LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2940, 28 November 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Hon. J. Allen (Minister of Dofence) has been advised by cable tliat the Seventeenth Reinforcements have arrived at their destination. The postal authorities advise that tlio s.s. Riverina, which sailed from Sydney at 8 p.m. on November 24 for Wellington, is carrying Australian mails only, and is due here to-day. "It is quite a common thing to find the Roman Catholic Chaplain, the Anglican Chaplain, the Methodist Chaplain, the Salvation Army Chaplain, and the Presbyterian Chaplain working together in camp in the common interest as though there were no differences between them," said Captain-Chaplain Gilbert at the Presbyterian Assembly yesterday. "Of course, T don't say the differences are not there, but it is a great pity that more of that spirit does not operate outside the camps." As St. Andrew's Day occurs oil Thursday next, and ic observed as a half-holiday by tho City Council, the usual fortnightly meeting of the council will be held to-morrow evening. A number of officer.? and non-coma, arrived at Auckland by the Athenic yesterday (states a Press Association message). Major Brunt, who was originally in charge, loft tho Athenic at Cape Town and will come on later. Lieutenant Milrov was in charge during the latter part of the voyage. It was decided at the meeting of the Wellington Swimming Association last evening that a letter be forwarded to Liout.-Colonel Freyberg, at present seriously ill in London, signed by all the members present, expressing regret that he was so ill, and hoping ho would make a good recovery. It was pointed out that at tho last annual meeting of the association ho had been awarded a medal of merit, a.nd that since that he had again distinguished himself as a swimmer and a soldier. The soldiers' needs in reliable khaki shirts, 6s. 6d., 7s. 6d., 7s. lid., at Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Street.—Advt.

A cablegram received hy f.liß Trade Commissioner from the Imperial Board o[ Trade states that the exportation of the following articles from the United Kingdom has been prohibited as from November 17: —Barometers, cocaine, old hemp rope and waste, thermometers (except clinical thermometers). The Wellington College Old Boys' Association, in the course of a circular letter issued to all Old Boys of the college concerning the proposed memorial li2l to be erected in honour of Old Boys who have taken part in the war, states that 1250 Old Boys have joined the Army of the Empire, nearly one hundred have fallen, while over one hundred and forty have been wounded or incapacitated, eleven have been mentioned in dispatches, three have gained the D.5.0., six the Military Cross, one the Legion of Honour, and one a C.M.G. A memorial service in connection with those of the Old Boys' Association who have fallen at the front is to he held on Saturday next. A resident of Wellington has received from a New Zealander, Pte. J. Coulter, who is a prisoner of war at Bilemidik, Turkey, a postcard containing the following statement: —"What is our Government thinking of over there? Here we have been prisoners for thirteen months and have not had a line from a. publio source to ask after us, while English, Scotch, and Irish get money and parcels from funds." The card is dated August 27, 1916, and has been forwarded hy the International Agency for Prison6Ts of War, in connection with the Geneva. International Committee of the Red Cross. Butler Bros', saddlery warehouse in Brisbane has been destroyed hy fire.— Press Association. "Tho camp is the most orderly town I've been in," remarked Captain-Chap-lain Scott at tho Presbyterian Assembly yesterday. '.'l've never seen a man doing lamp-post duty, as I've seen in every other town." It was announced at the Presbyterian Assembly yesterday that a new college for boys will in all probability be commenced in Christchurch in February. A ten-roomed house at Taihapc was completely destroyed by a fire which broke out a few minutes past 1 o'clock on Monday morning (states a Press Association message). The house was owned by Charles Given, of Waitoa, in the Auckland district, who is understood to be at the front, and was occupied by J. Sutherland, and used by Mrs. Sutherland as a boardinghouse. A number of people, young and old, escaped only with their night clothing. Not the smallest article was saved. The fire spread to a small cottage occupied by Mr. Absolum, but the cottage was saved by the fire brigade's efforts. The furniture was insured in the Sun office for £140. Tho insurance on the building is not known. It is probably insured in Auckland. ' That jury service often inflicts hardship in a monetary sense on working men was shown in the report of tho Lower Hutt Borough, submitted to the council last . evening. The engineer wrote: "The State allows only Bs. a day, and does not pay travelling expenses. One of our men was thus called upon, aud was away for part of three days, losing two days from tlie coiiricil's work, lor this he would have got £1 Is. 3d. had he worked for the council, but only received 165., out of which lie paid 3s. 3d. railway fare." This matter was discussed at . some length by the council, and! eventually it was decided in similar cases to make good the deficiency. A good word was said for the Boy Scouts by Councillor Clendon at the meeting of tho Lower Hutt Borough Council when dealing with an application from tho battalion commander for assistance. Councillor Clendon said tho Boy Scouts livened up the borough, and were always ready to help in any patriotic movement. The council decided to present the scouts with a number of suitable books from the Borough Library, and also voted them £5. Among those who have been drawn in the first ballot for military service is Mr. Peter Ramsay, president of the Christchurch Conscription Repeal League. Mr. Ramsay stated to a, Ohristchurch newspaper reporter on Friday last that it was not his intention to apply to the Military Service Appeal Board for oxemption. He was, and always