LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2863, 30 August 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the mails which' left New Zealand on July 21 arrived iri London oh August 28. Tho s.B. Manuka, which left Wellington on August ,24, carrying mails for Australia and United Kingdom, arrived at Sydney on Monday. In addressing tho Grand Jury at the opening yesterday of tho Napier Supreme Court, the Chief Justice urged people to give more assistance in connection with tho reformation of prisoners, and dwelt on the good Vkat nad been done sinco the Act had heon introduced . allowing connoted persons to "be allowed probation. Fully 80 per cent, of .these, he said, had been redeemed. Seven trucks and two carriages of tho train running between Methvcn and llakaia left the rails yesterday mornmgnear Lauriston (states a' Prees Association message from Ashburton). The carriages contained several passengers, including women and children. No one was injured. It is not known how tho accident happened.

A charge of .hag-snatching is to bo preferred against a man arrested on Monday by Detective Andrews. In the attempt to fit himself for climbing Mount Cook "during the coming summer, Mr. S. Turner, the wellknown dairy produce buyer in Taranaki, undertook a mountain journey on Sunday, and had a most unpleasant experience. . It appears that he decided to climb Mount Egmont on the southern side, "and after going to New Plymouth Houso, to return along the track. He covered about 4000 feot in the ice. it being necessary to cut his stops, hut ho reached New Plymouth Houso in fairly good time. On his return ho missed tho track and got lost. As he had not arrived back at Dawson Falls Houso by soven o'clock at night, Mr. Murphy, caretaker, set out to look for /him, but his quost being unsuccessful ho rang up the secretary of tho Kaponga Mountain Club, and several members wont up to assist. A. search of the mountain side was ruado during tho greater part of the night without success. In the morning tho 6carch was resumed, but fortunately Mr. Tumor turned up safely, little the worso for i Tiis night's exposure.

There were ao criminal cases for tho Supreme Court at Timam, and tho Shoriff presented Judge Donniston with a pair of gloves.—Press Association. Mr. P. A. M'Hardy will traverse the principal streets of the city on 1 Saturday, September 2, and present halfSOvGfeigns to those who on request by him can produce an Anaac Art Union Tiolcet stamped on tho back, "P. A. M'Hnrdy." These tickets are now obtainable a{ all tobacconists and booksellers.* Over 660 women secured prizes in the reoent Desert Gold Tea Competition. A new competition is now under way, with £50 in prizes, and also gift prizes. Drink Desert Gold Tea and save the "Camels.-" -Advt.

' A diphtheria patient from the Fcathcrston Camp was admitted to the isolation ward of the Mastevton Hospital on Monday, eays our Masterton correspondent. Very little cheese is in store in Wellington at the present time. Last season's output has been practically all lifted, and the Harbour Board's stores now contain fewer than 500 crates awaiting shipment. This amount includes a 6niall quantity of the new season's cheese, which has begun to reach tho port. Since October of last year 12,232 tons of cheese have passed through tho Harbour Board's store. "Realising the seriousness of what I am saying, and with full responsibility, I believe that in terf years frca now the gold output of Auckland Province will be negligible as things are shaping now," remarked Mr. C. Rhodes, a director of the Waihi Gold Mining Company, in the course of the' hearing of a caso in the Arbitration Court yesterday, says a Press Association telegram from Auckland. Mr. Rhodes added: "That is my deliberate opinion."

In the course of an unusually lengthy address at the opening of the Napier Supreme Court session yesterday the Chief Justice eempbasised the fact that lunatic asylums were now called mental hospitakj and ho suggested that an improvement might bo effected in this direction by calling gaols places of internment. A court-martial will bo held at tho Narrow Neck camp to-day when a sapper of the New Zealand Engineer Tunnelling Company, will face a charge of desertion. He is alleged to have deserted at Avondale on/December 17, and to have been arrested at Makaraka on May 25, when following civil employment. The Court will consist of Lieutenant-Colonel C. H. Turner, president, Major H. Jolly, and Captain W. T. Kewish. Captain J.' F. Pullen has been appointed prosecutor. A lad named Neil Basmussen, aged 16$ years, whoso parents live in Cuba Street, Wellington, has succumbed at Cambridge to injuries sustained through tho wheel of a loaded wagon passing over his body on Saturday. He was driving the vehicle-and fell on to the roadway through the slipping of a- sack of barley on which he had been seated. Mr. Hagger, Conciliation Commissioner, left Wellington on Monday for Palmerston North' to hear tho slaughtermen's dispute.' To-morrow he will continuo the hearing of the same dispute in Napier.

