LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2479, 4 June 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Government have > decided to allow soldiers in training at Trentham to travel free oil the railways when they are journeying in periods of extended leave to visit relatives. Hitherto the practice has been to give the soldiers return passages for single far«s.

Gerald Ley don. the young man wlio was reported as missing from his home on Wednesday and about iwhose whereabouts some anxiety was felt, was found by Constable Shannon at 4 0 clock yesterday morning. In an interview at Kotorna last night tho Hon. 11. H. Rhodes, Post-master-Gencral. stated (says a Press Association telegram) that' in order to provide the Department's facilities for sc-1 tiers residing beyond easy distance of a post ofhcc it was proposed that drivers of mail vehicles on certain selected mail delivery 'routes in addition to the delivery of mail matter into and the collection of mail matter from rural boxes, would undertake at all stopping places the saie of stamps, the issue of postal notes, the registration of postal packets, and the receipt from the public of telegrams.

The treatment which the New Zealand soldiers -at tho front are receiving in the matter of food is referred to in a letter dated April 15, just received by tho parents of a vo'ung Welliii". toman who is with tho Forces. After referring generally to the excellent fare the writer adds:—"We have had butter ami ehcese nor/ for some time, and, by jove, wo aro getting well done for. For dinner to-night wo. had ripping soup, roasts of fine beef, and then potatoes and beans and rice, with sultanas. I don't think any man can grumble about that—and plenty of

For a considerable time yesterday mormng the railway staffs at Lower Hutt and Petono Stations were extremely busy issuing "Carnival procession" tickets to Wellington. Altogether close upon 4000 persons made the trip, 1400 entraining at Loivor 1-liitt and upwards of 2500 travelling from Petnne.

At the Lower Hutt Court yesterdav, before Messrs. G. A. Chapman and C. Trevetluck, J.P.'s, a man named Arthur Hemmings Mudgway was charged with the theft of a lady's gold watch. Mudgway was convicted and sentenced to three months' imprisonment.

A man named Stephen Hanson was removed to tho Hospital last evening suffering from concussion. It appears that iu an altercation which is alleged to havo occurred in a billiard room, Hanson struck his opponent and received a blow in return, which caused tho concussion. The report from the Hospital late last evening was that lie nad recovered consciousness and was progressing satisfactorily.

Speaking at tho opening of the Waikato winter show, the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey) made reference to the great shortage of freezing space in the Auckland Province, which, he said, was becoming a very serious matter to the producers. Is wis a fact, he understood, that in the whole province there was only sufficient storage for 75,000 carcasses. At least four times as much was urgently nt-<'ded. He was not finding fault with the producers, nor with tho energy of tho mon who established the present works, but it was the duty of the leading settlers, business men, and producers to look to the future and to piovide for tho exigencies coming, which, in fact, were almost here. He, therefore, urged them to immediately set to work and provide accommodation for at least 300,000 carcasses. This would not be necessary, perhaps, were sufficient ships available to carry away their produce when ready, but he was sorry to say the outlook pointed to the war lasting a considerable time, and the scarcity of ships was, therefore, likely to continue. Ho hoped,. therefore, that the responsible people in the Auckland Province would heed his remarks and see to it that the necessary storage space was provided.

Tho fatal centre-pole in tho Christchurch tramway system is fast becomiiiLr a tiling of the past (says an exchange), and none regret iti passing. All tho centre-poles 011 the Papanui line have now been removed, and tho only specimens of these dangerous polss now to be found are on tho comparatively short section of the Edgeware Road lino from Bealey Avenue to tho terminus, Barbadoes Street north. These, it is hoped, will soon follow their kind, and the place that one' knew them will know them no more.

Tho report circulated early in the week that a big troopship, carrying a large number ot invalided soldiers, was expected to arrive at any moment at Port Chalmers, was incorrect, and it appears (says che "'Otago Daily Times") that it wa,s due to a telegram received by l)r. Falconer; medical superintendent of the Dunedin Hospital, from Dr. Valintine, the Inspector-General of Hospitals. The telegram conveyed tho information that there were 139 men on board, of whom 91 would require to be accommodated at Quarantine Island, the remaining 48 being "hospital cases. Acting on this news full preparations were mado to receive the invalided men when they arrived at Dunedin, and tho buildings on Quarantine Island wero also fitted up in anticipation of tho arrival of tho men there.

