LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2730, 27 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

. An English mail, via Suez, and Egyptian and Australian mail; are to arrive by the Wimmera, which is expected from Melbourne and Hobart at 5 o'clock this evening.

According to a Press Association message from Dunedin. Mr. Malcolm. M.P., has received, a 'cablegram from the British. Branch' of the Empire Parliamentary Association, stating that free return passages to and from England have been arranged for four delegates from the New Zealand Branch of the Empire Parliamentary Association who were invited by a previous cablegram.

A man is to appear in.tho Magistrate's Court to-day on a charge of damaging the women's bathing shed! at Lyall Bay. The allegation is that he cut holes in, the floor of the 6hed.

Peculiar instances of competition were mentioned by Mr. W. Sill, who appeared for the employees, in.tho course of the hearing of the Butchers' dispute at the Arbitration Court at Auckland. • The examples he mentioned were somewhat in the nature of a reversal of the generally accepted idea of competition—the rival efforts of opposing firms to secure business, for they were cases in which the one firm was competing against itself. According to "Mr. Sill, one large butchery firm in Auckland sometimes sends as many as four, five, and six carts along the same street, carts frequently visiting a street from as many as three different branches of the one firm. He stated that when he was employed by the firm he drew attention to this lack of proper organisation and consequent 1 loss, but his advice was ignored. Later on in the morning a managing director explained that the reason for overlapping was often because some customers insisted on being supplied from the Shortland Street shop, while when a customer moved'to another suburb she often liked to be'served by the same man. In some casesalso the man did not like to give up his customer. His Honour: "I would make him give them up. I could undirstand if it depended on the cook, but I can't see what difference the butcher can make." (Laughter.)

When sentencing a young-man to 12 months' imprisonment without hard labour for reckless driving of a motorcar, which resulted in the death of a girl at Nelson, Mr. Justice Denniston said: "The reckless use of motorcars ia unfortunately extremely common, and it ia necessary that it should be understood that when, its results bring those indulging in it within the purview of the law, it must bo severely dealt with. I cannot accept the proposition of your counsel that the loss of a human life as the result ot recklessnoss such as yours can bo met by .a pecuniary penalty. Giving the fullest consideration to the strong recommendion of mercv of the jury, the 'owest sentence 1 feel warranted in inflicting is that you be imprisoned for 12 months without hard labour. That is all I have to say to you officially, but I wish to say this to you unofficially: There is (| as I have said, no element of vice or criminal tendency in you)' conduct. There is, therefore, nothing to prevent your sharing in any honest enterpriso or associating and workiug with any other man. If you are prepared to offer to expiate your offence against society by serving your country in present conditions, you can bring that fact under ,tho notice of the authorities. Speaking personally, I shall he willing to express my sympathy with you in any eucli application." The Nelson "Colonist" understands that the has offered himself for active service.

The fourth annual convention of the New Zealand Coach and Motor Vehicle Trades Industrial Association of Employers will be opened in Palmerston North on April 22,

"Tricolour Day" was observed in Christchurch on Friday last, when some £700 was collected for lied Cross work in France.

Petrol motor traction is advancing by leaps aud bounds throughout the Dominion, imd tho forward orders for English motor vehicles at present in the hands of tho local Dominion Motor Vehicles, Ltd., are piled up, and now represent a capital value of many thousands of pounds. Tho difficulty of deliveries is a most serious factor, and whilo wo thank our many customers for their patience and willingness to wait, wo recognise that business must go on. We liave, therefore, scoured control of absolutely tho finest Standard American Motor Lorry, and have now 011 show a 2/3-ton vehicle, .with every possible equipment, and designed for heavy roads ana rough work. Wo invite iuspeeion by all our present clients aud intending purchasers. The Duminion Motor Voliicles Ltd., 65 Courtenay Fiace. AdvU

The presence of the opossum in the orchards in tho Albany (Auckland) district is more noticeable in a season like the present 0110, when tho crop is below tho average (says the Herald"). A few years ago this marsupial was rarely met with south of Lucas Creek or Albany River, though fairly numerous in the bush ou the north side of that stream. Now it is to be found, and is very numerous, in all the plantations, orchards, and patches of native bush between Albany and Birkenhead. Its depredations in all the Albany orchards have been pronounced. The opossum is 0110 of tho most difficult creatures to hunt, as it is active only at night time. There are orchards near Albany adjoining clumps of native bush where no fruit is ever harvested, the opossums talcing the whole crop.

