LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2409, 15 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As the Riverina, from Sydney to Auckland, |is a day late this week, no Australian mail will arrive here today. The Riverina will reach Auckland to-day, and the mail should be down by the Main Trunk express to-morrow. The Wellington Rowing Association's annual regatta will take place next Saturday on the Oriental Bay course. The Totalisa'tor Commission has, says a Press Association telegram from Dunedin, promised to consider favourably the Otago Hunt Club's application fbr a permit for the Wingatui course. The Primo Minis',er is having.a report prepared by the Lands Department on suibisci of the Epual'Hamlet uut. ,|et to*. - , .

Makara fishermen are not, having very large catches of late, owing to the changeable and heavy weather. All augured well for Saturday's returns, when the northerly that 6prang up compolled nets to be lifted with disappointing and exceptionally light catches. The Returning Officer for Hutt (Mr. P. London) has been notified that the expenses of candidates at the recent Parliamentary election were:—Mr. T. M. Wilford, £96 3s. 6d.; Mr. A. M. Samuel, £121 6s. 2d. Commenting on the discussions concerning the form which, a war tax'should take, the "Farmers' Union Advocate" says:—"The farmer recognises that if a tax is necessary, he must pay his quota, and he will do so willingly, provided that it is not a class tax; but that all classes contribute their share in proportion to the benefits received. We also recognise that it is next to impossible to impose a tax that can be perfectly just to everyone, but speaking nominally, and with reservation, we believe that the taxation for'general purposes is' fairly equitably imposed, and that a small percentage on existing taxation would, meet the needs of the case. It may be true that certain sections of the people have suffered more . than others through the war, and therefore there is all the more ned to see that the tax is levied in such a way that such people will benefit by almost complete exemption." At the monthly meeting of the Featherston County Council on Friday, Councillor Pearce Rave notice of motion that the council consider the advisability of appointing an engineer. The following were appointed managing ratepayers for the FeatherstonLongwood water-race district: Meissrs. A. Clark, C. R. Cundy. H. Willis,-M. Elgar, A. Murphy, and D. H. S. Riddiford. It was reEolved to test the feeling of ratepayers interested with a. view to raising a loan to erect a bridge over the Turanganui River, at an. estimated cost of £2000. In the Lyttelton Magistrate's' Court on Saturday, says a Press Association telegram, a fireman on the Ennerdale was charged with having disobeyed orders to trim coal. Ho said his refusal was based on the ground that the union's agreement exempted him fromdoing such work. The Bench said the defendant should have carried out the orders first and then complained to the union. He was ordered to pay costs, and no conviction was recorded. The mission at St. - Anne's Catholic Church, conducted by the Marist Missionaries (the Rev. Fathers Taylor and M'Carthy) was brought, to a ciose yesterday. During the week the church was packed to overflowing to hear the exhortations of the missionaries. Missions will be opened at St. Patrick's Church (Kilbirnie), and St. Francis Church (Island Bay), and conducted by the same Missionaries. A terrifio gale was experienced at Skippers last week (writes the correspondent of the "Lake County Press"). The wind arose suddenly, and blew with cyclonic force for about ten minutes. Trees were uprooted _ in all directions and several outbuildings were blown, down. Mr. Richard Payne, l of Arrowtown, had a narrow escape from death. He left his hut when the gale came on, and a few minutes later a huge tree was blown down and crashed through the roof. The tree fell on the bed which Mr. Payne had just vacated. Another tree fell on a residence some distance away, and flattened out one of the rooms, while a stable was also seriously damaged. The full force of tie cyclone appears to have been limited to a very small area. At a-meeting of the Christ's College Old Boys' Association in Christohurch on Friday evening/ a member had a menu" of a dinner in Cairo bearing the signatures of fifty or sixty old .boys who had joined the Expeditionary Force. The president of the association, Mr. E. F. J. Grigg, referred to the souvenir, and said that, according to letters received, the dinner was a bad one, but the evening a good one. The old boys had enjoyed the reunion, and had sung the College song so lustily that the military police had come in to see what was the matter. However, one of the singers was the officer in charge, and so no arreste were made. Later in the evening