LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2610, 4 November 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the ,mails which left Auckland on September 20, and connected with the s.b. Ventura at Sydney, arrived in London on October 81, seven days late. A fire broko_ out _ in the Mawhora boardinghouse in Dixon Street shortly before 1 o'clock yesterday morning, and before the_ flames were subdued by the Central Fire Brigade a considerable amount of damage had been done to the ceiling and walls, but fortunately the ten inmates of the premises escaped without injury. The origin of the outbreak is a mystery. The building (nino rooms) is owned by Mr. Samuel Gilmer, of the Royal Oak Hotel, and is leased by Mr. Henry Brady. It is stated that the Island Bay unit of the National Reserve has contributed sixteen members to the reinforcement drafts. Upwards of a hundred replies were received by tlie Labour Department to advertisements in tho local papers inviting offers of sections suitable for sites of workers' dwellings. The Department is now considering tho offers, and tho sites are being inspected. At a church sen-ice hold on beard tho steamer Marama on Sunday last the sum of approximately £30 was collected. Of this amount £20 was contributed by tho crew and £10 by tho passengers. It is proposed to devote tho monev collected in the purchase of some sn'itablo articlo or articles for tho wounded to be cared for on tho Jlarama, which is to proceed te the war zone as a hospital ship. For_ neatest design, pood wearing material, Neglige Shirts, gentlemen nj'e advised to inspect the rouge from 2s. lid. to 7;. U'" I'owldi, Ltd,, Slaanws St.— Adit,

Several local bodies in New Zealand havo forwarded to the Prime Minister resolutions protesting against what they describo as tho "unpatriotic and illadvised utterances by irresponsible war correspondents of tho Ashmead Bartlett typo, who are doing their best- to damago their country's interests." That

was how one local lxidy expressed it, and the other bodies havo framed their resohitions on similar lilies. Mr. Masspy informed a reporter yesterday afternoon that be was very glad to sco that tho people of New Zealand took an interest in a matter which was of very great importance, but it has alroady teen dealt with by tho New Zealand Government. However, tho purport of tho various resolutions wr.uld bo forwarded to tlio Imperial authorities. About 500 men of the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the New Zealand Riilo Brigade, which is at present cncamppd at May Morn, under Colonel V. S. Smyth, arrived in Wellington bv special troop train at 0.20 last evening. The men, in common with the rest of those at May Morn, had had 110 leave, until yesterday, since entering camp about four weeks ago. They returned to camp by special troop train, leaving Lambton Station sho'rtly after 10 p.m. Recently a passenger by a train running near Wellington was asked by the guard for his ticket. He said he would hsvo to buy one, and inquired the cost. The cost was about 45., and he tendered a £20 note. Rather strangely, tho guard had not tho necessary £19 16s. change in his pocket. In the Reinforcements which go forward from time to time, thero are several arms- of the service, and each has its special colour, which is worn as part of tho puggaree _ round the hat. This puggaree is a distinctive mark of the Now Zealand soldiers. Those from other parts of the Empire havo only plain hat bands, though a colour scheme to mark tho different services is fairly general. 111 New Zealand the infantry band is a red mie with khaki borders; the Army Service Corps is white between khaki; the artillery is rod and black without khaki; tho Engineers wear a narrow band of dark green between khaki, tho mounted infantry a broad band of green with khaki borders, and the Army Medical Corps a maroon band similarly placed. Tho Maori Regiments which are trained at Narrow Neck, near Auckland, wear red and black badges of various shapes. Passengers by tho Manama from San Francisco state that the latter city was subjected to two slight but distinctly noticeable earthquakes at about 9.30 p.lll. on October 7. Some of those who wero at the theatres say tliat the buildings vibrated alarmingly for a few scconds, but though some of the audience left almost immediately there was 110 sign of panic, thanks to a great extent to the reassuring conduct of tho theatre attendants, who immediately walked down tho aisles asking people to keep their seats as there was absolutely no danger. /

It is interesting to notice at the Palmerston North _ show that there are very largo entries in tho "war" knitting competitions. • For knitted socks thirty-four competed and for balaclavas 22. The work in many cases is particularly good.

