LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2269, 1 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"The Probation Act lias worked very well, and thcro have been a vory small number of lapses," remarked His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking in tlie Supreme Court yesterday morning. Ladies of Wellington who are in the habit of 'wearing obtrusive hat-pins without a guard had better liavcfa care. It is now some months since the City Council passed a by-law prohibiting the use of such pins in tho interest of public safety, and since that timo the Assistant City Inspector (Mr. Watson) has lost 110 opportunity of warning ladies wlio continue to make breaches of the by-law. As the activities of this official have not checked the nuisance to any ■ marked extent a raid is to lie mndo from to-day on offenders, whose names will bo taken, and who, in due course, wi! liave to appear before tho Magistrates charged with a breach of tho hatpin bylaw. The creation of an Expeditionary Force in New Zealand has givon a new lease of life to tho moustache, which has not for a decade past enjoyed fhat favour which it perhaps deserves as tho neatest and most manly of hirsaite appendages. From the appearance of tlie men who have been parading the streets of Wellington during the past week, there is small doubt but that at least three-fourths of those who have hitherto clean shaved axe now cultivating a growth on the upper lip. It is Raid to go well with the khaki uniform. "Swagger" sticks is an accompanying vogue to the return of tho moustache. During the month there have been two bankruptcies in Wellington, while for the same month] last year there were none. For the nine months of 1914 there have been altogether nine bankruptcies, the number for the corresponding period of last year being vis. "I can assure yon that nothing has caiisod more troublo than the fact that since I came into office I have not allowed the shooting of the native pigeon," said the Hon. H. D. Bell in tiie Legislative Council ye3terda.y afternoon. "And I don't intend to allow it," lie added. (Hear, hear.) "Bicycles seein to be the cause of a great deal of crime," said His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking, when .sentencing a prisoner, yesterday. "These young men seem-to have an inordinate desire to possess a bicycle. In two charges dealt with this morning there were bicycles concerned." "Perhaps," remarked the Crown Solicitor (Mr. H. H. Ostler), "it suggests visions of easy flight.''.

A meeting of the committee of tW Municipal Association of New Zealand was held on Tuesday afternoon,_ the president of the association, Mr, J. P. I,'uke (Mayor of Wellington) presiding. The following wero also present:—Mr. I', Townsend (Mayor of Miramar), Mr. H. ■' Baldwin (Mayor of Lower Hutt), Mr. 0. Jerusalem (Johnsonville Town Board), and Mr. A. J. M'Curdy (Upper Hutt Town Board). The meeting approved of a proposal to introduce into the National Provident Fund Amendment Bill now before | Parliament a clause providing tliat on transfer or an employee from one local authority to another 1 lie should-carry with'linn the benefits of the contributions made on his behalf while he was an employee of the first local authority. Yostcrday was the Day of Atonement, and consequently a close holiday with the Hebrew section of the comjmunity. After tho_ leoture at yesterday morning's service the Rabbi (the Rev. H. Van Staveren) read the spocial prayer Vhich had been sent out from Loudon by the Chief Rabbi, in reference to tho. war. Messrs. Harold Grcgson and J. F. Moutague, of Auckland, who have been engaged in judging the music and elocutionary competitions' at Greymouth, arrived from Lyttojton yesterday morning, and will leave for Auckland by the mid-day express to-day. Mr. Gre;; v son states that they had to walk through the Otira Gorge oil Tuesday over a foot of snow, which. was the effect of a very cold snap that had been experienced all over the South Island. The competitions wero a great .success,.. and he understood; that tlie profits—something over £100—were to be handed over to tho Patriotic Fund. Tho Patriotic Rose Show, under the allspices of the Wellington Rose and Carnation Club, to be held in tho Town Hall on November 17 nest, promises to be one of tho most successful rose shows yet held in this city. Tho whole of the net .proceeds aro to be donated to the Mayor's Patriotic Relief Fund, and every effort is being made to raiso as largo a sum as possible. , Several novel competitions are also promised; and at the conclusion of the show tho president of the club, Mr. J. B. Havcourt, 'has kindly consented to conduct an auction sale of the principal prizewinning blooms. At Tuesday's 1 meeting of the Wellington Education Board the following tenders were accepted:—Otaki school and residence, Hulmo and Dennistoiy Masterton; - Waingawa school and residence, Mr. E. A. King, Carterton. Evidently the' war is not going to greatly affect Christcliurch Carnival Week,--for the leading hotels report that already practically the whole of their accommodation has been booked up, states the Christcliurch "Press."

In the course of a lively discussion on the amount which should be charged' for,admission to the military sports meo'ting .to be held at Newtown Park on Saturday, Councillor R. Fletcher, (it tho meeting of the Patriotic Funds Sports Committee, in urging that tho charge bo 6d., said that there wore hundreds and thousands of people in ■Wellington who wero not'interested in athletic sports, and tlio- lower charge would be more likely to appeal to them. His statement raised the "dander" of Mr. C. G. Wilson, who said that 90 per cent, of the British and Australasian arms who wore fighting or were going to fight for_their country had taken part in athletics in some form or.another, and it was for that reason that British troops always held a little bit more up their, sleeves than, the other fellow, a statement that was received with a volley of applause. Subsequently it was decided that as the public wore to be Riven a sports gathering unique in the history of Wellington, that the charge for admission bo one shilling. We have to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of a copy of Stono'6 Directory for Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Taranalci, for tho year 1914-15. This comprehensive volume embodies in itf 1128 pages a very complete list of the residonts of tho distracts mentioned, grouped alphabetically and according to the trades and professions they follow. The Directory also contains a useful plan of Wellington, and a map of Now Zealand of particular interest to sportsmen. As.an appendix there is Stone's New Zealand Annual_ (146 pages), which givos a mass of information, statistical and general, respecting New Zealaud, including shipping, imports and exports, the official list, Customs tariff, excise duties, particulars as to population, and certain Acts of the Legislature. Tho volume 'is neatly printed, lucidly ; compiled, and hr.ndy in size. Tlio Education Committee of tho House of Representatives decided yesterday morning to resume tho hearing of ovidonco on.tho petitions presented to the House early in the session relating to tho Religious Instruction in Schools Referendum Bill. . The next witness will bo heard on Friday of next week. This should not bo interpreted ■to mean that tlio Government, contemplate going! on with tlio Bill. 1 On tlio contrary, it is well understood that nothing moro will be heard of the Bill Ufeia session

