LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2970, 6 January 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal .authorities advise that the Riverina, which left Sydney on Thursday, and which is due hero early on Monday morning, is bringing Australian mails and English mails via Suez.

.The.Hon. W. D. S'. Mac Donald, interviewed yesterday -with regard to the butter position, intimated tnaj-the licensing authority. Mr. Triggs,-'. was' now in. a position to make an interim payment of 2d.- per pound by way of compensation :to,-. those- factories "supplying butter to the local market. Misconception had arisen with regard to factories, "fliat- do their own ■patting and-distributing,' and. after consultation wfth-tho Board/of Trade, the-licen-sing • authority has decided that.they will _ be. placed on-identically the game footing as factories supplying butter through the middleman.

"I think he had better help to finish the war first and finish his apprenticeship, --afterwards," ob'servecl the military representative to the MilitaryService Board yesterday, respecting theappeal by a young man Who desiredfive; -months' extension of time to finish his j apprenticeship to. a. trade. .

The mobilisation of tho Twentyfourth Reinforcements is proceeding smoothly. The West Coast draft, which is expected to reach Wellington to-day, will complete -the- -Reinforce-, ment,.. which lias mobilised below strength. The following additional in■fantry. recruits were sent into camp yesterday from Group 5. (Wellington City and Suburbs): A. Strctton, A. W. Manson. and L. 8. Young. •• .The mobilisation of the Twenty-fifth -Reinforce-'-monts will begin on Tuesday.

At 8.6 yesterday morning the Firo Brigade had .a call Irom 13 Martin Street. 'The house was r occupied by Mrs. Susan Chamberlain,., and owned by Mr. Norman Cloutt. ' There was no insurance on the contents, but the building was insured for £225 in the Sun Insurance Company. The firo ivas caused through a burning piece of wood falling out of the copper in the wash-house, and tho wash-house and the side of the house and part of a bedroom were destroyed.

The military representative' at the Wellington Military Service Board complained yesterday of the unsatisfactory nature of the certificates given by doctors to appellants. The certificates, he said, were vague, and did*wit help the Hoard at all. /

The prico of all Newcastle coal has been advanced by ss. per ton. fo take effect as from January 1. Tins additional cost is due to the increase in cost oE coal at the mines and freight charges, etc.

The Christchnrcb and North Canterbury quotas of the Twenty-fourth Reinforcements left for Wellington last night, the Christehurch quota consisting of volunteers and balloted men and men called up under section 35.—Press Association.,

A girl, aged about nineteen, came before Mr. S. E. TiPCarthy, S.M., yesterday, charged with attempting to commit suicide. The case was adjourned to permit of an examination of tho girl's mental condition.

Wo rucss you are right ready for lift'lit Pyjamas. ss. 6(1., fo. 6i1., 10=. Gil., to Silt at 225. 6d. and 2Srf. (id. Geo. I'owlds, Ltd., Manners Street.—Advt.

A visitor from "thei south"s'ta'ted" yesterday that the cocksfoot harvest' on Banks Peninsula, would not be a good one,, owing to the long spell of dry weather. Cutting is now proceeding —a. month earlier than usual. Labour is very scarco indeed, and some of the farmers aro at their wits' end as to

j bow lo get their seed harvested. .. Workers aro being paid 2s. an hour and found, and even at that rate 'are hard to Jind. After., tho. war, Sir William Lever says there ought to be plenty of work.' , "There should be no chance of a drop in wages. I. have no fear of that. J .am all for higher wages. Only they ■ must be associated with labour-saving 1 -machinery. In America, i hanks to that, higher Wages correspond with "bigger •■ profits. ■ It is not easy even yet. to overcome labour distrust of machinery.' i Yet if the men could only be convinced . of the fact, the machinery that saves labour is labour's best friend. l"or , more machinery means more work." . .Speaking at the send-off to the Hast-, ings section- of the Twenty-fourth Reinforcements, the Hon. Dr. M'Nab made some interesting and jwrtinent remarks. They have come, ho said, to tho point in this war that anyone who'waiits to be in-, it at '-the finish must bo sure of .'getting into tho ./next' Beinforcemenfs. Germany La 3 called lip her last man, even those who had taken part in tho war of 1870, and eyery man, woman, and child had been assigned a war station. Tin's was'the last round. England had changed her Government with the one solitary, pur-", pose of ending the • war. Germany was crying for peace, but to conclude peace now would mean that tho present generation would hardly have passed when war would break out again, and all the blood.spilt would have beea spent in vain. - There could be no peace until. Germany was driven from.the Allies' territory,' and this was going to be done during- the -coming summer. Referring to.compulsion, he hoped that no distinction would be drawn between the volunteer and the conscript ivhon they both gof'into khaki. Everyone was a soldier of the Empire, and was entitled to equal respect. : "Volunteers,'' he said in conclusion, "I wish you God-speed in the mission in which you aro'going. lam confident-you are going to be in at the finish, and it is going to be a finish that will end the' German power in deed as well as in word.: : It will be a new world-that you will live in after this war, and I hope tliatfc all soldiers will take a more active interest in the affairs of their country than they have dono in tho past. It is • unnecessary for. mo to upon you the necessity for giving implicit obedience to tho commands of your officers. You must absolutely give up all personal individuality.. 1 : havo no faith in the man who considers ho is degrading himself by becoming subordinate to -another-.man. • Many of the men who'are - your officers today may bo four servants to-morrow. This is one of the dories of democracy, and .one of tho things we are-trying to accomplish." i

At tho Military Board sitting at Ashburton tho Chairman. Mr. J. S. Evans.* S.M., said- that, if- it •was-true as .had been-: stated by- several-men' that employers of labour on farms could not get sufficient labour, the farmers should conio forward themselves and give evidence before the Board. Tho Board could not not on behalf of employers. It appeared to bo recognised that there, was a shortage of labour, but the evidence came from the emplovees and not from the employers. • "-But labour cannot-be so short." said Mr. Evans, looking over the Court,., which -was crowded with eligihle workers. "SureIv all those men in- tho bodv of the Court , .are not . appellants." . Mr. Evans also stated that a printed form had been nreparal and sent out to farmers who "-ere. asking-, for men to assist them:. •These: forms, were to'b" filled inland--signed, and they would thereby save considerable \time'at".fu-.. turn hearings of appeals.

Sir Robert' Stout' is -'to deliver ' aii address on "War or Peace?"-, at 7 o'clock' to-niorr'dw evening in fne Unitarian Church.''