LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2626, 23 November 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the sis. Moeraki, which is due from Sydney to-day, is bringing Australian mails only.

Cablo advice has been received that ;he Seventh Reinforcements have , arrived safely at their destination.

"It would be a good .thing to keep rifie shooting going this niaiai.'r, :f the ammunition is available,' lemarkeci Mr. H. Marshall, president of the Wellington Riflo Association, at tho annual meeting of that bod/ Shooting, ho added, was an excellent accomplishment 'or recruits, aii'l ;fc encouraged recruiting.

. It 'is possible that an approximate result preliminary count of tho National Register statistics may be announced next week.

While in Auckland last week the Prime Minister visited some areas in the neighbourhood of the city, reported to him a3 being suitable for subdivision into small lots for fruit and poultry farms, on which soldiers mignt be settled. Mr. Massey said that several blocks of publicly-owned land were available, and ho thought that some of the returned soldiers could be settled there. Experience had shown that the heavy clay lands of the north, hitherto accounted of little value, conld, -with proper treatment, be made very productive and profitable.

So far over 700 members of the Post and Telegraph Department's staff in Now Zealand have enlisted for service at the front, and there ere another 82 applications for leavo to enlist at present receiving attention.

The deep feeling of loyalty to the Empire among tbo people o£ South' Africa is demonstrated by a letter, received by t'lio Rev. It. S. Lawry, of Christchurch, from liis son, Lieutenant it. A. R. Lawry, who is in a London hospital, where his wounds are being attended to. Lieutenant Lawry states that a South African lady, of Dutch parentage, who visited tlie wounded men, has two brothers. Both of tlieni left their farms to fight with General Botha _ against the British in the last Boer' War, and now both have left their farms again to fight with the British against the Enipiro's enemies.

Despite tire approach of Christmas, the secretary of the Wellington Tailors' Union states .that the retail trade in tailoring is liot brisk. He has two or three hands idle, an unusual thing at this season, and in the shops the nien are not.all being worked at full time. Speaking to a reporter yesterday he said that trade for Christmas should liave started last month, hut while it did pick up a ,little it soon dropped off again. The bespoke tailors are getting some assistance by,receiving orders from officers for uniforms; but the manufacture of the men's uniforms is done wholesale, by contract, in the factories.

The work of the ladies connected with the Gallipoli Day movement on Saturday last was the subject of much eulogy at the meeting of the Sports Bodies' Committee last evening. It was mentioned by tho secretary (Mr. H. Amos) that one young lady was oirhei way home, wet but happy, when she came across a basket of flowers which was apparently being neglected by those to whom it had been given to sell. She asked if she could have it, and on informed that the flowers were no good and she- was welcome to them, took, them home. With the assistance of -a friend she bunched them up attractively, and sallied forth and sold them during the evening for a total of £5. The relating of the incident was heartily applauded.

A well-known, shipping manager who has( been on an extended visit to the Marlborough Sounds stated yesterday that the recent wet weather had interfered with tlie shearing very much indeed. Sheep had been mustered in largo numbers, but owing to the inclement weather nothing could be done. He was or the opinion that the shearing season would he very late ill the districts lie } had visited.

At yesterday's meeting of the Tramways and Power Houses Committee of the Wellington Oity Council, the basis of' a :new agreement with the Miramar Borough Council for filie supply of power for public and private lighting was submitted and approved. This agreement, it is understood, provides for the supply of the current required at a slight increase, on the former cost.

A miniature rifle range erected at the Potone Drill Hall by the Petone and the Railway units of the National Reserve was opened last evening. Prior to a match between the two units, Lieutenant Anderson presented Mr. J. Woods, 011 behalf of- the Pctono unit, with a fountain-pen, ,md his wife with a purse, in recognition of the valuable services Tendered by Mr. Woods in coaching members at tho Working Men's Club rifle, range.

A most amusing attraction which has proved a great success in patriotic carnivals held ill England is that, provided by the spectacle of returned wounded soldiers competing in hair-dressing and hat-trimming contests. Plenty of young ladies are usually -found to act as "patients" for tho liair-drcssing competitions, and tlio novel effects created cause screams of laughter. The spirit of hilarity is caused by the "creations", in millinery turned out by. tho battleworii warriors. The idea is to be gh - eu expression to in Wellington at the Basin Reserve next Saturday. At last dveiling's meeting of tho committer it was reported that Colonel (Dr.) Morice would provide til.-) nsyosswy "pcniquieis" nuil "milliuers" far Saturday's fauction,

Tlio J. C. Williamson "Potash and Perhmtter" Dramatic Company assisted the patriotic efforts in the streets of Wangaimi' 011 Saturday, and raised a, considerable Sinn for the New Zealand wounded soldiers. Mr. W. A. Veitcli, 51.P., lihanked tho management for their efforts.—Press Association.

