'LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2469, 24 May 1915, Page 4

'LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Riverina, from Sydney, arrives at Auckland to-day. She has an Australian mail and a small English mail, via Suez. _ The Wellington portion should arrive here to-morrow morning if the vessel gets in early to Auckland. On Saturday evening the motor fire chassis for Lower Hutt arrived in good order. Pending alterations to the fire station the vehicle will be stored at Messrs. Hayes and M'Keage's garage, but it is understood that it is ready for use (should the occasion arise) at any time. At a meeting of the Victoria University College, Christian Union, held at the College on Saturday night, the Rov. Mr. Hunt, of Courtenay Place Congregational Church, gave an address on the nature and progress of misisonary enterprise ill New Guinea and Samoa. In answer to a question as to tho probable effect of the var oil missionary work in such places, the speaker replied that the effect would be only Indirect. in so far as it affected the missionaries themselves —the natives would come to hear very little of the details of the conflict. A far greater pe t il in these islands was the unwholesome in-, fluence of the trader, and the Government official whose interests wore largely selfish, and whom the native had learned to call the "foreigner," in contrast to the "missionary." At a social gathering of tho Featherston Defence Rifle Club held on Thursday evening, the trophies won during the past season were presented, the winners being: Messrs. C. Nix (championship), W. Wakely (runnerup), A. S. Benton, L. Benton, J. Duncan, E. Bockot, F. C. Everton, E. Fairbrother, and J. Parker. !\lr. J. \Y. Card 'presided, and the function was very enthusiastic in regard to the necessity for active recruiting, Major W. A. Tate (Greytown) making a strong appeal to rifleman to increase tbeir membership and induce young men to prepare themselves for the service of the Empire. .The sum of £101 On. 6d. was collected iiv the room i'or the Hospital Ship. Ah Von and Yong T'ou, fwo Chinese members of the crow of the Capo Finisterra, from Philadelphia, have been fined £25 each for smuggling opium into Napier.— Picsb Association,

On afternoon the Mayor 01r. H. Baldwin) and Councillors Hodguis, M'Dougall, Ball, and Hobbs, of the liutt County Council, made tho annual tour of inspection. The general opinion expressed in regard to the council works was satisfactory, and several necessary improvements wero taken note Of.

The Imperial demand for cheese for the British Army has efiected a remarkable change in the dairying industry (states a Press .Association telegram from Dunedin). In Otago and Southland. in common with other pastoral districts throughout the Dominion, there has been a notable increase in the manufacture of cheese, and it is stated one company is establishing thirtythree cheese factories in the southern district in order to cope with the abnormal demand. Creameries are being converted into cheese factories, as it is much moro profitable to manufacture cheese for export. A representative of tho industry explains that while it takes two gallons and a half of milk (approximately) to produce a pound of butter, which realises Is. 4d. in the wholesale market, it requires only about one gallon to yield one pound of cheese worth 9d.

A short sitting of the Magistrate's Court-was held on Saturday, -"when Minnie Wilson, a second offender for drunkenness, was fined 10s., in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment. Margaret M'Hugh, charged with drunkenness and that she was an idle and '' : = orderly person in that she had i' cient means of support, was rett for a week, as she is at present Hospital. Two first offender; drunkenness were dealt with in \ dinary way.