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Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2704, 25 February 1916, Page 4

The Department of Labour has arranged for the engagement of tho steamer Nikau to take about 100 hopjjiekers across "to Nelson oil Sunday. 'J iio Department expects 1o obtain enough hands to cope with tho work, and tho Women's National Reserve has undertaken to fill any blanks which occur. . ans P' that tiie Prime Minister (iur. Hughes), when he was about lo leave for .England recently, was regarded as a marked man from the enemy standpoint, and precautions were taken to gmird him from possible molestation 011 tho occasion ■of his leaving Australia (says the ''Sydney Morning bcrnlci ). A ruse was resorted' to in order to throw enemy agents off tho scoiitj and it was quite succc-sful. When Mr. Hughes and his party left 'tho Ceiltral Runway Station, Svdney, oil tho evening of January 19, by the Melbinirue mail truin, it was naturally thought by the cheering crowd that farcwelled him that ho was off to Melbourne to, as given out, pick up tho JSnglish mail steamer Osterley there, or at Adelaide or Fremantie. As a matter of fact, Mr. Hughes did not embark by the XJsterley at either of these places, and did not go far outside Sydney in the mail train. At cue of the first stations at which the train stopped the Prime Minister and party alighted. A motor-car was in waiting. The Prime Minister' was .then whirled iri the automobile to Watson's Bay. Here the pilot boat Captain Cook was in waiting, and early next morning it took the Prime Minister outside the Heads. Tho Makura, bound for Vancouver, was cruising outside, and Mr. Hughes and his party were transferred by rowing boat from the pilot to the Canadian liner.

Recruiting meetings are to be held in various suburban areas, during tho next few weeks, and last night the Onslow Borough Council decided to grant the use of the Khandallah Hall for one of these gatherings on any night but Thursday after next week. The Mayor (Mr. C._ C. Crump)' said that, when any meeting in the borough was decided upon, ho hoped every councillor would do his utmost to make it a huge success. He suggested the co-opera-tion of the National Reserve, and some of the councillors connected, with that organisation promised to take steps to that end.

Sir George Foster, Minister of Tratlo and Commerce, in the course of a lettor to tlio Prime Minister (the Hight lion, W. I l '. Massey) says: "Wo follow very carefully what you are doing in'tlm war matters, and we follow it, with prido and gratitude as well. Both your Dominion and the Commonwealth are doing splendidly, and your men are up to the best. No story has been'so thrilling to people liera as recorded of the Australasians' m Egypt, and on the ill-fated Gallipoli Peninsula." Sir George Foster' added that Canada hoped to raise her full complement of troops under the voluntary system. , Reporting on the letter from tfie secretary of the Patriotic Society, Wellington, asking that the council favour, ably consider the issue of free passes over the city tramway system to all returned soldiers during their residence in Wellington, conditional on their being in uniform, the Tramways Committee of the City Council recommend.ed to last night's meeting that the do not widen the scope of tho resolution previously passed, by whioa returned wounded soldiers under niedi--cal treatment in the city are allowed passes on the tramways, but that' the council place _ at the disposal of the returned soldiers ;yi observation car, the same to leave the Post Office Square on two mornings, a week, and to be for the exclusive use of the returned soldiers. Tho recommendation was adopted. 'A portion at least of the Karori Borough is at length to bo provided, sooner or lator, with water and drainage. On tlie recommendation of the. Finance Committee the City Council agreed last evening to give cffect to tho resolution passed by the Karori Borough Council with regard to the sanitation and wator supply scheme for a portion of the Karori Borough, the preliminary step being the taking of a poll of the ratepayers of the district affected. The portion of the borough referred to is that area to the north of Church Hill, the watershed that drains into tho Kaiwarra Stream; The drainage will bo dealt with by' the existing septic tank at Kaiwarra.

A destitute family called forth a display of sympathy at the Dunedin Police Court. A man was charged with failing to join the schooner Aratapu at Lyttelton without reasonable cause nfter having signed on. It was explainnd that with his wife and two children he had arrived in Dunedin absolutely destitute, and had had to be provided for. When asked to explain why he had not joined the vessel the man showed signs of breaking up, and in entering a conviction and ordering the pay'men of court,costs (75.), the presiding Magistrate (Mr. Widdowson) said he would pay the amount himself. SubInspector Broberg, however, announced that the amount was already in hand, having been collected "round the table."

