LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2824, 15 July 1916, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

■ A duplication of the telephone lino between Masterton and Wellington lias been completed, and will be of great service to the mercantile community.

This evening there will be an. eclipse of the moon, which should be easily observable locally if the atmosphere is clear. It will be partly seen at Greenwich. The beginning will be observable generally in Africa, South-West Europe, Atlantic Ocean, North ■. America. and the South Pacific' Ocean. The ending will be witnessed generally in the Atlantic Ocean and in "the South Pacific Ucean. The dimensions of the eclipse is .8 of the moon's diameter. Pollowing, 'are the elements of the eclipse, which 'will ■ be partly .visible'' in New Zealand—Moon enters,-'penurriljra'at 1.48,3 p.rii.; moon enters shadow at' 2.49.3 p.m.; middle of the cclinse, 4.15.9 p.m.; moon leaves shadow. 5.42.5 p.m.: moon leaves penumbra, 6.43.6 .p.m. The first contact of ''the shadow with the moon's limb takes place at 40deg. from the north point towards the ertSt, and the last contact of the shadow at.. 7flfl.es. from the north towards the west. • The '"Mil will rise eclinsprl ! about 4.56 p.m. The observatory of Ivelburn will T>e open to the public at 5 p.m. The eclipse should be easily observable by means of or""a "lasses.

His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards leaves for Palmerston North to-day, and will take ,evidence on Monday at .-the Supreme Court there in one of the most remarkable cases of its kind yet heard in NewZealand. A flax swamp belonging to C. H;. Spiers, was burned by a bush fire, alleged to have been caused by, the defendant, Percy F. Wall, and the action is for ,£14,0(10 damages. There are 62 witnesses in the case. Mr. C. P. Ske'rrett, Iv.C.', with liim' Mr. H. Cooper; and Sir John Tihdlay, K.C., with him Mr. Alex. Dunn, are the counsel engaged in this case. ' '' •

In a charge, of obscene language attlie Magistrate's ' Court yesterday, morning, a.constable, who..was .the chief,witness, said" he heard tlie accused ' use the language complained of.- Mr.' .H. P. O'ieary pointed out that there was it stable close by. and that the language complained of did not emanate from his client, but someone in. the 6tal>le. After evidence, this theory, was. established and accepted by the Magistrate, who dismissed the charge. Then, in the lobby of the Court, the constable referred to, inwtins Mr. O'Leary and his client, said: "You are a nice pair of liars, ; you are!" Mr. O'Leary at once re-entered tile' Court, and brought this incident before His Worship Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, who said such conduct could' not be. allowed to pass. Inspector Hendrey said lie could say nothing to condone or excuse the constable, who was ordered to be dealt with by the inspector. . Detectives Cox and Carney arrested a man. last evening charged with having stolen jewellery valued at .£SS., The alleged theft was committed in one. of the .city liotel3. The following notice of motion for 11m next meting of flie Onslow Borough Council has'been handed in by Mr.,i(J. N. Palmer:—'"That this council, appoint a special committee to investigate the advisability or otherwise of the amalgamation of the borough into Greater Wellington. The Napier Chamber of Commerce lias (says a Press Association telegram) decided to support the Daylight Saving Bill. : At the Masteitoii Court yesterday, U. Paul; hairdresser, was fined .C2O for selling liquor in'the No-License district of Masterton.—Press Association. Eor, Men. wlio .weaj-, zopd. Caps.—Wo have landed a supply'of Tress's'"stitched mascot," from. ss. Ijd.-- Geo. Powlfls.-Ltd., Manners Street.—Advt.

In consequence of an accident caused by a motor-car, driven by Mr. W. Park, of Levin, running into a gig containing Mr. Leo Bryant, and Misses Beech and Baylis, oir the main road a little south of Levin, Miss Beech's shoulder was dislocated and Miss Baylis and Mr. Bi'yr.at were considerably bruised and shaken. It was stated at a meeting of the Makara County Council yesterday that had it not been for the Hutt Road, the general rate for the county would be less than one penny. Tho council has to find oyer ,£IO,OOO for maintenance, interest, and sinking fund.

The Dunedin case in which two vouths named Alderson, members of tho Chrisladelphian' body, applied for exemption from military training and service on the ground that it was contrary to their religion and beliefs, was settled in the Dunedin Police Court this morning (states a Press Association telegram), by Iwth youths signing a declaration that they would serve their King and country as members of the New Zealand Army Ambulance Corps provided their, work was of a non-combatant nature.

