LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2345, 30 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Three of tlio steamers which were employed in the transport of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force to Egypt hare ■already commenced tho return voyage to New Zealand to resume their normal function of cavrying produce to tho overseas markets. The internal fittings necessary lor the accommodation of men, and horses have been dismantled and the vessels are returning in ballast. A fourth steamer, 'which completed tho voyage to London in order to discharge cargo, has also commenced the rotuni voyago. '

The Dofence authorities stato that they cxpect the members of the Samonn garrison who arc going to tho front with the fourth Reinforcements to arrivo in Now Zealand early in January. The Fijian Iroops, who will accompany the samp body, should arrive in February, There will bp fiOO rueii from Sa-

In consequence of the advance in tho price of oats, (says a Press Association telegram from Dunedin) millers have raised tho price of oatmeal by £1 per ton. Tho current quotation is £15 10s. per ton for twenty-fives. A rather barc-faced forgery is alleged to have been committed at Feilding. A stranger' entered the shop of a' wellknown business man, and said that he had been 6ent by Mr. , who wanted to know if he could.be obliged with a blank cheque, as ho had found he had ■left home without his cheque-book. Never anticipating any deception, the business man readily acquiesced, and the man left the shop with the blank cheque. Later, it appears, lie bought a pair of boots, and tendered a cheque for £80 odd in payment. Chango was 'given, hut when settling day came at the bank it was discovered that the cheque was an impudent forgery. ' Tho matter is in the hands of the police. The iei>orted gold find at "Whangamata is said to be a now reef with assays up to £20 per ton, says a Presß Association telegram from Thames. Wellington and Nelson people are said to be interested. The reef is near where a poor coal ' deposit was found some time baok. It is interesting to note (Bays the Christchurch "Sun") in connection with the recent police promotions that for the first time in the history of the Department New Zealand-born officers have attained to commissioned rank. The officers are Sub-Inspector M'llveney, who goes to Auckland, and SubInspector Broberg, 1 who goes to Dunedin. People who ride push-bikes in Auckland not only must have the machines registered, but, in addition, ■ the registered number, must ho painted on the bicycle, 6ays the "Star;!' About twenty youths who had neglected' this precaution came before tho Police Court the other day, and had to pay fines. The reasons given for the numbers being absent were many and varied. ■ One yuith had borrowed his 'brother's hike without asking, and' he was told that in such case he also borrowed his brother's sins of omission, and had to pay for them accordingly. Another young man, at an expense of 9s'. 6d; in fine and costs, learned that to stick a numbered paper on the mudguard was lios a proper compliance with the bylaw. A woe-begono individual visited the Christchurch Police Station the other afternoon, with a long, though decidedly incoherent story of misfortune. His two fine racehorses, he said, had been burned in their stable; also, for some reason, unstated, people were not kind to him, and lie was being continually threatened. The story did not convince, the police, and their _ scepticism was justified when their visitor suddenly sat down, hurriedly/removed his boots and 6ooks, and sprinted up the road at about sixty miles an hour., The senior sergeant sent a constable after the racehorse owner, and after a fruitless search a message was received from the hospital stating that _a man who/ did not appear to be in a normal frame of mind had been found . wandoring about one of the corridors.

Evidently,_tO ;be a foreigner is in tlio eyes of some zealous patriots equivalent to being a Gorman. Tho erstwhile secretary' of the. Auckland Scandinavian Society (Mr. it. Jorgensen) hnd a rather remarkable experience at-Tauranga recently (says the Auckland "Star"). The Tauranga Borough Council is building a pretentious new town hall in ferroconcrete, and out of a largo number of applicants Mr. Jorgensen was selected 33 olerk of works on tho contract. 'Evidently the workmen engaged entertained some doubts regarding the gentleman's nationality,' and feeling ran so high that they decided to down tools rather than work oil the job with him. Tlib Mayor had to use a. good deal of persuasive eloquence to bring the men; t<j a reasonable frame of mind, and it was not until it was pointed out that Mr. Jorgensen was not only considered the best man available for the position he held, but that he was a Dane, and a fellow-countryman of Queen Alexandra, that the trouble was smoothed over and work resumed on amicable terms.

