LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2412, 18 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A loading local mercantile house yesterday received the cablegram . from its London representative:—"Tho West Coast steamer is postponed to , April 15. Labour trouble delaying mail boat. Transit to London suspended for somo dayß. Prices stiffening. ' Sharp advance in freights expected." ' The message iB one of considerable importance to mercantile bouses. Tho 1 West Coast steamer referred to is the 1 boat which merchants were expecting 1 to leave Liverpool about now; while j tho mail steamer mentioned is the fortnightly boat to New Zealand. The ' further intimation that prices are stiff- ' oninp; and that a rise in freights is expected is not good news. The Hon. H. D. Bell has notified the Levin Borough Council that he will bo in Lovin shortly in. connection with ' matters affecting the Horowhenua Lake , Domain. ' 1 The ten New Zealand troopers who 1 have been returned to the Dominion as i prisoners were brought lo Wellington yesterday morning, and they will await ; trial by court martial at Trentham. Tho trial may bo held this week. Disputes on the files ready for hearing by the Arbitration Court total something like a hundred. This was stated in tlio eourso of argument in the Oourt at Wellington yesterday. "It is obvious," said Mr. W. Pryor, secretary of the Employers' Federation, in tho Arbitration Court yesterday, "that the workors of this Dominion do not realise how serious is the position of our Empire at the present time, or how dangerous it is even in New Zealand to do anything which might bo calculated to disturb trade or commerce in any way. In the ordinary way, it has to bo admitted, it "is exceedingly difficult to realise what the position really is, but a study of English papers, giving accounts by name and location of killed,and wounded soldiers, of whole districts plunged into mourning, of accounts of the hardships and privations of our soldiers, and of the awful experience of refugees, gives ono some idea of what is going on, and a perusal of Cardinal Mercier's pastoral gives one some idea of Belgium's plight. One can hardly believe our friends can have read that noble production and all it tells, and then complain of what they term tho saorifices the workers are making in this land." Mr. Robert Holliday, who has been in England for a year past, has returned to Wellington. In the course of conversation Mr. Holliday . stated that when he left London towards tho end of the year one would scarcely know that tho Empire was at war, save for the papers and the numbers of troops that were to. be seen in training and about the town. The aspect of business in the day time was quite normal, and tho people one met wero quite placid, and seemingly confident as to the ultimate issue. _ At night London was quite unlike itself, owing to the law as to the suppression and obscuring of lights, and the number of theatres that were closed, tho entrance lights of which are such a brightening factor under ordinary circumstances. Mr. Holliday states that he was about to leave for the Continent .with a Cook's touring party 011 July 31, but oil account of the ugly rumours about war he decided not to go. It was just as well that he did not, as people on the | Continent wero paying as much as £20 to get back across the Channel. Coming through the Suez Canal 011 the Moldavia, they could see the banks lined with the camps of tho protecting Indian troops, and it made _ one realise as much as anything the imminent peril as well as the imposing strength of tho nation. Admiral Jollicoe, writing from H.M.S. •Iron Duke, to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of the January number of "Under tho Colours," the Salvation Army's magazine for service men, stated: "The Salvation Army has done an immense amount of good in our country and in the world generally, and I wish every success to the magazine, which is published in the interests of the men of His Majosty's Services, who owo so much to the work of the Salvation Army." Commissioner Hodder has decided upon an immediate extension of the Salj vation Army Institute at the Trentham Military Camp. The work carried on there has been so signally appriciatod by tho men that more room is imperative. Each night the building is ciowdI ed with troopers, who pass their time ; writing, reading, or in recreation. Or. account of the rigorous winter now ap--1 preaching it has been decided to put down 1 a floor, which will makethe-place warmer » and more comfortable. The building i has been widened by 18 feet, sliding 1 doors have been erected, and other improvements effected. The Army has 1 also erected a spacious marquee