LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2877, 15 September 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

At 9.30 a.m. on Saturday, llr. Justice Chapman will pass scntenco on a number of prisoners in tho Supremo Court.

Yesterday (says a Press Association telegram from Napier) a fisherman was arrested on a charge of offering for salo bicyclo tubes taken from a. case ox the Tongariro's cargo found floating at sea.

Tbcro are Germans living abroad who hold sharos in New Zealand trading companies of various kinds, and power is possessed by the Government to treat them, for tho time being, as enemy shareholders. That is te say, tho Government can tako over their share interests until tho end of the war, drawing their dividends and holding the funds in trust. What will ultimately happen with tho funds which accumulate in this way it is now impossible to say—much will depend on the terms of settlement. By a Gazette Extraordinary issued last night the shares of several shareholders in tho Drapery and General Importing Company and in Hallenstein Bros., aro vested in tho Public Trustee under the powers mentioned ahovo.

"Let us give this matter our hearty approval," said the Hon. J. T. Paul at yesterday's meeting of the Advisory Board of War Relief Societies when the subject of Christmas gifts for soldiers was mentioned. The members of tho board agreed with Mr. Paul. Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp said that he took a particular interest in tho matter of sending presents to Goldiers. Ho had had letters on the subject from men at the front, and he had • discussed it with returned 6oldiera. Tho men said that the public should continue sending parcels to the troops, particularly parcels of foodstuffs.' The men said that the best things to send were such foods as soup tabloids, concentrated cocoa, and so on. 1

Tho half-yearly circuit sitting of the Supromo Court opens at Master ton on Monday before His Honour the Chiof Justice. Only one criminal case is set down for hearing, but as this involves the Tosswill case, of Pahiatua, in which many witnesses are under subpoena, the sitting is likely to bo protracted.

A violent southerly gale passed over tho Wairarapa on Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning the whole of the rivers in tho district were flooded, and much low-lying country vras submerged. It is feared (says onr Mastcrton correspondent) that much damage has been done to stock.

Tho following is an cxtract from a letter received from a New Zealand soldier now' iir'tho firing line:—"Onco more in the front trenches for an indefinite period.. Of course I would not disguise from you the fact that one would much ooofler be out of the trenches than in them. Nur I think do any of us think differently, in spite ■of the continuous flow of bosh that appears about us in tho papers. TVe aro all here to do our 'bit,' but the sort of stuff one Teads about the Anzacs' must make us the laughing 6tock of all intelligent people."

'According to the Government Statistician's monthly report, the population of Greater Wellington at tho and of Auust- was 75,085,' as coinparged with Auckland, 119,336; Christchurch, 83, 798; and Dunedin, 68,347. During the month 37 persons aged eighty y»aTB and over, died within the four centres, 12 in Auckland, 3 in Wellington, 10 in Christchurch, and 12- in Dunedin.

Owing to a break in an overhead wire, a delay of ten minutes was caused to trams bound for Thorndon, Botanical Gardens, and Wadestown at a few minutes past one. o'clock yesterday afternoon. As tho broken end of the wire was trailing in dangerous proximity to the roadway, a guard donned rubber gloves and held it so that it cleared the traffic, until tho repair wagon, which had been telephoned for, arrived in haste. Repairs were effeoted during the afternoon.

After two years of agitation on the part of tho residents and the School Committee, the Education Board havo at last acceded to the , request for. a branch sohool for infant classes at Seatoun. Tho new school, which was opened last Tuesday, will be greatly appreciated by the paronts of Seatoun, who have found it quito impossible to get their young ones to undertake the dangerous and «te«p climb aloug tlio exposed tracks to the Worser Bay School. The Worser Bay School is situated in a "lighthouse" position on a.range of hills overlooking Cook Strait, and the principal approach for tho children training from' Seatouii is by moans of a track up tho side of a steeji hill. Tho roll of the. main school at Worser Bay is now 275, and when matters settle dMvn at the brancfi school tho total of the pupils attending school in tho borough will bo well over 325. An arrival in Christchurch from thtv West Coast declares that the attitude of Sir. P. C. Web!) on the defenco question has been so pronounced thai; many of his supporters in the Grey electorate aro heartily tired of him, and tliat any person standing against him will receive strong support. A reporter of the Christchurch "Press" on Saturday was informed that representations had been made to Mr- It. Wilson, who Is conncotcd with the mining interests there, to stand for 'the scat at tlie next election. —Christchurch "Press."

