LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2906, 19 October 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities adviso that tho mails which left New Zealand on August 31 arrived in London on the nichfc of October 16. b ... . Li connection with Labour Day, which is to be observed on Monday next, the Postal Department announces that there will be only one complete lettercarriers' delivery on that date, and that it will commence at 7.30 a.m. The posting-boxes at the Chief Post Office will be cleared for this delivery at 7.15 a.m. At the military parade in Dunedin on Saturday the Hon. James Allen, Acting Primo Minister, will present Distinguished Conduct Medals to Sapper A. L. Oaselherg, of the Signal Troop, of the New Zealand Mounted Ribe Brigade; to Mr. Alexander Camphell, father of Sergt. J. Campbell, of the Ota go Mounted Rifles, who won the medal at Gallipoli, but was killed in Franco. —Press Association. A serious outbreak of poliomyelitis, or "infectious paralysis," which appears to resemble cerebro-spinal meningitis, is afflicting New York at the present time, and the health authorities in the United Kingdom have been discussing the desirability of enforcing quarantine measures against travellers from that city. The suggestion has lieen made that there may be danger to New Zealand from the same source, but that does not seem to.be the case. The incubation poriod in tho case of poliomyelitis is ten days, and though a vojage from Now York to Liverpool can be completed within that period, a journey from any part of tho United States to New Zealand occupios a much longer period. Tho disease would develop, therefore, before the traveller reached this country. The Baptist.Union, according to a Press Association telegram from Dunedin, has dooided to hold the 1917 conference at .Wellington,

The results of the Victoria. College annual terms examinations will bo found on pago 9.

Tho Riniu No. 1 dredge was successfully launched yesterday morning, says a Press Association telegram from Hokitika. Arrangements aro being made in the expectation of commencing dredging operations oarly in tho NewYear. Other dredges in the sanio locality will shortly ronimenco building. Extensive prospecting is already being carried out with excellent results.

Reports from tho military camps yesterday showed that no new cases of serious illness had been added to the lists. The Director of Medical Services stated that the situation was satisfactory, the health of the troops generally being very good.

At a special meeting of the Masterton Borough Council on Tuesday evening it was decided that the offer of the Public Trustee of a loan of '£32,000 for a period of 36! years, at 5} per cent., with 1 per cent, premium on lifted money, be accepted for the carrying out of, the drainage proposals. The engineer was given authority to carry out by day labour all the drainago work that can be connected with the present system. The work is to he put in hand at the earliest possible moment.

The Conciliation Council will again endeavour this morning to bring about a settlement in the biograph operators' dispute.

A reference to the Bible-in-schools movement was made iby Bishop A.verill in his presidential charge at the opening of the Diocesan Synod in Auckland. He said that although the General Synod had passed a resolution confirming its adherence to the principles of the Bible-in-Schools League, he favoured the making of two alterations in the seheme before reviving the crusade, by providing a conscience clauso "for teachers, and by dropping the connection with New South Wales, and making it into a New Zealand scheme. With the general, principles of the New South Wales scheme he was in entire agreement, especially with its twofold basis of Bible-reading lessons] and the right of entry; but he was inclined to think that there was sound argument for granting the conscience clause to teachers as well as scholars. • He did not think that this would seriously interfere with the successful working of the general scheme. "Personally," the bishop added 1 , "I have' no wish to agitate for denominational primary schools until at any rate wo have mado a real endeavour, to improve our present national system of education on lines which are lair and jus.t to all, and will at tho same time enable the variouß religious bodies to feel that they are not compelled to support a system which they believe to bo deficient in tho first and main elements of true education."

An application, in the form of an originating summons came before the Chiof Justice (Sir Robert Stout) in Chambers yesterday. The ease was one in which Sivirine Petterson made application under tho Family Protection Act, 1908, for an allowance out of the estato of her deceased hueband, Joban Petterson,. of Shannon, and for extension of time under the provisions of Section 33 of that Act. Has Honour granted the oxtonsion, and made an order that Mts. Potterson bo paid £2 per week as from April 1 last for life, and that the sum of £33 surplus payment be repaid to the Public Trustee out of tho estate. Mrs. Pettersbn was allowed £5 ss. costs and disbursements out of the estate. Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh appeared for Mrs. Petterson, and Mr. ,W. Hay for the Publio Trustee, as executor of tho estate. Tho Victoria College Council held a meeting last evening aud dealt with somo roOtine matters. Mention was made of tho receipt of an additional sura of £750 from tho trustees of Mrs. Rhodes's estale.

