LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2329, 10 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In , connection with to-day's election results it is necessary to state that The Dominion telephones will be fully occupied during the evening, and inquiries as to tho polling cannot be answered. For the convenience of the publio we have erected a large hoarding on Kirkcaldio's new building, Lambton Quay, next to the Public Trust Office, where results will be promptly posted. Special arrangements have been made for this purpose, and the convenience of the public has been litudied in every possible way. Cards which are practically a replica of The Dominion election results board, and which contain the full list of electorates with candidate's names have been printed and can bo had free of cost on application at the business office of the paper at any time to-day. They should prove useful to those desiring to jot down the figures as they are posted on tho notice board. The first polling result should be available shortly after 7 o'clock.

The Postal authorities advise that there will he no delivery by lettercarriers this afternoon, in the city or Buburbs.

The Imperial' Government have extended the offer to giro return fares to Europe and provide outfit grant and kit allowance to all retired officers of the Special Reserve, and ex-militia officers who are medically fit for service during the period of the war, as well as all ex-Imperial and Territorial officers.

According to a Press Association telegram from Timaru the South Canterbury teachers who went to Canada on exchange and aro due to return to New Zealand have been granted permission to go to England for a year.

Owing to the blockage of traffic usually caused by the crowd congregated outside the newspapers' eleotion boards in Lambton Quay and Willis Street, all tramway traffic.will be diverted from those streets to the Jervois Quay route after 7.30 p.m. Late cars will be run to the various suburbs after 11.26 p.m. onward to 11,40 p.m.

Judges and Magistrates are sometimes given queer appellations by witnesses. Mr. ¥. O'B. Loughnan, S.M., must have smiled when, at Kaikoura last week, a Maori in Court addressed him as "Mr. Warship."

The second cargo steamer to come to Auckland by way of ijie Panama Oanal reached port at an early hour on 'Monday morning. This vessel was the Caldergrove, which name from Philadelphia, via Oristobel (Norfolk, Virginia), and the canal. The Caldergrove left Philadelphia on October 21 and arrived at Cristobpl on October 31, where she coaled two days later. The vessel occupied seven days in passing through the canal. While in the canal two slip's occurred in the famous Culebra Cut, and the Caldergrove was forced to anchor for five days while huge dredges were working night and day to clear away the debris. The Caldergrove was then towed slowly through the cut, .and passed into the Pacific Ocean on November 9.. The Oulebra Cut is the only section of the canal which keeps the authorities on the alert, but in the opinion of the officers of the Caldergrove the landslides will not give further trouble after a few months. The passage from New York to Auokland, including the detention in the canal, occupied 46 days 20 hours. The Caldergrove, which visited Auckland on July 19, 1910, when she came from New York via Durban and Albany, brought 165,000 casee of kerosene, benzine, and. petrolite. About 36,000 cases will be disoharged in Auckland, and the balance at Napier, Wellington, Timaru, Lyttelton, and Dunedin.

An Auckland specialist when questioned on the subject.of a report from Wellington as to a youth being cured of paralysis by the recent earthquake said that cases of the kind were not uncommon. Paralyeis that yielded to sudden mental shook was invariably a functional disturbance , arising from hysteria, and was thus entirely dependent on the patient's mental state. True paralysis, which involved the • destruction of the nerve-cells, "was a permanent condition and incurable, except in the case of a, transient form arising from alcoholio neuritis.' In hysterical paralysis the patient could often move the arm or leg somewhat, or could speak only in a faint voice: Where the voice was affected the application of an electric bat> tery generally changed the whisper into a yell. A cure could usually be effected by mental suggestion, as the trouble was to be found in the fact that the patient originally hypnotised himself. Mental suggestion, however, needed a speckllytrained and skilled man. The Auokland Hospital Board is at present considering a proposal to establish a special department for the medical use of hypnotism, , which is applicable to a number of nervous diseases.

Writing from Melbourne under date December 3, a resident of that city says: "The depression caused by the war was in a large measure nominal, but that caused by the drought is a real pinch. All the States excepting Queensland are in a bad way. The wheat harvest is exactly a quarter of last year's yield, and that was nothing to brag about. It is difficult for.you in New Zealand to realise what drought means here. A man was offered 10,000 . sheep for nothing the other day and refused them. The condition was that they should be moved from a certain farm immediately—fact 1 Ninety horses were sold the other day for £50 the lot. A cabman showed me a pair of horses in Bourke Street that ho had bought for £5 (the pair) in a sale yard right here in Melbourne. And yet 'Australia recuperates so rapidly, that with a few inches of rain all hands would be smiling again."

