LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3059, 21 April 1917, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The flag of .the United States, tho "Stars and ■Stripes," -will fly beside tho TJnion Jack- on all Government buildings throughout Neiv Zealand today, in honour of "America's Day. :, The following prisoners will como before the Supreme Court for sentence at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday next: — Thomas Silsby, for fcrgina; an'd uttering (six charges); John Joseph Drew, for theft of a box of butter; Percy Erickson, for breaking, entering, and theft; William Albert Devalo Dudley, also for breaking, entering, and theft: Hilda Kobcrstein, for concealment of birth. "Has a returned soldier to attend drill?" asked A. Withers, a defendant in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday. He was charged with failing to attend drill, and iii tho conrse of his defence ho stated that lie had seen 240 days' service in Samoa. Tho prosecutor said that tho defendant was under an obligation to. drill all tho samo. * His Worship, Mr. L. G. Reid, S.M., convicted Withers and discharged him. The chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board will bo >elected at the first meeting of tho now board, and it is understood that there may bo a contest for tho position. Tho Government nominee on tho board, is Mr. J. G. Harkness, -whose throe-yoar term expires on April 28.

Respecting the case of the returned soldier who made serious complaint at tho annual meeting of tho Returned Soldiers' Club as to the manner in which ho was being treated, it is stated by the authorities concerned that he recently drew £90 back pay, is earning £3 3s. a week, and draws a pension of £1 ss. per week. In addition to these sources of income the samp man lias been selling leaflets on which is printed a parody of "It's a. Long Way to Tipperary" for 6d. each. ' Merchants in the produce trade in Diiuedin intend sending informal representations to the Efficiency Board as to the fact that whilst'trains and steamers cannot find transit for oats and other farm produce, thoy can carry gr(j»it quantities of beer. It is said that on a certain day recently a man whoso oa-ts were refused at the Dunedin station saw fourteen trucks loaded with beer barrels.

Alfred Edward Davies, dairyman, Surnuer, whose name appears as having been drawn in the sixth ballot, left Sumncr for camp on'. December 15, 1915. Hβ was farewelled by tho Mayor of Sunmer at the Life-Saving Paviliou on March 5, 1916 He left New Zealand with tho Eleventh Reinforcements and has been at tho front ever since, having seen service- in Egypt and Prance. . Before the First 'Auckland Military Service Board on-Thursday,Joseph P. Lowo appealed on tho ground that ho was over the ago for service. .Hβ produced a certificate to show that he was born on March 17, 1871. Tho board held that as the appellant was called up on March 13 ho was witlun the age for service by four days. His appeal was dismissed. \Tho .Second Wellington Military Board heard a number of,appeals yesterday in tho old Parliamentary Buildings, and will sit there again on Thursday next. . : : . . • ■ ■ Mr. L. G. Reid, S.M., delivered judgment yesterday upon a claim by D. Milligaii against F. C. Faber for £13 165., alleged to be due for goods supplied! His Worship held that the plaintiff had failed to make out a case against tho defendant. Milligan was accordingly nonsuited, and ordered to ; pay costs, £3 6s. The Wellington Choral Union lias altered the dato of the performance of. "Maritana" from Wednesday, June 6, to Saturday, Juno ,9, chiefly owing to the recently-announced restrictions in the railway service.. The status under the Military Service Act of a 'man who has married since- May 1, 1915, bub who was Dot of military age at the time, was discussed before the Second Wellington Military Service Board on Thursday. If the man had been a member of the reserve when he married, he would have remained in the First Division. But since he did not become a member of the reserve until later, 'when he attained the required age, it might he argued that he is now a Second Division man. The chairman of'the board stated that the point would bo referred to a conference of chairmen of Military Service Boards, to he held in Wellington nest week. Probably the opinion of the Solicitor-General would be secured.

The "Watch Your Step" Company, a party of Auckland amateurs who are touring New Zealand for patriotio purposes, are being billeted in the various places they are visiting. The producer and director of the show is Mr. Owen Cardston, who staged the "Queen Coronation" ceremony at the Town Hall here a couple of years ago. At Palmerston North billets for 250 people are said to have been offered •within an hour. . . The following passage in a letter received by Mr. E. Kennedy from Corpl. M. C. Craig, a former president of the Hotel and Kestaurant Employees' Union, expresses something of the high regard in which the late Mr. E. J. Carey was held by those, immediately.' associated with him in labour affairs: "J. am sending a 'liver' to the lateli.. J'. Carey's memorial. Will you kindly forward.it to whoever is secretary of tho fund. I hope the union is responding to the appeal in a suitable manner. It will tako a lot to repay the services that poor Jack gave to Labour. I hope that my old union has not forgotten what he has done for it." '

