LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2675, 22 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Moeraki, which is due from Sydney oil Monday, is bringing Australian mails only.

To-day is Anniversary Day in Wellington Province, and will be generally observed as a public holiday. There aife no public celebrations, and the only holiday event is tho race meeting at Trentbam. In the Eastbourne Ferry Service a spccial time-table is to be run to convey trippers to the seaside resorts over tbe harbour.

The question of whether or not the ordinary quinquennial census will be held in New Zealand this year or not has yet to be considered: and decided by Cabinet. There is a possibility that the census may be postponed, but this is by no means certain..

The manager of the Colonial Sugar Company, Auckland; advises thatf the present prices for sugar will be maintained until June 30. There will bo no increase meantime, but a fall in the world's markets,may render necessary a reduction in _ the" company's prices.—Press Association.

Tho dangerous bend on the Featherston side of tlie Rimutaka Hill, just after leaving Featherston, wa3 discussed at a recent meeting of the Wairarapa Automobile Association, and it was decided to ask the Featherston County Council to straighten the road, and the association agreed to contribute £5 to. wards tho work.

Some time ago complaints were being made in tho South Island that since the war there was an even greater disinclination on tho part of some youths to attend drill than there was before the war commenced. Locally it is said that there are certainly a considerable number of defaulters in this respect. Yesterday a case was brought before She Court by the Defence Department, ancf the officer in charge of the case said that the accused had not been at drill for four months.

There is little, if anything, that pedestrians complain about more than the speed at which motorists career along the public thoroughfares. _ Two drivers of motor-cars were fined in the Magistrate's Court yesterday for crossing the intersection of busy streets at a greater speed than eight miles poT hour. According to the police evidence, ono crossed the Albert Hotel corner 1 at twenty miles an hour, and the other dashed across from. Bunny Street to Molesworth Street at twentyfive miles per hour. It may not be generally known that it is an offence against the Wellington By-laws to bring big fish into tho City unless the fish'arc beheaded and cleaned. In order to advertise tho fact, the Corporation authorities brought a case ia the Court yesterday against one Gr. Panittier, a man engaged in the fish trade. Panittier admitted having' brought in wharehou of more than 61b. weight, but said it was not a deliberate offence, lho Corporation accepted his story, and suggested that tho Court should make the _ penalty light Tho Court' did not impose a tine, but ordered defendant to pay the costs, wliioli amounted to is. Failure to attend drill was alleged against a young man yesterday in the Magistrate's Court. It transpired that as far as could be gathered the man was in Tauherenikau Camp. Ims probability was made known to the officer who was prosecuting on behalf of tho Defence Department. Lho officer was silent a moment, and then he looked through tho boy's papers. "Well," he observed, "if.he is m camp, be is under ago; ho is only eighteen.^ A party of eight, tourists will leave Greytown this morning to cross over bo Otaki via tho Mount Hector tourist track'. Mr. Partridge is acting aa leader.

The Wairarapa Automobile Association lias decided to offer tlie Elgar Cup, for ton-mil© championship only, to the Christcliurch Motor Cycle Club for com-

petition. A Napier boy, writing home from the firing lino, gives an account, of what he calls his luekicst escape. Ho was carrying two boxes of ammunition to a trench, ouc on his shoulder and the other undor his arm, when a shell struck the box on bis shoulder, and, without exploding, knocked it to the ground. The only injury he suffered was a stiff neck and a bruised shoulder. —"Hawkc's Bay Tribune."

l<'or holiday wear—Nothing more comfortable than a sweater. Good range ill crey of heather mixture at 3s. lid. Geo. Foivkls, Ltd., Mauuera Street,-Advt,

