LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3084, 15 May 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Twenty-seventh Infantry Reinforcements completed their recruits' course of musketry at Trentham on Saturday, and transferred to Featherston yesterday. Tho Twenty-sixth Infantry Reinforcements are at Trentham engaging in advanced musketry and other training.

A Reservist who appeared before tl'e Third Military Service Board in Wellington yesterdftiV, 'find been passed as fit by a Medical Board, but he produced two certificates from doctors to the effect that ho was unfit. The Military Service Board was guided by the decision of the Military Medical Board, and directed that the man should o;o to camp, but added a recom : mendation that lie should be carefully examined after his arrival there. This position has arisen soveral times in different parts of New Zealand, and some hardship is involved owing to the fact that if the verdict of tho outside doctors is upheld by the test of. oanip training, as it very often is. the man is discharged summnrily. In the meantime he has left his employment, nnd nossibly broken up a home or sold a business. A boy named Jack Hunt, aged 13, and residing with Mr. Morris, butcher, of Hataitai, wa/S yesterday afternoon admitted to tho Hospital with tha. tips of two fingers blown off. It appears that tho lad was playing with a. detonator, when it exploded and inflicted tho injury. / His Honour Mr. Justico Edwards told a good story in the Supreme Court yesterday. "You should not always judge a man by his associates," said His Honour. "On one occasion, an' ex-Crown Prosecutor was proceeding along the street when he was accosted by a gentleman of decent appearance and pleasing manners. Hβ entered into conversation with the stranger, and found him a very interesting talker. Tho result was that the fqrmer officer of the Crown was often to be seen enjoying the. stranger's company, till one day a legal friend inquired vho tho stranger was. The ex-Crown Prosecutor did not lenow; ho Baid, however, that his new acquaintance seemed a 'very decent fellow.' 'No doubt, ,, was the .retort, 'but you once got that man two years' hard labour.' " The Crown lawyer had failed! to recognise a former occupant of the dock.

The following resolution has hewn passed by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants:—"The Wellington Branch of the A.S.R.S. enters a strong protest against the exempted railway men being subjected to a Departmental second ballot. We consider that the only fair and reasonable way is for the railway men wlio were drawn in the first ballots to go to camp first. Under this Departmental scheme the Fifth Ballot men may have to go to camp beforo those drawn in the First Ballot."

Proposals for a new award in the woollen manufacturing industry iisvo beon filed by the Wellington employers, the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company. The proposals are in terms of an agreement reached at a Dominion conference of employers and unions in the industry which was held recently. They are largely on the lines of the old award, but some increases of pay are provided for. The minimum wage for adult male workers is fixed at Is. 2d. per hour, with Is. 3d., and Is. 4Jd. for certain specified classes of workers. For females who have t-eeti four years at tho trade £1 12s. per week "is Tecommended, and for piece workers an increase on the Tates fixed on December 1-1. 1914, of 7} per cent. Provision is made also for a war bonus of 9J,- ner cent. The term recommended For the duration of the award is from May 1 until six months after the declaration of peace. The case will come before ilie Conciliation Council this morning.

A lad of thirteen y'ears : who was concerned with two other boys in the theft of copper boilere from various wash-houses in Wellington Soutli, r.nd who was remanded for sentence until yesterday, was committed t<l the Nolson Training Farm by Mr. L. G. Reid. S.M,

A -Biblical reference occupied the Third Wellington Military Service Hoard for a few moments yesterday. A Reservist who had lodged an appeal had forwarded a letter calling the attention of the board to the fifth vi-rse of the 24th chapter of Deuteronomy: "When a man hath taken a new wife ho shall not go out to war; neither sluill ho be charged with any business; but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife, which he hath taken." The Military Service Act runs counter to the ancient Jewish injunction. It provides that a man who nas married since April, 1915, shall be a member of ths First Division, and shall share the chances of the ballot with the unmarried men. The appollant had been found unfit for active service, so that the board did not have to give a ruling on tho text.

A. witness before the Third Wellington Military Service Board yesterday stated that each transport leaving New Zealand with troops took between 5000 and 600011). of sausages. His company had at present in hand an order for 12,0001b. for one ship. In addition there was a heavy demand from the camps.

The value of practice in sliooting was demonstrated in a remarkable way on Saturday, at Trentham, when squads of the Post and Telegraph Engineer '.Territorial Battalion competed in a fie fight (falling iron plates). There were six squads of live men firing two squads at a time. The first pair included a squad of the senior cadets. These tods put all their plates down before the opposing squad had lowered one of theirs. The cadets did not again appear until the fourth round, when tl-ey had to compete with the winners of the other rounds. This time one plate was left standing on each side, and in consequence the final had to be shot oft' again. Then the same thing as at first happened: the cadets put all their plates dowii while not one was lowered by tho senior team opposed to them. An amusing feature of the final was that Lieut. Williamson, of the cadets, on whom the opposing team were concentrating their fire, unknown to the opposing squad, changed his number in his own squad as the contestants ran forward to the firing line. While the seniors Were trying to put clown No. 5, Lieut. Williamson, having lowered his own plate, was helping all his comrades in turn. The trophy is a silver cup presented for nnmial competition by Lieut.-Colonel Waters, Assistant Director of Post ami Tejppyanh Services. Lieut.-Colonel Waters witnessed the comnetition.

. Some weeks ago Mr. R. W. Dalton (H.M. Trade Commissioner in New Zealand) received a cablegram to the effect that the exportation of boots and shoes from the United Kingdom had been prohibited. He has row received a further cablegram stating thnt licenses to export boots and shoos from the United Kingdom to thn British Dominions will be granted.

