LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2913, 8 November 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that tho mails which left New Zealand on September 14, via Suez, arrived in London on the night of November 3. The s.s. Moeraki, which sailed from Wellington on November 2, carrying Australian and United Kingdom mails, arrived in Sydney on Monday morning.

It was announced recently that the British Government had prohibited the export from the United Kingdom of silk thread, phosphates, and basic slag. His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for New Zealand cabled to the Board of Trado on tho subject, and has now been informed that there is every likelihood of lioenses being granted for tho export of these articles to this country.

A movement is afoot among "Wellington school teachers to prevent the summer holidays for schools commencing before December 21. The reason is that it is considered advisable to have as much of the vacation as possible after Christmas. One big factor is the weather, and experience has shown that it is always more settled after Christmas than before it.

When passing sentence yesterday on Thomas Pollock, a waterside worker, who had pleaded guilty to the theft of a bottle of whisky from thfe s.s. Durham, His Honour tho Chief Justice remarked that the Waterside Workers' Union should prevent any man becoming a member of the union who is addicted to drink. Thefts from vessels in port were becoming frequent, and they were genorally committed bv men when under the influence of drink.

Tlio proposal that the name of Johnsonville should be changed was discussed by a meeting of residents held last evening. There were between 20 and 30 present, Mr. T. W. Kirk being voted to the chair. Mr. W. Morpeth addressed the meeting, and explained the desirableness of a change of name. After discussion, ton Maori names were submitted, and these were.at length reduoed to three, voting being taken on the three... The majority ■favoured Karo (meaning a shrub), nest in favour was Apitmui (opening out of a gorge)| and in third place was Ariki I'oa (descendant of a noble family).; It was decided that a deputation, consist? ing of Messrs. A. Morgan, D. Steele, W. Morpeth, Ti W. Kirk, and I. O'Neill, present a petition to the Town Board on Tuesday next.

Last evening the Finance Committee of the Returned Soldiers' Association met at the association's rooms for tho purpose of discussing tho raising of funds for'the maintenance of returned soldiers. The committee decided to hold a big two-day effort on Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2, in which the hearty co-oporation of tile public is invited. It was decided to request all organisations and also all others interested in the returned soldiers to' send representatives to meet the committee on Monday nieht for a discussion with regard to making a successful rally. The effort will take the form of a street collection and stalls on the Friday, and a grand parade of returned soldiers and others, and an entertainment in the Basin Reserve on the Saturday. -

Private Lawrence Kendall, son of Mr. F. Kendall, of Dannevirke, writing to his parents on September 19, from a rest camp in France, says that he was having a spell at last through being buried with four others by a shell from tho Germans. They were dug out by some comrades. Private Kendall sustanied a . twisted leg, and , a slightly crushed chest, but at the time of writing was' progressing satisfactorily, and hoped to be out of hospital shortly. The incident occurred in the "Big Push," in which so many New Zcalandors laid down their lives.

Mrs. J. Beckett, of Island Bay, has just received news from her -son Jack, who went away with the Eighth Reinforcements, and was wounded in France on September 16. He writes that an order was given to charge, and they had to cross about three hundred yards of No Man's Land to the Germans' trench. The Germans saw them coming, and l , the writer adds, ran for their lives. He was in the act of firing at three retreating Germans when the centre one ■swung round and fired, the bullet striking Beckett on the buckle of his waist helt, completely shattering it, and driving some of the pieces into his body. He says the buckle undoubtedly saved him. At the time of writing he was getting along well, and was able to walk about.

Lord Ranfurly, writing to the secretary of the St. John Ambulance Association, Wellington, says: "With the heavy fighting anil the enormous number of casualties, the work the ambulances are doing is^colossal. .In the 'push' our drivers have hardly been off their box for five or six days together—just tak-

ing a sleep and their meals at a halt."

