LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2656, 30 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The lion, treasurer, of the New Zenland Patriotic Society acknowledges witli thanks donations of £60 each from tlio Porangahau Road Board and the AY a II-

ingford Road Eoard. A Press Association message from Napier states that "unseasonable rain" spoiled the remaindor of the Mardi Gras celebrations, and that portion of the show has been postponed in consequence until New 1 ear's Eve. The gross takings amounted to £500.

On Christmas Day the gate receipts at tlio Wellington Zoo amounted to £38 10s. 6d., and on Boxing Day (Monday last) to £14 os. 3d. The dull weatlier

was the cause of the falling off in receipts on the holiday. A new attraction lias been provided in a baby sea-lion (born on Tuesday morning),, which may be seen frisking with its parents in th'o oeal pond.

A sale of goods was effected in very unusual circumstances -"yesterday. William Alexander Hamilton admitted that lio had stolon a twenty-ftvo shilling suit case from Veitch and Allan's. The police, said _ that tho man "had about thirty shillings in his possession, so the bench (which consiste'l of two business men) sold defendant the suit case, tho cosii t« civim out of tho nionov found ..upon the •i.'puvehaaar, l *

Of the sick and wounded soldiers who returned to New Zealand by the Tahiti, and to Wellington by tlio Maunganui, seven reported «t the Victoria Hospital. In tho case of two of those indoor hospital treatment was considered necessary, and the two men —privates in the Wellington Battalion—were accordingly detained in tho institution. Tlio remaining fivo will be' treated as outdoor patients, although of course it is possible that they also may- become indoor patients, if this is found necessary in order to assist their complete restoration to health. There are now thirty patients in tho military wards of tho hospital, Trcntham having contributed towards this total, as well as tho Remforcemonts which have been on active service. Three nieu from Trenthain are now in the hospital awaiting operations.

Mrs. Luke reported yesterday that the ladios of the Eastbourne branch of the Lady Liverpool Fund had contributed the sum of £15 to tho Christmas Gift Fund. Another £5 has been receivitf by tlio Mayoress from Miss Sommerville, of tlio private 6chool at Day's Bay, representing tho sum that would havo been spent on prizes, but which the pupils had patriotically decided to forego. This makes in all the sum of £20 received from Miss Soninierville's school, which lias been distributed between tho Soldiers' Christinas Dinner Fund, the Mayor's Patriotic Fund, the Lady Livorpool Comforts Fund, and tho Red Cross Fund.

A meeting of tlie committee appointed to make arrangements for the reception of His Excellency Montsignor Cerrotti, legate of. tho Holy See, was held last evening at St. Patrick's Hall. Mr. J. J. L. Burke was in the chair, and there was a large and representative attendance of clergy and laity present. It was decided to arrange, if possible, that His Excellency be transferred from the Sydney steamer to a tender in tho stream, and that a portion of the wharf be sot aside for the landing. It was reported that the Town Hall had been engaged for a reception on the evening of January 18, and an address would be presented on behalf of the Catholic laity of the Archdiocese. The combined choirs would render items between the speeches, and it was decided to invito tho members of the Ministry, the Judges, the Mayor and councillors, the chairman and members of the Harbour Board, and other representative public men to he present. Tho Hibernian Society is to bo asked to provide a guard of honour for His Excellency at the Town Hall.

Tho following instance of Turkish gratitude is related by Corporal Marmaru Te An, of Colac Bay:—"'The morning after the last attack I found a Turk lying in his dug-out, wounded through the calf of his leg. I took his rifle and revolver from him and then set about to bandage his leg. The man actually cried, tears coming down his faeo like rain, and when he saw me fumbling for my water-bottle to give him a drink, he simply bellowed like a child. He refused it at first, but I made him drink. I saw him next afterncon being brought down by our stretcher-bearers, and he grabbed my hand and clung to it, talking double-dutch at a great rate. When tho bearer went off with him he kissed my hands."

At the conclusion of a recent function in aid of the hospital at Parramatta, Now South Wales, an amusing incident occurred. A German flag—the flag of commerce —was flying wi/li other flags in the hospital grounds. The Rev. P. S. Waddy, headmaster of the King's School, called the attention of the matron to it, and then proceeded to pull tho flag down. The matron said that sho would have taken the flag down at once had. she known it was a. German one. She,, however, did not want it damaged, as it had been harrowed from one of the Government institutions. Mr. Waddy finally pulled it down amid the cheers .of .a. number of toys who had accompanied him from the school. The offending flag, it was subseciuently ascertained, had been borrowed from the Parramatta Hospital for the Insane!

