LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 91, 10 January 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Defence has received advice that the Thirty-first and Thirtysecond Reinforcements have arrived safely at their destination.

William Lane, |» bootmaker, was fined at Auckland £175 on three charges of betting in hotels. —Press Assn.

The Government has decided to have motion pictures of tho military training campe and other military places taken shortly, tho idea being to preserve in the National Museum these records of New Zealand's sharo in the war. It is understood that the films, when completed, will be shown in this and in other countries.

While complaints have been mado in 6everul districts that the Railway Department makes no attempt to save tho seed of tho cocksfoot grasses that grow by the permanent way, this ap* parent indifference does not prevail in all districts. Between Upper Hutt and Hayivards the track-men frequently spend Sunday in cutting the grass and thrashing the seed. This is dono with flails and sacking laid on a convenient ilat place. In this way, grass-seed of a quality and quantity which mako it well worth the trouble has been obtained, and at the same time the risk of firee in. tho summer has been minimised.

Tho Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald (Minister of Agriculture) was taken for a long flight yesterday afternoon by Mr. C. M. Hill, instructor at Sockburn Aviation School. The aeroplane circled over the centre of the city, and also crossed the estuary. A height of over 3000 feet was reached. Mr. Mac Donald was greatly pleased with hie first experience of a flight in an aeroplane.— Press Assn.

A Press Association telegram from Auckland states that the Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister in Charge of Prisons, has agreed to transfer an additional 2t ncres of tlio Mount Edon Gaol reserve, fronting the Grammar School Board's property, to the board, in order to enlarge the playing area.

"Tho visiting northerner gets quite a shook to see the ravages of blackberry throughout AVestland, and to see it would 'break the hearts of our local farmers," remarked Mr. M. Cohen, of Palmerston. to a "Standard" reporter when describing his visit to the West Coast. "The Westlander disposes of the situation by claiming that there are only two blackberry bushes in Westland. The humour of this paradox is only realised Tvitli the explanation that one bush extends from Hokitika to Westport and the other from Westport to Murchison."

An unfortunate individual, who has a notion that ho is going to break thu totalisntor at the corning Wellington races and afterwards become Prime Minister, was taken in charge on Tuesday by the Maetorton police. In anticipation of the event, an order for a £450 motor-car was placed yesterday at a local garage.—Wairarapa "Ago."

A soldier named Arthur Dishcr was charged in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday liofore Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., with using obscene language in a railway carriage, while travelling between Wellington and Otaki on December 20. John Henry Rowßon, Government. Inspector of Fisheries, Melbourne, said he was in a smoking carriage in which there were some returned soldiers, and in the course of conversation the latter complained of being paid in Bank of England notes. The accused, who was sitting next to witness, kept interrupting the conversation, and was a sourco of nuisance to the witness. Bad language was used in tho carriage, but the accused addressed his obscene language to witness. After hearing this witness, tho case was, on the application of Mr. P. W. Jackson, who appeared for tho accused, adjourned to January 17. Bail was allowed in the sum of £25, on his own recorrnisane.

The military canteen at Featherston Camp, which lias been open all through the holidays, is now a busy place ones more. A popular addition, in the form of a soda fountain, was installed and in operation just before tho camp closed for Christmas. In the warm weather of the last few days, the men have found this a boon, and tho providing of ice to cool tho filtered water that 'is used should further popularise the soft drinks bar. Lemon, pineapple, raspberry, and ginger alo syrups are the extent of the range at present. All these are of the purest,.and with soda water added in a long tumbler, are sold at twopence each. In other departments the canteen continues to sell at low prices and to prosper.

"Writos a Manaia soldier from France: I have read somewhere or have bcen> told of the hard tasks that the women of the Taranaki cow district perform But their lives are a luxury of real and ease compared to tho hard lives of those- French girls and women. New Zealand women should come out here to loam what hard work means. To me it is repugnant and the tendency must be to coarsen and produce a hard fibre. Though in actual foot it does not appear to, ; if one may judge from the conversation and manners of these women. You will see them_ loading and carting manures, grooming and stabling horses, cutting and loading wood, working chaff-cutters and wondpulpere, the latter especially very laborious work, carrying heavy loads of mangolds on a yoke,across tlio shoulders, just as Chinese vegetable sellers do, and similar heavy work. And thoir hours are from dawn till dark. Nor is this because it is war time. I am told it is their normal work. And as there is no Sunday in the sense (bat wo regard it, theirs is a seven days working week.