at : Cairo, which is under the chargo of Ad- ' jutant Greene (late of Wellington), who ! is assisted by_ an officer from Malta recently appointed by General Booth. The Salvation Army are now appealing ' for a sum of £500 to defray the costs 1 incidental to these two camps. | Writing to his brother in Wellington. an Englishman who has been residont I in South Africa for fifteen years, and who occupies a prominent position in ' business circles in Durban, saj*s:—"I think the Germans will be more or less 1 knocked out by the middle of tho year. ' South Africa, I should say, is past its ; worst, but the position in the towns will ' not be good for some time. There should 5 be a good season for the farmers next i year, though this year has been spoijt by the rebellion. I expect fine mealie 1 (maize) crops this July. A great imj provement has takon place in stock in . tho Free State lately, though tlio last drought played havoc. Poverty in tho towns is acute. People prefer to hang about than battle away on their own for , a few years on the veldt or veldt towns. _ It is most depressing to open replies to 5 advertisements for clorks at £18 to £20 5 a month. I had 44 replies the other day > —many of them married men." 3 Sir Walter Buchanan has written to 1 tho Featherston County Council euclos--5 ing a letter from tho Minister of Public j Works re the Rimutaka Road. A survey j has been made, and the cost of replac--1 ing the old bridges would be about I £2700. A survey lias also been made of 3 a proposed deviation, and it was found L that the deviation would be about 20 . chains longer than the existing road. , The sidings would bo bad, and liable to ' slips. The Etiginper-in-Chicf advised ~ that tho present road be adhered to, and " the bridges replaced by reinforced con--5 crete structures. A porrespondent writes—What might , have been a serious accident was avert- *" ed by tho plucky conduct of a young r man named Noel do Mey, who in com- " pany with a young friend on horseback 5 was riding in the direction _ of Otaki, 3 when they met an approaching wagon - on the traffic bridge, laden with milk. For tho purpose of recovering his hat, which had blown away, the driver 1 brought tho horses to a standstill, and 5 walked back some distance on the 5 bridge. During his absence the animals . became alarmed by tho noise of an ap--5 preaching motor-car behind the wagon, , and 1 bolted. The young men at once , wheeled their horses and rode off the ' bridge to allow the runaways to pass. ' With great presenco of mind and ' promptitude Mr. de Mcy went after • them, and managed to seize one of tho 1 reins, and after some difficulty grasped ' tho other and ultimately brought the ■ animals to a standstill. Had 'not the 1 young man acted promptly the results 1 might have been disastrous, for two 1 motor-cars full of ladies had descended the hill in t-hd direction of the bridge. Tlift total amount realised bv the sale ■ of harvest produce and collections in ! aid of the Belgian Fund in connection 1 with the Lower Hutt Methodist Church

A direct reply to the statements made with regard to the profits accruing to tho Union Company as a result of the war was given by Mr. W. Pryor, on behalf of the company, in tlio Arbitration Court yesterday. Tho war results had been anything but satisfactory to tho companyj be said, and it would have been far better for tho company if the war had never coma about. Tho transport service was nothing like the huge thing it was supposed. to bo for tho company, and, while it had at ono time six vessels engaged in the service, only two were to bo retained. Tho company had stood loyally to New Zealana in maintaining services, and had l suffered a considerable diminution of its business, quite apart from the transport service. Mr. Pryor handed up a statement, signed by a reliable officer, to show tho Court that tho company's business as a whole had suffered seriously by the war. Some figures published in the monthly report of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners indicate the growth in numerical strength of tha Australasian branches of the society in recent years. In 1890 there wero 6ix branches in Now Zealand, and .33 in Australia. The New Zealand membership was 152, the Australian 1406, and the Australasian total 1558. The Wellington membership numbered only 20. To-day Australasia has 111 branches, whose members number 12,952. The maritime strike was a failure, according to the latest monthly report of the Amalgamated Societv of Carpenters and Joiners, "and," adds that publication, "that is how most strikes end—M good to the worker, no gcod to tha. employer, both suffer." When tho' strike took place the business of tho. society in Australasia