LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2708, 1 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho postal authorities advise that the i.s. Wimmcra, which sailed from Hobart it noon on February 28, for Wellington, s bringing mails from Australia and tho IJnitcd Kindom, and is <lue here 011 Frilay next. Since the beginning of the year thero lavo been three bankruptcies in Welington, as compared with four for Jauuiry and February of last year. As the result of the "trapping" of notor-cars while passing through Lower Liutt during the last rase meeting 26 :ases of drivers, who' aro alleged to have exceeded the limit, will come before tho next sitting jf the Lower Hutt Court. Members of the first division of the Railway Serviso—the clerical and head jffice staff —propose to make representations to the Government at an early date regarding their claims for increases in salary. A report ill a southern paper states that tho first division, though feeling the effects of the increased cost of living, dirt not desire to raise any agitation during the course of the war, but since other branches of the 6ervico have raised tho question they feel thai tliey are entitled to prefer their claims also. A letter was received by the Welling' ton Education Board at its meeting yesterday from the Wellington Hospital anc Charitable Aid Board, stating that 11: response to a request they had set up e nub-committee to confer witli the board, f committee respecting dental treatmeni of school children. The City member! of tho board, the Chief Inspector, anc the secretary were appointed a committe* to confer with the Hospital audi Chant able Aid Board's representative. In conversation with a reporter jester day, all officer of the troopship whicl conveyed the Bth Reinforcements fron these shores paid a warm tribute to tin conduct of that force whilo on the ship He described them as being willing work ers to a man, especially in regard to tin cleaning and general care of the vessel Her clean and tidy appearance earnet for tho troopship quite a reputation a the various ports called at, and, tin officer stated, tilings went as smoothl; during the voyage as if they had been 01 an ordinary passenger run. Major Soeman, an Imperial officer,Vh recently arrived from England, undo engagement with the Defence Depart ment, is to give a lecture entitled "Mod ern Trench Warfare; Its Origin, Lesson and Future,".to officers and non-com missioned officers of the National Be serve in the premises of Messrs. J. H Bethune and Company, Street, this evening at 8 o'clock. The kauri gum industry was seriousl; affected during tho earlier stages of th war, and the Government advanced' sum of money to the diggers on stores of th commodity for which at that time tlier was 110 market. According to the "Ne> Zealand Herald," tho Prime Mmiste (tho Right Hon. W. F. Massey) state that a total of £25,000 has beon advanc ed in this way, and the calls for tin financial assistance have diminished manv of the diggers having found otlio employment. Samples of the gum -wer forwarded to the United States, and 11c gotiations for the sale of the stock which have accumulated in Auckland ar now proceeding. About 100 guests thoroughly enjoyc a social evening hold on Monday uiide tlie auspices of the Society of Musician (Inc.). Several choice musical item were rendered l , including Cesar I' ranck Sonata for violin and piano, played' b Mr. Haydn Beck and Mr. Bernard Png( and Wotan's "Farewell" ond the cloßin. scene from Act 111 of Wagner 5 Wa kure," sung by M. Sigurd Lestrup, th Danish baritone. Other vocal items wer "iven by Mrs. F. Phytlnon, Miss Eileei Driscoll, and Mr. O. H. Stephens, wild His. Cachemaille and Miss Simpson con trilnited pianoforte items by Arensk; and Debussy. Tho Aletliodist Conference resolvet to transfer Dublin Street and Westmere Wanganui, to tho Aramoho circuit. 1 report on trust property stated t.ha sixteen new sites liad been acquire during the year. There had been an 111 crease of-properties and a reduction l! debts. —Press Association. A fire broke out on the steamer Tas man at Auckland yesterday afternoon hut was promptly extinguished by tin Fire Brigado. The bulkhead was badl, scorched, and also tlie base of the floor ing of the forecastle, but'beyond tna the vessel was not damageo. Th cargo was not damaged. The fire orig inated in a new coil of rope—Press As scciatioh. The new Half-Holiday Act for th combined district of Hutt aiid Peton* comes into force to-day, when the shop will remain open all day and close a 1. o'clock on Saturday. Six children were committed to re ceiving homes by Mr. Cooper, S.M., yes terday. In the case of five of the clnld ren (belonging to two famili<si) ther were unsavoury charges pending agams the paronts. Tho sixth oliild was "no under proper control." The Hon. J. 6. W. Aitken, chairmai of the Wellington Education Board, an llounccd at yesterday's meeting that th attention of the board had been direct ed to tho very excessive quantity 0 water registered by tlio_ school meter during the summer holidays.- It wa decided that the attention of the chair man of committees and of head teacher be drawn to the necessity for constan care, especially in _ tho drier months and to tli,e necessity for shutting ol tlie supply, without fail, aftor hours at week-ends and during 'holidays. Winners of Junior National Scholar ships throughout, the Wellington Edu cational District will be interested t learn that a letter was received fror the Government by the board, statin: that holders of scholarships are return ed to attend the nearest convenien school within reach of their homes. At tlie monthly meeting of tho Edn cation Board, held yesterday afternoon it was announced that a letter had bee received from tlie Government scatiti] that teachers who married after if-in ing the Expeditionary Force, and wh obtained commissions, would receive sal ary and a quarter. As there must be an election 0 members of the Wellington Educatioi Board in June next when the repre sontation will be arranged according _ttho demands of the educational dis tricts as reconstituted under the Act 0 last- year, it has been deoided that th present members of the Board and Technical Education Boari shall carry 011 until that date. An innovation was made in the usun bftflincss of tho Education Board yes terday, when Mr. Robert Leo (former! chairman of the board), who returnei from the Old Country a few month ogo, delivered a brief address. Mr, Le oaid that 110 was gratified to see tha the administratir/i nf education in Wei lington was going along much m for merly, and expressed his pleasure a tlie flattering reference made vo hi services in tlie annual report of tl board. During his stay in England In aaw two of the latest national schools one at Bournemouth and the other a Deepdale (in Lancashire). In Lanca shire lie was 011 familiar ground, bavin: been headmaster of a boys' school tlier when 110 was 22 years of age. He als visited several of "tho,"' schools 0 England. He was sliown over the i'a mous Winchester School, and was for tunato enough to spend some rrolitabl' days at Oxford. At the conclusion 0 his remarks, a very hearty vote 0 thanks was tendered to Mr. Leo, on t-li. motion of Mr. A. W. Hogg.

