LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 158, 23 March 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Prime Minister has received a: communication from the Under-Secre-tary of Crown Lands that to March 19 a total of 634 soldiers. had taken .up land under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, the total area being 417,207 acres, the average of G6O acres indicating that a good number of the men have gone in for slioep farming. Settlement generally has been satisfactory, arid considerable use has been •made of the'provisions'under Sections' 3'and. 4 of tho Act, which enables the erection-' of on holdings similarly to tho provisions of tho Workers' Homes Act. The chief difficulty of applying- theso provisions to the present has been the cost of building material, especially iron. War trophies from France have arrived in Now Zealand, and oil ' .-the wharves yesterday were seen dismantled three field carriago guns capturcd: from -the Germans. The guns hear the marks of hard fighting,- tho steel protection shields having been pierced in a number of places by ma-chine-gun bullets. Jagged holes about three inches in diameter are scattered at odd places, but each gun looks as if it had been deliberately damaged to render it useless to its captors. Oneof the guns was captured by the 11th Cheshire 1 Regiment on June 7, 1017, and has been claimed by the 2nd Auckland' Regiment; a second by "the Ist Otsigo Division.' • ' A. deputation from , tho Dunedin Licensed Victuallers' Association - waited on the Hon. T. M. Wilford yesterday, as Minister of Justice in charge of Magistrates,' and complained' of certain remarks made by Mr. Evans, S.M.j while acting as chairman of the Canterbury Military Service Board'; Mr. Evans was reported to have said: "Wo look upon hotelkeepers not only as nonessential, but'as more or less an evil." ' Tho ■ deputation asked - tho Minister ■ whether be would make inquiry, .'and .ascertain if''Mr. Evans had been correctly reported. The Minister said he would submit their representations to the Magistrate for remarks, and communicate with the deputation later.— Press Association. Some interesting figures as to the size of classes in tho public schools were given at the meeting called by the Now Zealand Educational' Institute to discuss educational matters that needed urgent reform. One speaker pointed out that in 14 city and suburban .schools there were five classes in which"olio teacher had 80 or more children to teach; four in which there were 75 to 80 on the'roll; six with 70 to 75; 11 with 65 to 70, and 22 with | 60 to 65 children. And young women had to -grapple with such enormous odds—sixty" children or more to teach in a class. In regard to space, 30 classes in 14 .schools, or two classes in each school, lind less than what is called the minimum floor-snaeo of ten feet; six liar] the bare minipfnm; and 10 had more than the bare minimum. Delegates to tlie annual conference o'f the Industrial Corporation Association of Sew Zealand, which was _ held in Wellington this weelc, visited Trent-ham Camp at the invitation of the military authorities. The visitors were received bv the Camp Commandant, Colonel 1:1. It. Potter, C.M.G., tho ChieF of the General Staff, Colonel C. M. Giblion, (XM.G., and tho Camp Adjutant-, Major I). J. Sweetiser.' A very thorough view of every portion of the. wimp and phase of camp life whs afforded them, and hofoic returning to town' tho delegates were entertained at afternoon tea in the staff -officers' mess. The visitors, especially those from districts outside Wellington, who had not seen the camp before, were much impressed with what they saw. All expressed tho heartiest appreciation of tho hospitality extended to tliem, and with the opportunity afforded of seeing a military training camp at work. There is sonic idea of organising music and elocution competitions in Wellington during the coining winter. These aids to endeavour have proved an unqualified success ill Christohurch and Dunedin for some year's past, and the proposal to revive them in ■Wellington is favourably regarded in certain quarters as an'educational sideline jluring tho approaching winter. We have just landed, per post, a large supply of fino quality Khaki Handkerchiefs, 4d., 6d., Is. and Is. Cd. Geo. Fowlde, Ltd., Manners Street.—Advt.

An information was.laid hy.t];c inspector to the Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals against E. .Johnston, auctioneer, for allowing fowls to be overcrowded in a box, and the ease was heard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday by Mr. W. G. ltiddell, S.M.' The inspector stated that the box, which measured 17in. x 13in.,. contained six large fowls, and as 110 :food or water had been provided, njid TJie box was exposed to the sun, the birds •showed every symptom of being • distressed. Tiio' attention of an assistant to the firm was drawn to the condition of the fowls, arid lie placed some of the birds in another box. The information was dismissed oil tlio ground that the defendant, who was at the timo engaged inside the auction , room, could not be held responsible for the overcrowding of the birds, as he was unaware of their condition when they were delivered at his premises.

A pair of young tigers have been ordered for the "Wellington Zoo, and are expected to arrive shortly. The Zoo-, logical Society .will take up a collection at the Zoo to-morrow afternoon for the "tigers fund." The-Waterside Workers' Bandwill supply a programme of music during the afternoon.

