LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3083, 14 May 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Shortly after seven o'clock last even r ing the Fire Brigado was called out to extinguish a fire in a stationer's shop at 24 Molesworth Street ; occupied by .Isaac Tosnian. The building is owned by the Crown Theatre Company. The cause of the firo is unknown. Both tho shop and its contents were rather badly damaged. The contents were insured with the Royal Exchange Company for £350. '

Since tho eruption of Waimangu several hot pools in the property of Mr. G. Kummer, at Kummerstein, says our Mastorton correspondent, have shown remarkable activity, and there has been a subsidence of earth.

The Mayor, accompanied by members of the committee which has been set up to promote the growing, of potatoes in gardons and on vacant land near the city, went to Miramar on Saturday. They wero met by tho Mayor of Miramar (Mr. F. Townsend), who showed to tho committee two other pieces of land in the borough which the committee had not seen on the previous visit. The exports were agreed that these lands wore in some respects preforable to the land already reported upon, but thero are certain private rights held over tho land. If suitable arrangements can bo made with the holders of those rights it is possible that theso areas will be selected for potato growing under the Mayor's scheme;

For somo time'the Nelson and District Red Cross Fund has forwarded to London the sum of £500 monthly. This month, as a result of a recent fete, the committeo sent.£looo. Since the inception of the fund tho committee have forwarded £13,500 in cash, and goods to tho value of £2700.

Councillor M'Kcnzic intends to move at. to-night's meeting of the Petono Borough Council: —"That tho Government bo asked to amend Part 1 of tho War Legislation Amendment Act, 1916, in the following directions:—(l) That for the purpose of the above-men-tioned Act, tho capital valuo of any dwellinghousp • shall bo tho eapital value appearing upon the valuation roll for the time being in force for tho district in which tho property is situate. (2) That m all cases where any landlord commits n breach of the Act by charging an excessive rent, tho police, be empowered, upon tho sworn statement of tho tenant, to take tho necessary Court proceedings against tho landlord so offending. (3) That provision be made for a substantial penalty in all cases where a conviction is obtained. (4) That the Act,remain in force after the termination of the present war with Germany."

A young man is being prosecuted in Masterton under the War Regulations, says our special correspondent, for allegedly circulating a report in 'regard to one of the Now Zealand transports.

The "Christchurch Press" states that at a medical examination held at Itnngiora last week 45 men came up for examination, of whom 14 were passed as fit and 31 were classed a.s C 2 (homo service). This is tho best percentage of passes that has yet been attained in Rangiorsi.

Tho insurance on Mr. David M'Crae's maltress factory destroyed by firs on Friday were:—Building £550, and stock and fittings £1300 in tho State Office.

The excessive speed at which motorists drive their vehicles within the borough of Onslow was mentioned l;y Councillor Appleton 'at the meeting of tho council on Saturday evening. He said that tho number of drivers who maintained an excessive speed was on the increase, and that offenders should be prosecuted. Other councillors were of tho opinion that they should endeavour to reduce the trouble by means of prosecution.

Franco, with her traditional habit of saving tho small things, is making tho most of tho wreckage of war. Heaps of bicycles partly destroyed at the front are sorted out, the odd wheels and parts of tires being saved and used in making new bicycles. In ono place a small mountain of army shoes, of all sorts and conditions, was being assorted, tho workers finding some parts in overy shoo worth saving. From a mass of damaged binoculars the lenses were extracted and sent to a factory to bo used in making new field glasses. The relationship of capital and labour formed tho subject of some discussion at the meeting of the Auckland Provincial and Industrial Association on Wednesday afternoon. It was pointed out that at present we were lite the nations before the war—preparing for war. "We are practically in a state of siege at the present time," said ono speaker, "and we should bring our best talent to hear on the question, with a view to arriving at some solution. As things aro now," he continued, "those engaged in tho industries aro not interested in them, and I must say that in some cases I can hardly blamo them." After seme discussion it was resolved that Mr. C. B. Daniell, chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board, bo asked to deliver a paper on. an address on the question at an early date, a similar request to' be mads to Mr.' W. A. Veitch, M.P. for Waneamii.

