LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 78, 26 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The soldiers originally notified as returning by draft 129 as due at Auckland on December 29 will not now reach that port before January 3. Tho Btenmer may be expected to reaoh Wellington about January 5, Lyttelton January 6, and Port Chalmers January

To-morrow Mr. J. D. Foster, a refcun.ed soldier and a member of the Y.M.O.A. gymnasium, will attempt to swim across Wellington Harbour, a distance of 1\ miles. The swimmer will start from Day's Bay beach, and with good fortuno finish at the Pipitea Wharf in about four hours.

Since July, thero has been a noticeable slackening in the exports of merchandise from the United States. During the September quarter those exports wero £269,418,000., showing a reduction as compared with the third quarter'of 1916 of £30,440,000; whereas during the June quarter those exports wore £337,990,000, showing an increase of £65,027,000.

There is grave reason for supposing that a man who fell overboard from the ferry steamer Planet in Melbourne on December 7 was Mr. Samuel Goldsmith, the well-known police magistrate. When last seen Mr. Goldsmith was about to board the Planet at tho ,Gem Pier, Williamstown. The steamer was well over towards tho new Railway Pier at Port Melbourne when a cry "A man overhoardl" was raised. The man had disappeared, however, and only his bat was picked up. Sir. Goldsmith could not be found on the vessel after the alarm was raised.

Tho official announcement regarding the personnel and duties, of the Commission that is to investigate Defence expenditure is still delayed. A recent telegram from Dunedin stated that tho Commission would consist of ,Mr. Justice Stringer, Mr. Peter Barr (DunedinV and' Mr. Charles Rhodes (Auckland), but it is understood that Mr. Justice Stringer cannot leave the work of the Arbitration Court at the present time. The order of reference has been prepared and the Commission will be able to begin work as soon as the question of personnel has been settled.

Among tho Christmas telegrams received by the Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. F. Massoy) is a message from the Maharajah of Bikaneer, ■as follows:—"At this Christmas season I desire to convey warmest good wishes to New Zealand and yourself." The Maharajah was the principal Indian representative at the Imperial War Council this -year. '

Among those who spent a merry Christmas in Wellington yesterday is an inmate of the Home for the Aged Needy, who is 102 years old. 110 is very lively and bright.

"Tho Now Zcalanders are considered the best bayonet fighters in the British Army," writes a non-commissioned officer on active service. "On the classification list the Guards are placed first and New Zealand second, and tho latter have only lost first placo because they" did not observe the niceties of the game—saluting, etc.—or they would be, an easy first."

A peculinr position was disclosed beforo the First Cantorbury Military Service Board (Mr. J. S. Evans, S.M.. presiding) at Kaikoura last week. About two months ago a mnn engaged whaling, but also known as a shearer, was charged with wilfully making a falsestatement under the National Registration Act, 1915, to tho Government Statistician, by falsely representing himsolf to ho a married.man with three dependants. It was found that ho was unmarried and had no dependants. The information was amended by consent, and accused was convicted and fined £10. Investigation of tho matter by tho chairman of the board revealed a rather tangled skein. Section 33 of the Act provides that any person who fails to register is guilty of an offence. Section 34 provides that anyone convicted under tho previous section can be called up by the commandant for service- in tho Expeditionary Force. Tho reservist was called up under Section 34 and appealed. At tho hearing or the appeal the chairman called for tho production of the criminal Tocord hook. This disclosed the fact that tho appellant was convicted as before mentioned, and not of .the offence of failing to register, as required under Section 33. The chairman held that tho appellant was not liable on the conviction to bo called up and the appeal was therefore nllowod. The i military representative present is reporting the case to headquarters. On Saturday week a young couplo called at the office of the liegistrar of •Marriages, at Nelson, and stated tnat they wished to be married, lhe ceremony completed, the registrar asked for the fee. £2 55., when the bridegroom replied that he had a cheque a his pocket and money in the Savings Bank. The registrar (states tho .Nelson "Mail") was not keen on taking the cheque, and the bridegroom tlien said he would go to the Savings Dank and draw out some money, and return with the fee. This arrangement was accep2e# Ijj the registrar. Iho bridegroom, however, failed to put in another appearance, bo during the afternoon he was hunted up, and explained that he had been too lato to draw the money from the bank, but promised that he would be at tho registrar■ b office on Monday, betweeu 9 and 10 > o'clock. The bridegroom agam tailed to keep his promise. The. bride s father was seen, but he could not give any information, except that the young mari had told him he had £0000 in the bank and a valuable property at bcatouu. The registrar then temporarily gave up the chase. Meanwhile the police had been prosecuting inquiries concerning the alleged forging of cheques. Constable M'Gregor called at the registrar's office, and was.shown the bridegroom's signature. lbe similarity of the marriage signature with that on the cheques led to the arrest on the railway platform by Constable M'Gregor of Archibald Andrew Charles Scott, on a charge of forgery. .The accused was brought before Messrs. •T Edwards and E. Smallbane, justices, charged with having, on or about December 11, forged the name of Thomas Hunt, of Nelson, to a cheque for £1 45.; and further, with having, on or about December 13, forged the name of Thomas Hunt to a cheque for £1 6s. Tho polico asked for a remand, stating that they were not ready with the evidence, and further charges were pending. The remand was granted.

