LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 149, 13 March 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sir Joseph W ? ard, PostmasterGeneral, has 'received a cable message from the High Commissioner in London, saying that the dispatch of parcels to Turkey is suspended.

Mr. P. C. Webb, M.P., who went into Trentliam Camp on Monday as a, private of the Thirty-ninth Reinforcements, refused on arrival there to wear the uniform or perform military service. Private Webb will bo tried by district court-martial on a charge of to obey the lawful orders of his superior officers. Tho date of the courtmartial has not, yet beet? fixed.

A Press Association telegram from Timani states that in tho licensing election at Waimate yesterday five Moderates have seoured a lead over three No-License candidates.

That the war is having its effect) on ihe available supply of malo labour is .brought, home to city men by the activities of the girl telegraph messengers who are now being employed by the Post and Telegraph Department. About twenty-five of these girls arc now attached to AVellington offices, and so far are reported to be serving the puiposes of tho Department fairly satisfactorily. The girls have heen_ furnished with a neat uniform, consisting of a coat and skirt of dark grey tweed, with a belt round tho waist, a touch of colour being given by red piping round the edges. They have also been supplied with shapely tweed hats of the same material, and similarly "redtaped," and well-fitting raincoats.

The programme of operations ill connection with the inarch of the Ihirfcysikth Reinforcements from Featherstxm to Trentliam includes a scheme of night operations at Mangaroa to-night. Ihe troops will therefore march into Lrentharn Camp to-morrow morning. The transfer of responsibility for the treatment of returned sick and wounded soldiers from the Public Health Department to the Defence Department is proceeding, but some timfi must elapse before all the details are arranged. Many questions of organisation havo to be considered. Defence Headquarters does not contemplate any sweeping changes, and. will- make use of existing institutions and staffs to a large extent. At the Defence Expenditure Commission yesterday Captain Stevens said bo relied 011 what the chairman had said to Colonel Macdonald in Palmerston North as to officers giving evidence not to bo victimised. The chairman •said Colonel Macdonald feared that ho might be a marked man, or something of that kind, this arising from the statoinent of a brother officer. 1-hey were anxious to clicit all available information, and it seemed very unlikely that trouble of any sort would occur to a man giving evidence. In reply to the chairman Captain StevcM said that before the Education Commission in 1912 an officer of the Department was called on to refute an attack by m higher officer, and as a result ho was relegated to a position carrying £100 a year less. Ihere was no suggestion that the 'man s evidence was false. —Press Assn. The Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald. Minister of Agriculture, arrived in Christchurch yesterday, eays n Press Association telegram, to go into tho prico or flour and the price for tho new season s wheat. The Minister met the Board of Trade in the morning, and after discussing' tho subject with them, met tho Flour-millers' Committee in the afternoon. Mr. Mac Donald stated at the closo of the day that there was nothing to report to the newspapers, but he hoped to be able to make an announcement to-day.

A case mentioned at last night's meeting of the Second Division League was tliat of a young man who had been passed fit "A" by the Military Medical Board but who, in making a proposal for insurance to the Government Life Office was declined by the medical examinor.

"I noticed in the report of a recent appeal heard bv a military service board that the appellant was under tho impression that no ponsion would be granted to his mother whilo ho was on service, because she resided outside the Dominion," said Sir James Allen to an "Auckland Herald" reporter. "This is entirely incorrect. Tho AVar Pensions Amendment Act, 1916, expressly provides that pensions may be granted to a member of the Forces, his father, mother, wife, or children, notwithstanding that they may not bo resident in New Zealand."

Several residents of Matata, 14 miles up the coast from Whakatano, about the beginning of December, observed on tlio horizon about 8 p.m. a light in tho direction of Cape Runaway. Tlio light gradually increased in size for about a quarter of an hour, and then suddenly developed a great flare, even though apparently about 60 miles distant and 30 miles off Cape Runaway. The opinion was strongly held that a great oxplosion had taken place aboard 6omo vessel, and it is now believed the occurrence may have had conncction with tho burned wreckage found at To Araroa.

In tlio Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., E. M. Page, licensee of the Grand Hotel, was proceeded against by the Inspector of Awards (Mr. R. T. Bailey) for luring committed a breach of the Wellington liotclkeepcrs' award in that he failed to allow iiis barmaids a half-holiday durinc the period from December 31, 1917, to January 5, 1918. Mr. AV. L. Rotbenberg, who appeared for the defendant, admitted tlio offence, which, ho contended, was purely a-technical olio, and had been occasioned by the New Year holiday arrangements. Defendant' was lined £2 and costs,

The Waterside Workers' Band will play at Newtown Park to-night at 8 o'clock.