Sqveral members of the section of the Philosophical- Society assembled at the • Kelburn 'Observatory at 4 o'clock yesterday morning to study the advent of the new comet. Clouds obscured the heavens for a time, but at S.lB the .weather cleared, and tho comet was clearly seen. It was then at \the same altitude as the moon, ebove the horizon, and about 9 degrees to .-the south. The tail was upright, aoid slightly inclined to the north, and about 2 degrees long. It was probably much longer, but that .was all that could be seen in tho increasing daylight; The nucleus was distinctly .oval in shape. The comet was watched with the naked eye until 5.80 a.m., and afterwards with the telescope. _Measurements were made with the aid. of the telescope and photographs taken. One. of the photographs shows . ihe comet .quite clearly. The •approximate position yesterday ."morning .was, Ohr. 42min. right ascension,, about one and a quarter degrees S. declination. That position was confirmed by an observation made by Mr. G. V.' Hudson. The ; comet ie easily visible to the naked eye: or through an ordinary .pair of field ■glasses, and should, be looked for .in the eastern sky about 5 a.m. or.a little earlier.

Frank Hay ward, the keeper of an oyster saloon, was charged in the Magistrate's Court yesterday with Sunday trading. He had, it-appeared, sold fish and chips to a customer, who took the goods but of, the shop. Mr. H. J. O'Leary, for the defendant, contended that the latter was entitled to supply meals to'be taken off the premises, just as he was permitted to supply meals on the premises. The sale, he submitted, came under the clause of tho Act which allowed works of necessity to be engaged in on a Sunday. His Worship, Mr. L. G. Eeid, S.M., held that the defendant had committed an offencn. Hay ward was ordered to pay costs 7s.

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday, James Henry Burling, for whom Mr. P. W. Jackson appeared, was charged with failing to make application for enrolment in the Expeditionary Force Reserve. It appeared from■■statements made that the defendant was unable to read or write, and had had to procure someone else to fill in his registration form. A married woman, said Mr. Jackson,' did the' work, . and, for. somo Teason, perhaps. by way of a joke, described the defendant as a married man with one Haughter._ The defendant knew nothing of this, hut thought he was properly enrolled. Hie case was not one for a penalty, said the Magistrate, Mr. L. G. Reid, though a technical breach had been committed. Burling was convicted and discharged.

At the Oiiera Houso last evening tho flag that was sold at auction under, the auspices of tho Returned Soldiers' Club, and Avon by Mr. E. Riddiford, was rc-auotioned, Mr. Riddiford haying returned it to tho club. After lively bidding the flag was knocked down to Mr. P. A. Whatman, of Masterton, at £105. Tho buyer promptly handed it back for re-auction, when it was knocked down to Mr. \V. Higgins for £15. Mrs. W-. H. Homes was the noxt buyer at £20;' thojo. cp.mo Mr. James Mackintosh, with a bid of £5, Mr. Purdy £5, and finally an anonymous bidder from a steamer in port, £5. The fla<j was handed back to the club, and will bo resold on Anznc Day, Monday next. ' . •

In common with other local bodies, tho Wangamii Council, which, runs both an electric tramway (not lighting) and gasworks systems, is having its labour troubles. In tho course of his annual report to ..the council, Mr. F. P. Talboys (Tramways Engineer and Manager) says:—"On account of tho war there have been a good many changes during the year, and at times it has been difficult to fill vacancies by reason of the shortage of suitable candidates. Five of the men have gone to the war, and several others havo obtained other ■ employment. In this connection I wish to appeal to the public to assist the men as much as possible in carrying out their duty, even to the extent of putting up with a little inconvenience at times. Indefinite information from tha Government as to what they intend doing in connection with the calling up of tho Second Division, or whether the age of single men will be raised, precludes me from mapping out any definite scheme ■to follow at the present time. I have during tho past few months given lads between the ago of 17 and 20 years a chance, has met with a certain amount of sucIcess."

The exemption of Dr. G. Walker, of Wliangarei, from military _ service is resented by the "Wliangarei Hospital Board. This boardtvas advised by the Inspector-General of Hospitals to appeal for the exemption of Dr. Walker "on account of his services being -urgently required for your hospital, and also for the district," and it replied as follows:—"If Dr. Walker, in'appealing, stated that his services were urgently required for the Whan'garei District "Hospital, such is not the case, as during the past three months his services were only availed-of four times to administer anaesthetics, and then only as a- matter of courtesy, he having sent these cases into the hospital. 'We'are given to understand that Dr. Campbell, who has been-away on aotive service, is returning to the district, also that Dr. Baxter is shortly to resume practice liere." The doctor in the meantime had been exempted by an' Auckland Military Service Board, and the Hospital Board has since adopted the following motion"That a copy of the letter which was sent to the Inspector-General re Dr. Walker's exemption be forwarded-to the Minis--ter of Hospitals, and also to the Apneal Board; also repudiating on behalf of, the' Hnsuital Board the statement thatl Dr. Walker's service!: were indispens-; I able to the hospital."