LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 152, 16 March 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey), accompanied by the Hon. D. H. Guthrie (Minister of Lands), 'Sir. W. H. Field. M.P., and Mr. Ritchie, of the Land Purchase Department, wilt visit Foxton to-day. The Prime Minister will be accorded a civic welcome at tho Borough Council Chambers upon his arrival, after which tho visitors will be entertained at luncheon. The wharf and river will be inspected, and thon the Round Bush, En route to Shannon, the Moutea Estate will be brought under notice for closer settlement purposes. The party nil! also visit Otnki, Levin, and Sha"iion,

"I am pretty well hardened now, and it takes a good deal to excite mo," says a soldier who has been at the front since almost tho beginning of tho war. "I was, however, impressed while, watching a regiment, which had been in tho thick of the; Flanders fighting for days, coming back to their rest billets. They were up to tbeir ears in mud, many of them were wounded, and thoir feverish' eyes showed the terrible stram they had undergone. Yet those incorrigible, heroes and humorist's were actually singing 'Tito End of a Perfect Day!' No wonder our soldiers are an insoluble puzzle to other nations!" ,

A Press Association telogram from Wairoa states that the Parliamentary party left for Lake Waikarcinoana, yesterday morniug. Tho roads were in a deplorable state, and it took five hours to cover thirty miles to the Maori pa where lunch was prepared, and the' Natives welcomed tho members. Breakdowns were frequent, but it was expected to reach the lake last evening.

A start lias been made with tlio Work of duplicating the trnmway track jn Cuba Street. Up till the present the service over this section of the system has had to be timed to prevent, as far as possible, delays at the loops. That obstruction to a free running service will be removed with the duplication of the track. Another section of the line that will be similarly improved when opportunity serves is the' Onepu Road track (approaching Lyall Kayi. The summer traffic to the Bay is now so heavy that -duplication is almost a necessity.

Mr. Clement Wragge has supplied the following weather forecast to tho .Auckland "Star":—Further gigantic storms are-approaching-the. centre of the sun's disc. In these circumstances readers should continue watch the cablegrams re terrestrial disturbances. Conditions remain very suspicious over the south-western Pacific, and it is not improbable that before April expires the East Coast of will be visited by yet another cyclonic disturbance. Queensland and the north-west-ern part of West Australia aro advised . accordingly- Tfc- •is . possible that North Auckland-will come under these influences.

In the Supreme Court yesterday Mr. Justice Stringer gave his decision in respect to Mr. C. H. Treadwell's application for an order declaring "The Boston Garter," which had to do with wearing apparel, to bo a distinctive mark under Section 61 of the Patents. Designs, and Trade Marks Act. His Honour 'decided that it was n distinctive trade mark. The registry of patents would now be able to deal with the application in the ordinary way.

The To Kuiti-Waikatu Hospital Board election- petition was heard' yesterday before Mr. Buwso'n, S.M. The decision was that the election bo declared void, costs to be divided between the deputy returning officer, at Te Kuiti and H. Vause, one of the successful candidates.—Press Assn.