All interesting display of splints for the hoiipital ship Marama, made by tho students in woodwork attending State schools, is to be made in the Education Board's room this and to-morrow afternoons :ind evenings. Tho splints were mad% ::rom patterns furnished by the mc-dica! authorities .interested, and are said u he "just the thing the doctor ordered." Most of the City schools contributed their quota, and others havo been made by woodwork students in tlio Levin, Paliiatua, Eketahuna, Masterton, Carterton, Greytown, and Petono Schools.

A stnsation was caused in Oliakune on Thursday morning by one of the biggest fires the little town has ever knoivn. Tho premises destroyed -were Heeld's Pictnni Theatre and Sash and. Door Factory. The fire originated m tho theatre, which burned fiercely, and the flames quickly spread to tho factory in tho rear, and both' buildings with all their contents fere reduced to ashes. Tho causa of the fire is absolutely unexplained. The loss, none of which is covered by insuranci!, is estimated at £2000.

Messrs. Carr *nd Pipir, I'lr.ef for the A.M.P. Society, write: —"In the memorandum >;übir : tted fcy Mr. James Macintosh ( t-o t' e War League >e states_ amongst "tlier things t! it the war iiiik c 1 arged ';y lifj insui'anco offices is £7 10.5. pei' cent. A'flu u_<li this is tlie rate miing in some i-18-t-e, it' is onlj; fair to pomi out tJiac v.ar risk .charged by «be A.M.I 1 . Sucn'tv is still £5 per £100, sv;h charge f.eiila payable' in half-yearly instalments of 12 10s., commencing frs:n d»;e of sailing anil ceasing on vetiru 10 Mow Zeu \ar.d.

Troopor W. Rovnelds. of'tho Wellington Mounted Rilles, in a letter to Mr. \Y. Longford, of Hereford Street, Christcliurch, says a few words in praise of the management of military hospitals in Egypt. "They are well managed," he says, "very well managed li.deed. The food is good and the attendance is splendid. I know, as I have experienced it. I was taken into one of the hospitals, and did not know what vas. being done, and was unconscious for two days, but when I woko up I_faw tho red screen around me and kr.ew where I was and began to wonder what was the matter and why 1 was there. "When I gathered my senses, I found that I was being fed on milk and lemons and ice-water, which lasted for .three days. After that tliey put me on beef-tea and custard for about a week, and still milk ■to drink —fresh irilk at that. After another week they put me on chicken and custard for about three weeks, and lemons and ice-wat<?r and milk still, and also lemonade or soda water, which- j ever was ordered by the doctor. You can see how the boys are ' treated in hospital. The chaplains came round. They are very good indeed. They give cigarettes, or tooth-paste, or a razor or a strop, or anything needed. They come round, two of them, twice a week, and, niy word, the boys look forward to their "coming, Lean tell you." "Out soldiers have gone further to the battlefield than any soldiers in the history of the world," 6aid the Hon! Dr. M'Nab at Kaiapoi on Thursday, as lie dwelt on tho enormous advantage of tho Germans in fighting compactly with a perfected railway system against Powers that had to train soldiers in one hemisphere to light in another. The advantage of position lay with Germany, and although there may hayo been mistakes he was not going to discuss tlem. ; There was only one thing to be done at present, and that was to see the war to a successful issue. He did not doubt the ultimate triumph of the Allies, but it would happen oivJy by the gradual bleeding down of t'ha resources of Germany, which was to be reduced from one of the world's great Powers to a very insignificant position; but tli 5 war was going to bleed the victors absolutely white, 1 and in a manner tjnt would be felt in men ; and rcsourc:s for many years to come. "And "hat,, is. why we to appeal to every man between twenty and forty(ivo yeiirs to give'us a hand. We ask everyone who has not enlisted to think seriously over this thing. It is the pride aad glory of our country that we nave nsver yet had to resort to conscription. We have been perilously near it in tho olden days of the press gang, but wo have never adopted it."