LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2828, 20 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that tho mails which lel't Now Zealand on June 13 arrived in London 011 July 18.

The Lord Mayor of London (Sir Charles Wakefield), whilst driving at Cheapsido (bays a Press Association telegram), saw i'our An&acs, and alighted from ■ his coach and conversed with tliem,. and took them back to lunch at tho JJansioil House.

ft was alleged in the House recently by Mr. A. .11. .Hindnmrsh that the sum ot about .£BO liad been spent 011 extra plumbing work in fitting lip quarters lor Lady (x»lley on tho transport Maungamii two years ago. The Minister of Defence stated yesterday that tho cost of llio work was JM2, but that it was neeessary. and iurther, that tho quarters had since been used regularly, by nurses.

"With trouble, as wilh gouig other things, it never rains but it pours. In Wellington there is a woman with fivo children whom .the War Kolief Association IS helping. First of all, her irasbtmu wwit to the war and left her to light the world alone. She liad to seek assistance, and this she received. Tho other day the association's representative culled to see how sho was faring. Sho found that a girl of twelve was laid up *vith a sprained ankle; that a boy of nine liad contractcd measles and pneumonia; and that a boy of seven, had a poisoned hand.

Our brief reponrt of a civil action arising out of a mortgage transaction in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday was, wo "regret to state, incorrect in certain particulars, including tho names of the parties being reversed. J. and S. Taylor were tho plaintiffs, not the defendants, in the action in which, as stated, judg. .ment was given for defendants. '

Another instance of tlic assistance being rendered by tho young in tlie patriotic cause, and to help those suffering through the war, has just corao under notice. The teachers and scholars of the Killiirnie School have already raised the sum of J337 ss. 9d._towni'Us an amount of iGiO tliey sot out to gain for the, Belgian Fund. Of this amount ,£l9 13s. 10(t was obtained from tho sale of bottles collected by the children, and <£17 lis.; lid. from cash collections. We understand that since the above-figures were supplied, further amounts have been received, and the total is now well over <£40.

The model of a .Tapaneso house, .which was usod ill the scheme for decoration ou the ilagship of Admiral Matsumura 'during tlio recent visit of the two warships was (says the Auckland "Herald")' presented by His Excellency before lie left to Mr. H. D. Heather, of Auckland, Act-ing-Consul for .Tapan, to be handed on to a local institution. The gift has been offered to the Auckland Institute for the museum.

The poll closed in connection with the election of a now Education Board. Tlio counting of the votes does not take place until August 2.

'A. few days ago one of the five telegraph cables across Cook Strait, which link up 'tho North and South Islands, broke, and tlie 'I'utanekai is now being got in readiness io *optiii- tlio break, which Mr. E. A. Rhrimptou (District Telegraph Engineer), who arrived in Wellington last night, will locate before tho vessel sails. ( About.six months ago another break occurred, which was traced to the Teredo, an insect that, apparently finds those cables exceedingly palatable, especially in tho tropics. This was tlio first time that the Teredo niado its presence fell; .in these waters, but export opinion considers that the present breakage is due to the attacks of the Teredo, and it is surmised that the insect lias now extended its operations to other than tropical waters, the spjscial casings used there possibly having induced this destructive little atom to enter colder waters, where the cable* are more easily digested. Should this be the ease it will bo. necessary to idojit measures to protect tho cables. 51 r. Shrimpton, who usually locates tho breaks in marino cablos, is always singularly successful in detecting tlio spot where tlie tronble lies, and it is not anticipated that any difficulty will be experienced in the present instance. i

Lnst week the State Labour Bureau in Wellington had 33 applications for work. Sixteen of the applicants wera placed, and seventeen remained out of work. Eleven of the seventeen aro s>enornl labourers. Christchurch had thirty-seven applicants, and placed only four. Auckland's applicants totalled twenty-eieht, "of whom only five found work. .Tn Dunedin there , were seven anplicants, and four of th"in were secured employment. As in Wellington, most of the men nut of work in the other' cities are labourers.

In tho course of some remarks to ro. turned soldiers at the Jfinpr C!eors;o the Fifth TTospital at' Botorua last Wednesday afternoon, the Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Public. Health, told the men (reoorts an exchange) tlmt it had been definitely decided that, in the event "f their illness recurrim; after their discharge, the ftovernment would accent the responsibility for their care. If they found, after noin<r back to civil employment,' tliat tho disabilities suffered through nctivo servico continued tn aire them trouble, they should report to Hie mcdieal officer for their district in ortler flint. thrnnsli him. they mifV he sent to a public hospital or a convalescent home, for treatment.

Tor washing'woollens, creamery workers' overalls, and all dainty fabrics, we always recommend "No Rubbing Laundry Help." ,W. Campbell, Ltd.—Advt.

The Minister of Defence made a statement in 'tho House yesterday in regard to a recent allegation by Mr. Payne that Messrs. Miller Bros., shipwrights at Lyttelton and Port Chalmers, had received ten per cent, on the cost of fitting up certain transports. It was insinuated that on (his account the costs had been allowed to mount up to a considerable extent. Mr. Allen read a letter from a member of the firm in question, stating that the firm had not received payment on tho basis stated, and that, ou the contrary, the payments received by them iii respe.ct to the only two transports fitted up by them had been eitremelv moderate.

