LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3191, 15 September 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In reply to a question in the House of Benresentatives yesterday Sir Joseph Ward stated that tho missing Wai"" l * had a. mail on board, lv.it not a large one. There were two bngs for San 1-ran-cisco and two/for Canada. Tho mailfor San Francisco contained twenty-eignt registered articles. The Defence Minister's long-promised return showing what has become of all the men called in the ballots nearly innde its appearance yesterday. Sir James-Allen said ho would present it to the House lafer Tn tho afternoon. But it did. hoc appear, and the Prime Minister explained that it had been held over until tne be"iiminfr of next week at his request. Ihe return was likely to produce debate and ho wished to get along with the Estimates. \ Perhaps half of the members r>f the House of Representatives and about the same number of officers of the House are now suffering, and have been eiilterin" intermittently, for weeks, from septic throat. Mr. ft. Heaton Bhodes mentioned the matter yesterday, and sug- ' crated that the Minister of Public Health should instruct some of his •ifncers to have the "building disinfected. There was a discussion on the question A the admission of strangers. It is a -act that so many people are admitted, ?specia!ly in the evening hours, that the air m vitiated, and some members su«ge.?.ed that tho number of visitors be kept down. Country members took exception to this, saving that neoplo from distant Tiarts should be given a chance vi seeing {■lie House at work. Mr. Spenker, who is in charge of the House, said that he would bo glad to pive consideration to (lie proposals for disinfection and ventilation, and tho Minister likewise promised to do his part. Probably Mr. Hindmarsh made a fairly good diagnosis of tho sickness of memVrs when he >ntoriected that the cause of their ills was "too much food and too little exercise." . . , ■, During last week eleven married and sixteen single men applied nt the Nave Labour Bureau for employment. -Nine married and fourteen siuglo men were assisted to employment. Two returned soldiers also -were assisted, and two v.ivcs and three children were helped to rejoin relatives. The bureau lins ample work in Napier for pick and shovel men.

\. peculiar occurrence took place iu the storeroom of a local grocer's shop the other day (reports the Nelsqu "Colonist"). A cat hail been shut in the room for the purposo of catching rats.- On entering the compartment later the occupant was surprised to find his cat with its head jammed inside a jam bottle, and on closer examination was somewhat startled to notice, that there was also, in the bottle a young rat. The matter of extricating tho cat, a valued one, was accomplished without breaking the Ijottle. Tho rat, when cut off by his natural enemy from his only means of escape, sought refuge in the empty bottle, the mouth of which was just "sufficiently large to allow the ait's head to enter.

j>. Kcwman gavo notice, in tho House of Representatives yesterday to ask tho Piiiuc Minister, whether H)R Government will sot up boards in (.owns, likn Uio farmers' boards, to assist shop-keepers and other traders who lire-leaving for the TTjr?

Tho curtailment of shipping from Australia- on account-of the strike was tpsponsiblo for an extraordinary demand for passenger accommodation on a vessel whic.li arrived at Auckland reconll.v (says the "Herald"). Bunks had been hastily erected in every conceivable space on the ship. Even the holds hud been utilised-for this purpose, and many snloon passengers hud been Mlletcd in these quarters. Notwithstanding the extra accommodation, over 200 would-be imssengers had been left behind at the. port of clearance.

Sir John Findlay has given notice to iislc tlie JTTnister of .Defence whether ho will state how and on what basis scllingpffecs for canteen Roods are fixed ami conlrolled by the Defence Department, with a. view'to protecting the soldiers in camp.

The Slnto Labour Bureau in Wellington reports that during this week nuniorous wharf labourers have applied at its office for employment. It is considered that these are men who have been thrown idle through the strike in the musnjiilo Heel.

Brighter weather falls for brighter clothes. Inspect our vreli-cut best nia.teriijl suite at 705., 80s., 00b.- George I'owlds, Ltd., Manners Streot.-Advt. ■

Owing l<i the. indisposition of (ho City Organist. (Mr. Bernard Pago) there; will bo. no organ recital nt the '.I'uu'ii llnll this evening.

Word has been received in Wellington thiil, after killings of the Concilialion Council in Wellington. Niipii>r, unci \V:ingailui, ii. complete, agreement h;is l.Pfii iirrivccl lit in the engineers' dispute. The wiigcs iigrccil ii[iun are Is. 7Jil. an hour lint rule for journeymen, :mll a slight increase in apprentices' wajjcs. Other clauses lire generally in lenns of thn ohl award. Th« new award is to operate lor two years throughout the \W|linptnn industrial district. Mr. \V. 11.. Hugger, Conciliation Commissioner, presided at "II sittings of the wuncil, and lias done cxcollcnt. work in effecting a settlement in ii dillicult dispute.

