LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2972, 9 January 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Postal authorities advise that tho mails which left New Zealand on November 28, via Vancouver, arrived in London on January 6.

Three mails f ro'ni. England. and the Continent havo arrived in Wellington all iri a bunch. By,tho Riverina from 'Sydney yesterday afternoon an Australian and an English, mail via Suez arrived, and by tho Main Trunk express yesterday afternoon the Wellington portion of tlio mail from the Niagara arrived. Both these- were sorted, last evening, and will go out by this moming's, delivery. By tho Auckland express this morning tho mails from England and, the Continent, including tho soldiers' mail.from the wrecked vessel Maitai, will also arrive here, .but it is doubtful •if this inail will bo in timo for the morning delivery, and will probaby be distributed this afternoon.

Althought 50 per cent. of. the eligible officers of the Post, and Telegraph Departmpnfc havo enlisted, the Departs lnent has not yet applied for the exoinpliion of any of its men except -wireless operators, and il; was a Tequost of the Imperial authorities that skilled wireless men' should bo excused from general military service.

Among the recruits wlio have entered camp recently is at least one objector, conscientious or otherwise. This recruit was drawn in the ballot, and he responded to tlio call ou tlio day of mobilisation; but when lie arrived at tlio camp ho refused to wear the uniform or to take tho oatli. Recruits who havo taken.iip a similar atiitudo in the United Kingdom havo had to choose between confinement in the ordinary prisons itnd work in road-mak-ing and mending gangs ufc military rates of pay. *

Tho extraordinary behaviour of _ a man occupying tb.6 dock iu th\e Magistrate's Court yesterday morning led to his being remanded for a week .for medical observation. Hβ made no comment when tbo charges against him were read; and • lie entered no plea. Instead, ho solemnly plaped the thumb of Hie right baud against the point of his nose, and, extending his fingers, included tho whole Court in an unhurried salute. He repeated the process shortly, iii tlio most imperturbable manner, and was then escorted by tho police to the prisonors' room.

Tho mobilisation of tho Twonty-fifth Reinforcements will begin to-day. The drafts from the Wellington Military District will enter camp first, and will be followed, by the other drafts in the usual order. Tho mobilisation will be completed on Saturday or Sunday. The extent of the shortage in the_ Twentyfourth- Reinforcements, last week, has not been announced officially. Tho figures may not bo available until this week's drafts have entered cairip.

Some of tho soldiers who returned by the Riverina yesterday had been in Egypt for nearly two years, and although they had been recently ill, their complexions were still coloured deeply by the Egyptian sun. Tho men stated that life with tho Mounted Biflo Brigade had not been monotonous. The Brigade had been constantly on tho move, and raest of them had scon a fair amount of fighting of .1 desultory character. They left Egypt before the big "push" to El Arisli, but it had been reported that a move of that nature was in prospect, and tho troops had been looking forward eagerly to another brush with tho Turks. One man offered the personal opinion that tho enemy would not again attack the Canal in force. Tho garrison was very strong indeed, and tho wide stretch of desert that bad to Hβ crossed before the Turks could reach the Canal appeared to bo an insuperable obstacle, in view of the. fact that heavy transport was necessary lor. guns and supplies. Tho capture of El Arisli and oilier advanced positions by. the British troops would increase tho difficulties of attack.

The, sparks from tlio engine of a Christchurch-Culverden train woro responsible for many firos and much damage .yesterday. At Sefton and Balcairn grass paddocks woro swept, and near Ambe.rloy Mr. A. Payno lost, a Ave-ioomcd house, thirty acres of wheat, ton acres of oats, and fifteen acres of sectl; mid Messrs. M'Adam Bros, lost twenty acres of wheat. Msesrs. Todtl Bros.' thrashing mill was only saved by baek-firino:. The progress of tho firo was stayed hy the Knwai River. Tho damago would probably have been creator, only for the pfforls of nil those present at tho Amberley slock salr, vim rushed to tho seene in motor-ears and other crmvovawe<=, and Vioarlor] Hin flnmos o(V in tho middle of Messrs. M'Adam Bros.' oat orop.—Press Associa-tioo.

The following temporary' appointments aro approved of by the Camp Commandant at : Trentham -.—Headquarters Staff—Sergt.D. K. Porter,, to bo Quartermaster-Sergeant; Corpls. J. Dorungs and G. AV. Taylor, to be Ser-geant-Cooks ; Ptos. P. Mnlcahy and J. Clements, to bo Sanitary Police, with rank of Corporal.

Tho Lower Hutt Fire Brigade received a'call at 9.30 yesterday morning to a fire in a washhouse detached from a residence occupied by Mr. H. E. Franklin, and owned by Mr. B. P. Bunny, on the Main Road, Lower Hutt. Tho shed was considerably damaged, and tho contents destroyed. Mr. C. King, who was staying with Mr. Franklin, lost clothing and effects -to the amount of about £15, which was not covered by insurance. Mrs. Franklin lost about £10 worth of clothing and goods, which, though covered by a policy of £200 while in the house, are understood not to he coyored in tho detached shed. The shed itself was insured, hut for what amount was not know" i-'st night.

