LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2686, 4 February 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Telegraph Office advise that tho Pacific Cable Board announces the resumption of acceptance of deferred cable traffic. There was some doubt yesterday as to whether the 3rd Battalion of the Now Zealand Ttifio Brigado would march through the City on Saturday afternoon, but it is now finally decided that the march shall take place. The troops will set out from Government Buildings at 3.30, and will traverse the us nr. I route. The soldiers who returned by the Rotorua and. landed at Auckland yesterday arc due in "Wellington by the 2.40 Main Trunk express this afternoon. There are 22 men for Wellington district, 44 for Canterbury, and 41 for Otago. The South Island men will go south by to-night's steamer.

At the half-yearly meeting of the Petone Working Men's Club last ovening the balance-sheet presented showed the club's finances to bo very sound. _ Sir. Walter Elder was elected vice-president, and Messrs. Jowett, O'Neill, and Taylor members of the committee. Mosquitoes are far more numerous in Napier this year than they haye been for many years, says our Napier correspondent. In Wellington last week seventy applicants for work presented themselves at the State Labour Bureau. Sixty-three were found employment, and the other seven are said to bo ununited to the class of'"work offering. Of tho sixtythrce who were placed, tiventy were given State employment, and fortythree others went on to private work. The Christehurch Bureau had forty-one applicants, and placed fifteen of them. 'Fliero were only eight applicants in Dunedin, and three sccurcd work. At Palmcrston North, Wanganui, Napier. Masterton, Oamaro, Grevmouth, and Timaru no application for work was made, and at New Plymouth there was one. Tho following notes give an indication of tlie growing popularity of electric dust-collecting vans in Great Britain. It is only within the last year or so that local authorities, in Great Britain began to give serious- attention to the bat-tery-propelled vehicle in refuse disposal; but the result of extended trials under various conditions has been to begin a broadening movement for the change from horse haulage to electric tractionßarnes Corporation has ordeied four electric vans; Birmingham is about to put one electric van in active service after exhaustive trials; Dover Corporation has six electric two-ton vans on order and two at work; Heston and Islewortli Council has one two-ton electric van at work; Nottingham Corporation has one three-ton electric van at work and another on order; Smethwick has an electric von on order. Fishing for king fish is becoming quite the rage among some of tho Napier enthusiasts, says our special correspondent. On Wednesday morning a party of four secured 30 heavy king fish off the Hana reef, in_ addition to cod and schnapper. The king fish provide good sport and never fail to riso to the bait. The Anchor Line's steamer K.iitoa, which went ashore near Capo Terawhiti on Sunday evening, and ivas successfully refloated, was placed on tho Wellm«rton Patent Slip yesterday for inspection. It was found that tho vessel had not Buffered any material damage, and she will resume' running to-day. Captain J. Lambert, a retired master mariner from tho Union Company's employ, will act ns one of the nautical assessors at the Magisterial inquiry, which opens at tho Wellington Magistrate's Court at 10.30 a.m. to-day. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), in referring to the lotter received from Capt. Donald Simson, urging that returned soldiers should be permitted to ride free on the municipal tramcars, stated yesterday that tho letter would be placed before tho Tramways Committee of the council on Monday next for consideration. Mr. Luke did not express a personal opinion as to whether such a privilege should or should not bo extended, stating that_ it was purely a matter for tho committee to deal with. In tho -results _of the University Entrance Scholarships Examination, recently published, the name of Graham B. Bell, Auckland Grammar School, should have appeared fourth in tho list among the names of those who gamed Junior University Scholarships. An enormous mushroom was found in a paddock near Kavensbourne by Mr. A. Buxton, of Dunedin. It.was"about a foot in diameter, and tho stalk which | supported it was as largo across as the average mushroom is.

At a meeting of ratepayers and residents held at Day's Bay, it was decided to form a Day's Bay Ratepayers and Residents' Association. The "following officers were elected: Chairman, Mr. D. M. Fimllav; committee, Miss Somorrillo and Messrs. A. W. Press, E. G. i'\ Zohrab, B. Rovle, A. AV. Blair, T. Mayer, J. Donald, A. T. Markmami. W. R. Archibald, 11. Williams, C. Hawson, S. Strott. and C. Hodgson; secretary, and treasurer, Mr. C. P. Saunders.

