LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2664, 8 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

'■The Telegraph Office advise that the Pacific Cablo Board announces a temporary suspension of tlie deferred system.' Traffic for the United Kingdom at the deferred rate is not to be accepted via Pacific meantime. The Secretary of the General Tost Office advises that the cable coded indicator for the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, the Earl of 'Liverpool's Own, is as follows:—lst Battalion Zeadagic, 2nd Battalion Zcadamic, 3rd Battalion Zeadatt, 4th Battalion Zeadd. It is probable that a meeting; of the Recruiting Board, set up under the scheme approved by Cabinet some woeks ago, will be' held this morning. The members of the board are: Tlio Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. P. .Mas--scy), Sir Joseph Ward, and the Hon. J. Allen, ami as these Ministers have not all been in Wellington together for some little time, the meeting has been delayed. It will bo the first meeting of the board, and a very important one, the business being tho consideration of details involved in putting tho recruiting scheme into operation. Professor Mackenzie u'ill deliver an address at tho Unitarian Church on Sunday evening on "The Commandeering of the i Lives and Souls of Onr Young Men—Conscription, to Be or Not to Be." The Lyall Bay Recruiting Office will be open as usual to-morrow afternoon for the convenience of young men who desire to register and proceed to Trentham at t'ho earliest possible opportunity. Jupp's Band will play a programme of patriotic music. The band will_ display around tho rotunda a very 6trikiii£ recruiting banner. Mr. Tozart, the .actor-artist, will be iu attendance to sketch the portraits of those who desire to help the cigarette and tobacco fund for the boys at the front. Mr. B. 11. M'Laren, of Christclvurch, received on Monday the following letter, dated London, November 16, from his brother, Mr. A. D. M'Laren, who bad been interned in the concentration camp at Ruhleben. Germany:—"l'ou will see from the above address, that I am back in London. I was released from the concentration camp at Ruhleben, Germany, on the 6th inst., after eight months of severe discomfort, to'uso tlie mildest expression. We had a very rough time of it, inferior, food, most galling .restrictions and regulations, draughty and wet barracks to sleep in. I did not write from Ruhleben," because wo could only say that we were well—we had to say tins whether it was .true or not—nothing but the barest personal statements were permitted. in letters. Above all things I want to say this—use all your influence and powers to make it clear that Germany is the aggressor in this awful earnago! I have been studying Germany and her policy for sevon years in the country, and I know what 1 am saying. Let tliero be no doubts or misunderstandings on this head. Nothing more inconceivably horrible could .happen to tho world than the triumph of Germany in this great struggle. I was releasee! on account of ill-liealth." Mr. F. Norris, organiser of the National Service League, is in Palmcrston North, making preparations for his campaign. It is tho intention of the leagito I tin establish its headquarters there. Imagine a five-passenger motor-car turning in a twenty-foot circle without backing. This is one of the features of the CHEVKOLLT 1.-'.iO, «inl is of particular advantage when driving in traffic, or in winding country roads. This car,' with eelf-atarler. etc., is sold complete for £'12b (npmq.Tiinalb) by Tho Dominion Motor VcuicUs, Ltd., Q5 Courtcuay Placc,—Advt,

