LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3155, 6 August 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

At a public meeting held at Napier on Saturday it was'decided-to ask the Government to remove, all Germans from high positions.—Press Assn.

District orders announce that men sont out of camp as medically unlit, thereby terminating their period in camp, shall be given four weeks' leave on pay, separation allowance to continue during that time, 't'he approval is retrospective to January 3, 1917, and includes cases whero men have been discharged as medically unfit and where they have been 6ent out of camp as medically unfit on leave without pay. In any case whore the Pensions Board has'granted an allowance necessary adjustments will be made.

Advice regarding gifts for soldiers is contained in a cablegram received by the Minister of Defence from Brigadier-Gen-eral Richardson, General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Forces in Britain. The G.O.C. New Zealand Division recommends," says the message, "that "lit parcels bo confined to woollen articles, milk and tobacco, which may be sent Homo in bulk. If extra money is made available by this arrangement, it should be sont for distribution to units (o purchase extras, for which purpose 2s. per month per man would ho ample."

It is announced in district orders that authority has been given for tho payment of 3s. por day Tation allowance during convalescence, i.e., after discharge from hospital until sent to camp, to reservists wht may ~bo sent into hospital 'to undergo operations to fit them for military service

A meeting of the members of the Commerciiil Travellers'' Association was held at midday on Saturday. The provident, Mr. V. W. Manlon moved tho war resolution, which was iinnnimouisly carried. In the course of his temarks the president stated that it. was very gratifying to know that our great white ally America would soon lie lighting shoulder ia shoulder with us for the freedom of democracy.

The subject of dazzling headlights on motor-cars was mentioned at the annual meeting of tho Auckland Automobile Association. Tho secretary, Mr. G. AV. Hutchison, reported that he -had received communications from tho Automobile Club of America and the Royal Automobile Club of England. Both bodies stated, that satisfactory methods of legislating for the control of dazzling headlights had not yet been arrived at. The Royal Automobile Club had set up a committee of experts to mako a thorough investigation of the matter, and > its decisions were set out in a lengthy report which was forwarded. The experts found thta tho downward cant of headlights increased tho dazzling effect. Tho secretary pointed out that this decision was extremely important, as the Auckland City Council recently had brought in a by-law, the effect of which'-was to compel motorists to cant their lamps downward.

A resolution relating to tho third anniversary of the declaration of war will be moved by tho Prime Minister in tho House of Representatives to-morrow. The House will be asked, as on previous anniversaries, to record its determination to assist in carrying the war to a victorious conclusion. A similar resolution will be moved in the Legislative Council by the Hon. Sir Francis Bell.

The cold and rainy winter experienced by New Zealand soldiers in England proved a severe trial, but a letter received last week from Sling Camp l-efors to tho beauties of a springtide that should compensate for the inclemency of winter (states an exchange). Tho writer 6ays: "The Salisbury Plain is looking most beautiful now. The flowers are in their full glory, and tho trees nnd hedges lining the roads to the quaint, old-world villages are masses of bloom of lovely scent and hue. Tho combination pf perfume and colour just haunts you, and some of the old villages dotted about tho plain, nestled in hollows, and hidden among -beautiful flowering trees, make a picture impossible to describe. The wholo country round about the camp is simply and wonderfully lovely, and any spare hours I havo I rido out amongst nil theso beautiful places. It is nil 60 different from tho winter, whpn all is baro and snow-clad, and I am making the most of these wonderful days of spring."

In tho Houso of Representatives., the Minister of finance roferred to the Efficiency Board's [proposals to clieck tho importation of luxuries. Ho stated that if those proposals aro carried out it would moan a.reduction of .£230,000 a year in Customs revenue, and that the deficiency would have to be made up by some other means of taxation. This question wa6 submitted to Sir. .T. A. Frostick, the Canterbury member of tho Efficiency Board. Ho declined to discuss the subject as an Efficiency Board Commissioner, but speaking as a ijrivate citizen, said that there were different view points of the question of luxuries, and lie could not admit the soundness of the argument that luxuries should be imported simply for revenue-collecting purposes. Public wealth, he continued, was obtained solely from production ■ and industry. The greater the National necessity for revenue! the greater must be the industry and the energy of the people in order tj provide that-rovenuc. For instance, the total ii'iuid wealth of the people today might bo supposed to be £24,000,000, t]ie Biimiw sought for war purposes. 11l addition, for general government, a sum of £250,000., might bo required through tho Customs in connection with imported luxuries. Before that sum of ,£250,000 was obtained, £1,250,000— .£1,000,000 representing the cost of the goods and .£250,000 the cost of importation—of tho £2-1,000,000 must bo sent out of the. country in order to collect the revenue. The result of the operation ■would bo to reduce the liquid wealth of the country from .£24,000,000 to '.£22,750,000. From that sum, the pum of £250,000 would have to be collected for general purpos.es, leaving as a net result £22,500,000. 'On the other hand, if the taxation had been taken from the sum of £24,000.000, there would have been £23,750,000. Of course, the goods would •not be in the country, but if particular goods, being luxuries, were not actually needed, instead of having £1,250,000 worth of unnecessary goods in the country, that sum would be available for war purposes n« part of the sum of. £24,000,000. Mr. Frostick expressed an opinion that tho soundness of liis argument was demonstrated by the fact that in former years; vhoji financial difficulties arose, the first remedy was the stoppage of importations.

A meeting was held in St. Mary of the Angels' Church last evening to protest against the conscription of Marist Brothers. Mr. D. 1!. Lawlor presided, and addressed theMueetiug. Mr. J. J.. M'Grath pointed out that thero were 40 Marist Brothers in tNew Zealand, and they taught 2000 children. 0f... the 40 Brothers, nine were over military ago and seven were physically unfit. Of the twenty-four left, four were recently examined, and threo of them were rejected as being physically unfit and one was ordered into the camp. Appiy this ratio to tho whole of the Brothers iu New Zealand, there were only six availablo for active service. Mr. M'Grath quoted figures to demonstrate that notvone of these could be spared. The following motion was moved by Mr. J. L. Scott and carried:—"That the Catholics of the St. Mary of the Angels' parish in meeting assembled unanimously resolve to resist the conscription of priests, Marist Brothers, and theological students .by every constitutional means." i