LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2508, 8 July 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A visit will be paid to. the Hospital Ship this afternoon by the delegates to the Wellington Anglican . Diocesan Synod. - Bishop Sprott announced last evening that the ' Minister of_ Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) had invited delegates to visit the ship between 3 o'clock and 4 o'clock, and it was unanimously decided to accept the invitation'. •'

The twelve voluntary nurses for Trentham arrived from Christohurch yesterday morning, and were conveyed to the camp in four motor-ears by Captain Prendergast Knight : and Lieutenants Aldridge, Pearce, and Pryor, of the Motor Service Corps.

Chinese in New Zealand are not usually, classified under religious headings. For this reason' special interest attaches to a paragraph in'the. report of Mr. Law, Anglican Chinese- missioner. Printed copies of the English translation of the report were introduced' at the Wellington Diocesan Sy>nod yesterday, and contained the following note: "In my work.l have come in contact with three classes of Chinese. 'First, those who. are opposed to the 'Jesus religion,' who would think ■it dreadful to step inside a church. Second, those who look on a holy man like Confucius; they say Jesus' is the Europeans' holy man. and Confucius is the Chinese holy man; they like to hear about Jesus, but they will not acknowledge Him to be the Saviour of the world. Third, those who really believe in Jesus, but, as it were, are following m the dark; they are afraid to come boldly forward for fear of ridicule and of their relations."

Replying to a question by Mr. -G. Hunter in tho Ho.use yesterday, the Hon. W. H. Herries said that' the ncocssary steps wero now-'being taken to have the area of the Tiratu Block acquired by the Crown partitioned and made available for close settlement.

There are so many Rugby footballers at Trentham that many of tliem cannot get a game in the camp teams which take part in the Wellington Rugby Union competitions. The opinion was expressed at tho meoting of the Rugby Union last evening that "Wellington would, beforo the end of be somewhere nearly doploted of Rugby men. Tho draw of senior Rugby matches to bo played here on Saturday, July , 16, is: Athletic and Selwyn, at Athletic) Park No. 1; Wellington and Trentham 0, at Athletic Park No. 2; Petone and Poneke, at Petone; Trentham A and Trentham B, at Trentham ; Oriental and University, at Lower Hutt. A number or ladies in New Zealand have boom making respirators to bo sent to our troops in view of the possibility of the. Turks using asphyxiating gas ill Gallipoli. Tho arrangement about respirators was that the Home authorities would equip our troops with them, but in view of the fact that somo 7000 had been mado here, the Defence Minister sent a cablegram asking whether they should be sent'on. . Ho has received a reply .instructing him to ship the respirators, and to convey to tho ladies who havo made them the thanks of tho Army Council. ,

