LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2690, 9 February 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that the s.s. Wimmera, which sailed from Hobart at 12.30 p.m. on February 7 for Wellington, is bringing an Australian mail only, and is due here on Friday.

A Christchurch message states that the Prime Minister has promised to set up a Parliamentary Committee to" consider the important question of the Dominion's latent industries. • '

Another exciting experience has been met by the P. and 0. steamer Benalla. On the voyage to Australia a fire broke out. on tho vessel, and it has recently had a narrow escape from destruction by an enomy submarine. Writing from London on December 17 to his father, Mr. C. E. Morgan, Epsom, the third engineer of the Benalla, Mr. Morgan, says: —"We arrived here to-day after a very eventful voyage, details of which lam not permitted to write. We were chased by a submarine while we were in the Mediterranean Sea. We were extremely lucky to get through all ■ right/. W brought from Malta the crews of nine ships that had been sunk."

Before leaving for Australia, the City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) drew up a lengthy repoffc on the matter <5f extending workers' privileges' on the Wellington electrio tramways to those who do not have to get to work until 9 a.m., and who leave off work at 6 n.m.' The report, which was too lengthy to go into at the meeting of thij Tramways Committee, will probably be submitted to members at to-morrow evening s meeting of the council: The Minister of Public HealtlT (the Hon. G. W. ttussell), speaking the other day with reference to the-great demand made upon the services of doctors by the war, and to the important matter of the training of medical men for the special work of the Public Health Department, remarked in the course of his statement: "A few days ag<s I received a. letter from an American University stating that a number of graduates of that institution were considering tho desirability of emigrating to New Zealand, and asking for information m regard' to our law of registration, and particulars of the country .itself.l These details have been supplied. In this connection, the Minister noiv- points out that the qualifications nccessary for registration as doctors in New Zealand are set out in Sections 8 and 9 of the Medical Practitioners Act, and that there is not the slightest intention of altering the law or to encourage persons to come to the Dominion who would not come within tho scope of the sections of tho Act referred to. The Minister added that he fully realised the patriotic efforts of the medical profession during the war, and .it was unlikely that, while a large number of the profession were on active service, the Government would encourage an influx ,0f m en from another country or adopt any course that would be an injustice to those who had made such a sacrifice. At the same time,, the law afforded facilities in the Statute-Book for medical men who possessed the qualifications to register and practise .here. All that had been done in tho case in question had been to forward a copy of the sections of tlii} Act that applied to tho registration of medical , practitioners, with a few items of information in re-" gard to the country as a whole.

Something like a range in money belts for soldiers, 2s. lld„ 3?. Gd„ ss. M„ 3», ud. i snake or bueklo fasteners. Jjm. Fowlds, Ltd,—Advt.

Regarding the two 'days' delay of the Victoria at Auckland through lack of firemen; Mr. D. Rynn, the HuddartParker Company's manager, stated that he estimated that the delay would cost the company about £350.

The Gicymouth Borough Council passed a resolution some time ago asking that the, names of the 34,000- men who had refused, \vhen the National Register was Compiled, to offer their services for military or civil duty shoiild lie published in the newspapers; or, in the alternative that the numbers of these persons in each comity, town, and district should bo collated and publishod. Tlie.y further suggested that.if necessary the Act should -be amended, to enable these names to' bo published and stated that the time Imd coilio for conscription to bo brought into force. They invited the support of'other borougli councils in making; these reure-' Bentations to the 'Government. The . Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hbn. G. Vt'. Russell) stated yesterday that he liad received . communications from several borough councils supporting the proposals of the Greynlouth Council, and in reply a letter had been forwarded to these councils stating: (IV ; That the National Register was established with a distinct promise by the Government that all the information it contained would be confidential, and that in those circumstances it was impossible for the Government even to consider tho suggestion that tlie-names in. question should be published: (2) that in the opinion of the. Minister of Internal Affairs, as the names wero spread over the entire country, Ho Useful purpose would be served hv endea- 1 vourinc; to collate and ipublish tho numbers in each town and district: (3) that with regard to tha suggested amendment of the' Act bringing conscription into force, those tfere matters of policy, _ which would require the cartful consideration of the Government.

Old "Wellington identities may be interested to'know that a social gathering of surviving passengers and the descendants of passengers by the 'ships Gertrude and Devonshire, which arriv-' ed at Auckland 33 years ago, is to b& held to-day. (

Mr. E. J. Young, of the Lower Hutt, has been appointed to the position of instructor in shorthand and typewriting at the I'etone Technical School. >.

The Minister of Public Health (the Hon. 6. AV. Russell).lms received ft letter froni the Manawatu Patriotic Society stating that several members of the had recently been in Itotorua where tlie.v had an opportunity .of inspecting the new King George V Hospital, established by the Public Health. Department. These niCmbors had since reported to a meeting of the society that the was everything that could be desired for the comfort and convenience of the soldiers.

Consequent upon the retirement of Mr. ,H. G. Hill from the position of chairman of the Wellington Patriotio Society, a lien - chairman, will be appointed at a meeting to be held on Tuesday next.

The Minister of Finance (Sir Joseph Ward) showed to a reporter yesterday a Canadian recruiting card, which had been enclosed in a letter from the Dominion. The cajd is neatly designed, and is illuminated ill rich colours. Incidentally it illustrates one _of the methods "of the Citizens' Recruiting Association, by whom the card is printed, for, printed at the foot, is a request that it be enclosed in a letter addressed to any English-speaking correspondent. On the back of the card is set out the pay and the scale of separation allowances paid to the Canadian recruits. The pay per day is one dollar for a private and'l dollar 35 cents for a sergeant, while the separation allowance is twenty dollars per month for the''private and 2o dollars for the sergeant. The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell) stated yesterday that the conference of patriotic' societies administering war funds, to be held at Wellington on Thursday, February 17, promised to be well attended. Otago and Canterbury—he had had an opportunity the other day of discussing the matter with the Canterbury Patriotio Committee—would both be represented.

Several oases of burglary have been reported at Petone recently. On Moilday afternoon, the residence of Mr, T. Mason, Te-Puni Street, was ransacked, Slid a considerable sum of money ana several articles of jewellery were stolen. An entry was effected by forcing a bedroom window, and in a hurried search for booty the Burglar turned the contents of the house upside down.

A visit to the Epsom Convalescent Home for returned soldiers was made on Saturday by the Prime Minister, • who was accompanied by Mrs. Massey. They were received by Lieut.-Colonel T. Hope Lewis, consulting surgeon to the forces, Dr. A. N. M'Kelvey, medical superintendent of the Auokland Hospital, ' Miss Orr, lady superintendent, and Captain E. J. Thomas, manaeer v Thero are about a dozen soldiers in the home at present, and the Prime Minister chatted with them for soma time. He stated afterwards that the men expressed themselves perfectly satisfied with the manner 111 which they were being cared for. Mr. Massey added that so far as lie could see the arrangements of the home were very good indeed.