LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 11, 28 January 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

January 29 (to-morrow) will mark f? the oath anniversary of tho arrival ot j ship Chariot of Fame at Lyttclton, but " there will ho no reunion of passengers, it having been decided after tho out- " break of war that such functions should nj bo allowed to lapse till the return of tl peace. • Tho furtive forager of X Company, Umptieth Reinforcements, Feather- Q , stone, must have been getting in sonio lively and profitnblo work by tho dark o' tho moon recently, to judge by the following terrific proclamation in the last Camp Orders:—"The kitchen garden at tho back of the staff officers' mess is declared 'out of hounds,' and ' anybody found trespassing thereon will be severely dealt with." Mr. J. Bruce, secretary of the Water- n sido Workers' Union, lias been dele- ( | gated to meet tho employers this week 0 to discuss general matters touching r the interests of the union. At a special c meeting of tho union, held yesterday, (; provision was made to effect the mem- j, bership of non-unionists working on the v wharves. t The typo of locomotive known as tho r A.B. has been doing excellent service a for some time past en the run between 1' Wellington and Taihape. Recently the li Railway Department installed one on I: the Auckland-Taumarunui section, and 1. another of the pattern is now being 1 constructed at the Newmarket Work- n shops to bo put on tho same run. Tho t A.B. has been found to be an improve- J ment on the present compound engines. It is a simple engine, super-heated, and very economical in coal and water, be- j sides taking much less timo to look . after than the older type. A peculiarity of the A.B. is that the tender is 1 circular in shape, being for that reason cheaper to make. All the parts of the new engines are mado at the Addmgton Workshops, and tho one now in tho ( Newmarket shops is the first to be "as- i sembled" there. It is expected to bo ■ ready for tho track shortly, and others will then be put in hand. j A wharf labourer who was employed f in the loading of tho Corinna at Wei- j lington on Monday last left the ship , and visited an hotel. When he re- j turned to tho ship he was unequal to his job, and going into one of the bathrooms fell asleep there. As the steamer was leaving Wellington Heads, hound for Timaru, a member of the crew, going into the bathroom, fell over the prostrate man, who was helplessly drunk. There was nothing to bo done , but bring the "stowaway" to Timaru. , The Cori-ina reached there on Wednes- j day morning, and he was handed over | to'the police, and brought up at Court before Mr. V. 6. Day, S.M. The man Thomas Derbyshire, was charged with having "stowed away" on the steamer. 1 On the facts being plnccd before him tho Magistrate said, the offence had not been done deliberately, and dismissed 'lie charge. > ' At the conclusion of a prosecution for infringement of the vehicle by-laws in the Magistrate's Court on Friday, Mr. G. G. ~G. Watson suggested to the Magistrato that it would be far more satisfactory to all concerned if tho police, when laying traps for motorists, were directed to use _a stop-watch or other mechanical device to check the speed. The present position was unsatisfactory, as it resulted in a conflict of evidence between constables and motorists. Mr. O'Shea, the City Solicitor. said the use of such a device would bo difficult, but His Worship pointed out that tho Court was entitled to have such evidence. Mr. O'Shna said ho would brine; the matter under the nutice of the corporation officials. The announcement that Japan recently had captured Dr. G. E. Morrison's great library at Pekin has, ol course, been mentioned to the distinguished visitor since his arrival in New Zealand. Dr. Morrison said that the library took him seventeen years lo collect. It contained more than 20,0()U books, exclusively works in foreign languages dealing with tho Chinese. It represented twelve main languages, but did not contain any works in the Chineso language. The catalogue, which occupied 2881) pages of foolscap, would bo published in Tokio. In tho collection thero were maps, charts, ami engravings, dealing with many subjects and with famous people associated with China. There were nine editions of tho voyages of Marco Polo, including ouo in German and several in Latin. When Dr. Morrison went to Pekin, he ' found that there was no library of that character there. He began to collect and continued to" collect, until the library grew to such dimensions that one man could not attend to it. The ' University of California wished to buy ' it, and asked for an option over it; but in accordance with a promise made many years ago, tho first refusal was > given to Japan. The library was sold j to tho Japanese Rothschild. Baron ; Iwashi, one of the leading merchants ; of Japan, for the sum of £35,000, on condition that it is housed and es--5 tablisbed in Tokio, is called tho Morrison Library, and is open to all serious J students. i -He ha 6 a wooden leg, yet he is a sol- [ dier in tho British Army, and will shortlv proceed to Egypt on military duty (says a Home exchange). The man to whom this Tefers is Private J. L. ' Jones, of the Army Ordnance Corps, I and ho hails from Liverpool. He is a ' strapping, muscular fellow, 23 years of ' ago, 6}ft. high. Ho made no concoals uient when he went up for enlistment, ! and was marched before tho military j medico, where his wooden leg was ful»y . displayed. 