LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 20, 18 October 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department notifies that cable messages for soldiers serving in Sesopotamia should be addressed to Basra. There are forty-fivo cases sot down for hearing by the Third Wellington Military Service Board to-day, and twentytwo aro for members of the Seamen's Union, In view of tho extra cost of getting (o Trentham on account of the curtailed railway service, the Wellington Bncing Club lias decided that no charge Ira.made for entrance to tho outside enclosure,at Tronthurn Enccconrse for tho coming meoting. The Governor-General has received tho following cablegram from the Governor of New Caledonia, dated October 15, 1017:—"Tho French Consul at Auckland informs me that tho New Caledonian returned soldiers have been tho recipients of numerous) and touching attentions while at Wellington on the part of Your Excellency, and also on the part of the civil and military authorities of , that citv. I pray thnt Your Excellency will accept my thanks, and convey to tho Hon. Sir James Allen, Minister of Defence, and the Mayor and councillors of tho city of Wellington, an expression of my sincere gratitude. I am happy at the same time to hear from tho French Consul that tho good behaviour of our soldiers was particularly remarked upon by the New Zealand authorities.—(Signed) Ifcniquet." Monday being Labour Day, (ho banks throughout tho Dominion and tho law offices in. Wellington .will be dosed.

Seemingly- llicro is nn onion famine. Onions are scarce in Wellington, and dear, a record of Is. 3d. per lb. being secured at tbe Allen Street markets yesterday by Messrs. I,aeiy and Co. As to !ho position in Auckland, an exchange states:—"Thero is a. serious shortage of onions in Auckland at present, duo to the usual overseas supplies not having corao to hand. Produce merchants stato that the local crop does not usually begin to conio on the market until. December, and, in consequence of the bad season, crops will bo later this year than usual. It is also feared that the quantity grown will bo considerably less than the averago crop, and unless relief is afforded by substantial importations the shortage is expected to continue for sonio tirao. One of tho chief sources of supply is Sydney, ahd it is hoped further supplies will bo availablo shortly. Onions havo been selling as high as sd. a pound wholesale, and there is no immediate prospect of a drop in prices, as the market is bare and importations are not likely to pro.vide for more than immediate necessities."- Judging by this, onions are much cheaper in Auckland than in Wellington. The Government Board of Trade met tho grain-growers of Otago in conference on Tuesday. It is understood that after the board have met the fiourraillers in the chief centres the millers will hold, a general conference at Christchurch early next month, when a schemo to be submitted by tho hoard for handling the crop will be considered nnd discussed with the board. By a paragraph in tho Sydney "Evening Nows" it is learned that Mr. John L. M'lndoe, tho elder son of Mrs. John M'lndoe, of Duncdin. jumped into sharkinfested, water in Sydney harbour recently and. rescued from drowning Captain Hare, a returned soldier, who is suffering from shell-shock. The i ewspaper 6tates that it was a gallant and plucky act. Whitebait hit a higli point on tho market yesterday morning. The supply is not nearly equal to tho demand this season, and the result of that was evident when two 401b. tins from the West Coast were submitted for sale by. auction by Messrs. Laery and Co.. They realised £4 per tin, or 2s. a lb. In giving evidenco in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday in a charge of manslaughter, Mr. L. Drake, corporation inspector, stated that there were at present 3250 motor vehicles registered by tho Gity Counoil. Tho Dental Department of the Wellington Hospital will ho closed on Friday | morning next owing to the dental surgeon being rmnblo to attond. The appeal of a doctor eamo before the Third Wellington Military Service Board yesterday. The doctor was David L. Sinclair, of Taihape, and tho board adjourned his case sine die. It is understood that among the appeals now being received against military service are many from men in the camps. The matter of dealing with these appeals is occasioning -a very large amount of extra work on tho clerical 6tafrs. The following officers were elected at the St. John Ambulance, Petono division, annual meeting, which was held in the Mayor's Eoom, Petone. on Monday last Mr. J. W. M'Ewan; vice-presidents, Messrs. A. Coles, Qeorgo Cook, C. T. Bargh, and D. M. Armstrong; hon. surgeon, Dr. M. Boss; acting-super-intendent, Mr. Marsdon: first officer, Mr. L. Parrant; second officer, Mr. George Staples; sergeants, Messrs. Crowther and Shoppard; corporals, Messrs. Davis and W. H. Slmrdlow; inspector of stores. Mr. ,T. Astill; treasurer, Mr. J. Kyle; auditor, Mr. W. C. Burd; sergeant and corporal for section at Petone Railway Workshops, Messrs. F. W.