A Napier nowspaper states that the authorities of nn institution in that districts wrote to a well-known local firm the other day asking for a supply of a certain article, and particularising a certain brand of German make, upon which they insisted, although thcro-aro hundreds of brands of the same article manufactured by tho Empire and its Allies, including this Dominion. The firm replied that since August 4, 1914, they had ceased to obtain any supplies from Germany, and that neither now nor at any future date did they intend to stock any of this or any other commodity which was not manufactured ty an Imperial or Allied firm.

Two more pupils—Messrs. N. B. Lightbody and R. E. Napier-of .the Canterbury Aviation School obtained their tickote on Saturday morning, Colonel R. A; Chaffey, O.C. Canters bury District, being the examining officer. The school has now attained its majority in respect of pupils who have passed, the two who passed on Saturday making the total to date 21. It is understood (eays the "Lyttelton Times") that twelve young New Zealand aviators leave the Dominion shortly for the British Isles., Wholesale and retail traders and others in business in Dunedin are well satisfied yith the trado of the year (states a southern daily). Those m touch with tho commercial life, of the community are most optimistic rJiti cheerful concerning the future. The business people are cautious, but not anxious; the people as a whole seem to be neither cautious nor anxious. Money is flowing from their well-filled pockots as it never flowed before. While the city people are buying freely, orders from the country, wholesale and retail, are on a scale that is most gratifying to merchants, and everywhere it is ieported that payments are prompt and that had debts are few.

A icase in which' George W. Finn , was charged with bigamy was mentioned before Mr. Wyvern Wilson at the Auckland Police Court on Saturday, Mr. Meredith eaid he understood that the police desired to withdraw the charge. The accused had married a widow—on whoso information he was wrested—with six children, but it was discovered that ho had a wife in Christchurch. Further inquiries had revealed that the Christehurch marriage was invalid', as the woman in that contract was already married. Detective-Ser-geant Hammond eaid that counsel s statement wns correct, and the Magistrate accordingly granted the police permission to withdraw the charge. The holiday traffic on the railways during the week-end has been extremely heavy (says the "Now Zealand. 'Horald" of Monday's date).. Notwithstanding the increase in railway fares, the traffic has been just as groat ns that of previous years. One noticeable feature, as far as the Main Trunk service is concerned, is the much greater number of people arriving in Auckland and in Rotorua from "Wellington than the number of passengers travelling to Wellington. On Saturday the tram from Palmerston North brought 200 people, the first Wellington tram brought Slifl, while tho second, which arrived an hour late, comprised 17 oars and brought 350 passengers to Auckland. It is estimated thnt 400 alighted at Frankton. The outward train to Thames, etc., carried 350, and that to Rotorua left with 500 on hoard. Ijio traffic to Rotorua shows a substantial increase upon that of previous years. On Sunday 250 people arrived by the Palroerston train, and over 1000 by those from Wellington. The two southern Main Trunk expresses'on Sunday, evening carried in all about 450 people.