LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3056, 18 April 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

His Excellency the Governor will review the 25th Reinforcements . at Trentham on Friday morning.

Four dogs belonging to. the Shackleton Antarctic.Expedition ' which were recently taken to Sydney have been returned to Wellington, owing to there being no certificate from the authorities here giving them a clean bill of health. The dogs are perfectly healthy animals, and they ,were sent away, it is understood, without any attempt being made to get a certificate, owing to the dogs having been confined to Somes Island and the Aurora whilst in New Zealand water*. Tho dogs', which are all splendid specimens' of sledge-dogs, have now been secured for the Wellington Zoo, and will be on exhibition there from to-day. The Zoo has also been presented by 11. Drumford with an Arabian gazelle, a small but graceful little animal rarely seen in this part of the world.

Answering an interjection at the open-air meeting at Bataitai last night, Mr. R. A. Wright madte some reference to the Social Democratic Party. "This party had two wiiigs, one industrial and "the other political,"' he said. "The industrial wing had its headquarters in Brussels, and the political wing hadits headquarters in Berlin. It was a German organisation.' , When I came to study the situation I found that\ the two wings were closely united', and that the political branch was the dominant one. ■• The less said about^ the Social Democratic Party the .-better. The people of JJew .'Zealand will not stand a German organisation.

At the annual meeting.of the Wellington Rubgy football Union last evenin" the chairman,-Mr. D. D. Weir, reported'that evidence given before the Efficiency Board regarding the playing of football. It had.-been, pointed out to the board, that the union did not employ any labour,-that all matches were played on Saturday, that there was.no touring, and that the union always advised the boys to enlist voluntarily in. toe forces The board was further informed that the union did not intend allowing:any man over 20 years of age to play during the coming season "Our «!"»- tions," concluded! Mr. Weir, "were accepted as satisfactory,' and I don t think the board, will take any action to prevent our playing football this yeai In connection with one of the points mentioned by the meet, in" .decided that no person be allowed to"play football 'whose age.exceeds 20 on May'l.

The National Committee of ths Y.M.C.A. would be pleased to receive gifts of hockey sticks for Trentham and Foatherston military camps, Many of the soldiers are keen hockey players, and would enjoy a game while in camp. Sticks may be left at the office of the committee in Baker's Building, Featherstou Street.

In October last there was a collision between a traiucar and a taxi-cab in Bevans Street, and'yesterday George Waddle, taxi-cab proprietor, sued trie Wellington City Council for the sum of £130 damages, alleged to have been caused to plaintiff's motor-car through the alleged negligence of a corporation motorraan. Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., was on the bench.' Mr. E. M. Becchcy appeared for plaintiff, and Mr. J. O'Shoa represented the City Corporation. The plaintiff, in his evidence, stated that on the day in question he was driving from the Hospital, and when near Bevans Street the engine of the car stopped, and the car got on to the tramline. Before he could get the car off the line a tramcar collided with it. The damage done to the car was estimated at £130. For the defence it was stated that every possiblo care had been taken to prevent a collision. The motorman did not know that the ■ taxi-cab. was on the line, but as soon as lie saw the danger of a' collision he applied the cmergencv brakes. The damage to the' ear had been greatly over-estimated. After being partly' heard, the case was adjourned. Thero are at present in Wellington some 147 registered ■ taxi-drivers.; An interested party who has mado careful observations on the stands, estimates that on the avorage those men are employed in actually driving for only oneeleventh of their time, and the remaining time is spent on the stand. Theoretically our informant argues that an eleventh of the taxi-drivers registered would be sufficient to copo with the normal traffic, and a few more perhaps in rush times, and.ho considers that at a time like the present they might be more profitably employed.; Even allowing for a proportion of the drivers being military nnfits or members of the Second Division, our informant believes that the number could be cut down by a third without the public being in-, commdded.

A telegram from Perth to the Sydney papers states that a storekeeper, at etho Fremantle Naval Office named A. H. J. Lees lias succeeded to a baronetcy. He is the second son of Sir. Harcourt Lees, Bart., Blackrock, Dublin . who' died recently in America. Lees, who is the fifth holder of_ the title, has followed many occupations, including those of farmer and banker, and has been connected with, the-Fre- ■ mantle Naval Office for three'years.

What is probably, one of the first Iron Crosses to reach New Zealand has been received by Mr. Wi of Tipper Waiwera, • from his son, Ser2**nt D. S. M'Cnthie. The latter was. in charge .of a troop which took one of the first advanced trenches of the enemy at Rafa early -last t January. Three German officers were taken prisoners, together with some 20 . Turks. After' surrendering the German commanding officer handed- over; his Iron Cross to Sergeant M'Cathie. : !

In connection with the campaign in .Auckland to raise a sum of £25,000 for Y.M.C.A. war work and the offer of an Auckland gentleman to donate a sum of £500, provided four other citizens acted similarly (says tlie "New Zealand , Herald"), Mr. C. Rhodes, chairman of the Citizens' Committee, received four other offers to donate sums of £500." The campaign, will therefore be commenced with a sum of £2500.

In Westport recently sugar was almost an unobtainable commodity (says the "News"). The majority of the grocers wore doling it out in, small quantities, and some were even compelled to inform customers that they could not supply that much. One grocor telegraphed to a Greymouth firm an order, but received a reply: "Not a bag in Greymouth." Nat onlyiis the coast kept in short supply,, but tlie price is steadily mounting up—from something like £15 a ton at the" outbreak of tlie war to £20 or more at the present time. N . , ' With regard to the resolution of the Senate that in future a certificate in domestic science be required from every girl matriculating into the New Zealand University, the Professorial Board of Canterbury College, at their meeting held last week, decided to ask the Senate not to enforce this resolution until'the principals of:tho girls''schools of tlie Dominion had been consulted on the question. ' ' ' How would a whisky famine affect the residents of Otago? asks ,the Dunedin "Star." No one knows as ye.t, but we may find out. Stocks are running short in Dunediu, and inquiries as to whether other centres. can land. or sell lead to the knowledge that Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland are in tlie same fix. Distillers in the Old Country are refusing orders except for strictly limited quantities, and they will not quote at all otherwise, than "the price on the day of shipment.?' ! ;

The Auzac Day concert at the Town Hall, in aid of the Returned Soldiers' Club, is receiving generous support from the picture • houses in Wellington. The New Zealand Picture Supplies, ' Ltd., lias : had slides prepared by its Publicity Department, two of which are clever cartoons, and the other four fine interior views of the club house. These will be shown on the screens.throughout the week.

The Auckland Hockey'' Association has taken a definite stand upon the question of sport in wartime. The annual report of the association enunciates the principle-that all sport should be curtailed and only continue for the express purpose of catering for the younger generation and maintaining grounds and plaint in good condition, pending the return of 'the soldiers and their resumption of pre-war pastimes. The outgoing executive, of which seven members have enlisted during the past season, leaves a recommendation that no man in the'first division should he' permitted to participate in the association's games unless ho is the holder of an enlistment, rejection or'-deferred cer-, tifieate! . •