In the libel case, Noel Peat v. the Greymouth "Stat," in which the jury found a verdict for the defendant, a motion for a new trial hv the plaintiff (states a Press Association message from Greymouth) was dismissed by Mr. Justice Denniston. A special return filed in the office of the Census Enumerator for the Wellington district gives the population of Plimmorton in Juno as 150, and in January ag 1200. So at Plimmerton no one need keep a calendar,^ to ascertain what period of the year it is, all anyone has to do is to take a rough survey of the population. "We in this country have now come to the parting of the ways," said tho Hon. Dr. M'Nah at Palmerst-on North to returned soldiers, when_ discussing the aspect of the new regime as the result of converting voluntary enlistment into conscription, and the future cffect on'the country 'politically. Personally, Br. M'Nab said, he had never been fond of voluntaryism, seeing that nil other obligations to the State were compulsory. Yet the greatest of all was not so. Although the Allies had placed 51 millions of men in the field they could not earrv ont their stupendous task except by compulsion. In our-future reinforcements we were going to have conscript-s, and there should be as little distinction made as possible as to the men who wont before and tho men who were going now. The State, as a gathering body, must not draw any distinction between these men. Wlir-n the war was over, many of the soldiers of to-day would ho the civilians of to-morrow, so the returned soldier problem was in their own hands, and no doubt they would see lo it that it was properlv handled. He asked t-heni to remember that 60.000 men from New Zealand were hearing arms. AH these men had fathers, mothers, sweethearts, friends and brothers out of the 1J million inhabitants of tins countrv. If sll these men, with the extensive influence that they wielded, could not influence the Government, then they did not deserve to do so. Tho returned soldiers had the matter in their own hands. He was not snvinc away any political secret when he said that there were four parties right out- for tho returned man's vote. Splendid variety in pood material, .striped 'negligee shirts. Well-made shirts at .Is, lid., -t>. 6d., ss. Gd., at Geo. IW-lds, Ltd., Manuel's Street.— Advt.

We are champion? for No-Rubbing Laundry. Help in Is. cartons becausa it is a wonderful boon to thrifty housekeepers. Hill Bros.—Advt.

A refereuce to the contracts for military supplies was made by the Hon. Arthur M. Myers, Minister of Munitions and: Supplies, in a speech at a smoke concert held under, the auspices of the Auckland Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association. He acknowledged the great value of tho gratuitous services rendered in the various departments by the experts, all of whom, he said, were practical and successful business men. The specifications hadl been carefully drawn up, in order to provide .the troops with the best of everything. He had had occasion to take several contractors to Court, and on others ho had inflicted substantial fines. The commercial morality of New Zealand was second to none in the world, but the cases of laxity that had! been disclosed had justified.' the action that he had taken. The standard of quality that had been set was a. high one, and, as a commercial man, he felt justified in asking that this standard should! be maintained in its entirety. They desired their troopß to have the best of food and equipment, and in insisting upon contracts being earned out strictly according to specifications, he knew that he had the support of the whole of the commercial community. The Minister's remarks were greeted with marks of hearty approval.

The news that New Zealand had adopted compulsion made an excellent impression in Britain, according to the Hon. W. C. F. Carncross, M.L.C., who returned from London on Sunday. On any occasion when the Parliamentary delegates mentioned the Dominion's legislation in that direction, their remarks were received with enthusiastic applause. Mr. Carnoross said the result. of the conscription vote in Australia, as at present indicated by the returns, would cause keen disappointment in Britain.

■'Notwithstanding all we hear about the Germans having so many old men and boys in their army I am hound to say that the 6000 German prisoners we saw in a French camp on our way to Paris were the most vigorous, strong, and healthy men I have ever seon," said Mr. O. J. Parr, M.P., in Auckland. "They were all great big men of good physique—every one of them. They were a cheery lot. As we approached they came to the barbed wire enclosing them, and in broken English asked us where we were going, when the war would be over, andwhe-' ther the Kaiser was in London yet? These prisoners wore well fed, and ex- 1 treme well looked after by their captors. Indeed," said Mr. Parr, "I am inclined to think that German prisoners are a little too well treated in England here, and on the Continent."