An invention has been devised by Captain C. M'Donald, marine superintendent at Dunediri,' for the Union Steam Ship Company, with the assistance of Mr. llohert Constable, tho company's naval architect. It is a new method of ship construction, which will, it is claimed, make a vessel to withstand several shots from a torpedo before she could lie sunk, and gives a margin of 50 to CO per cent, safoty to those 011 board such vessels by enabling tlicm to leave at leisure in the ship's boats or lie rescued by other vessels. Besides tliis, the probability would bo that aid would be received'before a submarine could launch a second torpedo. In any case, tho operation of sinking would bo very costly to the enemy. '

Two members \of tlio 'New Zealand Main Force, who now ( hold commissions in the Royal Flying Corps, arrived with the last returning troops on furlough. They are Captain J. tl. Stewart, M.C., of Timaru, and Second Lieutenant A. M. Hislop, of Hastings. Captain Stewart left • (from Auckland) as a second lieutenant in _tlie original' Divisional Train, fought in Gallipoli, Where he'won tho Military Cross, and in France.He joined:-the'lt.F.C. in April last as -an observer, having been previously promoted captain. ' He qualified a little later as a pilot, and served for some time in the neighbourhood of Passchendaele. , Lieutenant Hislop enlisted as a - trooper in the .Wellington Mounted llifles. Hp served in Gallipoli, and after the evacuation was with the mounted troops on the Sinai front. He qbtained : ;an It.F.C. cadetship in-November-, 1916,-and. went straight to England for training. After obtaining liis "wings" he. was sent across to France, and has seen much service there, taking part in tlio Camhrai offensive. He is staying at the Grand Hotel. Both officers wear; the red chevron badge, showing that they joined up iiv 1914, and the accompanying three' blue chevrons, 0110 for each year, of, service after '1915..

• In- : the-course-of some remarks to the Natives at Taiporohonui, Taranaki, when on a rccruiting ■ mission, Dr. Poinare used a, pretty metaphor to point his'remarks.- He contrasted in picturesque language, the giant kauri and the frail waving raupo, m the prido of his power against all the winds and forces of Nature. The raupo, in turn, said: "You, kauri, that is where you are at fault. Your power' lasts •-, but \. temporarily. .In IOUV3G of time your roots are unnerved, and you fall. I, raupo, bend with all the winds and come hack to my original position." The speaker said that the Taranaki Maoris, were resisting law. •: He .told. : them, to be.like the raupo; and bend at the instance, of -the law.—Hawera-"Star.". .

. . .Two .cablegrams received,: by ; a Dunedin resident this week, one from his son on active service and tho other from a soldier friend- iu London, indicate fiom their superscription that they were diapatchcd six weeks ago'.'-'

Tho Otago Military Service Board had before St a fow .-days ago an appeal by a widow for the return from the front of ono of her soldier sons. *The mother stated that her husband, aged 60 years, had carried on the work of. their farm when the boys enlisted, bite, ho had since died. ■ Now she and her three daughters are occupying the farm, milking a few cows and running seme sheep, but with the teams standing idle, as they are without a man on tho place, the-last assistant they had having recently loft preparatory to entering enmp. One married son liad his own farm, and. another .married son Was unfitted for farm- work. Captain Free pointed'out to tho-board that while applications of ' this; kind wore deserving of evory possible consideration, expert men .should not. lie brought. back ; from the front except as a -last resort.' ' Every other .possible means of meeting the case should be tried first, as it was a matter-.of great , expense to the.-, country .to bring back an -expert- soldier and' I 'train' a recruit to take his place. The hoard reserved its decision.

Complaint has been madei in Christchurch that, t,hero is a shortage of tiaincd teachers,.and that'', nothing is done. to attract ' young people _ to the teaching • profession. . Referring to this matter, Mr. H. C. Lane, secretary of the Canterbury Education Board, stater), that; in comparison with other branches of the Public Service, and, indeed, with commercial positions, the remuneration offered to pupil teachers was totally inadequate +o attract the: class .of young persor. most suited, for teaching. It was not 'the experience of the" Canterbury Board that many pupil teachers had actually resigned in order to take. up more, lucrative positions, Tint it was a. known fact that many well-fitted young people were deterred .from entering the profession bv the inadequate' salaries offered. Mr, Lane added, that the Cnnterhnrv. Board had made strong representations to the Education Department to substantially increase tl'e salaries 'paid to nupil teachers. _Tt was pointed out, liowever. that tn giv the verv moderate increase, of -610 a" round wnuld involve an expenditure of somo £10.000 ocr annum, and such an increase would not brine tl"> solar l ' nearly on an enualitv with tliat in many other branches of the Public Service. Tho high tide on Tuesday did much diimago at Teddington at tiie head of Lytteicou jj arbour. In several places the road Has completely washed away, and many chains of the retaining wall were demolished, -. Most of tho damage occurred between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., when the tide was at its full. • It -was then -about threo fee.ii higher than usual, and the waves rose to a. height, of about four feet. The water spread over the low-lying land, particularly around Teddington, where in places it was 3ft. to 4ft. in depth. Sheep'owned by Messrs. Uebbie Bros, and Mrs.' Anderson were rescued by neighbouring residents, but a few were drowned. A pedestrian, who happened to be walking alor.g the beaoii road, about 10 a.m., was caught by tho incoming tide, which canic in very rapidly, and lie was compelled'to climb hurriedly through the bush into the high land for safety. The private trotting track at Teddington was fully 2ft. under water, and had the appearance of a lake" in rough weather, with fairly big waves dashing over it.