LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2464, 18 May 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that- the R.M.S. Niagara, which sailed from Sydney on Thursday last for Auckland, carries a small Australian mail only, the Wellington portion of which will arrive by the Main Trunk express today.

A Gazette notice published last night declares the Taumarunui scat vacant, consequent upon the decision of 'tho Court in the election petition of Mr. U. K. Wilson.

The Postmaster-General has received notice from the Pacific Cable Board of its agreement t-o the delivery of weekend messages relating to the Now Zealand Forces in the field, and especially casualty messages, on Sunday, when they are in the hands of tho delivery office on that day, instead of their being detained for dolivery On Monday, in accordance with the rule. The difference between soldiers' messages and ordinary week-end messages should be carefully attended to. Ordinary weekend messages will not be delivered until tho Monday.

Colonel Logan's weekly report on the health of the- troops at Saiiioa reads: "Captain Roache, enteric; Corporal Heasley, debility; Privates Morrisey, injury to leg; R. J. Nelson, meatitis; F. \V. Bezer, influenza ; J. G. Risk, convalescent; Corporal Allen, meatitis. All doing well. Corporal J. Lovell, pleurisy and cardiac, dangerously ill." The Superintendent of the Central Fire Brigade wishes to acknowledge the receipt of a cheque for £2 2s. received from Messrs. Wallace and Gibson, for the assistance rendered at the fire in their premises on Sunday. The amount will go to the Fire Brigade Club.

The decision of the English Board of Trade to send the steamer Delphic out tram England to New Zealand in ballast was referred to by Mr. J. Reid at the meeting of the Central Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Mr. Reed thought that as many merchants could uot get goods out from England owing to the shortage of labour to load the boats, that it would be a good thing to send wharf labourers from New Zealand for this purpose, and lie moved that the Government should be approached '.villi that object in view. Other membors did not favour this view, and it was stated that the congestion in London and some other ports was responsible for the delay, and not lack of boats or labour. The motion was rejected.

We have some aliens in New Zealand who belong to enemy nations, but who are apparently not enemies. Yesterday the Prime Minister received an offer on behalf of 200 Dalmatians in Xow Zealand, who come from the territory of the Emperor of Austria, to serve with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. These men are of the Slavonic branch of the Aryan family, and they hate the Teutonic Austrians as much as we hate tho Teutonic Germans. The Prime Minister has roplicd to the gentlemen making the offer 011 behalf of the Austrians that he cannot accept their services without first consulting His Excelloncy the Governor.

At the meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board on Thursday, Mr. li. R. Gardener will move: —"That the motion relating to tho purchase of tha Manga-roa farm bo rescinded, and that the whole question of purchasing a dairv farm for the milk supply at the Wellington Hospital anil its institutions bo reconsidered."

111 the Town Hall, Lower Hutt, last night a ballot took place for the election of captain of the Hutt unit of the National Roservo. There were two candidates —.Mr. J. H. Clnphnm and .Mr. W. Watson. Mr. H. Baldwin, Mayor of the Hutt, and also president of the Hutt detachment, occupied the chair, with him Mr. H. A. \Y. Mackenzie, president of the Taita detacluncnt, and Mr. TVoyd, representing Petone. The ballot showed that neither candidate had an absolute majority in every detachment, lind the election was ineffectual, though Mr. Watson had a majority. Tho selection is therefore loft now to the headquarters of the reserve.

. Tho Wairarapa Caledonian Society's Pif>6 Band will, says our Mastertoii corf&spdhdent, prtbabl.v compete at the Ballarat competitions tide year.

Many conjectures were made by thossf attracted by a small crowd which gathered in the vicinity of the Union Clothe ing Company's corner last night as to how 0110 of the plate glass panes of the window had como to be smashed. A' policeman oil guard and a cleared interior of the window 'heightened the interest. The explanation of the shattered window was a simple one, however. A pedestrian turning the corner from Cuba Street into Manners Street had calmly walked through the window, but not in any manner so calmly dived out a Sain from the breach of disruptured glass. The interior of the window was clear at the time, and tho pedestrian had walked on through the window, thinking lie was pursuing the conventional course along the sidewalk. No doubt the fact that tlierd was a-mirror at the other end of tho window heightened the delusion. The unintentional window smasher was fortunately not hurt, and was able to continue on a more easy journey.