_ At a meeting of tlie committee of the Wellington Zoological Societyheld in Mr. Castle's- room, Newtown,; _ last evening (the Bev. J. Crewos presiding), tlio secretary was authorised to spend. up to £5 on the purchase of- animals Mr. Langridge hopes to get from Africa. Other important matters were considered, but in consequence of the several patriotic movements that are engaging the energies of the public just now ■were suspended. The inquest on tlio Chinaman, Wong Way Cliing, who was murdered in Newtown on September 11 last, will be hold in the Magistrate's Court at 4" p.m. on Monday next. _Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, of Kansas, U.S.A., who has been lecturing throughout Not Zealand in tho interests of the Prohibition campaign, described to a' Wellington audience last night some of the difficulties he had in gotting here, First of all his train was two days' late at San Francisco. Half-way across tho Pacific the steamer lost one of her propellers. In Sydney his son was arrested as a spy, for talcing photographs of the beautiful harbour. ."Only tnat morning,'' • said the lecturer, "he had been saying that nothing .was happening. After his arrest there was a twinkle in his eye, that showed he appreciated that something was happen, ing then." We do not realise what surprising country New Zealand really is until wo- ■ study its statistics, states the Auckland ■ "Star." Few of our folks are aware, for instance, that for tho half of this year New Zealand supplied Great Britain with more wool and frozen mutton than any other country. In the six months ended in June last the Home-. land received from us £7,171,796 worth of wool out of a total received from a dozen overseas countries of £22,225,397 value (Australia £6,802,641). Out of a total of £6,466,919 worth of frozen mut. _ ton received, from overseas, Britain took from us £3",199,294. Thus -New Zealand is easily first, with 43 per cent, of the totill, Australia is second with 29 per cent. Why should our farmers be down-hearted? i , ■ Complaints from merchants and others are fairly frequent with regard to the dislocation 'of the ... Melbourne-Bluff stoamor service, and to shippers the position appears to be most unsatisfactory (says tho "Southland Times"). At Bluff, too, there is a loud and prolonged grumble, and the effect on the fishing and oystering industries in particular is, for the time being at any. rate, disastrous. White Island, the scene of the recent eruption, appears to have been very 1 active on Monday, according to the Auckland "Star." It has been reported from Whakatane that from the hills above the town huge volumes of steam have been noticed rising high up into ( the air. • At midday black smoke was - noticed rising in the centre of the dense folumes of steam, presenting a most unusual sight. Some particulars of the scheme for bringing British lads out to New South Wales to engago in farm ; work wero recently given by Mr. H. 0- L. Ander- . son, late Under-Secretary for Agriculture 1 in New South Wales, who has returned to Sydney from a visit to England. "The trustees of the Dreadnought Fund," he said, "authorised me to of-. ' -fer a good subsidy toward the passage of desirable lads who would come out , to help us' in filling up the great var cant spaces. They were willing to pay . half the passage money of any suitable . lad, and also to, defray {he cost of a i year's training 1 at one of the Govcrn- . ment experiment farms for such lads as oould afford;to spare, the- time for [ technical training. With tho cordial cooperation of the Immigration Bureau, tlioy undertook to find farm work at 1 adeqiiato wages'.for spch as preferred ; to go direct to 'a privito farm, and be - ' self-supporting ''at once. I found that ' Victoria had adopted, a similar policy, ' but had made tho terms muoh more ' favourable for lads of humblo means ' than those suggested "by .the trustees : of the Dreadnought Fund. Tho latter ' at once adopted tho 6amo terms, and a / 1 stead v stream of applicants was fortk--1 with secured, New South Wales getting 1 as many as the. Government would ao- ; eept and guarantee work for, and Vic- . > toria taking the rest. Tho first small 1 batch arrived in November last, and. • during the intervening 10 months the State has received 1270' lads, of whom 100 have gone to one or other of the experiment farms for a' year s experiI enco, 95 to Pitt Town farm for_a 6hort , preliminary training, and 1075 have ; been promptly dispatched to _ farmers who were eagerly demanding this class ' of labour. Yet there are still 60 milnou , acres of good wheat land to be put [ under tho plough, and we sent away last year only enough wheat and buti ter to feed one-tenth of the people of . Great Britain. Perhaps this war and i the present interest in the Empire s at- . fairs will cause some politicians to Teak iso tho potential value of these British lads." ' ■ ; The Vacuum, Oil Company, in accord- ' anco with a promise mado some weeks ■ i' ago, has reduced the price of kerosene 1 by 2d, per case for Ros© and "Laurel" brands, 160 tost kerosene, and bv sd. per case for "Tea Bos?, "Petrolito,": and "Voco Power. The Now Zealand Moderate League is 1 holding a meeting to-night at Turn-, bull's Auction Boom, Panama Street, for tho purpose of forming a Wellington North Electoral Branch. All those in , favour of the objects of the league are ; requosted to be present. Ladies are | specially invited.