LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2290, 26 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The publio are requested to note that to-day (Labour Day) the hours observed at the office of this paper will bo as follows, viz., 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Late advertisements may be handed to tho printer after 10 p.m. Advertisers . are to note; and make thoir arrqpgements accordingly.

The business to be dealt with by the Court of Appeal this morning is the case, Brodie v. tho Stanley Stamp Co.

The Chief Electoral Officer (Mr. J. Hislop) has appointed the Courtcnay Place I'osfc offie9 as the place where the Wellington East electoral roll may be Reen, and new electors enrolled, "be Tourist Department's Bureau in tlie old General Post Offico building has been created a central electoral office, where all tho rolls for Wellington electorates will be on exhibition, and where copies may bo purchased. The officer in charge, Mr. J. W..Hill, lias also been nppointod ail electoral ngont with power to enrol names for any of tlio rolls of the Wellington electorates.

On Saturday evening Detective Mason arrested a man from Nelson oil a charge of wifo desertion. The' accused will be brought before the Stipendiary Maria trato this morning.

Tho Public Service Commissioner has communicated with permanent heads of Departments as follows:—"There are cases in which the whole time of Departmental officers is not taken up with What may bo regarded as the ordinary work of their Departments, and who ore required to undertake work of other Departments, such as that of Registrar of Births, Electors, etc. It has been brought under tho notice of tho Commissioner that in 6ome instances the same attention is not devoted to this work as to tho ordinary Departmental work. The Commissioner desires that pormanent heads mil notify their staffs that when euch work is allotted to a Department any member of the staff may be called upon to assist, and it ia expected that all officers will perform 6uch work as loyally and enthusiasticoily as the work of their own Department—that it is, in fact, to be looked upon as part of their ordinary duty."

The seaman Martin Belhamie, who was wounded as tho result of a disturbance on board tho Ulimaroa on October 13 last, is still in tho Hospital. It was alleged that another seaman, Jack Dillimore, inflicted the wound with a revolver, and he appeared 011 remand charged with this offence at the Magistrates Court on Saturday. Chief-Detect tive Broberg asked for a further remand on account of tho inability cf tho principal witness .to attend. T.his was granted. Mr. H. F. O'Loarv appeared for accused and asked for bail, which was allowed in £60, with one' surety of £50.

With a view to affording Government Departmental cadets an_ opportunity of improving their handwriting, the Public Servioe Commissioner has decided to make arrangements to provide tuition in' this subject. It is proposed to hold a class in Wellington on two evenings rr week, Mondays and Tuesdays, 'from p.m. to 8 p.m. The class will, of necessity,, at present be restricted to those cadets who are resident in Wel-v lington. A cadet will be eligible to attend on© evening only per week. It is considered that in six months even tho worst writers can be made profioiont. Mr. Justice Hosking will hold a sitting in. Chambers at the Supreme Court this morning.' The sitting will commence at 10 o'clock. -

The Licensed Victuallers' Association's cheque for £25, which the Maaawatu A. and P. Association returned because they considered it an inadequate donation from interests which benefit so largely from shows as do the hotels, has now been .voted by the Licensed Victuallers to tho Belgian Relief Fund. The matter came before, the Licensed Victuallers at a mooting on Friday (6tate3 our Palmerston correspondent), when members expressed tliemselves very sore on the

Buimythorpe township, at a concert on Friday night (stetos our Palmerston correspondent), raised ' £20 for the Huntly Relief Fund. The Bunnythorpe Co-operativo Dairy Company has voted £25 to the British Relief Fund, and £25 to the Belgian Fund.

A conference of local bodies to discuss the employees' threatened demand for a rise of wageß from Bs. to 10s. took place at Palmerston on Friday (states our special correspondent), when it was resolved unanimously to resist such demand. The present time, it was urged, ; is inopportune, because war and distress are making heavy calls on public funds. Unemployment may shortly necessitate increased undertakings to provide work for distressed, and the proposed increase of wages would render inevitable the dismissal of a number of incompetents now employed.

A Celestial of mild and resigned mien walked'--slowly- into -the dock of ' ' the ' Magistrate's '—Court on Saturday morning and was charged with an offence alleged to have been committed two years ago in Dunedin: that he had had opium in his possession. His name was All Chung, but lie is also known as Yep Shing, and he recently went into the laundry business in Lambton Quay. The long arm of the law, in the person of DetectiveSergeant Cassells, was -responsible for his arrest on the two-year old warrant.He was remanded to appear .at Dunedin on Friday next, hail being fixed at £50. • ■ ■

In connection with an incident in tlie House of Representatives a few evenings'ago, in which an exchange occurred between the Prime Minister and Mr. Isitt, arising out of a misunderstanding on the latter's part of a remark by Mr. Massey, our report made reference to an interjection by a member sitting near the member for Christohuroh North. Our reporter took the interjection to be a suggestion to Mr. Isitt to apologise. ' Mr. M'Callum. member for Wairau, writes to say that he was the member referred to as making the interjection, and that he did not mako any such remark. All that he did, he says, was to urge Mr. Isitt to accept Mr. Massey's explanation. We must accept Mr. M'Callum's assurance on tho point, but in fairness to our reporter we would add that he was not tho only person present at the time who understood tho remark of the member for tho Wairau to be of the nature recorded in our columns.

Lord Kitchener, in appealing for recruits from Ireland, says he is disappointed at the Irish response to his appeals. An Irish correspondent of the Loudon "Daily. Chronicle," in the course of an article, quotes the following from the War Office advertisement, circulated-in Ireland: "Lord Kitehener is very disappointed at _ the cslownes with whioh the Irish division is filling Up in view of the extreme urgency and the manhood of Ireland should rally to their country's aid in resisting the German menace. ■ Should the vacancies in the Irish division of tho new army not be filled up by Irishmen by September 14, drafts for the purpose will be gent in from England and Scotland. This would be a discredit to Ireland.

Strawberry-growers, about Auckland state (according to the Herald ) that the cold, winds which have been prevailing have practically destroyed all benefit that the slight rainfall of Saturdav last imparted to the crops. 11ns is a very critical time for the growers. In tho past tliey have always _ looked upon rain during October as being absolutely essential, but this season, not only lias October, so far as it has cone, proved abnormally dry, but it was prccedeS by a dry August _ and September. The bird pest, owing to tlio dryness and consequent shortage of food, is also very pronounced. All things considered, although a few berries 'aro coming on to the market, the main crop will undoubtedly suffer, -unless copious rain falls soon.