LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2718, 13 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Sydney mail will not arrive this week until Wednesday, the Manuka having boon delayed at Sydney. The English and Egyptian mails (via Suez) uro coming by tho Westralia, which left Sydney Just Wednesday. Her mails should arrivo here with the Maiii Trunk on Tuesday. The banks throughout the Dominion will be closed on Friday next, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. _ In the opinion of tho Otaki Licensing Committee, which has written the member for Otaki (Mr. W. H. Field) in reference to the matter, an endeavour should be made to obtain an amendment to the Liecnsing Act, giving committees a discretion to regulate the distribution of licensed houses within their districts, at present there being in some cases, too many hotels in one locality, and too few in another. Mr. M'Clure (District Commissioner of Crown Lands) and Jlr. Georgetti (member of the Wellington Land Hoard) inspected tho touwhakarua Block, recently acquired by the Government, and other Crown lands in tho Mangaweka district, with a view of making provision for returned soldiers. Instructions have been given to out up the land into suitable aroas, and a staff of men for that purpose is already on the ground. Regarding complaints that have reached Invercargill and Bluff from the North on the subject of the increase in the price of Foveaux Strati; oysters this season, it' is pointed out that last year's low rate was exceptional, owing to tho competition war amongst the Bluff merchants.- The price tliis year •s exactly the same as it was two years ago, and previous to .that, plus ten per cent., which represents the increased railway freight. Under the new award affecting thfl Christchurch Tramway Board's employ ces, tho board is called upon to supply uniforms free, whilst, previously, the men contributed 25 per cent, of the cost. The board has just acccpted the tender of the Sartorial Service, Company for the supply of uniforms for motormen, conductors, and inspectors, and of Messrs. Strange and Co. for the supply of overcoats, caps, denims, etc. The uniforms will be made of navy blue material, similar to that used for the • Wellington tramwaymen's uniforms. Fresh indications that the planet Mars is inhabitable and has an atmosphere hot differing very greatly from that of the earth, have recently been obtained in Professor Lowell's famous observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona. A full account of these newest discoveries appears in the January number of "Scientia." They are photographs of tho Mars spectrum taken last winter. They show that water vapour exists on Mars, and that oxygen, a gas necessary t.o life, is also found there. Both, however, are very scarce, and it seems more than probable that a great, part of Mars is desert, ■ and that the lines which cross its surface are actual canals, or belts of vegetation along canals, fhe existence of water _ on Mars has 1 been shortly denied by critics of Professor Lowell, so that its undoubted discovery by scientific instruments at this enormous distance 'is a triumph for him as well as a wonderful feat of research. Somo time ago the British War Minister sent for an officer who was. in tho habit of wearing a monocle, a habit which Kitchener particularly dislikes,' as he considers that it savours of affectation. After talking on various subjects for a few minutes, uenly asked—"ls it absolutely necessary for you to wear that glass in your right eye''" "Oli-ah, certainly yes," drawled the officer. "Couldn't seo without it, you know." "Then I'm sorry," said Kitchener in his blunt ivay. "I had intended to give you a staff appointment, but I must have men who can see. GooTl morning." After Chat the officer beat a hast}' retreat. We have come to mistrust most of tne stories we hear of Germany's sad 'Plight in the way of economic pressure find financial straits. But we are n_ever less than interested In reading tnem, or oi speculating upon the effect of war-strain as it burdens the Germans nc home (writes Sir Henry Lucy in the '""csydney fflorning Herald 1 ' 1 ). The letters recently taken by the French from prisoners at Hartmannsweilerkopf, where so many battles have been fought, may not be genuine, but if not cue stories they embody are uncommon, fy ivell invented. A wife writing to lav trench-hound husband, for instance: '\\e are so sorry that you have all the hard work to do and havo nn.lv *Jr> bread to. eat, but I can't send you anything There are tho children. They are always hungry." And this from a Chary; "After service the pastor came back and told us joyfully that peace would be declared in ffebruaryt or March. Everyone in the church began to cry. Many men from here have boon killed. A.n able-bodied man is becoming a rarity." And this: "Berlin, November 5. The discontent caused by the dearness of living is Increasing. Add to that the yrant of work. Xhe morale of v the people is very low. It will need very little for their auger to break out."; And—"Berlin, Decem6. We hope that tho war will soon finish. People are beginning to no restless and provisions are sliort. Un Saturday we had our first riot." ihc absenco of any attempt to elaborate these plain tales would seem to suggest them as genuine enough. Among beneficent institutions grievously suffering from the war are tho London hospitals (writes a London correspondent). An eminent surgeon con, Jieetecl M-jtb one of. tho largest tells mo tho difficulty of carrying on their daily work grows insuperable. Tho number j i- 1E ? P'lys'cinns, house surgeons and clinical assistants has been reduced by one-half. Meanwhilo work of ur. gent character remains above normal magnitude. The consequence is that members of the medical staff remaining at their post have to work double tides. Occasional holp is forthcoming from the Colonial Office, who-pass on for temporary service physicians and surgeons from overseas awaiting a call to tho front. The Admiralty also helps by lending men on thoir books awaiting commissions in the Navy. By these fcicans tho hospitals manage to get along. But tho strain upon tie rem, nant of the staff in some cases threat, ens a breakdown. Mr. Pearce Luke, son of the Mayor, t 1 ? T . wns Wellington manager for J. Niven and Co., and who went Home a few months ago for tho benefit of his health, writes to his people in a cheerful framo of mind as to his condition. Ho has visited the works at Wolverhampton, whore