LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 127, 15 February 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

'Hie JJinister of DefcJico has been advised that (me of the Now Zealand hospital ships has readied a port of call. —Press Assn. The appointment of Sir Francis Bell, K.C.JI.G., K.C., as Attorney-General for tho Dominion of New Zealand is annoimced formally in last night's Gazette. Tho excess of arrivals over departures nt the ports of New Zealand during tho month of January amounted to 711. Of this excess, 362 persons came from tho United Kingdom and most of tho balauco from Australia. Nurses, build up your patients' strength wi(.li DOCTORS' CREAM 0' GROATS'. New Zealand made. Digestible and nourishiug.—Advt.

AI. .').2- r > p.m. yesterday tlio l'"ii'c received a call lo 21) Abel Kmitli Street, to a lire in a four-room-ed dwelling, owned and occupied h.v Mrs. Anno IJrown. The roof was slightly damaged. Tlio building is insured in the Northern Union oliico for £11)0.

An interesting document readied tlio Prime Minister by the last English mail, ft is a posl-canl from Lieutenant M. Juriss, a prisoner of ivar in Germany. Mr. Juriss is a New Zcalamler, but lie was with a British regiment. His post-card ran as follows: — ; 'ln wishing the compliments of the season, 1. hope and trust that the coming New Year will bring forth good cheer, and that it will continue to be a happy and prosperous one. Convey my regards and best wishes to all kind friends. Trusting all aro well. Here's to you and yours. Kin Ora. Yours sincerely, M. Juriss, 2nd Lieut." One question asked Mr. Lulce at the KclWn Kiosk last evening was whether lie favoured falling into lino with England, France, Canada, and Australia in offering women facilities to learn practical farming on State farms. Mr. Luke said that lie certainly was. Recently the City Council had employed two ladies in the Botanica l Gardens, hut, though they worked hard enough, thoy were not altogether a success, perhaps for the want of such training as was suggested.

An interesting sight can be seen from the railway train near the bridge across the Manawatu Hiver at Longburn. Thoro aro two paddocks—one covered all over with penny-royal and the other as near perfection as any agricultural field can be. The two afford an instructive lesson—one in neglect, nnd the other in up-to-date agriculture. —"Manawatu Standard." Only two persons were charged with insobriety in tlio Magistrate's Court yesterday. Both were first- offenders. One was fined 10s., with the option of twenty-four hours' imprisonment, and the other had his bail of 20s. estreated. The excise duties collected at the port of Wellington during the year 1017 nmounted to £27,936, as against £i 3,780 for the year 191(5.

At a recent meeting; of the executive of the New Zealand .Returned Soldiers' Association a number of inquiries were considered dealing with the question of pay to men of tho Slain Body who had returned to Now Zealand for business or family reasons. Jt was felt that since the holiday for the Main Body had been cancelled it was in the highest degree desirable that leave to return to New Zealand should be as generous as possible. It was also pointed out that those who were able to secure leave under these conditions wore relatively fortunate 115 compared with the men who were utill on active Horvico. Taking these circumstances into consideration, and also the fact of the clearly defined principle that onlv leave without pay could be granted 'to deal with private matters, the executive decided not to take an,\ fintlier steps. _ , "The. Empire's Task" is the title 01 a booklet containing a series of articles on the light that will have to bo waged to maintain British trade after the" war in competition with that ol Germany. In the course of. a foreword to the book the Prime Minister or New Zealand (Mr. Massey) has written as follows:—-The war is, I think, teaching us that, it is absolutely necessary that the one-sided policy wlucn left Britain a prey to unscrupulous traders, who were undermining Jiritisli trade by unsound commercial practices, should be abandoned. We ought so to regulate matters that 110 beiman or foreign trader will ever again be in a position to nienaco our industrial and commercial interests, or in lilcli from our people their legitimate rights of employment, and the wealtn that comes' from their labour lie.' our first diitv is clearly lound within the 'Umpire, and ultimately concerns ourselves. As clearly, in the next place, it is our duty to stand by our friends and allies in the present nai, and I note with satisfaction the very Ktronglv defined views of the writer 0 theso articles 011 this all-important question. 'The British Empire ami our friends lirst, friendly neutrals next, and our enemies last, should, lie says, he our motto in tho future. Following upon the action of the City Council in throwing open the le Ai'ii Baths free to school children on four days in the week, the dressingroom accommodation in the ladies baths has been found to be altogether inadequate, and if the policy named is to bo adhered to, some steps will nave to he taken to multiply tho dressingroom spaco for next season. Ihe custodian (Mr. J. Calnan) informed r Dominion representative that 111 his opinion the small concrcto bath at the shore end of the baths, used by the smaller children, was scarcely sanitary, and now that that etid of the oaths had been shallowed the concrete pool might be done away with altogetliei, and a row of dressing-rooms built along that end of the enclosure. That would at once give a good deal more open shallow water space, and would add a third more dressing-room accommodation. The men's baths met with all present requirements. The store, bakeliouse, billiard-room, and stables in connection with the Tepolnie Hotel, 011 the Napier-Taupo Road, were destroyed by fire on Alesday afternoon (states a Press Association telegram). The hotel and post oflice were not damaged. The buildings wero insured for £1200

