LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2680, 28 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The telegraph office advise that the Pacific Cable Board announces that from January 20 week-eud cable messages have been acccpted in the United 'Kingdom to be posted to Montreal for onward telegraphic transmission to New Zealand. These messages will bear tho date of posting, and will be delivered by post immediately on receipt. War on motor speedists was declared by Councillor Barber at the City Council meeting last evening. He said that a vigorous campaign was to be waged against offenders. The council has received the following letter from the Superintendent of' Police in reply to tbe request for more strict police action regaining the speed of motor cycles:— "I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 23rd ultimo, relative to motor cyclists travelling through the City at excessive and to_ inform you that instructions have been issued to the City 'and suburban police to pay special attention to this matter." One effect of New Zealand's part in tho war (according to a Wellington man now in camp) is that many of tho -soldiers of toiday who formerly were in-door workers, will never go back to sedentary, employment. ' In camp one meets pressmen, lawyers, labour secretaries, clerks, factory workers, and so on. All are fit and well, and few of them have ever looked so healthy. The • outdoor life and the regular hours have made a big difference in them, and they know it. The question is: Will they over give up the open ail- life after the war. At least one opinion' is to the effect that many of them will not. "When do you expect to have the Constable Street tramway extension readv for -use?" Councillor Fuller asked the Mayor at the City Council meeting last evening. "Wo hope to have the trams running over there by Easter," was the Mayor's reply.

The necessary action is being taken to bring the machinery of the Recruiting Board into operation without delay. The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F; Massey), who with the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) aiid the Minister of Finance (the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward) comprises the board, mentioned to a reporter yesterday that circulars were being addressed to the local ladies whose co-operatjon in the work of enlistment was being sought under the scheme. These circulars would bo accompanied by lists, showing the men of military age in each of the districts. Instructions would at the same time be sent to these new recruiting organisations as to methods of procedure. "The Defcnce Department," remarked, the Prime Minister, "do not anticipate any with regard to the February draft of reinforcements. The outlook at present is good. Thereafter the matter will be ill the hands of the Recruiting Board." Mr. J. Gray has been appointed to act temporanly as secretary of the board.

The executive of the War Relief Association discussed at its meeting yesterday the circular letter issued to patriotic societies by the Minister of Internal Affairs inviting delegates to a conference in Wellington on February # 17. The Minister's suggestions of subjects for consideration werp approved by the executive. A letter from the Southland' Patriotic Committee asking _ the association to move in the direction of having a conference was received, the chairman remarking that the Minister's invitation seemed to cover the matter.

The post office at Featherston Military Camp is a well-arranged and up-to-date building; and is staffed by 11 postal officers. . \'et in the near future the building will require to be enlarged a&d the staff increased in order to cope with the mail matter of a camp whose occupants will vary in numbers from 7000 to 9000 men.. The post office was designed to meet the'requirements of 4500 men, which is the number the hutments will accommodate. It is the establishment of a- tent camp in conjunction with the main camp which makes the increased* facilities necessary. When fully occupied, this camp's postal business will equal that of°a town like Falmerston North, because every onoof the occupants will be an' adult and living away from home. In addition to the letter mails a huge money-order business from the camp and parcel post traffic to soldiers in training have to be provided for. The staff sleeps on the premises in special quarters, and these,- too, will have to bo enlarged when the additions are made. '■ Those people who demand a "business as usual" condition of affairs in connection with the prompt dispatch and receipt of telegrams aro perhaps unaware that nearly 900 telegraph officers have enlisted, and gone away with the New Zealand forces. Their absence, while fiot affecting the services in a marked degree, is felt when rushes of business occur, particularly in the operating rooms. Another effect of the war has been to delay the. arrival of apparatus in connection with the installation of automatic telephones. Many of tho British and American firms which manufacture these articles are now engaged in the making of munitions. , Consequently the appliances required aro coming to band slowly.