The increasing number of motor-cars that are being used for pleasure purposes, in most cases by the residents of small boroughs, induced the Dannevirke Borough Council to pass the following resolution:—"That owing to the increasing number of motorcars now in existence, this council is of the opinion that the time has arrived for boroughs of over 8000 inhabitants to be constituted a "registering _ authority" under the Motor Regulation Act, and respectfully requests the Government to amend such Act accordingly." A copy of tho resolution was read at the meeting of the Onslow Council on Saturday evening. As Onslow borough has a population of under 8000, the resolution was not adopted, but a, letter expressing sympathy with the idea is to be forwarded. Mr. George A. Green,. secretary of tho Auckland executive of the NationalApple Show, who has been attending tho big show' at Dunedin, passed through Wellington en route for the north yesterday. Mr. Green was cf opinion that the show at Dunedin was very creditable indeed, and should prove of great .educative value. Auckland's show was a very good one, but it would be still better in future, as'the advantages of the north for fruit-growing were immeasurable. At the Dunedin Show, Auckland growers exhibited no fewer than seven varieties of lemons. In the past the Auckland lemon had not been regarded as favourably as it might have been owing to the growers' failure to "cure" their crops, that is, by keeping them under dry sacks until the acids from t'qe skin get into the fruit, a process that thins and crinkles the skin. Another and a quicker method of "curing" lemons was to dust them with sulphur. They were now growing several of the older varieties of grape fruit (poor man's oranges), and the ney? ones were being planted, and thoro wero a couple of varieties of marmalade oranges ■ that grow splendidly in the-district.

Since the publication of the names drawn in the seventh ballot numerous instances have been brought to light of men having been drawn although they have been serving their country at tho front for considerable period.l. whilst in some cases the names- of dead men have been drawn. An extraordinary caso has iusfc been made public, says a Christchurch paper. Twentyone years ago, Edward Bohan, dealer, Leeston, paid the debt of Natuv.e, and all the usual formalities in such cases were attended to. Somehow the authorities determined that he was eligible for tho First Division, and as his papers were not received at headquarters, formidable legal papers were served on his mother, to show cause why a member of the household had not complied with the law. It was then explained to the authorities that the man whom they sought had been dead for a couple of decades, and for the time being it appeared as if nothing more would be done in the case, since tho authorities were obviously seeking the unattainable. However, that was not the caso. On May 8, Edward John Bohan was gazetted as-a member of the Expeditionary Force.

"TKat 'man must work and woman must weep' is no longer true," said the Eev. A. B. Chappell, registrar of the Auckland University, in the course of a lecture at Ouehunga last week,' in speaking of the changing relations of the sexes to labour. "The war has put pens, levers, and hammers in the hands of women, and they are eagerly claiming the rights of partnership with men, in toil as well as in troiuTle. After the war there must bo a readjustment, but the old limits upon women's activities will never return. New views of homo and home life must be taken, and thero will arise a worthier comradeship of tho sexes." .

Tho manner in which tho Government has dealt with the wheat question was criticised by members of the Auckland Provincial Executive of tho Farmers' Union last week. It was stated that fhe operations of the Government had created distrust in the minds of farmers. The meeting adopted the following remit for the forthcoming Dominion Conference of tho union:—"That this execufive views with alarm the shortage of wheat in the Dominion, which, it is considered, will entail the importation of a large quantity for consumntion in New Zealand, and urges that in tho best interests of tho Dominion farmers and the men encaged in wheat growing ho placed on The heme service list t the executive also considers that the offer of the Government f.o.b. will necessarily limit to a considerable extent tho area on which wheat can be grown at"tFto prices offered, and would point out that tho irifcfpsta of the public would be best served by ofi'orino; ss. lOd. a bushel on trucks, as this would l-csult in more wheat being grown."

An excellent little hook has been published describing tho genesis and development of the Featherston Military Training Camp, and,it is being issued from Camp Headquarters. The book announces itself as "The Becord of a Remarkable Achievement." a titlo which it deserves well. The bookis edited by Sergeant G. L. Stiuibrook, and it 1 has been produced from the Brett Publishing House in Auckland. As an example of tho very best work that New Zealand publishers can do, and the standard set by the illustrated annuals is extremely high,, this book is entitled to tho most generous praise. It is printed ,on the best paper, and the illustrations exquisitely clone and tastefully arranged through tho letterpress. Some of the articles in the publication, but by no means all of them, are from tho pen of Mr. Will ■Lawson. t Others are by men who havo passed through the camp in the courso of their training. The book is a most excellent production, and a desirable souvenir.