LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2332, 14 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Makura, which arrived at Auckland at 4 p.m. yesterday, brought with her an English and an American mail, via Vancouver, while the Maheno, which arrived at 1 p.m., brought an.English and an Australian mail. The southern portions of all four mails will arrive in AVellington by the Main Trunk express this afternoon.

On.and from to-day the following additional telegraph codes will be permissible for use in cable messages between New Zealand and the United Kingdom:—Via Meyers, Atlantic, Cotton Code 39th Edition, Bentley's Complete Phrase Code (not including the separate mining and oil supplements), Broomhall's Imperial Combination Code (not including tho special rubber edi : .lion). The censoring of both inward and outward messages will bo done in tho United Kingdom. Senders must insert the', namo of the code used. Only one codoymay be used in any one message. '

On the night of December 4 the residence of Br'. F. AY. Mackenzie, in Ghuznee Street, was entered, and jowellory and plate stolen to the value of £76, while on the same night entry was also gained into the house of Dr. Robert Stout in Willis Stfeet. The police wore communicated with, and as a result of inquiry made by Detectives Lewis and Abbott, an arrest has been effected Jn Dunedin by DetectiveSergeant Ward. The arrested-man is named Burrows, and was employed as a donkeyman on the steamer Buteshire', which'was in Wellington on Decerfber 4, but. which is 'now in Dunedin. Burrows was before tho Court on Saturday in connection with the entry into Dr. Stout's house, and was remanded until Wednesday. This morning ho will be in Court again and will be charged with theft from Dr. Mackenzie's house. From information received by the local police authorities it is anticipated that all the stolen property will bo recovered. .

Respecting the appointments of Professors Marsden (Physics) and Sommerville (Mathematics) to the faculty of the Victoria College, the following message has been received from the Advisory Committee in England (Sir Joseph Larmor, D.Sc, LL.D., D.C.L., F.R.S., M.P.; Professor A. N. Whitehead, Sc.D., F.R.S.; Mr. R. A. Herman, M.A.. and Professor E. T. Whittaker, Sc.D., F.R.S.).:—"The Advisory Committee have pleasure in congratulating the Council of Victoria College on the ability and reputation of the candidates who have offered themselves, for election, and particularly of those on tho select. list,"

The following tenders have been accepted by the Education Board:—• Now Infants' School, Maranui, grading, etc., C. W. Dickson; Clyde Quay School, inside painting, H. T.. Pitcher; Petone West School,, painting, J. E. Battersby; Taita School, painting, J. E. Battersby.

A big fire is raging in the old bush at Puketitiri, telegraphs . our Napier correspondent, but up to Ij. o'clock yesterday morning the damage was not very Berious. A high wind was blowing, and it was possible tho fire would assume a more serious aspect before' the day was out.

On Thursday last the ratepayers of Spreydon (Canterbury) rejected a proposal to raise a loan of £7000 for drainage works. ' • .

A missionary meeting under the auspices of the Wellington and Suburbs Federation of the G:E.M.S. will be held at tho Sydney Street Schoolroom this evening at 8 o'clock, when Mr. J. W. Henderson, who recently visited' Melanesia will deliver an address. Ladies are specially invited to he prosent.

The Wellington Zoo receipts for November amounted to £39 4s. 6d. During the month sales amounting to £1 3s. 6d*. were made.

.By tho defoat of Mr. Fisher (says the "Southland Times") Parliament unquestionably loses its most brilliant debater. For incisive and destructive criticism,' finished sarcasm, and absolutely crushing repartee Mr. Fisher had no equal in the House of Representatives, and from the point of view of the gallery habitue the House without Mr. Fisher will not bo so attractive as it was with him,

An important'matter is to be disoussed at a special meeting of the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce this afternoon. The meeting has been called to deal with a letter from Major R. L. Levin, of Feilding, which has been forwarded to tho_ Chamber for its consideration relative to the attitudo of employers' towards members of their staffs who wish to join the Expeditionary Forces. The text of the letter is as follows:—"A report is circulating to tho effect that some business houses 'in the Wellington district are retarding Tecmiting by refusing; to keep positions open to those in their employ who may bo desirous of joining the Expeditionary Forces, and who may wish to enter tho employ of such firms at tho conclusion of the war. I hardly imagine that any persons can bo so unpatriotic, hut in' my capacity as a recruiting officer, I should like to bo in a position to emphatically deny this rumour. I would bo glad if you would ask the Wellington Chamber of Commerce to' investigate this matter, and to write to mo officially on the subject at the earliest possible date."

Boisterous weather was experienced in the Fabiatua district last week, says our correspondent. As a. result of tie unfavourable'' weather, shearing and haymaking operations are at a standstill.

Mr. John Bourke. of Hawera, one of tho early settlers in the bush district, died suddenly on Saturday morning (says our Pahiatua correspondent). Tho decoased, who was in Pahiatua watching tho election 'results on Thursday evening, took ill on the road home. He was taken into a friend's house at Konini, and removed to the Pahiatua Hospital on Friday. An operation was performed, but very I'ttlo hope was held out. Ho died the following morning. The late Mr. Bourko,'who had been connected with various institutions in the district, was very highly respected. He leaves a widow and'.a fairly largo family. Ho waa (52 yoaw of age.

