LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2845, 9 August 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Postal authorities isdviso that tho s.s. Manuka, which left AVollington on Thursday, carrying mails for Australia aud tho United Kingdom, via Suez, arrived at Sydney on Monday evening.

Colonel Logan, reporting from' Samoa, states that the health of tho troops is good. Private W. J. Grant is suffering from synovitis knee, Pte. D. C-iray tinoa cruris, and Pte. C. Scott carbuncle.

Ono of the lifeboats of the Northumberland, which was wrecked off the I'etane beach in 3887, has (s.uvs our Napier correspondent) been convi-i ted by tho Napier Harbour Hoard into a launch, and fitted with a ten horsepower ongino. Tho boat is believed to' be nearly half a century old.

No arrest had been made up ty a lato hour lost night concerning strange occurrence which took place in a, local warehouse tlie previous night. Some person or persons unknown foiccd the window of a silk merchant's establishment and entered the building. It is surmised' that two men were ccncerned in tlie affnir. Just Vliai happened when they got inside is difficult to conjecture, hut evidently a disagreement arose and there was a fight. Boxes of silk wero used as ammunition, and it is also presumed that a iiand-to-liand fight onsucd, for there wero bloodstains ou portions of the floor. .WJieii tlie assistants arrived at work yesterday morning a scene of disorder ccnfrontcd tliera, and it waß a considjrablo time before matters were straightened up. Only ono box of cheap silk was found to bo missing.

To-morrow the recruiting offico at the Tojyn Hall will have been opened for ei'ictly ten months. As, unfortunately, recruiting is at present slack, it has been dccided that from Friday only ordinary olfico hours will be observed. The office will therefore be opened from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., from 2 p.m. till 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from U a.m. to 1 p.m.

The management of the Tivoli Follies Pantomime Company has notified Captain Simsoii, of tlio Returned Soldiers' Association, that a number of scats will be reserved for returned soldiers at each of tlio performances of the company for tho remainder of tho season. A box has also been placed at tho disposal of Captain Simson for the remainder of tho season.

, Four youths wero arrested at Tauyanga on Monday on charges of causing several fires which occurred there lately, tho last being a ten-roomed empty , shop and dwelling, which was burned to tho ground on Sunday night. They will appear before the Magistrate to-morrow morning.—Press Association.

A telogram was received by the Superintendent of Police .yesterday from Pongaroa, stating that a married wojjnan, named Graco Margaret Alexander, had been found hanging in her bedroom in her homo at Alcitio. An inquest was to have Dcon hold yesterday. t A't the hearing of an appeal case at tlio Ciiristchurch Supreme Court on Thursday the question was raised as to whether the police', when searching premises (supposed to bo usod for tho purpose of betting) under a warrant, had the right to open letters found in those premises, addressed to porsons ofnor 'than tho accused persons. His Honour ruled that they could open such letters, which wero still actually tho property of tho sender until they were out of his control, which they would be when posted. "When posted, tlioy would automatically become' the property of the person to whom they wero addressed. "If the police, when searching premises, can break open cupboards and boxes, they are surely entitled to break open a letter."

A witness in the betting appeal case heard in the Supreme Court at ChristcKurcb refused to give evidence in regard. to a letter sent to a bookmaker making a bet on a horse race, on the ground that lie might incriminate himself (says the "Lyttelton Times"). His Honour Mr. Justice Denniston said it was always recognised that direct evidence in obtaining information against bookmakers was difficult to obtain, but was, of course, the best, Witnesses ha'd the privilege that had been claimed. The only way to compel people 'to talk in cases of this kind was by tlie introduction of an Act which would deprive witnesses oLsuch privilege. A witness had to state his grounds of objection. In the case before him the witness would not incriminate himself, because tho letter had no reference to the het being at totalisator odds. It was not illegal for a man to make a bet, but it was so to make one at starting-price odds. In this case the maker of the bet was equally liable to prosecution with the bookmaker.

Despite the calls being made on Italy consequent on her war with Austria, she is still able, presumably, to maintain an export trade, and, in fact, to open up new markets. A shipment of Italian plaid vestas has appeared, on the local market, says the "Otago Times." So far as can be gathered, this is the first time a parcel of Italian-manufactured matches has arrived in Dunedin.