The executive of the War Relief Association recently applied to the Post-master-General for a telepliono at half rates, urging that the association did not come under the Department's definition of a public benevolent institution—that is, one conducted by a local body, elected by and directly responsible'to the people. The PostmasterGeneral, in reply, regretted tliat the Department's rule was not to grant the use of telephones free of charge for patriotic purposes, and a variation of this regulation, would mean that many other similar requests would liave to be acceded to. Au applicant for a seotion of Crown I.aiul was refused by the Wellington Land Board yesterday becauso lie was born in Lorraine, and was of Gorman origin. He stated, that be could not be accepted for military service 011 that account. Mr. H. T. Ellingliam, a member of the board, remarked that if tlie applicant was not good enough to go to tlio front ho was not good enough to go on the land. The Commissioner (Mr. G. H. M'Clurs) agreed, as did other mombers of tho board. Another Germau (New Zealand born) ed a section by transfer, as ho had been rejected by tlio military authorities. Wiiilo the board ivas dealing with this case, tho Commissioner remarked that lie had not ;i great deal of faith 111 Germans whether New Zealand-born or otherwise. For holiday wear—Nothing' more comfortable than a sweater. Good range in crey or heather mixture at 3s. 11(1., Geo. j'owlds, Ltd,, Maimers Street.—AUvt. j

Master Albert Scar.lon, a pupil of the Marist Brothers' School. Thorndon, has been awarded a three years' scholarship at- tlio Sacrcd Heart College, Auckland, of the annual value of 40 guineas. The scholarship was open for competition to boys attending Catholic schools throughout New Zealand. Master Scanlon is a son of Mr. W. 13. Scanlon, of Island Bay, formerly of Featherston Ter race. The Segrief Scholarship, tenable for two years at St. Patrick's College, Wellington, lias been secured by a pupil of tiie Marist Brothers, Thorndon, the winner being Jlaster iioy Knight, a son of Mr. C. Knight, of Wadestown. It was stated at' the. City Council table last evening that the Corporation electric light services were increaslug ill popularity, and that the financial outlook was improving. The total value of goods sold in the electrical showroom during the past year was £1137. It is considered likely that very little Rugby will be played in Wellington this year. The ranks of Rugby have been enormously depleted since the war began, and by tho time the next winter arrives there will bo comparatively* few players left to carry on the game. It is : understood that an off-season may somewhat embarras the Wellington Rugby Union, who have not been a wealthy body for some little time, but it is thought that some means can be found of overcoming any difficulty which arisos. The senior cricket matches to ne played oil Saturday are: North v. University, No. 1 wicket, at Basin Reserve; Central v> Trentham, No. 2 wicket, at Basin; Old Boys v. Petone, at Petone: Hutt v. East, at Lower Hutt. . The subject of unwillingness to serve in the war was briefly at the City Council meeting last evening. The Finance Committee reported that 'they had had before them a circular letter from the praymouth Borough Counoil requesting the Wellington Council's co-operation in asking the Government to publish a complete list of namos of those persons who, in the National Register, stated their unwillingness to act in auy capacity x in connection with the war. Tho committee recommended that the letter should be "received." The council agreed to this course. The following new regulation for the protection of life cn ships is gazetted: —When coal is transferred by means of baskets running on a trannvivy, from one vessel to another, the master, or person in charge of the vessel, shall see that a net is stretched under tho tramway in such a manner as to catch a man if he should fall whilst working on the plank or tramway. Should the net be found to in any way interfere with the basket being landed on the tram, then some other efficient means may be used in lieu of the net, providing that such means are approved by the Marine Department's Surveyor. Every porson who omits to observe or commits a breach of this regulation is liable to. a fine not exceeding £00. t

A party of six small boys had a risky adventure at Island Bay on Wednesday evening. Tliey were playing in one of the fishermen s 'boats, when it broke away, from its moorings and drifted out into tlio broken water of Cook Strait. They' wero drifting for some little tim© before anyone on shore noticed what had- happened, but presently Meenrs. S. J. Yates and J. Skinner, two mem. bors of tlio Island Bay Surf Club, swam out to'their assistance. The boat was 600 yards off-shore when they reached it, but thoy succecdc-d in reaching tne reeks with it, antj in taking the boys off safely.

