LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3102, 5 June 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho celebration of Empire- Day in Wellington yesterday was almost wholly restricted to< a display of bunting in the City, and on tho shipping in port, ino wentlier was bright and sunny, but what little wind there .was was edged with winter keenness. There was a very fair attendance at tho football matches, but tlioso who benefited most were tho theatre proprietors, who reaped a rich' harvest from the crowds, who were only too glad to rest for an hour or so from parading the streets. The Hon. G. W. Russell states that Cabinet has decided to extend tho appointment of Sir Thomas Mackenzie as High Commissioner for a further poriod of four months, from .Time 22 (says a PreS3 Association messago from' Christchurch). This morning the Coroner, Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., will open tho inquest en Bertie Parker, who <fied as tho result of injuries he is alleged to have received in a street brawl. A man named William Reynolds, who is alleged to have been connected with tho matter, is at present in custody.

The chairman iof tho Military Appeal Board stated to-day, says a. Press Association telegram from Napier, that all leauests of appellants for time to wind up businesses would bo viewed with suspicion, as sufficient .warning had been Kivon. J Is 45 years too old for active service? Mr. -Uuiicari. Alleu, of Lawson, Now South Wales, has been welcomed back from the front by his fellow-citizens. Mr. Allen is 65 years of age, and is a former wellknown resident of Lithgow. Hβ had 12 years' service with the Imperial Forces, and says he has from early youth regarded himself as a soldier, and it waa that spirit that impelled him to offer himself for active service some two years ago. After a couple of futile attempts to enlist ho hit upon the idea of dyeing his hair and moustache, and otherwise fixing himself up. Then he put his cge back to 45, and made his final and successful application. After u short period of training ho was sent to Egypt,! and thence to France, where ho sinv considerable trench fighting, during which he was twice wounded. While in hospital the veteran's real age leaked out, and whik the colonel of the regiment congratulated him upon'his'loyalty and courage, ho thought Private Allen should go home, which he did. The old soldier has a grandson in the lighting line, and his greatest regret was that ho had to leave him behind.

According to a Press' Association.'message from Christclmreh, the statement has been made by the Hon. G. W. Bussell that Cabinet has decided to extend 'the appointment of Sir Thomas Mackenzie as High Commissioner for a further period of four months, , from June 22. The conferring of the honour of the Order of Companion of St. Michael and St George on Mr. J. P. Luke is the first occasion in the history of New Zealand that such an honour has been conferred in recognition of good work done br anyone in tho capacity of Mayor of a'Dominion city. Yesterday Mr. Luke was Hie recipient Df a pile of telegrams from all parts of New Zealand, conveying the congratulations of friends and well-wish-ers from near and far.

A Press Association telegram ' from Napier states that Mr. Arthur M'Carthy has given notice of his intention to move at the next meeting of tho Napier Harbour Board: "That as the termination of the wav will find manufacturing plants in England looking for business, this board is of opinion that if the Government obtains from all local bodies in New Zealand specifications of their requirements, tho information in the hands of tho High Commissioner in London when peace is declared will materially assist prompt e-xecution of Dominion requirements." . The term "centre of brilliancy, used in city by-laws with .regard to motorear headlights has troubled the Auckland Automobile Association, which ha? accordingly written asking lor a, definition of its meaning, and inquiring whether the bv-law will apply equally when a car is "on a flat road, or mounting a hill, or proceeding along an-undulating road. The traffic inspector, reporting on the miction to Hie City Council, stated that Tc ntre of brilliancy will bo the centre of the brightest rays of light when they striko any object. ■ "The Grand Fleet is neither exclusively English, Scotch, Welsh, nor Irish; it is an "imperial force, manned by representatives of the Mother Country and. of overy section of the self-governing DominionsFsaid Captain B. J. Thomas, president of the Auckland branch ot the League, at a social gathering last week. "M?rk it well," the First' Lord ot tno Admiralty has advised, "silent though it be not engaged in actions ot romantic heroism, each as those which haw been performed by our submarines in the Sea "of Kora or the Baltic, nevertheless the Grand Fleet is performing, not tor ■Britain "lone, nor yet for Britain'e Allies "one hut for the whole world, a most rnnnt-hnt part in the drama now being Kl out for Hie freedom.of the world." A suggestion Uas been made, (says the i-,mr those "no have suffered bereayeS and in that way avoid the gmng nf mieceswy pain in conversation It "ef» siatcP that, to prevent abuse, wouid not wish to wear silver-mounted claiet ]U O <"' *-". w "ho* eir love an,l appreciation in v (Wonil 1-yons I'"'! , '' wi, * dVililk' enthusiastically with musu-al hoii'iuM. The rall'le was drawn TOterdny lor (ho (incHon of land in the Con m JajfeUo. The winning tmnibi'i- is 2(i3. J.lm drawing took plum iu tUo Mayor's room.

