LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3163, 15 August 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

About 3 o'clock yesterday morning an outoreaTc of tiro occurred in 83 liugby Street, next tho iiusin Reserve, in a House owned luid occupied by Mrs. Margaret Farmer. Tho tire brigado found it difficult to cope with the blaze on account of the stili wind that was blowing at the time, and tho house and its contents were severely damaged. Tho house was insured in the State Department for ,£SOO, and the contents were covered by a policy in tho National office for J!100. The issuo of a ruin ration to the troops in the training camps was mentioned in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. A. S. Malcolm (Clntha) asketl if a rum ration was served at Tauherenikau' Camp or at any othor military camps in New Zealand. "There is a rum ration issued to tho troops on medical advice in all tho camps," replied Sir James Allen. A statement was made in the House of Jfepresenta'tives recently that Captain Malcolm ftoss, New Zealand's official war correspondent, had been acting as cens ir of soldiers' letters at tho front. Tho Minister of Doi'onco promised at tho time to make inquiry on the point. Yesterday Sir James Allen said he had received a cablegram from General Godley to fho effect that Captain Jtoss had acted as censor on one occasion, in order to avoid delay, when there was nobody elso available. Ho had never acted, nor was thqro any idea of his aoting, as censor otherwise.

During tho year 191(1-17 the casualties on or near tho coasls of the Dominion were 51 of 25,+84 tons register, as compared with 72 of 28.055 tons register in the previous year. The number of lives lost was R as compared with oiie iu tho previous year.

An interesting suggestion for sharpening juvenile interests in • Jio War Loan rami's from Mr. Jiolwrt JJarroeli, headmaster of tlio Roseneath S'.-Jiool. II o suggests that the children of tach school —tins, liii thinks, shall embrace all classes oi school, primary, secondary, technical, ami others—should organiso I heir lories in a campaign for the collection of disused articles, such as buttles, paper, tins, ami so forth, and with the money thus obtained purchase War mi?' atl; ' s l>ohalf of Ihu school fund, llius, ho tsiys, would bo established a nice littlo investment by which tho school, and incidentally, of course, tho scholars, would benefit. here have been cases where it has been aueged that applicants for pensions re--6kllug in more or less remoco pails of ino Dominion have not been able to present their case as they might have dono were local pensions boards mated to assist tho Central Hoard with their local knowledge. On this subject 'the south Canterbury Patriotic 'War ltelici AssociiuTon is to move at to-morrow's conference of societies:—'"That the Government bo urged to amend the War pensions Act by providing for local pensions boards in the various military distiicts, so that applicants for pensions may prcsent their cases jiorsonally to the local ooaru, whose decisions could, if necessary, bo made subject to review by tlio Central Board. At tha present time, injustices do occur througli tho Central ..oaru in Wellington not being able to obtain first-hand knowledge of tho facts, and through tho inability of 'the applicants to put their case properly by correspondence." Mr. 11. \V. Shallcrass, secretary of the Advisory Board of the Patriotic War Itelief Societies of jN'ew Zealand, has been computing the amount of money subscribed voluntarily lor war relief imposes in the Dominion since the beginning of the war. Tho amount, ivi tabulaced form, will be submitted V annual conference to be lield to-nnJrrow. Tho total sum exceeds a million sterling. During the past year the following names have been added to tho Seatoun bowling, Tennis, and Croquet Club's lioll of Honour:—C. Jlaci'arlane. 0. K. Green, J. Taylor, V. It. Heath, I). Griffiths, (J. Webb, J. Ivoir, It. Kennedy, and L. O'Kullivan. Tho deaths of two more members—H. D. Wyatt and E. C. C'almon (killed in France) are recorded, with deep regret, by tho directors of tlio club in 'their annual report. Another of the men concerned in Saturday night's riot in tho city camo befori Mr. !>. E. iM'Carthy, K.M., in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, when Hobert Bertram "Warner pleaded guilty 'to assaulting Constablo Cox while in tbo execution of his duly. Mr. J. J. M'Grath, who appeared for Warner, said tho case was not as bad as it looked. Tho constablo was in plain clothes, and tho accused, who was under tho influence of liquor, saw what lie thoug'ht was one civilian interfering with another, and struck the constable ono blow. Ho bad

