LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 170, 8 April 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Court of ■ Appeal will open a session in Wellington to-day. A sum of £40 in silver, a portion of tho hoard of a Chinese market gardener named Quong Sing, living in Rugby Road, Threo Kings, Auckland, was stolen recently in a somewhat peculiar manner. The Chinaman, fearing that his money might ho stolen if he kept it in tho house, placed it among various bundles of sacks in a shed in tho garden. Apparently the thieves brought a cart and loaded one bundle of about 500 6acks, among which was stored 'ho £40. Sums of i £100 in silver, and £70 in notes, which were stored in other bundles, fortunately, were not touched. A Chinese labourer was sleeping in the j shed on the night of the robbory, but he was not disturbed by the intruders. ! This is attributed to the fact that each night' other workers in tho garden are acoustomed to feed the horses in the stable adjoining the shed, and if the sleeper heard any noise he would think it came from his fellow-labourers at work. I "What aro you asking for?" inquired the chairman (Mr. H. W. Bishop) of an appellant before the Second Canterbury Military Service Board, who asked for an extension of time. "I did ask for threo months," replied the i appellant, "but in view of the present circumstances at the front I am willing to take a little off." ''Well, that is a reasonable way of putting it," replied the chairman, who gave appellant his three months 1 The preferential treatment which the landlord is allowed by tho existing law in regard to bankruptcies was referred to at a meeting of creditors in a bankrupt estate at Auckland. In the bankruptcy in question nine months' rent, amounting to about £40, had beon secured by the landlord when ho put in tho bailiff. Mr. James Payne said the law, as it stood, was most unfair. In addition to tho case before the meeting, he cited a Wellington bank-, ruptcy, whero bankrupt, a tailor, owed about £200 for rent. The first the general creditors knew nf tho state of the business was when the landlord stepped in and took possession of the whole of the stock, some of which had just ""been supplied by merchants. All tho creditors could rlo was to look'on and view the "scoop." Mr. Payne moved that the official assignee, he asked t' bring under tho notice of the Minister of Justice the matter of the landlord's preferential claim in regard to rent and his power te distrain, and that the Government be urged to amend the law at the earliest opportunity This resolution was adopted. A sudden death occurred on Friday at the Railway Hotel, Lower Hutt. Mr. William Morris, aged 74 years, a resident of Parliament Street, was Having his.dinner at the hotel, when he was taken with a fit of coughing, and while being removed to t.hs open air collapsed and "expired almost immediately. As a .medical certificate was given, stating the cause of death to be heart disease, no inquest will bo held.

Two electric trams were concerned in a collision which took place in Cathedral Square, Christclmrch, on Saturday. There was a terrific impact, the noise of which startled ' the usual busy crowd in the Square, and must have startled even more tho passengers in the trams. One of tho cars escaped with very littlo damage indeed, though at one end it was' knocked off tho lino. The other was more seriously damaged. The front glass was shivered and flew in fragments over the other car and on the ground. The foothoard on one side was torn from its fastenings for the whole of its longth. Tho following letter of appreciation has been received by the committee of the War Relief Association:—"l am writing to thank for all your past kindness to mo in my time of need and sorrow. I am now getting my pension, £6 10s. per month, and ray husband is also getting a pension, full pay, so now I can manage to live comfortably with my child. I am deeply grateful for all the trouble you have gone to in helping mo to get my pension, and my husband is very grateful, too. He is improving very slowly, but I hope he will soon be quite strong and well again. Again thanking you and all the land ladies of the War Relief Association." A short sitting of the Magistrate's Court, with Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., on the Bench, was held on Saturday morning. For insobriety one first offender was fined 205., in default 48 hours' imprisonment; another, found drunk in Bute Street, was convicted and discharged, and for casting offensive matter on the footpath was fined 405., in default 14 days' imprisonment. Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., held an inquest on Saturday afternoon into the cause of death of John Paaske, 62 years of age, who died suddenly at Wades--town. Tho deceased was a married man living apart from his wife, who is resident m Wairarapa. At about 7 p.m. on Tuesday Paaske complained that lie had caught a severe cold in Christchurch, whence he had recently returned. He was not' seen again until 3.30 p.m. on Friday, when Mr. Thomas F. Costello, not having noticed him about for a, day or two, looked through a. window and saw deceased, lying on the bed partially clothed, and apparently dead. The police were notified, and the body removed to the morgue. A close search of the premises was made, but nothing of an extraordinary or suspicious character was discovered. After taking the evidence of several witnesses, the inquest was adjourned uutil Tuesday to allow of a post-mortem examination being made. Giving evidence before the Defence Expenditure Commission at Palmerstou North on Tuesday, J E. Jackson, at present farming, and formerly en active service in France, mado some striking comments on what he alleged to have been great waste in the camps —at least in the past. In the Trentham Camp, he considered there was waste with the "dry" rations. When they complained about not getting their own "dry" rations back that were unused, they were recommended to throw them away. There was no supervision over the men, and he alleged that a third of the potatoes were spoiled. A big proportion of the potatoes were fraudulently packed. At Featherstou there was no order at all, and men preferred to have their meals at tho canteens instead of having them in tho large buildings. The cooking at Featherstou was such that many of the roasts went into the pig tub. The porridge sometimes had salt and somotimes not: lie was prepared to say .that tons of porridge went into the pis; tub. He saw better cooking in the trenches than in Featherstou. Ho saw nine sacks of bread thrown out in one bt at Featherstou. Money could have been saved if a little more common sense was used in the camps. The chairman pointed out that some of the matters complained of by witness had sinoo been remedied. Witness said that orders were carried out simply because they were orders, and often without regard to prevailing conditions.

The now position of affairs on the Western front, duo to the. German offensive) is making the Military Service Boards less inclined to grant sine die adjournments and long extensions of leave than was previously tho case. In the past certain employees of the electrical branch of the Public Works Department have boon granted sine die adjournments, but such an adjournment was refused ly tho Second Canterbury Board (says the Christchurch "Pross") when Fernando Fernandez, an engineer, employed in tho Department's Addington substation, appealed. Mr. L. Birks, chief of the electrical branch of tho Public Works Department, said the man could not be replaced at the present time. Tho chairman (Mr. H. W. Bishop) asked Mr. Birks whether ho was satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that Fernandez was essential. Mr. Birks affirmed that ho was. Mr. Bishop: "The position to-day is- different from what it lias been. It is very critical. We want every man we can get within reason; Class A men in -particular." Mr. Birks said his Department was securing the services of more returned men. Two of the four engineers employed ut tho Addington sub-station wero soldiers. AVhen they secured more returned men he was quite prepared to revise his., list of essential men. Mr. Bishop said Fernandez would not bo wanted till July 22, and if Mr. Birks could review the position at that date the board would grant leave till then. Mr. Birks said he was quite prepared to advertise for additional men. Fernandez was ordered to go into camp on July 22, the board leaving it to Mr. Birks to apply for- a rehearing should he deem it necessary.