LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2294, 30 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"It is our duty to encourage trade, to encourage commerce, to encourage business, and I should like to say to the people of this country that they should do everything they poesibly oan to keep trade going, keep business going, keep, men employed, ■ employ more if they possibly can, keep tho exports of the country going, take advantage of the present opportunity and bring as much money as they possibly can into the Dominion of New Zealand. I 6ay that is the duty of every individual; that is the duty of the people of tha country at tho present moment, • and I believe that during the last few weeks they have been settling down to that view of tho position."—Tho Prime Minister." '

The Railway Department's new city ticket bureau in tho King's Chambers is to be opened for business on Monday next. It will then be possible to purchase railway tickets and book sleeping accommodation at any time without waiting for the actual day of departure. Tbo bureau has been Lavishly appointed throughout, and splendid scenio views and Maori curios will fill the show windows.

"" Rumour has boon busy in Wellington about a gjentleman well'known in the city who is a German. All kinds of | treachery have been alleged against him. It has been stated That he_ has been sending wireless messages, lighting bonfires to signal the Germans, and also uttering treason, and that ho has been put on Somes Island. ..He lis, in fadt, carrying on his work as usual, and his position is such, that thousands of people must know this as a fact. A paragraph in the Feilding "Star" referred to this man's case, repeating the idle rumour, and urging tho Government not to spare the man because "he happens to be in society, and married to a Wellington lady of family." The Defonce Minister, referring to this rumour in the House of Representatives yesterday, denied it absolutely, saving that : it was not supported by one iota of fact. He stated, also, that it was not' true that wireless messages were being sent qut from Wellington. One wirelesß plant had been founcl, and the owner of it was now a prisoner, but so far as was known he had not sent messages. It was impossible now for messages to be sent withoutthe knowledge of the postal authorities.

A question concerning the sale of liquor at Apia was asked in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon by Mr. L. M. Isitt. • His question was as follows i— 11 Whether it is "true, that Colonel Logan has authorised tliet salo of intoxicating liauor at Apia for four hours daily, and wnether tho result gave rise to so much rowdiness that lie had to put garrison police in the sevoral bars r The Prime Minister: "Ab a matter of fact I had not heard of this, but I shall make inquiries about it from Colonel Logan through His Excellency. .

"The use of this filthy language is growing and growing, ana one wonders why men nse such language. I wish Your Worship would impose such penalties that will make men think before they pump out this obscenity in the public street." Such were the'words of Inspector /Hendrey in the' Magistrate s Court yesterday morning, when a particularly bad case in this respect came before the Magistrate. Tho Post Office returns for the quarter of the year ending September 30 show that £870,845 worth, of money orders was issued, as • compared with £877,362 in the corresponding quarter of 1913. The Savings Bank deposits were £63,000 higher than in the 1913 period, and the withdrawals nearly £90,000 less. The, excess of deposits over withdrawals was £181,826,. as against £28,964 in last year's third quarter. The revenue collected by the Post Office was whereas last year the quarter's return was £248,474, Last evening's Gazette announces. the suspension of tha clause in the Wellington Bookbinders' Award which reads: "Payment shall be made for time actually worked acoording to the rates set out in the said award, but computed at per hour." Regulation rubbishi receptacles are not used by all 6hopkeepers in the city, and Councillor J. Godber asked the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) last night if he 'would give instructions that the bylaws should be enforced in tliis connection. The Mayor promised that the instructions would go forth to-oay. Hotel and boardinghouse-keepers in Napier (according to our special correspondent) are experiencing a vory slack time as compared with previoM years, and there appears to he a mark«j decrease in tho number of pe°P'o travelling. Tho mail trains leaving Napier are not nearly so crowded as <» usual at this time of tho year. A Gazette notice has been .issued validating tho Ufrpct JJutt poll m connection with tho proposal to raise a loan of £350 for the purpose of equipping a firo brigade. After tho poll was taken it was found that the voting paper waß slightly irregular. Street widening is being - gradually proceeded with by the City Council, and last night authority was granted to tho Finance Committee to acquiro certain land for widening tlio .rmam Wadostown Road. It was also decided that the committee bo granted authority to negotiate for certain land acquired for road widoning purposes at Brooklyn,

