LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2285, 20 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Moeraki, which'left Sydney on Friday for and is duo to-day, is bringing Australian mails only.

Tho Telegraph Office advise that telegrams are now accepted for Samoa. Tho wireless rate for ordinary . Press and Government messages between Siiva (Fiji) and Apia (Samoa) is sixpence per word in addition to the cable rate to Suva.

Everything is now well in iharid for, the opening of the concentration camp' at Trentham, for reinforcements to the Expeditionary Force. Last night a number of those who are to attend for instructional purposes were given final orders at tho Drill Hall, and they af> out to the camp in the mornings Major Potter, camp commandant, was in town yesterday making final arrangements for the camp.

"There aro still something like 4.000,000 grown-up men in England who aro not allowed to vote," eaid Mr. Philip SnoVden, member of the British of Commons, when lecturing in the Town Hall last evening. "When I was first elected a member of Parliament, I was not even permitted to register a Parliamentary vote. I was considered to' have sufficient intelligence Mid capabilities to'mako laws for others, but not to have a voice in the election of those who made laws for me.".

Steps aTO being taken in the country districts to provide the necessary uniforms for members of tho general training section of t'he Territorial Force, who have been called on to fill vacancies in the different regiments. Quar-termaster-Sergeant M'Jfair, Regimental Quartermaster of tlie 9th Regiment, was in Gisborne and other Bast Coast towns last week in connection with the work, and it is expected that those men who have been attending parades in mufti will shortly bo equipped with the regulation uniform.

"I haven't much sympathy with the clergyman who says ho can't ride," said Bishop Averill at a Home Mission meeting at Auckland "I liavo to ride, and I'm sixteen stone nearly. (Laughter.) You needn't pity me," pursued tho Bisliop; "pity the horse. I hope that all young clergy and candidates for holy orders will como to think it ee much their duty to learn to ride a. horse as the purchaser of a motor-car feels it his duty to learn to drive."

I From indications which have been received by ihe secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, the revival of tho Labour Day procession on Monday next will be a great success. There promises to bo no lack of trade turn-outs, while the union displays will bo even- botter this year than a,t many past' processions, as the unions have been spending freely, to assist unemployed members,' and the.y have got some ambitious exhibits. Tho sports in tho afternoon will bo on a Irt.rge scale, and many valuable prizes will bo donated. . It was hoped that tho proceeds from the fsports would considerably nugment the building fund of tho proposed Trades Hall, which lias been held up for somo time, but the committee have generously deoideil to contribute half tho proceeds to a patriotic distress fund.

A petition, signed on behalf of their respective boroughs by the Mayors of I'ctono and Lower Hutt, praying for , the postponement of the passage of the proposed liiil to amend the Hiitt Bailway auulioad Improvement Act until nil l*io local bodies concerned should have linio to consider its provisions, woe presented (o Iho House of ]{opvcwntaUvoß yesterday by Mr, T M Wilfot/i-

The affairs' of the Wellington Wharf Labourers' Union aro again being brought before the public, and the differences which exist in the union have caused numerous meetings to be hold. Jjiere will be another one this week, when members will bo asked to adopt a sot of rules brought down by tho Revising Committee. Under the. present rules a difficulty has arisen about tlio election of officers, and this, it is desired, should be settled before the annual meeting. Then' next week an-other-mooting has. been called, to discuss the case of the suspended secronJ' - According to ihe acting-secretary the affairs of tlio. union will bo under discussion in tho Magistrate's Court on I'riday.

