LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2842, 5 August 1916, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that ths ! s.s." Moeraki, which sailed fwin Sydney n.t 2 - _p.ni: on August 3 for Wellington, is bringing mails from Australia only, and is due here on Monday. Brigadier-General" Sir A; W. Robin, General Officer Commandingi the Forces,' and General Henderson, Director-General of Medical Services, paid a visit to Trentham Camp yesterday, and inspected the hospitals. General Bobin chatted with' patients in all the wards, and at the conclusion of the visit expressed to LieutColonel Andrews, P.M.0., his satisfaction with the hospital arrangements and the treatment of the patients. "A return showing the amounts paid to doctors in the four chief centres for examining recruit# during tie year ended 'March 31 was presented 'to the Bouse yesterday. The return' shows that ,£IOBS was paid to nine Auckland doctors, i£9G4 to 13 Wellington doctors, =£1012 to eight Ohristcliurch doctors, and .£312 to' three Dunedin doctors. The total'amount paid was .£3<134. The two highest amounts paid in Wellington .was i'tOS to Dr. H. L.'M. Steele, and .£127 paid to Dr. -T. S. Klliott. Prior to November 19, 15 officers acting as principal' medical officers of 'districts • received *an honorarium of .£SO. After ■ that date the' honorarium was raised to'.£lso. Further details of the damage done in Hawke's" Bay bv : the storm disclose more damage than was at first anticipated,' says a Press Association telegram from Hastings.. A large area between Okawa and Onialm is 'un'der water.' Settlers in this district report loss of stock. One man lost 100 sheep and another 20fl. Miles, of fencing was washed away. A regular torrent flowed through a house at "'Okawa, 'and tlie family was rescued on horseback... The whole of Pakowhai Is linder water; in fa'ct, the outlook ftom the railway between Hastings and Napier is one big lake. Road traffic between the.two town's is impossible. Fortunately' the river mouths are unblocked, otherwise there would Tiaye been a most disastrous flood. . A big slip occurred on 'tlie'Waimarama. Koa'd... which will "be closed for., traffic for some days. Napier reported yesterday morning that the storm is abating'; and the riverls falling.. 'No serious damage is reported.. "The rainfall .for forty-eight hours was .4} inches. A further telegram from Napier says the' floods are subsiding. Reports of damage are slow to in. Road construction between Naoier and Hastings is partly .held up by. the breaking of the Watetine bridge and'tho flooded roads at Pakowhai. Meanee is still isolated. There has been very 'heavy' damage to lambs and sheep in so'rne country districts. Oh? ; 'rOnholder reports that, he has lost 2500.;; : ; ; . ' ; ; •• In. the. ..Magistrate's. .Court,; .Christ-, church, yesterday,' says a Press Association telegram, George Thomas Marriott was fined £? and costs on a charge of selling milk containing water, and 20s. and costs on a. charge of conveying milk ■iir an open- vehicle. : Tlie Gazette reports acceptanco by the Government of the following tenders;— Efcction of automatic telephone exchange, South Dunedm: J.. L. .Hamilton, Dunedin, -£1129 Bs. Supply of copper wiro and cable: Bare cable, Samuel Browu (Limited), Wellington, X 2140 6s. lid.; braided cable, Lawrence and Hanson Electrical Company,.-. Wellington, -.E3Sa3 .fis.; insulated cable, Turnbull and Jones (Limited), Wellington, «C 2876. A telegram from Timaru states that a cold- rain lias persisted for some days, ■and' on. Wednesday and Thursday snow fell inland from-Albury westwards. About six inches fell.-at Pairlie. It. is thawing" to-day-.- : -

At a. special meeting of the Merchant Service Guild, held yesterday morning, the outrage committed.by the Germans on Captain Fryatt was very feelingly discussed. The following resolution was carried:—"That this meeting records its horror at the brutal murder of Captain Frvatt. a.l: the hands of his German assassins." It was further decided lo send a. letter of sympathy to Captain ' I'ryatt's widow; and a proposal that--a; subscripUoii be taken up on behalf of the murdered shipmaster's widow and children was generally favoured.

The premises of - Messrs. Bonthorne, Wilson, and Jl'lnt.yre, ironmongers .at 1 'ftone, were broken into 011 Thursday, night, and the sum of 235. in cash, and goods to the" value of- 125., we're 'stolen..The goads.- taken consist principally r pf. pocket-knives.

A protest against the action of some' public - bodies in closing' or destroying; highways was made in the House vesterday by Mr. H. G. Ell. He knew of a- local, body which absolutely quarried away two roads. He asked the Minister of Internal Affairs whether legislntion could he introduced to prevent lopal' bodies from doing this sort of thing. Mr. Russell, said that if the question, had been raised sonle days ago some, legislation might have been introduced. -He was very strongly of opinion, that ..a public. body should -not be allowed to" close or destroy- - any-- road without authority.

