lis Cd. and aftWf the aocounts passed for payment.i amounting to £235 4s, there would i : ;<■ credit balance of £163 10s 3d. j i To-night at eight o'clock Maunder'© ; cantata, " Penitence, Pardon . Peace,' Will be given in St Paul's , bytenan Church by a clioir of forty ) . voices. The total proceeds will b&j ; given to the Second Hospital Ship \ ; hnnd through the Red proas Society. \ , In addition to the cantata, a short pr 6-} gramme of vocal and instrumental i mnsfio will be given. The solouts will f be Mesdames Gower Burns, j. Guthrie 1 and R. B. M'Wbirter, Miss A. Andeiv ] .son, Messrs N. Turner, E. Foster and : H. M'Leod. Mr "Wilfred Coulson. ; F.R.0.0., organist of the church, will play organ solos selected from composers of the Allied countries. .J American commercial men appear to be firmly convinced that they can capture the trade which Germany did jn Australia and iCesv Zealand. In comment on Consul-General WinslowV report from Auckland, the New York commercial journal, "Current of Affairs," observes that it is. essential to send out qualified tradesmen to New Zealand with their samples, prepared to send in orders 'by cable for immediate delivery. Merchants In New Zealand are described' as hard pressed for goods -which have not come forward from England. " Being out of touch. with elsewhere," the paper states, " they do not know where to turn.'' It is significantly added: "Salesmen sent to New Zealand and Australia should have Anglo-Saxon names." . Men who in summer time gather the Dominion's wool clip have many representatives on Gallipoli, and. it is anticipated by people in a position to judge that sheep-farmers -will be faced with difficulties during the shearing seasonAdvices from parts or Australia whero shewing has already commenced are to the effect that there is a marked shortage of "workers: in consequence, a smaller number than usual will visit New Zealand this season, says a Wellington paper. In quarters where this is Known it is stated that runholders would be well advised to commence shearing a little earlier than usual, in order that the shortage of workers may be met by a lengthened season. Otherwise, when the season is in full swing, employers will be competing with each other for the services of workers. Under fiuch circumstances they would be inviting requests from individuals for increased rates. It is this state of affairs, it is reported, which has led already to demands by the Native shearers or the Poverty Bay and East Coast districts. A few days ago the Christohurch Ministers 1 Association forwarded a communication to the Minister of Internal Affairs, protesting against the extension of the Gaming Act in reference to art unions and raffles for patriotic purposes. Yesterday the secretary ° |C the association, the Rw H. Allen Job, received the following reply from Mr Russell:—-"I -am in receipt of your telegram of September 30, conveying the protest of your association against the legislation extending the provisions of the law to authorise the conducting of art unions or raffles of articles hitherto excluded from the operations of the Gaming Act. In reply f have to say that, whilst recognising the sincerity and earnestness expressed iu the objection contained in your ' telegram, the legislation referred to has been demanded by an overwhelming mass of public opinion, as expressed by letters from public bodies au<i the votes of both Houses of Parliament; and, further, the Government is of opinion that, with the safeguawl* provided, the amending Act will assist in the raising of large sums of money for patriotic purposes without leading to tho evils you anticipate." "There is a fiction abroad," says the New Zealand "Public Service Journal," in its latest issue, "that the average public servant is a fortunate individual who'draws a high salary for doing very little work. An j analysis of the last classification li>i< produces the following result:—There : are 4892 officers drawing £260 or under per annum, and 977 officers drawing more than £260 per annum. The second group includes 401 officers drawing £315 per annum or less, and 383 officers drawing £425 per annum or less. From the above it will be seen that the rank and file cf the service, that is to say, those officers who receive salaries up to £260 per annum, are in the large majority, those receiving higher mi 'aries being responsible officers, experts and professional men. and these two latter classes would, if not in the employ of the State, command equal or greater remuneration in private employment or The Public Service Commissioner, in _ his last report, complains that there is a dearth of officers competent to fill