LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1355, 5 February 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlio Wimmcra, with a.u Australian innit and ;t small Knglish mail, arrived at. Auckland yesterday. Tlio Wellington poition will arrive here by, the Main Trunk train this alteration. At a recent meeting of tlio Whangarci Borough Council (lie cjiiestion of iitilicdns the power of W'airua I'alls for electrical purposes was discussed, aud, in view of the Government's action, it was agreed to ask for a decided reply as to whether the Government intend to proceed with the scheme, and, if not, U> empower local bodies to develop the power going to waste. Today the -Mayor (Mr. T. It. Sleadman) received the following reply from tlio Hon. U. M'Keuzie (.Minister for I'ublic Works): "1 am asking for a full report in connection with tlio matter, and will have much pleasure in communicating with you as soon as the report can be obtained." An extraordinary experiment in hypnotism over tho telephone is reported by the veracious American press to have just been made in the KUito of Ohio. The hypnotic subjects were ordinary telephone operators, and the influence of tho hypnotism reached them over the wires irom a distance of over 130 miles. Six doctors checked the experiment. Fernando Lontzenheiser attempted to apply his hypnotic power ju this manner from Pittsburg to Canton, and ono of the operators, of whom ten were tried to receive the inliuonce, was entirely subjected. When the voice from Pittsburg stated categorically that his left arm was numbed the limb thus attacked tell limp, and the doctors were able to insert pins in it without affecting the sensibility of the operator. "Lift your right leg," commanded the Pittsburg magician; the command was obeved, and the six doctors could not press the limb down. However, the dramatic moment arrived when the subjected operator was informed politely but assortivclv that he was a stone. Ho immediately'rolled off his seat, and the six doctors, trying to compress his chest, were unable to overcome the resistant surface. An open-air public meeting was held at JJciiuiston on Monday night to consider the compulsory clauses of the Defence Act. About 2m to 300 were present, 100 of that number being liable-to serve under the Act. Mr. Turley presided. Addresses were given by Mr, Scott, president of tlio Deiinistou Miners' Onion, and Mr. Callaghan. Mr. John Tollon, one of the numlxr liable for service, then moved:—"That we, the young men of Deiinistou, liable to serve under the Conscription Act of New Zealand, decline to comply with tho regulations of the Act, because we recognise tliat all wars are merely a ruse of the capitalist class to set the workers of this country and the workers of other countries at each other's throats. We recognise no other enemy than the hereditary enemy of our class, the employers of labour, in this and other countries. Further, after reading the Army Small Book, we consider the regulations therein contained to be barbarous in the extreme, and designed to debase and to deprave the young men of this country." The motion was seconded by Mr. Clark and.carried, all present but one adult voting in favour of it. The meeting concluded amid enthusiasm, with cheers for the chairman and speakers.