LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 22, 20 October 1917, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In view of the improved conditions there is now a goo/1 prospect of a steamer leaving Wellington for Australia, «t an early date. During the period of suspension of Ihe intecolonial service a considerable number of mimes havo heen registered at the Union Company's local office, but in view of Ihc prevailing uncertainty, intending passengers are requested to renew their applications. The company wishes to notify that no_ previous applications cnn.be recognised.

The Huddart-Parker Company states that it has received advices of the ieeumption of tailings from Aiistriilin.

The premisos of the Nireaha and Stirling Co-operative Stores! Ltd., were broken into on tho night of October 1", and a quantity of goods were eblen. At 9 o'clock tho following'morning the police had no clue, but beforo noon Constable Ede, of Ekotahuna, by a very smart pieee of work, arrested a man f.om whom n, quantity of tobacco and other articles wero recovered.

The Po=tal Department notifies that on Monday, October 22 (Labour Day), there will only be one delivery of letter-carriers in city and suburbs.

Tho Prime Minister lias received a beautiful silver salvor from the Old Country, on which is tho following inscriptio'n:—"Presented to the Might Hon. William Ferguson ilassey, a patron ot the British Empire Producers' Organisation l>y the oxecutivo committee in re-, cognition of the treat services he has rendered to the cause of Empire development London, Way 17." The signatures of tho members of the committee -appeiir on the salver.

According to a return presented to tho House of Representatives yesterday p7G dependants of New Zealand Loldiers killed in the present war have leceivod allowancee or pensions from the War Pensions Board. The number of i fficers dependants that have received relief is 392, their average pension per annum being ,£45 Tho amount granted to non-com-missioned officers' and privates' dependants by the board is »C 117,987.

( Sir James Allen stated in the House ' of Representatives yesterday that 12,(i52members of the Expeditionary lorco had returned to Now Zealand up to the end of September. Of these men 8652 tad been discharged, 125-1 had returned to duty, 54 were dead, 491 were awaiting discharge, 100 were waiting to -icturn to dutv 780 were receiving hospital cr sanatorium treatment, 290 were on leave, 11 wero on special leave, i had desertd, and 6 were in prison. >, "it was suggested by Mr. Parr, in the House yesterSay, that the best use was not being made of the trained or partly, trained men going into the Expeditionary Force. He said that men with artillery experience were sent in the infantry, and trained infantrymen were sent in the artillery. Sir James Allen eaid that it was not possible to find room for every man. in the branch he wished to join. The artillery was a branch especially in favour, and only a limited number were required. He did not know of any reasons why infantrymen should be transferred to artillery except it was for their skill in horsemanship. The Napier Trades and Labour Council has been asking the Minister of Railways for special trains for the Labour Day sports on Monday. In the House yesterday Mr. M'Combs protested against the Minister's action in refusing to grant these train 3, when he gave tram facilities for agricultural shows. Mr, Hemes said it was quite true that he had refused to run special trams for the sports. But it was not true that special trains were given for A. and P. shows, but the ordinary trains were altered sometimes to suit the shows. In any case, sports wero not in tho same category as agricultural shows, which were considered to have an educative effect. '

Tho Second Division League will hold a public moeting on Sunday night at the King's Theatre. Tho general public is invited to attend, when their proposed allowances recently put before Parliament will be fully discussed.'

Recently the people mining soleolito atd other tungsten ores in this country hnve complained that they havo not been getting a good enough price.. They ask that the British Government buy from them at the .market price, or allow (hem to export to America, whero a better price is offering than the requisition price paid by tho British Government. But the British Government has not agreed to raise the price. The question was discussed in the House yesterday, and several members spoke on behalf of the scbaeiite miners The Minister of Mines told the House some facts abo'it echeclite. • Fβ said that before the war the price -.fas .£BO or .£9O a ton, and now the British Government was paying £U6 a ton. _It had increased in" price from Soe. to r.os. per unit. Tho British Government secured the Australian output tor £2 It's, per unit, and the output from the mines of Burma for ;EIOO per ton. !.he objection to raising the New Zealand price wafj that this would entail the Rising of prices all over the Empire. And in any case the New Zealand output was not considerable.

