LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 116, 2 February 1918, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The soldiers had all extended leave from the camps at Christinas time, and unfortunately they have brought back with them an epidemic of German measles, alfd a mild form of ordinary measles. One result of this has been that the departure of a reinforcement draft, has had to be postponed meantime. Giving this information yesterday, the Minister of Dcfcncc- said' that lie' was very sorry to liavo to disappoint the next-of-kin of the men, and sorry also that he could not give any definite dato to which tlio departure was likely to be postponed.

The, Mayor of Wellington invites own-, ers of motor-cars to place tlie>r cars at his disposal this afternoon to assist tho. Motor Reserve in removing wounded Foldiers who are returning to-day. Tho cars should be at the wharf at 1 p.m.

"The milk vendor is more abused than Judas Iscariot," declared Mr. Neave in the Supreme Court yesterday.

The City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) it at present engaged on tho preparation of an important report on the water supply of Wellington, taking into consideration the future , needs of what is likely to become the metropolitan area (an area much larger than' is at preaent embraced by the boundaries of the city), and the resources that are available to supply that area when settled. There is nothing amiss with Wellington's excellent -water _ supply at the present time, but the City Engineer, having a proper regard for the growth of the city as gathered by the indications, and sure in the belief thai Wellington must in the course of years becomo a very large city, is taking time by the forelock by preparing data which must be a valuablo guide to the future governors of the city.

Sunday play on tho municipal tennis courts at Day's Bay is proving a source of revenue to the City Council—indeed, the courts' are producing practically the only revenue from the council's investment on the other side of the harbour. On Sunday last the yield was £3, which is. about the figure the courts produce on any fine Sunday. The biggest return for one day was on Boxing-Day, when the sum of £4 os. was netted. The caretaker (Mr. Dick) says_ that the very broken weather experienced during Christmas week meant a loss in revenue of between £30 and £40 to the council. 'There are twelve grass courts at the Bay, and the charge made is (3d. per . hour per player; - Regular visitors who play the game can obtain season tickets for £l"ls., which should bo a boon to permanent residents, as season ticket-holders have certain privileges over casual visitors.

It is generally known, of course, that no person may sell milk that has beeti adulterated. The obligations of a milk vendor, however, go considerably beyond the necessity 'foT complying with that rule. It waß .pointed out by Mr. Neave in-the Supreme Court yesterday that a milkman might be liable to prosecution for selling milk exactly, as it came from a healthy' cow, becauso the cow herself did not always give milk of the standard required by the regulations. Moreover, the legal liability of the man for the delinquency of tiro cows was . reasonable, since it had been proved that the cow, if properly fed, would always give milk of tho right quality.

The Director of Recruiting advises that the name of Philip De La Mare Barcbam, of Duke Street, Palinerston North, which appeared in the list of reservists drawn in the twelfth hallot, should have been starred.

The ills which man is heir to aro not the only forms of disease which may bo contagious. During the course of a lecture in Christchurch on plant diseases Mr. T. W. Kirk cited an instance of how potato blight may bo carried on one's clothes. A man once came to liinr with a few leaves of. the potato' plant, which: he had . obtained from, a ; ■neighbour's Earden: On examination tho leaves were found to .be infested with potato blight. "I hope there are none on my plants;" said the njan fervently. "Tako off your trousers and let us havo a look-at them," said Mr. Kirk. * Ilis visitor was rather surprised at this extraordinary request, but lie complied, and his surprise was not diminished when, under the microscope, ho was shown that the legs of his trousers were" coverSd with thousands' of spores of -the blight fungus. Needless to say, he changed, his clothes before he again visited his own potato crop.