Legal argument was concluded in the Court of Appeal yesterday in -,ho case ot Jiattersby and others v. Wheatley and others, a special case stated iii connection with tlio procedure to be adopted for the secession of a branch lodge of the New Zealand body of tho Manchester Unity Independent Order of Ucldrellows' Friendly Socie'ty. Mr P Lovi, with Mr. R. M'Veagh, of Auckland, and Mr. R. L. Ziman, of Auckland, appeared for the plaintiffs. Mr. iV L. H. Biss, of Auckland, appeared for one class of defendants, and Mr. C. P. Skerrett, K.o.,'with him Sir Kenneth Douglas, represented the second class of defendants. Tho Court reßervod decision. Some idea of the strict precautions being taken with the Germans in South Africa is furnished •by two Now Zealand ladies w'lio left here for Africa in March last. The ladies referred to are very old residents of Wellington, and a letter to their brother, who is resident here, contains tho following interesting passage:—"All the Germans, whether naturalised or not, are- being sent away to Johannesburg as prisoners of war and avo being housed on tho showgrounds there. Already 800 have been sent and more are going every day. Several well-known business men or good social standing are amongst them. They simply had to leave business at 24 hours' notice." Mr. Philip Snowden, M.P.. Vice-Presi-dent of tho British Proportional Representation Society, will give, a eliort address on the subject of proportional representation in B Committee-room in Parliament Buildings at 11 o'clock this morning. A fire occurred at Mornington (Dnnedin) in a shop and house adjoining at the corner of Albert Street and Stuart Street, owned and occupied by Pledger. The shop (states a Press Association message from DunedinV was gutted, and the house considerably damaged. Insurances': Shop, £50; house, £350: stock and furniture, £250. The council of tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce met yesterday afternoon. Mr. A. Leigh 'Hunt was reelected vice-president, and committees for the year were set up. Messrs C. M. Luke (president), T. Atkins, and A. ■J. Petherick (secretary) were appointed to represent the Chamber at the Mimawatu A. and P. Show. . A fire yesterday morning gutted a draper's shop occupied by Mr. . EL Doorey, and also damaged Mr. Springman s watchmaker's shop. The building was owned by Mrs. Shields, and insured for £300 in'the Northern office; Doorey'a eteck aud furniture were ensured for £590: Springman's stock, ;6(0 in tho Yorkshire office, and £70 in tho New Zealand office; Doorey'e 6tock was valued at £700, and Springman's at £21.—Press Association.

In the Magistrate's Court at Hawera yesterday (states a Press Association message), All Joo, a Chinaman, was fined £15 for a second, offence of having opium in his poseession.

• flio death of an infant named John Baddiloy, aged 13 months, occurred on the Rotorua on Saturday last, while the vossel was-between'Hobart and New. Zealand. The cause.of death was convulsions. Tho child was buried at sea on_ the afternoon of the same day.

Mr. F. T. Moore will move at Thursday's meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board: "That the motion adopted by the board .at its meeting on September 17,' bo rescinded, viz., 'That after fully considering tho questions involved the board cannot see its way to agree to the .severance of the Horowhenua County from the Wellinirton Hospital District.'"

It was a happy assemblage of passongers that arrived by tho Rotorua from London yesterday afternoon, and it was apparent that the strife that is raging in Europe 'has not caused any deep-seated fears as to the result. One would have thought that the first inquiries as the vessel approached tho wharf would have been for news of the war, for the majority of the passengers had not heard a word from the "outside world since the vessel left Hobart. However, "amongst the numerous cries that were heard between- those waiting on the wharf and those on the boat,-not one had relation to the war, although almost every other topic was touched on. The Rotorua' were fortunate in that they had an uneventful voyage from London, and they did not experience a moment's anxiety from the time England was left till the engines stopped for the first time at Hobart.

Mr. 0. Parata, member for Southern Maori, asked the Prime Minister in tho House of Kepresentativ.es last night whether any provision would be mado for the taking of the votes of the Natives to form the Maori contingent for service abroad. Mr. Massey .said that m all probability the Natives would bo here on the date of the elections, in which ca-se they would be able to.record their votes in'the-ordinary way.

In reply to a question by Mr. T M Wilford in the House of tiyes last night, the Minister of Defence stated that the report that separation allowances granted to married men now serving in tho forts had been discontinued was not correct.

Passengers who arrived.from London by the Rotorua. stress tho fact that tho war is seriously affecting trado at Home, and in some of the larger manufacturing towns hard times are already being experienced by the working classes. At the same timo testimony was forthcoming to tho manner in which the well-to-do classes were contributing to the various funds, and to the real sacrifices that were being nindc by tho wealthy people, as well as the great middle class. Tlio extraordinary response that was mado by all classes of the community was proof positive that having put her hand to the plough, England was going to push it to tho end of the furrow. The belief was generally held among the passengers asked that a largo .number of-Russian troops had pnssed through England (from Scotland), en roiito to the front in France and Belgium.

Imprisonment with hard labour for six months was the sentence imposed by the Chief Jnstico (Sir Robert Stout) yesterday on Charles Ridley Cooko, who had pleaded guilty at Marion to charges of failing to account for moneys totalling £228 3s* 2d. Oooke appeared in Court on -Saturday, and was remanded until yesterday, when His Honour announced that it was impossiblo to accede to the request of counsel (Sir John Findlay, IC.C.) to order the prisoner ,to come up for sentence when called on. Admiral Sir J. R. who is in command of tho British Isortli Sea Fleets, has written to the Navy League complimenting it on its education work. This letter will be produced in lantern slide form at the Navy League Demonstration which will bo held in the Town Hall to-monow evening. Othor pictures will be eliown of special interest at tlio present time, and these will include pictures of British and Gorman warships. An illustration of how mine sweepers work at. sea will bo n feature of tho programme. Tho gross proceeds will bo donated to the ticlginn Relief Fund and tho British War Fund.