The Bth Reinforcements Artillery, at present encamped at Trentliam, will indulge in live shell shooting to-day, when tliey will firo six rounds of 18-pounder at targets on the hills. Tho object of tho practice is to enable the men to become convorsaut with the service conditions of, the gun.

Tho Wellington Commercial Travellers' contribution to the eports bodies' Christmas Gift Fund for tho men in tho trenches and hospitals now amounts to £300. The actual amouut collected on Saturday afternoon as the result of the llower sales in tho streets and perambulating concert party was £238, since tvhich time donations havo been received, bringing the total up to the good round sum mentioned.

One of tho musical attractions.at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco when the Marama left was a military baud of forty performers, composed Wholly of Japanese. They are said to play remarkably well, so well that tho Frisco prejudice against the Japanese was entirely forgotten under the influence of their art. Visitors to tho Exposition wore being asked to 6ign a petition as they entered the gates asking President Wilson to visit tho big 6how.

The Jfinister of Education visited several farms ins tlie Hawera district yesterday in connection with the agricultural work of the Wanganui Board. The Minister was impressed with the practical instniction given by the board's expert and the modern school buildings of' the board.—-Press Association.

Tho leather-covered chairs to be seen in tho gallery of tho Town Hall at the present timo are not those placed there for the better comfort of tho public. It is true that there are chairs, and they aro leather-covered, but the covers are merely dressed sheepskins (basils) which mo to bo made forthwith into leather Waistcoats for the use of our troops abroad during the approaching winter. Their exposure on tho chairs of tho Town Hall galleries is owing to tho fact that the.skins have been immersed in a water-proofing solution, which has to dry before the leather is shaped into garments. The idea is a capital one, and those who have seen a test made of the'treated leather .testify that it appears to make the leather proof against damp. One skin after being treated was ■filled with water, and loft so for a- whole night. When tlie water was drained off the next morning there was no indication of the slightest soakago raving taken place.

Tho Labour Department lias decided to take action against some milk vendors wlio employ boy labour oil the milk rounds, this being a. breach or the award governing the industry cf onik •iistributioli. A successful meeting representative of sports clubs in tlio locality was held in tlio Newtown Library last night to arrange for participation in the Christmas Shilling Gift Fund scheme which tho sports bodies have in hand, the object being, as the title implies, to raise money for the purchase of Christmas presents for the soldiers at the front. A. canvassing _ campaign was organised, and subscription lists distributed. Miss Wilton, care Georgo and George, Riddiford Street, was appointed treasurer. A serious endeavour is to be made by the Defence authorities, working in conjunction with the Labour Department and tho Public Works Department to find employment for men who, having enlisted, find themselves in need of work during the period while they are waiting to be called up. Tho Defence Minister stated yesterday that the Labour Department would endeavour to place men with private employers and the Public Works Department would, wherever possible, find work for these men. He did not think tho number of men affected was very largo, but it was intended so to arrange matters tliafc every man who had enlisted, and who was out of work, would bo given temporary employment during his period of waiting. Although lie did not think the leakage had been considerable. the matter required attention. It applied scarcely at all to men in tho cities, but it did sometimes happen that men coming in from the back-coun-try to enlist could not afford to wait until their turn to bo called up came round.

, Ilia latest in Christian names appears in tlie catalogue of tlio Palmerston North show—one Anzao Parton is among tie competitors.

