LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2369, 27 January 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Owing to the non-arrival of the Sydney boat in time, the Mayoral 'reception which was to .have been tendered to Mr. Meredith Atkinson and Mr. D. Stewart, of the Workers' Educational Association, had to bo postponed. It will take place to-da.y at noon in the Council Chambers.

Some surprise has been expressed among wool-buyers in Wellington at the cable news from Sydney respecting the presence of German buyers, and their persistence in bidding for wool at the Sydney' sales. In Now Zealand it was made abundantly clear before the first sale was hold that not only would bids from buyers representing enemy houses not he accepted, but that all wool purchased must bo forwarded to its destination via England. Hie persistence of certain buyers in attempting, in the face of protests, to buy wool ostensibly for Shipment to America, is considered to bo further evidence of the boundless audacity of those in commercial sympathy with Germany, and the lax manner in which such cases are treated. On®- recent visitor to Melbourne states that the toleration that is exercised towards • Germans and avowed pro-German Austrians in Melbourne was almost alarming.

High prices continue to rule for mutton and beef in Southland, says a Press Association telegram from Invercargill. and. at yesterday's Wallacetown stock sale £31. was paid for fat bullocks, the weight of which was estimated at anything between 13001b. and 14001b.

A small number of members of the New Zealand Main Expeditionary Force returned from Egypt by the Orari yesterday. The only particulars available yesterday was that three of the party had beeo sent back for refusing to bo inoculated, and two because they 'were guilty of misconduot.

A man was arrested by Detective Cameron yesterday on several charges of forging cheques. He will appear before the Court this morning.

At the Polioe Court yesterday (says a Press Association telegram from Christchurch) Francis Kedman was fined 20s. 011 each, of two chaTges of selling adulterated milk, and ordered to pay £8 Bs.j analyst's fees. ;

The attendances at the , schools in the Wellington Education District have steadily improved in recent years, and are now exceptionally good. The secretary of the Education Board says thai regularity in attendance is now becoming a habit. The percentage of atteni ance is 90. The average daily attendance at the "Wellington District Schools was 17,043, over the whole of last year, and 18,037 during the December quarter of the year.

Consignees of Wel'ington cargo by the German liner Wismar, at. present interned in Java, met in 'the Chamber of Commeroe yesterday afternoon for the purpose of deciding what action should be taken to obtain delivery of their consignments. It was unanimously decided that Mr. Martin, of Wright, Stephenson and Co., should be given the necessary authority to act for the firms represented at the meeting. Mr. Martin is at present in Java.

Thos.' Cook and Son have arranged a special conducted tour for the PanamaPacifio Exposition from Australia. The party is to leave Sydney by the Ventura on April 10, arriving at San Francisco via Honolulu on April 29. ihe tour includes visit* to all points of attraction ia California, and even takes in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, and Salt Lake CSty, Utah. The return journey is to be made by the Maitai, leaving San Francisco on May 26. The fare per passenger is £200 which includes entrance fees to the Exposition, but dioeß not include stewards' tips, wines, and spirits, or laundry charges. A change of name was agreed upon, by the Wellington Edncation Board yesterday. Bio chango suggested and desided upon was tho altor&tion of tti6 name of a school sits near the Wairarapa Lake from Papatahi to Wairongomai.

A. seaman named Harry Jackson, employed on the scow Alert, had a nar ~ row escape from drowning in Auckland Harbour on Saturday night, reports the "Herald." The Alert is anchored m Mechanics' Bay to the eastward of the •King's Wharf, and at about 9.30 p.m. Jackson left Craig's Wharf in a dinghy to go to his ship. When some distance out the dinghy sank and the mah had to swim for Ilia life. He woe carried by the tide towards O'Neill's PointS&nd kept calling for help. Eventually, he managed to reach the Moura, which is anchored in the stream, off Bayswater. The night-watchman on the Monro., heard his cries for assistance, and threw him a line. This he managed to, catch,' and was pulled on board in_ '» very exhausted state. He was juat beginning to feel cramp in his legs when he was rescued. He had been in the water for nearly two hours and a half, and had a most miraculous escape.

With regard to school residences in the occupation of teachers who obtain leave for military 6ervioe, the Wellington Education Board has decided not to bind itself to leave these houses in the occupation of the teacher.

After some falling off in the demand from Vancouver for New Zealand butter there is every indication' that the Canadian trade is now coming back to normal, states the Auckland "Star." By the Niagara a consignment of 11,000 boxes is being shipped to the Canadian port from Auckland, and it is stated that in spite of the drought the produce is of excellent quality, and the high standard attained by the Dominion produot is fully maintained in the consignment about to be sent away. The falling off of the past few months is, attributed merely to the passing effects of the monev _ mykot' iml ntlier war influences, and is of no importance as indicating the prospect l ! of the expansion of the New Zealand butter trade iin the American markets. .

