LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2941, 29 November 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that the mails which, left New Zealand on October 12, via Suez, arrived in London on the morning of November 24. The Postal authorities advise that the s.s. Moeraki, which sailed from Wellington on Thursday last, carrying Australian and United Kingdom mails, via Suez, arrived hi Sydney on Monday afternoon. Reporting on the health of troops in 1 Samoa, under date of November 24, the Administrator, states as follows: "Two hospital cases, next-of-kin in Samoa." The chemists' assistants met the employers in the Christchurch Conciliation Council yesterday for an award. iFor the first time in the history of the Dominion proceedings were taken in committee. The_ union asks that assistants be divided into apprentices, assistants, and managers; that the wages of apprentices he 10s. a week for the first year, with a yearly increase of 10s. up to three years; that registered assistants bo paid 80s. for the first year, with increases un to 100s. in the third year, and 120s. thercnftcr; that unregistered assistants get 60s. with increases up to 80s. in the third year, and 100s. thereafter; and that managers shall receive not less than £6 10s. a week.—Press Association. At the Auckland Supreme Court sessions. .Tamos Shaldrick, .secretary of the Onehtmga TiOdgo, A.0.F., was charged with embezzling sums totalling •£lO3. After hearing pvidence, Mr. Justice Stringer said there was _ no evidence that accused had applied the money to his own uses, while the discrepancies miVht he due to a loose system of book-keeping. By his Honour's direction the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and accused was discharged.—Press Association. At the annual meeting of tho V.M.C.A. last evening it was decided io again write to Mrs. M. A. Williams, who has benefited tho association in every way, and who takes a groat interest' in all its doings, placing on record tho association's appreciation of her many kindnesses. Mr. Daniels, of the Mastcrton Y.M.C.A., was present at last evening's meeting of the Wellington Association, and he placed on record their debt io the Wellington Association for the help which had been accorded them. The Mnslerlon Association was now in a sound financial position, and was going on as well as could- he wished. Three of the Y.M.C.A. field secretaries_ have come from the Mastcrton district. It was pointed out in the annual report of the Y.M.C.A. last evening, that over 300 men who have been on tho Wellington Association's hooks are now on active service. In the Juvenile Court yesterday, 'before Mr. L. G. Reid. S.M., four indigent children, belonging to one family," were committed to the Upper Hutt Orphanage. At tho meeting of the Wellington Society of Musicians, held on Monday evening, the Rev. E. I. Sola, F.R..C.0., Vicar of Eastbourne, gave an interr esting lecture on "The "Folk Music of the Allies." A large number pf musical illustrations wore provided, embracing Rumanian. Serbian, Russian, Italian. Indian, Belgian, French, Irish. Scottish, ■English, Welsh and Manx folksongs and dances. The lecturer, who in addition to playing all the accompaniments, also illustrated many nn-- 1 tinnal dances on the pianoforte, had the assistance of Miss Frieda Walter (■violin'). Misses F.ileen "Driseoll, and Gladys Watkins, and Mr. Sigurd Lestrup (vocalists). *

Sir Ernest Shackleton, who is coming to Now Zealand for the purpoeo of proceeding with the Aurora to tho rescue, of members of his. expedition from Ross Island, is expected to reach Wellington in tho ban Francisco steamer on. Saturday. Hii lias consented, in reply to a cablegram, to deliver a lecttiro in Wellington on Monday night in aid of the Returned Soldiers' Club Fund. The lecture, which will be given in tho Town' Hall, will deal witli his recent adventures in tlio Antarctic, and it is hoped that ho will be able to show somo lantern slides. Tho following amended Order-in-Council was gazetted on Monday:— "No export license under tho Order-in-Counci! (of October 13) shall be granted to any company, firm, or perron unless that company, firm, or person lias, on or before December 18, 1916, made application in writing to tho licensing authority for tho grant of such license, and lias exented the agreement" with, tho liensing authority as required by Clause 12 of the Shedule io tlio said Order-in-Council." In tho course of an address at Maryborough last week, Mv. F. Brown, Government Poultry Adviser, stated that the poultry industry had had a great set-back siuco it started, owing to tho high price of food and other detriments. Thousands of head of poultry had been sacrificed, and at the present time poultry was very scarce, The speaker detailed tho rise in prices in the open market. There were no better birds in the world than in New Zealand, but the rea.sons.for tho unsatisfactory state.of the poultry industry were in a measure duo to high prices, but mainly to the insane system 1 of marketing' of both eggs and birds. A surplus of artillery reinforcements no longer exists, according to advice received from the Headquarters of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and arrangements have been made for the 'dispatch of an artillery draft with the Twentieth Reinforcements. Tho accumulated artillery reinforcements in England appear to have been absorbed, more quickly than was expected, and probably the Training Staff will be ready to take_ some artillery recruits into camp with next month's draft. This doea not mean that enlistments for tho artillery are required. Men are accepted for general service only under the present system, and though they may exprese a preference for a particular branch, previous experience is likely, to bo a necessary qualification for tho artillery for somo time to come. When it was announced, after the dispatch of the Seventeenth Reinforcements, that there was a surplus of artillerymen in hand, the men already in training were asked to transfer to the infantry, and many of. them consented to do so. Those men, who showed a very fine spirit in responding to the request made to them, will be given first consideration in the filling of future artillery drafts. It is understood that they will be transferred back to thoir own arm as required.