LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2497, 25 June 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

- Advice has been received from San Francisco that the R.M.S. Moana sailed ou Juno 23 for Wellington ivith the following mails New Zealand, 934 bags; Australia, 376 bags. A cheoue for £815 has been forwarded by Mr. C. W. Nielsen, lion, treasurer to the Minister of Internal Affairs, representing £765 individual contributions from the members of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand, and £50 from the society, towards the cost of equipping the surgery and dispensary of the Hospital Ship. i The contributions from the various districts were: Auckland, £469: Wellington, Nelson, and Marlborough, £244; Canterbury and West Coast, £23; Otago, £29. In addition, a donation of 5001b. of cotton wool from Young's Chemical Company is at the disposal of the authorities. A draft tor £100, contributions from the above society and its members. ha,s been forwarded to England towards the Belgian Doctors' and Pharmacists' Rolief Fund. The first meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of David Crombie, bootmaker. Wellington, was held before the Acting-Official Assignee (Mr. S. Tansley) yesterday. Mr. Douglas Jackson appeared, representing the only creditor. Robert Hamilton, of Roto-iti. Bankrupt attributed his bankruptcy to the fact that he had foolishly allowed a judgment summons to be taken out against him for the part payment of fenoing a holding of land adjoining that held by himself and his partner at the time, who had agreed to the charge. He was earning £2 12s. per week, and had no means of paying the order, so was compelled to file. The total debts came to £81 65., and the assets were returned as nil. Mr. Jackson suggested that bankrupt's interest in the land at Rotorua should be transferred to the creditor, .and the Assignee intimated his willingness to do this. Tho meeting was thou adjourned sine die. The opening ceremony in connection with the new school at Britomart Street will be performed by the Minister of Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) at 11 a.m. on Tuesday next. The Mayor /Mr. J. P. Luke) will also be present. Already the Labour Day Committee of the Trades and Labour Council is taking steps to fittingly celebrate Labour Day, which falls on October 25. The firsts meeting of the committee has been held, when it was decided to again liavo a procession and hold a sports gathering. Various sub-committees have been set up to report to next/mooting in a fortnight's time, and forty unions have stated their intention to participate. A big effort is to bo made io bring the procession and celebration up to the standard of some years ago. Four small boys who were concerned in tho theft of a dozen bottles of lemonade appeared before Mr. D. G. A.. Cooper, S.M., in the Juvenile Court, yesterday. The eldest, a boy of thirteen. who was charged, in addition, with breaking a pane of glass, was ordered to receivo six strokes of tho birch. Tho younger boys wore severely cautioned and discharged. Tho eastern end of the Oriental Bay Reserve is to be improved and fericed off for tho use of women_ and children only. This lias been decided upon by the' City Council at the suggestion of tin) Roservos Committee. Tho council has authorised the Reserves Superintendent to proceed with the ereotitin of fences at both ends of the Town 13elt. Section 19, Rorhampore, in order to allow the planting of the proposed ivomen and children's reserve in that portion of the oitv to he undertaken. II was reported at tho meeting of tho Harbour Hoard last night t7i.it ths judgmeut of the Privy Council re harbour dues on mail steamers under special contract had now been lodged in the Wellington Courts, and that acroi'ttts had boon rendered to tha Union

