LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2882, 21 September 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A telegram received by the Y.M.C.A. authorities yesterday from Mr. .Werkan, of Hamilton, announced that over £600 had been subscribed for ;i hutment in Franco. Advice was also received from Mr. Stack, of Hawera, stating that the Hawera School' was sending two cases of books for use on hoard'a. troopship. Three cases of books for a- similar purpose were received last week from Waaganui. Owing, to the increasing loss in carrying on the motor ambulance service, the St. John Ambulance Association (Wellington Centre) has ' discontinued this work, and- notified the Hospital Board accordingly some weeks ago. The committee lias now offered its ambulance vans to the Hospital and Charitable. Aid Board to supplement their present service. There is a shortage of men for underground work in coal mines. Not only is there a scarcity of competent experienced face-workers, but of brakesmen and truckers also. Those men are not (skilled workers, but they are needed if the facemen are to go on winning coal. The Labour Department offers employment now to men who aro willing to accept work as brakesmen to replace men who have gone, or who wish to go, on activo scrrico. Tho students and graduates of Victoria College have in prospect a scheme to celebrate- the eud of tho war by holding a reunion of students and graduates when the ex-students come back from active service. 'Hie programme for the reunion will extend over about throe days, and will bo similar to that for university tournaments. Probably there will be spor.ts gatherings, a ball, a dinner, a pioriic, and a civic reception. The idea is that this meeting shall be held in 1918, for it is assumed that the war will be over thon. A letter on the subject was received from the committee which has thescbemo in hand by'the Victoria Council last night. Tho committee suggested that the reunion if held in this ysar would celebrate also the twentyliret anniversary of the college. Tho approval 'and support of the council was asked for, and' this the council agreed to givo. The Auckland Waterside Workers resolved yesterday, says a Press Association telegram from Auckland, to ask for a public inquiry into the recent acid explosion on the, steamer Monowai, by which a number of men wcro injured. Some information respecting tho new armoured cars, which played a groat part in'the latest' British success, was given in Auckland by Lieutenant-Col-onel M'lnnes, of the Salvation Army, late of Manchester, who has just arrived in Now Zealand. He said that for some time Britain had been manufacturing armoured cars' by the thousand. The typo he had seen, and thcro wcro many varieties, were forts on wheels, carrying guns capable of being fired in every direction. The cars were so strongly' armoured that they could stand almost anything, and cut through almost any obstacle. Alluding to Zeppelins, ho said the German raids did not now extend far beyond the coast. The British air defence had improved beyond expectation, and the raids were in no way feared. Honourable'citizens! You are hereby notified that all reputable grocers stock "No Rubbing Laundry Help." for washins clothes clean without rubbing or injury—Advt. Boots for tho limd wear of youth. Chrome, with too and heel plates. 12s. od., 13s. 6d. Glace Derby, lis. 9d. to 15s. 6d. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Street. -Advt. i

In the course of Lis address to the grand jury at Gisbome, Sir Robert Stout congratulated tlio district on the absence'of sorious crime, but wont on to remark that somo things were going on in. the district which wore not satisfactory. The Maoris seemed to be obtaining liquor, and obtaining it very openly. That meant tho destruction of tlio Maori people. It was five or six years sinc*o he had been in Gisbome last, and ho noticed that there were fewer Maoris about Gisbome now than in tlio early days, because ho could go back, so far as Gisborno was.concernod, for 37 yoars. Proceeding, His Honour went on to say that Taces that gave way to alcohol were utterly destroyed. For instance, there were no Tasmanian natives except half-a-dozen on ouo of the islands in Bass Strait. They had been largely destroyed through their own fault, and by want of caro on tho part of the Government and of the British people. If tho sa!o of liquor continued, the Maoris would also be destroyed. Although tho grand jury could do nothing in that capacity, ho hoped -that as individuals they would do their best to see the Maori race preserved. It would be a great pity, His Honour urged, if such a fine race as the Maoris were to pass away. The only way to preserve the race was by preventing tho sale of alcohol to them. An advertisement appeared in our columns yesterday morning calling a compulsory parade of all cadets in Wellington for Friday night, for the purpose of doing shooting at Trentham. Tho advertisement was taken over the telephone, and was alleged to he from an official' source- The Dofence Department informs us that no such parade has' been called, and no one had authority to insert such ail advertisement as the one published. Cadets are informed 'that a parade will not he held to-morrow. Mr. John J. Virgo, field secretary of the, British National Council of the Y.M.C.A., is to visit New Zealand this month in the interest of the unification of the various associations of the Empire. Mr. Virgo's tour covers all of the Empire, and he has letters with him from the King, Mr. Asquith, General Birdwood, and others. He is oxpeoted to arrive from Sydney at Auckland on September 24. and' will visit the various' centres in the Dominion, sailing from Wellington on October 12, in time to attend the Australasian Y.M.C.A. Conferenqe called for Ootober 18-25 at Sydney. Mr. Virgo is expected to arrive in Wellington on Saturday, September 30. A Town Hall meeting will be held on Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock for men and women. On Monday a civic reception will bo given by the Mayor. A business men's lunch, and a women's meeting in the afternoon.. \ The following is an extract from a letter written "somewhere in France," to a. relative iu Christchurch:—"Your news regarding the Conscription Bill <ras good, but I do not think that married men with families should be sent to the firing line. They should be given jobs such as those in the Medioal Corps, A.5.0., and ordnance v/ork, where they stand a bettor chance 2nd would occupy the positions st viesent hold by married men without any ties. I was through an Auckland weekly paper, in which I saw lurid and ridiculous