It is becoming increasingly evident (says an exchange) that no possible sphere of life is beyond tho influence of the war. Its bearing on the results of a Scottish theological examination is not immediately evident, but it was made very clear by Professor Dickie iu the course of some interesting remarks made to' a gathering of ministers and students that welcomed him at Knox Church, Dunedin. Ho was speaking of the examination which ho contestedlast year for a theological professorship at Aberdeen, and remarked that the result was all due to the war. This he explained by adding that, when lie sab for the examination 10 or 12 years ago, the papers could not have been answered without a good working knowledge of German theology. Last October not ona question in ajwlogeticsNjr dogmatics demanded any knowledge that there was such a city as Berlin. The laughter and applause that followed indicated keen appreciation of the change that the war oppears to bo working in the trend of Scottish theology.

There is a chance that the old-fashion-ed quill pen may come again into favour. The exigencies of war have made its steel successor very difficult to obtain. "The demand for steel pens has been made greater than before' the war," Gaid a large manufacturer to a London "Daily Chronicle" representative, "owing to the absence of German makers from the market. And now the Ministry of Munitions has oommandeered most of the pen factories. Some makes of pen it is impossible to obtain at. ;.ll now; others can be got only in small quantities.. It is probable that increased'.orders will be received for the quill, which is still popular among merchants of the old school and 6onic Government Departments." Even in peace times, it would'appear, British pen factories we;e engaged on a number of such minor war munitions as gun 6pring6 and other small articles in steel. During the war, as was only natural, neither the labour nor tho metal has been' adequately available for the manufacture of pens.

Up till noon on Friday votes to the value of £38,535 had been sold in connection with the Christchurch Queen Carnival election. The leading candidates are Mrs. G. G. Stead (professions and commerce), Miss Birdling (Peninsula and Ellesmere), and Mrs. J. Deau3 (West and Suburbs).

A symphony orchestra for male, players only has been inaugurated in Christchurch, under the conductorship of Mr.. Worsley, A.R.A.M. The' orchestra has come to an arrangement with the Christchurch Musical Society to supply the orchestral accompaniments to the choral works to be performed'by the Musical Society during the present season, and the Musical Society has reciprocated by allowing the orchestra the full use of its valuable library of music.

The Mayor of Wanganui is making an effort to secure binoculars required by officers of the next reinforcement draft leaving for the front.. The Town Clerk of Wellington (Mr. J. E. Palmer) has undertaken to receive any glasses ivhicii may be forthcoming locally. ( Speaking at the Patriotic Societies' Conference at Pa,lmerston North ' on Friday, Mr. L. O. H, Tripp (Wellington) said that the offer of his brother at Christ-church to proceed to Egypt at liis own expense to look after Red Cross affairs, so far as they concerned New Zealand, had been accepted by tiis Excellency the Governor. The Minister of Internal- Affairs states that by tha Kumara the Christchurch branch of the St. John Ambulance Association forwarded a consignment of fourteen cases of Hed Cross eoods for the use oC the French Red Cross Sooiety. Tlio Christchurcli branch of the association has been very active in the preparation and dispatch of articles for use in the hospitals, etc., at the front, and the aggregate value of consignments forwarded now amounts to a very substantial sum. A six-roomed dwelling at Koro Koro, owned by Mr. G. J°°es>jX3ybv Mrs. Macaulay, was totally destroy ed by fire at an early hour on Saturday morning. Practically nothing was sa.ed. The opcupant, whose husband is at the front, states that 'she had used a primus stove for one of the children, and «re Bn Tteownc'r k>ss at S'desSoyeT aMlhe'comnieiXrUnion Office held a risk over the furniture for £100Ladies, let BotHnii deter from dering 1«. package Nc lsW r ***■* -H^pm 'terday the Mission Band collected the sum of £2 7s. lid which was handed over to the Hospital Fund. Just to n 0 d W cSnlPußinv fi e"? to wto/season. Come jspect the