positions of responsibility, but omits to state the reason. We believe this emergeucv arises from the fact that tins salaries paid are too low to induce manv brilliant men to remain m tue service in the hope of what) may be termed the prize positions. These men are attracted by higher pay and bettor prospects in employment outside the service, so it eventually happens that there is a falling off in general efficiency." Probably few people hare realised just what' a comprehensive system o,* telephones has to bo maintained in connection with th' l war. Here, for instance, are some particulars from " Engineering !f to the way one of the German ""armies—that of the Crown. Prince of Bavaria—is served, in this regard: "The main exchange is installed in a private house, which, besides several large rooms, contains a number of smaller ones, which are used as telephone boxes. The exchange was completed in the course of three weeks by 300 engineer*—soldiers—and has niue-i.v-live direct lines, of an aggregate longth of 1200 kilometres. It was no easy task, as most of the material used v.a-s French, and had to bo brought together from different towns and adjusted to German requirements. From the exchange, live direct lines proceed to each division, and from here again lines proceed jo the brigad'os and the regiment-?. The final lines lead to the trenches, where, each battalion, and. iu many cass, each company, has its own telephone. In addition there are special lines between the artillery position*, and from these to the posts of observation- From the main exchange these further proceed in direct; linos to the armies, positioned on the sides, and two lines to the headquarters, apart from direct telephone connection from the one army corps to the other. Other lines at the back are connected* with the national telephone system. The main exchango alone has to through ; •iWO conversations per day." i Seaside residents should note that, j although continuing their low prices" j Armstrong's deliver parcels free in '

f The rainfall to date for the present 'jear, as recorded at tho Christehureh observatory, is 11.212; as against In. 066 ' for the corresponding period last year. A Feilding Press Association massage says that a flag sold last night in aid of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund, realised £8250, A Press Association message says that the Auokland Savings Hank trustees have contributed £2OOO to the carnival arranged by the executive of the Patriotic Fund. Quoting from a tetter from the Cook glands in 1 tho House yesterday, Mr A. Glover, interpreting from tho Native tongue, said that tho people thero expressed their determination to send men and money to assist, in the war until the close of the trouble. Already they had eent £7OO Us 8d from the islands. Mr L. M. Isi tt was discussing tho claim of a petitioner to the House or Representatives for £20,000 compensation for wrongful imprisonment, sa> s the " Evening Po«st." He thumped the desk in front of him. '"I 8 . I before, and I say it again, ho crlo( '' "I would 'do' twice the time for halt the money/' Members chorused a sympathetic '' Hear, hear.'' The Mayor of Auckland' (Mr J. H. Gunson), accompanied by the lion George Fowlds and Mr W. A- Berldoe ('[Vado Commissioner for Canada), have started on a provincial tour, in the interests of tile Patriotic Fund. <hey will address public meetings at various places, and, at the request of the Minister of Defence, will also emphasise the necessity for activity in tho matter , of recruiting. J The Railways (Jommitten of the • House of Representatives recommended on Tuesday that all regular casuals, paid at a daily rate, who were ineligible for the permanent staff when thoy first joined the railway* service, and uho had been continuously employed tor at least ten years, should be allowed the privileges granted to permanent employees in connection with ticket concessions, eto. In th© course of debate, several members made ap appeal for consideration for the " regular casuals ' of long service. The Harewood School Committee met on Monday; present—Messrs Howson (chairman), Dixon, Jessou, Palmer, Skilton, Shipley and II- Twose. The inspector's report was highly satisfactory, and showed that tho scholars were being well trained throughout the school. Tno head master's report also showed an increase on the roll, the number now being loi). Correspondence from the board was read and received. A report from the caretaker was also received'. An offer of a .sowing prizo from Mrs C. Palmer was accepted, and also orus from Mrs Shipley. Accounts to the am writ of 14s -Id were passed for payment. 