A ballot is being taken of the fiaxmill workers in the Wellington district on the question of linking up their union with the Agricultural and Pastoral Workers' Union. Ballots are being taken in tho several unions separately, and it is stated that the majority of the votes recorded up till the present is in favour of affiliation.

At a meeting of the Geraldine Queen Carnival Committee the balance-sheet was presented showing, some £2024 available, and it was decided to apportion the money as follows:—Thirty-five per cent, to the New Zealand Red Cross—£7oo; twenty-five per cent, to the War Relief Society—£soo; fifteen per cent, to tho Geraldine Red Cross— £300; ten per cent, to the Belgians— £200; and £50 for the Lady Liverpool Maori Soldiers' Fund, to be divided between the two branches. It was also resolved that Major Kennedy, Messrs. Dixon and Macgregor, be appointed to apportion the balance of the money available.

"I of the things we have yet done it is the most appreciated." said Mr. M'l.ntosh at last evening's meeting of the Patriotic Society, referring to the Anzac dinner given in tho Town Hall recently. Ho went on to specially thank the Women's National Reserve, Mrs. Porter, president of the Reserve, and Mi's. Baden, of the Y.W.C.A., all of whom had rendered fine service.

The Wellington Harbour Board's new cheeso store near tlie Glasgow Wharf is Hearing completion. Tho hnal sections of the plant have arrived, and the building is expected to bo ready for use in the near future. The board will then havo cool storage for about 50,000 crates of cheese. ' Apparently every foot of tho available" space will bo, required quickly, since tlie accunmla'tions of cheese at present are very heavy and the. shipping prospects are not considered bright.

"Of tho many thousands of British soldiers with whom I have come in contact since leaving New Zealand with the hospital ship," said CaptainChaplain Read at Palmorston North, "I never met one who said he was sorry he had gone to the front." (Applause.) All tho same, the chaplain added, tho Tommies were emphatic enough about, tho other fellow doing his share also. "We hare done our bit," they would say, "and it's up to the other chaps to come along and carry

An unusual natural phenomenon for Auckland was noticeable in the sky about 12 o'clock on Friday night in a display of the Aurora Australis, tho southern equivalent of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. The display, corresponding with the description of auroral rays, as distinct from auroral arcs at ,the period covered practically the whole southern sky. Broad bands of light, quite distinctly denned, streamed across the' sky, radiating from an arc some distance above the horizon. The, greater por\ tion of the display liad faded by 12.30 a.m., but in the south-eastern sector of the sky, nearer th«' light of the moon, the rays persisted, showing more brightly than elsewhere.

'Rio position regarding the restricted train services is bein" considered by the Wellington watersiders, and yesterday a deputation, consisting of Messrs. L. Glover, J. Roberts. J. G. Bruce, F. Murrilt, and R. T. Elliott, waited on the Hon. W. H. Herrios, Minister of Railways. They pointed out the inconvenience suffered by the "reduced evening services, which, prevented men working after 6 p.m. They were informed by the Minister that the matter would come before Cabinet in a few days. '

The outlook for the shipment of dairy produce from Auckland is causing much anxiety to those engaged in the industry, says the "Herald." At the present moment the local freezing works are blocked with frozen meat, and stored butter and fruit, with little prospect of an early clearance. Unless some relief is obtained beforo August, when the new dairying season will open, the prospects of the dairy farmers will be serious. They wSH not even have the modified satisfaction of knowing, as > will be stock-raisers •in liko circumstances, that the herds can be kept grazing in the paddocks, and can be realised upon when times become normal. The products of the dairy factories cannot be allowed to accumulate, without deterioration, unless room can be found for them in the refrigerators. The hopes of the fanners, therefore, centre upon the chance that the shipping situation will improve within the next few weeks, or that, at any rate, some vessels will come to the coaste of New Zealand in which sufficient meat or dairy produce can be shipped to enable some of the latter to be placed in store when the new season begins.

The renaming of certain streets will bo dealt with by the City Council at its meeting next Thursday, when a special order will be made to alter the names of streets in tho city as follow:.— Wright Street, Vogeltown, to be. M'C'oll Street; Tainui Terrace, Maranui, to bo Fre.vberg Street; Victoria. Road, Uoseneath, to be Robieson Street μ-liigh Street, formerly Grant Road North, to ho Frandi Street; Heaton Terrace, Mitehelltown, to be Carey Street.

The 'Auckland Claims Board last week had the privilege—as one of its leading members put the matter—of assisting two recently returned soldiers whose experience shows a series of coincidences. Both men originally enlisted with the Main Body of the Expeditionary Force. Both were wounded at Gallipoli and invalided home. Then, on recovery, both re-enlisted in the same reinforcement draft, and saw service in France. There they were again wounded, and returned to New Zealand together and were discharged. 'It is'found'by the Claims Board of the Auckland Patriotic Association that quite a number of returned- soldiers have married during their" absence from Now Zealand, and that nurses have been in most cases their choice in the selection of wives, says the "New Zealand Herald." The position of many of these men on their arrival in the Dominion is a very trying one, as the Government makes no allowance in the way of pensions to the soldier who has 'married while on active service. The Claims Board, however, fills the gap untill the soldier is'able to provide for himself. It is satisfactory to know that the majority of these men to date have found employment, and are doing well. " ■

On May 25 and 26, £25 will be given away in sums of ss. or 10s. to those who on request can produce a Crippled Soldiers' Hostel Art Union t'eket stamped "Suratura D." s