Tho latest addition to the publications issued by tho Now Zealand Defence Department is a pamphlet on tho subject of "Fly Control in Military Camps." The author of the pamphlet is Professor H. B. Kirlc, of Victoria College, and Tiis purpose lias been to state simply the best means of dealing with the fly menace in the camps under all conditions. . The important part played by the fly in the distribution of diseaso in military 'camps as well as in cities is now' well recognised, and Professor Kirk has treated the subject in great detail. Many of the suggestions he makes for the destruction of flies and their young in various stages are the result of experiments conducted at tho camps under tho direction of the Defence Department.

■ The Westland Land Board , yesterday confirmed' a grant of a lease and reservations over 30,00tf acres of bush land to tho New Zealand Wood-pulp Paper Manufacturing Company, Limited. The company has a writer right over 300 Government heads, to generate the necessary powor. Also further bush reserves, totalling 30,000 acres, have been set aside by the Government for the purposes of the industry. The oompany is increasing its capital to £200,000 sterling, and purposes commencing operations in tho near future in. the vioinity of Otira.—Press Association. f The Labour Bureau reports a. heavy demand for labourers. They can place from fifty to sixty labourers on contract works.

s Forty men applied for work at tho Labour Bureau in Wellington last week. Two were assisted to Government employment, twenty-seven to private employment, and (by means of reduced fares) nine to work in other places. Thus thirty-eight of forty were provided with work.

The suggestion wa3 recently made to the Minister in Charge of Police (Hon. A. L. Herdman) by Mr. It. A. Wright, M.P., that a second long-service medal should be granted to members of the Polioe Force' after twenty-eight years' service. The Minister has informed Mr. Wright that he has looked into the matter, and finds that it .is contrary to the practice existing in all disciplined forces to grant a second medal for long service and good conduct, but that it is proposed to make provision in the revised Police Regulations for the issue of a clasp or bar to be added to the ribbon of the long-servcice medal in recognition of extended long service and efficiency.

Respecting- the improvements which have 'been made to the Basin Reserve, it is somewhat interesting that the whole of the big new sloping lank put in was done at small cost. The old plantation was rooted out by the ground staff. Much of the material for filling arid grading the big dip was street sweepings, carted by the Corporation men and dumped there almost as conveniently as it would have been dumped elsewhere had tho work not been in progress. Also, building operations were in progress ( on the Bito of the old church m Courtenay Place, and 800 loads of earth from there wore sent along—given to the Corporation. The green carpet for the bank was skimmed off City reserves. Tho job must havo been a oheap one, and it is good, too.

The State Labour Bureau in Wellington is on the look-out for men who work in the rural districts. Men are wanted for work that is described as farm work, and names are being enrolled of those willing to assist in the coming harvest. The harvest season may commence toward the end of next month.

The "Sports" Suit is the. suit of oomfort; allows freedom of action. 12s. Gd., at Geo. Fowlds, Lid., Manners street. Advt.

Everybody's praisintr "No Rubbing Laundry Help" because it iraanos. all clothes cloan without rubbinß or injury to hands or fabrics. .£lO guarantee with every Is. carton, which contains suffioient for seven iveekly washinea. W.F.C.A., WelliQeton.-Advt,

"The interchange of visits between Dominion representatives must be productive of good to tbeir respective countries, and they shouldl be promoted more than has been the case in the past," said Mr. D. Watkins, acting-chairman of the party of Australian Parliamentarians who passed through Auckland by the Makura. "The Australian delegates havo learned many valuable lessons from South Africa and Canada, and regret that their stay in New Zealand is of such brief duration."