Mr. G. A. Chapman, of '.he Lower Hutt, hae presented tlio large jonquil, made by himself, and which was such a noticeable feature on Hiitt Flower Day, to the To An School as an object lesson in wire-bending and colouring. The Kelburn Boy Scouts are giving an entertainment in tlio Victoria College Gymnasium on Friday, October 2(i, in aid of the Red Cross funds. "Members of tlio troop will supply all the items on the programme,. which is to "cover scout drill, songs, and recitations, and a playlet. Friends of the Scouts have undertaken to supply eweets,. cakes, and flowers. It is hoped .that tho enterprise of the boys and the gorxi caii6o they are out, to servo will attract a numerous attendance.

•'There is sufficient native bark in the Longwood district to ten all tho hides that will be in New Zealand for the next fifty years." said Jlr. T. D. Kingslnnd in tho course of his report to (ho Local Industries Couiinitlco at Invercnrgill (says the "Southland Times"). Explaining, Mr. Kingsland said that; a nn.mber of'native barks had been found to contain the tannin properties fov which South Australian wattle bark was now imported for tannery work. At, the present time all this bark was going to wastq as the timber was milled, but, it certainly seemed f> pity to lose tho native taiinin and have to import other. It was, of course, just a question whefitoy if would be possible !o extract find concentrate the tannin properties of thu barks so as to enable them to be transported at a sufficiently low cost. Already a northern firm was making experiments in this direction—and with Southland hark—but-tlio matter was one in which the Government should stimulate interest by means of a. bonus.

An.unusual accident , , with immediately fatal results to a man named Michael riorau, happened in the neighbourhood of Maliirakau. in Hie Obura dish-.ct, last week a mishap said to bo duo primarily to the bad roads. Horan was driving a wagon, which became eliick in a mudhole on (he road. A wagon driven by one 'fiastbvnok rendered assistance, and hauled the vehicle out. and Horan, standing on the front, shafts In urge on his team, commenced to drive on. A couple of chains further on the cart plunged <lown into another hole, a'ld by tho jolt Horan was thrown down between the horses and l,bn i wheels. A front wheel passed over his bony, and one at tho back caught: him and dragged tho body some ten or a, dozen yards through'iho. mud. Tho hor*OK were stopped, and the lenders 01 , another (earn l.mj to be requisitioned to drag the. wheel oil the body, which was found to be frightfully crushed. Death in list have been instantaneous, as the back was broken.

"Continuous experimenting firstly with excess profits, and then with compulsory loans, added to the fact that our taxes aro frequently made retroactive, is probably ono of the weakest features of our financial policy in relation to the present war," declared Mr. W. TV. Hemingway, ill a lecture, to accountants at Auckland. "\ Minister of Finance, having, at the commencement of the war, decided upon a eortain sound financial policy, should 'stick to his guns.' Ho should do this, even although complaints and vituperation from certain quarters may sweep around liis head like British build's at tho Somme."

On a. Chinaman being fined ,£ls in the Magistrate's Court yestordey." for Belling Tobacco and cigarettes after hours. c6unsel for defendant askedi'or limo in' which fc pay tlio fine. Tho'Xagistrate, in refusing the request, raid: "I don't think lie requires timoj they have plenty of monoy, these. Gliitiamen."

In the course of a case against a. for-tune-teller at tho Police Court at Auckland (says the "Star"), Mr. It. A. Singw tnenlioncd that defendant.-had .been asked by tho Patriotic Association to gka, an exhibilion at a patriotic entertainment, and had done so, the fees going to tho funds of the Patriotic Association. She had been asked, ;f!id had consented, te act similarly, ivithoul-fee or Teward, for another patriotic entertainment next week. Ohk'f-Detectivo M'Malion expressed the opinion that patr-iolic institutions aeted wrongly in encouraging fortunetellers by invbkine .their assistance. Jlr. F. V. Frazer, R.Jf.. agreed emphatically that il was not. in the interests of shciety that forlune-tellers of- any kind should be asked to give entertainments at patriotic or charitable" function?. Tt tended to cive (h» fortune-telling hum. hue a standing, and to spread the mental infection' ninong wonien whose homes might easily be made' unhappy by unwise belief in the foolish things lold them by so-called pnimists, astrologers, and crystnl-seers: ■ • Many" unfortunate women'were pulled- by "this form-<rf «'»- ceit and caused intense.nnhappiness. It was really "criminals,mid if the patriotic, institutions a .higliclass burßlar from Mount Kden to .'rive exhibitions of house mid sliop-broalting: the result would no doubt be quite M entertaining, and would bo Tcally less harmful to the communitv, provided ih" latter were warned beforehand to conceal their valuables.

