LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2943, 1 December 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A severe frost was experienced in North Cantorbury yesterday morning (says a Press Association telegram from Christchurch). Potatoes and small fruit were seriously affected, and the pear orop also received a severe check. Another anomaly in connection with tho distribution of the war bonus in the Government Departments lias teen brought under the notice of The Dominion. In most of the Departments casual employees have received the second instalment of tho bonus in a lump sum. But casual employees in the Post and Telegraph Department hare been informed that their bonus will be distributed over the next twelve months In a series of monthly additions to their salaries. The decision has caused a good deal of disappointment among omployees, who had regarded the bonus in the light of a Christmas present, and had heard of the payment of the sum to workers of corresponding grades in other Departments. Mr. H. H. Beetliam, of Brancopeth, Wairarapa, has made a donation of £100 towards the Y.M.C.A. fund for providing oomforts for the men in tho trenches. For a long time past tho New Zealand Bird and Forest Society had been endeavouring to take action in furtheranr of its objects, and yesterday afterno a Mr. C. H. Treadwell, president of 'the society, Dr. Cockayne, Professor H. B. Kirk, Mr. Phillip Turner, Ins ector of Scenic Reserves, Mr. Aston Agricultural Chemist, Mr. Morgan, Din..:tor of Geological Surveys, and Mr._ H. Hamilton, Curator of the Dominion Museum, accompanied bv Councillor Frost, chairman of the (jity Reserves Committee, Mr. Glenn, Superin|tendent of City Reserves, and Mr. Hill, City Forester, visited" the Botanical Gardens to choose a site for the cultivation of New Zealand flora. It was found that between tho Karori Road and the main gully to the southern boundary many forest trees, such as rimn, matai, and miro, were part of the original bush,, and it was suggested that these trees- should be planted to regenerate the forest and bring it back to what it was when the first settlors landed here. The members discovered a site where the cultivation of forest trees could be made, and it was also remarked that Mr. Glenn had already begun the reforestation in a small way. Identification plates on the trees was also considered desirable. The proposals of the society as to what can be done in tho Botanical Gardens will come before the Reserves Committee later on. | A short sitting of the Magistrate's | Court was held yesterday morning, with Messrs. R. Hanlon and I. Salek, J.P.'s, on the Bench. For insobriety, five first offenders wera convicted and 'discharged, and Jean Kelleher, against whom there was one previous conviction, was similarly treated. John William Fleming was fined lOa.y in default 48 hours' imprisonment. For using threatening behaviour in Manners Street whereby a breach of tho peace occurred, Edward M'Carthy was fined 20s;, in default three days' imprisonment. Two men, named Burke and Martin, oharged with playing "two up" on the Wellmgton-Masterton train, were each fined £1 in the Magistrate's Court at Masterton on Wednesday (says our Masterton correspondent). Burke was also fined £2 for using _ obscene language in a railway carriage. An interesting case was heard in tho Magistrate's Court.at Masterton on Wednesday, when a complaint was laid against a youth for refusing to complete his apprenticeship articles. The youth was apprenticed to a firm who sold their business to another party, and it waß alleged that the indentures were assigned to the latter, with the consent of all parties. The new employer had been paying tho youth 2s. 6d. per week more than the award rate, and offered a further 2s. 6d., but the youth preferred to leave and take more remunerative employment. His employer asked that he be ordered to return to his work, or, in the alternative, that the powers of imprisonment conferred by Section 14 of the Master and Apprentices Act, 1914, be enforced. Mr. W. Kerr, S.M., roserved his decision. The world's best judges havo placed the Chevrolet Motor-oar first value for money. It has a perfect electrical equipment. It will start olectrically by merely pressing the button, and tho latter is absolutely reliable. A schoolboy can drive and manage the Car with perfect safety. With the Chevrolet Car a person of moderate means can enjoy the pleasure and health invigorating influence of motoring. Theprico of the Touring Oar is .£255, and the Hoadster .£lO less. For further particulars, write or rinc vm THE DOMINION MOTOR VEHICLES, LIMITED, 65 Courtenay Place, Wellington,—Advt, J

1 The bakers of Masterton have increased tho price of bread by a halfpenny tho 21b. loaf. Sergt. A. E. Taylor, a returned soldier, and son of Mr. E. T. Taylor, wine aud spirit merchant, Courtenay Place, Wellington, and Private W. B. Page, also a returned soldier and son of Mrs. H. M. Burton Shaw, of Taihape, have been granted a land section in the Waimarino district by the Land Board, and will bo_ leaving Wellington to take possession in the riear future. At a meeting held in the Clyde Quay School last night, it was resolved to tender Mr. W. T. Grundy, who is retiring from the headmastership of Clyde Quay School, a farewell on December 15. Mr. D. M'Laren presided at the meeting, Mr. W. B. Strong was elected secretary and treasurer of the and Mr. T. Forsyth was elected chairman of the committee wbich is (o undertake the arrangements. It was mentioned at the meeting that there .were a good many men in the Wairarapa (where Mr. Grundy was onca a teacher) who would like to assist. The committee is to consist of the Clyde Quay School Committee aud ten ex-pupils of Mr. Grundy. Six students attending the Petone Technical School were examined in woolclassing on November 18, and all passed. The examiner, Mr. Arthur Greening, iu his report on the work, says that it was very efficient. He adds: "The marks gained were of a very bigh average, and the knowledge shown of the work was of the best. The result of the examination. undoubtedly proves that in Mr. Cate you have a very able instructor, and that the department of tho school under him should do good work and reliable work in the future. The good work of this class should to my mind be moro widely known, as the methods adopted by your instructor for the classing of wool are thoso which have been advocated by woolbrokers for many years past, and it merits the support of all concerned in the wool trade." "We have been told that tho greatest thing in the soldier's life is discipline, and so wo must got a clear and correct idea of what is really meant by this much-abused word,"_ says the writer of an article on discipline in tho "Pakeha," tho Seventeenth Reinforcement' magazine. "If wo go back a littlo to the timo when every great philosopher had his owu circlo of followers, wo find them called 'disciples,' and the control ho had over them called 'discipline.' Now, since that time, tho meaning of tho word has changed somewhat, but it still rotains two of tho main ideas of its former meaning—the ideas of trust, or confidence, in tho loader, and of tho faithful obedience which springs from that trust. So discipline is more than this, it is that organisation which distinguishes a thoughtfnl and reasonable_ being from an unreasonable one —a civilised man from' a savage. Discipline is to an array what accuracy is to a scientist— tho final test of efficiency." •

The Hamilton correspondent of ilio Auckland "Star" writes :— The depletion of the forests of New Zealand, and tho exportation of tiniher from the.Dominion were referred to hv Mr. W. Auld at a mcetins; of tho Hamilton Chamber of Commorco. Ho thouaht tno chamber midit mako some representations to the Oovornment on the matter. Mr. C. B. Smith said the sooner the New Zealand timbers were got rid of tho better. At present millions of -pounds a year were being spent on timber for building which bad to be renewed about, every thirtv years, owing to the "rotten stuff" winch the New Zealand forests provided. This was a. ouestic-9 of national importance, and the sooner different forms of materia! for building purposes were provided tho better.