Mr. A. E. Flower stated that nearly 200 old boys had gone with the forces. ■ . Tram Conductor Cottman was admitted to the Wellington Public Hospital on Saturday suffering from slight concussion of the brain. It is stated (illat he leaned slightly overthe side of a double-decker tramcar in Jervois Quay, and, the car lurching at the time, his head came into contact with one of the centre poles. It is thought that he will be well enough to leave the Hospital to-day. Some time ago the Horowhenua County Council threatened to pay no more hospital levies ; ' and wrote to this effect to Dr. Valintine. At Saturday's meeting of the council t-hfe InspectorGeneral acknowledged receipt of a letter on the matter, and added: "I have no doubt your council is fully conversant with the law oil the subject. 1 ' The Levin Borough Counoil has notified the county authority that it cannot endorse the resolution not to pay the levies. The recent rains have had the effect of bringing on a great growth of mushrooms round the Wellington district. On Saturday several parties of gatherers went as far afield as Makara, ana were amply rewarded for the trip. There was a case at the Christohurch Magistrate's Court the other da; in which the defendant admitted- that he had sat on the galvanised iron roof -of a.house that was being towed by a traction engine along Victoria Street, and when it came to the overhead tramway wires at Bealey Avenue he coolly took thom in his bare hand and "eased them just so that they would not get caught on the' roof. The tramway engineer (Mr. E. P. Turner) met the caravan m Bealey Avenue as they were approaching another lot of tramway wires, and going up to the driver of the engine he said: "That- house won't go under those wires." "Oh, but we'll lift them np, said the man. The engineer: "Well!, if you do you will get killed. _ Killed, exclaimed the astonished driver, why the old man on top there (nodding his head towards the roof of the house behind) lifted them up at Victoria Street and didn't even got nis whiskers scorched." Tlio engineer in giving evidence explained that the man had been singularly fortunate. Under certain circumstances he would have received the full strength of the current in handling the cables as lie did, and had 110 caught one of the suspension wires where the round knob was which insulated it from the live wire he most certainly would have been killed. ( . Members in Taranaki of the New Zealand Honey-Producers' Association _ are this season taking the initiative in a plan which may, it is thought, spread throughout the Dominion. The shareholders are only roughly to strain their honey and then forward it to the Taranaki depot, which is_ also a Government grading store. It is to be there thoroughly liquefied, and subjected to the final straining. The Agricultural Journal" states that the blending of all the honey in large tanks, and the stirring for a fine grain is also under consideration. • A girl of 13, living with her parents in Ponsonby, Auckland, disappeared last Tuesday, and the parents informed the police. She had left her home at 8.30 to attend school, and did not return. As she was fond of swimming and often wont alone to the Ponsonby beaches it was feared that she had been, drowned. The police, however, made inquiries, and (says Friday's "Star") found that the girl was in gaol. She had been arrested on a charge of theft, and had given a Wfeiig tinuis, so that the parents were in igMraaceofher whereabouts, .

The Wellington District secretary of the National Reserve (Mr. W. Leslie)' notifies that from this date the headquarters office, No. 216 Lambton Quay,' .will be open daily for the transaction of business connected with the Reserve from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., except on Saturday, when the oflice will close at x p.m. The death occurred at Petone jester-* day of Mr. John Stanton, who was bora at Motueka, Nelson, 69 years ago. The late Mr. Stanton came to Wellington 26 years ago, and was connected with the Government Printing Office for many years, retiring about four years ago. Some twelve years ago, he took up his residence with his family at Petone, where he resided until his death, which' came after an illness. Deceased leaves two sons and four daughters. The annual report of the Island Bay Municipal Electors' Association states that thanks to the efforts of Mr. W. [ Prince, good work has been done in minimising the mosquito nuisance at Island Bay. Mr. Prince has had some assistance from the association, and his efforts have been supplemented by | the officers of the City Council. The price of oatmeal in Dunedin has advanced to £21 per ton consequent on the rise in the price of oats.