LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2728, 24 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

'llie postal authorities advise that the s.s. Wimmera, which, sailed from Melbourne on March 21 for Wellington, is bringing .mails from Australia, and also from the United Kingdom, via Suez, ancl is due here on Monday next.

Forty-tlireo cases of infectious diseases were investigated by tho Health Inspectors during'thc month of March. The details are as follow Scarlet fever, 27; diphtheria, 2; blood poisoning, 3; cerebro-spinal meningitis, 4; and infantile paralysis, 7.

"Do exports ever make mistakes?" asked Councillor Fuller at tho City Council last evening. "Undoubtedly they do," answered Councillor Hutcliuson, "but if they do, how much mora do laymei) make when dealing with the matters for experts."

According to the figures compiled by the "New Zealand Trade Review," the value of our exports for the five months ended February 29, inclusive of specie, was £1(i,058,477, as compared with £12,750,154 for the 1914-15 period, and' £9,458,158 for 1913-14. The total forthe past five months sliows an increase of £3,308,323, or about 26 per ccnt. over the corresponding five months of tho previous year! The bulk ofTlie increase is 'in wool, meat, and dairy produce.

Tho saving of a child's life by a dog recently occurred at Landguard, Bluff. While a family were piciticing at the Bluff, a small child, who had been paddling,""was swept off its feet and was being washed out into deep-water. Seeing the child in the water a dog swam out and brought it to the J)each just as the parents arrived on the spot.

In the belief tliat nearly all discapo crimes from flics, the City Council da cided' last evening that an advertisement should be inserted in the-Press advising owners who failed to disinfect their manure heaps ill 6tables daily, that they would be prosecuted for committing a nuisance. s

The number of motor-ears imported in January and February this year was 940, as compared with 443 in the corresponding months of last year.

TIIO Fire Brigade Committee reported to the City Council, last evening that they had further considered the question of the enlistment of permanent firemen with tho Expeditionary I'orces, and thoy had! to. 'recommend the council to approach the Defenco Department with the request that tho Department will refrain from calling up any men in the employ of the Wellington Fire Brigade except under exceptional circumstances, in view of the difficulty of replacing these trained firemen.

"I want to congratulate the City and the corporation departments s concerned! on the success attending tlio electric lighting .veutute," remarked tlm Mayor at last evening's meeting of the Wellington City Council. "The rosuits," ho added, "are very satisfactory."

The Wellington City Solicitor has been instructed to prepare a by-law making it compulsory for licensed drivers of taxi-cabs, cabs, and expresses to wear a badge. The drivers will bo required to pay a small sum in addition to their annual license fee. v

Amongst those passed as fit for service this week at the Auckland recruiting station was Lieutenant Forster, of t*hc Bth Bengal Lancers. Lieutenant Forster is a New Zealander, who was in tho Indian > Army when war broke out, and with his regiment proceeded to Flanders.' In August last, at Neuve Chapelle, he was one of those blown up in what is believed' to havo beeu the biggest mine explosion -on tho Western, front. Out of 300 men only 25 escaped. Lieutenant Forster was one of the 25, but he remained buried under sandbags and debris for 26 hours be s fore rescue parties could-, reach him. He was treated in tho" same hospital in England as Lieutenant-Colonel Plugge, and after leaving hospital was granted extended leave. Lieutenant Forster availed himself of tho opportunity to visit New Zealand, and for some. weeks past has lent a great deal of active assistance to the reor luting movement. Now that he has again been passed as fit for activo service lie will leavo for England,, and rejoin his regiment at the front.

• The imports into Now Zealand are beginning to show expansion, which is probably due to higher cost rather than t'o increase iri volume. The imports in January and February, according to' the "New Zealand Trade Review," were soft goods £749,380, against £583,730 in the corresponding months of 1915 :.. hardware. £474,538, against £340,701; beverages, £173,324, against £157,68/ ; miscellaneous, £989,777, as against £890,698: other goods, £1,076,793,: against £804,902; and specie, £412,200, against £5308.' Foodstuffs decreased in tho -period, the. figures being £203,515, against £326,436. As showing the expansion that has occurred in values, a few hardware lines are given as followsßar iron lias increased by. 455. per ton j corrugated sheets, 1475.; fencing wire,'7os. 6d.; barbed wire, 705.; pipes and fittings, 1205.; , and nails, 365. per ton.