Mr. James. Macintosh, treasurer of s Aotea Convalescent Home, acknow--3 ledges receipt ot a cheque for £10 from | the Hutt Patriotic Guild, to bo spent on comforts for the New Zealand sul- , diers in Egypt. . Storekeepers outsido the chief centres j have been notified by the combined biscuit manufacturers aud confectioners | that they will in future deliver goods in store or on rail at Auckland, Wellington, Wangarmi, .Ndbon, Christelmrclr, Dimedin, Wl Invercargill only, and will take delivery of returned >. empties, f.0.b., at the "same ports. I I What this means to retailors will bo - j-understood by a statement made by - on© concerned to the Taranaki "Herr aid." Heretofore, ho said, the vari- •■ ous •■.muiulactiirers have paid freight > to New Plymor.th Breakwater, but this ■ will'.now have to be borne by tlu> Tara- ; naki retailors, and ultimately by the ' [ public, and will mean an advance, of s from I'd. to 3d. per lb., according to weight of tins. It will also mean an ! advance on all confectionery. '/ rhoist Id. per lb. ''It appears clear from the wording of the circular in rpies- . tion," states ihe ''Herald,"' "that ..j where there is a. biscuit factory cstab- >; lished the freight is being paid" to that [: port. Wawranui, tar instance, is on ' \ fclio freight-pa-id basis, owinrr to n bis- \ \ ciiit. factory being established there. ' : We in Taranaki ar'. being oeimlised' to ; : (lie extent, it is estimated," of .-.t least ' £3000 pnr annum, which appears to i.: be an injustice." ■I 'According to a report received ioc- ■ j ally.gotskinrauts, winch have, been be-. • j coming scarcer as the war has'leiigilieu- '. Ed out,' are now 'unprocurable, .is the I liritish Government has commandeered j all goatskins for the. purpose of making .; winter, coats ..for. the soldiers in the .- trenches. ' j Harry Eandell was charged in' the Magistrate's. Court yesterday, .on-the information of the' Society.for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, represented.by Mr. A." J. Luke, with cruelly ill-treating a retriever dog. The accused, who lives at Hataitai, tied up the dog in.his beat it with a thick stick, and then obtained an iron bar and kept striking it until it ivas killed, or almost so. It took him n good, ten minutes to kill the dog.' The incident was seen by a number of women and children. The accused pleaded guilty, and as lie. had a previous conviction for • a similar offence, he was fined by Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., £7 10s. and costs, in default two months' imprisonment. He was ordered to pay the fine :and costs by instalments of 20s. a month. . The New Zealand Native's' Association Band will play selections at Island Bay to-morrow at 3 p.m. . , ■ The Hon. T. M. Wilford, who has been on a trip, of inspection on-the "\yaikato River, in an interview in Auck-land-yesterday said he realised for the ! first time the unlimited possibilities of [such a. waterway. Mr. Wilford said ho \ recognised that dealings .with such a ! national asset must bo undertaken in a j national way. Improvement of the Wai- | kato was not a parochial question; it j was the concern of Now Zealand with--1 out any question whatever. At Mercer j Mr. Wilford stated that he:would ini vito the Minister of Lands to inspect \ the'country adjacent to the river, with i the object of securing, jointi action rej garding navigation, drainage, and other ] problems involved. Tho Minister proI mised to consult with tno Minister, of j Lands with a view to recommending : Parliament to appoint a Rnyal Commission to go into all questions affecting river control. —Press Assn. . The Rev. Robert Wood lias received the-following, letter-from Lord Bryce, who occupies a' high position in the world of (letters, mid'who was formerly British Ambassador at Washington :— "London, 3 Buckingham Gate, January 9, 1918.—My dear sir.—Thank you very much for your letter and for your booklet upon Dr. Martin, Luther, which I am reading with great interest. Wo' would have had'oclebrations of the Wittenberg- anniversary. here ...but for. tho war; you in New' Zealand have'been more happily placed. AVo are delighted to see that you are continuing to give- such 'effective support to the Allied causo; certainly no Dominion has done more in proportion to its size than New Zealand has done. We are much encouraged by the efforts which the "United, States are making,. and trust;that a moral as well as material effect .of its appearance at the front with great forces, in tho spring will be immense. Thanking you for your kind reference to my^hook.—l am, very truly yours (signed}, Bryce." Local tradesmen testify to tho change which has 'come over tho financial aspect of trade as between London and the Dominions overseas during the past year'. Formerly any well-established house could get goods on-long credit, alwaysi six, and sometimes as long as eight'or nine months!.: -But tho shortage of many-lilies has:altered.alt that. Nowadays, if a London buyer wished to secure a line of goods known to be in short supply he was forced to pay cash. The manufacturer, fully aware of the shortage and consequent absence of competition, : could'with impunity, ask cash for his goods, as he was aware that if ono buyer refused to "pay prompt" there were plenty of others ready with the cash. During the trial of Private P. ~0. Webb at Trentham yesterday, an pr:defly appeared with an .official letter, marked "urcent," addressed to Mr. P. C. Webb, M.P. The letter was handed to the prosecutor, who' examined the envelope, and suggested that it should be given to the accused. The court agreed, and the proceedings were stayed while Private Webb read his letter. He smiled as ho read to the court the opening sentences of a communication from the Governor-General summoning him to attend a meeting of Parliament in Wellington on April 9 next. The president, who already suggested several times that Private Webb's speech in support of his claim to work in ■ Parliament irather than in tho i trenches had no bearing upon the charge, ruled tho document out of order

An investment of £10,000 in the new war loan is to be made by the Auckland Education Board, 'providing the Minister will give his approval. Tho money will bo drawn from the maintenance fund. ■' The persons on. the steamer Matunga, who were taken prisoner by the German raider when the vessel was sunk, included Mrs. Agnes M'Konzie, stewardess, who is well-known in Auckland. A cablegram has'beeu received by Mr. C. F. Griffiths, solicitor, from Mrs. M'Konsde, who is in Denmark, asking that her relatives bo informed of her safety. Mrs. M'Kcnzio is a widow, her Info'husband, who was an engineer in tho employ of the Union Company, having been killed in an accident at Onehnnga some years ajjo. Since her husband's death Mrs. M'Krn- | zie has.boon a.-stewardess on several steamers. She was on the Matunga for a few months prior to the sinking j of that vessel. .Mr. and Mrs. M'Konzie resided in Wellington, brt since becoming a widow Mrs. M'Konmo has boon domiciled for the greater part of ih" ti'ne in Auckland. , The cup presented by the Camp Commandant at Featherston for the bestkept hut and linos has been awarded to B C'ompanv, 37th. for the week ending Saturday, 'March 16. The, master bakers of Auckland have decided unanimously to increase the price, of the'2lh. loaf of bread from sd'. to 51d., as from to-day. In making this announcement members of the trade stated that the- new price would brii.g Auckland-in line with tho other large centres., where Sid. had been the ruling'price for some time. The delimit of thrifty vivos!—"GOLDEN ••■RULE". Soap, "GOLDEN 'RULE" Candles, • "NO RUBBING" Laundry Help. J. Priestly, Kelburn.—Advt.

Tho annual conference of thnJndustrial associations of N&w Zealand, in-corporated-into the New Zealand Industrial Corporation, will be held in Wellington on Wednesday next. Messrs S. J. Harbutt, president, T. E. Whitton, secretary, L. Joll, and H. Dearsley, will bo tho Auckland delegates to the conference.

"Isn't it true that-you spoke of procuring a revolver and some poison and finishing• your wife with the one.and yourself with the other?" asked counsel of a defendant in a maintenance case at tho Christchurch Magistrate's Court. "This is absolute 'tommy-rot,' " rosponded tho defendant. "In any case I am too moan a man to get both poison and a revolver," he added amidst laughter. "If on iof us took poison then that would lia\ e to do for both of us." "I see; economy in view of the high cost of living," commented counsel.

It is understood,' says the Auckland "Star," that negotiations which have been proceeding for the past few .weeks aro approaching finality, under which an amalgamation will be effected between the three cement companies in the Auckland province. The effect will he to unite the businesses and' assets of the Wilsons Tortlind Cement Co., the New Z-alnml Vorrlnnd '' Oment Co.', aiiJ the Dominion Crment Co;