Dame Humour has become iijmost. boisterous in her n-ntice. Hern is a paragraph from the Brisbane "Courier" of August 2.l:—Notwithstanding Iho official statement that there has been no rioting in A'ew Zealand, Air. Pollock, in Hie Legislative Assembly yesterday, asked the I'remier if ho.lind heard Ihe rumour that Queensland soldier* who enlisted for active, service against Germany had been sent to New Zealand to quell anli-con-ccriplion riots? If , m>. would ho inquire of the Prime Minister whether this is true? And would he, if satisfied that it is inilnie, take hleps to have it contradicted by tho Press, and thus remove a grave obstacle k> vnluntary enlistment? Jlr. Ryan replied that, he had not lienvd siixh a rumour, but he had coiiinmmoated with Iho Prime Minister on Mio subject, and would await his reply."

The By-laws Committee of Iho City Council adjourned to the crllnr of tho Town Hull Inst evening, where a der monstralinn of various motor-car headlight lenses, calculated to lessen llio glare, was given under the direction ot the council's motor inspector (Mr. L.» S. .Drake).

There w , a workers' dwellings selllenient in Patrick Street, Pelonc. In Hie Tloiißo of E«presehlativcs yeslenlay slr. Wilford said that he had received a communication from a constituent, who was living-in one of lhe.-o houses, and this man complained thai: the Department was trying to raiso (he rent of the buildings or to sell thorn over Hie lir.id.-j of occupants. This man had been a«UiM lo pay an increased rent, and having declined to do so he received the following telegram from .the Labour Department: "tlavo purchaser for house occupied by von Please take notice to quit the premises one month from <h.te." -The. Pri.no Minister said that he did not know the explanation of.it all, but he would make inquiries from the Department. His Honour Mr. Justice Cliapman, yesterday resumed tho hearing of a claim insido by Mary Ann Maiscy, wife ot Charles .T. Maisey, labourer, for £-M damages and an injunction against \\i - liam John Haines, butcher. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant, bv depositing soil in a. depression ma nglil-. of-wav,' had diverted storm-water, ami flooded her land and binldings. She asked for an injunction To-sfTainimr-ihe defendant from depositing soil in the depression, and-rwi Hiring him to remove the soil already placed I here. Iliodefo.mliint alleged, . among other thing?, that if the plaintiffs land and buildings, had been damaaed, the. damage was due to the configuration of the laud. Mr. W V. Ward' appeared for the plaintitr, and Ur C Neilson for the defendant. His Honour reserved his decision. ■V Press Association telegram from Duncdin states that tho man who was killed on the Roslyn-Kaikorai tramline on Thursday night was" Frederick Jolui. Sibbald, aged G7 years, a married man, with no children. He had beetf living at Kaikorai.

The Australian strike has had an almost disastrous effect on trade in buva, where so many of the merchants export their produce and merchandise to Australian ports (say 3 Monday's Auckland "Star"). The steamers conveying tins cai-"o of fruit have been held up, thencargoes are lying in the sheds at Suva, The effect on the fruit market there has been to reduce the price of bananas to twopence a bunch. This very lowprice, is, of course, mainly increased by the freight, which w about one shilling and threepence per bunch, lhe retail price in Auckland should, however, be low during the next few weeks, as the shipment .from -.which the merchants' wilf draw, was bought-, in Suva during the low-price -period. ■- ■ ■ Some, features of life in Auckland are very strongly criticised by the Kev. ,I'. K Jeffreys, in his third annual report upon the work of the local branch of the Presbyterian Social Service Asso ; ciation. "Much poverty and distress, ho says, "is due to thriftlessness and the utter inability of some women to run a home. One cannot at times help feelin" that it is no wonder that some men give way to drink. Much poverty and distress is directly attributable to. an utter ignorance of. or disregard for, domestic economy. While the breadwinner is in work his wages are 6pent often on luxuries, picture shows, etc., <ind then it only wants a few days enforced idleness, such as is caused by bud weather or a break between jobs, to place a family in, absolute want. It is a. strange and also a very sad: thing to find mothers who prefer to do • everything themselves rather-, than being bothered with setting their'girls to do it and putting up, for a time at least,with human imperfections ot youth. There would be a great reduction in the poor- of pur New Zealand cities and in the charitable aid if it were impossible for a girl to be married until she prave herself capable of carrying out plain domestic duties." . .