David Gunn Leckie,. the member of the Expeditionary Force who attempted to escape from the Mount Cook Barracks on Monday, and who in doing so met'with serious injury, was reported from tie Hospital last night to be still in a somewhat serious condition. Leckie had been handed over to the .military authorities by the police, and attempted to escape from a room in the top story of the barracks by means of a rope made of knotted blankets. One of the knots gate way, and_ Leckie fell, Buffering severe internal injuries. It was discovered. on Monday that Messr?. Barber and Co.'s dye works, at Petone, had been broken into, and the sum of £1 19s. od., which was lying on a table, had been stolen. An entry was made by tho removal of a pane of glass from a back window. The coal-delivery service, under the direction of the Petone Borough Council, was commenced yesterday in connection with tho municipal coal supply. Seeing that tho verandahs of all business premises are erected over city property, it is the opinion of more than one architect that there should be a standard design for verandahs in Wellington. One thing that struck .-v stranger coming to Wellington was tho multifarious' designs in verandahs that the main streets present, and, incidentally, the wretched state of repair in which the majority of them are allowed to be kept by the city authorities. Jt is true that in what is known as the No. 1. building area (practically those streets traversed by tramway tracks), the verandahs must bo postless—either cantilever or suspension in design—but that hardly went far enough to insure anything like- uniformity.

The United Friendly Societies' _ now dispensary in Courtenay Place will be completed this week, apd by the end of next week the business now. located in Vivian Street will have been transferred ; to the central and commodious premises referred to. The new building, which was designed by Mr. John 'Swan, is a substantial two-story brick structure, having a frontage to •Courtenay Place of 29ft. by a depth of Soft. (80ft. to the back of the section). Tho ground floor consists of a large doublefronted, well-lighted shop, a waitingroopi, dispensary, and board-room, all light and airy apartments, with handsome stamped steel ceilings of "Embosteel." Tho upstairs parts of the building are the residential quarters of the manager, six sizcablo rooms with every convenience. The front of tho building is neatly finished in red-pressed brick, with cement facings, and tho shop are protected b.v a complete canTOovor verandah. Tho building, which was erected by Messrs. Campbell and Burke, cost about £2000.

Thero is always something romantic about the "anonymous donor. The personality of the man who subscribes £1000 to hospital funds and hides bis light under a bushel invariably gives rise to curious speculation. And now tlio military authorities are wondering who brought a portrait of Lord Roberts to the State headquarters in Melbourno and left it for Colonel Wallace, tlio State Commandant. The donor appeared the other day carrying a parcel irador his arm. Unwrapping it he displayed it Email but "exceedingly well-executed, oil painting of England's late field-' mnrshiil, saying it was to be hung in Colonel Wallace's room. He gave, no reason, and when his name was asked lie remarked that ho preferred to remain unknown, and' left tlio barracks before lie could even bo thanked. The portrait—a head aiid shoulders studynow decorates the commandant's walls. The field-marshal gazes from the canvas over a desk heaped with official papers towards the corner where-stands tbo commandant's sword. Neither onJErania nor .picture iB tliere a. oluo to' the dnxmr-

Amongst', the recent acquisitions to the Christchurch Museum is a wooden idol from Hawaii. This wooden figure was taken from'the. Sandwich Islands to England in 1826', by the {father of Mr. A. R. Bloxam, of Ckristchurch, and a naturalist attached to H.M.S. Blonde. It was Orio of a series of four gods or idols which originally belonged to a burying place of. Polynesian liings ruling in Hawaii. In the temple with' these images the body, of Captain Cook was placed after his death, and received divine honours, in fact, one of these images was definitely associated with him. ' It is Mr. Bloxam's intention to return this image to Hawaii at an early date, and it will be placed in the museum at Honolulu, which specialises in articles of ethnological interest associated ivith the Bolynesian races. In ; addition to this interesting exhibit there is an exceedingly rare stone ■ arrowhead found in the Crocodile lliver near Brits, in South Africa. This speoimen, which has been presented by Mr. A. Mathias, of Johannesburg, is of special value, owing to the fact that it is the first that nas been' discovered' in that locality.