The Kwaibera of the Wellington Provincial Industrial Association aro being invited by the General Committee of the association to contribute towards a scientific research fund. In a circular to members tho secretary (Mr. H. F. Men) says:—"Members of the General Committee of the 'Wellington Provincial Industrial Association have been giving considerable attention to the vory important matter of scientific xesearoh as affecting tho manufactures of tho country. One thing which tho present war has taught us is that much has to bo learnt by our manufacturer with regard to the utilisation of byproducts, and the acquiring of scientifio knowledge for in many ways overcoming certain difficulties in connection with manufacturing. Professor T. H. Easterfiel.d has been appealed to,_ and he has kindly intimated that ho will be pleased, personally, to. call upon any manufacturing member of tho association, and to hear from him concerning any trouble -which he' may bo encountering, regarding various processes m connection with his particular lnaiiufacture. Tho professor has assured us that he Trill ho vory willing indeed to havo scientific research undertaken. Members of tho General Committee, recognising what an important gam this would bo to manufacturers, havo adopted a recommendation of a subcommittee which was appointed to go into the matter with Professor Easterfield. Tlie recommendation is that the Wellington Provincial Industrial Association should contribute for the first year a sum'of £50 to tho Victoria College, for tho purpose of contributing towards tho cost of procuring necessary scientific apparatus." •

One result of tlio record rainfall in Victoria this spring has ' (says the "Ago") been a record plague of mosquitoes. Every unoccupied piece of flat surface about the suburbs of Melbourne has had its pool of water, and these pools havo formed ideal breed-ing-places for the mosquitoes, which hatfe multiplied by tho thousands and tons of thousands unchecked. Curiosity lias been aroused by the appearance oE two unusual species-rone sea-green in colour, the obher with dark spots on wings, lighter in shade than the ordinary variety. The bites of. _ this speckled mosquito are unusually poisonous, causing Revere swellings and an irritation that ordinary, antidotes fail to relieve, and remaining painful ror several days. Afc the Zoo animals and visitors alike wero suffering from a myriad mosquitoes, when Mr. Tj. bquer, the director, ordered tho gardeners to pour' small quantities of >joser>e .on every pool that had no wildfowl living on it. The mortality among mosquitoes was as great as it wwaloMf the bed of the Panama Canal when, it was discovered how simply that region of death, could bo turned into an ideal working zone. , • ■' c ii.« . Already, thanks to the raising of tlio walls and the stopping of tho sanddrift, the ontranco to tbo port has considerably improved, says a. Taranaki paper, hi reforrme to the harbour improvements at Fatea, and -mm future should see a still further, improvement, as tho amount of sand scoured out now far exceeds that entering the river. Seeing that the total value of tho cheese exported annually from the port is already well over a lr.illion pounds, everything possible should bo done to improve the facilities for shipping. The board, with the assistance of tho i engineer, has accomplished some Rood work during tho past twelvo months, and should havo something still better to show before the end of 1917.

News has been received in Fiji (reports the Sydney "Daily , Telegraph's correspondent) that a German trader at Apia, Samoa, wEch is occupied by tno military forces of Nev' Zealand, lias beon summarily dealt with by the local Court for flying the German flag. The German is the manager of a station owned by a British firm. He recently held a social gathering, wtacb. was attended by many of Jus countrymen As a result, of the convivial meeting, lie hoisted tho Gorman flag at the'flagstaff, and refused to take it down when requested. The military guard appeared on the scene,, tho flag was hauled down, and all the' Germans concerned were arrested. At jrabsequent Court proceedings tho principal offender was sentenced to two weeks imprisonment. It is reported that tlie Administrator (Colonel Logan) expressed the opinion that if liehad been m Germany and 3bno likewise he would have been shot. As a result of this caso the premises of the German were searched, and_ a supply of arms and ammunition discovered. As long ago as December, 1915, it was ordered that all urns and ammunition were to bo lianded over to tho military authorities.

A clever surgical feat has been performed at a. Manchester Red Cross Hospital on a private in the King's Own Lancaster Regiment. Whilst in action the man had a portion of his jaw shot away. Iα order to restore him as nearly ns possible to his normal condition, a piece of rib, about three inches long, lias been cut away and grafted on to what remained of the jaw. Tho patient was stated to bo "doing very well."

A Press Association message from Napier states that tho s.s. Port Chalmers, which was to load 14,000 carcasses of mutton, left that port without cargo yesterday owing to a -ivateraiders' strike. Tho meu demanded «a gang of ton instead of eight to work tho freezing chamber, aud. the domnnd was refused.