Tho Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) states that he has received the splendid sum of X 12.32 lis. 2d. from the Feilding District Patriotic Society for the Navy League Fund. This fine contribution, is due to the activities of the ladies.'of Feilding, whom the Mayor wishes to thank most sincerely for their good work. Other amounts for the same fund .received yesterday included a cheque , for iSIOO from G. H. Scales, Ltd., <850 from the Kaitieke County Council, -and aHO from Turo Poutoma, of Kouniti. . -

Providing war conditions do not make' the cost prohibitive, the-big gap made in Courtenay-'Place by ;tlie demolition of the Congregational Church is to bs filled by an imposing block of buildings, to be erected by tho owner (Mr. J."J, Williamson) for "the firm of. C. M. Banks, Ltd. It is proposed that the whole of the block, which has a frontage to Courtenay Place of 73ft. ,_ by a depth of 131 ft., shall ,be occupied* by one laxge building, the front to consist of shops, and the back half to be covercd by a. large factory for the firm mentioned.Messrs. Crichton and M'Kay's plans provide for a brick building, finished in front in red brick, with cement facingß, two stories in height, whilst the factory, building .will have three stories-. . The iioors, beams, and roof will all he of reinforced concrete throughout, and. the walls of the front portion of the building will bo sufficiently, substantial to take another story' should such an addi-tion-be needed .in the future. With . reference to an. assertion made in Parliament by Mr. M'Cpmbs alleging that an excessive rent was charged for a house in Hawker. Street, Mr. W. T. .Eggers writes.to say that lie is willing to submit the facts of "tho case to a Parliamentary Committee, or to adopt any course, the House may. think fit to' expose the real position. The . actual facts, as stated by Mr. Eggers, are that the House is one of nine rooms;, with every modeni convenience, on land 31ft. by 132 ft.. and valued at .£IOOO. The present tenant has occupied the house for about, two years and a half at a r.ental of JX6 per annum. The annual expenditure in-con'-: nection with tho property is as Mortgage (.£7OO, at 6 per cent). -442: cityrates, i£6 25.; insurance (,£700)," ■ ,£3 'os.' : Sd-.; total, ,£sl.'2s'.'Sd:; net return,,- ,£S 17s.' 4d., oirt of-which--depreciation and sundry repairs have to be provided.

The grading of Otago teachers- in therecently issued graded list of teachers,; has, says a Press Association -_ telegram from Dunedin, been strongly condemned-, by all classes interested. Strong resoluj tions of protest have been unanimously passed at. four meetings of , different, classes of teachers for transmission to the Minister.

Huntly has put up something in'the way of a record for births. The vitalstatistics for the' June quarter, as supplied by the registrar, are as -follow:— Births, SO; deaths, 2; notices-of marriage, 7: -.

A letter was received a . few days' ago by Mr. Surgenor •of ilanaia from his ■ brother, Private Surgenor, who was captured by the Turks'in the early part of tho Gallipoli campaign-. •" .In the eaily 'part of his captivity Private Surgenor,' with Australian, English, and French soldiers, was quartered close to Constantinople, and was given frequent opportunities of visiting the city, under armed escort, of course, . but suffered no harsh restrictions. In his letter just received, Private Surgenor says ho is now further back in the country, and is one of a gang of thirty men: -- Previously he had been- 1 at'navvy work, "hut now he is rock' 'drilling.'Ttfnd receives a wage of Is.'9dra-'day'.-'This;'at a moderate calculation, he says, Ts equal to th'reo times that ..money in New Zealand. For instance, he says -he -'can buy chickens in the villages at id. each and eggs at.dd. a dozen, other i things being correspondingly cheap. The squad of prisoners in ■ which he is employed have a cook at a weekly wage, and as he is a master of his business they live well. They are allowed a-good deal of . liberty, and. are permitted' to visit the neignbouring villages. They are provided with good clothing both for winter and summer wear, and -have nothing to complain of.

A send-off' social was tendered last evening by the Petone Woollen Mills' employees to Mr. George Lowton, who leaves New Zealand with the next Reinforcements. Mr. W. Langriflge presided, and a programme of songs was miich enjoyed, a feature being the performance of a Maori liaka by Mr. E. Foster.. During the evening the chairman presented the guest, on behalf of liis ' fel-low-workers, with a leather waistcoat and an air-pillow, and expressed the wish that- they recipient would return safe.- ■.. V'

His Honour -the .-Chief Justice . (Sir Robert Stout) will hold a ; sitting iii Banco on Wednesday next, at' 10 .a.m., and will then dispose of..tlie following eases on appeal from Magistrates:— Police v. Thomas, Bodley v. Commis.' sioner of Taxes. Brandon v. Brown, Kearney v. Headland.