descriptions of the ocii'gs of the Anzacs in France. I could not help laughing. There was a great tsle of the fights in the open. I wish such stories were true; it would l"e much' more' to our liking to meet Fritz in the open than to crouch down in trenches and be shattered by lis artillery. Of course, our artillery causes Fritz to copy our tactics. As tho Toramv said when asked what the Germans did during a bombardment, 'They ate duckin' and divin', same as us.' The Germans have made a few raids on us in retaliation for our activity in this respect, but I think we are well ahead on points so far. Jimmy Parr, Jimmy Carroll, and a few other M.P.'s had a brief glanco at our trenches, or at part of them, and you will doubtless have read about it before this reaches you." The position of the worker after the war' was discussed in Auckland by Lieutenant-Colonel P. M'lnnes, of tlio Salvation Ami)', who arrived in New Zealand by the Niagara. ■ He said he (lid not believe that a great Labour upheaval would result, after the war, as some prophesied. Tho Allied Governments, ho believed, would act together to prevent a flooding of tha labour market' with returned soldiers. The authorities wero alive to the debt which was owed to men .who had risked everything for their country's good. Much work would be required to bo dono and much to be undone." Thus, plenty of employment would be provided. Emigration to the colonies would become more popular, the . great obstacle hitherto being the breaking of familv ties. Tho war and the flinging of men far afield had given experience of other countries, and emigration would not now seem po bold an undertaking. Trite sayings as to the frequency of coincidence are recalled by a letter 'which has just been received by an Auckland resident from his brother, who is a captain in the RoyaJ Navy. It so happened that tho officer in question was one of a party who wore told oil' recently to conduct « number of the colonial Parliamentary delegates on their visit to tho fleet. Entering into conversation with the guests, ho 'soon made the discovery that one of their number hailed from New Zealand; indeed, that he represented an Auckland seat'in Parliament, and, further, that the politician, who turned out to be Mr. C. J. Parr, M.P.. was personally acquainted with the officer's brother in Auckland, and that both had near relatives in a contingent of New Zealand reinforcements which was at tho moment crossing the ocean. Mr. Frank Connor, one of the northwest cattle kings, and many yoars a mombor. of the Queensland Legislative Council, mot his death recently under, tragic circumstances near Bunbury. Mr.' Connor had arranged a kangaroo hunt, and was acompanied on tho expedition, by Mrs. Connor and tha Rev. Father Roggero. About i o'clock in tho afternoon Mr. Connor wont into an auto-room, tho dimensions of which arc sft. by 3ft., to obtain the guns. A few minutes later ho called Mrs. Connor, for what purpose cannot bo conjectured. When Mrs. Connor reached the room she found tho door shut. In order to open the door, which was dofectivo, she had to throw her weight against it, with the resnlt that it fleiv npp.n suddenly, and struck Mr. Connor on the elbow while ho was standing behind it, and apparently engaged in loiulini; tho gun. The weapon .immediately wont off, and the whole charge entered Mr. Connor's head. Death was instantaneous. Tho energetic body of citizens which is arranging the sale of flags, flowers, and badges for Saturday's parade of the Seventeenth Reinforcements will be glad to rcceivo from patriotic growers donations of flowers, with which to assisT> the cause of the soldiers' Christmas Gift Fund. The more flowers that are sent in tho moro will be sold, and tho more, by this means, will bo added to the fund. The Chevrolot bids fair to become the favourite this season with the motorlovimr public. Already one can 6ee Chevrolet cars in all parts of New Zealand. Tho city man, the farmer, the traveller, and the lady driver aro all fascinated with this beautifully designed French-American car. ' Little wonder, when one thinks that it can be purr chased with all its equipment in any colour or finish at prices from .£235. For fui'tlier particulars, write or ring up THE DOMINION MOTOR VEHICLES, LIMITED, 65 Courtenay Place, Wellington.—Advt.

Auckland merchants doing business with firms iu China bavo lately found that' the market has been much upset by the state of internal unrest existing there at present. The following extract from a letter from a leading Hong-Kong firm gives a summary of tho position:—"Business has • never been worso in all our experience. Wo have seen a few revolutions, famines, and Tiad's during tho last thirty-five years, but never has the position been sobad as at present. The whole situation is the result of the revolutionary troubles in Canton. Troops of various contending parties aro now converging on Canton, and our news from our Canton office is that considerable fighting is going on in the outskirts of tho city, that all tho city wards and Kates are closed, also ail tho shop 3. Pirates infest tho rivers, bandits and sioliders hold up everybody and overytlfing in tho country. No produce 'is ooramg out or imports going in. Wo hope, nevertheless, that it will not now bo long before some settlement is arrived at as various foreign and British : Consuls are agitating to have this useless internal strife brought to a stop, as European merchants are suffering - considerable loss and damage in trade. Reports received from all centres by the Labour Department indicate that there is little or no unemployment anywhere in the country. Even in the cities the men who apply to the Government Labour Bureaux are readily placed. In Wellington last week work was found for 24 men of the 28 who applied. A famous war correspondent has said that the soldier's mainstay is tea—the 'beverage that always delights and refreshes. The most delicious and refreshing of all teas is Desert Gold, and it is very economical in use. The Household Blend at Is. Bd. and Fam'Jy Blend at Is. 9d. are very popular. Extra Special Grades at Is. lOd. and 2s. are superb quality.—Advt. The attention of residents' in -foe city, suburbs, and country is drawn to the special appeal of the Christmas' Gift Fund Committee for supplies of flowers. Anyone who can spare even a small lot will be lending good assistance to ' the cause. The Town Hall is the receiving centre, and any .consignment's put on the rail will he carried free of charge and picked up by the committee's carriers. Friday next is the day to send along anything possible from your gardens to the Mayoress at tho Town Hall.