LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 101, 22 January 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

To-day is Aniversary Day—the 78th anniversary of the founding of AVellingtou—and will be observed as a public holiday. The chief attractions are the races at Trentham, the second day of the AVellington-Canterbury cricket match on the Basin Roserve, and harbour excursions.

Old residents of Masterton assert that there never was a season in the history of the town when orchards and gardens wero so badly affected with hligljt and various forms of pests as this season. Tomatoes are rotting on tho trees, apricots are falling off, plums are affected, and nearly every form of fruit and vegetable is affected in one way or another. The wet season has probably been responsible in a measure for the visitation of garden pests. The following note appears in Treutliam Camp Orders: —"The Camp Commandant lias pleasure in recording his appreciation of the action of Corpmal J. F. Madden, 39th N.C.O.'s, in pluckily rescuing in the Boat HnrDour Wellington, on January 13, a boy who fell into the water from a dinghy. This prompt action possibly averted a fatality."

The "Empire Review," a journal of British trade, edited by Sir Clement Kinloch-Cooke, M.P., is now publishing serially the speech made by tlie Prime Minister of New Zealand (the Right Hon. AV. F. Masse.v) in the House or Representatives on his return from his trip to the United Kingdom last year.

A small whale was washed ashore on the Mokau Beach a few days ago (says the "New Zealand Herald"). The finder carved his initials on it to prove his ownership and went away to arrange for securing the oil. After lie had spent the rest of the day in gathering many empty kerosene tins, and hiring a bullock team to take them to the beach, he found the tide had been in and borne the wliale away.

The member for Egmont (Mr. C. A. AVilkinson) met with an experience, that might easily have terminated fatallj on the Pukearuhe beach recently. Ho was clambering among hi" rooks when he missed his footing and fell into the sea. The water was deep and swirling, and as he was dressed he found difficulty in keeping afloat. Fortunately a companion was near, and, by a' stroke of good luck, was able to give him assistance just in time.

It is the. - iitention of Councillor M'Kenzie to move at the next meeting of the Citv Council"That the Wellington City Council iiivite a conference of the local bodies adjoining Arlington to discuss a comprehensive water scheme for the future supply tl AA'ellington and suburbs."

A successful, staff and district exercise for senior officers of the "Wellington Military District was carried out at Wanganui last week by LieutenantColonel 0 J. L. Sleeman, 1.G.5., Director of Military. Training. Some 23 officers attended. The object of holding tho course was to bring senior Territorial officers uf)-to-dato in tho latest methods of training, with a view to their instructing those under their command, who will subsequently be required for service in the Expeditionary Forco. The course included instruction in attack and defoJice, outposts, protective duties, billeting, and similar exercises, and was held in extremely good country. The officers attending displayed the greatest keenness, and were complimented by the director on the degree of military knowledge they had displayed.

Details issued by the National Rifle Association in connection with the 1917 Imperial challenge shield competitions, show that 608 teams entered for boys over 15 years of age, and 361 teams in the junior division, representing nearly 10,0110 boys. In the senior division Great Britain won 24 prizes, Australia 21, New Zealand 5, Canada 4, and the Vest Indies 1. Britain has a total ot 26 prizes in thp junior division, Canada 7, Australia 6, and South Africa 1. In the senior competition the Ist Royal Australian Naval Brigade, No. 1 Company, Launeeston, had an average score of 93.6, followed by the Ist Division Cadets. Hobart, with 92.2.

For three members of one family to pass the matriculat : on examination at the same time is a. good record. The three children of Mr. Davidson, headmaster of the Burwood School, Christchurch—two girls and a boy—were successful at the examinations held recently.

Out of t,wenty-six men from I'atea who joined the Main Body of ihe New Zealand Expeditionary Force, only three are alivo unwomided, and at tho front (savs an exchange). All tho others either have been killed or have been invalided home. ■

Two representatives of the Imperial authorities recently arrived in Australia. They are Professor 11. Maxwell Lefrov, who occupies the chair of Entomology at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, and formerly Imperial Entomologist for India, and Mr. K-. A. Love, who represents the British Wheat Commission, which has taken over the Imperial Government's purchases of wheat in Australia. Professor Lefroy stated that his task was to see that the. wheat shipped to Britain was freo from weevils. "Tho key to tho whole position, as far as the_ new crops are concerned," lie said, "is to keep the wheat dry. Dry wheat will not get woeviled."

The Grand Council of the New Zealand Locomotive Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association lias (says a Press Association telegram from Christclmrch) decided to give effect to a reorganisation of tho association, to come into effect as soon as tho present executive committee can make arrangements. Mr. M'Arley was appointed secretary, to take, up his headquarters in Wellington.

