LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2495, 23 June 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the R.M.S. Marama, which is due at Wellington to-day from Sydney, is bringing Australian mails only. In terms of the announcement made a few days ago by the Prime Minister, the Government ha& prohibited the export of ]jotatoes from the Dominion except witn the consent of the Minister of Customs. Potatoes have risen considerably in price of late, but- no one seems to bo able to discover the causo with certainty. It is alleged that thero is a strong Australian demand, but the demand pricti in Australia does not warrant" the high supply price now ruling here. It has proved exceedingly difficult to collect any statistics .is to the quantity of potatoes now available for consumption in this country. The Court of Appeal (Second Division) is to sit this morning for tho puroose of delivering judgments. Tlio First Division sittings commence on Monday next. Tin making of respirators for tho New Zealand troops is now engaging tho attention of 'several ladies in the City, and a good supply, according to the Mayoress (Mrs. J. P. Luke) will soon be available. Tho Mayoress, assisted by a band of workers, has now got over twenty cases of goods ready for the Hospital Ship. In addition, 8500 pairs of socks, represontius tho Wellington area's responso to Lady Liverpool s appeal, .-.re packed, wiiilo 435 pairs of bed SOX ai n available. Since the war started tho sum of £2223 12s. 7d. has been expended by the Napier PUatriotic Committee in providing local volunteers with kits. The members of the Reserves Committee of tho City Council, accompanied by the City Engineer. (Mr. W. H. Morton) made a tour of inspection yesterday, to decide ■ lpon sites for manure depots, in connection with the Engineer's scheme to place t : heso at different points and collect the refuse by motor vehicles, so as to prevent loss'of timo and extra handling. The Engineer will report further to ihs council on tho proposal.

Four boys, aged respectively 13, 10, 8, and 9 years, and who aro alleged to be concerned in tlio stealing of a dozen bottles of lemonade, will appear in the Juvenile Court this morning. The riimmer-Hall Comedy Company passed through Wellington' yesterday morning from tho south to the Wair.v rapa. Mr. Harry Plimmcr ; states that tho final total of moneys paid into various funds through the agency of his company was £3520, being' the net profit- from ali source.?, over and above .adual expenses, of the patriotic tour recently completed. The realisation of such a Inrge amount was eminently satisfactory to him and his partner. Mr. Winter Hall, and whatever sacrifices they may have made have been amply compensated by the host of friends tliey have mad.< 3 thtouclnout tho Dominion,

