LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2376, 4 February 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the Auckland-Vancouver dispatch of December 29 arrived in London on Febru- , ary 1, four days late. An advance in the cost of the Iβ. lunch to Is. 3d. will be made as from" to-day. This decision was come to at a meeting of the. Wellington lestauranteurs, presided over by Mr. Jaines' Godber. At to-moroow nipht's meeting of the City Council a request will be made by the Labour Representation Commit-, teo that the council should receive a, deputation to urge that the proportional . representation system be applied to the coming municipal elections.A Waitara resident received a letter; by the last English mail, in which an instance was given that evcii in remote-' districts of the United Kingdom cer- , tain trades were benefiting by the war. A blacksmith living in a small village* % in the Isle of Wight was, the letter" states, directed by the War Office t<y. send in samples of horseshoes, anbV afterwards he received orders to make as many tons of them as he and hi& assistant could.

"Last night this man was seeing rats as large as men, and blue monkeys. A change will do him good,'*; said Inspector Hendrey in the Magis-? txate's Court yesterday, ill asking foif a remand for curative treatment in, tho case of a man charged with being found helplessly drunk. The ■> man who bad been "seeing things", was; robed in a monk-like garb, composed) of a dark blanket which fell in long! folds from round his shoulders. He* did not deny having seen the huge ratsi or blue monkeys. He was remanded! for a week to more congenial surroundings. ,

A startling incident is reported in artAustralian paper to have occurred to! two fishermen. They report that when,! they were going to the fishing ground«i at Cape Bridgewater before daylight/ a>l large whale rose immediately under their] boat, lifting it bodily. The boat slid off' tho whale backward into the water. Theij stern was submerged and the water! flowed in, nearly swamping the boatj The forward ballast was thrown aft.( Only by great exertions were the inert! ablo to reduce tho water and make the boat fit to proceed on her way.

"I threw a , pound of butter at the, window. I wanted to see if Mr. Lauder was in," tremblingly pleaded Emma; White in answer to the charges o£ drunkenness and breaking a window, preferred against her in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. The! Magistrate did not make any comment! on such an unconventional method o£ finding if Mr. Lauder was in, but convicted and fined accused 10s. for drunkenness, ordered a prohibition order to be taken out against her, mulcted her » n the cost of the damage done (10s.)j and ordered her to pay witnessed expenses (45.). The members of Miss Florence Young's Musical Comedy Company arrived from the south yesterday, and open their North Island tour in Pal-i. merston North to-morrow night, visit-* ing Wellington in March. "And they will burn just the samefi on moonlight nights," said Mr. J. Jw Graham, Mayor of Woolston, in thtf course of his explanation of the council's proposal for the electric lighting of the borough. "They, will not be turned out on a moonlight night when! the moon is clouded over, or it rains and is,dark, as you sometimes see ins Christohurch and elsewhere. The lamps! will be alight till midnight on 365 nights/ ia the year." "A dog has every right to continue! its existence, but you cut that existence! short," said Mr. P. V. Frazer, S.M., to. a man who was summoned in the "Auck-i land Police Court for recklessly driv-i ing a - motor-car in the New Northi Road. The speed had been about 20' miles an hour, the car running ovec a fox-terrier, which was in the centra of tho road. "It is very hard to run; over the average Auckland dog, unless; it is a. puppy," added His Worship* "They have long ago learned,to dodger' trams and motors." The defendant who was hurrying a Maori soldier back ta tho camp'at Avondale at the time when , the dog was run. over, was fined lOs.i and 32e. costs. The Farmers' Union Monnted Rifle! Club, which was recently organised with) the object of "preserving our rights,, the maintenance of law and order,'ana; the defence of our country," is proving) very popular amongst the farming com-i munity throughout the Auckland Pro-i vince (states an exchange). Majqfl Lusk, who is, president of the club, isl now on a tour of tho agricultural disH tricts for the purpose of stimulating the patriotic spirit which is so preval-j c-nt amongst the farmers at the present* time.

A bottle, in whioh was sealed up an alleged message from a member of tnd crew of the missing; Federal traivlerf Endeavour, waa picked up on the bead*, at Purau on Sunday by Mr. J. Crawford. The note reads as follows: _ S.BJ Endeavour struck reef off Hauraki Grifj November 28, 1914. Send help. Cantf hang out longer. J. North, mate, ( Mr A. E. Wilson (President of. th<j* Christohurch Egg Farmers' AssociaJ tion) has received the following teloy gram from" the Prime Minister, in reV ply to the association's telegram asks ing the Government to purchase Ar-t we'ntine nmize for the poultry farmers:,* r 'lnquiriee being made. On receipt ofi information sought, the matter wilf receive careful consideration from tie Government."

•An amendment of the Destitute PoM sons Act is enid to be necessary to gives, the hospitals power to claim on the,' relatives of persons who die in hospital owing fees, says an exchange. Recently* the North Canterbury Board had, a« claim of £18 against .three sons, who.' were well able to pay it, but the solicitors advised that no claim conld m.'Advice was read to the effect that the; Act only imposed a liability on a son for future maintenance, and not past' maintenance. It was agreed to keep, the matter in view with the idea ot Sβ* curing an amendment of the law. Keen interest was shown in the eleohion of governing officers of the \\el-i lington Working Men's Club held yes-; terday. The declaration of the poll., showed the following returns:—Presi, <l«nt. Mr. J. M'Neo; treasurer, Mr ; Fisk; auditors, Messrs. Bolton an* Stewart; committee (four vacancies),.! Messrs. P. Meyer, W. H. Smith, Rogs era, arid M'Pbee.

At a largely-attended public meeting at Westport last night the increased cost of flour and other foodstuffs was discussed, and a resolution was passed protesting against the unwarranted increase in the cost of foodstuffs' and calling on the Government to protect the public against increases, and to commandeer wheat and other foodstuffs. A resolution was also passed asking the ' Government to supply flour at former rates to enable people to get bread at a reasonable figure.—Press Association. Mr. C. E. Mackay, of Wanganui, has been assigned by the Crown as counsel for Arthur Rottmann, who is to stand his trial at Wanganui this morning on a triple charge of murder arising out -of the Ruahine tragedy. Three men engaged in an argument on Lambton Quay, near the Woodward ' Istreet corner, about half-past 10 o'clock last night, and, being unablo to settle the question by the ordinary rules of debate, they adopted more " forcible methods. A crowd whioh collected contained.a constable, and the three menfound themselves, in the lock-up soon ■afterwards. This"morning they will be charged in the Magistrate's Court with provoking a breach of the peace. One of tho men will also appear on another charge, in connection with which a warrant had been issued for his arrest. With the exception of the miniature railway station, a few outhouses, the -motor shed, and one or two ' minor buildings, all the structures which comprised Wonderland at the recent Auckland Exhibition are, now being pulled ■down. As a result of a meeting of 'the City Council and representatives of the Wonderland syndicate, the council intimated that all the syndicate's 'buildings must be removed by February 1. The syndicate agreed to pay £70 in full satisfaction of all the City Council's claims. Litigation was threatened in this matter, says the Auckland "Herald," but a compromise was effected. On January 21 an auction sale was held, when the 21 lots were sold to individual buyers, and the City Counjcil recently stated that all the build- ! ings in connection with the Wonderjland syndicate must be removed this : week.