LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12175, 26 November 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs Department states that a telegram from Wellington notifies that the Hinemoa may be expected at LyttcJiton early on Tuesday morning next.

The annual meeting of the Fe.nda.Kon unit of the C.D.C. war, held on November 20. The balance-sheet and report were adopted. It was shown that during the year the bandage section of the uni'u had made and sent in to the Red Cross depot 6683 bandages and plues. The election of officers resulted as follows:—Captain, G. H. Holmore; representatives on the general committee of the C.D.C, H. C. Godfrey : honorary secretary and treasurer, E.*M. Cole,

A large and enthusiastic meeting ol supporters of the Papanui Queen •_ar- < - nival project was held at " Awahuri, the residence of Mrs Blair, iho candidate chosen to be Soldiers' Queen. Mrs Bradshaw was appointed to die ch:'ir, and officers and a committee were elected to secure the advancement of Mrs Blair. The colours chosen were blue and white. The following officers were elected :—Chairman, Mrs Bradshaw; secretary, Mn C. Smith; treasurer Mrs F. Barnard; committee, Mcsdames H. M'Donald, Jones, M'Cullough, Sneddon, Woodham, Taylor, Kruse, Highsted, Kettle, Pattnck, Pu<*h Ives and F. W. Schumacher, Misses Clausen, Bradshaw and Schumacher.

Speakers at last evening's banquet to Sir Joseph Ward advanced all manner of arcs for electrical current (says the "Southland Tim»s" of November 22) The palm must, however, go to the Mavor of Gore, Mr David M'Dougall. Dealing with his favourite topic of dairying, thaiti gentleman gave out that h 0 understood that a dairyman might "get electricity and put .a shock into his can." thercibx killing -all the microbes. "That," said Mr M'Douga'll, "would be a grand thing, fo'then we would have good, pure milk and would be able to bring up good, healthy children, for whom the Government," this with a side-long..glance at the Minister of Finance, " will pay only Is per day when their fathers go out to fight." ' At the meeting of the Ashburton branch of the Farmers' Union on Saturday it was decided, on the motion of Mr W. T. Lill, to write to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture, stating that there was likely to be an early harvest and that it would be highly advisable that a supply if sacks should be on hand eaily in January. The chairman (Air G W. Leadley) suggested that die Government should be asked to allow the 2uoib sac-KS tj be used this harvest. If >his wer-? done it would save at least between 6000 and 7000 sacks- Mr F. Frampton thought it would not be wise to attempt this season to ask for any change from the present small sack in use. There would be a good deal of boy labour this season, and a change to the 2001b sack might result in labour troubles with the men. At the close of the meeting the members interviewed Sir Joseph Ward at the railway station as he was passing in the express. Mr Leadley said the coming harvest was likely to be an early and a bountiful one. Farmers, owing to the scarcity of labour, would want to thresh as much out of the stook as possible to save stacking, and a supply of Racks would be required early in January. He asked Sir Joseph whether it would be possible to arrange for a New Zea-land-bound boat to call at an eastern port. Sir Joseph Ward replied thati the shipping was controlled by the British Shipping Ministry and the New Zealand Government could not make any arrangements as suggested by Mr Leadley- He fully realised the importance of what Mr Leadley said with regard to an early supply of sacks, and on his return to Wellington he would gj fully into the matter and make re\presentations to the Home authorities.

Modern Hardware. Visitors will find at Hastie, Bull and Pickering's, Cashel Street (opposite Ballantyne Y s), the very latest ideas in Tools for the Motor, Metal-working and Wood-work-ing, *and modern notions in Hardware generally. 1989

In Christchurch on Saturday Sir Joseph Ward stated that his visit to Southland had been of a very enjoyable character. He. said that in all his experience of that district, extending over many years, he had never seen it looking better. There was a remarkable growth of grass. It was so luxuriant that the. stock could not keep it down. The bottle campaign started by the school children of Diinedin and suburbs some months ago, and which yielded £1673, was extended recently to the country schools of Otago. From this source, an additional £829 has been realised, states the Dunedin correspondent of the " Lyttelton Times," bringing the total up to £2502. The money goes to the Destitute Belgian Children's Fund. The number of bottles sold was approximately half a. million.

