LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2945, 4 December 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Au English via. Suez and Australian mail is ou board the Manuka, which is expected to arnvo in Wellington from Sydney early this evening.

Sir Ernest Shackleton will pay » visit to the Returned Soldiers' Club this morning.

District Orders state that the iiames of n.c.o.'s of the Territorial Force and Seuior Cadets, and also schoolmasters of technical schools, who are eligible and desirous of presenting themselves for the first appointment to commission examination, wliicii is to bo held during the week containing the third Tuesday in February, 191", are to he forwarded through officers commanding units or_ group commanders, so as to reach district headquarters, Palmerston North, not later than December 15.

The old Plumpton racecourse, at Christoburch, has been secured by tho Canterbury Aviation Company as .a site for its_ school. 7t is within livo minutes' flight of H>ho Qhristchurch Post Office. The company hopes to commence operations before summer dies.

A novel suggestion "for tho benefit. of our boys at the front" is made in a letter forwarded to the Hon. Jamos Allen (Minister of Defence) by Messrs. I l '. Cooper, Ltd., seedsmen, of Wellington, tt is pointed out that there aro many >iew Zeajanders at the front who aro fond of gardening, and that it would ho very acceptable if they could indulge in it during their period of rest from the frout. Further, it is suggested that gardening would bo a means of diversion to some of the men who are temporarily incapacitated. It would also be a welcome cEange of diet if the men could have lettuces, radishes, spring onions, and such like "delicacies" in addition to tho regulation food. "We have pleasure," adds the letter, "in offering a donation of 100 guineas' worth of seeds for the purpose indicated." Messrs. Cooper add' that x they would bo glad to donate twenty guineas to provide trophies to be given for the best vegetable plots or the largest and best cabbages, pumpkins, etc. The Minister has replied, expressing his gratitude at the offer of 100 guineas' worth of seeds, and stating tbat he will be pleased to accept them and have them forwarded on. As regards tho twenty guineas for trophies, he also expresses his appreciation of the firm's generosity, but states that he does not know how far it is possible to carry out the idea. "I will communicate with the General Officer Commanding at the front," says the Minister iu his let"and I very willing accept it if we are able to carry out your wishes."

Mr. Joseph Lewis (secretary of the Wellington Patriotic Society) states that Mr. Stratford, of Auckland, whose wife copied the oil painting, "In. Time of Peril," from the original in. the Auckland Art Gallery, and presented it to tho Patriotic Society to bo disposed of by art union, has purchased it from the winner, and has .again presented it to the Patriotio Society for disposal patriotically.

A new plan of Wellington, with up-to-date subdivisions of land and, consequently, the addition of new streets, lias been prepared by the Lands and Survey Department, and will doubtless bo found of great value for reference and business purposes to many people. The new plan is large enough to show clearly the number of every town acre, and, in, some cases, the number of section, including those in the latest subdivisions in Onslow, Hataitai, Kettmrn. South Kilbimio, and Lyall Bay, whilst the Town) Belt- and other reserves stand oui boldly in a green tint. 'The new plan is a striking commentary on the growth of Wellington's suburbs, and "She development of tho city's tramway system.

Tim flying tests at Kohimarama (Auckland) aviation school wore concluded on Friday, when four pupils,Messrs. A. W. Gordon, H. S. Drewitt, G. Van-ash, and H. I. Robson, qualified for certificates. The weather conditions wcro ideal, and all four pupils ■got. through their flying without the slightest hitch. The tests were made, in the Curtis biplane, and commenced at half-past four in the morning, finishing at. midday. Colonel Ward and Captain Garland, of the, Defence Department, observed the flights, which were also watched with much interest by a number of spectators. Genoral Messimy, a former Minister of War in Franco, has been appointed corporal iu a regiment under his command. The General played a prominent part in tho capture of Bouchavesnes, and the regiment to mark his bravory, at ouoo appointed him a corporal. This is a very unusual honour, but ono may liken it, say, to tho position of the late LoiJ Kitolioner, who, though a Field Marshal, was appointed colonel of the Irish Guards. A somowhat analogous distinction was given in France a little time ago when a brigadior-gonoral, in command of a brigade, personally led a regiment attached to his brigade into notion. For his bravery on that occasion he was mentioned in the regimental order of the day.

Tho .French Air Service Las an honour' which is denied to our own flying.services. It is the ambition of every French ilior to becomo an "ate" (or, in ii'rencli, mi "as"), and to do this ho has to bring down five enemy machines, the word "ace" having apparently boon chosen by reason of its dominance in curds. 'J'hore are now seventeen in the list, but it includes SousLieutenant Garros, tho famous airman, who is now in captivity, though he only ''bagged" four. Tho list is headod by Sous-Lieutenant Guynemcr with 18; Sous-Lieutenant Niingcsser with 17, Adjudaut Dormo with 13, and SousLieutenant Navarre with 12. Adjudanfc Luf bery, who lias just beon added, is an American, and his inclusion has giyou great pleasure in America, and among tho Amoricans iii France.

Tho Dominions, of course, havo their own special contingents at the front (remarks the "Manchester Guardian"), and there is no official Colonial Legion. The casualty list sent out by the War Office tho other day, however, suggested thiil it would have been possiblo to form such a. Legion out of the mon of the British race who have como homo from far-off countries,'to take their part in tho conflict. On one single page filled with names of those who had fallen wero men who had left their civilian posts in Trinidad, in tho West Indies, and Ceylon in the East, Boksburg in the Transvaal, and Perth and Melhourne in Australia, Alexandria in Egypt, Malta, and thrco different places in tho State of Massachusetts. On the pages giving the names of the wounded in the same regiments there appeared among the places from which tho men had come TJitenhage in Cape Colony, Kurrie Kurrie in Australia, Bilbao in Spain, British Guiana, Shanghai, Bombay, Buenos Aires Swift Current (Canada), Calgary,' Illinois, Johannesburg, Nova Scotia and Paraguay. Most of them belonged, to the Royal Fusiliers, and in all probability they had mado straight for Londou without a thought of any particular regimoufc in their heads, and so- had been drafted to that corps hy the recruiting officer.