LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2657, 31 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Just about throe o'clock yesterday the men eugaged on coaling tlie transport Dalmoro refused work, claiming 2s. an hour ordinary work .'and 2s. 9d. an hour overtime in place of the schedule rates of Is. 6d. an hour ordinary time and 2s. 3d. overtime. The reasons stated for suspension of work were that the coal was too dirty and the hold "too smelly." The Labour' Committee was at once advised of the occurrence, but up till five o'clock no inspector had visited the vessel. The men who had refused work were in evidence at the employment station, and no men were forthcoming to take up tho work which had been abandoned. ■ Not only did the soldiers in camp at Trentham and May Morn fare well at Christmas time. Out of tho substantial fund provided for the occasion the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) was thoughtful c-nough to remember the men of the Garrison Artillery who are located at the forts, the garrison a:t Somes Island, an a the soldiers on duty at Alexandra Barracks. A substantial hamper was sent to each place, and in addition every man received a packet of cigarettes .and a tin of tobacco. The latter luxuries were also dispensed to tho men in camp. His •Excellency the Governor has received the following cablegram from tso Secretary of State for tho Colonies:— "The Government of Turkey has issued regulations that prisoners of war in Turkey can only write eacli week one letter of four lines, and that letters from abroad to them must consist of four lines. , They _ are, therefore, being informed that similar regulations alternate in tlie case of Ottoman prisoners of war in the British Empire.—-Bonar Law." Tlie Mayor has received tho following note of thanks from Captain. E. (J. Dovey, Camp Commandant at May Morn "Dear sir, —I have much pleasure in advising that the flag you presented to this camp, arrived safely, and was flown on Wednesday last and during the Christmas holidays. On behalf of tlie camp, I tender you my sincere thanks for your most generous gift." During Wednesday night the hawsers which were holding the steamer Rakanoa I/O the wharf were cut by some person or persons unknown. Fortunately, sufficient ropes remained to hold tho vessel fast. Had it been a boisterous night damage might easily have resulted to tho steamer. Tho number of firos occurring in tho liutt and P.etone boroughs for the year ending to-day has been remarkably small, compared with previous years. At Petono, the brigade received only twelve- calls, seven being actual fires and five false alarms. At Lower.Hutt there were eight actual lires. For flexibility, springing, Bileil(ie,.^p ow . er, and beautifully oven torque; it j ni _ possible to beat'tho eight-cylinder /fane This car may be inspected at the of The Dominion Motor Vehicles,f Ltd. G5 Courtonay Place,, or -11-4(1 Tory-Street! If you naunot call personally, wri'to or •phono for * demonstration or f-alaltfciies. which will wUUayly be wut.y au t >V 0 f fiQati-ridltj . ' - \

_ According to the Act, the representatives of the combined districts of Hutt and Potoue will meet early in the New Year to fix the statutory lialf-holiday, and the Lower Hutt and Petone Councils have instructed their delegates .to support Saturday as the most suitable day. A petition is now being prepared at Petone, praying that tlie present day (Wednesday) should be retained, anil pointing out that if Saturday is decided upon it will lie detrimental to the business people of the Hutt Valley.

During the past few days tlio staff of the Government Shipping Office has been particularly busy,- and yesterday no fewer than 320 men were signed off and on various steamers. For instance, the Moana, which changed articles here, has a crew of 110, and When it is considered that eacli cf these men has to be paid, given accounts of wages duo and discharges, and has to sign off the old set of articles and enter on the now ones, some idea of the work done can be realised. On Wednesday the Maunganui changed articles, and her crow numbers in the vicinity of 100, _ All this work lias to be dono m addition to general business in the office and attending to the wants of othor shipping people.

Many thousands of pounds' worth of wool are stored in the Harbour Board's sheds awaiting shipment. It is estimated tlmt at least 40,000 bales, dumped and undumped, arc stacked in various stores round tlie waterfront. The cheese stores are also filled with 21,000 crates of cheese, and it would be difficult to find room for another crate. The pre-, sent accumulation is attributed to the absence of ships to take the goods away. Yesterday tlie Kia, Ora arrived to load 1000 bales of wool and 700 orates .ot cheese, and the Star of India will arrive here for Homeward loading tomorrow. Thenceforward there should be several oversea steamers to take the cargo offering, and the congestion will he much relieved.

An examination held under the auspices of the St. John Ambulance Brigade (Petone Division) resulted as follows;— First year, F. Okeby (69); second year, 'W. Hurskinson (60); third year (medallion), Messrs. J. Kyle (80), A. P. Deeble, A. 11. Medhurst (74), J. 'C. Crowthor. (69). During the year thirty-nine certificates were gained, constituting a record for Petone. .The men's division has tho honour of being the first to secure home nursing certificates in_ New Zealand. The general presentation of certificates is to take place about the ond of January.

Sneaking last niglit at the Marino function in honour of their president, who has joined the Expeditionary Force, the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that if he was in official life when the war was over lie would endeavour to see that those tvlio had gone to the front, and whose places had been temporarily filled by others, would receive their positions back, or at any rate positions of equal value to those relinquished for the purpose of enlistment.

At the annual meeting of the Lower Hutt Fire Brigade it was reported that the motor-wagon recently procured had .proved a great acquisition. In reference to members having done their duty to the Empire, the annual report mentioned the fact that Fireman Hutton had enlisted with the main body of ' the reinforcements, and Fireman Seager had returned from Samoa. During the evening the following officers were elected:—Captain Sliun, Lieut. J. J. Dorran, Foreman E. Collett, Assistant Foreman B. Fleet, Brigade Sergt., Dr. Hector. _ The executive committee is to consist of the above-named • officers and Firemen L. Dorran and W. Mason.