Numbers of people who expect to have to pay the excess profits tax are very much at a loss as to the nature and'extent of the information they will jbe required to give to the Taxing Department to enable the tax to be assessed. Sir Joseph Ward ■ stated in the House yesterday that after the session the Com- ■ missioner of .Taxes w<Juld visit., the different important centres, going north first, and would give to those who. desired his advice the fullest possible detailed information. Those who were most anxious to have information were those who had been -concerned -in land operations. •' . •

- The Postmaster-General stated "in the House yesterday that the Department, had received many . inquiries lately, especially from the north, concerning private telephone lines. Recently there had been .sent to Auckland a considerable siipplv of second-hand telephones. These would be lent to those people wish? ing'to erect private lines. A number of people were pressing the Department to supply wires also. The Government could not lend wires under any circumstances, and neither could it sell wires for this' purpose, because it had not more than enough for'its ordinary work. ■ The Manawatu River, being, in high flood, caused a slight loss- ot sheep to two or three settlers in the neighbourhood of Woodville. The district was .not visited by the hurricane. During 'the. last few days the weather experienced has been seasonable.—P.res£ Association.

"He is the third son I have lost, two others having fallen at Gallipoli," writes Mr. Edward Lowry Leeks, of Ohingaiti, referring to th,e. death of. his son Ivan, who was killed, in..action recently. -Mr,' Leeks states that lie has two other sons in the New Zealand Forces/ one on his way to the front, and the other at pi:e : sent' in camp. The writer's brother-in-law, and two- of .the latter's brothers, are' also with the New Zealand Forces.

A correspondent of a southern paper writes: A farmer 'not : a hundred miles from Lauder, Otago, offered his wheat cheque of a hundred acres of wheat to his rabbiter for his rabbit cheque, hut tho offer was refused with-scorn. The above is not fiction, but an absolute fact. Trappers have been making ,£4O a month—lold. a pair on the fence being the haudsome remuneration.

The literary stock in the Canterbury Library is (says a Christchurch paper) the largest in New Zealand. Auckland's stock of books numbers 14,502, Wellington's is estimated at IG,OOO, Dunedin has 14,452 books in stock, and then comes Christchurch, with close on 20.000 hooks, the actual number being 19,859. .

This session L. M. Schrader, of Wellington, petitioned the House to consider whether there is any public interest which would be affected -by himself and others availing themselves of the services of one Henry Markwald in carrying on a business in New Zealand. The report of the M to Z Public Petitions Committee was "that- as, in the opinion of the committee, the matter contained in the petition is a matter of policy, it has no recommendation to make. But it would suggest that the Government make fuiv ther inquiry."

The total quantity 'of "wheat imported into New Zealand-by the-Government since the outbreak of war was 546,086 bushels. ■Of this 142,033 bushels came from Australia and 404,053 bushels from Canada. The landed cost of the Australian wheat was ss. ll§d. per bushel, and of the Canadian wheat 7s. OJtl. per bnsGeT. •

The Wellington Zoological Society have arranged to take up a collection at Newtown Park on Sunday afternoon, the total sum collected to be handed 'to the City Council towards the cost of' the camels now at the Zoo.

The weather has been especially cold and wet during the past week (says a Press Association • telegram from Oamaru). Snow fell on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time for about eight years. It has been the worst week for a number of years.

A. defective.chimney in a property in Manners Street was the cause of the City' Fire Brigade being called out at' about 9.10 o'clock" last evening: No damage was reported. • ■ ■

The Y.M.C.A. authorities acknowledge tho receipt of a chcque for .£IOO from Mr. G. Holdsworth, of Hastings, towards the fund that is being raised to provide a hostel for New' Zealand soldiers in London.

A youth named Joe. Slarn, a Syrian, was admitted to the Hospital late yesterday afternoon, suffering from ; two badly lacerated fingers on the right TTand. He is employed as a. cabinetmaker's apprentice, and got his hand caught' in a circular saw.

The Wanganui Harbour Board's old dreflge, -valued at about <£5000, moored at Castlecliff wharf, sprang a leak at 4 o'clock yesterday morning diiring the heavy south-east. gale, and sank -in 30ft. of water an hour later.-. - No great difficulty in refloating- her- is anticipated.—Press Association. .

The secretary of St. .John' Ambula.ncc, Association reports that-in response to his appeal the St.-John-Ambulance ami Red Cross workers of South -Taranahi have donated ■ the-siim of'XGOO for a motor ambulance and six months' upkeep, to be called the "South Taranakf Ambulance," for work/in France.

Messrs. Baldwin and Ray-ward,'. patent attorneys and consulting'engineers, 215 Lam bton. Quay,' report that recently they acted as agents' in filing the' following applications for' letters -patent" in New Zealand:—D. A. Hawken; grip for erecting wire fences; C. E. E. Smith. Auckland,, supporting apparatus: . T...Gi11. York,gear box for rOad~vehicles: L. N. Dyhrberg, Ashbnrton, musical instrument) N. Nielsen. Auckland, counter show-case; G. ,1. Da-hlin. Auckland, adjustable clothesprop; C. l f .' Davy, New Plymouth, sighting anti-aircraft, -guns';' ',T. Petersen, Seattle, power generating, device."