LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 154, 19 March 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

It is probable that the judgment of the court-martial in the case of Private P. C. Webb will be promulgated today.

The following weather forecast was supplied to an Auckland reporter by Mr. Cjlement L. Wragge"Further gigantic storms aro operating in tho sun, and tho whole disturbed area is about 210,000 miles in length. In these, circumstanced people should continue to watch the cablegrams for refererj;es to terrestrial disturbances. Conditions remain unstable and decidedly suspicious over the Southwestern Pacific, and it is by no means Improbable tliait bofore the end of April Queensland and tho lower const latitudes of Now SCouth Wales will be visited by yet another storm system. The pearling fisheries of West Australia may also be affected."

Among the'soldiers who returned on Friday, says the Auckland "Star," were about twenty sergeant instructors, who have returned for duty in New Zealand, where they will replace men holding similar positions, _ who have not yet had an opportunity of going away. Those men bare bad experience of active service conditions, And should prove a valuable addition to the staff of instructors.

The Minister of Marine was interviewed in thq Waikato district on tho Government proposals with rogord to tho payment of pensions to the dependants of men of the mercantile marine who may lose their lives by an act of the enemy. As soon as tho loss of a man is definitely proved the Board of Trade pension is payable, but the payniont may not reach tho dependants in New Zealand for some time. The question was put Wilford as to whether something could not be done by the New- Zealand Government to bridge this gap. Mr. Wilford made tho announcement then that he would bring the matter before Cabinet, and he did this at a meeting of Cabinet yesterday, with special reference to_ tho cases of tho Wairuna and the Aparima. Cabinet at once agreed that temporary provision should be made through the war expenses account for those dependants of the men lost who may be in need. Tho matter will now be dealt with-by the Defence Minister, who is the Minister in charge of war pensions.

It was mentioned at yesterday's meeting of tho Harbour Board that there are at present 35,000 bales of wool and 4000 bales of hemp in the board's stores. Other produce held in store by the board includes 108,000 crates of cheese, worth £7 a crate.

Tho annual roport of the Harbour Board Engineer mentions that no progress has beon mado with tho PiDitea Wharf. Tho board has not been able to gfet steel for concrete reinforcement, and it appears tlipt work at the wharf will have to stand over until tho end of the war.

Improssivo memorial services were held in the Island Bay Mothodist Church at both services on Sunday by the Rev. E. Drake in the morning and the Rev. J. Crowes in tho evening for tho lato Mr. F. Billman, who died last woelc. The late Mr. Billman had been choirmaster of tho Island Bay Methodist Church for the past three years, and will be greatly missed by a largo circle of friends at Island Bay. . '

Tho following officers wero elected at the annual meeting of tljo Workers' Education Association Professor Hunter; secretary and treasurer, Mr. F. Cornwell; tutorial .class committee, Miss England and Messrs. Maddison, Ward, and Gilmore. Application for affiliation was received by the Post and Telegraph Association and the Boilermakers' Union.

"Unless the industrialists of this colony can organise to bring pressure to bear on fclio Government as tho farmers do, the industrialists' name is mud," declared Mr. C. _J. AVard (fTTlie meeting of the Industrial Association last night. His remarks had reference to tho recent conference convened by the Government regarding tho prices to rulo for hides and skins. Ho said that the alleged conference was not a conference at all. The several interests met in committees, and passed several resolutions, with tho idea that they should be discussed by the main conference, but there was no such discussion. Ho believed that the reduction of per lb. in hides had been fixed before tho conference, and the concern of the producers and most of those present was to defer the reduction until the end of June instwfft of the end of March. "And the workers havo to pay Is. 9d. a pair' more for boots in the meantime," said Mr. F. J. Evanß.

The Wnimato Acclimatisation Council is urging tlio Minister of Internal Affairs to extend tho season for quinnat salmon to tho end of May owing to the lato run of that iisli this year.— l'reas Assn.

Twenty-two officers awl mon of tiic Harbour Hoard's Engineer's staff liavo entered the Army during the war period. Eloven of thorn are married mon. Tho Harbour Board Engineer mentions in his annual roport that tho service is feeling tho loss of men whom it is difficult to replace. No applications for exemption' have yet ' been made, but tho engineer is of opinion that it will bo necessary to ask for tho exemption of some Second Division men when they aro called for servico on tho ground that they cannot lie replaced.

