LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2505, 5 July 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Eivofi.ua, from Sydney, arrives in Auckland this morning with an Australian mail only. The Wellington portion should arrive here by to-morrow morning's Main Trunk express.

With reference to the increase of £1 per .toil in tho wholesale price of sugar, annouueed by tho Colonial Sugar Company, the master grocers of Auckland have unanimously decided not to advance the price of small quantities, which will remain at 121b. .for 2s. 9d. The only difference will bo in'the prico of 561b. bags, which will now cost lis. 9d/

Ono of the oldest methods of getting monoy quickly, and with a minimum of effort (the circulation of spurious coins), has been revived by somo person or persons in Timani (says- the Timaru "Post").. .The latest method is meant to bo productive of 2s. od. on each coin; but whether any of these has been tendered successfully so far is not known. The new coin is tho modest penny, covered with a coat of mercury, _ or somo other such treatment. Especially in a 'good light, this coin looks like a half-' crown, and ono might be excused for accepting it as such, especially at a busy time, when coins aro not looked at, minutely,.

Reporting to a Trades Council meeting ou Thursday »night, Mr. L. M. A. Rearden stated that the first meeting of the Labour Day Committee had been held and attended by representatives of all tho principal unions. It was decided to proceed witli tho arrangements for a. procession and sports gathering at Newtown Park. An art , union is to be conducted -in connection with the celebration. With the support that is already promised, it is expected that the demonstration will be on a scale as great as some years ago. •

On Saturday a Maori was arre«tetl at Lower Hutt by the' local police, on a c'hargo of alleged breaking and entering: of premises. The French authorities of Tahiti are calling, tenders for the sale and removal of the wrecks Walkure and Zeleo, which are now submerged in the harbour' ot Papeete, which vessels wore sunk by German warships. A copy of the specifications and form of tender have been lodged by the consular agent for France with the secretary of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. The sale will take place, at Papeete on August 10.

By special request the combined schools' concert, which scored such success on Thursday and Friday last, is to be repeated on Wednesday evening. The hundreds of people who, were crowded out on. both occasions will no doubt gladly avail themselves of this last chance of hearing this grand choir of over 800 yoimg voices.

Most of the Auckland bonded stores are now practically empty. For somo weeks past merchants nave been withdrawing very. largo quantities of liquor and tobacco from bond, probably in anticipation of possible war taxation. June 30 and July-1 were stocktaking days, and, as the clearances had to be effected prior to that, the pressure of business has been very great. The amount of Customs duties collected in Auckland for the past month is about £131.000, which is much above tho average. It is estimated that the heavy" clearances from thejbonds were responsible for between £50,000 and £60.000 of that total.

One little incident occurred at tlio "Queen" Coronation ceremony at tho Town Hall on Saturday afternoon, only noted by tho merest chance, that reflected the sweet side of human nature on the part of one of. the ladies who took part in the ceremony, and probably ono who would not care to have. her name mentionod. As the procession passed round the hall, the lady referred to, who was carrying some posies of violets, in addition to her State bouquet, dropped unostentatiously a beautiful bunch of ■ violets into tlio lap of one of tho old ladies from tlie Ohiro Homo. It ivas only- a little act, but the littlo things count for much under certain cnrcunistances, and tho two or threo people who saw what had taken place were certainly edilied by what soemed like an entirely spontaneous act of grace.

The pontoon that was captured by tlio New Zcalanders from the Turks during tho fight on tho Suez Canal in February last has been forwarded to Nelson. The Nelson Company played .an important part in tlio fight in which tho pontoon was taken, ana ono of the Nelson soldiers, Privato Ham ; of Motuoka, was fatally wounded * m tho engagement. Ceuoral Sir John Maxwell presented the pontoon to Now Zealand, with a stipulation that it should be sent to somo placc in the Canterbury military district. Nelson is included in tho Canterbury military district, arid as tho Nelson Company figured so promiuontly in the capture of tlio craft, it was decided to send it to that city. Tho pontoon was lately on public view ill Wellington in connection with thorfcaitf FujnJ function?.