"Samson," the terrier who belonged to the late Captain Anthony Wilding, and was was in the trenches with his master when the latter was killed in France, arrived in Lyttelton a few days ago, and now. is at the quarantine station on Quail Island. He has been sent to Captain Wilding's parents in ChristchuTcn. For Dome tinie after Captain Wilding's death, "Samson" was given accommodation at St. Paul's aerodrome at Dunkirk, which is the base of the Royal naval air service. Later, Commander , Cliilcoto took him by aeroplane from Dunkirk to England, and from there he was shipped to Lyttelton. He is named after ' Captain Samson, of the armoured motor service, and on his collar are the words: "No. 2 Squadron Armoured Motor-car."

Rabbit poisoning is rapidly killing off New Zealand native game (says tho "Oama.ru Mail"). Wakas, once to be heard anywhere in the hills of a night, are now'no more. Their inquisitive naturo renders their complete extinction a matter of timo wherever poison is laid. Paradise and grey duck will follow more slowly with settlement. But though there is a lamentable dearth of wing shooting in Otago, the rabbit has perhaps rendered a great service to the nation in the training of boys with the .22 riflo, tho first step .with many of our boys now on Gallipoli to becoming expert rifle shots. It seems hardly necessary to point out that while a good living may bo made by .rabbiting; the extinction of the rabbit in New Zealand will not be compassed by either trapping, poisoning, or shooting.

In tho course of mustering operations on Mount Pisa station, iu Southern Otago, about 20 sheep found their waj on to a small ledge of rock on the face of the precipitous cliffs bordering, tho Kawarau River, All efforts to dislodge tho animals with tho assistance of dogs proved unavailing and a party of Arrowtown residents, equipped with ropes and other tackle,, went out to : attempt a rescue. They safely reached a point about '10ft. above where the sheep were located, but further progress appeared t-> be impossible. At length a man was lowered down to the ledge by means of a rope, and after somo perilous work, ho captured the sheep, Every animalwas attached to a rope., and was soon hoisted, to terra iirma. Fourteen sheep wore saved in this way, but the remainder found their way to inaccessible places, and wcro ultimately shot. The hazardous nature of tho rescuer's undertaking may he gauged from iho fact that for upwards of two hours ho was working on a ledge of rock about 2ft, in width, above a sheer drop of 400 ft. to the Kawarau River.

"Tho authorities in Victoria are making ample provision for all returned soldiers," said Mr. W. H. Edgar, lato Ministor-in-Cliarge of Victorian Tourist ancl Health Resorts Department, ivlio arrived in Auckland by the Niagara. "A bureau has been established in Melbourne, where all our men are found suitable employment. The general tendency of the returned men is to get out into the country, and the Government is endeavouring to give every facility to them to do so, by providing suitable land for them to take up if they so desire." Mr.' Edgar mentioned that he is hon. treasurer of tho Victorian Institute for tho Blind, which is endeavouring to make special provision for blind soldiers, five of whom have already These man will be trained to .cam a livelihood by mat, brush, "basket-making. The visitor added that Australians greatly admired tho Now Zealnnders, and were deeply tho country's splendid contribution of men, to£o"ther~>v!th tho fine spirit of patriotism that had been manifested.

Silk Handkerchiefs, Dainty Ties, Hair Brushes, Fine Belts, Brief Bags, Collar Bcxeo, Suit Cases, and. many other suit able Xmas Presents are stocked best and cheapest nt Geo, Fowlds, Ltd,, Manners '^estr-AdvV

A Press Association telegram from Dannevirke statos that a "recruiting shop," whicli lias been open since Christmas Eve, and is in charge of two returned soldiers, has so far enrolled 26 men for active service. Most_ of the recruits have passed the medical test.

Tlio Petono Ambulance Division is sending a team to compote in the Ambulance events at the Wairarapa Caledonian Society's sports at Masterton on New Year's Day.

"I must confess I do not like the namo kindergarten," said Mr. C. J. Parr, M.P., at a ceremony in Auckland last week. "It comes," lie added, "from tho people we are fighting. If they would put up a ciean fight, I would say stick to tlio name tliey liavo given. But wc owe those people nothing but contempt, and I should like to get rid of our use of their language altogether." Mr. Parr said that the term came from tho Gorman language, and- signified, a play-scliool. Surely Britons could invent from their own language a 6uitable name.