LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2298, 31 October 1914, Page 13

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Reserved judgment will be delivered by His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards in the Supreme Court this mornnig in the case oLWatkins v. Watkins, an pppeal from a decision of the Stipendiary Magistrate.

The German population of Somes Island was augmented yesterday by the addition of seventeen German prisoners who landed at Auckland on Tuesday from Samoa.. They arrived in Wellington by the Main Trunk express yesterday morning, under the charge of Lieutenant D. Kenny, and vffim at once taken to the. island.

_A question In regard to the payment jr the troops was asked .in the House of. Representatives ■ yesterday afternoon by Mr. G. W. Russell, who said that up to; tlie present no money had been received by the.soldiers' dependents. The Minister _of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) said that the men were paid in full up to September 22, no money being kept back, because the men were then able' to send what they wished to those dependent upon them. The next pay was now about duo, but whether it bad'beeh"paid out or not he did not know.

A member of the Legislative.Council was asked yesterday if:a certain cloth of which he was speaking was bulletproof. "No,'.' he answered, "but even some honourable gentlemen's heads are not that." - I

One of tho troopers who acted as guard for the German prisoners brought to Auckland ny the steamer Navua on Tuesday had a very narrow'escape from death. _ He was carrying a loaded rifle, when, in coming out of a doorway leading from the second-class saloon, something caught tha. trigger, with the result that tho : rifle went off. ' The bullot just grazed ilio trooper's face,' lifting the skin from his cheek, and spent itself on tho iron upper deck. .Beyond- a Blight bruise and shock the man suffered no injury. '

Writing to his friends in Wellington," one of the Expeditionary Force in Samoa urges, them to send .him some cigarettes by tho first "At the present time there's not a'cigarette to be got on the island, and some of the men who had a few packets sent them by tho last boat had, under- pressure, made a good thing out of them by selling out at a shilling per cigarette."

Tho' reports received by tho Labour Department, Wellington, for tho week ending October 10 show that 88 labourers registered as applicants for work. Of that total 45 were placed in Government employment, and 20' in private employment. As compared with previous weeks since the commencement of the war, tho number shows a slight increase. In addition a number who,had registered previously aro still .idle. The applications from skilled men have been very few, although towards the end of tho week the number of oarpentors applying increased from two to twelve. The position in Wellington, judging from the number seeking work, appears to bo much better than in Auckland and Cliristchurch. In Auckland there were 176 applicants during last week, and in Christoburoh 237.

The sura of £90,000, subscribed towards the British National Boy Scouts' Endowment Fund of £250,000, includes a legacy of £10.000. Eight of the leading banks contributed £250 each, whilst tlioi'o are'scores of private contributions of £100. Tho sum of £20'0D asked for in Now Zealand is moderate by| comparison. ■

Constablo 98, a large-sized, youthful;' looking member of the local Police Force, won the admiration of a largo crowd of passing citizens at, Dominion Avenue yesterday afternoon. A number of men-o'-warsmen, marines, and a sprinkling of firemen, who had been celebrating their sliore-leavo less wisely than well, had got into an angry altercation, with all the eloments of a serious disturbance behind it. Constable 98 arrived on the sceno just.as matters were looking very ugly indeed. Singlehanded ho set out to disperse the heated disputants, and by a tactful handling of tho situation, In the course of which ho_ displayed admirable judgment in evinoiug good nature, firmness, or physical suasion, as the exigencies of tho moment demanded, ho succeeded'in checking what looked liko developing into a serious'street'fight. The police- do not as a rule get tho credit they deservo on occasions of this kind, but a Dominion 'representative who was present noted that In' this instance moro than one of the onlookers at the close of the incident congratulated tho constable on tho plucky and tactful manner in which ho had carried through a risky and difficult task.' Constable 98 thoroughly deserved their congratulations.

"Among the sights at New York," says Mr. W. 11. Morris, who returned from America yesterday, "is the formidable array of 'German steamers tied up there until tho war .shall have ended Prominent among thorn is the leviathan Vatoi'laud, is so big that she sticks out into the river, being nnioli too long for the berth shq is tied to."

The appropriation of loaii by ballot, in connection with the Ilutt Valley Building Society, at Petone, resulted in Air, D. Campbell (two shares) drawing £300 Jree-of interest.

A drunken sailor from one of the .• troopships in port had a narrow escape from being. knocked down and injured by a tramcar ,sti. Lainbton Quay last, night. Ho was evidently determined to board ths tramcar in question at all costs, and oblivious to the fact that it was going at a fair rate of speed, and that he was at the wrong sido for boarding, ho made ono wild dive at it as it passed. The conductor shouted, and a mate' naught liim round the neck. - but he was not to bo baulked, ana only increased lis pace towards tho car. Tho motorman saiv that an accident was imminent, and applied the brakes. Tho sailor then appeared to appreciate tho ' threatening look of tho conductor and motorman, and, laughing raucously, allowed himself to bo dragged on to tha sidewalk by his mato.