A watersider named S. C. Bushby, for whom Mr. H. F. O'Jjeary appeared, was charged-in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. S. E. M'Oartliy, S.M., with the theft of grain. According to the evidence, when the accused was leaving the wharf at 8.15 p.m. 011 Tuosday, January 15, ho was pushing a bicycle, and on the handle of the machine was attached a sugar bag which contained whoat, lice, sago, etc., in all about 541b. in weight. When asked what he had in the bag ilio accused 6aid, "Sweepings for the fowls.'V The bag was carried quite openly, aim the man was very franif in his .tatements.'. It was further stated that although the sweepings were not allowed to he taken away, they were removed, and this was hiowii'to the officials, who had not previously taken action: ,l;The accused had previously taken; these sweepings away in the presence'of officials ad nothing bad been vaid , to' him. Mr. O'Loary said that it was' evident that the object of the- prosjcutiomwaS to warn people that in future sweepings wore net to bo removed, .'lt wasinot a case tor a penalty; indeed, the Jiiformnlion ought to be dismissed. Inspector Marsaclc said tliat the accused held a good character, and nothing was known against him. The authorities (lid not. wish to have a heavy penalty imposed, but desired that the ease should servo as a warning. ;. The Magistrate said that the authorities had apparently come to the conclusion that if sweepings were allowed to be removed a. greater amount of neglect would'be displayed in handling grain cargo.'However, it had been tho practice for a long time past, to allow the men to take the sweepings, and it would therefore bo n wrong thing to penalise the accused. He would dismiss Ihe information.' 'i :

The City Engineer (Mr. W. 11. Morton) considers that ail element of danger exists in tho narrowness of the main road at Day's Bay, in tho vicinity ol\tho entrance io Williams Park (near the foot of tho wharf). It is probable that steps will be taken to induce tho controlling authority to remove the existing rustic tonco back from its present nrilgnmont, or do away with it altogether. •

A well-known New Zealand business liinn, who lias returned' from an'.Australian lour, states (according: to tlio Cliristchurcli "Press") that lie found matters political there in a state of drift. Everybody seems to be awaiting events. The solution of the political tangle seems, to bo beyond the resources of Australian statesmen. Re-' eruiting, however, after the recent lull, is improving. Australia, is showing every sign of prosperity, and thero is no slackening in the pursuit of sport and pleasure or the spemhig of money. Among the papers ,of the late Mr John Lyttle, "Littlebpurne * Farm," Gore, is a facsimile copy of the Declaration of liidependeucs issued in America in 1776. It was acquired by ilr. Lyttle on his visit to the United States in 1873 and forms a memento of a great historical event. Tlio copy of the Declaration is a facsimile of tho original doounieift in the. handwriting of Thomas Jefferson, and reproduces all the alterations;"erasures, and, ■interlineations ponned by that statesman, while at tlio conclusion appears Win signatures of all the leading men of the various States that were renouncing tlio tios that had hitherto hound them to tho Mother Country.

One ,of the results of the war has been' a very marked increase in tho price of glycerine, which at the present moment is having a direct, bearing on tho shipment of tallow from New Zealand (says an exchange). The Canadian Government has commandeered tho whole of the glycerine content of tho tallow importations, and import permits into Canada can only be obtained on condition that the glycorine content is handed over to tho Government for munition purposes. Apparently there has been some dispute between tho importers and the Canadian Government with regard to the price of the glycerine taken by the Government, and in consequence permits have been bold.up and ships from New Zealand delayed.

' During the course of n lecture in Christchurch 011 garden pests, Mr. Kirk, of tho Department of Agriculture, said that destructive insects were divided into two classes—those that bite the fruit or leaf, and those that suck their nourishment from the fruit or leaf. Direct poison, applied by means of a spray, exterminated only the former class, but had no effect - on the latter. One of the best remedies for leaf diseases, such as rust, was the Bordeaux mixture. In some cases ordinary tar oil might also be found effective. -Another serious form of disense was root knot, which, however, thanks to the active measures taken by the Department of Agriculture, was not common in New Zealand. Mr. Kirk emphasised the good work of tho Department. If fruitgrowers were to be enabled to; export their fruit to other countries, it was of the greatest importance that the orchards should be kept as free from disease as possible. Many countries, notably! America, would not accept any fruit from a country where certain diseases were known to exist. New .Zealand had similar regulations regarding tho importa\ iion of fruit. Useful insects wore certainly a help in combating garden posts, but they could not perform the whole work of destruction, and mechanical means, such as spraying, must still lie largely used arid depended upon as the chief method of extermination.