The Tramwavs Committee of the Wellington City Council has received a letter from the Soft Goods Employees' Union, requesting that the use of workers, tickets should be extended till 9 a.m. Tiio committee will report on the matter to the next meeting of the council.

The question'of the amount of shipping available for New Zealand s overseas' trad© "tvas referred to by tlie Prime Minister, the Eight Hon. W. F. Massey, in the course of conversation with a reporter yesterday. Scme t little tune ago, said Sir. Massey, it was suggested that the Imperial authorities were about to requisition two of the New Zealand traders. He had been in communication ■with the authorities at Home, and lie had been informed that in one case they did not intend to interfere with the sliip referred to, and iu the other case there would only be a very short delay, certainly of not more than two or three Tveete. In addition to the insulated space, of course, these vessels had accommodation for general cargo. Preliminary plans for the conversion of the Newtojvn Hotel Building »to & picture theatre has been agreed to by the City, Council, subject to the City Engineer's approval of the details of construction. Dairy produce in large quantities was shipped to London by R.M.&. Covmtluc yesterday. Her consignment of butter consisted of 40,416 boxes, while 22.880 crates of cheese were also taken, approximate value of the shipments were £161,664 and £136,920 respectively. The Nerehana, which cleared this P orfc f °F London the previous day, took 44b9 crates of cheese, valued at, approximately, £26,814. i The request of shooting-gallery proprietors for an extension of the closing hour of shooting galleries from IU.dU p.m. to 11 p.ni was agreed to by the City Council last evening.

The Kelburn Ratepayers' Association 3s to be informed by the City Council, in reply to their request for information as to the position of tho proposed new road to Kelburn, tlmt the present is not an opportune time to carry out works of such a oharactcr. The Hastings Wounded Soldiers' Fund now totals £14,676 Is. lid. The City Council passed the following resolution last' evening:—"That the souucil 'agree to tho subdivision of land for workers' dwellings at Queen's Drive, Lyall Bay, and 1 to the formation of a right-of-way between Sutherland Road! uid Queen's Drive provided the Govimment pay half tlio cost of formation md lighting the way, also subject to the iouncil being legally able to spend any Honey on 6uch work." Several times it has bfeen stated that New Zealand did jwrticularly well at the Panama Exposition, and at Levin on Wednesday the Prime Minister quoted from a letter by an American merchant an opinion which should be of considerable interest to this country. After seeing the New Zealand exhibit of wool the .writor came to the conclusion that "America takes a back seat in the wool .industry." "The Americans who saw the New Zealand exhibit should be aahamei to admit that we are in the wool business," the letter continued. It also' described the Ne'>v Zealand wool exhibit as the finest ever seen in America, and added that the United States must emulate the progressive methods of New Zealand. One way in whioh the war has affected agricultural shows'is that there is a difficulty in maintaining the number of entries of stock. The reason is that there are. not now the number of men there formerly were to prepare the stock for shows and tend them on the grounds. The fact was mentioned by Mr. Massey at the Levin Show on, Wednesday. "We all know," he said, "that ai! the shows' in the Dominion fcave suffered through so many men going to the war, and Levin has experienced 'ihis along with other portions of the country," ' '

Efforts which have been made re-, cently to raise a band for the 12th Reinforcements are likely to prove successful. The men are putting in a small sum each to supplement other ruonoy with which the band is being financed.

Newy Zealand's supply of military remounts is -reported to be keeping up splendidly. A Dominion representative was informed yesterday that the suplily is better now than at any time in the last several years. Only absolutely first-class horses are sought. Tho heights at which the officers may buy them are from 14.3 hands to 16 hands, but generally they get as near the 16 hands as possible. "We only want big up-standing horses," said one officer engaged in handling remounts.