An unusually large number of applications for employment have'been received by the managers of the principal Waihi mines since wpi'" resumed after the recent holidays, reports the Auckland "Herald.", Where there have been, vacancies, preference has been given to married men and afterWards to single men who hava relatives dependent upon them. Single men with 110 such responsibilities are unable to obtain work. Our Waihi correspondent states that it is understood that the distinction ; has been made lartzelv because it is felt that ablebodied single men, without dependents, might bettor serve their country by enj listing for active service abroad.

It had been expected that the Wellington Education District's estimates for the year would! be placed before tho board at its meeting yesterdays but the ■ chairman stated that the estim&tes were* not yet prepared, and that the matter ; would have to bo left over till next-' month.

Notwithstunding ithe European crisis and the uncertainty over the future, property transactions have been fairly numerous in the Wairarapa and FortyMile Bufih districts during the last month or two/ and several important farm sales have been made.

Supporters of a general Saturday halfholiday in Wellington-are invited by tho Wellington Saturday Half-Holiday Association to meet the association in the Central Chamber of Commerce to-mor-row evening at 8 o'clock.

Excellent work is being done at tlei refresher camp for Territorial officers aud non-commissioned officers now being hold on the Wanganui Racecourse, with Major Morrison in command. A; total of 224 are. present. Camp will be broken on Saturday next.

A few days ago, when several holiday.' makers were returning from Stewart Island, they had the-mishap to havj all their luggage • tipped into tile seaj reports a southern exchange. As is the custom at the Island, a carrier's cart takes tho luggage to the wharf and dumps it at the end of the pier. Instead of leaving the cart on" the land and carrying the luggage _ along tha pier, some venturesome driver thought he would save himself some labour, reason unknown the horse backed, and and drove, along the pier. He turned horse, cart, and baggage went into the his cart round to unload, and for some sea. The horse was drowned, and the" holiday makers' luggage was fished up, the greater part being damaged.

Following the recent endemic of typhoid at Raetihi there have been further outbreaks, five more cases beingj reported during the past week. There; is a strong complaint by a sebtion of the residents that there' was delay ini notifying the authorities of the first i outbreak and that the second one was : in consequence of this lack of promptitude. The Wanganui health authorities, however, on receipt of •at once took steps to deal with it.

According to a Press Association.' telegram from Christc'hurch the TJni-; versity Senate discussed at length. the ■ question of the establishment of a Uni-: versity Press. A motion to hold over the matter for a year was carried by;; 13 votes to 5. Apparently some kind-hearted persons are inclined to blamo the police for excessive zeal in connection with a charge of vagrancy brought against a very decent woman, who fainted at Mount Eden railway station last week, states the Auckland "Star." As a matter /if fact, the charge "vagrancy" covers & multitude of situations in police life.. A. person cannot be held at the polioe station without 6ome charge being preferred, and someone who is :obviously not a criminal, but needs some, friendly help, conies into the hands of the police, some formal "charge" is. made, so that the plight of that person may be formally brought before the authorities. Such "oharges" are made only to be withdrawn when they hava served their purpose of complying 'with the regulations. The case of the woman in question was suoh a case; the proceeding was in no way a prosecution, but' rather a matter of giving, sticcour 1

During December the Wangaani tramways carried 217,697 passengers, or 7800 more than for the same month in 1913. The total" revenue was £1863 4s. lid., of which the Gonville Tramway Board earned £475 6s. 2d., which was £82 ahead of the running .costs on the board's lines.

The property in Oriental Bay owned by Mr. Sidney Kidman, Australia's "cattle king, and latel*' occupied by General Sir Alexander Godley, has been sold tlirongh. the agency of Messrs. Gualter, Dykes and Co., to Mr. E.' J.. Righton, of the New Zealand Picture l Supplies.

Napier business men have already; ionatod lover £150 towards the eapense of fiie next mardi gras. A suggestion that ■ tree admission, Bhould be granted to all school children l wishing to attend evening classes at the< Technical Schools was briefly discussed at yesterday'b meeting of the Wellington Education Board. The suggestion; was forwarded from ketone with a request that it should be sent on to the Minister for Education. The chairman of tie board (Hon. *1. G. W. Aitken) thought that such a system would encourage children to go to the Technical Schools to get their primary education. Mr T Moss thought that if a child was wiliing to go to night school it was hardly fair to Btop him. The suggestion •was sent on to the Minister, without any note attached. The' Hawke's Bay Commercial Travellers' Association have elected lie following officers President, Mr. J. Sinclair ; vice-presidents, Messrs. 0. W. Badley, G. Weber, and R. C. Runciman.