The following resolution was passed on Thursday evening, at a well-attend-ed meeting of tho wangamii Soldiers' Dependants' League"That this meeting of tho AVanganui Soldiers' Dependants' League enters its emphatic protest against the action of National Government, through tho Financial Assistance Board, in cutting off the rent and board allowances previously paid to the wives of our soldiers. The league submits that, particularly with the present high cost of living and considering that tho dependants' male relatives are undergoing so many hardships on tho battlefields of Europe and elsewhere, it is the duty of our Parliament when assembled noxt month to boo to it that tho allowances cut off shall be fully reinstated to all dependants who have been deprived of such allowances."

Ngaruawahia has always been looked on as a natural centre; for the Maoris. At one time the Maori Court was held there, and as a proof of tho regard in which the township is held, a new Parliament Houso is being erfected. by the Maoris at a cost of considerably over £3000. It is situated opposite the monument erected to the memory of the lato King Pohutu. A, feature of tho building, says the Auckland "Star 1 ' is the profuse manner in which it has been decorated with Maori carving. This is the work of an expert from Napier, who was engaged especially to do the carving. The opening ceremony of this building is being delayed until after March, 1919, in view of the regatta being held in that month, when it is expected that 5000 to 6000 Maoris will be 'camped along the banks of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers:

Ail instance of the value of a jeturned soldier's badge, as worn by New Zealanders, was-furnished by one of the officers who has just returned (says the Auckland "Star"j. A New Zealand officer, he stated, who had been invalided to New Zealand and was subsequently discharged oil account of Ins injuries, recently made a -trip ' Home. Among other places that he was desirous of seeing was tlic House of Commons. He was unable to get a pass, and was standing outside the buildings debating with himself his next course of action. A well-dressed gentleman, noticing his badge, asked him if lie woulu like to go inside. He stated that he would, and that that was what be _'iad come there for. His newly-found fiiend at once took him through the s'hole of the buildings, and later in (ho day found him a sent in the visitors' gallery of the House of Lords. While there lie was asked to enter his name in a Look, that of his sponsor being placed opposite. Before «oing out again it occiured to him that lie would like to know tlie name of the gentleman who had befriended' him, and lie went back and Glanced at tlw' book. He was not a little astonished tr> find tliat his unknown friend was the Earl of Chesterfield. .

"I am satisfied," said Mr. J. H. Gunson, Mayor, of Auckland, discussing tile muddle over the landing of the returned soldiers oil Friday, "that the public is not going to tolerate a continuance of these conditions, and if the remedy cannot bo found in one way, the community will have to take steps to have it effected in another way." Personally, he minded no inconvenience, but lie was thinking primarily of the men and their next-of-kin. As far as his duty was concerned it devolved upon him, when the citizens desired it, to tender to the. men a suitable welcome home, and he trusted that there would be no repetition of the depioTable conditions of Friday night._ _ He had repeatedly advised the Minister of Defence, and also the officer commanding the district that as far as the civil authorities were concerned everything would be done to assist them to make officient landing arrangements at Auckland, and he knew, as a matter of exact fact, that tho same co-opera-•tion could bo relied upon from the chairman of the Harbour Board and

the board's officials. There were, therefore, no grouuds whatever for inefficiency or • inadequate arrangements from the point of view of the citizens. TII9 Harbour Board's staff was capable and-efficient, but thoy seemed to be brushed aside and treated with contempt by the military authorities. Theso things could not bo tolerated any longer, a:ud a statement of the wholo position would be submitted to the Minister,- All sensible citizens knew that a certain amount of time

was required for the board to do the necessary work when these vessels arrived in Auckland, and the position in this respect would be readily accepted. What was required was that businesslike methods and some system of efficient organisation should be introduced into {he service, as there was a total lack of it at the present time. If the military officials were the only sufferers it would not so much matter, but when the interests of our soldiers and citizons were so vitally involved it was necessary to soo that matters were put right.