Ho was a driver in the Seventh Reinforcements, a husky Wellington lad, to whom the Afric's hunting strand was absolutely foreign. One of his tasks the day before writing to his friends in Wellington was to drive a distance of twenty-four miles across the desert from Helmeih Camp to the Citadel (that overlooks Cairo), and bring back ammunition. He writes:—"Wo passed the 'Tronts' route-marchina; at Pont de Koubbeh, just outside Cairo, and passed through several ruins. Mo for modern towns. I should get a keeper if I ever caught myself travelling to see the ruins. They are usually in the most desolate jilaccs, where it is an exception if thero is any green to be seen. Nothing but sand (native dirt, which can't be beaten), and tho hot sun. They (the ruins) certainly look very nico on a picfoire postcard, but, believe me, that is tho best way to 6ee them!"

Discharge of tho Komata's coal will to completed this morning, and she will be taken round to the Patent Slip to bo thoroughly examined. The pumps liavo been well abla to cope with the inflow of water so far, but the salvage tug Terawhiti is standing by in case of accidents. The topic of conversation in shipping circles yesterday was the good save effected M»v Captain Stott, local Marino Superintendent of the Union Company, and Mr. Paterson, superintending engineer, and the officers and engineers of the Komata. Mr. D. A. Aiken, general manager for tlio Union Company, who is at present in Wellington, has commended all concerned on their work in connection with tlia refloating of the vessel. Captain Stott was to have left by the Tarawera last evening on holiday leave for Auckland, but he has decided to wait and see the Komata taken up on the slip. He will go north by Saturday's Main Trunk express.

That the Government's almost paternal interest in the various patriotic, funds Ims not waned, despite the failure of its trumpet call to amalgamation to touch a responsive chord in Auckland's breast, is evidenced (says the Auckland "Star") by the issuing of a circular to patriotic; societies asking them to furnish returns, under fourteen headings, showing the amounts received, the investment of funds, expenditure, and future obligations already incurred. The circular explains that the information is required to provide data for an actuarial examination as to the period for which the funds in hand may be estimated to provide. Commenting on the circular, the president of the Auckland Patriotic Association said there was 110 objection whatever to furnishing any information required by the Minister under the Act. The administration of the Auckland fund was sound, and therefore there was 110 objection to supplying the data required by the Government. Beyond this, however, the Auckland Association would refuse to go, and it would continue strenuously to resist any threat of Government interference with the administration of the fund. At the meoting of the council of the Now Zealand Amateur Swimming Association (a Cliristchurcli paper states), « letter was received from the secretary of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand stating that the directors liad considered the application of the council that recognition should be made of the bravery of Trooper L. C. Penlington in reselling a wounded comrade in tie surf at Galhpoli while under fire, but they regretted that owing to the action taking place outside of the Dominion they had 110 power to make an. a ward. On the motion of Mr. P. C. Fantham it was resolved that the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association should award its certificate of the Legion of Honour to Trooper Penlington. The president (Mr. F. H. Bowler) said that the honour was the highest the association could bestow. The certificate was awarded for acts of heroism in swimming accidents in which its members were concerned.

A member of the Moana's crew, writing from Papeete on .January 15, records tliat tlie veGsel went through a terrifio cyclone. She left 'Wellington for San Francisco on January 6, and apparently was struck by the storm which knocked theJCaramu about. The writer says the water was everywhere. "We all thought the ship would overturn," he says, "but we came up smiling again."

"The lack of coliesivo power among teachers lies at. .the root of all the evils that exist in the conditions under which scholars are taught, aud it is the causo of feelings of jealousy and the antagonism among the different sections—primary, secondary, technical." So said the president of the Technical Teachers'; Conference in Auckland. Mr. Newton expressed tho opinion that a common parliament would do away with ignorance and enable teachers to view their work in proper perspective. Some of the results uf the formation of a Dominion Council of Teachers, _ consisting of delegates chosen by the different societies. would be the removal of the prejudices and misunderstandings existing between the different branches of teachers, a close co-ordination' of work, a straight path from tho bottom of tha profession to tlie top, and the creation of a stimulative force that would ensure extensive reforms.