TJr. D. M'Gillivray, traffic manager of the Wellington Corporation Tramways, has just received news that a brother— a lieutenant of the 7th Seaforth Highlanders—fell at LoDgueva], in France, on July 14 last. In a letter giving particulars of the action in which Lieutenant_ M'Gillivray fell, a brother-offi-cer writes as follows:—"The flank.had to come up a bit to get into line, and your 1 brother, with his usual great dash and courage, led the advance against a house containing Germans. He was hit in this charge, but kept going on until struck three times. When our line was held up, I sent out some men to try and find him, but they returned, stating that the place was_ full of snipers. Whilst endeavouring to find him myself, orders were received to make another attack. In doing so I received four hits, and being put out of action was unable to make any_ further search for your brother. This fighting took place near Longueval and Delville Wood." Mr. M'Gillivray lost another brother, who was a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, at Neuve Chapelle, last year.

Rifleman L. M. Fowke, who is a prisoner of war in Germany, writes (says a Christchiirch paper) to his father, Mr. T. M. Fowke, of Sydenham, as follows:—"Joe Mercer and I are now in a permanent prison camp in tho middlo of Germany (Dulmea, Westphalia). Wo arrived here after a two days' journey in the • train, and are getting on all right, so you will not need to worry about us. The night we arrived here we were given a hot bath, a hair-cut, and all our clothes were fumigated. It was a shame how badly they needed fumigating, as we had been sleeping in our clothes in all sorts of places.. We had no soap to wash our-faces. We are In huts here and have good beds and a couple of blankets each, but we need plenty of parcels of eatables. , Wo are only allowed to write two letters a month. Do not send any writingpaper, as we have special paper for use horo."

"The Teaching of Geography" was tho title of a paper read by Mr. E. K. Lomaf, M.A., M.Sc., at a meeting of the geological section of the Philosophical Society last evening. Mr, Lomaf's scheme was on the lines proposed by Professor Herbortson, of Oxford. The leading point of the scheme was allowing tho student to obtain a knowledge of tho physical state of a place, or country, and this would give an indication of tho industries and other information based upon it. In fact, it was a new way of teaching geography. .Once the physical structure or a country was known, said tho speaker, then attention naturally bo turned to winds, temperatures, currents, etc. It was tho study 'of geography mixed with science, and if this was accomplished ib would give the student-an opportunity of putting his knowledge to some practical problems. At the present day tbo teaching of geography ended too soon. It really finished in the primary schools. It was ■neglected to a great extent in the higher schools, and was not. included in the University course. Mr. Lomaf contended that a chair of ■ geography should be installed in the TTniversifcy. At tho conclusion of the address Dr. Allan Thompson proposed the following motion, which was carried:—"That this section requests the council to urge on tho Government the importance, both from the educational and economic standpoint, of tho more extensive publication of the meteorological observations of a larger number of stations in New Zealand."

Tho following example of the power of advertising is taken from the "Evenbig Star" of "Washington, D.C. It is a good specimen of American humour, and was printed as here shown, and not set in lines as verse: —I asked eight dollars and a half for one fine black Polled Angus calf, which price was not too high; I hoofed it west, I hoofed it east, endeavouring to sell the beast, but no one wished to huv. Day after day I toiled along, anil bored men with the same old song, "I have a calf for sale; I ask eight bones and fifty cents for this unequalled critter, gents—who will dig. up tho kale?" Then said a friend, "Oh, rest your feet, and quit your wearing out the street, and howling by tho year : spend fifty cer.tn and advertise your sawedoff cow of pocket size, and buyers will aopear." I followed up that same advice, and put my jaded feet on ice; and when- the ad. appeared, ten customers came to my gate; one bought the calf and paid the freieht. the other bucked and reared. And thus, by printing little ads. the wise man gathers in the soads and rests his' aching corns; a little ad. will >y>ake more noise than fifty-seven busy boys, all tooting on their horns.

Messrs. Longmore and Co. offeredl by sale at public auction yesterday thre'o properties in the estate of the late Mrs. M'Gregor. No. 14 M'Farlano Street., containing 7 rooms, was disposed of to Mr. W. T. Mack, as agent, the purchase price being £1375.', No. 6 M'Fnrlane Street and No. 158 Owen Street did not reach the reserve, and are now in the hands of Longmore and Co. for sale privately.