T'lie District Health Officer, in conversation with a "Southland Times" reporter, said:—The school vacation has been prolonged for a fortnight in the hope that the number of. cases of J diphtheria in the district may be ! lessened. Children are less 'resistant [.than adults to infective fevers of this j nature, and the one great object in j closing schools during epidemics is _to [ prevent children from , congregating j together and thus giving great opportunity for carriers of disease to spread | infection. Parents and' authorities concerned will understand that the I closing of the schools for a further j period will have small effect in stampI ing out the disease if children arte alI lowed to congregato at Sunday schools and picture theatres. In a North Island town, during the epidemic of infantile paralysis, there was no abatement of the trouble until the Health authorities closed all public and private schools, picture . theatres, 'and places of amusement. Dr. the Medical Officer of Health, is reluctant to resort to such measures in Invercargill just yet, but if in tho near future th|ere is no abatement,of the epidemic tho Health Officer may find it incumbent on himself to take still more drastic measures. He' advises that, in the meantime', the authorities concerned would . materially help the Health Department if all Sunday schools were discontinued for three."weeks: also parents should not allow their children under the age of '14 .years to picture theatres or any other places where children are likely to congregate in numbers. "Burnside Farm," at Porirua, sold at auction by Mr. S. Georgo Nathan on Thursday, has been secured by tho Government as an adjunct ,to tho Porirua . Mental Hospital, the' grounds of which it adjoins oil' the -western' side. Tlie farm (which was included'in'the estate of the late 1 Mr." John ;Mitehell) | lias an area of 111 acres, : and was sold j to the Government for £45 per acre, i lt will be utilised for farm purposes in connection with the Mental Hospital. The property includes' a »seven-roomed resilience and outbuildings, and three cottages. . ■ -The committee of>lhe Wellington lie- | turned Soldiers' Clubhouse .Society [ (Inc.) acknowledges with" thanks the i following subscriptions and donations j received —Mrs. Mandel, £2; P. Grjfi fin (Gresham Horel), £5; Mrs. Seville, £3; George and Kersley, £12 10s.; V. 1 Riddiford, £5; C. C. Holmes, £3; I James M'Donald (Albert Hotel), ! Mrs. 1 Dalrymple, £5 ss. fid.; Bell, ! Gullr, Bell, and Myers, £5; W. H. 'At rick, £2. _ ■

He is a very broad, not to say massive" gentleman, who is well known in the city for his connection'with matters military (says the Christchurch "Sun"), liire misfortune overtook him in a picture theatre the other day. Briefly, be' found, when'attempting to leave during the-interval, that he had become firmly wedged to his seat. No doubt thinking that to' rise 'with; a low of seats firmly attached to linn, with possibly several of tlie audience suspended in mid-air, would seem undignified, he subsided after much surreptitious wriggling, into a • state of silent profanity, which endured for two screenings of the star feature,, until the ciosc of the show. The departure of the audiencc ieft him Iree to give his. attention to the wrenching process necessary to secure his lilierty. A party of Mnsterton residents, while returning from the Pahiatua. races met with an accident between . Eketaliu.ua and Masterton. In turning a corner the car flashed over ail embankment and capsized. One of the occupants of tho car, Mr. A. 11. Viin. was pinned boneath the car, and "jacks" had to be called into requisition before he 'could be released, Mr. Vile had his left leg badly lacerated at the ankle, and it\ill probably be some days hefore he is able to get about again. The other occupants of the car escaped with cuts and bruises. Tho Government Tourist Department forwards an interesting little booklet 011 "Deep-sea Fishing in Now Zealand,"' written by Mr. Charles E. Wheeler. This publication sets out tho vast possibilities for sport' that offer in fishing for kingfish, mako shark, liapuka, and the swordfish off the northern coasts of the Auckland district. ' Those who feel tempted to try the sport must reverse thcii' ideas based upon ordinary marine fishing, for there the biggest fish are caught with stout rods with wire traces or snoods, niid' even then the advantage ,is with the fish if the angler is not aided by the engine of the launch. In a concise form tho booklet sots out the excitement that attaches to the capture; of • a big kingfish, swordfish, or liapuka, and will serve to whet t ie desire of those who seek bigger thrills than can bo got by pulling up the docile blue cod or nnapper. 111 the Magistrate's Court yesterday the following were fined £1, with costs. 7s„ in' default seven days' imprison- 1 ment, on charges of Sunday trading:— Jessie Aitchcsoii. Gertrude Aston, iNeu B. Austin, Annie Corin, William Collins, Jean Collins, Frank Clewor, Loins Davis, G. A. Jorgenscn, 1?. AY. Gates (two charges), R. . Ginsberg (two charges); Patrick Joyce. F. G. Lange (two charges), Henry Owens and A. IliWll (two charges). . ; For some time there were occasional coinolainis heard about the nuisance ouis'ed b.v the drainage from the Day's |Jay pavilion and attached conveniences. Tliis lias now bcon overcome by conducting the sewage to the end of the wharf," the outlet being well submerged in deep water. "NO RUBBING" Laundry Help, Is. "GOLDEN RULE" Soap, Is. 3d. "GOLDEN KULE" Canilles, Is. Ideal for family use. Evans & Cragg, Upper Cuba St.—Advt.

