LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3101, 4 June 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The secretary of the Railway Locomotive Engine-drivers', Firemen, and Cleaners' Association has been informed by the Minister of Railways that consideration .of the association's request for an increase 111 wages lias been deferred until Mr. Jlassoy and Sir Joseph Ward return to Now Zealand.

A motor-car belonging to Dr.- Shand was left standing in Featherstou Street about 11 p.m. on Friday." When tho owner looked for it sotno littlo time after, lie found that it had disappeared. It remained uutraeed till yesterday afternoon, when it was discovered on the Toad between Island Bay and Lyall Bay. The only damage to tho machine was a punctured tire.

Labour in Clirisfccliurch is thoroughly satisfied with tho prineiplo of proportional representation, and will fight liko a tiger, not only tu maintain it in tho nmnicpal eleetioas, but to extend it to ail elections for public office," says Mr. Hiram Ilmitcr, cue of the recently-clcct-ed members of tho Christcliurch City Council, in a lettor to tho president of tho Wellington Trades and Labour Council.

At Haxi Hari recently (states a West Coast exchange) Private Stan Allen, who recently returned from tho front, and is again going into camp, attended a ealo for the purpose of disposing of two very fine hacks.- The demand for horseflesh was at zero, and no sale resulted. With commendable generosity Mr. John Butler, of Matanui, mado the announcement that if anyone present would give, £!> towards the purchase lie would do tlio same. .A like amount was offered, and in a few minutes the reserve of ,£IU was readied by tlio donations of admirers standing by. Finally Mr. Butler sold his purchase for .£'*), and, turning round, handed the amount to Privato Allen, whose surprise was not surpassed by his. . pleasure at the incident. \ Mr. Herbert Garison, I'.R.G.S., lecturing at the London Camera Club, said that the British'Empiro hod no finer race of warriors tlnm tlio Maoris, a thousand or more of whom had donned khaki. They united in their past some of the most extraordinary and atrocious forms of barbarism and cannibalism with somo of tho noblest forms of chivalry. While in New Zealand, ho lectured before an audience in which there was a Maori Chief who had eaten human flesh, and white flesh at that: alul yet JOO Maori women had married Kuronoan husbands, quite a number of othershad entered tho professions, and one Maori lady was a distinguished and charming hostess in London society. The lecturer, in defiling with the greatness of New Zealand from many aspects, said that he did not hesitate (o affirm, after travelling about the twssessions of the British Empire for 27 years, that New Zealand \v;i- the gem among them all.

City men, keep dry about town by using a staunch Umbrella from Geo. Fowlds, Ltd.. Manners Street; ss. Gd. to -12-i.—Advl,

Tho Soldiers' .Financial Assistance Bnanl sat; ou 19 occasions during tho ■tUoiitii .Ijf Aliy'j uiul. dealt with 624 applications': Of ttiia liltmbor 129 were withdrawn or. declined; (II wei'O deferred for further inforinatiori from the applicants, and grants were made iit 404 eases. Meetings were held every night last week and oil Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately members of reinforcements about to leave New, Zealand are making application at the last ldoiiieut. and ret|iiestinjif immediate attention'; Osnni; to the large numbor of applications dailyreceived early application should 1» made direct to tho secretary, Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board, W.F.C.A. Buildings, Wellington,..and full information should be supplied in tho applcation form, as regards the obligations in connection with which financial assistance is required.

"Thero are too many home service men already," remarked tho military representative at Saturday's sitting of the .First Wellington Military Service Board. Inquiry work with tlie New Zealand Mounted Riflo Briendo in Egypt has been started recently by the Young Men's Christian Association there. Mr. P. H. Velvin, association field secretary stationed at Cairo, reports that ho has an ex-, cellent opportunity of prosecuting such work. He i 3 desirous to be of any help to relatives or friends of wounded or fallen men on tho Egyptian' front who will communicato with the Y.M.C.A. headquarters, Cairo.

At tho Magistrate's Court at Hamilton, on Saturday morning a young man named John Clements, a returned, soldier, who was a member of the Fifth Reinforcements, pleaded guilty to a charge of forging and littering at Cambridge. He was commit tod to the Supreme Court at Hamilton.for sentence—Press Assn.

Some people, amongst them farmers, have littlo faith in their fellows,. but a young man who appeared before the Auckland W'tary Service Board was not to place confidence in his other relatives, says the Major Conltra: "You have a lot jf rolatives near your place. Couldn't thoy keep an eye on it, or look after it, if you had to go away?" "I tell youj" replied the yonng fellow, thumping his closed fist on the Bible, "if I have to go to-morrow I will shut up the gates. I will leave the place to nobody, not evou to yon," he declared to the chairman, "I am afraid you are not in your natural state," camo the reply. The burly appellant, quick as lightning, remarked, "Where did you see mo before?" He added that twonty men might be procured, but only one reliable man in the lot. Ho refused to admit that his relatives would lcoep the place going satisfactorily, saying with a nod of the head, "Oil, I know, and I am not ashamed to own it." When told that he would'get exemption till August 23 the appellant replied, "I don't agree with that at all."

