LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2373, 1 February 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A severe shock of earthquake was felt a little before 10 o'clock on Saturday night. The shake was peceeded by a distinct rumbling noise.

The Hon..Jas. Allen (Minister of Defence) has been informed that there is a possibility that Australians who bava not been accepted in the Commonwealth for military service at the front, on the score that they are not of satisfactory character, will attempt to enrol in the New Zealand reinforcements. The Minister has telegraphed to the Dominion officer in command of the New Zealand Forces (Colonel Robin) instructing him to warn recruiting officers to take every precaution against anything of the kind taking place.— Press Association.

Detective-Sergeant M'llveney and Detective Bailey arrested a man in Adelaide Road on Saturday, on provisional warrant, for the alleged theft .m Victoria of £15, the offence dating back to April, 1911. Formal proceedings will be taken in Wellington, pending the arrival of an escort to take accused back to Australia. The man had a large sum of money in his possession when lie was arrested.

"Do you ever buy cigars?" asked Mr H. P. Richmond of a judgment debtor in the Auckland Magistrates Court. "No," replied the debtor, "but people sometimes give me some. 1 got a bos last Ckristniasfroni a candidate for what I did during the election." "Well," replied Mr. Richmond, laughing, "you had better not mention that fact too frequently, or you might get ycur benefactor into trouble. ° There was one bankruptcy recorded in the Wairarapa during the month of January.

Bush and grass fires are still ragiflg in the Wairarapa, according to a telegram received yesterday from our Masterton correspondent. Tho M'Carthy Scholarships for 1914 have been awarded to Masters Frank Hally, Reg. Muggeridge, and John O'Brien—all three being pupils of the Marist Brothers' School, Thorndon. The scholarships, of the annual value of £10, are tenable at St. Patrick's College, the Sogrief Scholarship also passed to a pupil of tho same school, Master Ben O'Brien being the winner.

Definite disbelief in the rumours that two members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force had been mnde«d in bairo was expressed to a Do*»«» reporter on Saturday by Captairl. S* Westen, of the Orari, late Troopship No. 6. Captain Weston was m Cairo for four days after the arrival of the troops, a „d he spent a day in tho New_Zeahndors' camp, a tew miles out of Cairo. : What struck him more than anything, he said, was tho quietness of the whole of the camp, and the good behaviour of the men. He could not help remarking that fact to an officer before leaving. Even in tho evening the quietness was marked. In Cairo itself he came across a lot of the New Zealandcrs, and without exception they wero well behaved and verv well thought of by tho peoples there. Referring to the rumours of two murders, Captain Weston said that he was surprised to hear of them, lor while he was in Egypt no such rumours wore heard of. He was perfectly satisfied that thev wore without foundation.

Tho price of bread in Carterton has been raised to od. cash and old. booked, the 21b. loaf.

The inspection of Yogeltown, to havo been made by-tho Outlying Districts Committeo of'the City Council on Saturday afternoon, was postponed, ia view of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

A special mo&tiiiE of the City Council will he held this afternoon to consider matters relating to tho city's control and charge of tho Hutt Road.

The gently swaying figure of Sydney Grell, endeavouring to load a revolver, was observed by a constable in Cambridge Terrace on Friday. His actions were unusual and suspicious, and tho constable quickly directed his steps to whero Grell stood. Ho arrived just in time, for the man with tho revolver was about, to project its contents into tho air when he was arrested. Grell appeared boforo the Magistrate on Saturday, when ho was fined £lj in default one week's imprisonment, for, being drunk while in possession of firearms and ammunition. Grell was also deprived, of his munitions of war.

In, the course of the next few days the Garrison Artillery Companies, mobilised at the forts,- will carry out practice with service ammunition. Tho souud of gun-fire need not therefore occasion any alarm. On a selected day the Janie Seddon will tow the condemned hulk Oreti well out into the Strait where she will be used as a target_ by Fort Dorset for practioo with high explosive shells.

The New Zealand Flour and Produce 'Agency Company, as agents for the manufacturers, have, says a Association telegram from Christchurch, advaucedVtbe prices of flour and pollard by 10s. per ton, making tho prices £15 10s. and £8 respectively.

In the Magistrate's Court, Christchurch, on Saturday, says a Press Association telegram, George Bonnington, chemist,- was charged with selling vinegar essence mado from acetic acid and caramel without having it described as imitation vinegar. He was also charged ■with selling food coloured with caramel. In both cases he was convicted, but no fine was imposed. The prosecution said that the addition of cara : mel made the vinegar mistakable for the real article by the purchaser.

Reserved judgment in the civil action, E. Timmings v. Bolton and Organ, will be delivered by His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking in the Supreme Court at 10 o'clock to-morrow morning.

The petition lodged in connection with the recent election for the Tau■marunui seat is to be heard before their Honours Mr. Justice Cooper and Mr. Justice Chapman at the Courthouse, Tauniarunuj, at 10.30 a.m. on Monday, February 22.