, Broken Hill is a town of violent 'contrasts. Up till Saturday, December 19. the place nad been stewing in heat wavering between 100 and 104 degrees Fahr. in the shade. On tho Sunday rain fell, or rather rushed, earthward in a roaring i torrent—and in less than an hour 118 paints had fallen. The city streets' were flooded, traffic had to be suspended for a time, and all tho dry oreeks flooded over in great style. .It was the finest Christmas bos imaginable for the parched desert city.

Advice has been received that Lieutenant H. 0. Joyce,'R.N;, of tho sloojJ> Vestal, and a brother of Mr. R. F. Joyce, of Wellington, was wounded in ■ one of the recent bombardments of the • Belgian coast by the British warships.! The Vestal was inside the monitors, i shelling tho German trenches, and | Lieutenant Joyce was engaged in firing! a gun, when a German snell hit the! ship, killed a. man. on : both sides of him, and wounded him, a piece of shellgoing through one. of his leg's below theknee. Other pieces of shell lodged in the clothing on his back. Lieutenant: Joyce was wounded at II a.m., and at 6 p.m. arrived at Dover and was taken. : to tho Marine Hospital at Walmer. At : latest reports he was progressing fav- • ourably. Lieutenant Joyce was formerly on tho Pioneer, which- was stationed, in New Zealand two years ago.

News has been received in 'Wellington that the condition of Mr. : John Boyd (son of Mr. M'Duff Boyd, and nephew of Mr.- A. W. Newton, Consul ; for Norway at Wellington), who was.' injured on Qiristmas Eve through the j breakdown of his motor-cycle, on the! Hastings racecourse, is improving, and' it'is hoped that ho will be able to get about again in a week or two. His mother, who was at "The Hermitage," Mount Cook, when the ;accident oo- • curred, will arrive in Wellington to-day, : oil her way back to Hastings.

' The damage done to thp cable station at' Coco s Island by the German warship Emdeu,- just prior to being driven ashore by : H.'iVt.A.S. Sydney, has how been repaired. The intimation to tliia effect was contained in the following message received by the Telegraph Office:—"The Eastern route is now right; please resume all traffic via Eastern.", . i "

A Press Association telegram from Auckland states that the meeting,of constituents of Mr. Tau Henaro, the. newly-elected member for the Northern Maori District, to decide the political' course to be taken by their member,, which was fixed for Now Year's Bay, has been, postponed to a date not yet fixed. *

The metaphors •of army recruiting ivcre eo effectively employed by a, wellknown evangelist during a visit to a Scottisli town somo years ago, the "Glasgow Herald" tells, that only one man in the audience remained obdurate. "With him even the private pleadings; of thfc preacher were of no avail. ■ Six' months lator, the-evangelist came back to'' the same town, and was addressed' in the street by a man in whom ho, recognised his unrepentant hearer repentant bo longer, for he _ said-joy-fully'to the preacher, ''I've joined the ■great Army, Sir." The preacher congratulated him, and a6ked what branch of it he had joined. "The Baptists, Sir." "Tuts, man, that's not the Army—that's the Navy."

The arduous nature of the work undertaken by registrars of electors, in. the various- country constituencies IB' hardly recognised by the general publio, Bays the Auckland "Herald., xery complete arrangements had to bo maaff in detail for proper supervision at the many booths, and in scattered electorates for the prompt notification to til© registrar of polling results. Hie registrars in the Auckland provincial district are entitled to praise for the manner in which they managed their part of the recent general election, and especially for the expeditious manner in which the booth results were transmitted to/the central odices. All the country electorates embraced extensive and scattered territory, and this, was particularly so in the case of Kaipara, which covered 1400 square miles and contained 79 polling booths. Jo fc ill that wide, electorate so quickly did tbe returns reach the registrar, Mr. S. lire Macaulay, that before 3 p.m. electors were ma'do acquainted witb tlio cffect of the voting on both the electoral and licensing issues. : ' '