Describing tho joys a soldier /elt- when, an opportunity presented itself'to change from campaign diet. Colonel Hughes; in his loctuxe at Christclrurch on Thursday evening, said that once when tho battalion was sent from Gallipoli. to Imbros for a five days' rest, a great business was dono with the Greek traders of deloctables. Tho adjutant's orderly became very ill within a fow hours after arrival. Inquiry elicited the fact tliat lie had purchased a dixio full of mulberries, mixed this fruit with tho contents of a tin of condensed milk, and eaten 'tho lot. "I think I must have taken it n bit sudden, though " was the naivo explanation of tho soldier.

A child aged five disappeared from its homo in the suburbs as darkuess was coming on one day last week (says tho Duncdin "Star"). Neighbours vainly joined in tho search. The police diligently inquired without avail. Soma time'after 11 the same evening the wee 0110 quietly walked in and greeted its mothor. It had picked up a tram ticket, ridden into the city, spent tho. 6vcning at the picture*, and then gone home, perfectly soboi'!

So far as tlm Napier Defince Office is concerned the replacement of tho permanent staff, by lelnnnd soldiers is now almost complete (says tho "Teletrraph"). Oub of a staff numbering eleven, only tvo remain who liave not seon service in the present war. and these two mon have repeatedly made attempts'to got away, but without success.

At tho Supromo Court at Auckland William John Thorbum was fined the amount of tho oxpenses of tho action, about for an assault on Thom-js M'Kinley at Whangarei in December last. Jl'Kinley's leg was broken in the Seattle. Accused denied that it was tho result of a kick. The evidence showwl that tho bitterness existed between their two families owing to an affiliation coso in which M'Rinloy's brother Was defendant. Tho Judge ordered a sentence of threo months' imprisonment in default, Thorbum to keep tho peace for twolvo months—Press Association.

Tho most noticeable feature ol' tho vital statistics for .the Auokland registration district for May is the substantial increase in tho number of births as compared with the figures for the cor-responding-period of last, year. The respective totals aro 200 as against 251, which show the increaso to ho 39. Deaths in the samo periods compared show, a deereaso .of 12, and marriages an increaso of ono for the months just closed, as follows, viz.Deaths, 1917, 111; 1918, 120; marriages, 95 and 91.

interesting fact was stated by tho 'Itov. W. (J. Monckton in tho courwo of «n address nt Auckland. Speaking of the intensive culturo of Belgium, ho pointed out that tho -country itself was not the eizo of tlie province of Auckland, jot it supported a population seven times as largo its that of tho wholo of Now Zealand. Every scrap of laud was under cultivation.

Tho Masterton polico sailed out on nri extraordinary chaso the other day. Thoy tried (says ft contemporary) to apprehend tho alleged author of an alleged rumour. I Somebody said that a transport had been sunk; snmobody toldone Sidney Briden that soraebdy had told somebody that a transport had been 6«nk; and Briden asked somobody it' Tio had heard that somobody had told somobody that a. transport had been sunk. Somebody told the polico that somebody- had told somebody that that somebody had heard Briden tell soniobodv that ho had heard that somebody hiiil said that there was a rumour that a. transport had been sunk. Therefore tho police charged Briden before a magistrate with having "published a false report likely to cause alarm, to wit. that a transport had been siimk." Quite natuTally tho magistrate could not peer his way through that tangle. Tho ease was dismissed.

"The wicked wastefulness entailed liv Ihe 'limit' system" in connection with filling in tho Tlaiiirnki Gulf was denounced by tho Women's Political League in a letter receive! by the Auckland City Council last week, which also asked the council to assist tho efforts of the Fishermeu end Trawlers' Employees' Union to put their industry on a more satisfactory footing. The ''eague thought it almost incredible that at a time When everyone was Breaching economy and every good housewife was try ing to practise it "nuantities of gootf wholesome food are taken to sea and damped overboard." The matter was referred by the council to. the Finance and Legal Committee. On June 9th anil 10th nerso'is producing on request a Crippled Soldierß' Hostel <>rt. union ticket stamped on tho front "Llovd, Jmveller." receive a present of jewellery or silver plate; t C2S worth now on view in Lloyd's window, Lambtou Quay, will be givou aivay.*