The vacancy caused in the Conciliation Commissionership through Mr. P. I tally's appointment to tlie Board of Trade has not yet J>een filled, but in Labour circles it is considered certain that tho position will Ixj givon to Mr Hagger Deputy-Chief at the Head Office of the Labour Department in Wellington.

An assurance that men suffering from only slight physical disabilities may be 'accepted for_ active service has beon received by tlie Auckland Recruiting Committee from General R. S. l'\ Honderson, Director-General of Medical Services, says the "Herald." After some correspondence with tho Minister of Defence regarding the regulation that men requiring surgical treatment should be deferred until six months after operation, the committee wrote to General Henderson, drawing his attention to tho detrimental effect' on recruiting that would result from the strict enforcement of the regulation. The chairman, of tho committee, Mr. .T. H. Gunson, states that a reply had been received from General Henderson explaining that men with slight varicocele or varicose veins are always to be passed without operation, as exnerience has shown that sucli men are al>le to undergo the strain of active service mucli better than men who have been operated cn. Regarding men suffering from severe forms of these disabilities necessitating operations, General Henderson states that many years of experience has satisfied 4he War Office that suclf men_ are not fit for training until at least sis months after the operation. The experience afforded in the New Zealand, training camps has led to a eimilaf coiwuslon.

A controversy Is going on in Duncdin ns to whether the sailing-ship Mataura or the saillng-shij) City of Dunklin was the first' vessel to take New Zealand frozen mutton to England. On this subject, Mr. G. A. Reade, in a letter to the "Otago Daily Times," says:—"l thiutrcan perhaps throw some light on the cause of the controversy. Both 6hips wero pioneers in the conveyance of frozen food, and their .claims do not conflict, as_ tne shipments were in opposite directions. _ Tho Mataura was actually the Erst in tho field with an experimental' aii(l_ successful shipment' of frozen fish anil game birds from England to Lyttelton. Subsequently tho City of Duncdin toflk Home the first shipment of frozen mutton sent from Now Zealand. Apropos of the Matnura's shipments, it has some historical interest, I may mention my recollection of it—Mr. .T, ,T. Costor, then of tho Bank of New Zealand and New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, in Chrktchurch, .and I think also—h"u7 of this lam not quite certain—of the New Zealand Shipping Company, sent to the Canterbury Club a present of a variety of frozen fish and game birds. I recollect that tho tur.bot was excellent, the salmon seemed to liavo losFlts flavour, and tho game birds were in good order, but I do not remember much about them."

A meeting of a special committee of the City Council was hold yesterday to consider the acquisition of a mei-al nuarry for tho purpose of repairing the Hutt Road. The ■result,will be reported to next meeting-of tho council.

Tho annual meeting of the Licensed Victuallers' AssDciatiou of New /Zealand was held yesterday, thero being present a large number of delegates from all parts of the Dominion. The following officers were elected:—President. Mr. ,1. Dwyer (Wellington); vice-presidents, Messrs. C. J. M'Carthy (Wanganui), C. Sutherland (Timarn), W. H. Lavell (Dannevirke), W. Devine (Palmerston North), J. T. Sutton and F. M. Drewett (Christchurch); treasurer, Mr. 1 ? . J. Oakes'; secretary, Mr. H. Ji'Williams; executive committee, Messrs. J. Dwyer,. M'Enroe, Kingston, R. Dwyer, and J. M'Donald.

Tho Otago Education Board, which has been in correspondence with the Education Department in reference to the schemes of physical education, resolved yesterday (states a Press Association mesage): ''That this board, while accepting the dictum of tho Department of Education, places on record its protest against the inefficient jirovision made for the physical instruction of trainers in physical education/'

A man was arrested yesterday morning by Constable Tricklebank on a charge of having committed an unnatural offence at Westport. He will answer the charge at the Magistrate's Court this morning.

.An idea new in this country is to be fcivon a trial in Wellington. The Victoria College Council has decided that up to half a dozen of the lectuj-os to be delivered at the college in the ordinary course of tho University work shall be open to the public. The intention is that the work of tho institution shall not be interfered with, and that by inviting members of the public the usefulness of the lectures may bo extended. It is hoped that one result will be eventually to draw more people to the college as students. 'No chargo will be made for admission to the lectures.

A question was asked in tho House of Representatives yesterday by Mr. T. M. Wilford, in ivhich ho suggested that there was something improper in the action of tho New Zealand Army authorities in charging against a< soldier's pay the cost of certain articles—a pipe, tobacco, cigarettes, hnd matches—received by him when he was ill hospital in Egypt. Lieut-Colonel R. H. Rhodes, who went to Egypt to inquire.on behalf of the Government into tho distribution of gift goods and other matters, was asked by a Dominion reporter to state what the -procedure was in Egypt in regard to the supply of these articles to soldiers in hospital. Colonel Rhodes said that tho distribution of all gift goods, such as tobacco and cigarettes to men in hospitals, was supervised by Chaplain Captain Greene, who did the work with tho greatest care, fairness, and industry. 3Te met every hospital ship on arrival aud visited every hospital to see that every man had his share of gifts. But in addition to gift goods a man in hospital could spend up to 3s. per week on sneh things as tobacco and cigarette. All such expenditure was properly charged against the man's pay, and the practice was well understood by' the men.