was carried' ons by the District Committee in Australia, and the following sums were given 'by, members towards the strike: —Grantf from District Committee, £505; Auck* land, £1 Is. 6d.; Dunedin, £54 lis.; Adelaide, £80: Balmain, £24 125.; Bathurst, £12 6s. 3d.; Brisbane, first and second, £86 14s. 3d.: Bundoberg,. £6 os. 6d.; Geelong, £19 lis. 6d.; Newcastle, N.S.W., £7 125.; Redfern, £33 os. 6d.; Sydney, first, £87 2s. lQd.; Townsville, £12 55.; Melbourne, first,; £143 lis. 9d.; Melbourne, second, £66 4s. 4d.: Melbourne, third, £67 Bs. lOd.; Richmond, Victoria, £47 7s. 6d.; Nortte Melbourne, £33 os. 5d.: Brunswick, Victoria, £28 is.; South Melbourne, £15 55.; Williamstowu, £13 6s. 6d.; Bairnsdale, Victoria, £1 lis. 9d.; Petcw sham, N.S.W., £13 12s. 9d.; Burwood,, N.S.W., £4 10s.; Sandhurst, £27 Bsj 6d.; total, £1394 10s. 8d Arbitration is advocated in the pronosed amended rules of the Carpenters • and Joiners' Society, and a writer IB the society's monthly journal Bays^— 1 "In that our members will concur. We do not tliiuk for a moment we could better our position in this country by, forcing the strike method, and the ConJ ference very wisely adopted the safe step of framing (rule's to meet with thai requirements of tha Conciliation ana Arbitration Act." Mr. E. D. Roes, a well-known Syd*; ney brewer, was a through passenger from San Francisco to Sydney /by thej Marama yesterday. Mr. llees happened to bo in Germany when wac broke out, but experienced no hardships in getting out beyond the that he and his party lost the n'hol<*. of their luggage. Mr. Ree=! expressed: sympathy for little Switzerland, wnic& ho stated was short of food when lis. left England, and liad to keep hcrj army on a war footing. Holland, *09*, was feeling the strain of having to reed so mail); thousands of Belgians on a° diminishing food supply. The elaborately-prepared souvenir o5 the Plimmer-Hall Comedy Co., which iB to be sold by auction at the Grand Opera House on Saturday evening:, was exhibited in Stewart Dawson's window yesterday, and attracted a great deal of attention. It will remain here ott show until Saturday morning. The steamer Rotorua, which berthed at Auckland on Monday, brought about 80 third-class passengers from London. Most, of these are females, and many have como out to join relatives who preceded them to New Zealand. Ono effect of tho war has been to reduce rathor than to increase the number of people leaving England to make notnes in newer countries. Sonio of those wno arrived by tlio !Rotorua state that con* ditions in the Old Country were very unsettled when they left, owing to the • great enthusiasm - which prevails in re«. card to recruiting among the workers, ' as well as other classes of the com--1 munity. idea of the response given W ' Kitchener's appeal for men may be gam, : ed from information given by Mr. A.; Fairley, of Whangarei. In the last ; issue of his old school's magazine ap- ■ -pears a list containing no fewer than ' 190 names of "Old Boys" who had joined the active service forces, and more ' names were still coming in. Of these 18 were in the London Scottish, and no 1 doubt took part in that glorious chargei ■ at Ypres. Besides this those Old Boys who could not leave England formed I themselves into a corps for Homo de--1 fence, and at ono meeting of the Old Bovs. held at the school, 150 jomei , this latter corps en bloc. Tho school ! referred to is Alleyn's College of God 8 1 Gift, Dulwich, London. 1 Do people live longer, nowadays thaif E in times pastP An affirmative answer 1 is supplied by the Government 6tatis- . tician (asserts an exchange), who proves i his point in a highly interesting series 1 of tables published in the New Zea« I land Year Book." Working on tha ; basis of the census returns for tlie ; various quinquennial periods, the statisi ticians publish the results of their in- • quiry. into two periods, that or J.yUL-o 1 and 1906-10. The complete tables, ; with explanations, will be wroed later, > Meanwhile enough is published _ tci • show that the the statisticians • get to the present <Vy the longer is the expectation of life and the less the rata I of mortality. To take one sample from I tho tables'showing the expectation of • life (calculated upon mortality figures).It is shown that a male chi'd aged one has a fair chauce, on statistical evi- ' dence of what has happened before, ta ' live another 63.125 years. • At 40 niß 5 expectation of life is set down at 31t ' years, and if ho has survived the bnffetings of existence till the age of 50, i the statisticians says ho is likely, on ■ the average, to be "good" for another 1 16.872 years. A woman of 50 has ' longer expectation of life, the period 1 being calculated at 18.220 years.