It is stilted that tlio crime of murder has increased 100 per cent, in Arizona since the abolition of the death penalty (say.; a. member of the State Board ol' Pardons). Homicides have become so common in some of the counties as to occasion concern among lawabiding citizens. In Maricopa county, with a population of 34.483, there were fifteen murders in the first ten months of last year. In the other counties the crime is constantly increasing, this notwithstanding the fact that intoxicating liquor has been practically banished from the State. While there is more or less illicit traffic in intoxicants, the many murders since prohibition went into effect cannot be charged to drunkenness. They aro <luo solely to the fact that offenders know they cannot bo punished by death.

An inquest was held at Northcote on Saturday by Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., ou tlie two-year-old child Kenneth Leo M'Nair, who died suddenly on Thursday night while being taken to a doctor. Dr. Miclde gave evidence that the cause of death was convulsions due to the excessively hot weather, and the coroner brought in, a verdict accordingly.

The Commandant at Trentham acknowledges recoi.pt of a cheque for £15 15s. from Mr. W. Shires, Hawke's Bay, which has been disposed of as under:—£lo 10s. for bagatelle table for hospital, AA'.lt.C. AVard; £5 ss. for Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge. .

The important part that massage is playing in the present war in treating soldiers who have temporarily lost the use- of their limbs, and who are suffering from other minor disability, is exemplified by the number of returned soldiers who wero waiting treatment at the massage department at the Auckland Public Hospital the other morning (says the Auckland "Star"). Although the space is somewhat limited, the department is fitted with all Uie modern appliances in surgical massage, ranging from hot-air baths, vibratory massage, to numerous electrical a.pplianccs. A most capable staff of nurses under the charge of a sister are in daily attendance, and it was stated to a "Star" representative that some excellent results are being and have been obtained by them. Men who entered the institution a few weeks ago with arms that hung down their sides have now so far advanced as to be able to lift them well above their heads. About one hundred persons arc treated' daily, and with tho constant arrival of new. patients the nurses are kept busy coping with tho rush of men wlio aro waiting in the ante-room for their turn. Massage, like other treatments, is a long, tedious process, and many of the men have been attending for weeks before any visible rcsuit is obtained, this, of course, applying to tho more serious eases. It is understood that the hospital annexe is shortly to bo fitted with appliances for the treatment of soldiers by massage, as tho present quarters in the hospital are much too small to accomirodato tho numbers who are now 011 tho books.

Councillor Luckie intends to move at Thursday's meeting of the City Council"That the council enter into negotiations with the* Education Department with a view to offering to lease to the Department such portions of the Town Belt as may be suitable for the purpose for the erection .thereoil of State schools, to take the place.? of those at present situated in Willis Street, Tory Street, Riddiford Street, and other congested areas of the city.''

A Press Association telegram from Christcburch states that the New Zealand Locomotive Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association carried unanimously a motion protesting strongly against the Government passing war legislation which prevented members of the railway service from taking advantage of the. superannuation fund when they reached the retiring age.

The following extract from the "New York Tribune" forms an interesting commentary on the views of those critics who see Germany victorious in all her operations:—"As between the British and the Germans no one should mistake the advantage that rests with the former. The British have taken five prisoners to the Germans' one, and fivo guns to the Germans' one. They have occupied more than a million square miles of German colonial territory, whereas the Germans have not reached a foot of British territory. They have banished the German flag from the sea. They have blockaded the German ports. They have destroyed the bases of German trade. By every sign and token that one can adduce, the British have triumphed over the Germans so far as the war has been a struggle between these two nations. Were the war to end to-day, on the basis of things as they are, so far as the British and Germans are concerned, no one could fail to'concede the extent of the British victory." The tramway power supply and track lighting returns show that tbo' revenue for 40 weeks, ending January 3, amounted to £14,062, or £2185 more than in the corresponding period of 1916-17; that the working expenses totalled £8955, an increase of £2668; that the capital charges were £4587, an increase of £327; and that on' January 5 there was a debit of £810, as against £520 on that date last January. The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a poster urging the wholesale slaughter of rats. "The rat," states the poster, "lias, by spreading diseases, killed more people than bullets, and he is just as filthy and dangerous as ever. The rat is the most destructive and dangerous of animal pests." A story is told in New Plymouth of a man, a motor-car, a- pot of paint, and several other little articles (says an exchange). The man had a touse, and it required a coat of paint, so he bought much paint of a colour commonly seen on houses. After the house lias painted there was quite a lot over, so lie painted the motor shed; then there was still paint left, "o lie painted the motor-car; even this did not finish it, so he painted the wheelharrow ; and then, having painted nearly everything his wifo would let l.im paint, lie. gave the last little lick to the perambulator. Thus tho whole establishment might be called en suite, and waste of material, against which we hear constant war-time cautions, I was avoided.