Greenfield mid E. Pointon. It. Tins been arranged, in connection with the "Oir Day" effort to-dny, that the Primo Minister (Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey) and other members of Parliament Trill deliver brief patriotic speeches at various places of vantage in the city during the day. Mr. Mnssey will apeak at the Government Buildings at 10.30 a.m. The speakers will iuchido Sir Joseph Ward, the Son. G. W. Kussell, Sir James Carroll, Br. A. K. Newman, Messrs.' C. Parata, J. T. M. Hornsby, B. A. "Wright, C. J. Parr, M.P.'s, and the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke). In connection with tho Featherston "Our Appeal Day" effort, a total of .£452 14s. id. was raised, tho Kaiwaiwai settlers being responsible for .181 3s. 9d. of the amount. A petition for tho release from camp of a young soldier alleged to be medically unfit occupied the attention of Parliament for an hour yesterday. The 51 to 'L Publio Petitions Committee, which had heard the evidence of the military medical authorities, had no recommendation to make. Its members were convinced that the soldier, who is now in the 01 camp, was receiving fair treatment, and would not be sent on active service if he did not prove fit. Mr. G. "Witty (lticcarton) read certificates from several civilian doctors that the man was unfit, and Dr. Thacker (Christchurch East) gave personal testimony to tho .same effect. After several other members had spoken the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) made a brief protest against interference with the ordinary military procedure an a matter of this kind. "We have tried to eliminate all influence from the operation of the Military Service Act," he said. "I ba.'ve set my iace against influence from any quarter, and 1 have done my best to administer tho Act fairly and squarely to everybody. There is arising. iiow a custom of petitioning Parliament with the object of securing release from service of particular men, and behind these petitions there is sometimes considerable influence."' An amendment moved by Mr. Webb (Grey) that the report should be referred back to the committee for further consideration was defeated by U votes to 20. Complaint was made in the House of representatives yesterday afternoon by Mr. Hornsby that the trains in the Wairarapa were considerably overcrowded by soldiers on leave ■■•eturuiug to camp. Mr. Hornsby asked tho Minister of Railways to take steps to relievo the position. Tho j Hon. W. H. Herries, in '.eply, stated thai! if the Defence Department gave the railway authorities notice that they wished to requisition a special train for the purpose of returning soldiers to camp they could have it at any time they liked. Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., draws attention to a statement wrongly attributed to him in tlia.reiiort.of the discussion on separation allowances in the Houso of representatives yesterday: Mr. Wilford, speaking at tho time, referred to a returned 6oldier, and Mr. M'Callum interjected that this man was "the first mau who supported General Godley." In our report Mr. Wilford was mado to reply, "No, the second." Mr. Wilford fiays thai: tho remark he made was, "I don't second that," meaning that he did not join in tho general outcry against General Godicy. Mr. M'Callum, it should be stated, is another of the members who always defends General Godley.

We have to acknowledge the receipt of tho sum of .£1 6s. 6d. forwarded through the secretary of the Wairnrapa Patriotic Association from the children of the Eketahnna School for the Soldiers' Hostel for the Blind. Tlio amount is being forwarded to Mr. Chitlia Mackenzie, as a donation to the funds of St. I>unstan's Hospital for Blind Soldiers. The Lands Committee of the! House of Bepresentatives has no recommendation to make regarding the petition of C. P. Smith arid seventy others, praying that a commission bo set up to inquire fully into the question of the recent rise in the unimproved value of land within the Borough of Taumarunui, or that the Valuation Department be instructed to send an officer, other than the official who made the nevr valuation, to meet tho ratepayers, with a view (o a satisfactory adjustment of values. The Lands Committee of the House of Representatives reported yesterday on the petition of the Dunodin Chamber of Commerce and the Otago Expansion League, praying that a commission bo appointed to inquire into tho question of bringing the pastoral lands of. Otago, which under present tenure are seriously deteriorating, into «■ more productive condition, and further tho increase of settlement. Tho committeo is of opinion that, the Govevnmnt be strongly recommended to set up tho commission asked for.

It is surely somewhat unique for father and son to compete in tho same race, but this happened at tho Christ's College Rports on .Thursday, wheu, in the Old 'Boys' Race, won by Mr. ,D. Alatson (stock auctioneer) from the'32yds. mark, his son, Mr. K. D. Matson, was also a competitor, being on scratch. In his younger days Mr. D. Matson was one of the best hurdlers in Canterbury. Hβ won the 4-lOyds. Hurdles Championship in New Zealand, at Wellington in February, 1893, and in November of tho same year carried off the <Uor<& Hurdles at the first Australasian championship meeting, held on the Melbourne- Cricket Ground.

A rather painful accident befel the eleven-year-old son of Mr. Georgo Laucblan (engineer and manager of the Electric Light Department) at Kilbirnio yesterday morning. Passing behind one tramcar, he was crossing the- track when a car coming in the opposite direction knocked hina down. Fortunately, tho motorman was on the alert, and jammed the breaks promptly enough to check thß pace of the car, otherwise the result might have been serious. At it was the lad's face was badly cut, and he had to bo attended, to in an adjacent house] During the year ended March 31 last only one person struck by a tramcar succumbed to his injuries. In that case a Terdict of accidental deatli was returned, no blame being attachable to the motorman concerned. Up to March 81 last (says the annual report of the city tramways department) 111 members of the staff and employees had joined tho Expeditionary Forces, and in every ease where the military pay was not equal !o tho amount earned prior to enlistment the council contributed the difference, the total of which for the year amounted to over „C3SOO. A Dnnedin residont, Mrs. Ada Duthie, who is at present on a visit to Wollingtou, was in Vivian Street la6t evening when a seizure of some sort apparently caused her to fall on tho kerbing. She struck the .back of her head and received a cut and a slight concussion. She was admitted to the Hospital about 8 o'clock.