'Jones gave _ proof of his . j physical stamina, marching power, and j so on that he was at once accepted, i wooden leg notwithstanding. When a bov of f4 Private Jones, whilo pushing » I a. safe, into a lift, got his right foot "! caught, by tho lift, and tho limb was 31 cut off completely as if by a knife. Ho . I made a marvellous recovery m three £ i weeks, and for six months used r | crutches. Then he was recommended 3 to go to a firm of artificial limb-inak- •, ors, where he was fitted with an arti--0 fieial limb. He walked out of tho shop with this new "armature,' leavJ | ing his crutches behind. He gained such oxpertness in bis movements that 3 lie quickly grew to be a marvel to the i f mc'.-lioal profession. The value of advertising has been e brought homo in a most direct man-, 3 iter to a Christchurch medical man and - a leading business fir;n. An adverg tisement bus been appearing exalting 3 tho virtues of a certain liquor., not . exactly medicinal, and soliciting orj ders on application to a Post. Office . box number or a telephone number. Unfortunately a mistake was mado in connection with the numbers, that for the telephone being given as the box 8 number and vico versa. The owner " of the box number has received many " missives, asking, to his amazement, t that a docan bottles should lis sent - to the "enclosed address." The teles phone number is that of the medic II man, and his household has been kept busy informing thirsty inrinir/rs that '"this is not tho address. We know t nothing of the matter." Both'gentlemen, needless to say, aro now fully satisfied as to the value of advertising, though they do not view thp matter in --o s-n.iic light as the proprietor of tl e liquor. t An undoubted nolo of excluMvonces and novelty is struck in the beautiful, striped silk sports coats which ara now showing 1 at Davis and Clater's. Tho combinations 1E of colours are extremely smart and above o the ordinary, while tho quality of these e Silk Knitted Garments aro up to tho t highest standard, which is n special feaii tiire of our stocks! Wo invite von to call. Davis and ("Hater, Ladies' and Gentlemen's Outfitters, 21G Lambton 3 " Quay, Wellington.—Advt. Cnreful buyers know tho preat value in tho "Keltic" Boot. See our stock at ) r 30s. to 3Ss. 6d. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Street.—Advt.

A short time ago, an announcement was made through the Efficiency Commissioner in Christcluuch that North Island freezing works required additional slaughtermen in order to cope with the rush of business (says a Christchuvch paper). Arrangements were made for Canterbury slaughtermen to go to the North Island. In the meantime, efforts were made to ascertain which works required men. Mr. F. C. Ellis, secretary of the Canterbury Slaughtermen's Union, stated on Friday that he bad leeeived news that one company could take twenty additional men. Later, the number was altered to twelve. The company, it was stated, would take the men and would return tbom if the South Island companies needed them, but would only guarantee them steerage return fares to Wellington, without expenses. There was no guarantee ns t.o the work they ivould get in the district. The men are refusing the ofFer, as they feel that it is not sufficient to induce them to go north. Canterbury works expect that, if the line weather continues, they will be in full operation coon, and the men will be needed there. The lar<to (]iianI tities of rain that, has fallen this summer. Mr. Kill's explained. have brought about an abundance of grass, and farmers can hold their stock. Tf tlio summer had been a dry one stock - would have come forward to the works in large numbers, the slaughteimen would have been unable 1o deal with, them, and between 200 and .100 more slaughtermen would have been needed in New Zealand. A non-cominissioned officer entering a barrack-gate in Dublin was mistaken by a raw sentry, who immediately sainted him. The non-commissioned officer, unaware that his colonel was just behind him, returned tho salute, a thing not permissible in the circumstances. Arrived at his quarters, ho was surprised to find an ovder for him to attend before the colonel. On presenting himself he was asked how he came to return the salute, knowing Uill well he was not entitled to it. Not in the least embarrassed, ho promptly answered: "Sir, I always return everythin" I am not entitled to." • lho colonel, taken aback by his ready wit, laughingly dismissed him.