'A correspondent signing nimself "Anti-Humbug" , draws attention to some inconsistencies and shortcomings in the recent tactics of some members of tho Opposition Party. He points out that when Sir Joseph Ward lately absented himself from his Parliamentary 'duties in order to spend some days in Auckland attending to party affairs, one of the party organs had the effrontery to attack the Government for bringing down tho Legislative Council Bill during his self-imposed absence "Because Sir Joseph Ward chooses to absent himself electioneering or for any other purpose," asks this correspondent, "should tho business of Parliament be brought to a standstill?" Further, that while Sir Joseph Ward is reported as declining to make any . policy or political statement, or to say anything against. tho Government till the House rises, his henchman, tho •member for Nelson, addressed a meeting in the Auckland Town Hall on tho evening of the day on which the Leader of the Opposition's statement was published. This is what tho Opposition call "playing the game." J "Anti-Humbug" criticises the action of the member for Nelson (Mr. Atmore) in commenting upon the evidence in a, still pending inquiry, and in saddling the' Government with responsibility for certain happenings before it has been afforded an opportunity :of stating its. case or defending itself. Finally, our correspondent expresses curiosity as to what Mr.. Atmore's constituents think of his action in ruining away from his Parliamentary dut is to address con-', stituencies with which he has no ton-: corn, and as to who finances Mr. Atmore in the matter of hiring halls, ad- • vertising, etc., in connection with these activities, unless it is tho Ward Party organisation.

The Greymouth police have received information that the man Fred Watson, of Murchison, who was reported from the Hanmor Hot Springs as be- •' ing missing,, has turned up all right. Ho was delayed by a fall of snow. The Trafalgar demonstration now being organised by the Navy League for\ Wednesday evening next promises to be a great success. Moving pictures of the "New Zealand," topical lantern slides, patriotic speeches, and appropriate vocal items byMissMina Caldbiv, andMesßrs. Clarkson and Phipps are to make up a, very effective programme. The gross * proceeds are to be .equally- divided between the Mayor's Belgian Relief Fund and War Fund. School prizes are to be presented during the evening to the successful competitors in the essay competition on the subject, .'.'What naval disaster would mean to the British Empire." . • i

An Auckland telegram published on Monday stated that a communication had been addressed to each of the ten woollen mills in Now Zealand, asking them to inform the Defence Department how much khaki they could supply to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Government and the Imperial authorities. This was taken to imply that the Imperial Government- had-" offered practically an open order to alt mills which were prepared to manufacture ! - khaki cloth for military purposes.' As no orders have been placed, this as-, sumption is.considered premature, for it-' is felt that the information may only be Required as a guide. Textile papers to hand by a recent mail showed that some of the English mills were complaining that they were not getting a Fair share of the khaki orders, so it_ is , apparent that ihore is no lack of facilities for turning out the cloth in Eugland. It is a fact, however, that military blankets have been shipped from j New Zealand to the order of private ' firms in England.

Punishment for drunkenness in the early days in New Zealand was a fine of 55., so M.T. Donald Frasor, of Rangitikei, told his audience at a gatkoring of the Early Settlers' Association, held in Wellington last night. He explained that lialPa-crown went to the arresting policeman, and believed that the other half-crown went to tho Magistrate,

A patriotio action of a very generous nature has been performed by Mr. J. 0. Shorland, of Cuba Street, who ,has lent the Defence Department his 15-ton pleasure launch, tho Eohutai, for use) during the war. The Department have" been using the launch daily, in convey-. ing stores to Somes Island, for the. guards and prisoners there. Mr. Shor-'j land will be thus deprived of the use; of tho launch during the coming boat- ■ ing season, and his action has thus been all the more self-sacrificing.

Day after day in the Houso of Representatives Ministers are bombarded with questions without notice concern- ■ ing tho Expeditionary Force. Many of tho questions deal with more details, which should never be made the. sub- ! ject of a question in the Houso. Mr. Sidey asked one such question yester-, day,'exactly similar to one which tho Minister of Dofonco had answered on. a previous occasion. After answering tho question Mr. Allen expressed his opinion about tho conduct of members j who brought up such questions. "I should be very much better pleased," \ said Mr. Allen, "if the honourablo ' gentleman, when he has a matter of j this kind to inquiro about, would como and see mo instead of bringing these things up in the House. (Hear, hear.) . It seems to |ine these questipns aro be- : ing brought up for a purpose, and I don't think it is a proper purpose. If honourable gentlemen would see mo about these questions, they coulcl all ' bo settled and dealt with long, beforo they aro brought up in tho House."