LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2630, 27 November 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Telegraph Office advise that cable messagos may now be accepted at EFJI rates lor soldiers at Gibraltar, with instructions to reply at cost of sender. Tho conditions are the 6ame as in the p as ® of messages to Egypt. Soldiers in Gibraltar are also allowed to send 'collect''' messages to New Zealand up to 12 words without receipt of request. With tlio growth. of the New Zealand Expeditionary, Force, there is an increasing volumo of inquiries for information regarding men who have enlisted. The. work of, the Records Staff of the Defeuce Department would bo greatly . facilitated, and an early reply ensured, if all inquirers wero careful to state the full name and, if.possible, the regimental number of the soldier concerned.

Asked yesterday whether the Government intended to interest/ itself further in tho administration of the Patriotio Funds, the Prime Minister said that al- ' ready.a War Funds Council had been.' set up, and through this body provision would be made for a systematic audit of all funds, and statements have been made to the effect that the Government desire to "collar" tho patriotio funds, said Mr. Massey. "We don't desire -to interfere with them in any way, but wo do intend to see that the accounts are properly audited, and that the moneys will bo expended for the purposes for whioh they were subscribed. And I think the War Funds Council will eserciso a very proper influence in preventing.improper expenditure of the moneys."

Two trilling fires were attended by the City Brigade yesterday. At 10.L a.m. a, call was received to tho Wentworth Private Hotel 3 where some curtains were damaged, and at 12.45 p.m. there was a, call to 41 Hankey Street, where tlie flames caused sorno small damage to the woodwork.

Very few returned soldiers are applying for lauds on which ,to settle, although n. number of sections are ready for settlement. At present the' Hon. A. L. Herdman, Minister in control of tlio Discharged Soldiers' department, and Mr. Brodrick, Under-Secretary for Crown Lands, are in Hawko's Bay looking over some land, to discover w bother or not it is suitable for settlement by returned soldiers.

The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) has received the following telegram from the Mayor qf Gisborne:—"Gisborne-, has subscribed all that was asked for in equipment, value over £500, for second hospital 6hip. Given to understand money was not required."

"I think most of the best of our young men have gone to the war," said the Hon. J. G. W. Aitken last,night at the meeting of the Technical School Board.: "It is not the- sort of young men who are likely to attend our classes that wo should send /now... We should aim rather at sending tho young men who bang about tho ..streets at night and do nothing." In tlio,civil case J. Heir and another v. J.. G. W. Aitken and another, in which an order was made fof the action to be heard before a special jury, the hearing lias been 1 set down for Ealmerston North on December 13.- Counsel for'the plaintiffs are Sir John Fihdlayj K.C., with Mr. D. R. Hoggard, while Mr. T. Young will appoar. for defendants. ■ ' .

Assessors at Conciliation Council proceedings are paid expenses at-the rate of a guinea per day, remarks the Auckland "Star.". Each side—employers and employees—is represented by three assessors. On Wednesday morning a dispute between boardinghouse-keepers and their employees came beforo the council. Proceedings lasted ten minutes only, for the- employers declined to admit'that, there was any dispute, and tlio matter was .referred direct to the Arbitration' Court. "Ladies and gentlemen, you will receive a guinea each for attending hero this, morning," remarked the Commissioner (Mr. T. Harle Giles).' "Might I be permitted to'remark that you have not earned your ihoney, and that six guineas would be regarded as an to the Patriotic Fund." An assessor laughingly sucgested they should ad- < jourri the case till to-morrow, and it would be then possible to' increase tho amount to twelve guineas. >

Informations -have been laid against some 1 local merchants charging them with supplying articles of food to tlie Defence authorities without informing the Minister that the food (jam, etc.) was adulterated.

Owing to "Gallipoli Day" to-day all matches under tho auspices of the Wellington'- Cricket Association, with -the ' exception of the Trentham v. Hutt senior fixture, which will be concluded on the Hutt ground, are postponed. The usual Roman Catholic picnic is to bo held on Boxing Day. Mr. J. J. L. Bourko presided at a meeting of the committeej which was attended,' among others,- by the Yen. Archdeacon Devoy, Very Rev. Dean Regnaidt. and Father ti'Connell. Sub-committees wore set up, and Mr. W. F. Johnson was appointed chairman of tho Side-shows-Committee, with Mr. F. J. O'Driscol! as secretary,' whilst Messrs. L. T. Roichel and A. Cassis were appointed chairman and secretary of the Sports Committee. The Refreshment Committee will consist of members of the women's branch of the Hibernian Society. ± ■ ■ The hon. secretary or tue bt. John Ambulance Brigade and Red Cross So-, cietv Depot, Nathan's Buildings, would be triad if anyone who lias any know, ledeo of the and condition of the undermentioned members of the I .Expeditionary Forces will kindlv communicate with him: —No. 10/978. Wilfrid Francis Younec, A Souadron % 4th Reinforcements; No. 10/1383, Privato Walter L. Sim, D Ruahine Company,; Wellington Infantry (wounded on Augusts). ! . Eight-cylinder King cars may now ba inspected at the Dominion Motor Vehicles Garage, just off the , lourtonay Placo wood-blocking in Tory Street. Equipment includes Zenitli 'carburetter, Ward Leonard self-starter, cantilever springs, folding steering wheel, etc., etc. Write or 'phono for a demonstration.'Advt. - •