Mr. H. Okey, M.P., has been advised that while they Government has not arranged for shipments of salt on its own behalf, it has made representations to the Imperial GoveriutiQUb through tho. High Commissioner, with" a view to expediting shipments on order. It is understood, , states the "Taranaki News," that a consignment is duo to reach Now Zealand shortly, and those desirous of obtaining supplies should get into direct communication with the importers.

A peculiar accident happened to Mr. John-Clements, sen., of Kaiwcra (writes the correspondent of the "Mataura Ensign"). He was pricked in the eye with a Canadian thistle, but did not think it was anything serious at tho time. Serious complications set in, however, and after consultation with a Gore doctor ho was removed to Invercargill to be under the care of ,a specialist. The case was so serious, however, that the eye had to be removed, as blood-poisoning had set\in.

During recent years the pinus insig-, iris has been coming into more extensive/use as a timber tree (says the Melbourne "Age"). As a result of the shipping difficulties there is at present a heavy demand for pine timber, and consequently higher prices are being paid. SpeciaJ inducements are accordingly offered for cutting down pines growing throughout Victoria, and the Minister , of Lands says that private owners are taking full advantage of this opportunity, and that municipal councils and other bodies controlling public reserves are also realising on this timber supply. In some instances tho whole of the trees have been re-moved,-and in others extensiye thin-ing-out has been adopted. This action has provoked much protest, and unless carefully guarded the practice is open to the most serious objection. The Minister intends to impose effective limitations on the sacrifice of trees which have taken twenty or thirty years to develop. Having iu view the facts that annual grants aro provided by Parliament, arid tiiat generally State assistance has been given for the improvement of reserves, the 'Minister emphasises that the approval of the Board of Hand and Works must first be ob-tained-before the sale of timber from public reserves is authorised. Where it is' known that tlie managing body _o£ any .reserve is selling timber from it, no grant will iiWuture be made until a full and, satisfactory statement is furnished. .

Messrs. Baldwin and Eayward, patent attorneys arid consulting engineers, report'that recently tliey acted as agents in filing the followine applications for letters patent of New Zea-. land:—J. Peterson, Saattle, power gen-' crating devices; G. W. Houghton. Walsall, leather hags and cases; R. H. Roberts, Auckland, fastener for cases; L. N. D.vlirherg, Ashburton, musical instrument; 6. A. Julius, Sydney, race totalisator; J.' G. Newman, Sydney, closures for bottles; E. 15. Jlancs, Sydney, manufacture of white lead: F. RDennison, Oamaru, internal combustion engine; H. 13. Murphy, "Waikanae, treating flax; C. Jensen, Wellingtpn, dolls; E. P. Andrea's, Leura, fishing reels.