Cable advice lias been received at the Bnse Bccords Office here from the War

Office. London, notifying that Captain W.-H. Thomas, lU.M.C, had been admitted to the 2nd Stationary Hospital. Hngilad, seriously ill (from concussion). The next-of-kin's address is unknown

hrre. We are asked to publish the casualty, with .1 request ili.it'.anyone kpowinsr the next-of-ldn ■ will communicate wffli tho Base Records Office in Wellington.

An interesting position recently _■ arose in Auckland in connection with military service. A New Zealander, who bad been an eneiny prisoner, was reelased _on parole. He lias been called up as a New Zealand reservist, and the question arose, in view of his parole, ■ whether or not lio was liable for active service. Points involving reference to ilie Hague Convention were included, and as to the powers of the authorities to order a man so placed to eerve in the.Forces. The dorinan parole, si»ned by the reservist, after commencing' with the reservist's address, ran: ". . .has been, released from captivity of war oil the lGth day of August, 1914, after having pledged his word of honour to the commander in ~ ,by handshake and by signing a protocol to adhere to the following conditions:— Cl) J-0 remain neutral during- t.ho. present war. and" especially not to take hostile action against the GermanEmmre, ; or its Dominions oV against the allies of the German Empire; (2)' not to spy, especially not to send communication about German forces or measures of war to any foreign country, not to Bend out native spies, or .-Jo permit that airy spying is going on with their knowledge; (3) to obey any orders of the commander in — regarding their residence; and (li to DUt before the ■o.miimander ' all letters and other written communications going but of . »» reservist was in the Cameroons at tno outbreak of the war. He appealed ,on the ground that he was an a n.eutial position on international war basis, iwing an cs-m'isoner of war on parole, As tho appellant was rejected and «la»sed as C 2, his appeal was. withdrawn. An interesting article in the Nice local 1 paper tells of the ex-Tsar's fortune, and how Nicholas H invested money with e?«. foresfelit. and tact. The special .roinifiissioii appointed in Petrogracl _uy the Provisional Government is rejioned to have discovered that the es-'Uar iiaa invested in the I'ennsylvaniaii fi.ffaY 00,000.000 dollars (.£10,000,000); in the.New York Metropolitan, M.W.000 dollars ' fJE2 000-000) jin the Ohio and Baltimore Ifteay SJ)b,GOO dollars Wl.000.000); and in the Great Central of New low iaiiwny 5,000 005 dollars In al, the. modest private capital ol &*MW At" 5 per cent/ Vhis.woahi gne Cplonei. Komanov" an- income of iiTOO.OtiO a year, t "also .aid.that the late Russum \mbassador at AVashmgfcon, M. BdUanrivato accounts .of tile ex-lfcar and exKnp ess were quite small, but the sums Etßudin"' to tho credit of the children tere large, the amounts credited to the Jrls being large in proportion to len B .'e» as they represented the accunuilation of their allowances, but tte exTsarevitch has naturally a tot large sum as the heir apparent, though the youngest child, for his allowance, fur exceeded those of ins sisters.

Al' a meetins of Duneciin master Sfasvssra :™4 between 6 and 7 o'clock for tea. Thib course has been adopted as ■ .<■ _ «Ai measure," being rendered neMtosarj. .b) shortage of male assistants. lhe object is to carry on with as small n stall: as polleTn the meantime. The resolution I 1 take effect from November a. xne meetin" decided, with a view to reducing the number of deliveries, to ask ,customerTtocarry their, own parcels; wnenever possible. . .' ... At tho Aucklai.d.-Appeal- : Board ff to-rtay, exemption was claimed for George WU- ™ « Wilson,-on the ground that, he was rendering a public service ,as Jnedc,l hypnotist. Tho -appellant-, stated thit ho had been working in conjunction with the medical profession for eighteen month" n™ asked for- an opportunity o ontinue working for the-benefit ot th» soldiers. Tho board decided to vec mmend Wilson for the Ambulance CoTIS, with a suggestion that hie «r----vker as hypnotist might be utilised.Prcss Assn. - With tho aesisfance of "Professor Kirk, 'of Victoria College, Wellington, the Gisborne Borough Council, .is. instituting r vigorous campaign against. Hies during: ■ tho summer months. lhe slogan: "Swat that fly!" is being heartily taken up, and pamphlets are being'issued to householders, , containing instructions on. how to achieve the best results. Pro r lessor Kirk is giving , demonstrations on the making of tanglefoot and other snares for the enomy hordes.—Press Association. The' Wellington Patriotic Society's Band will render a programme of music at Isla'nd Bay to-morrow afternoon.