Rolls of honour exist practically everywhere within the British Empire, but South Africa intends to havo a roll of dishonour at Johannesburg. Tho Johannesburg Recruiting Committee has resolved to draw up such a novel roll, on which will be inscribed -the names of nil eligiblo men in the city who have not enlisted. It is alleged, however, that it considerable number of men havo arrived on tho lknd from Home ♦■q esr.njlo eowilrtiniy-

An old Maori canoe, in good state of preservation, is being dug out of a lagoon at Kaikai Beach,, near Hayward I'oint, states tho Dunedin correspondent of the "Lyttelton Times." The canoe was probably used as a receptacle for holding oil in the whaling days, about the. middle of last century.

Tho registration of aliens js Hearing completion, so far as Dunedin district is concerned. To date 484 have been registered, so that tho alien population of the southern city may be set down at about 600.

When the workers on the three steam trawlers at the Bluff wharf revisited their vessels after the holiday vacation it was to find that damage approximating £100 had been dono to the vessels by some miscreants. A joke is a joke (says the "Southland Times"), but when it comes to removing such valuable portions of a ship's property as the binnaclo and compass, then the act becomes a crime. A party of roysters are known to have gone on the .wharves. The conclusion has been arrived at that tho gear has been pitched overboard, and to test this theory a diver is to descend and mako an inspection.

The Laud Purchase Board has acquired three estates, aggregating about 1000 acres each, in the Ashburton district, and the matter of subdivision will be taken in hand as early as possiblo. Tho board also intends shortly to visit other estates which have been offered for closer settlement purposes.

At tho Sockburn Aerodrome on Monday another aviation student, Mr. Alfred Mercer, qualified for his flying certificate, the examiners being Colonel R. A. Chaffcy, V.D., and Lieuten-ant-Colonel Sleeman. The candidate flew with great confidence, and went through his three tests in the record time, of 23min. Mr. Mercer is the 26th pupil of the school, and has only had five weeks' tuition.

A heavy fresh changed the course of the Ashburton River at its outlet a week ago. The new channel is over a chain wide, and about 20ft dee]), aid tho rivor now enters the sea half a mile south of the former outlet.

A resolution, protesting against an Order-in-Coimcil recently gazetted which suspended the operation of tho Arbitration Act and all awards and industrial agreements, preventing or restricting the training and employment of discharged soldiers in certain industries, was'passed at a meeting of the Auckland Grocers' Assistants' Union at Auckland. The meeting expressed the opinion that the proposals were reactionary iu character and calculated— (I) to place tho discharged soldier at tho mercy of those who may bu unscrupulous enough to take advantage cf his position and pension; (2) to place autocratic powers in the hands of the inspector of factories; and (3) to undermine and reduce the standard of living of the workers generally. It was decided to forward a copy of tho resolution .to the Minister of Labour. A similar resolution was passed r»t a meeting of the Auckland branch of tho Amalgamated Society of Engineers.

Some very fino specimens of the Abyssianian banana may bo seen in the gardens of Mr. Clement Yfragge at Birkenhead (says the "Xeir Zealand Herald"). Several of them nave grown, to maturity, and bear huge bunches of fruit, each containing many hundreds of bananas. Mr. Wragge describes this variety of banana as ono of the most useful specimens of vegetable life iu existence. In addition to the cdiblo fruit the stem and leaves of the plant contain a fibre which has been proved to be very suitable for paper-making. Part of tho fibre is very strong aud fine, and has been used for many years, by the Japanese in the manufacture of a beautiful lace. Mr. Wraggo slates that the plant will grow to perfection in the climate of Auckland and in the north, and he considers that if it wore grown extensively it would form tho basis of a very profitable paper-making industry, in addition to providing largo quantities of fruit.