Tho new Defence Rifle Clubs formed at Palmerston North and Goraldine havo had their sendees accepted by tho Governor. _ During September 2312 people arrived in tho Dominion and 1559 left its shores. The excess of arrivals over departures was, therefore, 753. In September last year 3639 people arrived hero and 1845 departed. "Wo look to you in tho country -to baok -us in the city to see that the deviation lino over tho Rimutnkas will bo made as soon as possible."—Mr. A.Leigh speaking at a Carterton Show gathering on Wednesday evening. According to tho "Otago Daily Times" Mr. C. Holdsworth, managing director of the Union Steam Ship Company, has joined the board of directors of tho Standard Tire and Marino Insurance Company of Now Zealand,, and Mr. W. Downie Stewart hna joined the board of the Westjjort Coal Company, Ltd., the vacancy in each case having been caused by tho death' of the Hon. T.' Fergus. The Mayor of Auckland (Mr. Parr)' intends to submit to tho City Council, with a view to providing employment during the present slackness in the building trades, a proposal to proceed with its scheme for the erection of Workmen's cottages in Grey Lynn suburb (says a Press Association telegram). The City Council being -unable to provide the money required for this purpose, tho Mayor suggests that workers having small sums of* money available and other people with money should be invited to take up City Council debentures. He says that if the council could arrange for £20,000, it would probably be' sufficient to ereot thirty to forty cottages. The council would'probably be willing to pay 5 per' cent. Special regulations affecting the New Zealand prisons and their officers, . together with exemptions from the regulations m'ade by the Public Service Commissioner, appear in the latesfj "Gazette." A long discussion took place at the City Council meeting last night on the Question of tho charges by taxi-cab drivers in Wellington. It arose in connection with a recommendation by the By-laws _ Committee, "That -the request of certain taxi-cab proprietors that the existing scale of taxi-cab charges be amended in a general manner bo not acceded to." Some councillors contended that the present scale of charges was not fair to tho proprietors, while others maintained that tho drivers frequently obtained from tlio public more than a) fair remuneration for their services. Eventually the recommendation was referred back -to the committco for fur-< : ther consideration.

A.-statement was mad© to the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon bv tho Defence Minister to contradict rumours in circulation regarding desertions from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Mr. Allen said the fact was that tho Force was 1 officer and 52 non-commissioned officers and men short of establishment, but of these all except 17 had been_ discharged because they were suffering from measles or for other reasons. Sir. Wilford volunteered the " information that one man had told him that he had been left behind because ho was indiscreet enough to get drunk, and to get locked up at an inconvenient time. Mr. Allen said he' would not regard that man as a deserter, and he had no doubt that others could bo accounted for. Ho thought it very creditable to tho Now Zealand soldiers that so fow had been found wanting. * Application has been mado to the City Council by a number of Day's Bay residents for permission to orect a bathing shed on the Day's Bay beach. After full consideration, the council ia of tho opinion that it is unwise to pormit private individuals to erect bathing sheds on-the beach, and the J' have requested tho city engineer to furnish an estimate of the probable cost (>f erecting sufficient dressing accommodation for tho general public visiting the bay, the engineer to provide a number of cubicles in sucli buildings, the design of same to be submitted to Iho Reserves Committee for approval. An interesting letter is published in the "Manawatu Standard" from a Marlborough sheep owner, who, referring to drought'conditions, says: "The drought in Marlborough is really appalling. I have never 6een the country so dry in the driest autumn Sheep are starving and springs are drying, and this in October. Tho cereal crops are., coming into ear before they are sis inches high. Tho Awatere, they tell me, i is even worse. Other years all my sheep have been sold months ago, but so far I have not'sold a hoof. It is really most serious. No one remembers anything like it here; and we have bepn advised to make provision for storing our wool indefinitely; Sounds cheerful, doesn't it?"

Now tramcar 3heds have been planned for tli© old car sheds sit© m Adelaide Road,, and the City Council last night decided to call for tenders for the erection of the buildings. "Personally. I believe there is no need at all for uneasiness as to tha effect of the war oil our commerce, said a Wellington business, man to a Carterton, audience on ednesdav, evening. "So far. I dont think trade has suffered to any great extent, and, judging by the totalisator returns as the Wellington races the other day, tho amount of ready cash has not run short." Notice boards are to be erected at suitable places on the Town Belt requesting citizens to protect their own property, and offering a reward for information leading to. tho conviction of any person damaging trees and shrubs on the public reserves. The Shops and Offices Amendment Bill was reported upon by the Labour Bills Committee, yesterday. Tlie committee struck outtho. clauses rdatrng to extended hours during stock-taking, the definition of hairdresser "tobacconist," and. other matters, retabling only Clause 6, which proposes a license fee of fivo shillings for pes mission to sell tobacco,. cigars,,and cig. arettes. . Tho Roseneath and Oriental Bay, Municipal Electors' Association has been informed in reply to a request for the removal of Car No. 55 from the Oriental Bay route, that the City Council cannot see their way to accede to the request/but that tho car will bo altered to the centre entrance typo as soon, as it can be conveniently withdrawn from traffio.