LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2689, 8 February 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that tho s.s. Moana, which left Sail Francisco on February 2 for Wellington, is bringing Snails from the United Kingdom and America, via San Francisco, Tahiti and Rarotonga, antl. is due in WellniKton 011 February 24.

Bullion to the value of £50,000 was brought across from Sydney by the Riverina, consigned to the Bank of New South Wales.

The Y.M.C.A. acknowledges with thanks £100 from the St. John Ambulance Association for the sick, and wounded in hospital and convalescent home in Cairo, Alexandria, and if needcd in Salonika.

During the week-end, says our special correspondent, quite an exceptional downpour of rain, fell over tho Taranaki district—6.6s inches falling in twenty-four hours. In the Riverlea district several private dams broke away, and 'some . damage was dono to the bastions of the Mangawhero Bridge. It is also reported that damage has been done to the bridge on the Strat-ford-Opunnko Road. Along High Street, Hawera, the roadway waf completely inundated. Residents had to wade through to get to their' homes. Such a fall at this time of the year is unprecedented. On Sunday night (says our Napier correspondent) a motor-car owned by Mr. Meesh, of Mangatahi, was struck by lightning and badly damaged. No one was injured.

At the Hastings ram fair yesterday a French flag, auctioned in aid of .the patriotic funds, realised £350. That Samoan trade with New Zealand was not increasing as it should do was pointed out in a letter from the Minister of Defence, lead at a meeting of the Council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday. It was suggested that a special representative should be sent by the merchants to Samoa to open up trade between the Islands and Now Zealand. It was stated, in a short discussion, that the crux of the wholo question was the steamer facilities. There was no doubt that the Australian merchants were better provided in this respect than they were iu New Zealand.

There is, to some extent, a tightness in money matters in Palroorston North just now, says the "Daily Times," and business men,_ including tailors and retailers, complain of difficulty in getting their money.in. It- is not easy to ascertain the real cause o• the tightness, for in other directions, such as entertainments and amusements, there seems, to be very little indication of the lack of money.

• Two fires in the Otaki district last week have been reported to the Superintendent of Police. At Te Horo on Friday three stacks of oats, valued at £200, and the property of Mr. M. F. liourke, were accidentally ignited and totally destroyed. At Manakau on Saturday a bakehouse, owned by Mr. Byron Brown, took fire. The damage to building and contents is estimated, at £I'2o. i'lTc cause of this lire is not known.

Something like a range in money belts for soldiers, 2s.' lid., 3s. Gd., ss. Gd., ss. lid. s snake or buckle fasteners. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd.—Advt

Complaints regarding alleged delays in telegraphic communication between the North and South Islands was mentioned at a meeting of the Council or the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday, A reply was read from tho Secretary to the Post Ollico to a letter addressed to him 011 the matter. It was stated til at in tho view; of the authorities tho large expenditure which would bo entailed by carrying additional cables across Cook Strait was not warranted. The communication added that the times taken in certain instances which were quoted were considered not unreasonable. In three out of four cases, it was pointed out more than one transmission was necessary to cover the whole distance. It was explained in the official reply that if a message were specially required to be transmitted quickly the urgent cods was available.

One of the meanest thefts on record was perpetrated at Shannon on Thursdy last (says an exchange). There were two burials that day, and it is reported that when the sexton wont to dig the graves he found liis spade and shovel had been stolen.

The members of the Citizens' Carnival Committee, which includes the Mayor and several members of the City Council, are to visit Central Park at" 2.15 p.m. to-morrow to note the effect of tho work accomplished there out of carnival money.

The following tenders were received by the Waipara County Council for the erection of a road bridge across tho Hiirimui lliver near Domett:—A. Hadecke, ltangiora, £2179; G. M. Fraser, Hmitly, £2263; J. O'Donnell, Wellington, £2281', H. Bignell, Greymouth, £2303; D. M'Lean and Co., Wellington, £2781; A. Pearce and Sou, Kaiapoi, £3051; H. Gee, Ohristclmrch, £3057; B. Moore and Son, Ohristclmrch, £3179. The estimate of the consulting engineer, Mr. E. F. Toogood, C.E., was £2400. Mr. Hadecke's tender was accepted.

A seaman belonging to H.M.S. Pyramus, writing to a friend in Lyttolton, states that all on board are in good health, and liave plenty of workto' keep them busy. He makes appreciative reference to the gifts forwarded by the Lyttelton branch of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, which arrived about Christmas. "I think," concludes the writer, "that the people of. New Zealand are of opinion that 11.M.5. Philomel is the aaly warship with New Zealanders on hoard, and so everything goes on to them, but I would like to. say tiiat my boat has still on board all the New' Zealand ratings that joined at the outbreak of ' war. You will see they should also think of us. At any rate, we got some very .nice butter last week, the first for a long time, and tlie boys liked it very much."

A letter from the Japanese Consul, read afc a meeting of the Council of tho Wollington Chamber of _ Commerce yesterday, extended an invitation to business men to visit the Formosa Exhibition.

A team of Auckland bowlers visited Masterton on Saturday last, and were given a match on the local green.

Neither senior Rugby football nor senior hockey will, it is stated, be played in tlie Wairarapa in the coming Beason.

The Russo-British Chamber of Commerce at Petrograd has written to tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce declaring that a splendid opportunity now existed for increasing trada between tho British colonies and Russia. The war had'blocked imports from the accustomed sources, and Russian merchants were now looking for supplies elsewhore. The Petrograd Chamber expressed its intention of encouraging trade between Russia and the British colonies, and suggested that the latter should give the matter every publicity so that tho merchants of the respective countries could be-brought into business relationship. The questioa of the formation of an anti-German League was raised in a letter sent by a business firm to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and read at a meeling of the council of that body yesterday. In the course of a brief discussion, sympathy was expressed with the motives which had prompted tho formation of such leagues i at various centres. It was pointed out that the subjcct was in some respects akin to thatwhich the associated chambers already had in hand in regard to enemy goods. It was possible that the executive of the associated chambers wouM .take some practical steps in tho matter, and consider the formation of branches at various centres to combat any aggression on the part of enemy trade.