LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3030, 17 March 1917, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The decision to increase the price of daily nowspapers will take effect so far as Wellington is concerned from April 2. Au intimation to that effect is published by the three city papers this morning, tho selling price of tho papers being fixed at 2d. per copy. Our readers no doubt havo noted that throughout the'world there has been a» enor, mous increase in the price of news printing paper since tho war, and also a shortage in supplies that lias- made it at times a matter of uncertainty as to how long publioation on existing lines could be maintained. In New Zealand, in spite of the heavy advance in prices, the daily papers have continued to publish at the old rates, but the time bas now arrived when an inoreaso in price can be no longer avoided.

Tho Postal Department advise that in future it is not intended to advertise the time of closing of mails for Australia. The public Bhould post their mail "matter for Australia as soon as it is ready, and it will be. forwarded by first opportunity.

A proposal is being made to the Defence Minister (Sir James" Allen) that reservists of the Second Division should be permitted to be medically examined at once, without waiting until they are called up in the ballot. Mr. L. M. Isitt, M.P., of Christcnurch, is in Wellington at present with the objectof interviewing the Defence Minister on tho subject. It is contended on behalf of tho proposal that if it_is adopted it will relieve many men of tho Second Division of needless anxiety, and will also obviate a great deal of unnecessary dislocation of trade and industry.

The Minister of Agriculture publishes in the Gazette an amended notification regarding tho purchase of sheepskins on behalf of the Imperial Government. It is now laid down as a rule that for all services rendered by a Government broker as agent for the seller the broker shall bo entitled to charge the seller sucb such commission or other remuneration as may be in accordance with the established custom of tho trade in the locality' irrespective of .whether, iu accordance with that custom, the' commission has hitherto been payable by tho buyer or the seller.

To-day'is St. Patrick's Day. and according to custom the festival will bo observed, as a holiday ..by- tho' banks and Government offices. .The- Irish people in the community have prepared to mark the occasion with 60ine fitting national celebrations, including .a procession, and.sports meeting at Newtown Park. In the evening there will be an Irish • national, concert in 'the Town Hall. A Civil Service bowling tournament will also he held...dunng the day.

'To show their appreciation of the late Mr. David Gage's many good qualities, the members of the Porieke Football Club, assisted by other friends and admirers, have placed a solid block of Italian marble at the head of his grave in the Karori cemetery. The stone is inscribed _as follows:—"To the memory of David Richmond Gage, lnemasr of the Maori Football Team, 1888-9, and N.Z. Representative Footballer. Born January 11, 1868. Died October 12, 1916. Erected by Ponoke F.C. and Friends." Of tho 26 members of the Maori team which went to England, only eight are now alive. These include Messrs. W. T. Wynyard (Wellington) and H. Wynyard (Petono), and Constable Geo. Williams (Seddon, Marlborough).- •

The sudden cutting off of supplies of coal, particularly from the Northern Coal Company's mine at Hikurangi, has (an. Auckland . exchange reports) .enforced the closing down; of several largo industries, the head offices of ■which are in Auckland. The Now Zea-. land Paper.Mills,.Ltd,, have, had'.their., mills- at-Riverhead;.closed for .a fortnight,, and at'-another' mill, on . the. coasfc'the. wheels of industry have, been at a itandstiir'"for three .'weeks. Tho. severity o£ the 'conditions was made, all the more acute by reason of the fact that the cause was unforse<m. Consequently the companies, which were using .450 and 1500 tons of coal re- - spectiyely per month, were deficient of supplies, and endeavours to secure such have been, unavailing.

An admirable but premature warlike spirit has been, exhibited by a Maori youth of 17 years, who recently was sent from his home on the East Coast to be placed at St. Stephen's School at Parnell. He arrived in Auckland

on Saturday last, but instead of reporting himself at tho school BO found Ms way to the Narrow Neck camp, where he carried out a previously-ex-pressed intention of offering himself for active service. His youth, however, was a barrier to the carrying out of this praiseworthy object. The following tenders have been accepted by the Public Service Stores Tender Board:—4oo ironbark poles, J. A. Redpath and Sons, Ltd., • Christchurch, £458 6s. Bd,; 300 ironbark poles, J. A. Redpath and Sons, Christchurch, £435; 200 ironbark poles. J. W. .Wallace, and Co., Wellington, £395; 200 ironbark poles, J. W. Wallace and Co., Wellington, £93 6s Bd.; 150 ironbark poles, J. W. Wallace and C 0.,.' Wellington, £116 55.;, 150 ironbark poles, J. A. Eswpath and Sons, Christchurch, £240; two gross satchels, letter-oarriers, W. J. Heape, Auckland, £345.. 125..; one million envelopes, R. J. Seddon and Co., Wellington, £375; 51,1401b. of grass seed, Barraud and Abraham, Palmerston North, £2052; 6350 electric lamps, A. and T. Burt, Ltd., Wellington, £268 il7s. Id.

How a ratepayer secured a vote at a local body\election was elicited in cross-examination in a case heard in the country recently (says an oxchange). The ratepayer was in arrears with his rates, and knowing that he would not be allowed to vote, he sent his wife with a cheque for the amount to the clerkof the local body.

He was allowed to vote, although it was too late to pay tho cheque into the bank. The next morning when the cheque was presented it was found that payment had been stopped.