A farmer on the Woodville side of tlio Manawaiu Gorge lost 70 head of cattle in the recentJlood.

"I believe," remarked the Rev. W. J. Elliott, at the Methodist intercession service at Auckland, "that our boys will return home from this war with little or 110 respect for our ,denominatiorinl services, and no wonder. It' is monstrous t.o think that- ministers who claim to be accepted of Jesus Christ- are not accopted of one another." '•

On Saturday Mr. M'Hardy, Chairman of the Anzac Art Union, will traverse the principal streets of Wellington, and present half sovereigns to those who, when, asked -by- him, can produce an Anzac Art Union Ticket.* •

All recent news from India has indicated that the native population as a whole is thoroughly loyal to the British Crown, and as anxious for victory as the rest of the King's subjects. This view is fully confirmed by a. visitor from India, Mr. W. A. M. Lattey, an honorary judge of Bombay Presidency,' who has arrived at Auckland. There ivas no doubt about the loyalty of the natives, • said Mr. Lattey, in the course of an interview, although in the early stages of the war thero had been a- certain -amount of unrest. Agitators, of course, existed before the war, and after its outbreak continued to cause trouble. It was also plain that German agents were stirring up discontent all through the country, especially by spreading false news of alleged British defeats. On one day a tale was' spread through tho bazaars that London had been set qn fire, and that Aden had been bombarded. These wore fair samples of tho Germans' efforts to deceive the natives. The Government took fairly prompt action, and a number of Germans wore interned. As time went on more enemy subjects were apprehended, .though, as in other parts of tho Empire, a good dea lof tolerance was exorcised. German missionaries wore not molested for a considerable time, but as it was found that sedition was being taught in their schools they were arrested and repatriated. It was on this'occasion that the Austrian Government sent its famous telegram demanding that the lives of German and Austrian subjects should bo safeguarded from tho attacks of their own submarines in the Mediterranean. By tho steamer which conveyed tho missionaries a large collection of German and Austrian bad characters was also shipped from India. These people had infested the large cities for some years—one quarter of Calcutta, in fact, ivas known as "Germany"— and tho police were heartily glad of an opportunity to get rid of tliem. The natives had shown their loyalty in many ways, and the native princes, in particular, had made big gifts for tho war fund. The Presidency fund for tho relief of distress amounted to £160,000, and a great deal was being done in other ways.

College Rugby is always itnerestiflg;,' ' ' and the .Wellington Rugby Union pro* ,■! mises the Rugby public a treat toward ; the end of this month,* when the aiiV nual inter-collego tournament is to be played on Athletic Park, under the auspices of the Union. The fixtures are:August 24, AVcllington College and WaJiganuL College: August 26, Wangahui; and Christ's College (Christclnirch); < August 28, Wellington and Christ's.: The Union has decided that a portioit. of the not receipts shall go to a patri- ■ otic fund. '|

At a meeting of the Napier Harhonr Board yesterday (says our special correspondent) the chairman, Sir. A. .K Jull, criticiscd the action of Mr. J. V. Brown, M.P., in regard to tho Harljpur Empowering Bill, of which lie took charge, and later refused to support in its entirety. The hoard passed a resolution asking Mr. Brown to explain: his action in writing.

A soldier was arrested by Constablo' Graham last evening on a charge of. having stolen a diamond ring, valued, at *£7 los., the property of Alherfci Cohen, jeweller, Lambton Quay. ;

In tho ]ist of subscribers til tho. Kitchener Memorial Fund' published ini yesterday's Dominion, the Wellington'. Training Collego was credited villi £17i 10s. . This amount should hsve been; given as contributed by Mrs. iicrothy. Hunter, Goldio's Brao. '

Mr. Lionol Curtis, who lectured at' tho Town Hell on Monday evening, de- 1 i Bires to place his views oil the great; issues following the war boforo as large ii body of public opinion as possible,', and with this end in view lie will lec-. ture at the Alexandra. Hall, Abel Smith. Streot, next Sunday evening. Tho' subjoct of his address will ho "East to West." Officials and representatives of trade onions and other labour bodies are specially invited.