LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3171, 23 August 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

• In the near future people having 'business on certain of tho wharves, will havo to show a pass that will be issued only to those whoso business is known and r'ecognisod, which pass will be examined by an officer posted on tho wharf for that, purpose. To make this system quito effective, the Glasgow and King's wharves have been barricaded off with a stout paling fence. At knock-off timo in the evening the gates will bo closed, and only those who have passes will bo able to get past the guard. A guardhouse is being erected between the two wharves, to facilitate the working of the now tystem. The annual -report of tho Post and Telegraph Department states that up to Mnrdh 31, 1917, tho number of permanent and temporary officers of the Department accepted for service with the Expeditionary Forco numbered 3512. This includes one nursing 6ister. Of these officers it is regretted that 60 have been lulled in action or havo died from wounds or sickness, ono is a prisoner of war, and 157 have beoh wounded. Several officers havo won honours while on active service. One has had tho D.S.O. conferred on him, two have been awarded tho D.C.M., eight have been awarded the Military Medal, eight have been mentioned.in dispatches, and two have been awarded Serbian decorations. During tho year the Department .supplied regular reinforcements to the wireless telegraphy troop of G2 officers sent last year. The Department has also provided a number ot expert telegraphists, mechanicians, and linemen for duty with the Force, and by selecting trained Postal men has enabled tho Postal arrangements abroad for the Expeditionary Force to bo kept in as high as state of efficiency as possible. The concrete foundation piles of the new temporary cheese store that is being erected on Waterloo Quay T>y the Wellington Harbour Board aro now in, and preparations are being made,to commence the erection of the wooden, superstructure. Tho building, which will only provide ono floor, will cover, roughly, an aero of ground. Tho street frontage will expose rive sliding doors to the railway track, and tho other (the eastern) frontage will bo flush with that of the big brick oheese storo. The capacity of tho new store will be 50,000 crates.

A proposal that a friendly society in Auckland should be allowed to invest ,£2OOO in the debentures sold by the Tost Offioo bearing interest at the rate ot 6 per cent., in spite of the proposed limit on such investments of was made to tho Finance Minister by Mr. Harris in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. Harris pointed out that the concession was not important from the point of view of tho Treasury becauso friendly societies did not pay income ■taxSir Joseph Ward said that the proposal was ono that had much to commend it, bat. he could not accept it. Other societies would ask for tho same privilege, and he could not face that possibility.

It is tEe intention of tho Mayor (Mr. J P. Luke, C.M.G.) to invite the cooperation •of tho City Council at tonight's meeting for the purpose of holding a publio meeting in tho city to interest people in tho Liberty War Boan. The Mayor considers that every effort should bo made to assist the Government In bringing home'to the public tho need for strengthening tho financial resources or New Zealand. Mr. Luko considers that if a public meeting, were addressed bv men in a position to speak with authority on tho financial situation, and how New Zealand can belp the Empiro in this mutter, it would help to arouse enthusiasm so as to establish the popularity of tho loan and induce subscrip-. tions from" people who might otherwise overlook their obligations. Near the mouth of tho city outfall sewer at tho old pilot station, a portion of tho dead body of an infant was found 'floating yesterday morning by a woman who lives in the locality. A post-mortem, examination has been ordered, and an inquest will be held on tho remains it deemed desirable. ,• . '

On Monday last a small' party of members of the Legislature paid a visit to tho military camps at Featherston and Tauhorcnikau. .They wcro met by Mr. j. T. M. Hornsby, M.P., and on arrival at headquarters were conducted over the camps by Colonel Adams, tho Commandant. Every possible opportunity w;as given tho visitors to examine and inspect every detail of the camps. lho Hon. A. Maginnity, M.L.C., and Messrs. J. Colvin, R. M'Callum, H. Poland, and E V. Leo, all expressed themselves as pleased and satisfied with all they saw, arid were especially gratified with the arrangements for the comfort, well-being, and training of the men Special notice was taken of tho methods adopted to ensure economy, but tho members expressed their hearty conourrenco with the Commandant when he said ho preferred to be accused of wasto rather than face a. body of hungry, and under-fed men.