Rifleman E. E. Trouson writes from the. Third New Zealand Hospital, Codford, England, as follows: "Could I make an appeal through the medium of your paper to the citizens of Christchurch, asking them to forward to this hospital New Zealand newspapers, weeklies for preference? Since I arrived in this rospital I have only seen two New Zealand weeklies, and they were six months old. I may say that New Zealand papers are eagerly looked fer. both in the Trenches and hospitals, but I am sorry to say we don't get them. A few days ago a patient here received a Wellington paper, and directly it became known that a. New Zealand newspaper had arrived he was besieged by patients eager to know the latest, happenings in N< : w Zealand. There are nearly four hundred men in this hospital, and we would gladly welcome any Now Zealand newspapers your readers may care to send." The advice of Mr Justice Stringer, President of the Industrial Arbitration Court, was sought on Thursday (savs the Auckland '•"Herald") by Mr H. L. Buckler, secretary of the Auckland House Painters' Union, as to what course the union could take in order to secure the benefit of a. war bonus. Mr Buckler pointed out that the Government and local bodies had recognised the decrease in the purchasing power of the sovereign by granting their employees a 10 per cent bonus. The union had approached the master painters in Auckland, but had been unable to secure any concession. Mr Justice Stringer said he was afraid the Court could not assist the union in the matter during the currency of the award. In Wellington the Court had made an award increasing painters' wages to Js 6d an hour, and at Dunedin the employers had voluntarily conceded a bonus of an hour, bringing the rate up to Is 6d- In the opinion of the Court the workers in Auckland ought to be in the same position as those of other centres. The employers would be. well advised if they would meet the union in conference, and endeavour to come to an amicable arrangement.

By far the most enjoyable event of the "Workers' Educational Association this year was the visit paid on Saturday to the aviation ground at Sock-btoi-n. The party, numbering close on a hundred, found a deal of educative interest in the various machines, which bid fair to tax fully the accommodation of the hangars. Of especial interest was the dual-control machine, fitted with one of the new 100 h.p- engines. The work had nasi been completed, and the engine had not even been run since its arrival. The satisfaction of the visitors was complete when one of the dual-control instructional machines Avas run out for a flight. Notwithstanding a "bumpy"' wind, Mr Hill made a very graceful sustained flight of ten or fifteen minutes, including a swoop near the hangars, which scattered the crowd. After the flight Mr E- J. Howard, on behalf of the Workers' Educational Association, thanked Mr H. F. Wigra.m, chairman of th<? company, for granting permission to visit the ground, and Mr Hill for his splendid flight. He assured the company that the visit was made, no : J out of idle curiosity, but from a desire to be educated in a science which hell the most useful potentialities of the future. A vote of thanks was carried by acclamation. Mr Wigram, in acknowledging it, assured the visitors_ of the pleasure the directors had in seeing them there. Mr Hill, Avho was pressed to speak, also thanked the gathering. and aftenvards explained a number of aeroplane points in response to questions.

Some discussion on the subject of treatment of shell-shock cases ensued at the Auckland Hospital Board meeting last week, when a request was received from Dr James Boyd, an expert) neurologist, to he attached to the honorary medical staff as consultant, with a further suggestion that two or three beds be set aside for his observation. The chairman (Mr M. J. Coyle) moved that Dr Boyd be appointed as consultant neurologist. On being asked for his opinion, Dr Maguire stated that he did not think a general hospital was a good place for the treatment of shellshock, which should have special treatment, frequently including absolute isolation, rest and feeding up. such as could not very well be obtained in a general hospital. He believed tho "Wolffe Home, which was near the Mental Hospital, but was reserved specially for soldiers and for special treatment, was doing good work, and was dealing adequately with shell-shock cases. _~t was possible, be added., to set aside two or three beds at the hospital for special nerve cases, though it would be creating another department, and at present there are no nerve cases in the hospital demanding special treatment. If any such case occurred, Dr Boyd could he immediately called in as consultantThe chairman, in reply, pointed out that the hospital had, from the beginning, set itself out to adequately treat returned wounded soldiers, and of the hundreds of such men who had passed thro-jgh the hospital, not one had made any complaint. He emphasised what Dr Maguire had pointed out. that shell-shock cases were specially provided for, but in the event of such a case, or of any other case, requiring expert treatment, occurring at the hospital. Dr Boyd could be immediaMy called in to give the patient the benefit of his expert knowledge- The motion making the appointment was carried.