A meeting of the Honorary Resoivc of tho D Battery was held at -the Y.M.C.A. last evening, Colonel W. H. S. Moorhouse occupied the chair. Tho provisional rules wero read and discussed, and, with .slight alterations, adopted. In addition to tho officers elected at the last mooting, Mr. T. It. Herd was elected auditor. It was announced that Liout. J. Duggan, of tho D Battery, would deliver a lccture on Mehl Artillery 011 Soptembor 23.

A further attempt will be mado today to ealvago cargo from whatremains of tho wrecked steamer Tongariro.

Tho following oandidates havo, been nominated for election as commissioners of the Foatherston Town District: —Messrs. W. Benton, J. W. Card,.A. Donald, AV. Hodder, E. A. Laory. M. B. Tait, B. Yelverton, Rev. J. G. Bartlotfc, T. Davis, A. C. Holmes, M. H. Kendall. The first seven are members of the presont board. There is 110 doubt that people liko to praise anything which pleases them. Ono of many letters of that kind says; "Wo find that Desert Gold Tea is the best of all teas in New Zealand, and will always uso it." Prove Desert Gold's superiority in your homo.—Advt. Thore is positively no excuse for anyone wearing discoloured linen because the price of "No Rubbing Laundry Help" is within the reach of all.—Advt.

Tho residents of "German, Bay," Banks Peninsula, have inured the assent of the Govornor-in-Council to a chango of the name of their bay, which will bo known as "Takam.atua" oil and after November 1 next. Takamatua is tho old Maori name of tho bay, which received its prosont name in the early days of settlement.

Captam Thring, Staff Officer to tho Wellington Coast Defence Headquarters, has consented to give instruction in "map-drawing and iield sketching" to Territorial officers in Wellington. This is a branch of military knowledge most essential to officers. Those desirous of joining the class will please forward their names and addresses to Captain V. Dunne, Staff Officer, Post and Telegraph Engineers, Wellington.

A deputation, consisting of Messrs. A. Marryatt, C. G. Wilson, G. S. Hill, V,. Auld, and A. E. Wells, representing the spork bodies of Wellington, waited on tho Reserves Committee or the City Council yesterday afternoon, with tho request that they should be allowed to use tho Basin Reserve on Saturday week (September 23), 'and mako'a charge for admission. The sports bodies were working for tho Citizens' Christmas Gift Fund, and the gate, receipts woro for that fund. Mr. Wolls, chairman of the Wellington Football Association, was present to support tho application, his association having offered to play their final championship game on the Reserve that day. . Mr. C. G. Wilson, as chairman of the Wellington Cricket Association, said lie made no objection to the application. The chairman (Mr. Geo. Frost) said that the eommitteo had already, considered the matter, and had agreed to allow tho Basin Reserve to bo used on the date mentioned.

A deputation from tho Board or Govornors of tho New Zealand Philosophical Institute waited in Dnnedin on the Hon. G. AY. Russell to discuss witli him tho question of scientific research. Mr. Russell said he' proposed to caU at an early date a conference of' scientific gentlemen and representatives of industries and com' merco for tho purpose, of discussing the advisability of establishing, a general movement towards thorough scientilio research as related to the natural undeveloped wealth of tho Dominion. Ample notice would bo given of tho conference to nil thoso interested. He felt sure that a round-the-table conference on this subject would be of great benefit to the country. The Government would then ho advised as to the directions in which it should go, and how much more money could bo expended to advantage.

Economy at , the present timo ia much commended, and it would seem that the Viotorian Government is anxious to earn a lot of commendation (writes a Sydney correspondent). But somo of the things, dono to save money m connection, witti tnu public serviced sewn to coino within the "too lino" category, 'l'hero is, lor instance, tho case of the master of a State school in' the country. One of the scholars showed signß of illness, and the schoolmaster took tlia lad's temperature. It was subsequently found to at the boy was suffering from meningitis. i Under the strict measures of precaution iu ; sisted upon- by the health authorities, the schoolmaster was isolated as a "oontact." Tho Education Department deducted from his salary six guineas for the time during which ho was prevented from teaching because of tho isolation. It is easy to understand that this penalising of a teacher ior boing "off duty" as the result ol performing a necessary and humane not in regard to-a child has come in Tor catting criticism. The Melboumo "Argus" recounts the vaudevillo. story of a workman whose pay was dockcl for his short absence in the air, where ho was blown by an explosion, and it adds:—"The Education Department should not compote with private enterprise m vaudeville."