LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16037, 30 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Repairs to Sir Boss Smith’s aeroplane are progressing satisfactorily. lie expects to resume his flight in time to reach Sydney on February 11th. All arrangements have been completed in London for the Prince of Wales’ tour. Ihe authorities arc awaiting Australian confirmation before issuing details. California’s latest walnut harvest was the largest in the history of the industry, it is estimated at 48.000.00(1 !b, worth somewhere near £3,(300.0(10. This production was taken over 75,000 acres of bearing groves.

William it. Wood, president of tire American Woollen Company, recently served notice on retail business men of Lawrence, Massachusetts, that unless prices of commodities essential to living were marked down shortly and within a short time ho would set up a rolail store organisation on a large scale to supply employees of the company with groceries, provisions, fuel, clothing, hardware, and other articles. Mr Wood said it was useless to raise wages and find the effect lost in an increasing cost of living. “I am acting from a Christian point of view,” he said, and added that, having no wish to drive local merchants out of business, he, would give them “a reasonable time” to readjust their prices.

A five occurred shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday at the Taihapo moat works, by which the manure house was gutted and tho vats were destroyed. The damage to the digester and other machinery is not ascertainable until the debris is cleared away, but will be considerable. The Taihapo Brigade went to the scene of the fire, hut could only reinforce the efforts of the men at the works owing to the absence of water pressure. if the machinery is badly damaged it will be necessary to proccure now machinery from England, which will be a big disadvantage during the coming season. The men will be out of employment two or three days. The insurances are in the Royal, North British, and Norwich Union offices.

The Postal Department is going on with the idea of a system of aerial mails. It is not proposed at once to develop a scries of services to cover tho ivhole country and give to every part of New Zealand an aerial mail, but a number of sendees will bo tried, and if they prove a success the scheme will be enlarged. In the course of a. day or two the schedule should be issued. Nothing seems to have been settled yet about co-operation of the Postal Department in connection with these aerial services with the Defence Department’s aviation branch. It seems obvious that economy in machines and personnel may be assured by a measure of co-operation, and in‘the initial stages of the venture no doubt there will be some arrangement made.

At Mr Hughes’ suggestion, representatives of the, marine engineers meet at Sydney on Saturday to discuss whether they will take another ballot on the terms previously balloted on.

The South African Government commission regarding the meat supply recommended tlie susjKMiskm of duty on imported meats and fats until the effect# of the drought are over.

The British Government has approved the reorganisation of the Territorials, including obligation to serve overseas itt extreme national emergency, but no! until reserves are culled to the colours, and subject to the sanction of Parliament. The special reserve is also retained.

The formation of a branch of the Insurance Officers’ Guild of New Zealand was unanimously approved by a large-ly-attended meeting nf insurance afficers at Auckland. Air 11. Olay, who presided, said it was foil by ’insurance officers that rather than associate themselves with a clerks’ union a guild should be formed on the lines of the Bank Officers’ Guild, and that any difficulties that might, arise should bo settled by consultation, without the medium of the Arbitration Court. Colonel Mitchell, M.P., will not accompany the Samoan party. Whcrr-'-—. asked his reasons Colonel Mitchell said;.

“With the very serious coa-l problem, the housing difficulty, the probable wheat shortage, the very acute and growing feeling against: profiteering, and the general stale of unrest prevailing throughout the Dominion, I do not think the present time is opp.irks no for the Samoan tour. I am rather of the opinion that the, Foime should be called together at an early date to help solve some of these problems. Nor do I think we are justified in withdrawing the Mokoia from trade for a month when she could he so profitably used in the transport of those commodities we so urgently require.”

A remarkable case of egg-poisoning is described by Dr S. Edleston in the Practitioner. The first symptoms were noticed when a girl, now aged eleven, was twelve monlhs old. On being given a few spoonfuls of custard symptoms of acute poisoning at once developed, followed by rapid collapse when a little albumen water (while of egg) was given. The cause being suspected, she was given no food for some hours, and then put on chicken broth. An immediate recovery followed. Some years later a friend gave the girl a piece of .sponge cake, when violent symptoms of poisoning with rapid collapse followed. Dr Edleston says that once when the child’s mother was beating up some eggs a drop splashed into the girl's eye, which at once became so swollen that the lids could not bo opened. liven now there are no signs that the unusual susceptibility to egg poisoning is being outgrown. A French soldier, wearing the uniform of a captain of the Belgian, army* called, upon the German chief of jwlice at Ai.x la Ghappcllo and demanded that ho loan him three German policemen to search, a local bank. Ilia request was complied with, ami the soldier posted one policeman at the outside door of the bank, lie then assembled the staff of the bank- and the manager in a room, the door of which he locked. After this lie ordered the two other police to stand watch over the prisoners, and. they were also put under lock and key. The soldier then entered the vault of the bank, coolly took 1,000,000 marks, and walked away from the building. The policeman stationed as a sentry at the door became suspicious and shadowed the supposed officer and watched him enter a cafe from which ho emerged! a few minutes later dressed as a civilian. The policeman then arrested the thief ami turned him over to the Belgian police.