In view of the increased cost of living duo to tho war, the Napier Borough Council has in several eases written off the surchargo of 10 per cent, on overdue rates. Messrs. Richardson and M'Cabe, Ltd., arc claiming CfiOU damages from the City Corporation for breach of contract in connection with tho Corporation's refusal to take delivery of three Tilling-Stevond petiol electric motor buses ordered in June of last year. Messrs. Kioliardson and M'Cabe are tho local agents i'or the 'filling-Stevens motor vehicles, the Now Zealand agency for which was secured by Sir Joseph Ward during his last visit to England. At the mooting o/ tho City Council to-morrow ovenrng,! consideration will he given to the olfer of tho Boys' Institute to place their building at tho disposal of tho Government for housing wounded soldiers. If tho offer is accepted, tlie institute seoksthe co-opera-tion of the City Council in fitting tho building out- Speaking to a reporter yesterday, the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that tho olfer was a very good one, sinco eighty to one hundred beds could be placed in the building. If tho conditions wero favourable, the offer might bo utilised in place of the original 0110 made by tbo City Council to erect a temporary hospital. ■ The special committee sot up by tho Wellington Chamber of Commorco to decide on a suitable date for the holding of the Conference of Clianibors of Commerce has met aud fixed tho dato from August 4 to August 6 inclusive. Ensign Garner, who has been the Sal* vatiou Army chaplain to the trooperf since the formation of the camp at Awa< puni, is about to take a well-deservec furlough. It is largely duo to the initiative of tho Ensign and his popularity among the men that tho Salvation Army authorities have found it necessary to build an entirely lien* institution. Nijmt after night the old hall, which of its kind was the largest at Trentham, was crowded with soldiers, and now they have a building equal to many of those in tho principal training grounds in Great Britain. During the Ensign's absence the Salvation Army operations in "Canvastown" will be in cnargo of Staff-Captain Walls, of National Headquarters, whose wide expericnco in Army work in its many branches should make him a capable successor of the chaplain. Ensign Garner will resume duties at tho termination of his furlough. ' Speaking at the opening of the Sports' Gymkhana last night, the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that he was disturbed in his mind by the lack of enterprise in the manufacturers of this country in saying they could not assist in the production of munitions. There were hundreds of tons of steel castings made in New Zealand when the dredges'were built here. "We don't ask them to turn out big shells," continued Mr. Luke, "but we do say tlie foundries of New Zealand have tho capacity, and their men have the skill, for tlie production of the shells required for the field batteries which our boys are using in tho Dardanelles. What they are doing in Australia we ought to do in New Zealand." He entreated the Minister of Defence not to let the last word ho said yet. The war, Lord Kitchener said; might last throe years, and the British people had to be victors. It was their duty to strain every effort, and let it be seen that they in New Zealand ivere in 3 position to produce shells, or a portion of the shells needed to carry on the war. Ho did not say they couldmake all the chemical contents of some shells, but the ordinary shells, the ordinary cases and castings, could be produced in tons in New Zealand, and ha hoped the Minister of Defence would insist upon a searching inquiry. At a meeting of the directors of the Patea Co-operative Freezing Works on Saturday it was decided' to carry out extensivo additions. These will involve the installation of a 6o : ton freezer, doubling the present capacity to 2000 a day. An additional cooling chamber is to bo erected capable of holding 24,000 sheep, giving space, with tha present room, Tor 60,000 carcasses altogether. A new concrete engine room is also to be built. Mr. Amoore, of El* tliam, wlio built the present buildings, is to be entrusted with tho work. A novel method of raising funds for Belgian refugee relief has heen discovered by a Wairarapa settler (says our Masterton correspondent). lie has offered to allow any person to shoot over liis property for two days for gamo on the payment- of £1 Is. to tho Belgian Fund. A young man, an employee of the Post and Telegraph Department, was arrested by Detective Lewis yesterday on two charges of stealing postal packages, the property of tho New Zealand Government. The amount involved is about £3. Accused will appear in Cdurt this morning. The cowardly anonymous sender of white feathers "is pursuing his (or her) activities in Christchurch, according to an exchange. On Saturday Mr._ T. L. Cowlishaw received cne, and desires to issno this challenge to the sender. If he (or she) can procure him a post jn anv capacity in the Forces ho will willingly go to the front. Mr. Cowlishaw has tried himself to got away, but unsuccessfully. Ho is '41 .years of age, is married, and lias a family, and can see out of only one eyo. Ho is a captain in the Motor Reserve, and has done a groat deal of valuable work in conncction with the various patriotio movements. It is understood that a meeting of tho Catholic clergy of the Christchurch Diocese will be held this week to nominate a successor to the late Bishop Grimes-Lieut'.-Colonel Powley (Chief Secretary of the Salvation Army) has received an interesting letter from Adjutant Greene (late of Wellington), who is the Army's chaplain in Egypt. In tho course of this letter the Adjutant says: "Our poople take great care of those who fall with wounds. Tho hospital trains are beautifully equipped, and the best buildings are taken aud fitted as hospitals. Our nation is one worthy of our best service, and the best consideration is shown to those in need. . . . Part of my duty has been looking up the wounded officers an men of my regiment, who liavo returned. They got ithot. . . . Many of tho boys I know intimately are gone. The wounded men are in great glee, and are all looking forward to getting back."

THE B.S.A.—FAVOURITE WITH MILITARY DISPATCH RIDEHS-AND WHY. It has sometimes been said, -with much truth, that the business test is the best test of any motor. -War is the grimmest business of mankind, and the militaTj motor-cyclist stakes his life, very often, upon the reliability of his mount. Here is what Sergeant R. E. Schofield, 8.E., senior instructor of tho Motor-cycle Section at Aldershot, has to say:—"Nearly every dispatch rider that has pone to the front has passed through my hande, and I am therefore in a position to judge how the different makes of machine are in favour. The B.S.A. is by far away the favourite, and it has yet to happen that a B.S.A. has failed to act up to its well-earned repute. ... I may state that 50 per cent, of the machines here are B.S.A.'s." A .motor-cyclist with, the Second Cavalry Division, British Expeditionary Force, writes in a private letter: "Tho roads are hellish. . ... My B.S.A. is the Roods. I never have to touch it. They aro the bikes, my boy. They knock the and any other make you like to mention into a cocked hat." There are plenty of other letters from the front, all to tho same effect. We are landing 20 of the latest model B.S.A.'s ex s.s. Marlborough this week, and can rive immediate delivery. They are ideal machines for either solo or side-car service, and their reliability is famous. Tho h.p. is and the three-speed countershaft gear is foolproof and wonderfully efficient. Adams, Ltd., Christohurch. Wanganni, Palmerafon North; Sutherland and Rankine, Wellington ; Tourist Motor Co., HaetiDM* Aglnta for B.S.A. Motore.-Advt. '