LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2286, 21 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A temporary i telegraph office was opened at the Trentham military camp yesterday morning.

So far the' City Council has not conaidcreid the matter of filling the position of olectrical engineer ana tramways manager rendered vacant by the death of Mr. Stuart Richardson, the duties 'a connection with which office have heen performed in the meantime by Mr. Matthew Cable. Tho question will be considered at the meeting of the Tramways Committee to be held on Monday next.'

On Monday last Jamea Oliver Armstrong was observed near the Caledonian Hotel when five cases of whisky were lying outside on tho footpath. Shortly there were only four cases, while Armstrong Bad disappeared. Later again, a certain Mr. Cutts was approached by Armstrong and another man, Alexander Telfer, the pair, stating that they had a case of whisky to dispose of for £1. Mr: Cutts refused to do business. The two mon then departed, but only to . run into the hands of the. police, for whom Mr. Cutts had sent. Yesterday, Armstrong and Telfer appeared in the Magistrate's Court to answer the charge of stealing the whisky, tho value of which was set down at Both denied their guilt. '• Armstrong said he had found the.case of whisky under a treo in Cambridge Terrace. His story did -not bear examination, and in tho outcome be was convicted of the theft, and given'three months in gaol. Telfer's previous record was not so bad, and-be was sentenced to one month's imprisonment. . ;

Mining prospects at Reefton aro very bright (says a Press Association telegram). 'The Progress.Mines aro.taking on men, and. numbers of miners are coming over from Australia. Other" mining ventures in the district are looking well.

Canvas dwellings for the men who are to reinforce New Zealand's Expeditionary Force were being erected at Trentham all day yesterday. Two largo marquees and several streets of bell tents stood on the rifle range before nightfall! The concentration camp will commence in earnest to-day, and before very long nearly 2000 officers aud men will be undergoing training. The temporary telegraph office erected at tha camp will be under the command of Major H. R. Potter.

On Sunday, October 11, the Evans Bay Presbyterian Churches took up special retiring collections in aid of the relief funds in Britain arid Belgium. Kilbirnie raised the sum of £11 2s. lid.; Eoseneath, £10 los. 3d.; Kilbirnie Sunday School, £2; Eoseneath, £5; making a total of £28 18s. 2d. The children at Eoseneath, in, order to show their sympathy with those in distress in l the Old, Land, agreed to forgo their annual tea meeting and their prizes for marks during the year.

An improvement in the tramway track has been effected at South Kilbirnie, where, between Childers Torrace and the Post Office, a distance of about 900 feet has been duplicated. This will be a great convenience during the summer months in connection with tho handling of heavy traffic to Lyall Bay.

On. Monday last Detective Cameron and Sergeant Kelly observed a man named Frederick George Thurston pursuing rather an irregular course on- a bicycle up Taranaki Street': The two representatives of the law, from previous recollections of Thurston, tiad good reason to believe that both ho and the bicycle called for closer examination. They accordingly stopped Thurston, and that they were justified in their suspicions was evident at the .Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, when Thurston was convicted on charges of drunkenness and the theft of a bicycle, valued at £5, from Spencer W. Radford. As the police stated that a great many bicycles were being stolen in the City, and as accused had • previous convictions against him, a sentence of one month's imprisonment was imposed. The reports of the Labour Department Bhowing tiie position of unemployment in Wellington for tie week ending October 17 are not quite so satisfactory as for the preceding weeks Considerable increase ia the number of applicants h?s been made in respect to carpenters and labourers. Thirty-two carpenters have applied for work, and three have been placed by the Depart-

The reports of the Labour Department' showing tiie position of unemployment in Wellington for tie week ending October 17 are not quite so satisfactory as for the preceding weeks Considerable increase in the number of applicants h?s been made in respect to carpenters and labourers. Thirty-two carpenters have applied for work, and three have been placed by the Department. Eighty-one general labourers applied, and twenty-four _ were placed 111 employment. "-In addition to tlie fiftyseven remaining, there are sotno fifty men who aro still unemployed from tho previous week. The approximate number of applicants, covering all trades, numbers 150. The Department can still place a number of farm hands, coal miners and gold miners. There is a call for fifty gold miners for a mine on the West Coast. The Labour Department would be glad to hear from private employers who have any work which' would help to absorb tho labour offering.

Our Wanganui correspondent telegraphs that the borough tramway returns, probably on account of tho war necessitating care with 6mall cash, showed a slight falling off last month, tho averago daily revenue being £2 Ss. 5(1. less tTian for September last year. The total revenue for-the month was £1385 12s. 3d., of which the borough portion of tho system earned £1088 os. 6(1., and the Gonvjllo portion £297 2s. Bd. The number of passengers carried during the month was 1(33,038, being mlB less than for the same month in 1018. •

"Public opinion is at present strongly opposed to any unfair exploitation of tho people, and moro particularly of the poor, in the matter of food and necessaries during tho war, and the expression of public opinion bids fair to be effective," said Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M./when speaking on tho "Need for 1 Social Service," in tho Concert Chamber of the Auckland Town Hall. "Commercial morality, is not of a very high order, and very often business is a caso of 'dog eating dog.' Surely the Church can speak out and raiso the tone' of commercial life generally by voicing a sound, wholesome public opinion and taking the part of tho weak and oppressed. Commercial rapacity is unchristian and anti-social. It is tho product of a purely commercial age, a; low form of civilisation."

