LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3009, 21 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"Truly, wo livo ,in a. time of high pressuro and luxury," said; Mr. R. W. Holmes at yesterday's meetipg of the Socioty of Civil Engineers. "Are we any bettor off," ho continued, /"and, what concerns us most,. are wo anyhappier? I.am certain that wo," are not, because I firmly believe that the minds of the thinking members of the community, upon whom its welT-being" depends, will not stand the strain of modem business methods, and therefore the average'length of the useful part of a man's life will bo materially shortened." • Passengers by trains passing Troutham Camp have recently-observed tho framework of a to.wer, surmounted by a cross, showing above the roofs of the camp. This is for tho tower which is being built .on tho ..Church of. Englatid Institute to take the camp clock, and to provide an additional chaplain's room. Tlio work is going on steadily, and beforo long .the' soldiers will bo able to see what o'clock it is by simply glancing at their town clock. A funny incident occurred in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon during tho heaving, of tho case against Victor 15(1 gar Segal. One of the witnesses, a Jew, when called, stepped into .the witness-box catrying under his arm a dictionary. Ho laid the hook down very carefully in front of him. Prior to being sworn ho placed his hat on his head as is usual with men of his faith, and the court orderly, picking up the diotionary, placed it in his hands, and proceeded ,to repeat tho words of tho Jowish oath. The witness was apparently duly sworn, but Mr. Mazengarb, who was appearing for tho defence,' remarked to t.ne orderly, "You are swearing him on a dictionary, are you not?" "No," replied tho orderly, "that's his Bible." , Tho court becamo hilarious when it was discovered that it was $io. secular.volume that had been used. The oath had to bo taken over again. An interesting reference to tho telephone was madfe by Mr. R. W. Holmes at the annual meeting of 'the Society of Civil Engineers yesterday. "The' telephone," ho said, "is more' partial to the Maori language than tho English, as a. Maori is able to converse over a long-distance faulty line /which Lwould he, quite useless .to fen Englishman'. The terminal vowel sounds of all Maori syllables and words art evidently easier to transmit than the mixed terminals of English words." During the last week of January an Auckland-owned yacht—the Mabel—left Auckland for Nelson, where shofgoes to her new owner, Mr. Dick, of-Mo-' tueka. The Mabel arrived in port late, yesterday, and proceeded -to the Boat Harbour, from whence she will later go on, to'the South Island. The 551 miles the small vessel has so far completed were covered without accident. Mr. R. ,W. Holmes, at yesterday's meeting of the Society of Civil Engineers, made the following observation regarding technical reference books in the Dominion: —"There are. large numbers of engineering and other technical works scattered through the various public libraries in Wellington, and also in othef parts of the Dominion, and in private libraries whoso owners may have little use for them. These volumes are now prjictioally lost; but they would be' extremely valuable if collected, properly _ catalogued, and housed in one accessible place to which < responsible persons could resort." The fire brigade yesterday afternoon received a call to the Lambton Railway Station, • where an outbreak of fire had occurred in a kerosene store, near the gas generator, luckily, the blaze was extinguished before it spread or, did any serious damage. The manner in which engineers are appointed by local bodies was the subject of a report by the president of the New Zealand l Society of Civil Engineers at tho annual meeting yesterday. Tho usual procedure, lie said, was for applicants to bo dealt with by tho members of. local authorities, who wero by no means qualified to deal with them. It was\ advisable to_ secure, if possible, that piich applications should bo submitted reputable engineers for selection. This procedure had boon adopted in Wellington in regard to an appointmont connected with" tho present drainago scheme. In this case the experiment had been a great success. The council had, concluded the president decided to circularise tho local bodies simply ma'king tho suggestion that they act in tho direction proposed. The silent flexibility of tho Hudson Super Six is a thing to marvel at. This car is without exception tho most silent car on the road. Correct balance and woight distribution, together with a. coach-built body and tin ideal springing system make the Hudson Super Six tho 'easiest riding car on N.Z. roads. The Dominion Motor Vehicles Ircvo tlio bites!: model on view at G."i Courlcnay Place, and will bo pleased to demonstrate ' to. you if you will call, 'phono, or jmto them.—AdH,