"Bluo and 'White," the title of the annua] publication of St. Patrick's College, is quite a volume this year, and is of unusual interest to anyone who has ever bean connected with that seat of learning. Pages are devoted to tho whereabouts of old boys, and 1 how they are faring in the world; sport is liberally catered for by records and photographs, some of the prominent performers of the past being fittingly, remembered. The outbreak of the war and the drafting away of our Expeditionary Forces has eoncerncd many. old boys," whoso photographs are reproduced" with an artistic finish altegethor commendable. "Blue.and White" includes several brightly-written articles, contains the last public examination results, and gives a complete list of the boarders. _ Is is quite one of tho best college journals we have reviewed. _ French books and other small dona- ' tions sent to the second reinforcements have not in every case been accompanied by letters advising who the donors were. On this account Lieuten-ant-Colonel Bowler has not been able to specially thank the donors and he desire 3 that thanks should be extended to them per medium of the Press. Tho down goods train from Carterton mot with an accident at the level crossing at Brooklyn Road on Friday, when it ran into a cow, which it' killed and tossed over the bridge. The engine wasderailed, and had a narrow escape of running off the bridge. After an houtfs work the engine was placed on the line again, and the train run back to Carterton to enable the fast goods train to pass. The Hawke's Bay Motor Cycle ,Club intend holding sports oh Boxing Day in aid of the British and Belgian Relief Funds. The Napier Underwriters' Association has decided that insurance offices shall be open from 8.30 a.m. till 4.30 during the summer months, and an attempt is being made to induce merchants to observe the same hours. ' . . A branch of the St. John Ambulance Oversea Division has recently _ been formed by the ladies of the Lower Hutt. The officers are: Miss Hursthouse (lady superintendent), Miss Stevens (lady superintendent of stores). Miss Welch (secretary), and Miss Wilson (treasurer). A large number of officers in the steamers in the New Zealand trade have recently been appointed to the Royal Naval Reserve, and are serving in various capacities afloat. Sub-Lieuten-ant H. a Hatchwell, R.N.R.. late fourth officer of the Tainui, and elder son of Captain R. Hatchwell, of Lyttelton, has been appointed to H.M.S. Harrier, a torpedo gunboat in charge of tie Downs boarding flotilla. The Harrier is a vessel of 1070 tons, and is on special service with the Admiralty boats. Chub, Cerberus, Carcass. Chester, Ceylon, and Chichester. Attached to each tug are two Royal Navy Reserve officers, one as boarding-officer and the other as witnessing officer. Every vessel passing through the Downs between the Goodwin Sands and ths Kentish coa6t is stopped and closely examined before being allowed to proceod. Tho officers have 24 hours on and 24 hours off-duty. Serving with' Sublieutenant Hatchwell in .tho Harrier are Lieutenant A. P. Melson' R.N.R., late'second officer of the Rimutaka, SubLieutenant A. B. Weller, R.N.R., late third officer of the lonio, and Sub-Lieu-tenant Bayrell Reed, R.N.R., late fourth offioer of the Hurunui. In N the course of •, an interview regarding r the licensing poll, the Rev. J. , Cocker, iof Christchurch, said:, "The fact that No-License and National Pro- : hibition figures are not equal to those of three years ago gives some disap- [ pointment, but very little surprise to [ those who understand the nature of therecent campaign. The war hindered the vigorous prosecution of the work in favour of Prohibition. A'successful vote in Sivour of a great reform, the prin- [ eiples of which are opposed to the ] habits of the people, require an cduca- ; tional campaign, followed by an agi- ; ta'tion near the poll to rouse the people ' to act upon the education received. The war broko out .and 6topped ( the ' work of education, and in somo electorates campaigning was suspended owing • to the uncertainty whether the elections ■ would be held at the usual time or , postponed. The spirit of .war is not . helpful to moral reform, though the i effects of the war may, favourably in- . cline the' people towards things pertain- . ing to tSie moral life of the community. , Stories of election results being held up by delay at some solitary small polling place are not at all rare; in fact,' there are occurrences of the kind at almost every election. On Thursday evening the complete Central Tetura was delayed an hour and a half or so, awaiting the figures from a polling place where only about 500 votes altogether were oast. While everyone at theprincipal returning office was patiently standing by, an old campaigner related a story about a Wellington municipal election of an earlier day. Everything in the way of getting the returns to the main office on this bygone evening went along smoothly and expeditiously till there was only one return to come. For this everyone waited for what seemed ages,, and the delay was tho more annoying as several- seats were in doubt. Finally a search party went forth; The officers had left.the polling place, and were-not in any of the hotels visited. They were in the end discovered coolly enjoying a-lordly spread in a fish shop within a few hundred yards of the central office, where the public was anxious-, ly awaiting them. The old campaigner alluded to above says that he still remembers the exact words the returning officer used when his overdue deputy, having finished' his fish, sauntered in with the results.