LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2670, 17 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An English, via Suez, and an 'Australian mail will arrive in Wellington from Sydney by the Ulimaroa at 9 a.m. to-day. Tho Riverina, which is due nt Auckland from Sydney this' afternoon, has the northern portion of tho mail on board. The need for great leadership in the present crisis was referred to by the Xtev. A. M. Johnson in Ms sermon at St. Paul's pro-Cathedral yesterday morning. He said that when the Coalition Ministry was formed people naturally looked for strong and consistent guidance. A feiv days ago air. Massey made a strong appeal to the manhood of New Zealand, while another Minister was telling the people in Auckland that the war would probably bo over in October. When they were told that the iigbt might be finished in October, young men naturally began to ask themselves whether it was really necessary for thom to enlist. Th o war might be won without thom. They were very grateful to Mr. Allen for Ins suggestion of a special prayer to bo used on Christmas Day. Wo all offered that prayer. But another Minister' has introduced a Bill for legalising gambling for patriotic purposes, .™d the Government had taken no action to prevent silly fools from shouting for our soldiers, some of whom were hardly more than boys.'

For men who appreciate a Rood bow tie we would recommend an inspection of our 6tock oS "ready tied," or 'to tie," at Is. and Is. 6d. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manaew Strcot.-Advt..

_A patient at the Porirua Mental Hospital escaped from the institution about half-past eight o'clock on Saturday night and made liis way to the City. He waa discovered in Road yesterday afternoon, and wr.s returned to the Mental Hospital.

About 1.15 o'clock 011 Saturday morn* nig an outbreak of fire was discovered at the Lyttelton Railway Station. Tha firo is supposed to have started in tha porters' room and the parcels office, where there were a largo number of. parcels, some of which were badly damaged by water, whilst a few werc'burnt.The remainder, lioivover, were saved by tho railway staff, assisted by the police, before they sustained any damage. At 12.30 a.m. everything about the station appeared to be quite all right, when the railway watchman was going his rounds. At the time of the outbreak ho was in one of the faraway portions of the yards. Hie "Sun" states that so far as can be ascertained the damage to luggage will he about £25, and it will probably cost between £100 and £200 to repair the buildings.

Mr. Leigh Hunt, president of th» Oataitai Municipal Electors' Association, -has received a letter from the secretary to the Education Board to tho efrect that the board has decided to erect forthwith three rooms. of tho school, which it is intended to establish on the sfto recently acquired by tho board, lying between Hat-aitai and Arawa Roads.

flie statement made by Sir JosepTl Ward and published on Saturday,.dealing with the financial position of New. Zealand, was the subject- of a comment, ary in the leading columns of The Dominion, the following question being raised 1 : "How docs Sir Joseph Ward reconcile the raising of the rate of inter« est by the State, in the price it is paying for its loans, with his subsequent declaration 'that there is no ' earthly reason why the rate of interest should! go up in this country,' and his warning against any attempt to force up the value of money" f Sir Joseph Ward* discussing the point with a reporter 011 Saturday, stated that he did not consider that the conversion of State loana into 4} per cent, stock (as explained in his statement) was raising the price ofi money in New Zealand, in view of tho fact that we had recently borrowed locally at 4} per cent, free of income tax. His warning against any attempt to force up the value of money wag given because of the fact within his own knowledge an attempt wa? bo. ing made in certain quarters to do so. It was neither desirable nor necessary that this attempt should be made. If such a thing came about it might mean that New Zealand would have la give a great deal more than i-J per cent, within its own borders for mouev, and that would very quickly affcet ei cry; class of borrowing in the community.

Proposals for Joans amounting toi £115,000 were sanctioned by the ratepayers of Auckland 011 November 10 last, and the expenditure of £55,000 upon tho establishment of municipal markets was the principal item in tha council's programme. The Mayor, Mr. Gunsou, said that as soon, as the loan was authorised the Works Committee ' gave instructions, that the necessary;' plans should be prepared without delay; This work is now well advanced, and will be completed towards the end o£ this month or early in February. Ten* ders will then bo called for the erections' of tho buildings. Provided nothing un-' foreseen arises, the contracts will be completed by the end of the year, and tho buildings will be ready for occupation on_ January 1, 1917. The old market* buildings will then be demolished. On Friday moinino; a Carterton de* ' pntation, accompanied by Mr. J. T. ML. Hornsby, M.P., interviewed Sir Joseph. Ward, Postmaster-General, and the Chief Postmaster, in regard to tho la Wharau mail service. Mr. Hornsby. pointed out, among other things, that' although a few of the larger settlers desired the Masterton service, the majority desired the Carterton service, as the latter was moro convenient. After hearing the deputation, tho PostmasterGeneral promised to give tho matten further consideration before finally ae« tiding the mail contract. The following appeared in the ' 'Museums Journal" of July, 1915:—"On April 7, James Edward Little, alias Harris, alias Silas Harding, was convicted at Devizes of stealing from tha museum of the W:tehire Archaeological and Natural History Society a carved cover of a Maori feather box, and was sentenced to six months' bard labour. He had visited the museum and had substituted for the original cover, which was carved in the solid "with two grotesque -beasts in high relief," a copy in stained white wood brought by him to the museum concealed vnder his overcoat. Although tho caretakefi discovered the .theft within a few mini' utes of the time when tho thief left tho building, the latter had ti:iH> to escape by tram before the polico could get on the track. Later he was apprehended and convicted on the evidence of tho caretaker, but tho lid of the feather box has not been recovered. The ,society has offered a reward of £20 for information leading to its ieturn, bufc there seoms some probability tihat it has been sent to New Zealand, as Little is blown to have been in communication with collectors in that country. It will be recollected by our readers that the theft from tho Blackmoro Museum at Salisbury of a number of greenstone axes was carried out on tha same lines; that is to say, coloured casts were left in place of the objects stolen. It seems desirable that curators and collectors should be warned in case the' feather box cover .should be offered to them, when the fact should be at once communicated to the Rev. E. H. Goddard, hon. secretary of tho society, Clyde Vicarage, Swindon."