The annual meeting of B Company Wellington East) of the National Reserve is to he hold to-morrow evening. Every member is requested to be present. The Boston "Globe" of January -9 is reported to contain a fjreat list showing that over half it billion dollars liavo recently been given for charitable and philanthropic purposes. The is beaded: "Thirty-one Individuals Who Gave a Million or I\loro Each." The iirst item on the list is calculated to make Now Zealanders gasp. It reads: ''New Zealand woman for war relief, 75,000,000 dollars." The local patriotic fund could do with a share of that gift if it were not merely the effort of an imaginative Bostoniun. An Auckland member of the Eighth Reinforcements writes from Cairo: "Here is a story worth tolling. It may be a yarn, but it is probable that thera • is some truth in it. The Red Cross became alarmed at the number of native funerals in camp—large numbers of natives arc employed in the horse lines. So they .reported to headquarters, and one funeral was stopped to ascertain if the deceased had succumbed to an infectious disease. Instead of a dead man the coffin was found to contain several rifles. The discovery was followed up, and two to throe hundred rifles were discovered in the cemetery, to which the corpse was being ' taken. These are- reported to have been stolen from the Australian lines." A most extraordinary peculiarity was revealed at the meeting of the Southland Education Board, when Mr. Lowrie and Mr. Stevens, who had recently visited the Makarewa School, state'd that the writing of one of the scholars, Frederick Miles by name, was shown to thom, and it was all upside down. The hoy starts to write with his left hand at the bottom of the page, and forms his letters the reverse way. He gradually works Ins way to the top of the page, and when the page is turned round the characters are revealed as perfectly made and true ,in i every respect. He is adjudged to be the best writer in his class, of which he is also dux. The boy has never written any other way (savs the "Times*). 'No apparent explanation can be given, and it would be a fine point for some of our professors to unravel the mystery. Samples of his writing are going to be procured by members of the board. Mr. Adrian luiox, K.C., who for some time past has acted as a cgmmi°sioner for the Red Cross Society Egypt ; has arrived back in Sydney, aa . has given 1 some idea of the nature a the work which ho was called upon t< supervise. His statement is of great interest to New Zealanders. Referring to the enormous difficulties at lirst encountered in the organisation work in Egypt, Mr. Knox said that to begin with they had only a sergeant, six men, and two boys, together with a few Arabs, to do the heavy work of moving eases. When it was realised that every week huge shipments arrived, representing six or seven truckloads of heavy cases a day, which they .were unable to leave on the Cairo station for more than 36 hours, according to the regulations, and that at that time those who did the packing of • the goods in Australia did not realise the great necessity of only packing certain goods in one case, but forwarded very many cases of miscellaneous goods, some idea might be formed of the confusion and stress under which workers were then living. Mr. Knox went on to describe how, as things progressed, the work, of distribution and organisation was gradually straightened out, until now order reigned in every department. He assured the members of the committee that they could rest absolutely satisfied that the. best use was being made of every consignment of goods sent out. The organisation for tho supplying of hospital requisites, the arrangements for fitting up outgoing transports, tho work in the hospitals and convalescent homes in the various cities and ports, was being carried on oil thorougaly business lines, and with satisfaction to all concernedAbout half 1 an hour before the Rarawa left Onehunga on Monday for New Plymouth (says an'' exchange), a motor-car drove up containing _ a lady and two mrfh. It was almost immediately approached by an irate individual who flourished a horsewhip and proceeded to deal out severe punishment to one of the men in the car. It afterwards leaked out that the gentleman who had administered the punishment was the husband witnessing the departure of his wife with" her admirer. Blood flowed copiously, covering the white costume of the but no attempt was made by the punished .man to resist in any shape or form, until lie and the lady ran on board tho boat and sheltered themselves in the steerage compartments. The husband interviewed the captain of the steamer, with a view to getting his wife put off.' 11l sbe meantime both the mail and the womnti had changed their costumes, and being found that the latter had no ticket the captain insisted on her going ashore to get one. . "While she was n way'the lines .were cast off, and tno Rarawa sailed away, leaving the lady standing at the shipping office door in company with her husband. . Mr. G. F. Gimbee,_ for many years the printer of- the "New Zealand Herald," died in Auckland on Sunday, ibo deceased, who was born in Australia, came to Auckland at an early age with his parents, and served his apprenticeship as a compositor on the "Southern Cross," and afterwards rose to be printer of that journal. On the amalgamation of the "New Zealand Herald and "Southern Cross" he joined the composing staff of the "He-aid as printer. This position lie occupied for many years till failing health compelled his retirement about 13 years ago, since which time he had lived in rata ceased was 78 years of age at the time of his death.