1 "^ •Some time back Mr William Nicholls, * of Belfast, offered wool to anyone desirous of knitting socks for. our soldiers in the various hospitals. A number of ladies have taken advantage of his offer, and tho following socks havo come to hand-Mrs Derbridge 3 pairs, Mrs Adams 3 pairs, Mrs Crook .'5 pairs, Mrs Burborough. 3 pairs, Mrs r l homley 3 pairs, Mrs Brad's haw 3 paire, Vl.iss Mahar 3 pairs, Mrs J. and Miss Smith 7 pairs, Mrs Clemens 4 pairs, Misses Rogers 7 pairs, Mrs G. Barrel! 10 pairs, Miss Pollard 3 pairs, Mrs R. B. Beales 3 pains, Mrs Blake 7 pairs; total to date 62 pairs. Mr NicTiolls expects to hand in to the Red Cross depot over 600 pairs of socks. A field telegraphist writes from GallipoliOur work is linking up headquarters with all the different troops, except mounted men, though wo have a small section for that purpose in case of need. If you could only see tho number of wires running over all the hills and the rows of telegraph opera- . tors sitting at their tables sondiug messages day and night, you would see how important our cable section is. Every camp, trench, battery, observation 'post, supply depot, senior officer, etc.,;has a telephone laid on to headquarters. The generals are able, without going out of their dug-outs, to know exaetlv how everything is going on." To meet the general desire of the Native race, the Minister for Native Affairs has included, a clause in the Native Land Amendment Bill to enable them to devote to patriotic purposes any portion of money which they may s desire to hold back from any rent oxaccumulated funds, or money duo or payable on their lands. The Minister explained in the House that this was the only way very often in'which the Native * could contribute to patriotic purposes. In case an over-energetic Mayor or representative of a patriotic society searched out his new source of revenue, the provision had been made that the approval of the Minister must, first he obtained before the amount could be obtained. .Shearing has commenced at early stations on the East Coast, says an exchange. As yet, th 3 shortage of hands is not causing a great dca! of inconvenience, but it is thought that sheds which commence operations when the busy season is on will have difficulty in securing all the men they require. Poverty Bay Native shearers, as mentioned previously, refused to start work at the old rate of £1 per hundred. The Shearers' Union is stated to be doing all in its power to avert trouble, but it is thought that the season will not pass without individual demands for a higher rate. Some of the men argue that employers who have sold their wool at excellent prices should not now object. to a small increase in the shearing rate to meet tho advance in the cost of living. The War Pensions Board met in Wellington on Tuesday and considered thirty-one cases, including ten disabled members who have come back to New Zealand and twenty-one dependents of deceased and missing (wives and' sisters). Of tho ten returned soldiers, two were granted £1 a week for life, one at per week and one at 15s par I week, subject to review at a given | period. Five applications were adjourn- j ed -for a special medical report, and ono was declined'. Of tho twenty-one dependents (including six wives with 1 children), one was granted £2OB per annum, one £143 per annum, one £122 per annum, ono £ll9 per annum, one £9l per annum and one £Bti per annum. Eight parents were granted £2(i per annum, and three applications were postponed' for further information, and four declined. The total moneys granted to all dependents and applicant* an/ounted to £ll9B per annum, averaging £O(3 per annum. Reserved judgment wa« given by Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M ~ at this morning * civil sittings of the Magistrate's Court, in the case of Henrietta Nelson (Mr L. I>ougall) v. .Tames M'Nair and. jinothor Mr A. T. Donnelly), in which a claim was made under an order for the maintenance of an illegitimate child by the mother of the child. It was shown in evidence that the child was not in the custody of its mother, having been adopted. The Magistrate this morning remarked that lie had looked into the records of the hearing of the application of the order, and found that no Toferenco lutd been made to adoption. He was of opinion that the payments under an order ol this kind could not bo dealt with as a consideration for adoption, and that the claim against th© defendants must fail. .Judgment would be for the defendants with roses. Mr Donnelly applied for the cancellation of the order, but the Magistrate &aid the application had better bo made at a later .stage. Plaintiff would be quite at liberty to have leave to xippeal