LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12082, 10 August 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Minister of Defence received advice yesterday that) the Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Mounted Rifles have reached their destination all well.

A Press Association message received from Perth last, night stated that the Western Australian Parliament will dissolve on August 13 and the election will be held on September 19. A very enjoyable evening was spent at the Coronation Hospital last night, when a well arranged programme of vocal and instrumental items was given by Mr Robert Francis's concert party.

A correspondent writes to a Taranaki paper:--' : During the early sixties, _just after the. outbreak of the. Maori war, diphtheria, in a very virulent form broke out in the town of New Plymouth, and carried off a large number of children. Several grown-up people were also victims. "The medical men at that time were at a loss to account for their inability to cope, with the disease, and amongst other attempts to stamp it out all the wJlfew trees on the. banks of the Huaioki and the other stream running through the, town were cut down, on the assumption that the diphtheria germs lodged in the sponge-like growth that accumulated at the water's edge. This, however, did not have the" desired effect It might be mentioned that owing to families coming in from the coMntry. New Plymouth was in a very congested .state, and this, together with the fart) that very wet weather and exceedingly heavy traffic produced seas of mud and filth, was no doubt largely answerable, for the epidemic."

There was a great) gathering of tho clans and other settlers for many miles round at, the funeral of the hit?. MrDonald Fraser on Monday at Parewanui, says the " Manavatu Daily Times." Over sixty motor-cars left the house, and others assembled ati the cemetery. Kawnna P.opiha, on behalf of the Ngatiapa tribe, gave the ancient Maori chant for the departure of the chieftain. He walked slowly and dramatically up and down before the open door of the residence, and spoke feelingly of the old settlers, saying that! M'Kelvi© was dead, M'Kem-ie dead. Brookie was dead, Jim Bull was in England, and now Donald was leaving- them for ever. The Maori women wore "wreaths of green leaves, and six young Maori lads bore the coffin on their shoulders. A number of valuable Maori mats were buried with the coffin. These were the offerings of the tribe, to whom he had been a friend for sixty years. Sir James Carroll, Sir Wilson and Messrs Cob/in and G'athrie, M.P., were among the crowd of old friends who attended the funeral.

The Queen of the Oak Lodge, U.A.O.TX, held its fortnightly meeting on August 2. when two candidates were initiated into the Order. At the conclusion of the business a banquet was held to celebrate the twenty-hrst anniversary of th©_ lodge. Musical item-s were given by -Mrs Chambers, Miss Ballantyne and Brothers Skinner and Birch (mandolin and banjo duet). Brother Carter presided at the piano. A number of toasts were honoured, amongst them being; the following:— "Grand Lodge Officers," proposed by P.G.P. Brother Burgess (Ivy of Linwood), responded to by Grand Lodge officers; " Queen of the Oak Lodge." proposed bv P.D.P. Brother Hulbcrt (Oak of Sydenham), responded to by P.A. Sister Bugg and P\S. Sister Barnes; "Army and Navy and Bo>s at the Front," proposed by Brother Chambers (Ivy of Linwood); "'-Visiting Lodges," proposed by D.P. Sister Gobbe_and responded to by the representatives of the following lodges:— Pioneer, Mistletoe, Perseverance, Anchor, Ivy of Linwood, Star of AshbiiriDon, Oak of Sydenham, Lily of 'Richmond and the Ivy. The picking and sale of oysters lasu season was continued bv the Government, according to the annual report of the Marine Department. Owing to the demand being larger than usual, it) was found necessary to discontinue, picking and close the beds at the end of August instead of October. The quantit-v picked and sold was 8172 sacks, which realised £5692 lis 6d. ami gave- a net profit of £'l4lo 13? 6d, aportion of which was used ito replant! depleted areas. Replanting of depleted areas was carried out at Russell, and oysters have been brought from Manukau and planted in Queen Charlotto and Pelorus Sounds, rock with oysters attached bavin-- been taken down by the s.s. Hinemoa, and placed on suitable parts of the foreshore. It is also intended to bring up oysters from Foveaux Strait this year ■■' plant 'tfhem in the sea. off White Bluff, abreast of the Awatere River, and off Lyttelton, as it is believed that *oeds can be established there. T'hs oysters taken in Foveaux Strait, last season totalled 29,30.9 .sacks, valued at £l-1.628, of which 175,330 dozen, valued at £1320. were exported to Australia. The export trade has been affected by the reduction of steamer traffic to Melbourne.