.Mr. A. TV. Hogg is offering tho voters of this part of the Masterton electorate a transparent sop. Hβ will use his efforts to get tho construction of the Tongaroa. railway and the deviation of the Rimutaka, Incline. Both are of vital importance, and more especially the settlors are interested in railway facilities for the isolated coastal area. Mr- Hogg is aware of this, and naturally uses it in furtherance of his candidature. But what the settlers.have a right to know is why the 'Liberals, through the many desolate years, refused to do anything with either of the two projects, and how Mr. Hogg can expect to influence the party now ? On the other hand the Mnssey Government has displayed a live interest in tho needs of the district, and has made full investigation. The Itinmtafca deviation is to he undertaken, and the Minister of Public Works has made a careful inspection of tho coastal district with the object of deciding on a definite scheme. —Pafoiatua "Herald."

By an oversight tho word "advertisement" was omitted from the cartoon, published on page 9 of yesterday's issue.

Tho weekly session of the Pioneer Lodgo, 1.0. G.T., met in tho Reehabites' Chambers, Manners Street, on Monday oveniug, Bro. Atkinson, C.T., presiding. At the close of the business-the following contributed to the programme :— Recitation, Bro. Gus Petherick; nong, Bro. Fryor; reoitatiou, Bro. Poote,

An amusing instance of an electiou jest rolled back on its authore has just turned up in Wellington Central. Some of tho supporters of the Wardist candidate hit upon the fact that Mr. Fisher's initials are "F.M.8.F.," and expanded them into "Fletcher Must Beat Fisher." .It was at once pointed out to tho authors of this little effort, howover,. that Mr. Fisher's initials would expand equally well into "Fisher Must Beat Fletcher." In 1911 Mr. Fisher had his intials just as he has liow, and in 1911 Fishor did beat Fletcher.

Of eight pigs consigned to an Oamaru tradesman by no fewer than three parties all wore found to be suffering from tuberculosis and were condemned by the inspector and sent to tho destructor. The animals (says the ''Mail") came from widely-separated districts, and the faot that all were found unfit for ■ food shows how widespread is this insidious disease. Farmers cannot be too careful of the condition in which they keep their hogs, Pigs like a wallow on nrad immensely, but their health demands that -oheir sleeping quarters 'and standing room be free of slush. Ample' space foi movement_ and cleanliness will prevent many a pig with a tickling cough.- from declining into tuberculosis. Suoh animals, however, should be segregated.

At his meeting at-St. Mark's 'last night, Dr. Newman referred to the ijutomatic telephone system installed by the Government. When it was in fuE working order, lie said, there would probably be a reduction in the rate to subscribliving in the suburbs. The Hon. E. H. Rhodes was going to look into the matter, and see if the public could not benefit by tho lessened running cost of the telephone system.

There are 147 votes recorded in the Masterton electorate by members of the Expeditionary Force. These -will' bo counted with the absent voters' permits, about fifty of whioh have been issued, early next week. It will thus be seen that about 200 votes are involved, and should this, election 1 be closely contested tho result may not bo known for several days.

There was a large attendance at the Sailors' Friend Society Institute last evening, when the Lyric* Club of the Y.W.C.A., under the direction of.Miss Betty, provided a most enjoyable concert. Mr. J. Moore, missioner, occupied the chair. The following contributed items to the programme :— Songs by Misses Clark, Betty, Chapman; comedietta, Misses L. and D. Nicholas; songs, Messrs. Pope, Goudie and Aitkon; recitations, Miss Macdonald and Mr. Gandell; gymnastio club swinging. Miss. Loffnian; monologue, Mr. Gandell. Several carols were sung by the Lyric Club, under the baton of Mr. Popo. 'Misses Chapman, GS. Nicholas, and Marriott played the accompaniments The audience sang a number of popular choruses. The performers were accorded a hearty vote of thanks at the conclusion of tho concert and light refreshment.6 were afterwards dispensed.

Suburban residents who desire to visit the City this evening to watch the election results will have the convenience of late trains to return home. The Railway' Department is running trains from Wellington to Johnsonville and Wellington to Lower Hutt, leaving Wellington at 11.25 and 11.30 p.m. IeBpectively. The Petone Defence Rifle Olnb will Bhoot its fourth match in the first series on Saturday. The ranges are 900 and 1000 yards, ten shots at each Tange.

Mr. Veitoh (says a contemporary), in his despair at Mr. unexpected entry into the field against him in Wanganui, has become an unconscious humorist of a high order. He has protested against the formation of unions in. opposition to the Red Fed unions, on the ground that "it was only decent men who could keep unionism at a high level." At the high level, we suppose, to which the "decent, men" or the Federation raised it during tho strike —by means of revolvors, broken bottles, brick-bate, and foul language.