On Friday last the members of tlifi "Cinderella" Pantomime' Company held a mock court iri His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland, with Mr. Jack M'Ardle as judge, with tho result that £970 was realised for tho Wounded Soldiers' and Bailors' Fund.

A' few weeks ago Mr. John Farrell, of J. C. Williamson, Ltd.'s, managerial staif, had tbo misfortuno to lose a valuable presentation suit case whilst having his- luggage transferred from the Spencer Street to the Flinders Street railway station. The matter was placed in the hands of tho police without result, and ultimately Mr. Farrcll was paid restricted compensation by tbo railway authorities of Victoria. In tho suit case were three pocket-books, two new ones, and one so well used that it was falling to pieces; cach contained m lot of liis private papers. Only a few days ago 1)0 had forwarded on to him the old pocket-book with all the pp.pers it and the other pocket-books had contained, and also a Maltese handkerchief which he was bringing from a lady frienil to ono of his children, and was inscribed accordingly! Conscience had evidently smitten the thief on his sentimental side, as the goods .were forwarded through the post office to his Melbourne address, and 60 on to New Zealand. Mr. Farrell passed through' Wellington en route to the South onl Saturday.

There is now almost a firewood, famine in Eketahuna, although the town' is practically in tho heart of the FortyMile Bush. A carter informed an "Express" representative the other day. that it was just about impossible to get firewood, for two Teasons—tho scarcity of labour to cut it, and the high royalties, up to 7s. 6d cord, charged by the owners of the ground. Tho royalty- left no margin. The result is; that coal is being increasingly used. On Friday last Mr. Tom Pollard, of Groymouth, who is so favourably known throughout New Zealand in connection with operatic enterprise, visited Wellington to confer with a sub-committco of tho Wellington Operatic Society.; As the result of that confcrence'the services of Mr. Pollard have been secured to produce Planquette's charming opera "Los Cloches de Cornevilie," which has not been heard in Wellington for many, a long day. Mr. Pollard is to arrivo here on September 1 to take up his duties, and tho opera will he played at tho Grand Opera House from September 25 to October 1, inclusive. ' Ono of tho "yarns" told to officers in' the Defence Force by Territorials desiring to "shirk" drill and other obligations is that "they are leaving for tho Chatham Islands," says a Christohurcb. paper. At first the story was accepted, but apparently tho suspicions of the Defence authorities have been aroused, and the alleged "emigration" to • the Islands is now subject to inquiry. "The Prince of Wales is immensely, popular, not because ho is a Prince,, but because" he is a good soldier," said Dr. A. A. Martin recently, while describing his experience with a British field ambulance in France. "He is a very slim youth, with narrow shoulders, but is extraordinarily wiry." Dr. Martin said that the Prince talks with tho soldiers by the roadside, visits tho sick and wounded in tho hospitals, and has in many ways earned the respect and admiration of the troops. Ho drives .his own car, and. is one of the furious motorists in Flanders, where there aro now no speed regulations, and rarely drives at less than 60 .miles an hour. "However, the car has very Rood brakes, and he can stop it quickly," Dr. Martin added. Our Petono correspondent reports that somo excitement was caused shortly before noon yesterday, at the sudden appearance' of a remarkably good imitation of a "Zeppelin" flying over tho town at an altitude of about 200 ft. After moving slowly towards the sea from the direction of Cuia Street, the craft showed signs of alighting, and a large crowd, including several motorists, gathered to view the "raider."' After about '15 minutes' flight tha "Zeppelin" lauded on tho beach within a few feet of tho water. It transpires that a local resident, with a taste for aeronautics, recently, constructed the craft for the purpose of-advertising the candidature of Miss Senior in the Queen Carnival, but owing to the inclemency, of the woather was unable to complete the work. Tho "Zeppelin," which is constructed principally of white paper, is 30ft. long, Oft. in circumference, and lias an imitation tank 2ft. in diameter suspended from it. An air-tight envelope is heated by means of cotton waste, saturated in methylated spirits, and ignited. The whole structure weighs about 201b., and the hot air in the cigar-shaped hag causes the craft to rise. As a precaution against tho danger of fire, in the event of the "raider" alighting on a bujlding, a sheet of asbestos is so placed as to reduce this' possibility to a minimum.