Shortly before 11 o'clock last night ataxi driver in the vicinity of Harris Street heard the crash of broken glass. On investigating he discovered that ah empty beer bottle had evidently been lrnrled at a window in Jlessrs. "Castendyk and Focke's premises in Harris Street. He immediately informed the police at Manners Street station, but on: the arrival of two nothing could be discovered of the person Who had broken the window. There were 110 people in the vicinity at the time, and it is thought- that a belated reveller who had had all he wanted out of the bottle hurled it at the window in question.

At tho meeting of the Masterton Cen-' tre of the Farmers' Union on Satur j day, Mr. D. M'Gregor stated that lid knew one farmer in the district who, for purely patriotic reasons, intended putting down 100 acres of his land in wheat this season. Previously this farmer had not grown an acre of wheat. Mr. William Perry and other members of the union urged fanners to grow as much wheat as possible, as there was likely to be a considerable sliortago in Australia.

A correspondent writes to a London pap?r from . Bombay: "All who knew their India bad their own ideas of tho probable state of the country in wartime; none of tlieui bad the remotest ' resemblance to the tranquillity and cheerfulness wliicli aro everywhere apparent. _ Since the departure of the last units of the great expeditionary force, the city has resumed its normal appearance. We know of tho severity of much of the fighting, both from the casualty lists' and from the periodical arrival of the hospital slups Loyalty and Madras,, fitted out by the Princes of Central India and' the people of tie Madras Presidency; hut the wounded are swiftly transferred to the fine base hospital equipped in memory of Lady Hardir.pte and thence to their homes in auv balance trains. Those of us who have held converse with the Indian wounded have found them full of admiration of our Allies the French, and good comrades with the British forces : there is not one who is not readv and anxious to return to the front. The Territorials have _ come been immediately absorbed into the military organisation, m winch they are working whole-heart-iu the hope that the call for act-ivo service will come. These ripples scarcely disturb the even tenor of our days."

Many accounts of Lieiitenant-General Birdwood's work with the Australian and Xew Zealand forces are coming from Egypt by mail. A Melbourne journalist states that when the general reached Egypt officers were receiving many complaints. Somfethiiig was wrong!Men- were getting sulky, were" falling out, were acquiring all sorts of mysterious ills. General Birdwood soon found out the remedy—more food, less work, /c better than hiost of our officers, that men bathed in perspiration from arduous work iri unaccustomed circumstances needed plenty of food, and plenty of rest, and ho saw to it* that the troops got both. Ho is a ik■ Br j fter Australia 's own heart. His office door nt headquarters bears 116 name-plate, and he is the mtfst accessible Kitchener man ever known. If the troons stand at church parade kg and when they march ho dismounts and marches with iliem. General Birdwood is short statured—little taller than Lord Roberts was—fresh of complexion, jovial of aspect, cheery of greeting, quick to champion the sides of the men, and, above all, efficient.

The following is from Saturday's Auckland- "Herald":—"The steamer service to the Islands was the subject or some discussion at a meeting of tho council of the Aucklnnd Chamber of Commerce yesterday. The president, Mr. Robert Burns, said a correspondent' had written to bim stating that if they, did not want to see the Islands trade wholly diverted to Wellington they should take steps to havi some improvement effected in the steamer service between Auckland and the Islands. The president said the fruit trade had been greatly prejudiced by the itinerary followed by, the steamers in their Island trade. _ Mr. A. B. Roberton impressed the opinion that it would pay the Union Company to put on a better boat to rim. in the fruit trade. The fact of the matter was, however, that the Sydney trado paid better. The president said that the company" had competition in tho S.vdiley trade, and it naturally followed thatj where there was competition, there was a better service. He pointed out; that- their exports had increased ui three - mouths of this year, es compared with the previous year, from £14,000 to £29,000 in the case of Fiji, from £13,000 to £22,000. in the case of Samoa, and from £7000 to £15,000 in the. case of Tonga. • Mr. lloberton said that tha main cargo from the Islands was copra, and at present it was difficult to . get cargo space in the Home . boats for copra. They got it landed liere and thev could not got it any further. It went to Sydney principally. After some further discussion, it was decided again to approach the Union Company with, regard to the steamer service to tlio Is| lands."