LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2619, 15 November 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A series of violent thunderstorms have been passing over the city sinco Saturday night, says a Press. Association telegram received from''Auckland last night, torrential rains falling at intervals. No damage is reported yet.-

The war tax collected at the Canterbury Jockey Club's race meeting totalled £1146 175., in addition to £19*2 tax on the stakes. —Press Association.

The action for alleged libel brought by the Bank of New Zealand against the "New Zealand Truth" has been settled by the newspaper concerned making an unreserved withdrawal and apology for its statements published in its issue on June 19 and in a contents placard of the paper. The newspaper' is also to publish its retraction and pay the bank's costs.

A gorse fire on * the hill near Hay Streot, Oriental Bay, resulted fii the fire brigade being called out at 8.23 p.m. on Saturday. The flames were subdued before any damage had resulted to property.

The appeal made by the Patriotic Society for for the Expeditionary Force is meeting with a fairly good response, and the society has been enabled to supply 46 pairs to officers and non-commissioned officers of the Eighth Reinforcements.

An Euglish and an American inail, via Vancouver,'will arrive at Auckland per R.M.S. Makura, early this morning. The southern portion of the mail should arrive here by to-morrow morning's Main Trunk express. The Ulimaroa, which is due from Sydney, direct at 2 p.m. to-day, is bringing an Australian mail only.

! The Cost of Living Act is to be discussed at a meeting of the Wellington Industrial Association, to be hold this evening.

The Auckland Racing Club had agreed that the profits of the Spring Meeting should go to the Patriotic Fund, tho club guaranteeing a donation of not less than £2000. Though the meeting resulted in no profit, this sum will bo donated. The Government tax on the totalisator returns and tho neV dividend and stakes tax 'amounted to I £2814. Tlie club makes a loss on tho | 'meeting of £337. The club has also authorised the payment of ordinary land tax of 25 per cent, and an additional war tax and graduated tax and super graduated tax of £727 4s. 9d. A cheque for £93 Bs. 7d., additional to the sum already sent in, has been received by the Mayor from the Wairoa District for the Red Cross Fund. ,

Private H. West, a, recruit, who has been a member of the Somes Island guard for three or four days only, mot with a minor shooting accident on Saturday. .Whilst on guard the men's rifles are loaded, and in handling his gun a little carelessly (says Major Mathoson) the trigger was pressed, the gun was discharged, and the bullet grazed tho outside of the second joint of the right thumb, which was rather seriously, injured. The injured man was at onco sent to town for hospital treatment. Private West's homo address is N0.'92 Adelaide Road.

Friday's Christchurch papers report that Mr. 0. H. Ensor's new homestead at White Rock was totally destroyed by fire on the previous afternoon.' Mr. Ensor and his family were in town at tlie time, and two maids, the only occupants, were in charge of tho house. It is not known how the firo occurred. Mr. Ensor was particularly unfortunate in losing all his Oorriedale cups, trophies of successful exhibits at the shows, and many other articles of considerable personal value to himself and his wife were likewise lost. _ The house and contents were partly insured, but a vory substantial loss above tjho cover will fall on Mr. Elisor. Only a piano and a few other articles of furniture were saved. The homestead was built only a year ago, and was a fine typo of country residence. Some six years ago a formor homestead was lost by fire. A. meeting of 'non-commissioned officers of tho National Reserve is to be held shortly to consider a proposal to form a non-commissioned officers' club in conjunction with the existing Territorials' Club. f Bishop Sprott conducted confirmation services last evening at St. James's Church, Lower Hutt. Tho Governor has remitted the fine of £10 imposed by tho Stipendiary Magistrate at Napior on Mr. Arthur M'Carthy for selling _ certain goods at auction without a license, in aid of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. Tho Magistrate- recommended tho remission of the fine. Aeroplane Engines—The most perfect made— liavo shown tho world that to obtain the greatest possible power from an engine it is neoessnTy to use overhead valves, siihilar to those used on the famous Chevrolet cars. You will roadily understand the reason for this if you communicate with tho Dominion Motor Vehicles, Ltd., 65 Courtenay Place, who will be pleased to explain fully this feature.— .Advfc.

Temperance Sunday was celebrated in many of the Hutt Valley churches yesterday. In the evening an openair address' was delivered by the Rev. Bruce Todd at ketone.

Tho Labour Department during last week provided work for eight men who. having enlisted, wanted employment until they wero called up. Owing to tho number of workers in .skilled trades who have enlisted,' there is a strong demand for men of this class, and it appears to bo impossible to fill vacancies as rapidly as they occur.