• The foundation-stones of two big now 'Roman Catholic Echookuwore laid in Auckland on Monday. \ \ Another mysterous outbreak of fire took placo at Forton at 10.40 on Mollday night, when * the largo storeroom of Walker and Fume's grocery store and its contents were totally destroyed. The building.destroyod is situated directly at the Back of & large block in Main Street, and bnt for the strenuous efforts of a band of workers tho whole block would have gone. Fortunately there was no wind. The. outbreaks are. baffling the police, and are believed to bo tho work of incendiaries. The town has no water supply and no fire brigade. It will be interesting to the many friends of the staff and supporters of the Aotea Convalescent Home, Egypt, to learn that a cablegram has been received from the matron stating that all are well, and that the home has 120 patients. At present "Aotea" is the .only New Zealand Convalescent Home in Egypt, and is now being used for hospital cases as well as convalescents. The Hawko's Bay War Relief Association has announced that ex-soldiers who desire to go on the land liaye no greater claim on the funds than any Other returned man or widow or orphan of a man who has given, his life, for rhis country, but that every case "will be dealt with on its merits. The association has further decided that 'the primary object.of their funds is for the assistance of widows and orphans, and in providing that a man should not •be in a worse pecuniary position than he was before enlisting

A united service of intercession will be conducted by the "Wellington Ministers'. Association at St. John's Church' r Willis Street, at 8 o'clook this evening when brief addressee will be delivered by the Revs. Hunt, Drake, and Bruce 'Said. A resolution decrying the inhumanity fit the Germans in transporting French women .for. slafea will be. submitted! congrogation. A Wellington doctor who is now doing duty in one of New Zealand's military hospitals in England says, in the'eourso ot a letter to a'friend, that the use of steel helmets among our troops in France is greatly minimising head injuries. This is good news, as tho majority of the injuries which resulted from the work of snipers-wore head injuries, duo to men not -bending low. enough under the trench, parapets, or to an inordinate desire to see. how things were without using a-periscope.

A woman was arrested yesterday by Detective Lewis on a charge- of bigamy, and Detective Carney secured a man wanted for alleged theft. The following resolution has been passed by the Claims Board of the Wairarapa Patriotic Association :-r-"That.in granting loans to returned soldiers the board shall, as a general rule, avoid assisting towards acquiring, lands or chattels that are situated outside the Wairarapa district, except in tho case of Government land for soldiers." - The secretary of tho RecruitingBoard draws attention to a sentence in a paragraph on the subject of recruiting and conscription published in •Tin; Dominion yesterday.. The sentence convoyed the impression that until the full machinery of conscription was ready, probably in October, it would not be possible for the Minister to exercise the power conferred upon him by Section 35 with respect to the calling up of members of a family if ho is satisfied that ft consists of or includes two or more brothers belonging to the First Division of the Reserve. The fact is that this power can bo exercised at any time after the enrolment of the First Division of the Reserve has been proclaimed. Tho enrolment of tho First Division is to be proclaimed on Friday, September 1, and as soon theToaf tor. as, tho Military' Service Boards can be appointed it is intended to refer all cases that come within the provisions of Section 35 to these boards. The Recruiting Board already lias several hundred names of men who will be affected by Section 35.

During the recent amateur operatic season, in which "San Toy" was played, Wellington, was. visited by representative amateurs and officials of societies from Christchurch, Masterton, Palmorston North, and Gisborno, all of Ivhoin wore loud in their praises of the good work dono'by tlio Wellington Amateur Operatic Society. As the result of the visit of thoso interested in the amateur production of opera, it was hinted that an-association of amateur societies might be brought about that would minimiso the cost of production to everyone concerned without reducing tho standard. Mr. Tom Pollard approves the idea, and is prepared to make terms with such' an association to act as producer.; Now, that the scheme has been mooted, it is not at all improbable that a conference will be held in Wellington in tho near future to discuss the general lines on which, such an association conld he founded for tho benefit of all-concerned.