4. paper by Mr. F. Speight embodying a'record of the action of tho borer on 150 specimens of timber in tho Canterbury Museum .was laid before the last meeting of the committee of tho Canterbury Museum. The writer added a. few comments. One observation was (hat the sap might bo atfected while the heart timber might be unaffected. This • Was particularly tho case with the black matai. The specimens of white pine were relatively immune. • Mr. Speight referred to the necessity of conserving supplies of local, timber, and pointed out that one source of waste was tho ravages of tho borer. In discussing various preservatives, he stated that in tho Canterbury Museum a specific composed of petrol, carbolic acid, and camphor had been found very effective, so far as it penetrated the wood. He pointed out, however, that this specific probably would not be effective in timber exposed to the weather.

Every enlisted man and officer of the IT.S.A.'Navy is to wear an indestructible nietnl tab, 'by which ho may be identified in the event of death or injury. The to? is to be made of monel, an alloy which is not affected by Lent, and which will not corrode in,salt water. H will bear on one sido tho wearer's name, date of birth, and -.enlistment, and in tho case of an officer his rank and dale of appointment. On tho other side will no etched tho print of tho right index finger. .Under that system, which is held to. be superior- to that adopted by European armies and -navies, there is.not ono clianco in 65,000,00(1, Hid finger-print experts estimate, of a mistake, in identification.

About two months ago three ancient historical bone meres were offered to thn Auckland Museum (says tho "Star").. All three belonged to the kind called by. tho Maoris "kotiate," being fiddlc-shan-ed, andmuch broader in the blade "or flat part than tho ordinary meres "f greenstone, wood, or stone. In tho centre of each side of tho blade is ii deep notch, tho use of which is not known.'although several improbable explanations have been ventured. Two of ilio meres woro tribal weapons formerly bclonsinj; 1o the celebrated Maori warrior Hpwi, who. as is well known, led liis tribe, tho NVntinmniapoto, iieainst the British troops during the Waiknln war anil look part, in the Jflilllo ol Ornkail, near to Kihikihi, where the WaiVβto and NVatimanianolo Alaons were finally defeated. The third mere. tor-, nierlv belonged to Tlanwai, a jM'eiit lig»<; in« chief of tho Urcwera country, and a man who could trace his peilißi-ce back to times long before the Maori olonisation of New Zealand. 'I lip advisability of sccuriiiß for the Auckland Museum" three weapons with sncli important historical associations was siilhciontlv obvious, but tho price asked, .£.lO, was bcTOnd the, menus of the. museum. Tho Ron. A. M. Myers. Mr. 11. Brett, and Jlr 11. TV. Abbott, subfmhed tho sm in equal shares, thus KCcuring (he possession of the -plies to tlio niusciiiti.

"No Cubbing" Laundry Help is. what is recommended for washing clothes clean without nibbing or injury to. the hands and fabrics.—W. M.. Baanatyla and Oo. s -Ltd.—Adtt, . . '

Yesterday afternoon the police were informed that a six-year-old child named Gordon Chailis, residing ut 57 'j'iiiafeorl lioad, had been accidentally knocked down by a motor-car which was driven by Percy- Withers, of 115 ICarori Head. Withers came, from Lambton Quay into Aloleswortb Street. and the 'bIiHiI ran across tho road rigbt in front of the car. Withers swerved to as to avoid ill) accident, ;uul ran into a' verandah post. Unfortunately ho struck the child, who wan liist evening reported lu l>o in a. very serious condition.

It is staled by Ihe. Sydney newspapers that the elrike has .had a, disastrous cf.fcot on recruiting. 'Rach week the lolal has shown a decreasing nninber." During last, month the lotul enlistments in Now South" 'Vales were 1078. Of th.it number 85!> were deferred, le.-ivi'ng 1)2:) lo go into camp. Under Ihn recruiting scheme, reconlly adopted, Uie monthly quola. for New South Wales is 2:118. so I hat on this occasion tho number is nearly l'2of) short of that required. Tim figures for Ilin. week ended September I show thai out' of .'!B2 men ivtio volunteered 207 were accepted. 175 being deferred.

Messrs. Baldwin and liaywiird, patent allorneys and consulting onginr-ers, of 215 Lainblon Quav. report that, recently they acted as agents in filing the follow, ing applications for loiter* pnteni rf New Zealand:-!■'. ltoss. Haslinss, skylight; H. h. Ziman. Sydney, jacket; '1 , . .'. llewFon Auckland. sw.;epin? chimneys: A. Lyell, Lyltelfon, molor: N. Niplsoii, Auckland, window; C. J. Boon, Auckland, molor; Canadian Urush Co.. iV.-ilker-villo, l>nishmnkin S ; ,\. Xl'Kae. VVcllinslon, curiiiff bacon; S. .1. Jjorcll. Jlclbourne, dispensing liquids; S. S. Allwill, TTantapu. aeroplane engine; 10. C. j.nylnr, AVellinston. iidvortisins; (.'. T. Green, Auckland, mill; strainer.