In Christchurch this weekj Sir Joseph Ward was asked for information regarding the trip Homo of the ltight Hon. the Prime Minister and himself, hut was not able to give anything of a definite character, and could not satisfy the reporter's curiosity as to whether the matter has been yet discussed by Cabinet, or as to the character of the invitation said to have been received from the Imperial authorities. Constant visitors to Akaroa who know the peninsula well arc (bays an exchange) very much amazed at the brown appearance of the hills. It is estimated that there has not been such a drought for at least 50 years. Three dams on the Hay Estate in Pigeon Bay which have not been known to have been dry before, have dried up completely, and numerous springs considered perennial have also failed. The position is extremely a.cuto, and is described as being more liko an Australian drought than a Now Zealand one. An interesting, evont hold in connection with a picnic on i\cw Year's Day at iNew Plymouth was an attempt by three men to swim from the breakwater to the East End beach, one of the party succeeding in accomplishing the performance, 'ihe swimmers were N. U Christensen, N. Winter, and D. Davis, and they dived off the breaker a few minutes after 9 o'clock. After the men had, been in the water for fifty minutes Winter gave up, having covered about a mile. ' The next man to step was Christensen. who swam ashore opposite the baths. Davis, howfcver, rfopt at his task, and swain on strongly, in spite of a tricky current, which was against him most of the ■time. After passing in front of the . town the strain commenced to tell on Davis, but he 6Wam on steadily, and reached his goal, coming ashore at the East End beacli, after having been in the water for two hours and forty-nine minutes. This is the first time this haa been done. The utility of the motor-car for travelling m-Jsew Zealand is • exemplified bv the, trip taken by Mr. Walter Powdretl during the Christmas holidavs to the Hawke's Bay mid Bay of Plenty districts, states the Hawera "Star." Starting from Wairoa on the homeward journey at 4 o'clock in the morning, Hawera was reached at 8.30 in the evening, a distance of about 320 miles. In the ordinary way this journey would take two or three days. Referring to the New Zealand display w Panama Exposition, the Hon.' U. D. S. Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture, stated to a reporter of the 1 overty Bay Herald" that it was possible that the exhibits would be included in a special show at New York, comprising all the champion exhibits from San I'rancisco. Mr. M'Pherson, who |' as charge of the experimental work in tho South Island, and who "went to arrange the display, had returned aftet having spent some weeks studying agricultural experiments in the' States and going into the question of extending ISew Zealand's markets, The Minister was diffident about expressing an opinionregarding future markets after tho war, remarking that at present practically all our produce was being absorbed for Imperial requirements, but his Department was alive to the great possibilities of iuture dcvelonuient.

ought to have a yam with 'Tile tat, saul a returned wounded soldier at rs'o. <1 Hospital, Sydney, ou Christ™as ■L'a.V, when lie understood that a Herald' reporter was seeking for in-, formation; "tlio cat with niuo lives, you knoiv, that nothing can kill." TllQ Hlon in the vicinity grinned, and it was explained that "The Cat" was not a four-legged mascot, but -Private Russell, of Marriokville, wlio supported himself oil crutches. Tlio soldier declined to give any _ particulars of how ho came by the.nickname, ,and only; smiled and 6hoolc his head: : His comrades_ supplied the details, however, and it appeared that as soon as he landed in Egypt from New South Wales ho went down with, and was operated oil for, appendicitis. Ho bad no sooner recovered from this than he was knocked over an embankment by a restive liorse, and after bringing up at the bottom, a fall of -about 50ft., was cut and bruised from head to foot. He was still sora from this experience when he failed to get out of the way of a wagon, with the result that ho spent a gooa many more weeks in hospital. He gradually recovered, however, and in the end he left for Gallipoli with the first , contingent. For tliree weeks all went well, and then one day a shell burst the parapet of the trench behind which Russell /stood and buried him. His comrades dug him out, andl his career as a fighter was ended, but not the talo of his troubles, for on thevoyage out from England to Australia he underwent a further operation. "A, man with his luck ought to get a!, ticket in a sweep as soon as he lands,'' • concluded the narrator of the story of.' '"The Cat." - The Petone Mayor's room was crowded last evening, when a public send-off was tendered to Nurso AYilson,- of Petone (who was on board the Marquette and is about to return to active service). The Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) presided, and made special reference to the fact that Nurse Wilson was going back to do her duty in connection with hospital work, a duty that she *■ had already performed faithfully. Referring to the value of nurses generally, Mr. M'Ewan spoke of them, as the ''mothers of our boys at the front." He then asked Nurse Wilson, on belialf of the people of the fown to accept a Petone travelling rug. Mr. M'Ewan- wished Nurse Wilson godspeed, health and strength, and a safe return to New Zealand. Messrs. Short, Hancos, Piper, and Councillor List also spoke. Nurfee Wilson suitably responded, and the gathering terminated with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" and cheers. The National Service League's organiser (Mr. F. Norris) will be at tho Y.M.O.A. rooms on Wednesday nest to fiavo a chat with tho chiefs of every organised society, and also with the Boy Scouts. Ho would very much like to have, a chat with New Zealand manufacturers after either meeting. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Street, carrv a splendid ranse in bats, har3 felt, sofl felt, or 6traw. The prices are moderatf and the firm guarantees a fit for even head.—A-dvt..