LOCAL & GENERAL.

Western Star, 30 August 1918, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The Public Works Engineer, accompanied' by Mr Baker, Wallace County Engineer, made an inspection of the traffic bridge on Wednesday last at low tide. The decayed state of the understructnre came as a surprise to them 1 , and, needlesla to say, they were by no means favourably impressed'. The following district men, left Invercargill on Monday with the 11th Cl draft: W. Adams'(Fairfax), IV. Anderson, J. . Keen, J. Poarsey, and W. S. Trotter (Riverton). As the result of the heavy rains of the past month considerable damage hairs been done to the Round! Hill Gold Mining Company’s water-races. In many places land slips have utterly destroyed chains' of the race', and a considerable time must elapse before repairs, are effected!, owing to the shortage of labor. The fourth anniversary oif the declaration of war will be on Sunday, August 4, and, acting in accordance with instructions issued by the Imperial authorities, the New Zealand Government have sent out invitations to all local bodies in the Dominion requesting them to observe the day by passing a resolution, which will he exactly on the same terms as thosepassed on three previolus occasions. Owing to the increased cost of paper many olf the schools are re-introducing slates for the use of pupils. This is not before time. They were good enough for their fatherls and mothers. and, with a little care, should be good enough for the present school children. The Dunedin Times reports that the military search party, consisting of a lieutenant and three non-commissioned officers., which was deputed to- make- a tour of certain of the outlying portions of the Otago and Southland ‘ district to endeavour to round up any men of military age who might be in hiding, niiCb with no .success. The- party visited Gleuorchy and the country in the vicinity, and also travelled to the Routeburn Valley and Greenstone Valley huts, and to Mossbum, but could not discover any trace of military shirkers. Certainly there would not appear to have been the number which it was alleged were calmping out in the outlying districts near Mossbum. If there were, they have disappeared further inland, or maybe have separated and taken their chances in the towns till such time as the Warm weather returns.

Picture patrons are reminded that the screening of “ The Masqueraders ” will commence at eight o’clock sharp to-morrow night. “ Miss Jackie of the Navy ” will follow. A full hall is expected.

Speaking the other night at the annual dinner of the: Hand wick Hide Club, Senator Prat ten. told ai story to illustrate how the Germans had, long been aiming deliberately at world domination. When travelling in Russia, the Senator said, he was for days in the society of a Prussian officer. They exchangedi visiting cards at parting near Moscow. He asked the German officer toi call on himi in Sydney shoal'd he ever,visit Australia on furlough. I shall not be on furlough when I come to Australia,” replied the Prussian officer, “ but I hope to, visit your country with my soldiers.” “That was four years ago,” said Senator Pratteni.

Sir Robert Stout, Chief Justice, in an address at the Unitarian Church, Wellington, on Sunday, spoke strongly against the proposed compensation to the liquor trade under the Efficiency Board’s proposals-. Most of the United States and Canada had gone diy and no compensation was paid. New Zealand had similarly closed hotel bars at 6 o’clock. If we had money to spend in vast sums there were many reforms requiring it. Wo needed money for industries, -public health, the introduction of electricity, the completion of railways and education, and if compensation were to he paid it Would he more just to compensate the dependants of those whioi had l been injured by the drunkenness of the father or mother. Our institutions were full of these victims.

Mr Felix Bland, who will play Aiaric Chichester in “Peg, o’ My Heart” which is being staged in Move’s Hall, Riverton, on Saturday next has a typical English d.ude part, and one of the most amusing that has been placed upon the stage of late years. Alaric’s “Haw! Haww! ” and “ Wha-a-a-t ’ are screams, and this artist is sure to become a great favorite here.

anel John Findlay, 0.8., D.S.C., who held a farm on Bayswater fifteen years ago, and. who left with, the Main Body, and who has just had conferred on him the Egyptian decoration of the Order of the Nile, is on the reserve of officers attached, to the, 7 th. (Southland) Mounted Rifles'. Ho saw service in the South African: War, taking part in various actions in. Cape Colony, the Orange Freer-State, and the Transvaal, from February, 1900, until August, 1901. In the action at Reit Vlei, in the latter part of 1900, he was slightly wounded. He holds the Queen’s Medal with five clasps. At the outbreak df the present war Lieutenant-Colonel Findlay was in Ashburton, and, enlisting imecliately, sailed in. command of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. He was mentioned in deispatches in November, 1915, and was awarded the D.S.O. for good work at Gallipoli. > In the same year he Was made a Companion of the Bath.

A case of considerable interest will be heard in the Invercargill Court on Wednesday, when a, local coursing enthusiast will be charged, on the information of the Acclimatisation Society’s ranger, with killing a. hare without a license. The occurrence took place at the recent coursing match at Woodlands, when thci accused’s dog won the first prize. A meeting of the Western District Rugby Sub-Union will be held in Riverton on Saturday morning, when a team will he selected to play against a representative Invercargill team on the local grounds on Wednesday, Aug. 14th.

We understand that there is to be a great appeal .shortly for the Red Cross, the Church Army and the Mercantile Marine organisations in Southland. A meeting of delegates is to be held in Invercargill on Thursday morning next to launch the scheme, and the Anglican ladies are to meet this evening in the Vicarage for the porpoise of appointing one of their number as a delegate to that meeting for the Church Army.

The November reinforcement draft is now being filled. As a reduced rate of despatch will he the rule when these have gone into camp, it is probable, states the ‘ Dominion,’ that not all the men lately called in the ballot will be required to complete the November draft. As soon as sufficient men are obtained the list will be closed, and the remainder postponed until the December draft, and as there is a certainty that the December draft will bo dropped, and possibly January, the remainder of the men may not be required till February.