In reference to the Allies' order to the Commonwealth for 200,000 tons of flour mentioned in our cables, Mr. P. Virtue, manager of the Northern Roller Mills, says: "It appears a large quantity, but as it will only absorb about 9£ million bushels of wheat, and' the export-, able surplus^in New South Wales alone, is forty million bushels, and provided London freights should continue scarce, it will not have the hardening effect that some may anticipate. The Dominion's annual consumption of wheat is six million bushels, so it is apparent to any business man that there is danger in trying to bolster shortages when such an immense quantity is at our doors, and with such a small Customs protective, duty of 20s. per ton.'! Tho offices of the City Council will be closed to-day, the occasion. - being tho annual picnic of the staff. A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by James Russell, lajwurer, of Hastings. The liabilities alnount to £444, the largest creditor being R. K. Jackson'(Masterton), £160. Changes in street. names were desided on by the City Council last evening, as. follow i—York Terrace, to Dawsbury Terrace, as confusion with' tho name of York Street _ exists; Sydney Street, from Museum Street westward, to be named Sydney Street West, and between Molesworth and Mulgrave Streets to be named Sydney Street East; Grant Road, north of the Pukuao Stream, to be named Grant Road North. Experiments with a patent fly exterminator were begun at the City Council's stables at Clyde Quay yesterday afternoon by the inventor, Mr. Wheel-, band, in the presence of a, number of city councillors, heads of- municipal departments, and citizens. A manure heap was sprayed with tlie mixture, for which it is claimed that it will kill all flies, eggs, or grubs which come in contact with it, at the same time it has the property of attracting flies and grubs to it, thus hastening their extermination. The results of yesterday's treatment of the ,manure-heap will be observable to-day, and the experiment will extend over several days. . Between £500 and £600 has already been subscribed towards the. fund for establishing a permanent Soldiers'' Club in Napier. The club at present has its quarters in the Borough Council Chambers. ■ A most extraordinary incident occurred at the Hastings Cool Storage Company's receiving yards on Tuesday, states the "Tribune." Several conveyances were drawn up in the' yard, when one of the horses attached to a trap became restless and bolted. Tearing out of the yard into the street opposite, the trap struck a post and overturnedj the horse being pinned to the ground by tho shafts. Just at this moment a lady, driving a phaeton, came alongside, and strange to relate the horse in the phaeton trembled violently and dropped dead. .

The second annual meeting of the Hutt Valley Building Society was held this week, when the balance-sheet showed that the year had on the whole been n prosperous one. It was dccided, with a "view to increasing the membership, to admit new shareholders on the same terms as the old, excepting that a bonus of £10, instead of £8, will be charged to appropriations drawn by now shareholders. During the evening Messrs. D. Wadsworth, G. Barber,, and A. May were elected directors. The City Council decided last evening to send letters of thanks to the donors of the following gifts to the Newtown Museum Mrs. R. C. Sutherland, Maori grindstone, sandstone fossil, and core of diamond drill; and Mrs. S. A. Haines, Fijian table cloth. Potatoes are likely to be" dear this winter, says' an exchange. Most of tho South Island crops are a failure, owincr to late frosts, while many of the North Taranaki crops have suffered from the blight. Five sets of floats.for assisting learners to swim are to be purchased by the City Council at a small cost and placed in tho public baths. Mr. W. Lewis, of Kllminster Avenue, has donated five sets of floats. Tie employees of Messrs. Oppenheimer's sausage casing factory have forwarded to the Mayor of Petone (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) the sum of £10 for the locaMVounded Soldiers' Fund. The men decided to forego their annual picnic this year and make the above dona.tiori.

'fiio workmen employed at tlio Zoo are to be now placed on a weekly wage instead ,of a daily wage,, and such wago to be increased in the, following manner: —Head keeper,' daily rate 95., wcck"~"ly rate £3 55.; keepers (3), Us. 6d. and £3 3s. The present average weekly wago is £3 for seven days. Ten days' continuous leave of absence on full pay is to be granted each year, after one year's service. A small handbag is all you need carry when you check yowr baggage through us. We collect, check on, deliver immediately. Ton travel unencumbered, and get your baggie at end of journey. The New Zealand Express Co.; Ltd., 87-91 Customhouse Quay.—Advt.