LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2526, 29 July 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tlie Defence Minister stated ill the House of Representatives yesterday that tho medical officers examining recruits offering for service with the Expeditionary Force had for some time exercised somo discretion in tljo mattor of accepting or rejecting men slightly below the prescribed minimum height of sft. 4in. A detachment of the Medical Corps, comprising, it is understood, somo fivo doctors and thirty men; leaves by today's Sydney boat, en route for Egypt. Very few particulars were available yesterday as to tho names of those leaving, but it is understood that Dr. Beedio (Damiovirke), Dr. B. H. Gilmoiir (Timarn), Dr. Addison (Oamaru), and Dr. G. W. Hill (Picton) will be members of the detachment. "I merely wished to get the sense of the meeting," said the Mayor (Mr. ,T. P. Luke) in the course of a discussion at the Patriotic Funds Conference yesterday. "But, sir," said Mr. C. P. Skerrett quickly, "I do not wish you to get tho senso of tho meeting until tho meeting has got sense I" (Laughter.) Tho Consular Agent for Italy (Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp) has boon requested by tho Italian Consul at Melbourne to open a subscription list in aid of tlie Italian l?ecl Cross Society. All moneys paid to him will be forwarded through the Consul at Melbourno to Italy. Considerable interest lias been evoked by a large new building—the largest of its class in the Dominion—erected in ToryStreet just off the Courtenay Place woodblocking. We are pleased to be able to inform our many readers that this building has now been opened as a Garage bv the Dominion Motor Vehicles, Ltd.. the motor importers.—Advt."

"Packed to the doors by 10 a.m."! was tho bulletin issued by Ivirkcaldie and Stains, Ltd., yesterday. Tho 'opening of their great Half-Yearly Sale was marked by oven greater crowds thia usual, and judging by the sales that are being made the public _<n e evidently taking the opportunity ICirkcaldio's sales afford of saving money by making their purchases now. Country customers are advised tfcat their mail orders will bo executed with as little delay as possible, aad as far as practicable goods will bs sent out tho same dav tho .ordor is rewh'd.-Adyt,

Members of enemy nationalities who work for the Wellington Harbour Board formed tho subject of a return presented to last night's meeting of tho board. The return states that the board employs 110 Turks and no Austrians. Four members of the permanent staff are Germans, three of whom arc naturalised and one linnaturalised. The naturalised men are, respectively, sixty-three, fifty-six, and fifty-eight years of age, and they have been thirty-four, fourteen, and eighteen years in the board's permanent service, and for some time before that. Two of the three naturalised Germans aro married; one has six children, another two children, and tho third is married hut has 110 children. The unnaturaliscd German is forty years of age, thirty years of which he lias lived in New Zealand. He does not know tlia German language, and lias never been in Germany. Until a little while ago 110 thought that from his infancy lie had be'eu naturalised.

The prospect of the Falcon Shoal light being removed: from tho Wellington Harbour has raised a protest from masters of vessels which frequent tho port. Tho subject was discussed at last night's meeting of the Harbour Board, and tho Harbourmaster (Captain Dawson) recommended the placing of a red light 400 feet to the east of the present steeple rock buoy, arrangement, he said, would satisfy the shipmasters. Tho matter was referred to tho Wharves Committee.

A housewife in Leigh, England, and a housewifo in Auckland, recently, by letters, made a comparison of the respective cost of living in the two places says tho "New Zealand Herald.'' Everything has gono up in price in England since the outbreak of war. In Leigh tho following prices were paid for tho articles mentioned, and the prices paid for tho same articles in Auckland are shown in parentheses:— 31b. sugar, Is., (lid.) j 1 tin apricots, lid. (lOJd.); 9 eggs, Is. (6 eggs, Is.); 21b. syrup, 7d. ((id.); lib. starch, 3}d. (6d.); 101b. flour, 2s. Id. (12J1b., 2s. 6d.); 51b. .potatoes, 4}d. (5d.); 1 tin pineapple, 5-Jd. (6d.); lib. onions, 2d, (Id.). It will.be seen that the comparison is slightly in favour of New, Zealand prices, but it must be remembered (adds tho "Herald") that tho labourers' average wap in- England is 205., as compared with 50s. in Now Zealand.

Tho fact of tho war reducing tha Westport coal output lias had. a disastrous offcct on tlm Westport Harbour Board revomie (says a Greymouth correspondent). Tho incomo for tho current year was estimated at £100,000, and expenditure was planned accordingly, but for tho seven months expired tho revenue, railways and wharf account. has amounted to only £26,000.

Replying to a question in tha Houso of Representatives yesterday, the Prime Minister' stated that it was tho practico of the' New Zealand Railways to grant a to blind persons desirous of travelling by rail, allowing both tho person afflicted and tho person caring for him to travel on one ordinary ticket. This, as Mr. Massey pointed out, practically amounts to free travel for the blind, person, as it is unlikely that such a person would travel by rail without being in charge of someone.

Tho fixed holidays of the Wellington Harbour Board are to bo altered to coincide with those named in the Wharf Labourers' Award. Tho chief effect of this decision is that the permanent staff will cease to make holiday on the Prince of Wales's Birthday, and will observe. the board's picnic day (a movable holiday), which they did not celebrate in the past.

"Thero is no dearth of officers for reinforcements and no shortage of ffjeers with good qualifications offers ing," said tho Minister of -Defence irt the House yesterday. "I am not disposed to put any difficulties in tho way of men who consider they have the necessary qualifications and aro obliged: to wait their turn for appointment in Now Zealand trying their forJ tuuo in England, and am only too pleased'to know that in many instances they have been successful in obtaining commissions in tho Imperial regiments."

Mr. Charles Elgar, now in London, has (says our Fcatherston correspondent) cabled to the Government offering his largo house at Fernside, Feather-' ston, to the Defence Department as a hospital lor sick or wounded soldiers.

It was reported to the Wellington Harbour Board last night that, as provided by .the agreement of 1908, between the board and • the Miramar Borough Council, the council has .paid to the board the fifth and final annual instalment of. #1000 as. subsidy, in connection with tho board's works at Miramar. .

Monday, 'August 30, 1915, has been fixed as the dato for the public drawing of twenty debentures of the Wellington Harbour Board's £850,000 consolidated loan for redemption in February, 1916. • The Rev. A. Grant, Moderator of tha Presbyterian Church, in response to a. request from the Prime Minister, directs that August 8 as well as August 4 bo observed by tho Presbyterian Church of New Zealand as a day of intercession on account of the war, says a Press Association telegram from Dannevirke.

The Patent Slip question was before tlie Wellington Harbour Board for a moment last evening. It was decided to approve tlie plans of the second patent slip as submitted by the Wellington Patent-Slip Co., Ltd., subject to • questions of . detail to be arrangea between the company and the board a ■jngineer. Sportsmen may bo interested in the following proposals which are to be brought before the Acclimatisation Socities' Conference:—(l) "That legisla* tion bo intraduced with,a view to leaving the matter of an open or close season in any district'in the hands of the local society instead of being fixed by, law as at present, or at any rate that tho conference's and local societies recommendations should be given more consideration"; and (2) 'that tlio shooting season for native and imported gamo be rcstrictcd to two months in cach year • for two years and to one month in the third year, the date of opening and closing such season to be left in tho hands of the different ao climatisatioii societies."