The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. W. H. Hagger) presided yesterday at a meeting of the Conciliation Council to deal with tho Wellington pullers' dispute. Messrs. W. 11. Tripe, Samuel Burridgo, and A. Jarman acted as assessors for tho employers, tho "Wellington fellmougers; and Messrs. Herbert Bowler, John Bairstow, aJio George Wright acted for tho union. A complete agreement was cjitorod into, the main points of which aro that a 5 per cent, war bonus is to be paid to the men during the continuation ot the war, and three months thereafter; that cortaiu, additional Holidays are to bo allowed, and that a rato of Is. per dozen skins is to be paid for work dono on Sundays and holidays, -ine other clauses in tho agreemont are substantially as before. 'The award is binding upon all employers Within a radius of twenty miles of the G.P.0., Wellington, and it comes into force on January 11 next, and remains in force until July 31, 1919.

The Hon. James Allen, Minister, of Defence, staled at Dunedin last evening that ho had received \rord that tbo 19th Reinforcements, which have not yet reached their destination, are all well.—Press Association,

The "Dorset County Chronicle" reports the case of a Swanage soldier whoso father and three brother.? have been killed at tho front, while ma mother and sister were killed in tbe course of an air raid "somewhere in> England." The- soldier himself has been wounded three times, and was onco reported missing.

"Tho only attraction I can offer you 1 apart from the tournament," said Col. R. J. Collins, president of tho Dominion Bowling Association, in opening tho tournament yesterday, "is one wliich I havo secured with considerable difficulty aud expense. This is a total; eclipso of the moon, which I have arranged for 7.34 o'clock this_ evening, but have arranged that the light shall he switched on again at 10 o'clock." (Laughter and applause.)

Tho nicknames tho Tommy bestows upon tho engines of war at tho front are notorious, and several of fflsm, sucli as "Jack Johnson," "Coalbox"," "Tanks," etc., hare already passed into'; tho currency of our common speech; : bub tho nicknames he confers -upon his comrades ore perhaps not so well known. That a man whoso patronynue is Murphy should be more commonly called "Spud" is understandable, bub why the Harrises should bo mostly dis--tiimiished by the prefix "Shiner" is. less patent. It is a little obscure, too, why all Clarkes should bo "Nobby," and most Lees "Budger." Should a man's name be Wilson, ho will hardly escape the added cognomen of "Tug, any more than a Bird will'fail to Oβ christened "Dickey," or a' Gray "Dolly"—unless he happen- to havesandy hair, in which case ho will snare tho epithet "Ginger" with'.■ everyone else of similar colour. A Doyle could, no more avoid being known as "Paddy" than an Evans or a Richards "Taffy*" or a Forbes or an Ogilvio "Jock'.'" That a Jlacdonald should be dubbed "Hector" is natural, but why •uost mites should be "Shoggy" is a mystery. • j '.. A correspondent of the "Spectator , , , calls attention to the striking suggestion of dugouts, aeroplanes, submarines, and steel nets in Amos ix, 2, 3It struck him with peculiar force when ho read ■ the announcement, "Mount Carmel in German hands." The words of Amos aro.—"Though they dig into hell, thence shall niino hand tafco them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down; and though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel I will search and take them out thence; and though they he hid from my light in the bottom of the sea, thenco will I command the serpent, aud lie shall bite them."

A case of interest to railway traveller's and persons using week-end ticket* was Heard at the MagistratesCourt, Auckland. Aα Auckland clerk was charged alternatively with having; travelled on the railway without -having previously paid the proper fare, contrary to the by-laws of the Aew Zealand Government Railways under tho Government Railways Act, 19Ub; •and that, being a person holding a. ticket- issued for travelling for specific purposes, he used the ticket for another purpose, contrary to the by-laws guoted. Mr. S. Mays appeared for tlio Department, and Mr. A. DonnlSton for the defendant, who formally plead' ed guilty. Mr. Mays pointed out that the chief object, of the prosecution was to make it perfectly clear to the public that thoso travelling' on week-end tickets could not break their journey on route to the station to which they had taken tho ticket, or on their return. Despito the fact that this limitation on week-end tickets had been extensively advertised both in the newspapers and ou railway, stations, there were numerous cases of persons endeavouring to avoid the conditions. It was stated further, by Mr. Mays thai the Railway Department's reason for forbidding the breaking of the journey,was tho perfectly good ono that thesetickets enabled dwellers in town, ana country to make » week-end journey at minimum cost, but the tickets, were not intended for commercial purposes. Tho commercial interests were profitmaking concerns, and could well afford to pay the ordinary rates. If breaking tie journey was permitted, there was grave likelihood that week-end tickets would be extensively used for commercial purposes. Tho object or the prosecution was not punishment, but for the information of tho travel-, ling , public. Defendant was convicted on ono charge, and ordered to pay costs. Tho altemativo chargo was withdrawn.