LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15972, 14 November 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A. London cable st.ites thai. OAplain. Boss Smith, en route per aeroplane to Australia, lias arrived at Lyons, a-Ctc-r an icy journey. His instruineata ai_„ food wore frozen. In connection with the great ateac*, tho King sent a wreath to the Cenotar-:! made of laurel leaves and yellow immortelles, on which hi* Majesty wrote -in memory of the glorious dead, from tho King and Queen." Magistrates dischsrgied many culprits who stood in the docks during the gilenco. Following the verdict given at. tho inquest on Mabel Black, wife of Detective Black, Bauet Barber Williams, driver of the motor-car which collided with tho deceased, was charged at the Wellington Magistrate's Court yesterday with manslaughter and remanded until Wednesday next. Tho Butchers' Union at Auckland have decided to carry out the decision reached a fortnight ;tgo to strike if their demands were not conceded. Trfo period has now expired, and as no settlement lias been reached, the men decided last night to strike at 5 o'clock to-night. The Victoria has been awarded to Commander C. C. Dobwm and to Lieut. G. C. Steele, of the "Royal Navy, in connection with tho motor-boat raid on Kronst&dt on 18th August. Doteon was commander of the flotilla, and h;n boat torpedoed a Bolshevik battleship and also a second battkeHp. many lesser awards to officers anfC/ncn for tho same exploit Mr J. TrusseJl. Hon. secretary of flip Garrison Band, has received a cable. from Mr W. Partington, IJbc newly-ai-pointed conductor, stating that he would be leaving for New Zealand on the 241 li ir.st. A circular has also l>een revived from the Dunedin eoutesrti committee, inviting the l>and to compete. We understand it is the band's intention tit comp-it© at this contest, which is to be held in March, and there is every prospect of all the leading bands in tho Dominion taking part. Mosstown hold its second welcome home social on Friday last, when a large number of the residents of ihe district met to welcome Messrs F. and J. Bristol, Jepson, O'Connor, Shaw, and Litter. Mr Slipper, in a most appropriate speech, voiced the pleasure of the resident a and friends in having the boys home again. His audience was noticeably moved by his feeling reference to those , whose names were on the roll of honour, but who would not return. Supper arrangements in the hands of Mesdamcs Brooks, Barnes, .Beynolds, Keir, and Leigh were thoroughly enjoyed, and dancing, etc., was indulged in till mora. lag diours. A New Zoala.nder who came back by the Makura after a visit to ,tho land of the, Stars and Stripes says that so far as lie could gather from his observations of and talk with the Americans they really do believe that their army and navy won the war. It is assuxne'il as a fact by those who read casually, and the well-informed classes f*in io hold the same belief. He produced it cutting from a leading American newspaper, in which the short report of what Haig said about Britain's doings in the conflict was headed "Is it so?" Apparently Haig's statement was regarded as an incredible item of news. Sitting one clay at table in an hotel, our New Zealander found himself next to a party, consisting of ladies who were entertaining* some newly-returned officers, and one of the hostesses gave the conversation :i new turn by asking her neighbour if he" felt at liberty to | enlighten the company upon a point which was not quite clear—namely, as to which of the American divisions it was that gave tho Germans their quietus. The attitude of the States on the subject generally is highly amusing A real live lion has made ita appearance on the ranges and gullies in the> mountainous country between Fit/,roy and Bclmorc waterfalls, in Now South Wales. Some of the local sportsmen claim to have seen it, and there is no one more pronounced as to the identity of the beast than Mr Sid Shcj>herd, of Bowra.l. He was one of a. party that was out shooting the other day, and leaving his gun in tho vicinity of tho look-out for water to boil the billy, when he saw., about forty yards distant, what sie emphatically asserts was a. lion. He Bays he was in a position to obtain a very fine view of the animal and ho drew a sketch of it as it appeared to linn. He called a cempanion, Mr Bwap. Mcßae, who joined him, also unarmed, and by whistling endeavoured to attract the attention of Mr limglebert, another member of tho party. The king of the forest then iose on his haunches agd assumed what Sl was regarded ns an attitude of attack, jf The three sportsmen secured their gun?, but during their absence the animal disappeared. Other residents also claim to have seen the lion, and it is ala*~ reportcd that large stock have been mysteriously killed in the locality visited by it.