Au ornamental feature in connection with tho Central Park lias .recently been completed by tho City Engineer's staff. This-is .a substantial and pictunosfjuo reinforced concrete bridgo that spans the western gully below Oliiro Road. The bridge, whicii connects two ■ of the main paths, consists of one arch of reinforced concrete, Laving a span of 52ft., and carrying a superstructure of wood, supported by wood piers on either side and by the top of the arch 'for a section of the centre. Tho floor of tlie foot-bridge is 6ft. clear in width and the sides are protected with strong steel netting terminating iu a wooden hand rail on either side. Below, the bridge the little stream ; has been dammed by a concrete wall in order to form an ornamental lake, but as tho grounds will doubtless be a popular playground in the future provision has been made tliat there will never be more than some ' eighteen inches.- of water (in depth) in tlie lake in view of tho possibility of accidents. Speaking at the Now Zealand Club' luncheon yesterday Dr. A. A. Martin, who was for several months at the front in France and' Flanders; stated •that the way to gain the gratitude aud respect of "Tommy Atkins was to ask him for something, and not offer him anything. This particularly applied to a request for cigarettes, for "Tommy" ' was immensely pleased at any request for such an article. 1 Evidently :this tiait of the English "Tommy" has found its way to Wellington, for last night several pedestrians were accosted on Lamhton Quay by a small" baiid of soldiers wlio gave a peremptory order, to take a .cigarette, at the. same time extending an open bos, with a couple of cigarettes protruding. It was in this way that the writer became possessed • with a free smoke,' and the additional gratuitous information that "ho was a sport." / A case ef some importance came before tho. Magistrate's Court at Grey- ■ town on Wednesday of last week when' the police brought a chargo against A. • M. M'Kehzie, an employee in the totalisator houseat the recent Trotting Club ! Meeting, with selling two tickets to a person under 21 years of age. The charge read with "knowingly did the act." Tho defendant admitted selling tickets on the occasion, but he could ■not tell one man from another to whom lie sold tiio tickets. It took'him all his time selling tickets and watching 'his cash. The Magistrate said it rested with the police to prove that the act was "knowingly done." This had not been proved and sie therefore dismissed the case. The Wellington Football Club reported to the Rugby Union last evening that the, following men from its rankß , had been reported in the Roll of Honour: —Killed in action, Sergeants R. W. Lambert. E. Dewhurst, and A. J. M. Bonar. and Privates J. N. Brookes and J. H. Geddes; wounded, Privates S. M. Okey and G. A. Hampsom The Selrfyn Club reported that of its members who had gone to v the front, P. Sheerin had been killed in action, F. G. Faulkner had died of wounds, and L. Larkin had been wounded. ' V An interesting lectiirq on travel in war tinio was delivered to the Accountant Students' Society, last evening by Mr. W. B. Hudson. Mr. Hudson was a passenger by the steamer Moldavia, and: was nearing Aden when the first news of possible trouble was heard. As the vessel proceeded-towards France the seriousness of the position grew ■ manifest, and at Marseilles the passengers were told that they would not be allowed to cross France. Southern France, with wliioh fuss and excitement were usually associated, accepted tho war situation calmly and resolutely. The widespread disintegration of everything must have caused imicii inconveni-, eiico and hardship, and Sir. Hudson related several instances which came'iindor his own notice of people who .suffered through their, inability to use certain coinage. The military officers, who were admirablo in their courtesy and kindness to their soldiers and to did all" they could to minimise the inevitable inconveniences. The extent to which Franco had to contribute ,to the lighting .forces was indicated by the fact that 75 per cent, of the Marseilles 'tramway, men were called out at the very commencement of the'war. 'A petition was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday on behalf of Mrs. Ada Royd Garlick. Peti- , tioner's husband/ Thomas Booth Royd Garlick, who was Director of Physical Education in' New Zealand, died sutU denly on February 20, and Mrs. Royd Garlick now asks tho House to grant, her pecuniary aid. She states, that her,husband's death was brought about by overwork at the duties of nis office, and by the worry caused by, the proceedings at" a Parliamentary, inquiry witli reference to his appointment. She states, also, that owing to her not being allowed to carry on the physical culture school while her husband was Director of Physical Education, she has lost the goodwill of tho business, arid she now has to maintain an ■ expensive lease, having lost tho. extensive and lucrative practice. • ' ...- Among many, interesting letters from New Zealand soldiers is one' from Trooper M'Gregor, of Wanganui, giving some sidelights on. hospital lifo in Alexandria. In the first place! the writer shows that, despite the faot that lie was suffering from acute appendicitis, he undertook a march, and carried a 601b. pack for fully three miles. He suffered intense agony before collapsmg, and was operated upon just in time. Referring to ~ the hospital, he says: "Tho doctors here are very. good. Tbey. are all British, and the nurses are nearly all Australians, with a few from New Zealand. The orderlies are British, and. will do anything for you. I can see plenty of evidence around'me of tne fierce fighting in the Dardanelles. The man on my"right siugs, 'Every Morn I . Bring Thee Roses'; a Scotsman on the other side, wounded in the head, keeps saying, 'Oh, my puir head,' and_then Oic sings l l s m Fu' the Noo.* lam stranded hero with £2, *and ,do_ not know whfc has 'to my regiment, nop if I will ever see it again, but I expect I will land on my, feet." The substitution of-the word "has 1 * for the word "was" in oiir Parliamentary report yesterday made it appear that Mr. G. Witty, when referring to the alleged wheat transactions of al Canterbury miller asked "Has _he sold " wheat?" when, as a matter of fact, the-' question, should have read-".Was ne sold wheat?"