LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2918, 2 November 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that tho s.s. Manuka, which left Wellington on Thursday, October 26, carrying Austrajian and English mails, via Suez, arrived in Sydney oil Monday.

A few of the consus returns have boon received by the Minister of In-

ternal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell). All tho returns -are for smaller

boroughs and counties in both Islands, and tlie.y reveal a. very startling drift of population to the nortli. While the smaller towns in tho South show ver.r small increases, or more ofton actual decreases in population, similar towns in the North show much bigger increases. If the remaining returns reveal the fact that this movement of population is .general, it is probable that in tho redistribution of seats fol-

lowing upon tho census the South Island will lose two representatives in Parliament, and the North will send

two more. Discussing tho "War Regulations Act with ail "Otago Daily Times" representative on Monday, the Hon. A. L. Herdman, who is on a visit, stated that, in regard to the ariti-shouting legislation, his information from the Polico Department was to the effect that in Wellington the amount of drunkenness had diminished since, the Act came into force. The same state of affairs was to bo found in tho other centres of the Dominion.

The Masterton Borough Council has decided to take steps to deal with the fly pest. A suggestion has been made

that the council manufacture a formula .and dispose of it to residents at a cheap rate.

Ten persons summoned to servo on

tho common jury at tho Christchurcb Supremo Court applied to Mr. Justice Stringer on Monday morning for exemption from service. Nino secured their wish, and the tenth partly so. The war

was.claimed to bo responsible for the applications of some, and tho races for

those of others. The first applicant stated that ho owned a horse-shoeing business at Riccarton, and he depended upon tho racing period to make up the slack time during other portions of tho year, lie would have, however, to shut up his shop if not exempted, as he could secure no one to take his place.

The next applicant .was a university student, who stated that his examina-

tions wcro on this week. A plastorer contended that his presence at Court would hold up a number of othef contractors. No other plasterers could be obtained owing to tho trade being so busy, and to the number of men who had enlisted. A master tailor,'with 15 or 16 employees, stated that the men ivliom he could rely npon to conduct his business during his absence had gone to the war, and the strictest personal supervision was consequently necessary upon his part. A brewery manager made a similar plea. A dairyman stated that while ho was absent

in Court there was no one to milk his coirs. Finally a picture manager pointed out the many hardships that .would ensuo to his theatre if he were not on the promises from nine o'clock in the morning till eleven at night seeing that things woro in proper working order. All went away happy.

Tho vital statistics for Masterton for tho month-nf Ootobor were a# follow: — Births 27, deaths 15, marriages 2.

A number of the picture show proprietors were waited upon yesterday morning by JVIr. D. M'Laren, on behalf of tho committee, with a request for assistance towards the Red Cross funds. After hearing the representations made, the proprietors interviewed agreed to givo 25 per cent, of tho gross takings of all the theatres in town on "Our Day" (Friday next) to the fuud.

A fire broko out in tho house of Mr. J. Patterson in Mafcora Road on Wednesday morning (says our Masterton correspondent). The flames were extinguished before a great deal of damage was done.

The United Federation of Labour recently wrote to tho Minister of Internal Affairs on the subject of tho influx of Hindoos to New Zealand, and tho Minister, in reply, states that from 1913 to August of the present year, 451 Hindoos have entered the Dominion, and in 1916 up to August of tho present year, 85 left the Dominion; there are no figures available prior 1010 as to the number of departures. When the census figures are made up it will be known how many aro in the Dominion at present.

Rifloman A. 0. Ponder, one of the Canterbury nominees for tho Rhodes Scholarship, is a son of Mr. A. 11. Ponder, of Merivale. He was born in Christchurch 22 years ago, and educated first at the Normal School, where he won junior and senior scholarships, and later at the Boys' High School; Ho was tho male candidate scoring .tho highest' number of marks in the examination for tho first University scholarships, and since then and up to the timo of his enlistment in June, 1915, ho has had a very distinguished career at Canterbury College. Ho went to tho front as a member of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, and the last news that his parents had of liirn was that he was at Boulogne, suffering from a strained cartilago in the knee. Mr. R. J. Richards, the other Canterbury nominee, who is 23 years of age, is the son of roll deacon Richards, of Inv<jrcargill. He was educated at Christ's College, and was there seven rears altogether. He left Christ's College to go .to Canterburv College, and finished up there by takine his B.A. degree and gettinc a senior scholarship in Greek. MY. Richards'' two elder brothers were killed on Gallopoli.

A man was arrested in Masterton a day or two ago on a chargo of allegedly obtaining from the Petone War Relief Committee a sum of money by false representation.

Dr. C. E. Adams, D.Sc., gave an interesting lecture on astronomy before the Astronomical Section of the Wellington Philosophical Society last evening. His subject was "Tho Hartness Turret Telescrope." Dr' Adams gave details of _ the instrument, and said that the inventor had designed the telescope so as to protect the obseryer from the open air. The instrument was totally different from others of its kind on account of it being rigid. The observer remained inside, and the telescope moved with the object. In fact, its optical advantages were many in comparison with other instruments of a similar nature. . For instance, its reflector was only one-sixteenth in area of the objective as against the large reflectors used in other forms of telescopes. Subsequently Mr. A. C. Gilford gave an interesting exhibition of astronomical lantern slides, and Mr. Hogben demonstrated an- easy method of troops marching at night by the stars.

The rainfall registered at Sclway (MastortonJ for the month of October was 4.70 inches, compared with '2.10 inches for the same •month last year. The total registration for the first teu months of the year has been 35.69 inches, which is' considerably higher than that of the two previous years. The Canterbury Firo Underwriters' Association evidently does not forget its members who are "doing their bit" at tho front. A 1 short time ago the association organised a concert to raise funds to provido Christmas comforts for them, and last Saturday Mr. H. A. Adley, the association's secretary, handed to the hon. treasurer of the Christchurch branch of tho Overseas Club a cheque to cover tho cost of a guinea box of sundries for each of 25 insurance boys now representing New Zealand in the fighting line. The money was posted to the club's head centre, Aldwych. London, and on its receipt by Mr. John Evelyn Wrench, the hon. organiser of tho club, the parcels will be dispatched as directed.