The late Mr.- O. A. O. Cunningham, a resident of Christchurch. for' many years, bequeathed an estate of £10,000, subjoct to a legacy of £400 and annuity to tho Christchurch Domains for tho upkeep of the Public Gardens. —Presi Association. ■ Dr. L. R. H. P. Marshall (Peebles) writes: "Many of the soldiers toming under ono's observation, whether invalided homo from active service or requiring medical treatinont while undergoing their course of training at homo, ihow obvious signs of 'tobacco poisoning.' I have found that the popular remedy, 'soda mint' in tablet form, allowed to dissolve slowly in the mouth, dispels the immediate "aiid ! urgent desire for a smoke' m'oro"efficiently than anything else rhave tried; ' Men 7 are so conscious themselves'of the aid:it is to their endeavours to control the habit that they come and ask for the tablets, This in no way interferes usually with othei; treatment being used at the same time. useful have I found this simple expedient that I think it is worthy •of trial by others, and I would go further and suggest a generous supply of the remedy being- included with each consignment of cigarettes sent by liberal donors for the use of the troops at the front. Perhaps it -might save many a jnan's. wind when the day came for him to-leap out of his trench and charge. •, A'wounded soldier at Martinborough has (says our Wairarapa. correspondent) secured twenty-four recruits since his return from the front. Tho Wairarapa War Fund Executive lias decided to • pay undischarged wounded soldiers 3s. per day in addition to their Government pay while they are acting as recruiting officers. * The Wairarapa War Fund Committee ! has decided to defray the cost of m_ed- :' ioal treatment of any person requiring the same to enable him to qualify for enlistment for service abroad; The Labour Department is already bestirring itself to find the necessary labour for tho hop-picking'at Nelson in January, v It is intended to make up parties to do the hop and raspberry picking as in previous seasons, hut ■with, the ever-increasing shortage of men and youths, owing to tho war demands, and the expanding field of labour that is opening out for. girls, it it considered doubtful if the same success will attend tho 1 plan this' year as ; has been the case in the p&t. Owing to the Vrentliam rifle range being used to-day by tlie'9th "Reinforcements for their rmuketry, tho range will v not be available for use by local men. All arrangements for use of targets to-day at Trentham are therefore cancelled.'

At yesterday's mpeting of-the Wellington Collego 1 Governors, Mr. W. F. Ward took exception to the Education Department's apparenfrfondness for the American style of phonotic spelling. He objected, for exainnle, to the. Department's spoiling of the word'nrocrnmirie. which they spelt "program," an abbre,viation of the English word which could very easily he misspelt "poararo." Another Word which appeared in the "Sohool Journal was. tho word "wagon," which in Endish was, as a nile: snnlt waggon. Mr.- Wnrd made it very clear'Aat lio'iresented this 'somewhat slavish following .of the American forms-of spelling. ' , .. According to a London paper of September 6, Lieutenant-Colonel Hamersfey, K.C., M.P., who was responsible for the raising of the 128 th and 132 nd (Oxfordshire) Heavy Batteries R.G.A., has been approaohed by the War Offioo with a view to his raising a third * unit in tho county. Lieutenant-Col-onel Ilamersley ,is known to many peopie in New Zealand. He was called to the Bar in 1873, arid practised in New Zoaland for somo years before going to Canada, where ho was legal adviser to tho Corporation of tho City of Vancouver, and to the jCana^ian.Pacific' Railway Company. He' J 'ma'mcd : 'Va Wellington. Jady, and his three,'sops, who ,were born in Timaru, : are serving as officers in the British Army. Lieu-tenant-Colonel .'Hamersloy was a colonel of the New Zealand Militia, and commanded a contingent at Parihaka. He was afterwards a captain of. tho C Battery Now Zealand Artillery..' Ho started' Rugby football in Canterbury, anfl also at Vancouver, . and played four . times for England in International Rugby, being captain of the 1874 team. ' A story of genuine human interest is • told in a newy-issued report of the Brit- * ish Red Cross Society. At the King George Hospital, where, the gift stores are called upon' to find between 59,000 and 60,000 cigarettes a week, a child in quest of cigarette pictures was run down outside the buildings.' The accident . necessitated the amputation of its leg. 1 Someone wrote to the manufacturers to ask if they would, do anything for the child. They, promptly .promised tor/give the child,£l a week for life on receipt, by a given date, of 10,000 of their cigar-' otte pictures. The sands Were running out, and only half the number required lad been collected, whon they heard about it'in the gift stores. The ward sistors took the matter up with enthusiasm. More than one man ga.ve liis prized collection—a hundred pictures ■ and more —as a whole. ■ "Within two or three dijys the outstanding 5000 had boen collected among the patients themselves. ' . 1 ,