In speaking at Auckland last weak at a meeting of soldiers wives and mothers, of the bond of sympathy uniting all classes and underlying all the tragedy of world-war, Dr. Averill related an interesting incident which occurred at the front. One day a white hare dashed out of a wood and ran between the British and German

■■renches through the strip of ground

known as No-man's Land. At once' 1 the men on both sides took shots at it, and the hare finally fell to a German gun. A German carrying the ivhite flag, presently camo over the parapet, ran forward, seized the hare and returned in safety. Shortly afterwards the white..flag again appeared, and this

;ime one of the enemy approached right

lip to the British trenches, and presented the men with the animal, receiving

in return a gift of tobacco. Towards evening the white flag appeared for- the third time, and the German, on reaching the British lines in safety, handed

m a slip of paper bearing the following

friendly warning: "We aro Bavarians, and are leaving these trenches tonight. Prussians are taking our places; and you'd better play no games " with them!"' ' -

Startling revelations of "Hunnism" in connection with giFts for Australian soldiers are'disclosed in a letter just received by a Gisborne resident from Dapto, New South Wales (reports the "Times").' The Red Cross Committee

in that centre had its curiosity aroused by a number of parcels being sent in for transmission ,to the toys at the front, all expressly marked ' 'Not to be onened ; to be sent direct to the front." The parcels were opened, and a lady member of the on thrusting her hand' inside a pair of socks which one of the parcels contained, had it severely cut by a piece of fine glass. As the* wound became much inflamed, an investigation was made, and the glass was found to have been dipped in strychnine. All the "expressly marked" parcels contained similar outrageous surprises for the soldiers.

Two Turks who tried to make. a small "comer" in sugar in Paris are the latest war curiosity. Sugar is to be doled out to retailers by a wholesale syndicate, which delivers the goods against certificates specifying the maximum quantity. It occurred to, one Tsalem, a subiect of the Sultan, that there was money to .be made by' ap- | proaching the men sent to take delivery of the sugar and inducing them' to surrender the certificates. Tsalem,! it is alleged, successfully carried outtills idea for a time, in conjunction with a compatriot, who sold the sugar at a premium to confectioners and others. The grocers' men shielded themselves for a time bv telling their employers that the delivery of tho' sugar had been nostponed and that tho certificates had been detained for examination, but tho trick was soon found out. Tsalem is under arrest, and his fellow Turk has been requested to hold himself in readiness to appear before the authorities. It is not explained how two Turks came to be carrying on business of any kind in the French capital. Mr. F. J. Melville, tho well-known philatelist, writes in the London "Daily Telegraph":—"The very crude locally-priuted l}d. stamp of Now Zealand is now to hand, with the overprint 'Official.' As I havo already pointed out the recent ljd. stamps of the Dominion should prove to be worth watching, for the stamps have been undergoing some variations. By. this time the London-made surfaceprinting plates for the 1-Jd. and 2d. stamps should _ have reached their destination, and it is hardly likely that the locally-produced l}d, stamp will be retained in circulation any longer than is absolutely necessary. It is a very poor production. The 6d. car-, mine stamp in the beautifully engraved type is also now overprinted for official use, and the 2}d. King George stamp has been received with tlia 'Samoa' overprint for use in that former Germany colony, now a dependency of New Zealand."

Last Sunday was set aside by the Anglican Church in the Diocese of "Wellington as Church Schools Sunday. In all the churches reference was made in sermons to the desire of the Church to provide facilities for Church people wishing to do so to Lave their children given religious instruction. The plan suggested is to establish a fund to Srovide schools, not in opposition to tho tate, but 60 that the desired instruction may be made possible. The Rev. 11. Franklin,, vicar of Rosonenth, has been appointed secretary, and it is his intention to visit the various parts of tho diocese in furtherance of tho scheme. Special collections were taken up on Sunday in the majority of the churches, but so far only a few returns avo to liand. They- are: St. Mark's £30, St. Paul's £20' (collection), and £30 (subscription), Roseneath £6, Eastbourne £4. The scheme was adopted by the last Synod, and everything is now prepared to carry out the proposal, though it is thought that it will'do at least a year before anything very defii nite can be achieved.