Tho old hulk John "William Dare, at onetime an ocean-going vessel, built in the reign of King "William IV, seven years before Queen Victoria came to the throne, has been sold by tho Melbourne Steamship Company, Ltd., and is shortly to bo broken up. Tho salo is practically completed, but before relinquishing possession of tho hulk the Melbourno Steamship Company, Ltd., is awaiting the formal approval of the Commonwealth authorities. Of 282 tons, the John William Dave was 105 ft. long, 26ft. beam. According to a,retiredmcriner of Williamstown, who remembers tho vossel about 40 years ago, she was originally a familiar trader between England and Australia. A pamphlet issued by the Munitions Depai tment of tho Wall Paper Manufacturers, Ltd., explains why some forts of wallpaper have been hard to obtain during tho war period. Tho, factories that used to produce wallDaper for sale all over the world are now turning out shells, bombs, and some special types of paper work used by the War Office. Much of the labour is being done by girls and women, who formeify wero encaged in tlia wallpaper industry. Tho British manufacturers are ready to , resume their peacetime husmess as soon as the war is over. But in the meantime they have, a. grimmer task than the decoration of walls of British homes. Three boys, their ages ranging from 9 to 12 years, called at a Palmerston labour agency and asked for work. Tim agent askotl tho youthful toilers if they had any preference of employment. Tho youngest answered that ho would "do anything," the next expressed a desire to learn milking machines, whilst the eldest was keen on "navvying at 14 bob a day!"

The appeal of a man who had serve - ! in tho Navy, and later at Samoa, caused some discussion at the sitting of tho First Auckland Military Service Board recently. George Nicholas, farmer, of Papakiira (Mr. Mowlem), was the reservist. Counsel produced a letter from the Government Statistician (Mr. Malcolm Eraser), which stated that Nicholas did not require a certificate of enrolment if he hold a sufficien u discharge from the •Forces. He had previously been called up for service, bu, a subsequent Gazette notice stated that ho was balloted in error. He was again called up by Gazette, which made- provision for the calling up of nmn who had not been called up before because they wore presumed to be either scrvi,,<r with tho Forces or to he dead. Since appellant was called up in May list Mr. Mowlem said, he had come to town,* and was medically mected. Major Conlan pointed out hat tho Department had no record that he wa examined by a medical Wd. In view of this the board deeded to adjourn the appeal for medical examnuA letter received from Perth, West Australia, by the last mail indicate how seriously the food supply has been affected by the strike. The writer, who is a Government official in Forth, states that his family has had no supplies of rnienr, butter, or salt for some weeks. This shortage shows no signs of being relieved until a settlement ia reached; and tho writer later says that he is hoping to have half a pound of salt sent him a few days. Such a small quantity is evidently a. big considcration now that tho commerce or Perth has been so dislocated by the lahour trouble.

An application has been filed in the Arbitration Court by both parties to the Manawatu Flaxmilling Award to have the clause regarding the provisionof hoard for workers struck out. This question was one involved in the settlement following the recent dispute at the Miranui and Waka mills.

Shops for tho .sale of horseflesh, slaughtered under Government inspectors, have recently been opened at Portland, Cincinnati, and other cities in tho United States, and a rapidly increasing demand for the meat set in. The horses cost about £2 to £1 a. head, and the meat was sold at less: prices than beef, mutton or pork, the. different cuts ranging from to sd. per lb., while at 3|d. per lb. sausages were selling faster than they could bo made. Seeing that the bones' and other waste parts of tho carcasswere worth several shillings, and the hides 30s. each, there should be a good profit in the horseflesh trade. It is estimated that there are 3,000,000 to 4.000,000 horses in the United States that could bo dispensed with to make room for better animals. The carcass of a horse only weighs some- 40 to 47 per cent, of the live weight, which is a much lower percentage than in thocase of cattle.

A quaint story comes from the front , (says an exchange). An officer _in France had to adjudicate on the grievance of a denutation of peasants living in the vicinty of his camp. Rabbits in that district, it seems, are as scarce and precious as venison, and the peasants' complaint was they had discovered the Australian soldiers had been enjoying rabbit stews. Where, then, did they get tbo rabbits from? And: the simple peasant minds concluded: that the soldiers had been poaching. The officer listened gravely to their complaint, then patiently explained to them that the rabbits e'sten by tne soldiers were tinned, and were a present* from Australia, where, he also tola! them, rabbits abounded in millions. They were finally convinced by a pre-. sent of a tin apiece, and went away thoroughly satisfied, exclaiming loudly at tho extravagance of Australians who ; made presents of anything so valuable as rabbits.