bad been, opposed on principle to war, and he had stated that very clearly on his National Register form. On the form sent him for application for enrolment under the Military Service Act he had reiterated his position, and had actually struck out that part of the printed form relating to application for onrolmont in tho reserve. "Tlie reason why I will not apply for exemption to tin? tribunal," said Mr. Ramsay, "is because I have no confidence or belief that it will consider iny conscientious convictions on the subject, or be influenced by them. As I cannot under any circumstances accept service, it would be a farce for me to go before it. knowing that I could not submit to its decision." The Soldiers' Committee at Oamaru have voted £100 to the Y.M.C.A. Trench Comfort Fund, and tho Feilding and District Patriotic Society £250 to be cabled at once. ■. A Gisborno lady'has received from a relative in England, a civil engineer, information which discloses something of the internal state of Germany. Tho writer's daughter was married to a German in good position, and had been unable to return to England since the war. The letter states: "My daughter's life now is not a. happy one. She has to wait, sometimes four hours in a queue to get food, and then often goes a way empty, her servant also, whom she sends in another direction, so has to fall back on chocolate. We tried to got her back through Holland, and this brought a detective from London who scented spying and gave us no end of trouble. No, it must now go on to tho end." _ At the annual meeting of/the Wellington Swimming Association last oveniug it was decided that letters of sympathy bo forwarded to Mr. and Airs. Wilton, expressing regret that their son, W. Wilton, had recently died at the front, and also to Airs. "Stratford, oF Wauga.mii, who also had a son killed in action. Both boys were well known in swimming oircles. Lieut. Prince Gcorgo of Battenberg is (writes a London correspondent) a popidar figuro in the Navy. When on duty he is in charge .of guns in H.JI.S. New Zealand, and when he is off duty he takes charge of the "movies," which aro a pleasant relaxation for tho men. Prince George has just (Jouo what no other British prince lias previously done—ho has created a precedent by entering into a contract with a woliknown film company for Ihe hire of popular kincniatograph pictures. The "movies" aro sanctioned by the Board of Admiralty, and many of our finest battleships of the fleet have a kineniatograph installation. The men like the "Charlie Chaplin" films, and some of the now ones selected by Prince Georgo show the picture-actor in some of his hest parts. In order to make u proper contract, the nominal sum of £5 a week is charged for the hire, and this fee will each week be forwarded by the film company to Sir Arthur Pearson's fund for blinded soldiers. Two shows per week per vessel is tho system in vogue —one display for officers and one for men. We are told thai, misdemeanour is punished by forbidding tho culprit to attend tho pictures, and, as most of tho men would turn into veritable saints sooner than miss their favourite diversion, the conduct of the ship's company is maintained at a very high level. We aro having a. busy time handing oul Is. cartons of No Rubbing Laundry Help for washing clothes clean without rubbing or injury to hands or finest, fabrics; .£1(1 guarantee with every package. Wardell Bros, and Co.—Advt.

Proper accommodation for girls is now a very great, problem in Wellington, according to the Rev. Dr. Gibh, who stated yesterday that St. John's Presbyterian Church would soon, in all probability, build in Wellington a hostel for girls. The Federal Government, it. is unofficially stated in a Press Association message from Sydney, is exempting the gold mines from the operations of the proposed War Profits Tax. Sixteen against sixteen was the voting which was called to the president of the Otago Labour Council at its meeting on Thursday night (says the "Otago Daily Times"). • One of the delegates present had moved a motion strongly condemning the action of the Hon. J. T. Paul and Mr. Andrew Walker, M.P., in attaching their names to the manifesto which was seili to Australia by the New Zealand Labour Party. To that motion an amendment was ' moved, in substance, that the council was of opinion that organised Labour in Otago, at any rate, had offered no opinion whether it was in favour of conscription or against it. The manifesto stated that "every representative body of Labour in the Dominion lias declared against it (compulsion)." A full discussion ensued, and on the amendment being put, the voting was recorded as 16 to 16. The president gave his vote against the amendment. A further amendment was then moved: "That the council_ proceed to the next business," and this was agreed to. During the discussion on the motion and the first amendment one delegate made a frontal attack on another delegate, and accused him of having called Messrs. Paul and Walker "rotters." Delegate No. 2 gave this assertion a flat denial. Delegate No. 1 pushed forward with Ms attack, and said delegate No. 2 was a. liar. This remark moveel delegate No. 2 to take, up the offensive—he said he would hand over a 'left hook" to delegate No. 1. Exasporated beyond measure, delegate No. 1 intimated that he would throw delegate. No. 2 over the balustrade. Nothing oventuated, the warfare being confined thereafter to mutual dark glowerings by the two verbal combatants. We are assured that, apart from this little llare-up, the counoil proceedings were quito harmonious. About a' hundred business men o? Wellington were addressed in the Town Hall Concert Chamber last night by Mr. Andrew Deer, governing director of the Sheldon Institute of Business Science, Sydney. . Mr. Deer lectured on tho business _ philosophy of the founder of the institute, and' of the Business Science Circle movement, Mr. Arthur F. Sheldon, cf the United States, He had already talked to Wellington business men on this subject, and last night his lecture was very similar to that he had previously delivered.