no idea the man was a polico officer. Mr. M'Grath further stated that Warner had enlisted and was under orders to procced 'to camp on Wednesday of next week. Tho accused was fined .£lO, with the option of two months' imprisonment. "Heavy taxes aro inevitable, and must and will be borne patiently," said Mr. W. H. P. Barber, when presiding at tlio annual meeting of tho Wellington Woollen Company yesterday, "but those w'lioso means enable them to spend ■should do so as much, if not moro, than usual, to allow 'business-as-usual' to be pursued with as littlo disturbance as possible. 'Economy' is a popular text just now, but in such a crisis for all to adopt it as completely—aud, may 1 say, as unintclligently—as some public men urge would precipitate a calamity by plunging into distress thoso workers whoso living depends on the uninterrupted carrying on of business."

At tlio meeting of the Hutt Road Board to bo held to-day the draft of the Empowering Bill drawn by tho City Solicitor (Air. J. O'Hhea), giving the board power to raiso the money to lay down a, central section of the Hutt Itoad in concrete, will bo submitted to members. Tho Bill will also provide for tho annual payment of licenso' fees bv tho on ners of mechanically-propelled vehicles who nso tiie proposed new track, such licenses to be issued by the Wellington City Council and neighbouring borough councils. The Bill provides that all revenue derived from 'this source shall be' expended on the maintenance of tho speedway. Tho by-laws for tho control of traffic on the Hutt Itoad, a draft of which was submitted to tho last meeting, have been considered by Jlr. Dale (Mayor of Onslow) in consultation with the City [solicitor, but theso cannot be completed, as they must to a great extent be shaped by tho terms of tho Bill, which has yet to rccoive legislative endorsement.

"Ono of tho best dentists in Now Zealand is being sent away to-day as a private," said Dr. Thacker (Cliristchurch Hast) in tho Honse of Representatives yesterday. "This man lias made every endeavour to get a place on flie dental staff, but lias been unsuccessful." Dr. Thacker added that the soldier in question, Private Jesse Worgan, held professional credentials of a very high order, and it seemed entirely wrong, in view of tho shortago of dentists, that he should be sent away as a private in the infantry. Would tlio Minister tako the necessary steps to withdraw tho man from tho departing reinforcoment? "No, sir, I cannot do that," replied Sir James Allen. "I shall bo very much obliged if honourable members will bring these cases forward earlier, and not publicly iu the Honse. I do not think it right to bring the names of individuals before .Parliament."

The prizes won by the scholars at 'tho recent Sunday School Union examination will bo presented by Mrs. W. F. Jlassey at a meeting to be held in St. John's Hall on September 3. The Conciliation Council will sit in Wellington on August 24 to consider claims by the Tramway Union for a new agreement. A conference is also being arranged for next week to deal with shearers' and shed bands' wages and conditions of work. The complaint of a Crown tenant in the Hawko s bay was brought under tho notico of the Minister of Lauds (11 r. ilassey) in tho House of Representatives yesterday. The man was going on active service, and it became necessary for liim to transfer his lease. But before Tho Land Board would ratify the transfer this tenant had to refund an amount of £K which had been leinif.wd from tho rent of his holding by the board, which had at the same time remitted even larger amounts of the rent of other holdings in the settlement. Sir John Findlay asked whether this man, who was very soon leaving New Zealand, should be required to refund this money. Mr. Alassey said it was quite impossible for him to answer such a question. He would suggest that the question be put on the Order Paper and it could then be answer- j ed in full by the Department. The Ngaoro Dairy Company has,through the Stratford Patriotic Society, forwarded to Mr. C. AV. Pnlmer a cheque for ".£75 as a contribution to the funds of the Navy League. This cheque Mr. Palmer lias handed over to Mr. R. W. Shallcrass, tho present secretary of the league. General Fveyberg, of New Zealand, tho youngest general in tho British Army— only twenty-seven, the age of Napoleon when he conquered Italy—was the missing thirteen at the Investiture in Hydo Park tho other day? (says a London paper). People wondered because the numbers in the list of recipients jumped from twelve to fourteen. "Must be superstition." opined the wise ones. But it was not so. The absent V.C.—for the youthful general is as brave as he is brilliant, and has won the Cross "for Valour"—was detained in France, and so could not figure in the great historic festival of courage. At the half yearly meeting of the Wellington Typographical Union, held on Saturday evening last, tho following resolutions wcro carried unanimously:— "That (*iis meeting urges the Government to grant adequate pay to all soldiers, as well as adequate allowances to wives and other dependants; endorses the proposals in tho matter of pensions and allowances that have been put forward by (he Secoud Division League conference; and urges thai all pensions be I paid as a right, and not be subject to I the discretion of the Pensions Board."