A London dodor who is in practice in tbo West; End writes as follows- in regard to flic existence of superstition among liis patients: “In my own extensive practice entirely among well-to* do and educated people I came across daily instances of extra-ordinary credulity. Many educated people seem to regard medical practitioners as magicians. I have been asked seriously by men and women if I could compound a love-philtre to arouse affection in the object of their desires. 'lhcre is also a widespread illusion that there must be some elixir of life to arrest i.lio natural process of decay, and preserve perpetual youth. People ask me quite gravely my Opinion of the value of certain charms and amulets as cures for or preventives of various ailments. One person who had suffered from melancholia believed she had found a cure in a coral necklace, as coral is- supposed to drive away depression am! melancholy.”

The boycott of women clerks, which began recently in Government departments, has extended to city ■offices in London and the principal provincial centres. Phis boycott by ihe male tverkij is based on the feeling that women wlio are retaining billets which they filled during the war are keeping returned soldiers out of employment. The total number of returned soldiers out of work is about WO, OOO, of whom about 7lf,(Kri are officers. In some offices the male employees have approached the managers with a formal request for the dismissal of all women engaged during the war to do work that was formerly done by men. The request has seldom been acceded to, and (he men have to conlimit, the expression of their resentmeu*- . r against their female colleagues to a morc rigid enforcement of the boycott. They refuse to speak to the women clerks, and adopt various measures to annoy them and hinder them in the discharge of their work. It is reported that yet another member has joined the ranks of the Independents as the outcome of the caucus of the Liberal Party recently. It will ho remembered that Mr llanau said at the luncheon to Sir Joseph Ward in the afternoon that he was not so closely associated with the Liberal Party as he had been in past years. At the meeting of the party, which, of course, was not hold in public, Mr Ilannn went some distance further in dissociating himself from the party. Exactly what his attitude now is has yet to be disclosed, but ho certainly has made a clear severance from the Liberals, and ho has said that he will not tight under the banner of Mr Mac Donald in the House when Parliament assembles. The news docs not come wholly as a surprise, as it hits been known for a long time that Mr Hanan, has had visions of independence*. At the elections he told his constituents that he would not declare whether he would vo(e for the Opposition or the Government in a nn-conlidcnce motion, saying that if he made -such a declaration he would not bo an Independent member. lie has been consistent —iih iiis declaration by remaining away from the Liberal caucus, and he is not lo lie accounted a member of the Liberal Party any longer. It is noteworthy, also, that Mr S. G. Smith, of Taranaki, still retains his complete independence.

The appeal lodged by T. A. Petherick bgainst conviction in the case brought j by the Arcadia Picture Theatre ComI uimy at Dannevirke was allowed bv the _ yjdge sitting at Palmerston North- “ Within a very short time wo will nave a number of houses erected in Wellington to assist in relieving the congestion.” stated Mr J. Mac Donald, the Railway Department’s representative at the Railway inquiry. ‘‘ln my opinion the shunter is the man who is entitled to the most pay Vrause of the risks he incurs,” Mr J. Mac Donald, Railway Department representative, remarked at’ Wednesday's •sitting of the Radway inquirv. Application for retrospective children's allowances approved last session are not being received by the Defence .Department as freely as was expected, dr.-pite the fact that details of the scheme have been widely published. !he wife of any soldier (or guardian of his children) who has not’received the maximum rate of children’s allowance (Is 6d a day) for the full period of bis military service is advised to communicate immediately with the Officer in Command AVar Expenses. Wellington. It being necessary to clear up all rases to which the grant is applicable as expeditiously as possible. A record number of passengers was ' ; -ought to the Dominion on Wednesday by the troopship Bremen. This fine vessel earned no fewer than 1243 people, including 197 children. The travellers were fairly evenly divided amongst the three classes, but tbc t hird-rlass carried the greatest number. the total reaching approximately -VO. Of these, fully two-thirds arc • 'migrants, who have decided to make their home in the Dominion. Mother Mary Joseph Auhert, founder of the Sisters of Compassion, who was nursing and attending soldiers of the Allied forces in Rome right throughout the war period, returned to Wellington by the Bremen. Desoite her great age and strenuous life. Mother Aubcrt looks remarkably well.