The Farmers' Mauric'cville Jjime. Company has decided to apply immediately for incorporation. Owing to . tho increasing demand for lime in the district, tho works, are to be considerably extended.

A special meeting of the Wellington District Institute has been convened for Friday," July 21, at the Normal School, Tliorndon. With the consent of the Minister of Education, the assistant director (Mr. J. Caughley). will give an address on some special features of the grading list published in last month's' Gazette. It is hoped'that by this means teachers will get a clearer understanding as to their relative-positions on the list. ■ Mention was made by the president, of the New Zealand Racing Conference (Sir George Clifford) yesterday that tho Trainers and. Jockeys' Provident; Fund stood at over <£7.0,000. .

In,reports which have appeared recently of a deputation which waited on the Han. A. jl. Myers, Minister iu Charge of the National Provident. I'snd Department, in Auckland, on July '12, a misconception has been conveyed of a portion of tlie Minister's reply. In the reports, Mr. Myers is stated to have said that the Government intended to amend the schcme for assisting friendly societies by removing the income limitation in respect of the maternity benefit. This is hot the case. The amendment alluded to is the one which has been inserted to make provision for. persons who a.r? members of friendly societies on December 31, 1!)1G. to be given an opportunity to participate in the annuity scheme, .irre•i»fftive of the amount of their income. V I lie Bill at first stood, members ol friendly societies who were in receipt of income's in , excess of <£250 per annum would be debarred from contributing .-towards an annuity, and it was ultimately decided to make the concession above referred, to. We want every thrifty woman to know by happy experience that "No Rubbing Laundry Help" is a wonderful labcinrsaver. Washes, all. clothes spotlessly clean without rubbing or injury.—Advt. The Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company, of Akron, U.S.A., has become tho largest and most ■ successful tyre company in the world, solely by its . policy of making only the highest class of tyres. , Seventy per cent, of the new Motor-cars now imported into this country, especially the better class cars, are fitted with Goodyear Tyres. Motorists should make sure that they buy the' genuine Goodyear Tyre. Particulars and price lists can be. obtained froni- The Dominion Motor Vehicles, Limited, 65 Courtenay ..Place, .Wellington, Control-' ling Agents for Wellington, Gisborne; Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, and ,Neleon.—Advt.

At Monday-.night's meeting of the Pe- 1 tone Borough Council, Councillor M Jvei}zie v,'i 1J move: "That the Government l>e asked to introduce legislation, making it an offence for any employer when advertising vacant positions to invite applicants to state the amount of wages or salary they may require, such practice lieing tantamount' to encouraging people to work for'less than a reasonable or a living wage."

-A Christohurch medical man who went through the Gallipoli campaign writes as follows concerning medical and surfical attendance in France (says the 'ress):—"The people of New Zealand will be relieved 1 of one. great anxiety, and that is in regard to the treatment of their wounded. One can only admire the care and. organisation expended on. this branch of the service here. The itounded and sick get the best Britain caii give them; One cannot 6ay more. It is a lot for the people overseas io Realise." , ■ A correspondent, ■ "j.jr," writes:— "Can you or any of your readers kindly tell me' why there seems-so little prospect of the 'Naturalised Subjects' Franchise Bill' now before the House becoming law this session?- This Bill is drafted on similar lines to those of the NewSouth Wales Act wheh is now in force. As we know that under the German (Delbruck) Law. the naturalised enemy aliens:sti!l remain subjects of tho Kaiser, it is surely not too much for us to expcct that our ' Government will take immediate steps to prevent these aliens from exercising the franchise in New Zealand. Do _you not., think the matter of sufficient importance- to be made «. Government Bill?, Otherwise I am afraid it. will ,be^-shelved."