"That this meeting condemns the proposal of the Government to lower the ago for recruits to nineteen years." "That this meeting views with alarm and condemns tho action of tho Now Zealand Government in is'itim: an Ordcr-iii-Couu-ci! ante-dating War Urgulalious, at the instance of a private employer, with a view of Retting behind rfatutn law for Hit) purposo of defeating Labour/

A pathetic instance of the heroism with which some of tho poor face their tragedies was related by the Rev. Allen Job at a meeting of tho Coal and Blanket r und Comniitteo in Christchurch. At one place ho visited, he said, he saw tho tenant an old man—standing at the door, and alter a few words with him was ask- ™ msine to see the old man's "boy." Ah boy turned out to be a man 52 years old. lie had been blind and ('eat and dumb since birth. The father had cared for hint with every love and attention all through the 52 veurs, and ho told Mr. Job that his only wish was to live longer than his .son. "I could die happily if I knew that he was laid sately away to rest," were his words.

Men who aro divorced or otherwise separated from their wives and families should be vitally interested in law provisions regarding their positions us reservists (says thu Auckland "Star"). A somewhat important case, which unserve ns a warning to some affected, was brought to notice when the First Auckland Appeal Board recalled George Williams to explain himself. On March 9 his appeal was allowed on the- ground that he wa9 a Second Division man, having been married on March 21, 1911. On that occasion he hod omitted to tell the lx>ard that ho was judicallv separated from his wife, a circumstance bv which a provision of the Military Service Act made him a single man and a member of tho First Division. The chairman (Air. F. J. Burgess. S.M.), in very straight, terms, told Williams that there was no doubt, about it that he had thereby misled the board, which lwd discovered the omission ns the result of perusal of the appellant's registration card. The board stated its intention of applying to the Commandant of the Forces for a rehearing of the case.

The Imperial Government recently suggested that the attainment and maintenance of uniformity in the examinalons of masters and mates throughout tho British Dominions would bo greatly facilitated if arrangements could be" mado from time to time for some of the examiners in all of the self-governing dominions w-hero such examinations are held to visit Britain t.o studv the methods adopted in Hie Board nf Trade examinations, anii the system by which they aro co-ordinated. The matter has been considered liv Iho Government, and it has been decided to send Captain William Whiteford to Tingliind for tins purpose.

The Chief Inspector of Fisheries, in his annual _rcport, states that the outstand■m" feature in connection with Hip seafisheries during ilio your lias been tho oxtension of tlio steam trawling indiisIrv at Auckland. All kinds of market fish have been plentiful in Auckland. Tlio lino and net fishermen have not been able to compete with the trawlers, anA most of tliem havo had to dispose of their boats and seek other employment. Tho report of the Marine Department for 1016-17 states that on December 31, 1916, there were on the register 190 sailin.? vessel of 21,553 registered tonnage, ami 390 steamers of 70,1(2 tonnage. Tlio numbers at Ilio olid of the previous year wei'o 1!)G railing vessels of 21,762 registoro dtonnage, and 355 steamers of 71,695 registered tonnage. Tho number of seamen and boys on board was 3520. ns compared with 3593 at tho end of 1915. Tho Chief Inppeotor of Machinery reports that freezing works havo almost doubled in numbers during tlio last two years, and in tlio later additions where electric power can bo reasonably secured it has been adopted for driving purposes. 'Hie storage capacities at nearly all the <ml works havo been increased, and additions made to machinery. Tlio laboursaving devices adopted and tho methods of hamming the materials are quite a revelation.