Tho annual conference of the Church of England Men's Society (Wellington Diocese) will bo held in St. Peter's Schoolroom; Ghuznee Street, on _ Tuesday and AVednesday next. Special interest attaches to this year's conference, since it is to take the form of a congress for the discussion of problems connected with tlhe great ttrugglo through which tho Empire is passing. Tho general subject is entitled "A Renowed World; a Eenewed Nation; a Renewed Church." The Right Rev. T. H. Sprott will deliver an address at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, on "The Place of Nationality in the Kingdom of God." At 8 p.m. the C.E.M.S. service will bo held in St. Peter's, tho preacher being the Eev. H. Watson, M.A., vicar of the parish. On Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. papers on "Moral Renewal" and "Social Renewal" will bo read and discussed. The ' afternoon, session will bo devoted to the_" consideration of papers by tho Rev. E. I. Sola, vicar of Eastbourne, and the Rev. A. M. Johnson, M.A., vicar of St. Paul's, Wellington, on the subject of "A Renewed Church." At 8 p.m. an address will be given on "Fresh Opportunities and Difficulties of Missionary Work." A cordial invitation to be present at tho meetings of the congress is extended to all men (whether churchmen or not) who aro interested in the subjects to he discussed.

■Mr. T. H. liriwry, of Hawks's Bay, lias sent a cheque for £1000 to the Hon. G. W. Russell for the convalescent camp ( for soldiers, which is being erected at Fukeroa Hill, near Rotorua. The gift is from both Mr. and Mrs. Lowry.

A meeting of the Council of Conciliation was held on Thursday morning at the Groymouth Courthouse in respect to the Furniture Trade dispute. An agreement upon all points in dispute was .arranged, upon similar lines to that awarded in other portions of the .Dominion. Tho date upon which the award shall commence to operate has been, loft to the Court of Arbitration to tormina.

On Tuesday afternoon the TYnipori power was "off" for a few minutes (saya tho Dunedin "Star") through a peculiar accident Armstrong and Moore, contractors, are doing some alterations to the building, making it practically fireproof. Ono of their carpenters, James Muir, went up the stairs with another man, and, being interested with the sight of the eloctncal appliances, they looked round for a moment. Pausing .in front of the three .lighting arresters; Muir pointed at two knobs, and received serious injury from an electric shock. He must have produced a contact of the two knobs. Prom one of the knobs there runs a Inch-tension wire, the wire from the other leading to the earth. The.officials say that with an installation carrying as* much power as this one does it is possible for tho wiro to jump towards -any obiect that is-a conductor. It is counted unsafe to hold anything of that sort within half an inch' of the Wire, lest, in its earthward energy, it should leap forward. Exactly- what happened in this instance is not known, except that Muir's arm from the hand to the shoulder w\is burnt, and that he is now in the Hospital. If the contact had been -wholly with tho livo side, instead of partlv on one side and partly on tho other, the man would have baea struck dead on tho spot.

Mr. J. 0. Batchelar, of Fiteherhert, Ma'nawatu, has receved a letter from his son, Captain A. F. Batchelar, who was wounded by shrapnel at the Dardanelles. Captain who has recently been promoted to-his present rank, was dispatched to England for medical treatment, but after being four days at sea, just off the rock of (* rnlt-r it was found his case demanded immediate attention, and an operation was performed and thnshrnrmel Temovpfl from his shoulder.'... Thereafter he made fine procress, and landed in Eiiekmd on the hiffhway to recovery. Ho is now doinn- well, nnd expects to be back in the firing lino shortiv; _■ It is stated that Major B. C. Freyher*, of Wellington, has been promoted to the rank of commander m the Royal Naval Brigade. This force has had very severe oxDonences. for out ot Hood's No. 1 Brigade there only remained on September 21 five out of 120 officers, 50 per cent, of these , being killed. Commander tho only officer left in Hood's Battalion who went through tho Antwerp expedition, and onlv 30 men in the battalion remain Dr. Putnam notified the Palmerston Hospital Board at its meeting on Thursdav that he had boon accepted by tho New Zealand Government as to the New Zealand General Hospital at Cairo, which would necessitate his giving un his duties at *«* hospital about Christmas time, and he hoped to return by tho end of 1916.

Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., are offering some of ttenost comfortable fitting newest shapes, in English Boots, at 24s6d._to 37s Gd. An inspection is invited, that will cost you nothing.—Advt.

Mr. A. Ramsay is in charge of tha Hastings Post Office; during the absence of the Postmaster (Mr. F. Pcrrin) on annual leave. Mr 11. Burrows, delivery clerk tor tho Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's stevedoring department at Auckland, is coins into training at Trentham for raw vice abroad with the-New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, and last week ha Us tho recipient of a shaving outfit suitably inscribed, which was.presented to him as an expression of the esteem in'which ho is held by those with whom he had worked. ■ Fox's Superfine, wm-frayable. spiral nutteea. khaki, military shade. We havo been fortunate in receiving a large delivery of these world-famous puttees, unprwurable for some time past. A boon to soldiers. Our price, 95., per pairs Regulation Quality, Bs. per pair postfwe. Cash must accompany order Smith and Cmi'hey. Ltd., the Great Military Outfitters, Auckland.-Advt.