The Finance Committee of the City Council reported last evening that they had received a request from.the Onslow Borough Council ( for reconsideration of their application for a lease of a. section of land adjoining the Hqtt Road at Kaiwarra for the erection ot a fire station. The City Council had agreed ti lease the Hand to tha Onslow Bor* ouirh, with a covenant in the lease to the effect that the land should revert to the City Council at any time so determined. This the borough asked should bo nltered to a straight-out lease for twenty-one years, and tne commit* tee recommended that a lease for v such a period should be granted at a peppercorn rental. The council agreed.' ■

One of the most remarkable features of tlie present compaign, said the Hon. Dr. M'Nabj in the course of a recruitin" address at Ellerslie last week, was the fact that the two genorals -who- had conquered the largest amount of territory for Great Britain in the present war were men who had fought against us in the South African campaign; He proceeded ttf tell' a little story about one of these leaders. 'His authority was General Davies, who attended a conference of Imperial representatives in London during' 1909, as military adviser to the Prime Minister of New Zealand. He himself was. in England at the time. A suggestion was being discussed to adopt a uniform pattern of rifle for tho whole Empire. One of the delegates from South Africa Teadily supported the proposal, and proceeded to illustrate the advantages which he could foresee. "During the South African War," said this officer, "a lot of your English ammunition fell into our hands, but owing to the different pattern of our rifles we could not use it. Now, if we were using the same rifles and ammunition all the world over you sec how handy it would be." That officer, explained Dr. M'Nabj was General Smuts. The annual mooting' of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce is to be held on April 18. ' . •

Preliminary steps have teen taken to establish a model aeroplane club in Auckland for the encouragement of those who arc interested in the study of ' theoretical aeronautics. _ The primary purpose of the club will bo to dirbct the efforts of its members along useful lines in the construction of models. Competitions in duration and distance Rights will be held.

"When may the council expect tho first batch of municipal broad?" asked Councillor It. A. Wright, at last evening's meeting of tho City Council. Tho Mayor's reply was to the effect that the cost of "launching the industry now would be prohibitive.

"We have got into ' the liabit of thinking that tho lighter our taxes the better," said Professor Bedford, of Otago University, in a lecture delivered in Dunedin recently. "Practically the unanimous opinion of financiers in Britain is that during the war the heavier our taxes the better," he continued.' "At the present time Now Zealand ought to draw two or three times as much revenue from taxation as she does * Trying to get through this war with as little taxation as possible iB the highest economic folly."

As the result of the visit to New Zealand of Mr. Denison Miller, Governor' of the' Commonwealth Bank of Australia, branches of the bank may by opened in New Ztaland. Mr. Miller informed a Dominion reporter that already the bank did a good deal of business in New Zealand, and itwas partly in connection with that business he had come, to New Zealand. Mr. -Miller left for Sydney last evening.

News reaches me (writes Sir Henry Lucy in the "Sydney .Morning Herald") from an old friend interned in a German prison which throws a lurid light on the venomous hostility displayed by the Germans towards helpless English victims who may fall into their hands. The outbreak of the war found him a man in the very prime of life, well born, hapnily wedded, with a distinguished military position*oll the General Staff at'tho War Office. His regiment of the Guards was one of. the first drafts to be sent to the front. Sending in his resignation of his snug berth at the War Office, he rejoined his regiment in his capacity of major, and accompanied them to Flanders. After one of the desperate fights that marked tho month of October, 1914, he was found missing, for some time he was believed to be dead. Just before Christmas his family -received the glad tidings that he was still alive, though grievously wounded, and an inmate of a. hospital. Since then the highest influence has been brought to bear with the object of effecting on his behalf'an exchange of prisoners. His physical condition meets tho full requirement of the German militarv authorities that such exchange should take place only in the case of officers or men permanently incapacitated ifior further military service. The hapless major is' blind and deaf, the result of a shrapnel blow 011 the head. He is, moreover,crippled with 16 wounds in the legs. \The German authorities bluntly refuse to . let him go. and lie lies to-day, ps he has lain for fifteen months, vitli such comfort and consolation as a Ger»un hospital provides for wounded English prisoners.

A paragraph published in our issue of Tuesday last stated that Three Castle cigarettes had advanced in prico'2s. per thousand. This is not correct, the advance was only one shilling per thousand.

' There was a large attendance at the Chamber of 'Commerce yesterday afternoon, when Mr. Leighton offered at She "Holworthy Estate," Lower Hutt. After spirited competition, the ornamental grounds. Lots 13, '14, and 15, were knocked down .to Mr. 0. S. Watkins at £1200. Lot 1 was sold to Mrs. Shearer,' and >the ; balance of the lots were passed in, as they' did' not reach the upset price j but there are sevoral peoplo negotiating, for them privately, and they will probably be "sold within the next two or three days. The warehouse site in Taranaki Street, the house in Central Terrace, Kelburn, and a house in Drummond Street, which Mr. Leighton offered . in conjunction with Messrs. Longmore and Co., not reaching the reserves, wSre passed in, Mid ai'6 novy in their hands >for private salo. . '

Petrol motor traction is advancing. by leaps and bounds throughout the l)ominion, and the forward orders for English motor vehicles at present in the hands' of the local Dominion Slotor Vehicles, Ltd., are piled up, and, now 'represent a capital value of mauy thousands of pounds. The difficulty of deliveries is a most serious factor, and while we thank our many customers for -their patience and willingness to wait,.we recognise that I .business must go on. We have, therefore, secured control of absolutely the finest Standard American Motor Lorry, and have now on show a-.2/3-lon vehicle, with every possible equipment, and designed for heavy roads and rough work. Wo invito inspection by all our present clients and intending purchasers. The Dominion Motor Vehicles, Ltd., 65. Courtenay Place. —Advt.