LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3037, 26 March 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

There are 7548 names on the register of the /Returned Soldiers' Information Department. Of this very largo number of men only 113 are in.need- of work. These include one man at Pal-, mereton North, one at Marten, five at Napier, three afc Dannevirke, ono in Wairarapa, and five in Wellington. ■ 'A parade of Old Boys of the Otago Boys High School and friends will be held'at the Drill Hall, Buckle Street, this evening, for the purpose of sounding' "The Last Post'* to the memory of Lieut, a. Howe, N.Z.P.A., and Bflmn. L. 11. Bremner, both of whom have been , killed in action '.Members of D Battery Reserve will parado at the Drill -Hall-, at the same time for Bounding "The; Last Post" -in memory of Lieut Howe. Nominations for : - the Wellington' municipal elections close at 5 a clock to-morrow evening. A survoy party is now engaged in subdividing for settlement by discharged soldiers an area 6f about oUUU. acres of Crown land in the Upper Opouri district, in the northern t>V*ion of Marlborough. The area is bushi country that has been traversed by the Marlborough Sawmilling Company, and it is suitable for dairy farming. Cries for help late on Saturday night attracted -the attention of a Harbour Board official, who on looking into the harbour s:v* a man struggling to roach tho wharf. Tbo man, who was a pasBonger on thn Pateena, .was hauled on to the wharf little the worse lor his ducking. ' The Christian Temperance Convention at Auckland, in view of the proposed referendum ' at Ohakune as to whether picture shows should open on. Sunday, had protested, on physical, ! moral,' and spiritual grounds, agauiso the extension of Sunday labour and the secularisation of the Day or Best.—• ! Pxesa km*

The present' Mayor of Onslow (Mr. C. C. Crump)hasagreed to nomination for the coming election, and tlJp following have consented to; be nominated for the office of councillor:—Khandallali Ward—Messrs. fEdward, Cowles, George Finn, and .F. W.. Mansfield. .Ngaio Ward—Messrs. William Watts, L. A. Browne, and H. Brenton-Rule. These have all expressed themselves as being in favour of a water service heing obtained as, soon 'as possibl.e for the

unsiow uorougn. - ■ Tlie Hon. Arthur M. Myors, Minister in Charge of Munitions and Supplies, states that the Advisory Board for Military Purchase lias complotod contracts for the, supplies for the-New Zealand Expeditionary Forces for the present year.-. 3?he contracts, which are for clothing and bootSj New Zealandmade, amount iil value to the sum of £200,000. Hβ further states that no tender has been accepted from , any person or firm which has'been convicted of wilfully breaking the terms of former contracts, and as there is no sub-letting of contracts the offending firms will not.be able to .get round this prohibition. -,\ ';"'. ' . , . .

The annual report of the Workers' Educational Association., Wellington Oentro, contains ithe following., paragraph:—"The Central Council desires to place on record its .high appreciation of, the' voluntary labours of : Mr. D. Stanley Smith, to whom; as one of the founders, and first secretary of, the W.E.A., the success of the movement in Wellington is mainly due."\Mr: Smith is at present a.member of the forces. '" ' .. : ■■•-.■' ,• .. .

The chairroan of v the, Island Bay School Committee has received/the following letter -from the British Minister's office, No. 10 Downing ': Street,. London, dated February 9 last:—Dear sir,—Mr.'Lloyd George desires mo to thank you for your letter of December 14 last, and to ask that you will be, so good as to convey, to the committee, tbe teaching'staff and the children of the (Island Bay, School his warm appreciation of their kind, message .ot encouragement.. Such a message from'.the. overseas -TJotnihions who'have done 'so much for , the Country\is very helpful to the Piirne Minister.- in the difficult; task that" lies-.before .him.TYo'.irs faithfully, F. li. Steveris'on.',^ , : ''.'."

■The, Hawera. Dairy Company's ; Tβavhiti Branch cheese, factory and creamery were completelyhdostroyed by- fire at midnight last night (states a Press Association- ~icss6S.-;o)v - .Nothing' was saved except the 'vbey' taflk and the men's cottage'./..Tho. fire is believed to have originated -:in : -the-' : boiler-room. Part .of the, ; f ajctbry. was twenty' years old. The cheese factory! was'"' insured for £550' and the ■machinery,, for; £375 in the Phoenix office'; the creataery'for , £175 in the Phoenix; and the machinery for £307 in the'. . State office. •■

A writ has been issued on behalf of the widow of- Hay.wood, claiming £2000: damages- from ..the. Union- Steam Ship Company. , -, The, deceased, a. crane- , driver employed'by the defendant com-: pany, whs killed on the.jiight of Thursday, March 1, by falling down the hold of the s.s. Manuka.:in, ; the port,of 'Wellington.' ■ .The'plaintiff avers .that Vibe accident was. due'to 'the defective condition of the ship, ::in that ..the| le'dgo provided for the support of the, hatches was defective. The case will-be heard at the■ May'.sessions of the Supremi) .Court. .".''• .''.'.■■■ '.

■For some time,past the city-iaiithori-ties have experienced considerable difficulty in,obtaining adequate.supplies, of good metal for street foririation andrepair work, and have been on tha lookout ; for.' depq sits that • would meet • the. city's requirements as to'.quality and economicdelivery... After -going. care : fully, the. Oity. Engineer . at .length tne purchase of Siessra. Mace and Nicholson's quarry in the Ngahauranga-, Gorge'. The Mayor (Mr. J. P, Luke) stated to a Dosunion reporter, oh,.' Saturday that the. metal from this quarry was; of a very good class, but owing to having, to take their turn : in getting supplies with other local bodies they could.not, at all times get as fnuoh as the."city required for its street-,Syorks, ; aiidi:-]io-w. that the care of the Hutt Boa<Uwas Vested in the city it was doubly (neces-| sary that a ' supply, of good ■.metal should be available, and that;af as convenient n point..of access, .as. possible to the city. .This, he was sure-had been attiined by the acquisition <?f this property, lyhich, would .relieve' tho difficulties th& City''Engineer''had', hadl. to contend with, in the past by guaranteeing him a continuity of r supply.Some- improvements would be necessary in the working-arrangements at-+,he quarry, in' order to. get'' the metal out in as economical a mariner as possible, and thoße would bo effected as soon as was possible.- The quarry is said) to .he the best ia.the,-district, and supplies, have' been sent 'as. far-., as" :Tsiranaki from' the Gorge. ■' Its extent'• is-, very considerable.;-, and ..the'prospects; .are that as' itjisrdeveloped the;stone... will 'becomeVbetter than that which is hott being'quarried. ■'':)' .\:/. -• . ~; - .' ■ ''■ ■

First quality Linen Collars afrpre-war prices, 9d. each,.or4s.;3d. the half-dozen. Geo Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Strest.—Advt.