( Mid winning of the Victoria Cross by Corporal Bassett recalls the. fact (says an exchange) that tho decoration has neon awarded for deed of valour 011 .New Zealand soil. In the Maori War 1§63-64, Major Charles Heaphy cam•m it oy a deed of conspicuous bravery 111 a sKirmieli on the banks of tlio Marp 1 0 ®'"' cr » 111 W :e Upper Waikato. fleaphy, who was sorving as a volunteer, was not a Now Zwilandor by birth, but lie had beon so Jong in tlso country—he came out from England as a surveyor for tlio New Zealand Company in 1839—that ho was a woll-soason-<n colonial, and, not being in tho British regular forces, it was only with much reluctance that the Imperial autimritios granted liiin the decoration recommonded by his superior officer. In tlio later Native campaigns special deeds ( armgw r ero rewarded with tho New /<calanu Cross; not quite a scoro of tliesc very rare decorations wero awarded. J t was not until tho Boer War that a Now Zealand soldier again had an. opportunity of earning the V.G. This was a young mounted rifleman, who, until ho .enlisted, had pliod a blacksmith's hammer in tlio Petono Railway workshops. W. _J. TTardham joined tho fourth Contingont as a farrier, and won wo Cross and his commissicn as a nontenant for a remarkably plucky feat I'L, . TC . S . C,I(> of a wou » ( lwl comrade in Tufll, in tho fight at Nauwjjoort. Hardliam is once mnro serving his country.

A sea serpent fcuud alivo at Farquliar Inlet, near the Manning River, t\ ow t? 0111 Wales, and forwarded to Mr. D. stead, of the State Fisheries Department, proves to bo the first specimen of .its kind found in New South Wales, It measured about Bft. Jong, and at a cursory glance looked like a_ carpet snake. Its coiling propensities when held in tho air emphasised its similarity 'to this land snako, and both hold their prey by vice-like culls. But iu tho shape of its body tha sea serpent is -quite different. A ground snake lias a flattened or roundish upper-party cn which it crawls, but the sea serpent's body underneath juts out\ after the fashion of tho keel of a ship, and when it gets washed ashore it becomes stranded on its side, 'locomotion in the serpentine method as generally understood being a matter of great difficulty with it. But in its native element the sea serpent darts through tho water at a great, pace, its tail, which resembles tlio llat/ end of a paddle, enabling it to steer with facility. Its greatest woight is concentrated in tlio lower part of its body to help it in dragging down and constricting whatever it seizes. Mr. Stead says that tho sea serpent has poison fangs,' and its bite is deadly. It lives mostly at tho top of the nvater, and has to como to the surface Uo breathe, as it possesses lungs and not gills. When it comes up to tho top to breathe it is almost invisiblo from a boat, as it just puts its noseabova tho surface, all tho rest of it being immersed.

Engineers in England aro _ discussing the possibility that tho Lusitania may be raised from tho ocean bed, say# "The Washington Times." She lies at a depth of 300 to 400 feet, on a bottom that is supposed to be ha'rd enough to have prevented her becoming packed in mud and grown into the sea's floor. This is in many eases the greatest difficulty about, raising a ship. The'Lusitania and her cargo are estimated to weigh about 40.000 tons, which is a greater weight than has ever been dragged \ip from tlio soil's bottom. Moreover, tlie depth at which she lies is, perhaps. 100 feet greater than any at which divers liava over successfully operated. But it is suggested that greater power and bigger appliances might cone with the greater weight; while there liavo been lecent improvements in diving paraphernalia, which might niako.tlio work possible, dosnite the great depth. Especially is_ it claimed that a spherical diving machino has been perfected, in which men could go to much greater depths and- still work, -using artificial light to guide them.

Tho appeal for hslp for tli<* Belgian children to-morrow lias evoked so ready a- responso that tliero aro not enough of tho ordinary well-known collection boxes to go round. At the Normal Schools in Thorndon and Kolbuni the head teachers aro supplying t"ho youthful collectors with special boxes, and soldered tins, eaoh Wring a rod print-' Ml label, showing the name of the fund, the collector's number, and the name of the school. Hie head teachers disavow all connection with moneys collected in a haphazard way in any. receptacles other than those above described. ,