■ It, is probable that very few people have, ever seen -the earth...rotating beneath their feet as was the privilege of a. email party of ■ enthusiasts at tho Hector Observatory at Kelburn last evening. Mr. Burrell, of Stratford, an'ontluisiasticastronomer, demonstrated this fact before the Astronomical Section of tho WeTiingtoii Philosophical Society, with, the aid of an apparatus known as FoncauH'fl pendulum. Although this rotation hisd been known and proved for many centuries, it was not until February, 1851, that, it was proved without V.\o aid of .astronomv. 'FouciuiU. a French Mathematician of note, htm; a pendulum 2CO feet long in tho Pa.ntheoti in Paris, consisting of a heavy weight, suspended by a wire. When the weight was drawn aside and then released it oscillated in a fixed plane, whilo thoearth rotated beneath it. Last evening, after Mr. W. S. La .Trobe. tho chairman, had introduced Mr. Burrell, Professor Sommcrvillo described The apparatus, and explained mathematically and physically how tho peirdiiltim proved the earth's rotation. Mr. Birrell then started the pendulum, and although only 10ft.. long, in -30 .or 10 seconds the'effect of the earth's rotation was plainly visible. Tine is- prolwbK the ' shortest pendulum with which a , satisfactory demonstration has beengiven, and reflects great credit on his design and workmanship. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Burreil Tor lcincity 'bringing his apparatus to Wellington to exhibit before the sect'.in.

Tho Gisborno Chamber of Commerce has unanimously endorsed the principle of raising loans by means of premium bonds, and decided to write to the Minister urging tho'adoption of the principle. The chamber also decided to ask the Associated Chambers to support tho project.—Press Association.

Tho campaign to raise .£50,000 in the Auckland military district..for the Bed Cross commenced yesterday with an "Our Day" appeal, in which all the patriotic organisations in the city and suburbs cooperated. The effort was favoured by fine weather, and the public responded freely. Over ,£500.0-was collected during I ho day.—Rress Assn.

.Speaking at the- Town Hall last evening. Sir Joseph Ward, referring to tho great work of the British Navy, said it was the Navy that, was- responsible- for keeping New Zealanders alive as people of the British Empire. But for the power of the Navy and the recognition by the enemy of this power w> would not have enjoyed tho protection that had boon ours. Ti) did not always, ftrike- us how ereat the Navy was'. Little came .•out about its doings," and the men cf the., .fleets were rightly silent! Tho deeds of tho British Navy in this war would not hi known until after the fina.l victory hat! been won. •

The larjki Patriotic Society recently ■decided to take action through Mr. Okey, M.P., regarding the remaining two soldier sons of Mr. ITnmblvn,- who has lost four sons at. the front. The society asked that the Iwo remaining boys lie sent lo the base or lo London. The Minister of Defence sent a cablegram to tho military authorities requesting that (his be done. Ho has received a reply stating that Private F. L. Hamblyn' is at the base in France, and that Private Richard Hareblyn is in hospital at Walton-on-Thames, and will return io New Zealand , .

Messrs. Baldwin and 'Rayword; patent attorneys and consulting engineers, of 215 LaniMon Quay, Wellington, New Zealand, report that recently they actedas agents in filing the following applications for letters patent of New Zealand:— J. Stanford, Wellington, gas cooking vange; F. E. Slowe, Sydney, vertically.sliding-win-dows; W. ,T. Binney, Fairlie. improved tuyere:-K. .T. Harding, Auckland, food safe; A. H. Thompson,' Sydney, earth closet; Ci. A. .Tuliiis, Sydney, printing and issuing tickets; S. L. F. Varvel, Sydney,' repair vulvaniser; C. Gray, PahaUr tanui, fencing standard: Office Appliance Company, Wellington, loose-leaf binders; A. L. Stokes, Christchuvch, food safe.