LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2487, 14 June 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The steamer iUakura is expected to arrive at Auckland early tliis morning. •She has aboard an English mail (via Suez), and an Australian mail, and the Welling on portion of these will arrive here by the 13.20 a.m. train on Tuesday morning.

A number of letters to tile editor iire crowded out of this issue and will appear to-morrow.

Tlio commercial travellers, who am working for a, Carnival Queen candidate at. PutißrJift, r~t?ed t-nir-tvj £sqq in Tim.aru on Saturckj {or their c&ndiiiU,

As a result of so many medical practitioners having joined the Expeditionary l'orces, the doctors who remain aro having a particularly strenuous time, so much so that tho local division of the British Medical Association has had to appeal to the public to lighten tho burden of tho doctors as much as possible. association asks that tho public (should send visiting message to their doctors as early as possible in the mornings, and auds that the consideration that can bo shown by both private and l'riendly Society patients will bo greatly appreciated by tho profession, the busy doctor who has just received an urgent call to a trivial ease is not a pleasant person to meet nowadays. An ex-member of the Reinforcements was arrested in Wellington on Saturday, and will appear at tho Magistrate's Uurt this morning to answer to the chargo of theft of money from fcllowsoldiors at Trentham.

The Minister of Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) stated on Saturday that he had Teceived information that tho twrty-oiie nurses who recently loft New Zealand for service abroad had now definitely received instructions en route that thoy are to proceed to Egypt. It is probable that the second squad of nurses will sail in the Hospital Snip.

An Ambulance man who left New Zealand with the first Main Force, and who came into contact at Alexandria with the first batch of wounded prisoners from the Dardanelles, tells a story which one can only be induced to believe by the number of similar incidents of blind hatred of the Germans for the English. Among the first lot to arrive at tho base hospital at Alexandria from Gallipoli was a German officer, who had been taken prisoner after _ being wounded in the arm. One morning the Ambulance man took the German in a cup of tea, also a can of hot water with which to bathe his arm. \\hen the attendant's back was turned the German threw the eup of hot tea and tlje equally hot water over him. This was too much for the scalded Red Cross man, who took the law into his own hands, and dealt with the enemy , in the manner which, at the moment, seemed to him most fit.

The Expeditionary Force Pay and Record Office, which has up to the present been located at the Drill Hall, in Buckle Street, will be removed to-day to permanent quarters in Irvine ana Stevenson's building, in Brandon Street.

Ever sineo recruiting began tile dentists have been giving great help by attending to tho requirements of volunteers free of charge (states a Press Association telegram from Timaru). The Timnru branch of the Dental Association recently conceived the idea of putting this work on a better footing and arranging with the local recruiting office that volunteers otherwise fit, who required dental treatment, should bo sent officially to tho braucli president who would arrange for free treatment. Tha scheme has been in operation a fortnight, during which 25 men have, been under treatment. Tho officer comaandiug the Canterbury district expresses warm appreciation of the association's action.

Taking into consideration the boisterous weather of Saturday evening, the change mado by the alteration of the day on which the weekly half-holiday is observed made little difference in "the aspect of the streets. Whilst many of the shops were closed for business tho majority of them illuminated their show windows for advertising purposes, and in the premises of fruiterers, confectioners, tobacconists "business as usual" wa6 tho order. There were unwonted dark sections in some of the business streets.; but had the weather been normal the chances are that the promenading crowds w;ould havo been as thick nv, usual, owing to the large number of shop assistants who would have been at liberty. The grocers and butchers all closed their premises at 1 p.m., and doubtless a good many people omitted to make their purchases m that lino before closing time, but in other food businesses there was tho open door.

Speaking at the Orphans Club on Saturday evening Mr. H. G. Hill said that many would disagree with a letter which had appeared in The Dominion- commenting on the part the ladies were taking in the Carnival. Tho writer surely _ did not take into consideration the spirit that was behind their actions. Many of these girls'and young men worked in factories and shops, and after they had paid for their keep had no money to give to the fund, but they had youth, energy, and resource enough to induce others to give who could afford to do so. They were doing their fait in a practical way. There was too much theorising about some people— too much sentiment. It was time now to get out and do something practical that was the spirit that wa-s pervading everyone connected with tho carnival. There were some people in their midst who could give and would not. Only the other day a man worth between £20,000 and £30,000 had been heard to say that if ten others would giro £5 each he would give £50. For the. right of enjoying the privilege of liberty of living under the British flag, it would not, he contended, 'hurt such men to givo £1000 or even £5000.