Tho Tfinaru South School Committee has declined to accede to the request of the Canterbury Education Board to reconsider its decision to resign as a protest against the action of the Department in refusing to provide additional room at the school, as recommended by the Chief Inspector and Health Office. The committee say they are being treated like a lot of school children.—Press Assn. A woman named Mrs. Ryan, aged 75, residing at 38 Frederick Street, was admitted to the Hospital yesterday suffering from a fractured collarbone, as the result of a fall. Tho City Organist, Mr. Bernard Page, yosterday afternoon gave a short recital for the entertainment of members of tho New Zealand Society of Engineers. A. remit from Taranaki \ regarding military service gave rise to considerable discussion at tho annual meeting of the Society of Civil Engineers yesterday. The remit suggested, in brief, that the Government bo Urged to give civil engineers enlisting an opportunity of becoming commissioned or non-1 commissioned officers in some branch of the sorvico for which their professional qualifications specially suited them. Extremely divergent views were expressed by members with respect to tho position of oivil engineers going into camp, but tho remit was finally adopted in a modified .form, which reads as follows:—"That in view of tho early balloting of men of tho Second Division, tho Defence authorities be urged _to make the best possible use of the civil engineers who shall bo cither balloted or shall have volunteered, by giving them tho opportunity of serving either as commissioned or non-commissioned officers, or otherwise in tho engineers, artillery, or other technical branches suitable for qualified enginoors." Tho chairman suggested that if a deputation waited upon tho Minister and

placed the .matter before him, it might receive somo attention. The Conciliation Council has como to an agreement on all matters in. dispute between the Wellington Carpenters and 'their'employers, except the matter.of wages. The following exemptions have beon made:—Wellington Harbour Board and Wellington Hospital Board, under the conditions of the old award; Wellington City Council, in respect to the Tramways Departmentj the Gear Meat Company and the AVelhngton'Meat Export Company, each in respect of five permanent employees; who are subject to the conditions set out in tho old award. Tho new agreement will contain., a disputes clause aid an Traderrate workers clause

Tho Wellington Patriotic Society Band will play at Newtown Park at 8 o'clock this evening. • • The patriotic eel-drive at Lake Ellesmere on Sunday evening (says the Christclrurch ' "Sum"), was a great success, and resulted in tho capture of a ton of eels, which will bo frozen and sent to Belgium. .Interesting medical testimony as to the danger of lying with the head exposed to tho strong rays of the sun was given by Dr. C. E.' A. Coldicutt at tho Auckland Supromo Court last week, in the course of tho hearing of a charge of * attempted 1 murder-. It was stated by various witnesses that the accused person had been lying in the sun on tho deck of a launch, and it was inferred by medical witnesses that as a consequence ho was suffering from partial sunstroke. Tlio effect of sunstroke was described by Dr. Coldicutt. He said that constant exposure of- the head to the strong sun's rays produced congestion of the cerebral cortex—the outward part of the brain. Congestion like that described was blown to produce an epileptic form and condition during the period of which tho subject was likely to commit a purposeful act uuconsciously and h'avo no subsequent knowiedgo of the ait. During the period of thiß form of insanity it frequently happened' that tho person affected would- attack those near and dear to him. AVhen congestion of tho cerebral cortex set in one glass of beer or intoxicating liquor was sufficient to aggravate and intensify tho congestion.. . Speaking at Holy Trinity. Church, Avonside/ou Sunday morning, of tho contrast between thoso who were fighting tho battles of tho Empiro aheld and thoso who stayed in almost unsacrificing' pleasure. and comfort at home, the Rev. Otho <Fitzgerald said: ' I am not one of thoso who say we must give lip all' ploasuro. I would go a step farther, and- stato that at the present moment wo need;a certain amount of recreation—in order to boar the strain and the anxiety which this present war has brought upon us. Bufii when I sco the picture theatres on a Saturday afternoon with rows ot waiting people before them, I wonder if peqplo are really caring—whether thoy realise it all. But—wo must not sit in, judgment."- '■ . At the 'Auckland Police Court yesterday 1 ;, William M'Lcod, who, on Jariar.v 25, was fined £25 for betting on the street, was fined £60, with £10 war tax for betting oh the Takapnna Racecourse on January 29.-—Press Association. • '■'.''.'■' "No-Eubbing" Laundry Help, popularly known as the Abolisher of Washboard Slavery, continues to onthuse Wellington ladies, storekeepers, merchants, and the Legislative Council. The "Thinker" note-book is given free with every Is. package of "No-Rubbing. '— Advt. . -•■■• '..