The threat to tho Lombardy Plains recalls Addison's explanation why tho inhabitants of Northern Italy especially dreaded that these fertile lowlands should ever bo a field of battle (says the London "Daily Chronicle"). In that diro event, he' tells us, the rows of white mulberry trees, which are notable features of the landscape, would be destroyed, and their destruction would spell ruin to many industries. For the leaves fed swarms of silkworms, swine, and poultry fattened on the fallen fruit, tho trunks of tho trees were props for the vines, and the 'spreading, umbrageous branches save' to the cornfields desired protection from the fierce heat of the summer sun. All which is as true to-day as two centuries ago. Tho fall of the leaves provided a free supply of valuable fertilisers for the allotment, of which holders take full advantage. In most suburbs possessing few avenues you may sen the enthusiasts busy of a morning collecting sackfuls of dead leaves, to the bonefit of their own holdings and the considerable relief of the wayfarers.

Something almost as marvellous as the blossoming of the Pope's staff in "Tannhauser" has happened in Ascension Island. That volcanic rock lias a. surface that varies only from bottleglass to coko. Rain rarely falls, and few herbs grow. But this year the 'din fell abundantly, and a strange, tall grass grew. It spread like a blessing, and covered the rocks as m tho Isle of Flowers. Happy horses on Ascension wallowed in real grass for tho first time in their lives. The amazed islanders got into communication with Kew (says a London correspondent). Kew reported, gavo tho crass a learned name, and. suggested that the seed came on tho wings of the south-east wind or on those of the sooty tern who haunts that part of tho island where tho welcomo grass was first eeen. It is a desert grass, easily wafted about, \ and found in many regions of desert Africa. No doubt tho conjunction of the rain, tho first m tho memory of the oldest islander, with the advent of some blessed bird, painted Ascension green.

South Australia, 'with, her women police and women magistrates, etc., is taking up the role bo long played by New Zealand under Liberal Administrations of initiating advanced or■experimental legislation (says the Mel; bourne "Argus"). Her latest) effort has been to appoint the magistrates as censors of morals. During the last session of the State Legislature a remarkable Act was passed. It gives >stices of tho pence, or magistrates, wide powers to prohibit the publication by rowspapers of evidence which is likely to offend against public decency. The measure was primarily designed to prevent the publication of evidence and. the names of witneses in cases of offences against women and girls whenever the Court considers such evidence unfit for publication, or considers that the suppression of the names of -witnesses is likely to promoto the iwestigation of similar cases. The first use of the law was made at the Adelaide Police Court recently, when the presiding Magistrate absolutely prohibited the Press from publishing reference to a case of alleged indecent language in a public place. Tho dang* ers of making a Press censor of every justice were pointed out when the Bill was before Parliament. In tho case in question not only was publication prohibited of the alleged indecent remarks, but tho names of the parties ■were also ordered to be kept out or print. On Friday, January 25 (says the "Otago Daily Times"), Mr. F. J. Williams, engineer to the Cromwell Development Party, will conduct :m interesting proceeding in the Kawarau Gorge, where two pillars have been constructed for tho purpose of damming back the water. The. pillars are 50ft. high and 16ft. square. They are a mass of reinforced concrete, but owing to tiio configuration of the river the pillar on the right bank is heavier than that on tho left. Tho larger pillar weighs 710 tons; tho other 513 tons. At the point where tho pillars are constructed the river is 17ft. in depth at its deepest point,-and 100 ft. wide. It is anticipated that when an explosive is placed under the pillars and the charges nro fired by electricity the columns will topple over ' practically intact and meet top to top across flie river bed. Even if they do not exactly meet they will servo as a dam, and raise the water about 15ft. The river boina: thus raised, tho fiuming which is built for a distance of thirty chains on the right bank will bo availablo to carry tho water to tho turbines which are to force tho water from tho T*rer to a hoigkt of 180 ft. through 2240 ft. of 30in. pipe. Thence the water will be led along a race at the foothills abutting on tho Cromwell Flat to irrigate the extensive plantation of trees on-the company's Rinpnnvalo fruit farm and tho Cromwell Flat. A. great deal of interest is being taken in the proceedings, and a number of people in Dunedin intend to journey , to the Kawarau to seo the actual fall. It is understood that there is a probability that the Government would send a kinematograph photographer to take a series of pictures of the operation.