"There is no doubt that the city corporations in New Zealand have not looked after the health of the community to the same extent as the authorities in America," said the Chief Justice, Sir Robert Stout, at *e Supreme Court iu Auckland, in tho course of the hearing of a claim for compensation for the acquisition of a property under the Public Works Act, 1908. The question under discussion was the desirability and conveniencg of having a. stable in the heart of ifiecity. His Honour said' that in some cities in the United States, notably Washington, tho local authorities refused to permit premises in the city, to be used for stable purposes. In consequenco typhoid fever and infectious- diseases were utmost entirely unknown. He suggested that it would bo wisdom on the part of the city corporations in the Dominion if they followed the lead gi?en in America

It is a well-known fact, says the Dur.edin "Star," that men of the Chinese race in this countiy, ami probably in all other countries, invariably follow tho habit of the traditional misor and hoard up their mon»y eithor in their premises or on thejr person rather than entrust it to hanks cr other financial institutiors. Tho police often havo instancos of this brought under their notice, one such being in connection with tho caso of a China-

man vho was charged in tho Dunedin City Polico Court oji Tuesday niornirig *ith an assault on a polico officer. AVhon soarched this man was found to have sown into bis vest a sum of £892 in notes, of largo denomination, .

Residents of Clyde were startled from their slumbers early on Sunday morning by a loud report (says a southern paper). Investigation showed that tho camp of an elderly man named James Harris (employed by the Public Works Department) was on fire, and that an explosion of oier half a box of gelignite (between 30 and 40 plugs) had taken place. The occupant of the tent, who was sound) asleep when the explosion took place, only received slight injury to a leg. ?Ie suffered a severe shock, hut, now an inmate of tho Dunstan Hospital, is .progressing favourably. It is. surmifced that the firo took place through a candle being left burning. The gelignite was stored on a shelf over the bed in which Harris was sleeping, but the fact that the roof of calico offered little resistance is no doubt responsible- for the man's miraculous escape. Properly distributed there was sufficient explosives to blow up the biggest building in the town.

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday, the two charges laid under the AntiShouting Regulations were adjourned.' One will he heard on Monday and the other on Friday of the coming week.

The' Wellington Savage Club has decided to commence its season on the evening of Saturday, April 21. Koreros will be held every fortnight from that dato throughout the winter.

Only seven ratepayers voted for the proposed loan of £1000 for road improvements at Plimmerton, ,-Hutt County. There were thirty-six votes against the proposal, which was. therefore lost.

At the Auckland Police Court, a young man named John Hugh' Hall was committed for trial on a charge of bigamy, it being alleged that while then married he went through the form of marriage with Rita Sharp. Accused when arrested was found hiding under a box in Ponsonhy.—Press Assn.

The importation into New Zealand of the publications "The Delineator and "Tho Masses" is- prohibited by Order-iu-Council gazetted last night. "A warrant officer, writing from Sling Camp, Bulford, England, endorses tho reports about the number of old and physically incompetent men that are bc-inc sent to England with the Reinforcements, and confesses that ho cannot understand the methods of tho authorities concerned here, for tho expense of keeping such men in camp and then sending them to England,from where thoy will have' to- be sent hack, must bo enormous. Our informant, who received tho letter, states that his officer friend says that some-" where in the vicinity of 30 per cent,of the men now beine sent forward are beinc rejected as "unfit for France." For weeks past, says the Bluff "Press," tho Natives have beehpreparing for their annual excursion to the mutton-bird island?, .and the first party left Bluff- on Saturday. All tho parties should be under way, by March 20. High prices are, anticipated for this year's catch, owing to an order being put on the market for 40,000 birds at 7d.or Bd. for guarantees.

The charges of perjury in connection with the Eua trial in Auckland, will open at Hamilton before Mr. Justice Hosking on Monday.—Press Association. *

'It is'stated that instances of pilfer-' ing of fruit in transit on the railways are by no means uncommon just now. : A Wellington resident received last Monday a case of fruit which had been dispatched to him from Hastings on. Saturday morning. On examination after arrival the case bore evidences of having been broached, and it was found that approximately eight pounds of fruit had been taken from it. Proof of this was furnished by tho fact that the void made by the removal of the ■stolen fruit had been filled up with a Wellington newspaper of Saturday's date, which could not have been in Hastings at the time, the fruit waspacked. -.- .-.■•-■;-. v . r --.-.•;.; :. :•■

The Waterside 'Workers' Band will play at Newtown'Park'at - 8 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

Messrs. Baldwin, and Rayward,' Patent Attorneys and Consulting Engineers, of 215 Lambton Quay, ■ Wellington, report that recently they acted as a cents in filing in New- Zealand ;— N, J. Daysh, Carterton, milking machine; G. Betulander, Sweden, telephones; Vulcan Foundry Co., Lancaster, riveting machine; C. Gray, Pahatanui, mess tin; R. Merry, Auckland, treating leather; T. Matthews, Auckland, spraying oils; W. Thomson, Auckland, door stop; R. Ashcroft, Auckland, fumigating apparatus; P. Ellis, Auckland, water motor; G. Butta, Auckland, . scuttle; J. Owens, Pine Grove, pouring liquids; J. Wilhide, Wellington, deep breathing; W. Poninghouse, Wellington, distilling water; S. Burridge, Petone, scudding pelts.

The silent flexibility of the. Hudson Super Six is a thing to marvel at. This car is without exception the most silent car on the road.. Correct balance and weight distribution, together with a coach-built body and. an ideal springing system make the Hudson Super Sis the easiest riding car on N.Z. roads. The Dominion Motor VehioleS have the latest model on view at 65 Courtenay Place, and will be pleased to demonstrate to you if you-will call, ""phone, or.Write them.—Advt. . • Notwithstanding' continual rises in price of leather, we can still quote good, stout Men' 6 Boots at 19s. 6d., 245. 6d;, 275. 6d., and 38s. Geo; Towlds,' Ltd:— Advt.