—Press Association. Many old friends in New Zealand will sympathise with Mrs. W. F. Siayter, now residing in England, in the loss of her eldest son, Midshipman Trevor Monro Hoare Masters, Royal Navy, who went down in H.M.S. Formidable on. New Year's morning in a terrifio gale in the English Channel. Some years ago Mrs. W. F. Siayter, then Mrs. Masters, with her little son Trevor, spent some weeks in Wellington and Hawke's Bay. At Bay she paid a visit to her brother-m-law and sister, Dr. and Mrs. de Lisle, of Te Moemoea, Hastings, as a farewell before leaving foe England. A suggestion made by the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty, to Animals that a lethal chamber for the destruction of stray dogs should be provided by the Auckland City Council is approved by the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. C. J. Parr). The society's idea is that a brick chamber should be coin structed wherein gas could be introduced te cause death painlessly. Tha Mayor intends to commend the proposal to the council. In the past stray; dogs have been destroyed by drowning The Wairarapa Egg Circle, at its annual meeting, passed resolutions protesting against the removal of the duty, on eggs; asking that wheat bo imported by the Government and handed over to recognised poultry societies . for- distri< bution among poultry-breeders j requesting that the export of bran ba prohibited; and asking that a maximum price be fixed for bran and pollard. It is not commonly known, says tha Auckland "Herald," that baptism by, immersion is recognised by the Anglican Church, and that any adult candid dates may demand this form of baptism in preference to the customary "sprinkling." The prayer book requires a! clergyman to "dip" a candidate if requested to do so, but in only one church! i'i the Auckland diocese are the necessary facilities provided. St. Matthew's Church is furnished with a font to meet' such a demand, and on Wednesday, evening, a large congregation assembled to take part in a baptismal service, when a young lady received the rite bj; immersion. The service was a most impressive one. The vicar, the Rev. W. E. Gillam, performed the rite, and the Rev. Jasper Calder preached tlie sermon. lit the course of ten years, ; this is only thei second occasion on which a similar ceremony has. been performed at this church."'< The facilities provided at St< Matthew's are freely offeredto any Anglican clergyman in the diocese, who may wish to baptise his candidates bj; immersion. The annual Communion of the members of the Hibernian Sooiety" (both St. Patrick's and St. Mary's branches) took place yesterday morning at St. Mary of tho Angels', Boulcott Street, at 8 o'clock Mass, when "about 200 received the Communion. The Rev. Father O'Connell celebrated Mass. After Mass a Communion breakfast was held. The following toasts were gone through I "The Pope" (coupled with "Tha King"), Bro. M'Gowanj "Roman Catholic Education," by Bro. J. O'Brien, responded to by Bro. P. D. Hoskins; "The Federation," by Bro. M. Walsh, responded to by Bro. J. J. L. Burks j "The Clergy," , by Bro. H. M'Keowen, responded to by tne Rev. Fathefr O'Connell; "Kindred Societies," by Bro. A. F. Whitaker, and responded to by Bros. L. T. Reichel (St. Vincent de Paul Society), M. OTtane (Catholio Club); "The Ladies," by Bro. J. L. Turner, responded to by Bro. J. Sullivan. Two' old identities, in the person of Bro. M. Bohan (father of Hibernianism of tha Dominion) and Bro. Redmond spoke in reminiscent veto, and the proposal of the Rev. Father O'Connell for three cheers | for the former were heartily given. A' Communion breakfast was held by the Newtown branch' of the society, ana the Thomdon and Hutt .branches had the annual Communion. Dr. Purley A. Baker, national superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of America, accompanied by Mrs. Baker, arrived at Honolulu in the Sonoma on February 22, to assist the No-License orusade there: Dr. Baker is convinced that America ia going dry. It may taka another 10 years for National Prohibition to hold sway, 'he says. "The number of dry States is growing more rapidly than had been "expected. Six weeks 'ago we counted lp, and now_ Alabama has joined the army. I have just come from the South," he said, ''and we are proud of the record the land cf Dixie is making. With two or three more commonwealths added to the honourable list, then the whole Southland will ba saloonless and- prosperous. It i« noted, also, that Idaho is pledged to State prohibition in both Houses of thei Legislature. lowa goes dry in 1916,as also Arkansas, making 18 dry States, and possibly Kentucky will join at the same date. It is a wonderful movement. It has come to stay, and is bound to sweep the entire country in tlie> interests of efficiency and economy, if for no ot'her purpose.- Tile Press is rendering us tremendous assistance Publicity, education, and political reform are ranged with us in battle array."