LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2752, 22 April 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Dominion will observe the follow, ing business hours to-day, Sunday, and Monday:—To-day, 8.30 a.m. to noon, and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Monday, 8.30 a.m. to H a.mvi and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

A motor-car collided with the tramway freight car near Bunny Street about 1 o'clock on Thursday afternoon, with the result that the motor-car was very badly damaged. The oocupants of the motor escaped serious injury. An annual;fee of £2 is to be oharged in future for switching a telephone subsoriber through from one exchange to another at nights. This is sometimes desired by subscribers -who aro in exchanges which are not open at night, and who wish to bo switched through during tho night to an exchange that is open. In the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches yesterday the services proper to the day were celebrated, and at all of them it is noteworthy that the attendances were unusually large. Suitable ■ services were also 'held in churches of other denominations.

Already some of the committees appointed at Wednesday night's meetings to conduct tho personal canvass have got to work. On Thursday morning some of them applied to No. 5 Group Office, Buckle Street, for the necessary cards, and commenced canvassing .at once.

In connection with the general leave grfinted ( the troops in Trentliam, from Thursday to midnight on Sunday,'' a paragraph in routine orders warns the men that the accommodation in Wellington is not unlimited, and, if unable to secure lodgings, they 6hould re-' turn to camp each night; they can then proceed on leave the next day. It should be clearly understood that only a. very limited number can travel by steamor, and also that the railway accommodation will be severely taxed during tho Easter holidays. The Commandant expresses a hope that the pood behaviour of the troops from Trentliam Camp, so marked in the past, wilU be strictly maintained during the holidays, . and that the good name and esteem of the reinforcements will at all times be a first consideration with all ranks.

The London "Observer" has brought to light a new form of conscientious objector. As the story runs, a _ Seaforth Highlander resigned from his regiment and joined the Navy because he had conscientious scruples against wearing a kilt. Privilqgo holders in connection with the General Assembly Library are requested to return all books' on or before Friday, April 28. Borrowers not complying with this notice will not be granted library privileges next recess. The Postmaster-General (the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward] has authorised the transmission free by post of Now Zealand newspapers donated by the publishers for the entertainment of soldiers in convalescent, hospitals at" Rotorua and Hanmer. This is an extension of the privilege of transmitting free newspapers for Soldiers' Clubs handed in at a post office. A specimen of tho tackle used by "stroke-haulers" in catching trout was exhibited at a recent meeting of tho Council of tho North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. It was found by a Christ-church angler in the Rangitata River at its mouth, and consisted of a length of/strong picture wire, to which was attached two large double hooks, secured to gut. Tho angler, in a letter accompanying the tackle, snid that from what he had seen of tho slaughtering of trout by this means, it was time that something was done to put a stop J to'the practica.

A ratlier unusual occurrence was witnessed at tho Waikaka Valley coal mine last Monday (says tho "Mataura Ensign"). ' The proprietor was absent at Dunedin, and as ho held- the mine permit the coal miners under the mining regulations were unable to work tho pit,. No fewer than four farmers and a contractor wero waiting with teams for coal, and strong endeavours wero used to induce tho miners to load them, but all to'no purpose. One farmer was most insistent' in his apsohl, but the men re* fused to undertalco the work, and aftei wasting practically the whole day. the drays had to return home empty. The question of tho medical charges in connection ■ with the examination of men enlisting for the front having caused somo comment, the procedure adopted may be of interest. For the medical examination of every recruit, a charge of ss. is made to tho Department. On the return of men from service at the front the Department is charged one guinea—the minimum fee—; if only one man has to-be oxamined. If_ four men are examined the charge still remains at a guinea, but for five men and over tho oharge becomes 15s. a man. If returned men have to be examined more than once by a medical board, the Department is again charge*} fees—for each subsequent examination. It is stated (says the "Otago Daily Times") that- one local medical man, who draws a salary in connection with his duties under tho Defence Depart* ment, has received 1 over. £500, in ad-' dition to his "salary, within the last 12 months for examining soldiers.

The military authorities have, eveil since the inauguration of tho recruiting system, experienced great difficulty owing to men,enlisting under misrepresentation, and the case ventilated at the Auckland Magistrate's Court the other day, in which a young man was fined for filling in his attestation, papers' under an assumed name, should be an example to those who are enlisting (observes tho "Star"). Tho maximum penalty for misrepresentation in re; cruiting is £200. .The sixth annual conference of thei 'New Zealand Poultry Association opens to-day in the Masonic Hall, Boulcott Street. Tho sessions commence at 10 o'clock, when the Mayor will welcome the delegates. A large number of. poultry men from all parts of the Dominion are to bo present, and the conference promises to he largely-attended. All poultry men and those interested are invited to bo present.. This afternoon .the delegates' will visit Trentliam, and this evening will be entertained at a dinner. The programme contains some excellont remits and papers to be discussed by the leading poultry men in the Dominion.

At the meeting of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board on Thursday an offer was received fronj the milk contractor (Mr. Strand) to al< low the board £75 per annum if it Would take delivery of the milk at th< railway station instead of the Hospital. The chairman (Mr. H. Baldwin) explained that there'had been complaints about the manner in which the milk was, delivered—lio'nce Mr. Strand's offcr. On looking into the matter they, had found that it would cost £16 a month for two deliveries a day, so it was, decided to decline Mr. Strand's offer. . •

A trial of the "Thomas Transmission Petrol Car," the body of which was built at the Petone Railway Workships, was hold* yesterday, when it was run from Petone to Ngahauranga, and thence to Lower Kutt. The car is hand-, some in appearance, is about the length of an ordinary passenger car, tut with "torpedo" ends, carrying its own en« gine, and is illuminated by electricity. At the Petone Court on Thursday, btx fore Messrs. J. AV. M'Ewan and A, Coles,_ J.P.'s, Ernest Chas. Hammond,for wilfully destroying two panes of glass, the property of Wm. Sunnix, waa convicted and ordered to nay the amount of the damage, ss. On a fuw tlier charge of using obscene language, Hammond was convicted and ordered to come up-for sentence when called upon. Arrangements are well in hand, in respeot to the Petone "Rosebud" Car< nival, Which is to be held at the local recteation grounds on Easter Monday, Considerable interest is being taken in tho function, each "rosebud" candidate representing one of the "sections of the Reinforcements on active service. A! feature of the carnival will be. the at* tempt of Mr. H. A. Alpe to lower a walking record. Mr. Alpe, who holds several records, will walk from a point in tho city (leaving at 10 a.m.), to the Petone grounds (a distance of eight miles), finishing with a few laps around the oval The French oolonial recruits, numbering 150, from Tahiti, who arrived by the Moana yesterday, spent the day in visiting the most interesting parts of the City. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke)] found'it difficult to arrange a civic reception on such short notice, owing to the day being Good Friday. In the morning, Mr. Liike ( accompanied by; the French Consul, visited the officer in charge, and invited the visitors to make good use of the tramways, as guests of the City. The- Tahitians sailed fop Sydney en 'route to Noumea by the Manuka in the evening.