LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2284, 19 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On account of the holding up of the Maheno at Sydney last week there will be no oversea mails arriving from Auckland this afternoon. An Australian mail will arrive here by the Moerakf to-mor-row, and an English mail via Vancouver is also due to arrive here either to-mor-row or Wednesday.

Next Sunday a collection will be taken' up in all the Roman Catholic churches in the Dominion on behalf of the Great Britain and Belgian Relief Fund,' and the fund for the relief of distress (caused by the War) within New Zealand. The proceeds will bo equally divided-between the two funds.

it a wedding to take place at Port Ahuriri on Wednesday (says our Napier correspondent) one of the principal features of the breakfaßt will be a cake Bft. high. It is said to bo the largest ever made in the Dominion.

A settler at Waikanae, whose son trapped an opossum, forwarded its 6kin to MesSrs. Levin an dCo. for disposal at their last wool and skin sale, the proceeds to go to the credit of the local patriotic' fund. The buyers attending the sale bid in a most spirited manner for the opossum skin and each time ordered it to he resold. When there were no more buyers left, it was found that £77 10s. had been provided to swell the patriotic fund. The skin will be returned to the hoy at Waikanae as a memento of the occasion.

Wednesday night will be tho fifteenth anniversary of the departure of the First New Zealand Contingent for South Afrioa, and a reunion will be held in tho evening, at Godber'e, Cuba Street, when Colonel A; W. Uobin, C.8., Acting-Commandant of the New Zealand Defence Forces, will preside. The gathering will be or more than ordinary interest now. The following members of the old contingent are at present serving with tho Imperial and New. Zealand Expeditionary Forces:— Major-General 11. H. Davies, C.8.; Majors W. R. N. Madocks, H. D. O. AVard, E. Bartlott, D.5.0., J. G. Hughes. D.5.0., H. Orbell, E. Harrowell, H. White, Captains G. R. Miller, A. Wilkie, H. W. Smith, J. R, WoodJ M. E. Lindsay, Lieutenants A. Batchelor, P. T. Emierson, Regimental-Sergt.-Major C. Bould, Q.-M.-S M'Donald, and Provost-Sergeant W. Malood.

There are 195 assisted immigrants on board the New Zealand Shipping Company's 1 steamer Rotorua, which is duo from London to-day. They comprise 31 domestic servants, 11 farm labourers (with wives and children numbering 11) and 139 separated relativos.

Just before 1 p.m. on Saturday there was a check iu the busy tramway traffic by a "hold-up" at tho Courtenay Place section-end junction. ' The cause was a fault made in the working of tho automatic .point-adjusting device, now installed there, by means of which the points may bo controlled by tho mctorman of the approaching car. If it is desired to alter tho points, tho power is shut off from the oar and is transferred to tho automatic device, which acts on the points a 6 tho car makes the passage under its own impetus. If, however, tho points are not required to bo altered, tho car runs through tho points with the power on. On Saturday the points shiitod when the front bogie of a car had taken the Oriental Bay track, whilst the rear bogio evinced u desire to proceed Nowtownwards. In less than tho ten minutes' delay which occurred, nearly a score of care were held up. The United Labour Party has issued a circular giving the names "of their nominated candidates for tho elections, Messrs. A. IT. Hindmarsh, M.P., I). M.'Laron, and F. T. Moore. The five main planks of the party arc :■ Proportional representation, suppression ,of monopolies, reduction of the cost of living, just labour conditions, and sound national defence. , 'Hie inquiry into the loss of tho steamer Kairaki will lie opened at Groymouth to-day before Mr. J. S. Evans,' S.M., of Nelson. Captain V. "Black, of Wellington, and Mr. H. R. Hanibloton, of Groymouth, will act as assessors. It is probable that tho ,court will sit at Lyttelton also.