According to the Ottawa ''Evening Journal," the girl students of the Tewkesbury School, in Scarsdale, New York, liavq been advised to refuse to marry pacifists, or men with pacifist) tendencies. Further than that, they wei'o instructed not even 10 mako friends of such. This advice was given by the National Special Aid Society, of which Mrs "William Alexander is president, in an address made by Mrs Ilenr A. Wise Wood, national secretary of the organisation. She said that the existence of the war had brought American women face to face with a sot of problems entirely new to Hie women of this generation. "'ln all recorded historyj." she said, " there, havo been cowmen, who wished to be th(3 protected ones and not the protectors. These cowardly men are against universal Braining and service, because these things compel them to defend tho countrv a.s'weli as the brave men who are willing to do it. Always throughout Mfo remember that the man who will not defend his country will not defend his wife, his child, his home. Do not hnv© such among your friends. Make the first test of the. young man you admit to your acquaintance their patriotism! Carry this formula throughout life: 'No man who t? not a patriot is to be trusted wi'A'r a woman's welfare.' "

A return, of the estimated population of New Zealand, including the Cook and other Pacific Islands, on June 30, is published in tho " Gazette." It gives the number of males as 0f.3,347, females 585.466, total 1.158,813. According i-o Mr G. Hall, who gave an address at the Overseas Club last night, Canada has raised vast' sums for war and patriotic funds by private subscriptions. But. he added, Canadaians do not hold Queen carnivals, or have similar schemes. In Toronto, for instance, they mapped out the city in districts, and endeavoured to raise'two million dollars, which was the estimated requirements for the year. In three days, however, nearly three million dollars were collected." ,; If the United Slates Government had declared war on Germany, even after the sinking of the Lusita'nia, it would have disturbed a real hornet's nest, and seriou.s internal troubles would have arisen,'' .said Mr G. Hn.li. at last evening's meeting of ilip Overseas Hub. bin add"d that, apart from tho feeling inbred in many Americans that irar.s in Europ P were no concern of theirs, the. European element in the States were dead against militarism. Perhaps tho, English-Americans were tho worst of the whole, lot reuardiiiehelping their Motherland. .[hit Germany's submarine campaign of (his year had on used a reversion of feeling, and the declaration of war was endorsed by the A-ast majority of the people, of the. United States.'

The statement hv a forme;- German Consul-Genera 1 that- naturalised Australians of German origin retained their German nationality, despite, the acceptance of British citizenship, will, no longer be true (savs the ''Sydney Mormno- Herald") after the passage of » Bill which the Minister for Home Affairs and Territories (Mr Glynn) has introduced into the HcMse. of Representatives. This measure provides that the Governor-General shall not issue a certificate 0 f natura ligation until he. has received from th« applicant n . cefttiicaite of a. Justice of the fiigh Court, a. Jud.ee o! n, State Coiiri. or a- masisI'ivite, that the applicant has before hnvi renounced his allegiance, to the country of his origin. "The Bill also provides that a person whose, parents are naturalised, and who at any time during infancy resided in Australia, shall in the Commonwealth be deemed to be naturalised, and have, the same right's, pov.ers and privileges, and be subject to tho same obligations as iV person who has obtained acertificate of naturalisation.

It is a remarkable fact, that the recent; scries of earthquakes lias been most evident, and most, jjcrsisront, m the YVaivarapa district. An explanation of this was .sought from a ] carl ins: geologist (says the " EVeainp; Post")'.' He stated that- the centre of the earthquakes had .not ;\et been fixed, as therecords were not available, but it, was thought that its centre lay out, to 5.13 a. If so" it. 1 might be that the YYairarapa. was the. nearest land. There was a. fault, or earthquake line, running in the direction of The Chatham Islands to New Zealand, parallel with the R\iahine, Tar-arua and Kaikotira Ranges. If the centre of the recent, disturbances 'ivas at the northern end of that lf.nO', on which many earthquakes have been plotted. YVnirarapa would be affected. The line was approximately 100 milr-s in length, and recent, earthquakes in the vicinity of Gisborne indicated that the fault extended as far north as that district. Earthquakes are a. more fundamental phenomena- than volcanic action, but the latter also indicates lines of weakness. On the line referred to there are evidences of volcanic activity, but- not in the YVairarapa. Volcanic signs a.ro all on the west! of the Jlua,hine Range, except for some very ancient volcanic rocks (of the tertiary period)' on 'the East Coast.