A large number of guests for tho Waikaremoana trip arrived in Napier yesterday, _ including the 'councillors from Wellington, Palmerston North, Mastcrton, and Wanganui, also a number of members of Parliament. The district will be toured to-day.—Press Association.

A man named Healey, working on tho Island Bay pier yesterday, was carrying a bucket of tar when he tripped and fell. Ho waß taken to the Hospital, where he was found to be burnt about the arms and legs.

In reply to a question by a reporter as to whether he had anything to say as to the resolutions which had been passed with regard to Mr. S. 15. M'Carthy, S.M., tho Minister of Justice (the Hon. T. M. Wilford) said yesterday that 110 deputation had waited 011 him in reference to Mr. M'Carthy, nor had any representations been made to him by anyone reflecting in any way on him.

Tho Post and Telograpli Department is very short of telephones. Shortly before tho war the Department, i-.y instituting the automatic system in several cities and towns, had telephones in plenty to spare for tho backblocks, but tho closing down on all supplies has gradually exhausted stocks —already depleted by few new telephones being placed on order owing to tho number to be released by tho installation of the automatic system—until at the present there are practically none available. It was unfortunate that all the essentials for the Courtenay Place sub-exchange of the automatic system did not come to hand from America before the war activities made the further receipt of parts difficult, if not impossible, for the completion of that exchange would ' have released about twelve hundred machines for use elsewhere.

Tom Sullivan, whose release from prison in Germany, after being a civil prisoner since the outbreak of tho war, has a local interest. He was formerly a AVellington resident,. and was a member of the long-defunct Submarine Mining Corps (a permanent corps stationed at Shelly Bay)._ He became prominent as a member of the Wellington Rowing Club, and for some 3'6? rs was a member of the club's four which held the championship of New Zealand as long as its personnel remained intact. The names of the crew were W T . Bridson (bow), E. Roso (2), lom Sullivan (3), and Tom M'Kay (stroke). Air. Bridsou is at present manager in Wellington for Briscoe and Co. Mr. Sullivan also became a very strong single sculler, and won the championship of New Zealand, hater lie went to England, and after sculling in various events on the Thames settled down as mine host of a comfortable inn on the banks of the Thames, where, as a trainer, lie became an identity in tlie English sculling world. His list or wins in amateur championship events in Now Zealand would probably compare with any other living oarsman. Some amusing incidents occur before the'military medical boards when men are being examined for active service. Among a little group of men awaiting the orders of the examining officers was a human derelict, who had una both his legs broken and an arm injured. On sight.the man was a physical wreck, even having great dilhculty in walking. Still, with uiicouscious humour, a young medical man asked the man (who had told tho others in waiting that it was tho third time he had been called up and that ho had twice been classed as 02) what, arm of tho service he would prefer, to servo .in, "Seeing that I can't walk, said the man. "I would suggest the 1* lying Corps!" The grimness of the joke penetrated ■ even the official niindj ana the perpetrator was for the third time consigned to tho C 2 class. A legal point, on which it is stated no previous ruling has been given in New Zealand, was recently raised in the Magistrate's Court, at Pnkekohe, savs the Auckland "Herald*, the Magistrate, Mr. Wyvem Wilson, being called on to determine whether a confession of debt and payment of the full amount claimed was to be automatically followed by judgment being entered'for the plaintiff, thus concluding the action. The case at issue concerned a share-milking dispute, the milker claiming from his employer £50 In respect of his share of tho deferred payments made by tho New Zealand Dairy Association last season to the. employer. The latter had "confessed" judgment, and paid tho amount claimed. On behalf of the plaintiff, Mr. A. Hanna stated that, subsequent to the issue or the summons, the plaintiff found that £95, instead of £50, was duo to him, and lie asked the Court to set aside the judgment, if such was the natural sequel to payment, and to allow the claim to bo amended. Mr. J. G. Haddow, for the defendant, contended that, on a .confession, the clerk of the Court was forced to enter judgment, • which ended the proceedings. The I Magistrate has now given his reserved decision, and ho sots out that, under the provisions of the Magistrate's Courts Act, a judgment may be entered by the clork of tho Court on a plantiff's application with the written consent of a In the present instance tlio plaintiff had not so applied, consequently 110 judgment existed, and thus plaintiff's application for the judgment to be set aside was superfluous. The Magistrate granted 'the plaintiff power to amend his claim, and fixed the next Court day for the hearing.