Tho Minister of Railways (the Hon. W. H. Herries) has replied to Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., with regard to the dangerous crossing between Johnsonville and_ Tawa Flat, to the efEect that "the enginemen are enjoined by rule to whistle when within at least 300 yards from any level crossing, and the experience of the Department goes to show that _ this rule is usually carried out. In view of the statement made in your lotter, however, tho attention of ' the drivers concerned is being drawn to the necessity for giving ample -yarning when approaching the crossing referred to. The Department proposes to install automatib alarm bells at • tho "arious orossings_ throughout the Dominion, and tlis crossing referred to will receive consideration along with others similarly situated. It must he recognised, howover. that tho installation of automatic alarms as proposed will involve considerable expenditure, and tho work can be put in hand only as funds aro available. The equipment of crossings where road traffic is heavy and tram services frequent will, of course, be tho first care of the Department."

In connection with the proposed hydro-electric lighting and power scheme for Featherston, the preliminary report and estimate is, says our correspondent, now completed, and the Town Board will consider the question at a spceial meeting on Tuesday night. Aji extension of the scheme so as to provido light and power for settlers in tho adjacent countryside is being discussed by a number of prominent dairy farmers. and a meeting of those interested is to be held to-day.

An urgent call from the Waltham On«muago resulted in two detectives going off poste baste to inquire into statements that two bevs belonging to the orphanago had been blinded owing, it was alleged, to the act of some boy, or bo.vs, unknown, who had thrown powder in their eyes (says a Cliristohurcli paper). When the detectives arrived the two boys were produced, ono with tho front of his neck burned and tho other with the right side of 'his face burned. The boys were aged twelvo and thirteen, and tlie.v told a oircumstantial story, c.tul stuck to it for some time, about boys having thrown powder in their faces. One denied that lie bad any matches, but some were found on him. Subsequently, after tho detectives had spent about two hours on t-lio cose, the truth came out. Tho hoys had got some powder from other boys at the school, and had "set it alight." H did not. go oIT right, and tliev returned to invest'gate. This was Iho fatal second v hen the powder had decided to explodp, and they got it in their face.". Th"ir injuries received medical attention, and it is not thought that the eyesight, of either will be affected.

. /' When motoring from the city on SaV urday evening, and passing tlio I'etono railway crossing, Mr. Donald Reid, of Upper Hutt, who was accompanied by Ms wilb and two children, got off the road and on to the railway track, the carrunning clean over the cattle-stop and down the railway line. Mr. Reid promptly pulled up, and obtained the assistance of the I'etono statiownaster, and the car was removed from tho track. Tho 6.39 train from Petone wai delayed as ;v result for about ten minutes. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and, singularly enough, tho car sustained little* or no damage. 'An examination of the spot showed that a largo piece of timber bad been "bitten" out of the end-bearer of the cattle-stop, prosumably by the front wheel of the ca; This is the third time at least withi two years that an accident of a simi'l? nature has occurred.

Men for tho Seventh. Reinforcements arrived from various parts of New Zealand during the week-end to go into camp at Trentham. The Seventh aro duo in to-day, and their training will begin at once. About 600 of the recruits arrived by the Wahine from the south yesterday morning, and 120 by the Monowai in the afternoon. Sixtytwo came _up by the Pateena from Pioton and Nelson on Saturday evening. Several people waiting on the corner of Mount-am Road and Khyber Pass, Auckland, on Friday night were startled by two young ladies running down Mountain Road from the direction of the now Grammar School, screaming, and evidently in terror. One of them fainted, and was with some difficulty restored to consciousness. When they wore able to speak coherently, they oxplained that thoy were returning from a visit to a private hospital, when two young men emerged from the shadow on the road below tho Grammar School, and attempted to detain them, thereupon they turned and ran. This is stated to be the second incident of the kind reported lately from this neighbourhood.

Mr. Upson, the Mount Egmont guide, describes a climb on Mount Egmont .under Bnow conditions as follows:— "Accompanied by Messrs. Arthur Ambury and G. G. Bottrill, we left the cottage at 6.15, and reached the top ftt 11 o'olock, taking many photographs 0.1 the way up. The snow was down 4000 feet,, and it was perfect for climbing. At the- top it was beautifully clear, and presented a grand view. Two hours were spoilt oil top taking photographs and looking at the "Wonderful panorama below. At 1 o'clock a start was mado homeward, glissading down 3000 feet in twenty minutes. This is the twelfth time Sir. Ambury has boon to the top. The snow is right for climbing now."

Speaking at a Bughy gathering in Christchureh Mr. P. T. Evans said that the prevalent idea that young New Zealand was too intent on its games was moro than dissipated by the enlistment of hundreds and hundreds of young players. The union had been criticised for keeping the game goingj but it expected such criticism, and wad noi put out by it, knowing well that there were few, if any, men who held back purely for the sake of the game. No_ matter what croakers said, th# union would keep the game going, so that tho young men might keep fit, and it was a notnble fact that the men

who had kept fit had distinguished themselves at the front. The spirit of athletics was the spirit that had made Kitchener's Army possible, and although the cloud was still over the Umpire it was well to go on keeping fit. Every day more Rugby players left for the front, and the Canterbury Ccllego CluJ> had had to withdraw its senior team from the competitions on account of heavy enlistments.