There has been a distinot and welcome change in the weather during _ the week-end. Much-need-ed rniji threatened throughout the ftholo of Saturday, but beyond a drizale, the thick, leaden clouds that frowned over the distant Tararuas yielded only a slight spatter of rain half-way through the afternoon, and then seemed to repent of their good intentions. Jiarly yesterday morning the wind whip- \ ped round to the south, and coming cold off the sea, brought with it a grey smother of clouds, from which fell copious showers, giving the thirsty gardens and meadows a good drench- ■ mg, which, in the country, will spell much gold for the fanner. With the change came colder conditions generally, with a strong wind and intermittent showers of rain, that found no favour with those week-enders who delight in summer-time. "I hate and abhor all meretricious means of tempting people to attend the services of tie Church," remarked Bisliop Avenll in'the course of his charge to the Auckland Anglican Synod on Inday, states the "Herald." "I have no sympathy with the attempt to combine the worship of Almighty God with a Sunday concert. I have a real sympathy with a simple, well-reudored congregational service, in. which the worshippers can duly exercise their priesthood. I believe that we should always offer to God our very best, but I think there is sometimes an erroneous idea as to what 'our very best' really is; Wo want to study a littlo more carefully the rationale of our Prayer Book services, so that we may rightly interpret their meaning and purpose. Personally, I prefer to say the Confession, Lord's Prayer, and Creed in a natural voice, and the 'humble voice' for the Confession seems to be more real than the ' monotone on G or A, or even the Ely setting. To confess our sins with musical seems somewhat incongruous, and is, more suggestive of aestheticism than penitence. : Eeality and sanctified common-sense have an important place to fill in the worship of tho Church." The Bishop's remarks upon the subject 'were greeted with applause. - "What we* want is more sound teaching onsex questions, without fake mod« esty hindering the value of our work," remarked Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., in an address to men at Auckland on Friday night (states the'"Herald"). "If )ve find that any form of amusement or entertainment is directly conducive to immorality, or is of a questionable nature, we should refrain from patronising it. If wo always did this, wo should soon, close up a \ery fruitful source of harm. I am a firm believer in the establishment of plenty of clubs, gymnasia, debating and musical societies to provide wholesome amusement, . relaxation, and profit for young people of both sexes." A letter from General _ Godley has been received by the chairman of the Hiitt Park Committee (Mr. H. Baldwin) expressing appreciation of the patriotio action of the trustees, in placing the park at the disposal of the troops, for camping purposes. After The Dominion went to press on Saturday morning further' progress was made with the Education Bill. After Clause 122 bad been bassed progress was reported and the House rose. In the Bill there are in all 159 olauses. At tlie quarterly meeting of the Pahiatua Methodist Circuit held at Ballance last week, it was unanimously decided to invite tie Rev. R. Richards to remain for a third year as pastor of the Pahiatua Circuit. Messrs. W. J. Foster and Cresswell, of Ballance, were' elected substitute-delegates _ to the Synod, to be held at Feilding next month.

At next Tuesday's meeting of the Napier Harbour Board a suggestion will be considered to appoint a - resident engineer.

The Mayor'of Wellington (Mr. "J. P. Luke) has received a letter from General Godley, officer commanding the Expeditionary .Force, thanking him, and asking him to express to all the peoplo of tho Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki provinces his deep gratitude for the delightful mark of thou-.appre-ciation of the small services he nad / been able to render to the Dominion that had been presented to him. The remainder of the General's letter is couched in much the same terms as are conveyed in his farewell messago published on Saturday. The Mayor has also, received a letter from Commander Marshall, Senior Naval Officer of the New Zealand Division, thanking him for his telegram on behalf of the citizens •of Wellington, congratulating him and his officers and t men upon the part they played in the capture of Samoa. The Commander, in his letter, says:—"l can assure Your Worship that it is much appreciated by myself and tho officers and men of H.M. ships who were under my oommand during the recent expedition to Samoa." At a meeting, the Board of Directors of the Bauk of New Zealand decided to. give a donation of £250 towards tho Distress Fund instituted for the Poor . of Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium, and also £50 in aid of the Boys' Scout Fund. The Minister of Defenco (Hon. J. Allen) and Sir Joseph Ward aro to deliver patriotic addresses at the Trafalgar Day celebration in tho Wellington Town Hell on Wednesday evening next. An excellent entertainment is being ■ arranged by the Wellington branch of the Navy Loague. A new steam launch, ha's just been constructed by Mr. 0. Bailey, jun., at Auckland for the Union Steam Ship Company, states an Aucklaud paper. Tho launch is 35ft. in length, with a ( heam of 9ft. and dopth of 4ft. She has' been built on the whaleboat principle, and has been constructed to withstand the heavy seas which she will have to ' contend with occasionally at Rarotonga, . where she is to he employed in towing lighters. Her engines are of 18-horse-power, and on her trials on tho \\aitemata the vessel developed a speed or nearly eight knots. The launch will ha shipped to Rarotonga by tho Tahme on October 27. Henry Rosson and Frederick Johau. sen were (according to a Press Association message from Masterton) charged at the Police Court on Saturday with sellin" liquor without a license- Johan6en was lined £40 and Rosson £20.