Probably about the last place one would expect to find a piece of English furniture alleged to be 400 years old would be in an auction room in Christchurch (says the "Press"). Areporter was shown a table in an auction room which is described as being over 400 years old, and to hare been originally a part of the furniture of tho refactory of a Berkshire Abbey. Upon the dissolution of the monasteries, according to the description and pedigree supplied by the owner, it became a communion table at a parish church, and was . subsequently transferred to the rectory. It is of unique design, consisting of two pieces of solid oak, and the top is removable. The lees consist of a centre row of carved balusters with transverse rows at each end.

"We are desperately short of male teachers," observed the secretary of. the Hawke's Bay Education Board in conversation with a Napier reporter. A large number of teachers had gone off to the war, and the board has the greatest difficulty in 'getting applications of any kind, let alone the right class of person to fill the positions. It has been extremely difficult for some years past to induce young men to take up this profession, and, as a consequence, with so many of our male population drifting; to the field of battle, a very difficult problem is confronting the authorities. In advertising for applicants for the many vacancies, the board has held out better inducements in the matter of conditions and salaries, and it is yet hoped that these will result in attracting the required number of qualified persons for the positions." In reply to a further inquiry, the secretary stated that the board was also having difficulty fn securing the services of suitable female teachers.

Somo startling figures emphasising the heed for recruiting to make up "wastage'.' in the battle line of our army were given by Lord Crawford at a Tecruiting meeting at Openshaw, Lancashire. Lord Crawford said that the urgent necessity for more men to strengthen the forces at the front ,was realised when .it was considered that every 24 hours since the British Army was first engaged on the Continent our losses in killed, wounded, and prisoners had numbered on the average 800. Onr Allies had probably lost 8000 a day, and in a few days the French Army lost as many men as Great Britain did in the whole of the Boer War. Yet_ our interests were as great as and in many ways greater than those of the Allies, for it had become increasingly plain that the final objective of the Germans was this country. That being so our danger was greater. Our duty was to rely upon ourselves to see the war through to a successful end. (Cheers.)

In the telegraphed list of Royal Humane Society awards, published on Saturday, the name Herbert Mashman was given iii mistake for Robert Cashmau. The award in this ease was for rescuing John V. Strachan, aged 4i years, from drowning at Wellington on October 13, 1914.

Preparations had been made to hold the next biennial Congress of the International Alliance for Women's Suffrage in Berlin in June, 1915, but the German Union for Women's Suffrage has had to write withdrawing the invitation. "Although the terrible universal war may bo ended before June, 1915," writes the president, Frau Marie Stritt, from Dresden, "whatever tho result may be, the sadly altered circumstances would make it impossible, for a long time to come, to take up the Congress preparations." The Dutch women suffragists, through tho National Committee of International Affairs, propose, therefore, that the business meetings hi connection with the Congress should bo held in Holland, it being of tho greatest importance, in their opinion, that the representative women of the world should have an opportunity of meeting togother this year. The obvious difficulties in the way of oven the preliminary negotiations for tho holding of an international conferonce to bo attended by the women of belligoront as well as neutral countries, have been anticipated by the Dutch suffragists, who undertake to forward letters to London through Holland, nnd, in tho event of their invitation being accepted, suggest that the international headquarters should be removed for the time being from London, where they were recently established, to Amsterdam.—("Manchester Guardian.")

Through the top wiro breaking as he was getting through a fence, Mr. W. Butler, of Gladstone, had the misfortune to fall heavily to the ground a fewdays ago, breaking a bone in his chest.

In the trades compulsorily insured against unemployment in Britain—viz., building, works of construction engineering, shipbuilding, vehicle making, etc. —the percentage of unemployment on December 11 was 3.-16, as compared with 3.G1 a week earlier, 3.53 a month earlier, and 4.31 a year ago. These figures relate to the whole of the United Kingdom and include all unemployed workmen in the insured trades. It will bo seen that the rate of unemployment in these trades remains below the level of a year ago. As regards tho uninsured trades, the number of men and women on the registers of the Labour Exchanges on December 11 shows a decrease on the figure a week earlier, being 47,710 as compared with 50,000. For men alone the corresponding figures were 15,579 and 19,769, and for women 29,132 and 30,271.

In tlio battle of the Bight of Heligoland too place "the most romantic, dramatic and piquant episode that modern war can ever show." H.M.S. Defender, a destroyer, having sunk an enemy, lowered a "whaler" to pick up her survivors; before the whaler got back an enemy's cruiser came up and chased the Defender, and sho was forced to abandon her whaler and its crew. Imagine their ieolings—alone in an open boat without food, 25 miles from land, and that land the enemy's fortress, with nothing but fogs and foes, around them. Suddenly a swirl alongside, and up, if you please, pops his Britannic Majesty's submarine, "E4," opens his conning tower, takes them all on board, shuts up. again, dives, and brings them home 2oi) miles! So the story was told in the "Morning Post.". It might be a page from Jules Yernc.