Mr. L. Bowman, tho Apiary Instructor, associated with tlu Christchurc'h branch of tho Department of Agriculture, states that the honey yield for the coming season will, unfortunately, prove of a most disappointing nature The drought of two summers and a winter has robbed even the subsoil of the water it tontained, and has greatly militated against tho development in the flowers of the clover of that nectar which, tho bees turn into honey. Then the late frosts in' spring cut off the tender rising shoots, of tbo clover, which' consequently did not bloorii till late in the season. In fact, it is only now that the bee can get food in any quantity. The exception to this is in those districts close to the hills where there have been chance t.howors. The Instructor puts down tho poor answer to the appeal fpr honey for the soldiers at the front to the poverty of the

"harvest," which has been so affected by the drought. He advises all apiarists to artificially food thier stock during the coming winter, or else they will lose- 50 per cent, of their bees. Ho also states that the old box hive—the soured of so much disease and waste in honey product—has almost died out, owing to the energetic effort of the Government, which has prosecuted offenders against the Apiary Act.

Councillor Hutclioson asked at tho meeting of the City Council last evouing if the council had taken any action in'forcing the people with property in Upland Itoad to fence in their sectwns, und if rat, why not? Tho Mayor 1 replied that the City Solicitor had been given instructions to prosecute the parties concerned. These people lir.d decided to fight the council, so the matter was now "in the hands of the City Solicitor. The matter referred to concerns those property-owners or. the northern side of Upland Road whose sections slope somewhat abruptly up to the level of Upland Road, and which at present aro not protected. by fences along the alignment of that thoroughfare.

Otago will feel the increase in tho price of rough timber for building purposes only in a premonitory kind of way (says a ,Dunedin correspondent). The price in Dunedin is not affected' for the present. The explanation is that there is no association of sawinillers now in Otago aiid Southland, and consumers hold the advantage, since tho Boilers aro fiercely competing against each other. Tho present scarcity o( Oregon timber in Dunedin will soon lie remedied. 'Thero are four cargoes on tho way, and Oregon will soon bo plentiful. As to bluegum, it is likely to bo in short supply until the shipping trade -vmies back to normal conditions.

A meeting of Shakespearean enthusiasts was held last evening respecting the celebration of the Shakespeare tercentenary. It was decided to hold celebrations, commencing on May 3, and running for three nights. A committee was set up with power to engage either the Town Hall or the Opera ( House. One of the ideas is tliat a pageant, to be arranged by Mrs. Hannah, should lie run in connection with the celebrations. Any profits are to go to one of the patriotic funds.

A meeting of. the Canterbury Trades and ijabour Council' adopted the following 1 resolution: "That this council enters its emphatic protest against tho Government interfering with the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, with respect to the issue of under-rate permits to discharged soldiers. Wo aro of opinion that the order is an insidious attempt by the Government to esoape its own responsibility and compel men who have served their country to become low-paid workmen." It was decided to send a copy of the resolution to the Minister of Labour.

That with the view of overcoming the scarcity of skilled men for forestry and planting work, a limited number oi youths ba employed as upon conditions to be fixed by the committee. The committee have to recommend that applications be invited from parents of youths leaving school who are desirous of learning these profesS - 01 l?' _ lh ° foregoing recommendation or the Reserves Committee to' the City Uiunci last evening was moved by Councillor Frost, who said that the iorester had assured him that it was impossible to get competent men for this work, and it was a profession upon which calls would bo made in , the tijture. -The recommendation was adopted. *

Ten cases of. Red Cross goods from the St. John Ambulance Association, Ohristchurch f or the British Red Cross Society, St. John's Gate, London,' valued at approximately £165, were shipped a few days ago. Consequent upon a meeting of tho Wellington Waterside Workers' Union, the secretary of tho Waterside Labour employer's' Association (Mr. Bennett) has received a letter requesting a further conference. The request is receiving consideration.

Ihere has been handed to the Gisborne "Times" a" remarkable document which the late Wi Perc had had preshortly before his death. It is a striking record of the early Native troubles m the district; the incidents on which he touches dating back to ' tfie first Maori inter-tribal war on the East Coast, in which tho combatants used muskets. The object of-its compilation by Wi Pcro was for the express purpose of putting before his fellownakeha citizens a full account of the' dealings with which he was entrusted with regard to the -notorious Haobaus. In this document Wi Pere seeks to remove for all,time what he refers to as °

an unjust suspicion held by some people that lie did not do all in'his power to assist in crushing the Hauhaus.

_ At the meeting of the Mayor's Patrio- . tie Committee accounts amounting to £96 4s. 4d. were passed for payment, leaving a balance to credit of £204 4s. Sd. It was decided to send the sum of £50 each to the two New Zealand hospital ships to be- spent for the. benefit of the sick and wounded on those ' vessels. The resignation of Mr, C. R. x Smith as secretary was accepted with regret, and Mr. R. R. Martin, junr. (secretary of the Recruiting Committee), agreed to carry on tho duties in an honorary capacity. ,

Owing to many of its members having joined the forces, the Carterton Brass Band has decided to cease operations until after!tho war. An effort v.as made to fill the places of those who had icft, hut without .success.'