LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2754, 25 April 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association are commemorating Anzac Day by holding a special meeting at the club rooms at 11 o'clock this morning, when the acting-presi-dent, Mr. F. W. Martin, 'will move a resolution appropriate to the. occasion. As the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey) ; and the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward have botli accepted invitations to be present and deliver short addresses, a great deal of interest is attached to tho proceedings, and a Ml attendance of members is looked for. The commercial travellers have sent a goodly number of their men to the front, and are naturally anxious to do honour to the gallant men who effected .the landing at Anzac.

He was a tall, rather gaunt figuro with' a pale complexion and a droop of the shoulders, that bespoke a physical weariness. As ho pafsed the buzzing entrance of ■ a Willis Street. hotel, a Ifriendly voice hailed him —"Hullo, eld man, how is it you're not up at the races?" Tho answer came quick and clear-cut: "If I was.well enough to go to the races I'd be off to the war!" And he passed on. i

Tho police report that spurious shillings are in circulation in Dunedin. One business man has had three of them passed to him within the last few days. It is said' that the coins are a very clever imitation of tho real shilling.

In conncction. with the Teachers' Glradiug Scheme, discussed at tho Teachers' Annual Congress, on Saturday, it is explained that grading will take effect in June, but a report will be subsequently issued by the Education Department before grading is used as a promotion scheme.

At Napier on Saturday evening a re< turned soldier, named Martin O'Brieiij who, while fighting at Gallipoli; lost his right eye and was badly wounded in his leg by shrapnel, imagined be heard a man say "They are always like that." O'Brien, who was alleged to be' under tho influence of liquor,- punched • tha man, effectively closing, one eye. The punch cost O'Brien £5.

Our Napier correspondent 6tates that to-day the foundation stone, of the newbuilding for the Napier Soldiers' Club will be laid. The building, • which will contain a billiard room, readme and writiug room, luncheon roqrn, card room, bathrooms, and a dopartment for caretaker, o.tc._. will cost, with the site, nearly £4000. It will bo built of brick in bungalow style. The site is a prominent one on the Marine Parade, and cost .-CIOOO. It is .proposed to erect a gymnasium a(}ioinina the club "in tha near future.

The 2/3-ton Truck now on show at tho Dominion Motor Vehicles, Limited, Garage, 65 Courtenav Place, is one of the best American vehicles that has been imported to this country. This lorry combines all tho best features of the highgrade English makes, and has many accomplishments -which are rarely seen on its best competitors. Inspection is invited, and it is really an excellent opportunity for buyers to secure a very high, grade lorr.r at nitrate cost.—Ad-rfc'.

None of the local picture theatres will open to-day before 4.30 p.m., on account of tho Anzac Day memorial service.

On behalf of returned Anzacs in New Zealand, Captain Donald Simson yesterday sent a cablegram to General Birdwood, congratulating him on the honours conferred upon him by the King, and conveying greetings to him on the anniversary of tho Gallipoli landing. Captain Simson also asked General Birdwood to convey tho groctinjjs of returned Anzacs to the Cape Holies forces. In anotlior cablegram, to the Commonwealth Defence Minister Captain Simson sent greetings as between Australians and Now Zcalandcrs on the anniversary of the landing.

In the "Public Service Journal" reference is made to the resignation of Mr. J. AV. Macdonald as president of the Public Service Association. Mr. Macdonald was appointed io tho position in 1913, and.has held it over since without opposition. An endeavour was made to persuade him to reconsider his decision to resign, but this did not meet with success. "Now that Mr. Macdonald has relinquished the office ho has so long and so worthily filled," says tho "Journal," "this opportunity is taken to thank him on behalf of the association for the very valuable services he has rendered, and to wish him a continuation of .the success which his natural ability and untiring effort have enabled him to achieve. . . It is singularly fortunate that Mr. -Allport. should have consented, to accept the vacant office, for there is no member of the association who possesses in greater degroo the confidence of tho executive", nor is there one with a more earnest desire to do all that lies in human power to improve those conditions where improvement is needed."

The following resolution was passed at a meeting of the Ofcago Labour Council on Thursday evening:—"This council is"of-opinion that the principle of preference of employment-to discharged soldiers cannot be put into practical operation by individual employers or public bodies without -causing friction and dissatisfaction amongst all classes, including the discharged soldiers, and therefore considers that steps should be immediately taken to evolve a schemo whereby the responsibility of providing for the future'employment of discharged 6oldiers should be thrown upon the shoulders of the whole of the people of the Dominion." The council ,also appointed a committee to prepare a scheme and submit it to a future meeting of the council for consideration.

On AVednesday afternoon a. traction engine belonging to Messrs. Hulton Bros., of Miller's Flat, which was returning after delivering a load of wheat at Beaumont station, went through the bridge on the main road near Mrs. Ross Stevenson's (says the "Otago Daily Times"). The structure collapsed completely, and the engine came to rest almost in an upright position. Immediately behind the engine was a truck, containing a number of bags of coal, and when tho rear of the engine wont down the truck and coal were shot over tho top of the cab. The driver and fireman escaped with a few bruises'; their esoape from serious injury w'iis miraculous. The driver fortunately had the presence of .mind to shut off tho steam as he felt the bridge give way, and this fact probably averted serious injury to himself and companion. Tho accident resulted in a complete block >of heavy traffic, of which there was a good deal, on tho road. Mr. Edie (county engineer) motored out immediately word of the accident reached Lawrence,, and he was fortunate in securing a large gang of men to commence the construction of a by-road at an early hour on' Thursday morning. It will be a week or more before the bridge is replaced. In the meantime, should t'lip weather remain fine, the slight detour will not seriously inconvenience the traffic.

The Gisborne Ladies' A r olunteer Massage Society is now well established, and about forty ladies meet at the old hospital buildings every afternoon, and are giving assiduous attention to , the work. Under the of the. ex ; ■pert masseur a:i<p. masseuse, the ladies perform practical massage work on tho patients whose limbs have been affected by infantile paralysis. Already . excellent results are being obtained.

Tliero was published on His Majesty's N.Z. Transport No. 43 (s.a. Mokoia) a little magazine containing a record in flippant poetry-ahd prose of the early stages of the voyage, and of the journeyings of the 4th Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade,. The pager was actually printed in Ceylon, in a'newspaper office there. The publication,' a iopy of which has reached us, was edited by Sergt. Roland L. Armit, who, before lie became a soldier, was on the staff of the "Southland Times.".

A ourious Departmental blunder was roported by the chairman, Mr. G. J. Garland, to the meeting of the Board of .Education, says the Auckland "Herflald." The Public Works Department has a school at Young's Point, Paparoa, where the children of men employed on the public works that are being carried out in the locality are taught. Arrangements were made to have tlie school moved to Huarau, where the convenience of the pupils would be better served. The site- chosen / was thought to be an educational reserve, ■but when the question of taking it over came up, it was found that the Public "Works Department had mistaken the letters "N.E."—meaning "north-east"—on the map of the locality for National Endowment. Inquiry elicited the fact that the area • was a Crown grant title that had been held by the Palmer family for thirtynine years.