A soldier who declined to pay tils' fare 011 a suhurban railway train lias Found that in the long nui the ride ivas a dear one. Guard Patrick Quinn stated in the Magistrate's Court yesterday that recently one S. J. Greenwood, ii soldier, refused to pay for iiis way, sn the railway, and added to the trouble by using abusive language. Greenwood did not appear in courfc ; and the Magistrate decicled against him, and required liim to pay fines ond costs amounting to £3 Bs. The price 'of the ticket the guard originally demanded was Is. 4d. A request has been made by Mr. T. ,1. Wilford, 11.P., in a letter addressed ly him to the Minister of -Railways foi ,ii inquiry into the recent fatal acciients at the Petone railway station. Jr. J. AV. M'Ewan (Mayor of Petone) ilso has telegraphed to the Minister irgmg that the number of accidents at he Petone station recently ought to be . he subject of an inquiry. Rain is badly needed in the Waira•apa, says our correspondent. The streams and watercourses in the outying districts liavo _ already dried up, :nd stock is beginning to suffer. Cabinet has approved the recommenlation of the Minister of Education that ,cachers who are married after they enist should have their military pay augnentcd to an equivalent of one and a juarter times their salary when they ibtain commissions. " Previously, this las only been done in the" case of teachjrs who are married when they enlist ind obtain commissions. - . Some years ago a consignment of ladybirds was liberated in Napier to protect the trees along the Marine Parade. The first lot practically died jut, and more were procured. The last lot appear to have flourished, as they are now quite numerous all over the hills. An unusual phenomenon occurred at Shannon recently, says an , exchange, when a Maori baby was born with a full sot of teeth, perfectly formed. It is reported, says our Masterton correspondent, that the Mauriceville lime kilns have been purchased by a syndicate of Ma_sterton settlers. As an indication of the desire of the Government to assist members of the Expeditionary Force to obtain Crown liind, it may be mentioned that applications for land in the Clifford Settlement, Auckland district, will be largely restricted to married persons with families dependent upon them, and soldiers, as it is understood to uo the Land Board's intention to grant preference to agents of members of the_ Expeditionary Force and returned soldiers, and to refuse to receive applications from , single men of military age. Air qllicer on the s.s. Wuhine, writing to his wife in Wellington, says: "We had quite an interesting time coming back from Melos, and the Wahine has the honour of gotting the first submarine in the Mediterranean. We eighted the submarine about a mile asfern of us. The first shot went just over him, but before he could get down again we llad another one on to him, and we saw a cloud of smoke come upland that was all of.tho submarine. We nearly got another, but he managed to get down before we could get ono to him. Our guns are fino patterns, and the submarines are very shy of a ship with guns mounted. We are proving ourselves such a useful ship that there is very little chance of our getting off this line for soma time to come." ■ A Napier soldier who was sent' to England from Gallipoli has _ had his share of suffering, the following being his record:—Wounded, enteric, abscess, hemorrhage, pneumonia, syneitis, appendicitis, poisoned tumor on leg, second ooeration 'for appendicitis, and he is once more in hed. "I won't know \yhat it is this time until the specialist has been to-morrow," he writes. An incident which appears worthy of record happened at camp (says a correspondent of tho "Hawkers Bay Tribune"). The officers, naturally, knew the man's location, but were surprised at a member of tho firing fine,' Private Milburn, of Waipawa, locating tho object from the jump. When asked how he did it, Private Milburn said the sun's rays on tho dial of a wrist-let watch the man was wearing gave him the cue. The dials of'wristlet watches have now to he covered. Tho six Chinese who were arrested during the recent raid made by tho Mount Cook Police on Haining Street have been further remanded iu the Magistrate's Court till January 27. Tho charges against them are laid under tho Gaming and tho Opium Acts.

War and noxious weeds were briefly discussed in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Two men who liold land a little out of Wellington were prosecuted for failure to clear gorse off their' properties. "I have done my best," said one, "but I am short-handed on account of men going to the front. 1 hare done as much as I can on my own." • "My eon has gone to the war," was the excuse of the other defendant. "Can t you get labour?" asked the Magistrate. The answer was" "No." His Worship fined both defendants, and remarked that gorse was such a pest that they must do their best to chcck it. The opinion was expressed by the chairman of the Wanganui Board of Education (Mr. Fred Firam) on Wednesday that fifteen hours per week was sufficient tuition for any child. The remark was addressed to a • deputation of settlers from Ngamataponn, who evidently shared another opinion, as their grievance was in connection with a proposal to ostablish two half-time schools in their district.

An invitation has been extended to officers and men at the; Tauheremkau camp to bo present at the Lawn .tennis Tournament at Masterton.

Imagine a five-passenger motor-car turning in a twenty-foot circle without backing. This is one of the 'features of die CHEVROLET 4.-90, and is of particular advantage when driving in traffic, of in winding country roads. This car, with self-starter, etc., is sold complete for .£225 (approximate) by The Dominion Motor Vohicles, Ltd., 65 Courtona/ Place.-Advt,