Most householders havo had experience of the wide choice of location and tho industry of the sparrow m nest-building. spoutings and channels being favourite places of rest for th's busy little bird. A most uncommon silo for this year's "homo," chosen by one of tho genus, was shown to a Matiiura "Ensign" reporter the other day. A cart-saddle had been sent in to a local saddlery establishment to be repaired, and snugly ensconced in the stuffing were found two sparrow s eggs laid in a skilfully-iashioned nest. Ail instance of the littlo knowledge that is a dangerous thing occurred last month in Queen Street, Auckland, and had its sequel in tho Police Court this week, when Mr. F. V. Frazer, b.iU., convicted two women and ordered them to pay court costs. It appeals that the two people, one a girl of 1G years, and the other nu older woman, stopped on the Customs-Queen Streets corner to talk. The time was (luring the heavy traffic hour between o and 6 o clock m the evening, and a constable requested 'them to movo on. They wore annoyed a little, arid the girl, who is employed in a legal office, moved with her companion to tho roadway. This did not abate the ''obstruction," so tho constable again requested thom to move on, and they had a few words with lum. The younger woman seemed to consider that she knew tho by-law, and thought tliev had complied with it as they were off the footpath. As a matter'of fact, it is tho footway that is mentioned. Sub-Inspector Vohlman remarked that tho action in this caso was taken as a warning to other women who made a practice of talking on tho traiSe lines at those busy hours. The Magistrate said it was a common tiling for women asked to move oil to object to being spoken to by the police. It seemed to him to be an extraordinary state of mind, and their objections were quito uncalled for.

Win. Campbell, Ltd., for "NO RUBBING" Laundry Uelp, "GOLDEN RULE" Soap, "GOLDEN RULE" Candles. Ideal goods for every liomo.—Advt.

Science is much in evidence nowadays. But it hasn't succeeded in reducing luggage to tabloid form yet. Meanwhile savo trouble handling by getting the New Zealand Express Co. to check it. They collect, check on (rail, sea, or both), dolivor on arrival. Reliable. Reasonable. 87-91 Customhouse Quay,— Advt.

Strong representations were made to Sir William Fraser at Warkworth by the Rodney Chamber of Commerce regarding tiie ravages of the tick in Rodney and Otamatea Counties, especially at Matakana and Ivaipara Flats, Residents stated that tlioy were firmly of tlie opinion that the tick was the Queensland tick, and that the Stock Department was treating tho matter in altogether too off-hand a way. Cattle and horses were suffering in condition, and the value of their hides was being lowered by the pest. Indeed, one settler contemplated building a huge dip lor his horses and cattle. Sir William promised to bring the mattor under the notice of the Minister of Agriculture. Two more candidates for the lloval Flying Corps have passed their flight tests at the Kohimarauia Aviafon School. They aro Arthur i). Morris, of Napier, mid Horace D. Riddell, of Daimovirko. Remarkable nerve was displayed by Herbert Eagles, aged 11, in connection with an accident which befel him at Lowgarth, Tanaraki, recently, when his right hand was cut off through the palm, lie coolly picked up the severed member and held it firmly against tho bleeding stump for some minutes—innocently imagining that it would stick —before he reported that no had been injured. Tho surgeon who attended the lad states that the act probably saved liiiii from bleeding to death.

In spite of all that is said about the conditions of England with regard to foud and labour troubles, Captain Carmichael, of the Australian Forces, who is returning to Australia, maintains that tho position is only superficially alarming. It was true that tho cost of living had risen very much, and the sovereign was now only valued at ten shillings, but as against this it was to be remembered that wages had gone up enormously, and in somo instances had risen three and four hundred per cent. Tho food shortage was fairly bad, but up to the present it could only be called a matter of great inconvenience, and nothing more. Last winter long queues waited outside the shops of butchers and bakers, and there was considerable discontent because the people thought that the supplies wore being held back, but there was absolutely no starvation as such. Tho people were on tho whole cheerfully determined to go ahead with the fight, and were not in such a ljad way as tho French, who had'felt a great deal more of the pressure of war.