It is announced that the Territorial mmps which, in the ordinary course of events arc held during March, April and May. will not be held this year, but they will be revived in 1921, when full peace training will be resumed. -Vs the holding of Territorial camps was also dispensed with last year, this will he the second year in succession in which they have not been held since the scheme started. The position this year has been wholly brought about by the shortage of instructional material and equipment of all kinds, and insufficient supply of available officers and N.C.O.’s for training purposes. Under / the circumstances, it has been decided to concentrate this year upon the training of officers and N.C.O.’s of the permament Territorial and cadet forces. At a largely attended meeting of the Napier branch of the A.S.R.S.. the following resolution was carried: That, this meeting unanimously urge our ■executive to adopt extreme measures to obtain the increases asked for. After reading the evidence of the assistant manager, this branch is satisfied that there is absolutely no sympathy on the side of the Department towards members of the Second Division, and if tlm increases arc not granted we urge upon the whole of the members of THE A.S.R.S. to demand that the dispute* re wages and conditions be placed in the bands of the Transport Workers’ Advisory Board for speedy settlement. W*u die Napier branch, ask_ for the support of every branch in New Zealand and will wire our President uigcrulv in that effect. An immense -hark, measuring 10 feet i.i length, bv 17 feet girth, was lauded on Tr.e.'dav morning at Port Chalmers V.v four fishermen, viz.; Messrs Noble, Tanner. Anderson and Potter. The shark wa> known to have been in the linrnonr for the past three weeks—a menace, to bathers and small craft alike —it actually threatened a racing skiff

evening recently, to the terror of Mvhc little coxswain. Several attempts QB.au been made to locate the unwelcome " ’visitor, one until Tuesday morning without success. After an' all-night vigil he was located about opposite the Gres, rent Hotel in Carey’s Bay, where a piisnf pornoise had been tied to the channel buoy as a piece of bait. As t-oou as the* shark rose, the fishermen were ouh-klv at work, and after break ing two harpoons on him they succeeded in vetting a third homo at about 2 a.m. Then the fight began! Towing a 30 feet fisherman’s launch behind him he made for the island, where/ after a four hours’ fight, in the course of which the brute smashed a dinghy, the men succeeded in killing him and in towing him back to about the starting point of the fight. Whaling lances proved unequal to piercing the monster’s tough hide.

Savs a writer in a London paper; When the Profiteering Act was being launched, its promoters at the Board ft trade assured the public that all th'-'v would have to do was to make a complaint in writing and the local tribunals would do the rest- It was even suggested that a purchase was not rcee.-sary: the offer of an article at .-in esec'-ive price being sufficient to toii-iitute a case. The committees take quite a different view of the matter. Uhey decline to hear a complaint unless it is supported in person, and a purchase has to bo proved. Cases are / \ eqnentlv adjourned, and the complainLte t" has to attend again. In the event '** V a prosecution his presence would be required at the Court. In these circumstances it is not wonderful that the public are rather shy. The better way is to appoint a profiteering inspector, B woman preferably, as the Bermondsey Committee have done. The wonderful engineering feat of Salving the Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci, uptidc down, and bringing her into dry dock at Taranto in that position, has recently been brought to a successful conclusion after three years of arduous and unprecedented pperations. Briefly, it may be recorded that the Leonardo da Vinci was sunk hj an internal explosion in the munition stores astern, in the Mar Piccolo, in 36ft. of water, on the night of August 23, 1916. She was a Dreadnought of 22,330 tons, a sister ship to the Conti di Cavour and Giulio Cesare, carrving, as her main armament, 13 12-in. guns. At first she was regarded irrevocably lost, hut eventually a salvage plan devised by General Edgarpo Ferrari, of the It. Corps of Naval Constructors, was adopted. The ship, which had “turned turtle.-’’ was refloated by lowering the water inside by means of compressed air. after the 3'oles made by the explosion had been pin wed. She was then towed, still up'Tde down, into the large masonry drv dock, and safely installed there on October 6 last. Finally it has been firatmod. after towing her out to a suitable depth, to restore her to an upririu position by means of lateral displacement of weights and internal flooding.