A frost at <Jtaki on Monday did much' damage, says our correspondent, and several acres of potatoes in tho vicinity of Otaki railway wero blackened. Largo areas of tomato plants, etc., have been completely destroyed, and many growers have sustained heavy losses.

A young Jnan of dissipated' and dishevelled appearance presented himself at the Lambton Police Station on , Monday evening and begged the police to place him under look and key as he had been drinking heavily and "was not responsible for himself." Hi 6 request was complied with, and at yesterday's sitting; of the Magistrate's Court ho stood in tlio dock trembling as with an ague, as the charge of helpless drunkenness was read to him. _ Then, nervously clasping and unclasping his hands,fi he begged and pleaded, as earnestly as ho had on the previous night asked to be locked up, to be let off as he had work to go to in Wanganui. The Magistrate remarked that he did not look at all fit to-be out of custody. In spite of his pitiful protestations, the young' man was remanded for medical treatment. There was a look of despair on his face as ho nervously crept out of iho dock.

The duties of fire police were set out in the report presented to tlio annua* meeting' of tlie Wellington Volunteer. Fire Polico last nijjht. The report 6tated that tlio duties upon the occasion of a lire, of officers and members; should any be present before tie arrival of the brigade, was to ascertain if any lives were in danger, and, sec- > ond, to note the position of the nearest fire plug, and have it clear on the arrival of the brigade. • This was o? great importance and assistance to the' brigade, ; especially at night. The firo police also had to keep the public clear, so that the brigade should not be hampered in any way! and to receive E5 struclions from, the superintendent of the brigade as he migbt deem necessary, during the progress of a fire. A farewell was tendered at Carterton on Monday evening to three young Nan - tives, J. Carroll Tunurorangi, Piripi Kingi, and. Alfred Clayton, who are fcnlisting in the New Zealand Native Contingent. Whilst presiding over a meeting of, tho Society for the Prevention ofi ' - Cruelty to Animals last evening, Mr, V. 11. Meredith 'bad his motor-cycle (a 3| horse-power Rover) stolen. This; js the second time within nine months /that his machine has been illegally annexed by unknown parties. On the last occasion' it, was recovered at the ■ roadside at Kaiitoke. The police have been informed of the latest theft. '..At'-the.annual meeting of the Wellington Volunteer Fire Police last night reference was made to the kind courtesy at all times accorded to members of tha Fire Police by the superintendent of tha brigade, Tiis officers and men, and also members of the local police force, who, upon all occasions, had dono their utmost to assist the Fire Police in tha execution of their duty. The value of the Firo Brigade to the City was shown in a striking manner by Superintendent Tait, when speaking at the annual meeting of the Volunteer Fire Police last night. During the last six months, ho said, they had had property at risk amounting to '£118,370. Only £10,632 was destroyed, representing about 11 per cent., or roughly 2s. 3d. in the £. That, he thought, was very satisfactory. A portion of the Hawke's Bay an 3 East Coast sections of tho Maori Contingent left Napier by the mail train yesterday morning for Auckland. They were enthusiastically farcwclled. by a . large assemblage of citizens and school .children. ' Our Napier correspondent telegraphs that a youth named Douglas Irvine : pleaded 'guilty at tho Napier Magistrate's Court yesterday to having stolen jewellery valued at £87 7s. from 1 his late employer, L. S. M'Clury, and was committed to the Supremo Court for sentence. . The Napier Thirty Thousand Club _in- ! tends holding a mardi gras at Christmas in aid of tho Patriotic Fund. .. A correspondent signing himself "J.P.," writes that he has noticed the'offer'of the. Australian Government to place a number of destitute Belgian women and orphans. AVI 1 .}', 7ie asks, should not New Zealand db ffio same? He contends that 6uch a course would bo greatly to our advantage as well as affording relief to those rriteously bereaved people. f 'ATVovor the country districts," he continues, "wives and mothers aro crying aloud for domestic uelp under almost any conditions of employment, numbers of them able and willing to pay high wages, but ill vain. It is impossible to got relief, as things aro at present in New Zealand, and the whole pleasure of. life is destroyed for many an overworked housewifoj especially if 6ho is trying to/ raise a family. No wonder the birth-rato tends to. _ ,be low! The right class of girls ara not available in Britain, so this is just our opportunity. Tho destitute orphans would grow up good Now Zealanders and the mothers could get plenty of day. work in the towns or villages, while ' farmers everywhere would welcome a supply of day labour for light odd jobs. The Belgian is a splendid type of humanity." "J.P." concludes uy trusting that,this matter will be taken up l»y the Government for this country'a good as well as for the relief of the destitute victims of ruthless war. Tho first tramcar crossod tho now Dublin Street bridge yesterday afternoon, wlieu a trial run .was made to x tho end of the completed portion of the Wanganui East lines. Everything ' worked satisfactorily. Tlio service over the 6tretch of line already available will begin in a few days, as soon as the necessary certificates have been re->. ceived from the Public Works Department. /