LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2356, 12 January 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that the X s.s. Niagara, which sailed from Suva on January 7 for Auckland, is bringing mails from America and the United Kingdom, via Vancouver. The Wellington portion is due per Main Trunk express this morning, l A conference between the Eight Hon. Andrew Fisher, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Right Hon. W. F. Massey and the other members of the Government of the Dominion of New Zealand took place yesterday morning. Mr. Massey informed a .Dominion reporter later in the day that no announcement could be made as to the proceedings of the conference. The ,wavo of patriotism has spread over all the British possessions, but Hot more keenly than in New Zealand, as the following will show. Coming down m the Wairarapa train, the secretary of the Veterans' Association mentioned, in answer to a question, that he had two sons who had joined the Expeditionary Force. An elderly tattooed Maori wahine said', "I, too, got three sons going to the war. -I no tangi, am glad." These few words spoke eloquently of her thoughts, sorrow suppressed, because of the joy to think they could fight side by side with the British. | A number of members of the Auckland reinforcement draft left for Trentham yesterday. The men were cheered as the train left the station Volunteers for service ■in Samoa also went south. ■ Contingents from the country districts are being picked.up en route. —Press Association. The Masterton A. and P. Association has decided that the names of members who _ are on active service in Egypt and elsewhere shall be placed in a conspicuous, position in the show catalogue, and also that such members be kept'financial until the war is over. A Masterton resident on Sunday received a cable message from Lieutenant Wilson, who is with the • troops • in Egypt, containing the two expressive words, '.'Everything alright."

' The Wairaiapa Methodists have decided to hold their, annual circuit picnio in Mr. M'Partland's paddock, Dalefield, on Anniversary Day.

No effort is to be spared to bring the Municipal Electors' roll up-to-date for the coming election of Mayor and council, to be held in April next. The Town Clerk has a staff daily engaged on the work of purging the old roll, enrolling new names, and otherwise making it as near perfection as possible. To this end he is appealing to all eligible persons to satisfy themselves personally that they are on the roll. One method ■that is being adopted is the exhibition in prominent public places of a poster which reads as follows: "Notice: Mayor and councillors' election in April" next. All persons married or single (not under the age of 21 years) resident twelve months in the Dominion and three months in Wellington are eligible to vote. This concerns you I See that your name is on the Municipal roll. The main list is now' being prepared',* and will close on February 15,1915. The responsibility is yours! Call at the Town Hall and satisfy yourself that your full name are recorded.- Forms may be had on application. Do it now, and avoid disa.ppointment on the day of the election.—Jnp. B. Palmer, Town Clerk."

Officers commanding Coast Defence and other troops doing duty in New Zealand during the war have received tlve following general order: —"Please convey to Coast Defence troops doing duty continuously at forts and various guards the Commandant's- full appreciation, of the very excellent manner in which they have carried out to date a very trying and difficult task."

A fire occurred in Masterton on Sunday evening by which a four-roomed cottage, occupied by Mr. Albert* Martin and owned by Mr. James Payne, was gutted. The building was insured for £100 in the State Office, but the furniture was uninsured.

To-night the Labour Representation Committee will consider the question of the attitude to be taken up regarding the municipal elections in April next. Among the various projects which will be brought forward will be a proposal to approach the City Council to hold its election ■ under the proportional representation system, as provided for by the Act of last session. Under the bootmakers' requisition gazetted in December last the following closing hours are now being observed by all boot and shoe dealers' shops throughout the City of Wellington: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays,' 6 p.m.; Wednesdays, 1 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 p.m. Previously the hours of clbsmg for boot and shoe dealers' shops in Wellington were optional, except on Wednesdays. . \ The exploits of the venturesome German, cruiser Emden, which now lies a shattered -wreck on the beach at Cocos Island, had a serious effect on the export of paraffin wax from British Burma, one of the big sources of the world's supply. On that account the local candle works at. Kaiwarra (controlled by Lever Bros.) ran pretty short towards the end of the year, but stocks will be replenished on the arrival of the Aparima (now in the south), which has fifty tons of ■wax for the Kaiwarra works. She will be the first direct cargo steamer to_ arrive in New Zealand from Burma since the Entdcn was accounted for. It is probable that the Masterton Borough Council will adhere to Thursday as the weekly half-holiday, as thera is no movement for a change. Messrs. Lever Bros., of Port Sunlight (England), the famous firm of soapmakers, who are about to erect a factory at Petone, and who already own the New Zealand Candle Company's works at Kaiwarra, havo niade a heavy contribution of men to England's volunteer army. The day after war was declared Lever's men had an ambulance corps ready, and a week later had a second ready to take to the field. Altogether 1400 men and 120 officers had been recruited from the staff when the last mail left. Tho firm is paying all married men and single men with dependents half-salary, 'it is keeping up tho contributions of all volunteers to the various benefit funds, nnd their billets are being kept open for them. One passenger arrived in Wellington by the Wimmera yesterday who had not booked, or intended to book, a passage in the ordinary manner. He was a member of the Tasmanian Defence Force. Just before the vessel left Hobart he had gone on board the vessel and sunk into a deep slumber. He awoko to hear the throbbing of the Mpropoller and arrived on deckj to find nothing but water round the vessel. On arrival here yesterday he reported himself to the proper authorities and intends to be fully awake when the Australian boat reaches the other side of the Tasman Sea next week. In regard to the sudden death on Saturday of Margaret Potutoii, the Coroner has not considered an inquest necessary as a certificate as to the cause of death being due to heart failure has been aiven bv Dr. Mackin who attended deceased.

i A paragraph which appeared in a Gazette Extraordinary, on the 17th ultimo, ia : as follows: —"No person shall, otherwise than thxjbugh the Post Office, send or cause to be sent out of New Zealand, or bring or cause: to be brought into New Zealand, any! letter or other written communication' of such a naturo that in the ordinary course of correspondence or business it' would be transmitted from or into New Zealand through the Post Office." This means that no person on board a steamer is allowed to carry a letter outside New Zealand during the continuance of the war. The practice of posting late letters in letter-boxes on board; steamers leaving for places outside New Zealand is als. to be discontinued. Until further no ice all letters for places beyond New Zealand must be transmitted throut'i the Post Office and posted in time to be incorporated in the ordinary mails. The order is issued • ■ under the War Regulations Act, and ; anyone committing, counselling, curing, aiding, abetting, or inciting any other-person to < pade the order is liable en indictme' , ' > imprisonment for a : term nofe>-.-.;t c fcwelvi months when: the acoused 10' ati alien, or three months i" any other c;.;e, or to a fine not ex-' ceeding £100.