Whitebait hare raado their appearance unusually early this season, states the "Tribune." These fish were on t-alo in Hastings on Friday, tho first catch comiiie from tho 'i'uki Tiiki Hiver. As a, rule whitebait are not found in tho rivers before the of September.

Tho Bishop ef Waipu, Dr.'Sodgwick, visited Tokaanu last week on his annual tour of that end of )iis diocese. In a se.-:mon ho made reference to the wo Maori missionaries who camo from Tsirareiki about 18-IG, and who wore killed at Tokaami by the Natives, being buried near a place named Te Waiariki. Jlo expressed regret that the graves had 'not been marked and their sacrifice commemorated. Later iho Bishop, was taken to tho spot by an old Native, resident and a fow members of tho church, and it was decided to have a fenco erected around it immediately. The Minister of Education (tho Hon. J. A. Haiian) has given instructions to the Education Department to take tho necessary steps to establish, at first in the larger cities, juvenilo employment bureaux (states a l'ress Association' mceaago from Christchurch). The Minister explained that the idea- was to give young lads and girle a better chance to gain an entrance into tho walks of lifo for which they might be specially fitted but into which in tho ordinary course of things they could hardly hope to enter. The idea, briefly, was for tho schoolmaster of any boy or girl who vatended making use of tho bureau to furnish a dossior, in. which tho masters estimate of tho young porson's capacity and possibilities would bo set out. hmployors who inado use of the bureau could then have a reasormblo ciianco ot being provided with a lad who would in all likelihood bo spocially euatablo for the employer's trado or profession, An Invercargill paper reports that tho trading vessel Eachel Cohen recently brought 542 casks (90 tons) of sea-ee-phant and penguin oil from, tho .Macquarrio Islands to Bluff. After it has been refined at InvercargiU the value ot the oil will be about .£21)00. Tho total return for tho season has been 1602 casks of oil, valued after refinement, at about JC6OOO. Jlr E E. Stark, City Electrical Engineer of Christchurch, is at present on a visit to Wanganui, and ia the couree ot an interview, says our special correspondent, predicted tremendous development in electricity in tho near future. Tho advent of the storage battery for vehicular' propulsion, said Mr. Stark, had opened a new era in. Chnstchurcli, where there were in use nine electric trucks and vehicles ranging from a pleasure car to a four-ton lorry. Discussing further possibilities of tho battery tars, Mr. Stark said that the only drawback te the 'electrically-propelled vehicle at present was its inability te go more than a certain distance from its sourco of supply, but this, so far as the electric truck was concerned, was of no serious moment; in fact, very few trucks or delivery wagons ran over forty to/ sixty miles- per day. If a bigger radius was wanted it could be supplied, for thero was no difficulty in tho 1 way of providing battery capacity for from 80 to 100 miles. Mr Stark, is most optimistic m Tegard to the future of electrically-propelled vehicles, and is convinced that within five years after the close of the war Christclvurch will have a fleet ot hvo hundred ears. He strongly urges the development of hydro-electric power in New Zealand, which he contends IS smgulaTly adapted for the purpose.