A movement is on foot in Palmerston to establish a Soldiers' Club. To further the cause an enthusiastic meeting was held here to-night. Speeches were delivered by. Sir. James . Oa-roll and other's!' Subscriptions amounting to £610 and also a fully-equipped billiard table were promised at, the meeting.—Press Association.

i Tlie crew of the San Francisco trader Moana received the new scale of wages when they came to change articles here yesterday. At first they were to,be paid the old rate of wages-till December 21, ou which date the new scale came into force in New Zealand. To this .the men objected, giving as their reason that as the Moana was on Australian articles, they were entitled to the new scale ot pay from December 1, the date on which the rise operated in Australia. After the local office of the Union Company had communicated with head office the full month's wages according to the new scale were paid. Practically all the crew of the Moana signed on the new articles. There wero ten firemen, however, who said that tliey were quite willing to go back, but when they had received their wages and had "signed clear" of the old articles they stated that it was not their intention to rejoin the ship, and demanded to he sent back to Sydney. Under their agreement they aro entitled to this and receive full pay till arrival at the original port of embarkation. Arrangements were made for the ten men to proceed by the Ulimaroa last evening. They have a free passage across the Tasman Sea and receive four days' pay on arrival in Sydney.

There weresoveral falls at Ellerslie racos on Monday, but fortunately none of them were attended with any serious consequences. Prior to the Shortland Plate, J. O'Shea, rider of Salvia, was thrown in the paddock and again in the straight, but escaped injury. In the. Hurdle Eace, Master Hegel and Taka-' nini both came to grief, while Naupata collided with tlie railing of tho biirdcage, and throw his rider, after he had won the event. The respective horsemen, F. Flynn, J. Porter ,and H. M'Sweoney, were not hurt.

A pleasing example of eagerness to learn has been brought under tho notice of the Victorian Minister for Education. A girl, aged 14 years, who attended a State school at Collingwood, Melbourne, obtained domestic employment in her spare time, and earned £6 to pay the fees for attendance at a high school next year. The girl was unaware that there was-a. regulation in force whioh enables tho Minister to remit, fees in circumstances such as hers. However, the Minister has determined l to remit the fees, and tho girl will be enrolled: at the 1 - Melbourne High School. According to' information which had reaohed him the girl had not been absent from school once in seven years, and, besides being awarded the attendance certificate, had passed the examination for the merit certificate.

The following paragraph appeared in tho Christcliurch "Evening News," having been sent bv that journal's Welling* ton correspondent:—"Wellington did not do itself very proud over tho soldiers' Christmas. Some thousands of the khaki men were in town for Christmas Eve, and it is said a number of them had Ho money. Just why they were allowed loose in the City over the holdiays without their pay does not scorn, clear, but a goodly number state that thoy were without the needful to purchase either food or beds." Colonel Gibbon stated last night, in response to an inquiry on the subject, tll'at the statement that the men were not paid was quite incorrect. In actual fact every man in camp received all the .pay that was duo to him.

So great has been the demand on boardinghouse accommodation in Auckland during the holidays thai a woman with two children called at tho Auckland Police Station on Monday night for assistance in finding lodgings. Slio said she had visited every boardinghouse in Synionds Strcot and Bobson Street, and others besides, but all had been full of visitors. In one case, a boardinghouse which had 30 guests before Christmas, now contained I'U. '

We invite gentlemen to conic along and inspect a special light-weight of summer pyjamas at 10a. 6d. Also tussore silk at CSs. ?d., aI!tl ViyclU at 2As. 6d. Geo. I'offilds, Ltd,, 50-52 iianncis Street^Advtv

The Dominion census would, in tha ordinary course, be taken next April. The matter will ba considered b.v ths Government shortly (says J \e Auckland "Herald"), and, in view of the importance of the information obtained, tlio Government will probably give instructions that the census be taken as usual. Two goneral elections have been held isineo the electoral boundaries were revised by tlie Representation Commissioners .in 1911, and there have necessarily been considerable movements of the population in interval. A great volume of valuable information regarding the industries of the Dominion is gathered by means of the census returns.

A sorious delay was occasioned to the Union Company's Rakanoa on account of a shortage of firemen at Wellington yesterday. The vessel was • ready to sail for Westport during the early hours of the morning, but it was hot till afternoon that her full , complement could be made up. The Mapourika was similarly delayed in port yesterday on account of a shortage of one fireman who had failed to turn up.

The people of North Otago, not content witli their admirable efforts in tha direction of raising funds for our wounded soldiers and supplying Red Cross materials to the hospitals in Egypt and! Malta, have forwarded to the High Commissioner for delivery to the Royal Army Medical Corps a motor ambulance for use by the British Forces in Franca or with the New Zealand Forces if the Imperial authorities so direct. A special driver for the ambulance lias also been sent Home at the expense of the North Otago people. Tho Shaw-Savill Company are generously carrying the ambulance freight free. "One hears from time to time," says Mr. T. C. Dawson, who has just returned from a visit to the Orient, "of the operations of the Y.M.C.A- in Japan. The association commenced opera* tions there in 18S0, and it now haß a mombership of 7614, comprised in soma 70 associations, 56 of which have educa« tional colleges l attached to them. Ilia association has been self-supporting fot some time past. The Japanese youth, almost without exception, is very ansiou to learn the English language, and upon leaving school, those employed in the Railway Department and other Government offices spend a- great many of their evenings at the Y.M.C.A. classet where English is taught, and it is as< tonishing how quick they are to pick up the genoral drift of our tongue, and even our idioms of speech." During this week, says our Napier correspondent, 22 _ recruits have been registered at Napier and 16 at Hastings. So far 215 recruits have enlisted through the instrumentality of the Napier National Reserve. All grocers' shops in Wellington will be closed on Saturday (New Year'i) Day), also oh Monday, January 3. ■ '