A settler in the Tjruti district with a small herd of 28 pedigree and grade Jif.f jys, including six two-year-old heifers, averaged for the past month 8601b of milk per head, with a 4.8 test, an average of 461b. of butterfat per cow. The Auckland Board of Education tas rescinded a resolution relative to "the bond to be entered into by a lady teacher of the Training College to teach for three years after leaving the college. It was intimated that in the event of her marriage the obligation would be considered void. A Paris cable states tiiat Marcel Hutin writes that President Poincare's visit to England is of a political character, and the matters to be discussed include the carrying cut of the Treaty in view of the new attitude of tie United States, also the Bussian problem, particular! Yin view of Mr Lloyd's George's ChrUdhall speech. ft is characteristic of divorce proceedings nowadays that very few children are involved in the reshuffle of Husbands and wives effected so simply by a stroke of His Honor's pen. Four cases heard in Auckland the other day gave a total of thirty-two years' married life, and the only benefit to the State was one child.—Auckland Star. The New Zealand "Waterside Workers' Federation has, as the result of a baSbt just completed, adopted by a substantial majority of votes the proposals formulated at the last conference that the Fderation and miners control work' on the wharves. Details oT the scheme will be discussed at the annual conference of the Federation to be held at Napier on December 2nd. Out of 416 fires in the Dominion last year. 13 were reported as due to incendiarism. A source of danger from fire lately arisen as an outcome of Modern developments is the domestic fiat iron heated by electricity, several ;,r ;*-s having been reported as caused l,: "'".iii leaving the current switched , : . };-i i i-*i ii-m is cot in use. The <«w.; ;;;■:- !"": ;:•?-, year was only £L-j*.'J)'i. :>s with £245.806 for liif prr7i;;>n year. The three heaviest district losses wore: Auckland. £45. StO: Christchurch. £27,433; Waibi. £'Jl.4i6. Commenting at Brooklyn on Tuesday JUght on the inadequacy of the increase in the widows' pension, Mr P. Fraser, M.P., said that the Kefonn Government stated that it, would cost ,£'178,000 more to make up i.he widows' and children's pensions to the epidemic pension standard; and they could not possibly find the money. ?3ut the very next night they gave* ,£340,000 to the butter producers, who had a strong union, the Farmers' TJnioi, behind them while the widows had none. The Government preferred the interests of the butter producers; who nad already made great profits out of the country, to the interests of the women and children. New Zeaiand has. according to Mr. Geo. M. Meudcll, the distinction of having produced the best lif<>-proserver j in the world, the invention <t£ Mrs. C. Beaumont, wife of Captain Norman Beaumont, of Dunedin. Mr Meudell, J who is at present in Wellington, as- | fiisted Mr H. A. C. «ox- { burgh. Central Otago. to place the life jacket in Cjuestion before the Government of Canada and the [.'liited .States. The British Board of Trade, he says, has withdrawn its certificates of approval from seven cork and seven kapok lifebelts, and Mrs Beaumont's invention now heads the list of the four lijfc preservers which may be used on Jin'u'sh ships. Twelve leading British steamship lines have already adopted it, -iriffiudiDK the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand. An escapee from the mental hospital (Aiietland! who is noted for his predilection l\>r telling sensational stories to the v.olice has been giving some ■tremble t-.t Hie public hospital authorities (states the Auckland Herald). A boat the middle of last week he was ?cbiiittcd, apparently in a serious condition, having been found on a doctor's duorstcp in what appeared to be collapse. As. however, nothing wrong could be fcund, he was discharged. On Friday right he was again 'found in an apparent state of collapse on a doctor's doorstep, in a different part of the city. This time he was wearing a uniform. At the hospital a nurse recognised him as the discharged patient, and the police were sent for, but before they arrived ho took advantage of a moment when her attention was •withdrawn, and slipped away. The man is still at large.