Only one criminal and one civil case have so far been set down for the session pf tho Supreme Court that opens in Masterton on September 3.

The inconsistency of a man employed in the Defence Department advancing a plea for oxemption on religious groundswas commented on by tho Military Service Board in Auckland on Monday <lurlnff the "hearing of the appeal by Wilfred .T Davey, clerk at tho Defence Office. Appellant stated that ho was a member, of tho Testimony of Jesus, and his religious convictions forbade him to bear arms, or to take any part in warfare. It would also bo against his convictions to perform ambulance work. "Then how is it that you aro working in tho Defence Department at all?" asked a member of the board. "To bo consistent, you should certainly have resigned your position sooner than havo taken on any work in i connection with tho war!" As tho sect, of which' Davey was a member did not como within tho scope of the regulations governing exemption of roligious bodies, the appeal was dismissod. Appellant was instructed to proceed to camp with the September draft, but the board agreed to recommend that ho should bo given Mon-combatant work. At its meeting on Monday night, tho Chrisfchurch Ministers' Association carried unanimously the following resolut[on._"That the Christchurch Ministers' Association "desire tho community to understand tliat tho freo Churches havo had neither part nor lot in tho agitation which has compelled the Government to propose to exempt by Act oil clerics from military service. The free Church ministers ka've been ready to take rank with the manhood of tho country, and have no share in the demand ithat clerics should bo regarded as outside or above thp ordinary obligations of citizenship." Speaking at tho Opera House last even-' in" (says tho Wang.inui "Herald" of Friday),' Mr. T. B. Slipper said that it had been stated ■ that there were 15,000 "dodgers'' in the First Division. He said I hat "lie had been (old by a person in authority, whoso namo ho could not divulge, that tho actual number was 17,000;

Residents in the Nelson diocese are subscribing to a fund to purchase .1 motor-car for Bishop Sndlicr, in order to mark their appreciation of his decision to refuse tho Bishopric of Clippslnud, Australia, and to remain in Nelson.

Tho position of salt is 1 ncuto ii- Australia, says tho "Sun." Supplies aro practically unobtainable, and one prominent wholesale merchant stated m Sydney tho other day that his firm had been unable to secure one-tenth, of iis usual supplies. Ho explained that Australia's salt was secured from tho g.'cat salt lakes in South Australia, -when tho huge swamps dried up in tho 6ummor. This year the rainfcll had been phenomenal, and ths evaporation had not been sufficient to dry the lakes, and consequently no 6alt deposits were available, and not one merchant was able to quote r. price.

Particulars of the death of a youth named Cecil Ross, aged 17, who was Bored by a bull at Upper Moutere on Friday afternoon last, show that between i and 5 o'clock the youth went into some bush on his father's farm to let looso a Shorthorn bull, and as lie had not returned in an hour's time search was made, and he was found terribly mutilated,-but still alive. A docto'p was summoned from Motueka, but tho youth died before his arrival. An inspection of tho place where the youth was found showed that he must have been' tossed over an area of 40 Yards, blood marks on the manuka lndioating this. The bull, which was destroyed next morning, was considered a quiet one, and deceased had been in the habit of driving it with a switch.

Tho Mayor of ChristctvArch on Monday night expressed tho utmost disgust for tho "piffle" that he had beard in Parliament while in Wellington last week, savs the "Lvttellon Times.' Of all the people ho had ever listened to, he said, the speakers ho had heard 'took the cake." Ono or two members lay asleep in front of the Speaker, who kept an anxious eye on the clock, filling up his lime ever and anon by remarking that he had another few minutes to go or that his time was nearly up, or turning over voluminous notes to quote how much tho country had saved by collecting th'e cartridges in camp. He had heard that Parliament cost .£3O an hour, and ho marvelled how members could think up such twaddle at the price. Tnero was no such waste with tho Efnciency Board.