he spent somo time as a young engineer gaining experience, and expressed his amazement at the' astonishing changes that have taken place in the methods employed at all .the big works. At his old shop, whore formerly 1150 to 1200 men were employed, there wero now only 250 men. Nearly all the old style machines they had when ho was in England bofor'o have been scrapped and replaced by automatic machinery, with the result that a fraction of'the staff was turning out six times as mucli work. Every engineering shop was hard at it doing nothing else but turning out munitions of war. People in New Zealand were apt to imagine that England was not yet awake, hut if tho.v were to visit the big engineering centres they would realise that England was very much awake. The first pile in the East Coast railway bridge at Napier, which is to form a connecting link between the two embankments across the inner harbour, will be driven about noou to-morrow (states our Napier correspondent). Work on the embankment has rapidly boon pushed on lately, and one side of li 11 llearma cxmmlatina

Saturday, March 4, was a red lette# day for the Nelson "Evening Mail." The date marked the jubilee of that well-conducted paper, an event that was signalised by the issue of a freely illustrated 28-page paper, 'flic supplement deals moat comprehensively with the history of the "Mail" and Nelson itself from 1866 to tho present day with numerous half-tone blocks of "its founder (the late -Mr. R. Lucas), its various editors, including its present "chief," Mr. K. G. Lucas. A succinct account of the awful Wairau massacre is also included in tho interesting letterpress with which the issue is well packed, whilst Motueka, Takaka, tho Murchisnn, and otnor districts in the province of sunshine receive interesting attention. The jubilee number is a credit to the "Mail," and a most interesting and valuable souvenir record for the people of Nelson. A recent visitor from Martinborough states that never before has there been such a seasou for fi'uit in the district. He adds, as a natural corollary, that never has he witnessed so much fruit going to waste. It was impossible to consume it in the district ; and the prices' were so low in Wellington that it did' not pay to cart it into Featherstoii, and then ship it by rail to Wellington. \ It is suggested that Martinborough people with a surplus of fruit might advise the camp authorities at fauherenikau, who would doubtless devise means of conveying it from the orchards to the canip. The other day mention was made in The Dominion of a khaki giant,. LanceCorporal Newman, of Gisbcme, at present doing duty as a member of the Military Police, and who is said to be Gft. 7jin. in height. Tall though he is, even . his staturo can be outdone by some of the ' West Queenslanders, who, according to the statement of a visitor to New Zealand; who has seen much of Queensland, particularly of the West, arc mors than seven feet in height and built in proportion. Calling in at some of the way-back hotels or accommodation houses, it is not uncommon to see notches or heavily-cut marks impressed upon the framework of the doors, some of them reaching to 7ft, 3, 4, or sin. These aro the measurements of men who for their own amusement and that of thoir companions at the time have measured themselves against the doorway. There is usually not an ounce of superflous flesK upon these men, and they are big each way. Apropos of the recent di-covory of deposits of china clay in Bntisii Columbia, the existence of extensive bnds of the same material in. the Waikato is of interest (says the "New ' Zealand Herald"), For some months past development has been proceeding on a large "reef" of cliina clay at Glen Massoy, Ngaruawahia, near the Waipa Collieries, and right beside tho railway line. So far as tests have gone the deposit has been traced, to a depth of 30ft., .over an area of about 50 acreß. Tho clay is encased in red. soil for a; depth varying up to 18in. An analysis made by Mr. J. A. Pond, Government analyst, has proved the material to bevery similar to the china clav cf Cornwall, and experts from English potteries who have seen it have formed a high opinion of its quality. Mr. Pond con-., siders that without undergoing any process it can be used in direct manufacture of several articles. Samples of glazed tiles have been made from tho clay, and a Southern firm has manufactured from it insulators for telegraph, poles. i "Many Taranaki farmers are doin£ their bit. They have left their fSrfms to their wives and families to manage and gone to, the front." This statement was made in tho dining-room of the' Main Trunk express the other day. by a Taranaki resident to a South Island man. At the same table was a returned trooper.' Ho joined in the discussion: "1 am one of those Taranaki fanners," he said. "I left my bush section at the beginning of the war, putting in charge a man I hafl working for me, and whom, I thought, was a decent chat). Whon I was away at Gallipoli he sold my 6tock and cleared out. Everything was neglected, interest on the mortgage was not paid, and, the mortgagee sold me up. I could have fought him and held the place, but I had lost my stock, and had no money, and I hadn't the heart to oppose the mortgagee, and twenty years' graft ■went up in'-smoke." Further conversation elicited the information that the soldier had been tivice_ wounded, and was unfit for further military service. He has to start life anew, with a weakened physique. He has made his sacrifice.—"Age." The annual, meeting of the Wellington Professional Orchestra was held yesterday, there being a good attendance of members, Mr. J. C. Norman presiding. The report and balancesheetWere adopted. A communication haid been received by the committee from Mr. Herbert Bloy' that he would be unable to act as conductor this year,' but at the meeting he was induccd to reconsider his decision, and lie was unanimously re-elected. Mr. Walter Fuller was appointed deputy-conductor. The matter of leadership was left in the hands of the conductor to arrange. Other officers were appointed as follow:—Secretary and librarian, Mr. H. Moschinitrea-surer, Mr. A. S. Hilliker; assistant-secretary and librarian, Mr. G. Nelson; auditors', Messrs. A. M'Donald and A. A. Crump; committee, ' Messrs. W. Fuller, A. Williams, J C. Norman, T. Lawrenc'e, and E. Elliott. It was decided that members of the orchestra should reassemble on March 26, and that the first concert of tho new season should take place on April IG.