One b? 'fte'-mbsV unique and original characters visiting • occasionally the ■Magistrate's' Court .is that personage known as_ James Asliby. who says, being a prohibited person,- ''I can never go into, a hotel, Your Worship, for a brandy to cure a stomach-ache, but whatl am sure to run into the arms of a policeman.'.' ■ That was how he was before i -D- G. A. Cooper, S.M., yesterday, jnd the original -Tames saluted- His worship, as he--clicked his, heels together at attention in soldierly fashion. Ybu are fined five shillings," said His Worship. "May I have a brandy when I have a stomach-ache, Your Worship ?" asked the irrepressible, as he again came to the salute. "Well, if yon do," said Mr. Cooper, "it will cost you another five shillings. "Thank ye, Your worship," came the quick response, and .with another salute James Asliby righ.t:wheeled s and-'marched away, amid the merriment of the Court. During the hearing of a dairying..case at the Supreme Court yesterday it was stated that from 1001b. of butter-fat for which suppliers were paid Is. per lb. as much as llGlbs. of butter ara obtained, and that as much as Is. 3d) per lb. was paid by wholesale firms for a, factory's output. • Yet a factory working: lipon a': margin' of 31 per cent., it was-shown,, had to go into liquidation. It wan shortness of capital, and that, Said.the solicitor, is.just as deadly to a corporate body 'as shortness of breath is to, a .body- corporeal. . Advice has been received in Dunedin of-the death-.on'active, service of Major A, E. Wolstenholme, who left i>ew Zealand in-January last in charge of the •ith. Battalion, of-the New-Zealand Rifle Brigade: He .was killed in .action: M&jor Wolstenholme was well v known in. Dunedin. His military-career began in Tasr • mania, .-.where-.lie- was attached to ' the artillery,, Going to Dunedin,in the early 'nineties, he "joined the .Cycling Corps, and when that was added to the Signalling Corps- ha; was made officer commanding the new-unit.. -Oh the Territorial system being introduced, he was appointed'to command C Company, 4th (Otago) Regiment. Major Wolstenholme leaves a wife, a son, .and a daughter.- On Tues- • day Mrs. Wolstenholme received a cablegram saying that her husband was well. • He was invalided to London from France in May, but returned, to the front about three weeks later..

An ' Australian soldier..• billeted in Franco had only that, casual acquaintance with the French language which the average .boy gains : at', school. It was, therefore', not surprising that he .found difficulty in .conveying to the .'lady of the house" the'fact that tho ham. he had been given -was rancid,.- A fellow-soldier ifountl him' pointing excitedly at the ham, and exclaiming to the very, puzzled..French lady, "Je suis! Jo suis!" ; "What the devil's the matter with .you.?.'.'.-asked, the -eycited soldier's cornrade.l I "Only..talking: French," was the answer. "I'm just telling the good lady that' this -ham is 'high.' Je suis— high ham"—igh 'am—l am." , .

Yesterday, being tho French National Fete Day. Mr. J. Piper, of Petone, arranged, with the stationmaster at Petone for the use of the flagstaff recently erected at the Petone Eailway Station, to celebrate the event, and also the splendid fighting of the French troops at Verdun, by hoisting three flags, namely: the Union Jack, French flag, and New Zealand ensign.

A report issued from the Base Records Office yesterday states that Private Colin. Davis'(No. .19.57), next-of-kin Mrs. C. Davis, '158 Teviot Street, Invercargill, in returning invalided from Samoa. Nursn Si. Watt (Staff'.nurse) is also reoorted to bo returning on duty..

■ The. annual meeting of the Wellington Diocesan Council, New Zealand Catholio Federation, • wlii. be held oii Wednesday next. The meeting -Trill ; be one of the most important since the inception of the federation.' The report and. statement of accounts show. .that.-.the past year has been .one. of .continued progress, and that much has been done during that period ,iii. the interests " of: the. Roman Catholio portion of the community. "Racecourse. detectives 'shall be' appointed - by. the." New. Zealand Racinu Conference,' or by the. commitlco thereof ■nominated rfor-tliat purpose, and with such powers .'and subjept to such regulations as"may-from' time to time be conferred or approved by the conference,' was a resolution, put to yesterday's annual conference of delegates froiu New Zealand Jockey. Clubs by the president (Sir George Clifford) at tho request of the Stipendiary Stewards'. Committee. The remit evoked considerable discussion. Sir Georyo Clifford said that there were 46 clubs employing racecourse detectives, at an average expense of .£8 per day, or all average aggregate expense of .£1339 per year. There were, however, iiG clubs who did not employ the detectives, and this was to be regretted. The estimated expenditure, if all clubs came into line in this direction,-would only amount to botween £6 to £9' per day. "Race meetinns are now reasonably well conducted, said Sir .George Clifford, "and the-dgtec-tives are doing good wort, and they are ably assisted ,by the police. The appointment generally "of racecourse detectives, he:continued,.'would do much to eliminate bad characters- from racecourses.- -Mr. vE. W. Alison,, representing Auckland district clubs, said that all tho clubs in his -district-were, opposed to the scheme: According to tho speaker, coun. try clubs, could not afford the «Jiense, and, further, it was desired that district committees should manage their own courses, as they would know better than anybody else the undesirables in their particular districts. On being put to the meeting the motion was lost.