The policy of tho Government in resard to public works was briefly referred to by the Prime Minister at the open ins of the Mangere Bridge on Monday. lie stated that at tlie end of the financial year, March 31, there were 0271 men employed on public works in tlie Dominion, as compared willi .'WB9 men at the- corresponding date of tho previous year, thus showin-; an increase of 230(1 men, despito the. war. He also mentioned that durinn the. past financial year no fewer than £(i 413,878 had been expended on the making of roads, principally in the back blocks, whilst 91 mil<w of new rail>'iv had also been opened.

Speaking at the opening of the Otago winter sliow, tho Hon. W. Fraser (Minister of Public Works) said that the Dominion had 1101 lc-ached the limit of what it could produce. 11l his otlice of Minister of Public Works ho had travelled over pretty well the whole of tho Dominion, and he had seen that, especially in the North Island, a great deal of it had only lieeu scratched. There were a million people here, anil a large amount of produce was sent away, but we had not approached the limit of what we could do. Not many years ago it was said that New Zealand would soon have 2U million sheen, and it would not be able to keep that number. But, we had l:»iZ passed that number, and it would go 'on increasing. Tho productivity of tiie soil would lie increased by raising the number of those holding land. Of course, it was littlo use putting peoplo 011 the land if at tho same time they vero not given roads.

Never in its history had New Zealand. been more prosperous, said the l'rime Minister during a luncheon epe-eeh at Ngaruawahia. That justified the action of the Government in deciding at the outbreak of war to keep business going as usual. Sir. Massey said that the Labour Department reported that there was now less unemployment than in the same period of last year or the year before. Good prices were being obtained for everything the Dominion produced, and there wa.i no scaicity of money. Of course, thpi'G had bsen rises in the prices of so mo commodities, but that was inevitable in war time. The Primo Minister added that meanwhile the soldiers of New Zealand were doing deeds of which the Dominion was proud.

Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., presided at Wednesday's sitting of the Eutt Magistrate's Court. Messrs. J. Cudbv and J. Wilkin wore also on the Bench. Robert Thompson was fined 55., with 7s. costs, in default 24 hours' imprisonment, for driving a vehicle without lights. George Parker was charged with assaulting Thomas Swensson, and after hearing the evidence the Magistrate imposed a fine of 405.; with costs 415., iu default seven days' imprisonment. In a civil action brought by Arthur Payne against Vt. Hobbs, claiming £5 15s. in respect of the purchase of a cow, judgment was given for plaintiff for £5, with costs.

A resident of Blackbridge, Lower Hutt, Mr. John Vinson, died suddenly late on Tuesday evening at the age of S3 years. As Dr. -Minims is prepared to give a curtiiicate as In the cause of death, an inquest will be unnecessary.

One of the strangest finds ever recorded in Cliristchurch was the discovery on February 'l in a tree stump on the river bank near Dailington of an. infant a few weeks old. It was found about 0 p.m. Under ordinary circumstancos no one would have been in the locality. Fortunately, however, Mr. E. Armstrong had missed his car and was walking home when he heard the child's cries. Tim infant was clad in a singlet and had a black cape wrapped round it. It was ill-nourished, and but for a happy chance it might have died from exposure overnight. The sequel to the mystery was the arrest 011 Saturday at Palmerston North of a woman, who was alleged to be the mother of the child, and who was charged with abandoning it.

Canary fanciers in the Wellington Province will be pleased to hear of the great success achieved by members of the above rociet.y at the Dunedin show, held 011 Wednesday. The secretary has received a telegram reporting 'that J. V. Rider won the crest championship, best Yorkshire in show, three specials. ten firsts, and nine seconds; W. M'Carlie, Norwich classes, two specials, two firsts, and two thirds; W, Bull, two seconds and two thirds. Only a limited number of selected birds were dispatched to Dunedin.