Owing to the fine growth of grass' and the splendid condition oi the country generally, graziers in the Wairarapa! drought areas are arranging to feed stock at Pahiatua, says a Press Asso-! ciation telegram. Dairymen are havinga very good season contrasted with - other districts. The Ballance Company.' will make a record payment of £8800 to suppliers this v week.

The Pahiatua Fire Brigade has for-* warded the following remits for discussion at the annual conference of the U.F.8.A., to be held at Timaru next 1 month: (1) That it be compulsory for' owners of buildings used as accommo-: dation houses providing accommodation.i for twelve (12) or more persons, to place a fire alarm bell in a central posi-1 tion in such buildings. (2) That' th*. Government be requested to frame a by-! law to deal more systematically with the storage of explosives generally, in.' country towns. i

The booking for accommodation ati the North Egmont Mountain House is Stated by the "Taranaki Daily News" to be considerable, applications from over 100 people.having had to', be de-i clined. Some of these people, largely; visitors, have had to be content with a! brief trip to the Mountain, but others j have been able to wait for later book-) ings. The necessity for further accom-| modation is becoming more manifest l every summer.

While engaged taking > soundings at; the harbour mouth on Saturday morn-'i wg, the Pilot (Captain M'lntyre) and! Air. J. R. Sutherland (foreman of' works) were surprised to see a young' man, whom they had noticed on the. seaward end of the south mole, suddenly throw himself into the water (says! the Wauganui "Chronicle"). Luckily,? they were in proximity to the point' and"' as the man rose to the surface they: threw a rope to him, which he eagerly,took hold of. He was safely drawn to-' wards the launch, but was in a very, exhausted state. When interrogated' as to what had happened, the would-be suicide stated that, oppressed by the! fact of being out of work and being in financial straits, he' could bear it no • longer, and, having had no one in whom \ to confide his troubles, he in a weak', moment decided to take tie rash step j sooiler or later unless matters improved | with him. After boing rescued the! young man said that on the' previous' day. he contemplated throwing himself; off the north mole, but the presence of. people in the locality proved a deter-', rent. When he did make hi 6 attempt! he was unaware that there were anyf likely rescuers in the vioinity, but he ; subsequently-expressed his thankfulness'that there was. a boat at hand.

A member of the Expeditionary Fprca was arrested at Trentham yesterday by, \ Detective Dompsey and Constable! ' Tricklebahk on a charge of stealing-a' revolver. The article in question, alontt' with, some other property', disappeared) from the premises of the People's Pio>! ture Palace recently.

The spectacle was witnessed shortly!. afternoon yesterday of five German!' prisoners being marched up Cuba Street' between the fixed bayonets of a squad; of Territorials, in charge of an officer.; They were being marched to the Alex-] andra Barracks, precaratory to being, interned on Somes Island. At a meeting of stowards of the Mas*j v terton Racing Club on Saturday a pro-j gramme for the autumn meeting, to baj held on March 18 and 19, was approved, and ordered to be sent to the 'Wei"' lington Kaoing Club for endorsement.; The ground committee recommended certain improvements on the racecourse,:, which- were agreed to. The seoretaryt reported that over 100 fat sheep had been sold off the farm. At last eveningß meeting of the Wei* lington Freezing Workers' Union the; following nominations of officers wera received:—President, Mr. J. Smith j vice-presidents, Messrs. Rowe and Pack-,' wood; secretary, Messrs. M\ J. Beardon, and F. Mason; treasurer, Messrs.] Rice and Bowden; auditor, Mr. M. L.j A. Rearden. I . The first meeting of the 'Education Board this year will be held on Tubs*; day, January 26. The State school* of the Wellington district are to reopen on Tuesday, February 3. In the October number of the "Ham-, burger Fremdenblatt" illustrated war; chronicle, a report of a lecture delivered! by Professor W. Bibelius at Hamburg! concludes "We are fighting for the ; open door of the sea, and thereby.' furthering the interests of Europe and: of the future, and-protecting these in-: terests against the arbitrary pressure of; England; against tMs arrogant suprem-j acy of the seas whioli it, a 6 the present! war shows, no longer possesses. Th© role of an absolute ruler on the 6ea,j looks different from the one England; is playing in this war. Then England; must lay aside the intolerable Puritanical view that it is the greatest and' most cultivated nation in' the world,, 1 We have no intention of undervaluing! the English, but our mutual civilisation' has dearly, demonstrated to' us that inJ the line of culture a stand oan be taken; side by 6ide, «and we therefore cannot allow our civilisation to be abused. From the German point of view it is not an act worthy of civilisation that,, while our very existence is at stake, our enemies f should consider this war. to be merely a'mercantile undertaking, from which the greatest possible pecuniary gain might be derived. We are now combating not the great England which; we esteem highly, but the petty England, with its puritanical haughtiness, its deception, and presumption. In thisy'' war wo are fighting'for European pro-.' gress; therefore we will succeed." '