' i Tho Harbour Board have granted tho Kolbum-Karori section of tho National Reserve use of tlio board's miniature riile range for one evening each week. Some correspondence lias appeared regarding the case of a returned soldier from Egypt, a compositor by trade, who stated that he has been unable to gain employment since lie was invalided home. Referring to tho matter yesterday, Mr. J. W. F. Macdougall, secretary of the Wellington Typographical Union, stated that although the soldier was not a member of the union, every assistance had been rendered to securo him employment. Inquiries had been made, and it was found that he had not been-discharged by the military authorities, but was still drawing his full pay. All members of tho Affiliated Typographical Unions of New Zealand, said Mr. sl'Doup;all, who volunteered and went fo the front, were kept clear on tho books of the various unions, and did not have to pay subscriptions. If they unfortunately'met their deaths their relatives received the full benefits under the mortality and retiring allowance sclieino. Already, so far as tho Wellington Typographical Union was concerned, there had been two deaths at the front. In ono case the man had paid less than £2 into the _ union funds, and yet the union is paying to his relatives the sum of £20 10fi. If there is any distress amongst their members when they return the unions will render assistance, and if the burden is too great the Master Printers have promised to assist. Mr. 11. E. Sinclair stated at ilia Harbour Board last night that he would I put hi the following notice of motion before next meeting: "That the officers of the board be instructed to compile a return of the number of Germans, I Austrians, and Turks, naturalised oi unnaturalised, employed on the \\ ellington wharves." A deputation from the Eastbourne Borough Council waited upon the Harbour Board last night, headed by the Mayor of Eastbourne (Mr. J. P.Kelly), nnd asked for a substantial reduction in tho rental of the Perry Wharf office's. Mr. Kelly pointed out that thej took over the offices from the Ferrj Company, and they paid,£2so for rent, and other payments to the board mads u total payment of £650. They thought £3 per week would bo ample rental for tho olEces. Other speakers pointed out that the Eastbourne Council was not out to make profits, but they_ were 'helping the public. Mr. P. Levi said that it was hoped the service would ultimately grow, but at present there were jrreat risks in the undertaking, all accident to either of their boats might put the council in a serious position. The chairman (Mr. C. E. Daniell) said that tho members would have to take a business view. They said they wer» paying 2o per cent, on tho outlay of the building and the board ought to be content with 12J- per cent., but tlio board was not getting 25 per cent, on their outlay oil the whole undertaking. The board later considered the matter in committee, and decided that they could not accede to the request. On account of the high cost of living, tho wages of the City Ileserves labourers are to be brought up to the _ rato of pay fixed by tile City Council at their last meeting. Street lamps are to be erected by tho City Council in Oriental Terrace (at the rear of conveniences in reserve); at Dixon Street steps, and in Main Eoad, Wadestown, near Wade Street. The total cost of these lamps will be £10. Taxi-cab and cab drivers' licenses formed the subject of a report placed before the City Council last night by the By-laws Committee of that body. The report stated that the committeo had had soveral applicants for taxi-cab and cab drivers' licenses for the prescnt year before them. Before the issue of the licensee the applicants were severely cautioned and warned that any misconduct on their part would result in the cancellation of their licenses. The committee's action was approved by the the Council. Shortly after 7 o'clock last evening a fire broke out in the office of the Westland Timber Company's premises at Lower Hutt. The damage is estimated at about £2o The premises were insured in the Ocean. Office. An incident full of humour to everyone but the victim occurred in the shop of a Cathedral Square tobacconist on Saturday afternoon (says a Christchurch paper). A lady called in to make a purchase, being accompanied by a_ small boy. With the natural curiosity of his kind, the lad immediately began to look round for objects of interest, and at last enthusiastically exclaimed: "Ok, mummy, look at the money-box." Immediately be pushed his right forefinger into the hole in the top of the cigarcutter, which he had mistaken for the receptacle of small change. There was a vicious snap and a long howl, and the lad retired precipitately from the counter minus the top of his finger. Wails of anguish filled the atmosphere for some minutes —but the population of Christchurch now numbers one more person who will not mistake the decapitators of Flor Finas for money-boios. "It is very foolish indeed for neighbours to quarrel over these things," remarked Mr. C. C; Kettle, S.M., at the Auckland Magistrate's Court, when he had settled a dispute regarding the payment of the cost of a dividing fence. "It onlv creates bad feeling. This matter is only a trifling thing. People often prefer to spend pounds and pounds rather than meet together in an amicable spirit. Well," be concluded, "this Court is open to everybody. If people like to make it a luxury to come here they may do so." Leases of Market Hall Reserve-* otherwise the Royal Oak the subject of further consideration at last night's meeting of the City Council, when a new lease wa.i authorised ui connection with portion of the resene, one of the conditions being that tn« lessee should, when called upon, surrender free of cost to the corporajon a strip of land required for straightenin? the line of Manners Street. Ths Mayor mentioned that necessary ar--raucements bad been made with other lessees to complete the straightening o. the street as soon as wavs and mean, permitted of this being done. J. W. and T. R. Mills, two brothers, who enlisted with the Australian Expeditionary Force, and who have ■ b.en reported as missing, are brothers Mrs. D. Wardell, of Ashbnrton.

fpTT-p DC FWOUTUTE WITH MILI* TH T/RV' DISPATCH RIDERS—AND WHY - -u ' ,v It has sometimes been said, tnta muvfi. truth, that the business test 16 the best test of any motor. War ia the grimmest business of mankind, and the military I motor-cvclist stakes his lug» "\erj often, upon tfie reliabilitv of his mount Here is what Sergeant ft. E. Schofield, E.E., senior instructor of the Motor-cycle section at Aidershot, has to say.— pearly every dispatch vider that has gone to tn» iroui' has passed through ray hands, 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 (o happen that n B.S.A. has failed to act up to its well-earned repute. ... I may state that 50 per cent, of the machines here ore ]) g \'s." A motor-cvclist with the Second "Cavalry Division. British Expeditionarc Force, writes in a private letter: "The roads are hellish. . . . My B.S.A. is the goods. I never have to touch it. They are the bikes, my boy. Thev knock the and anv other make you like to menlion injo a cocked hat." There are plenty of other letters from the front, all to the same effect. We are landing 20 of the latest model B.S.A.'s ex s.s. Marlborough this week, and can (rive immediate deliverv. They are iaeal machines for either solo or side-car service, and their reliability is famous. The h.p. is 4J, and the three-speed countershaft gear is .foolproof and wonderfully efficient. Adams, Ltd., Christchurch, Waneanui, Palmer#ton North; Sutherland and Kankine, wellinfjton; Tourist Motor Co., Hastings, &»Bta in B.S.Ai Uston s —