LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2688, 7 February 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An Australian mail only will arrive in Wellington from Sydney by the Riverina this morning. R.M.S. Niagara, which is due at Auckland this niorni'iX from Vancouver, has on board an English and an American mail. The Boutliern portion should arrive in Wellington Main Trunk express tomorrow morning.

A Hawera resident, who left Auckland on Monday evening by the 8.50 o'clock Wellington express, and who was occupying a sleeping berth, had a sum of £5 in gold and about £1 in silver abstracted from liis pocket. The theft took place while the train was travelling between Ohaknne and Taihapo. In the morning tho matter was reported to the guard of the train, and the police are now endeavouring to trace the thief.

A public reception is to be tendered to all Petone's* returned soldiers by the Borough Council when Captain W. Hardham arrives from Hobart.

As the Monowai has been delayed down south' she will not arrive here from Lyttelton till to-morrow. Departure will be taken for northern ports «t S p.m.

The usual muster took part in the "route march" yesterday, and spent the whole day in the open, their visit being to Makara. There the billy was boiled, and a start was made for town, which the squad reached at 5.30 p.m., after spending a most enjoyable day. Next Sunday there will only be a lial'fday march, commencing at the usual time and place.

Tho day classes of the Wellington Technical College will commence to-aayi and the evening classes on Wednesday next.

; The balance-sheet of the Salvation Army shows that up to the end of the financial year, September 30, 1915, the following sums had been expended at the military camps:—Cost of maintenance, Trcivbham Institute, £608 os. Id.; cost of maintenance, Tauhercnikau Institute, £00 10s. 9d.; Expeditionary Force expenses, £36 4s. 7d.; cost of erection and furnishing Trentham Institute, £774 os. 5d.; cost of collecting £36 16s. 2d.; total, £1545 17s. Virtually the whole of this sum was obtained by donations and contributions. A sum of £1199 10s. 2d. was sent away for wounded soldiers in Egypt, Malta, and London, while £10,967 2s. 7d. was dispatched to London for the Salvation Army War Emergency Appeal.

"Please tell all St. John Ambulance Associations," the Hon. R. H. Rhodes, M.P., writes from Egypt to the Dofonco Minister, "and all other associations sending goods to the front, to mark the cases 'for general distribution' if they are for general distribution, or, as the Wellington Centra has' done, 'gift packages.' Otherwise they have to be opened in the ordnance stores, resorted and re-packed. One case arrived a few days ago marked for B Company, not indicating the regiment. On being opened it was found that almost overy packet was for a different unit, one even for an Australian. There is some objection, of course, to showing the contents- of the cases 011 the outside, but a list of the contents can be fastened to the inside of the lids."

The Hon. Arthur M. Myers (Minister in Charge of Munitions and Supplies) has received a letter from Mr. J. J. Clark, proprietor of the Evans Bay Timber Company, Kilbirnie, in which_ Mr. Clark states that he has appropriated to the War Expenses Fund, 50 per cent, of the amount due to him for a contract to supply 10,000 tent pegs ordered to fulfil military requirements. Steps have accordingly >been taken by the proper authorities to give effect to the contractor's wishes.

The High Commissioner has informed the Minister of Defence "that all advices received regarding sick and wounded soldiers aro. immediately reported to the next-of-kin in the United Kingdom. Friends are notified twentyfour hours later. Wounded men sometimes arrive hero (England) before notification of the casualty is received from Egypt, and as we are not' advised by Egypt with regard to the evacuation of sick men to the United Kingdom, it is not always possible to notify'the next-of-kin in the United Kingdom of those cases before the men do so themselves."

Efforts to locate the yacht Mowai, ■which was sunk in Auckland Harbour as the Tesult of a collision during the Anniversary Regatta, were continued on Thursday, but were unsuccessful (says the "Herald"). The vessel is sunk in about 40ft. of water, and as she would not reach the bottom exactly beneath •the spot Where she sank-, it may take some time to find her.

"Do you believe in God?" the Sergeant of Police asked a Mohammedan witness in tho Port Chalmers Court 011 Friday morning. The witness answered in the affirmative. "What Cod?" pursued the Sergeant. "There is only one God," said tho witness, looking hard nt the Sergeant, who remarked' _ that the previous witness had said he did not know whether there was a God. The witness who said there was only one God also said lie was a Mohammedan (states the "Evening Star"), and would swear by Mohammed that 110 would tell the truth, remarking that,' as the accused, on whoso behalf he was called, was neither his father, brother, nor other relative, there was really no reason why he should not tell the truth. His evidence was then taken.

A fire occurred at Wanganui 011 Saturday night inCorrie's Buildings, Ridgway Street. ' Mr. Hedditcli's tailoring and outfitting shop was _ completely gutted, as also was a similar shop of Mr. G. D. Jones. Tho promises of Mr. W. Corrie, solicitor, Messrs. Crichton and Newman (bootmakers), and J|r. Benfiold (cycle agent) were badly damaged by water. —Press Association.

A niystorious affair has been reported to the polico at Wanganui. An attempt was made to burn out a Chincso fruiterer who has recently opened business in the Avenue. A towel had been stuffed in the doorway, and had evidently been soaked with inflammatory oil and set fire to. The only damage done, howovar, was that the "door was blistered.