LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 176, 15 April 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A shout of laughter greeted a remark mado by tho Minister of Finnnco in tho House of Representatives on Saturday. "It is no good trying to pot two pints into a quart pot," was the Minister'* statement to an obviously incredulous House.

The Telegraph Department advises that Ihe Cook Strait cables are now all in good working order.

The Thirty-seventh Reinforcements completed thoir march from Feathersron to Trentham on Saturday, when they arrived at tho latter camp with the Trentham Band at tho head of the column. The usual night manoeuvres at Mungaroa were not carried out on this occasion.

' Whether or not 'Wellington has found in Mr. Murphy, professional rat-catcher, another Piea Piper of Hamelin still remains to be seen, but so far there has been no official requests to the Chief Inspector (Mr. James Doylo) for his services. The public may not know exactly what the position is respecting the services Mr. Murphy is to render. He has had considerable experience with the Harbour Board and elsewhere as to how to lure tho wily rodont to its doom, nnd ho is prepared to exert his skill on any premises troubled with the pest on terms to bo arranged between himself and tho firm or person who wish their rats destroyed. Ho is not a paid official of tho corporation, but the council considers it desirable that the public should know that there is a professional rat-catcher in the city, who may bo engager! through tho agency of the Chief Inspector, at the Town Hail.

In regard to the refusal of the Finance Comrailleci of tho City Council to grant the use of tho Town Hall to tho Labour Representation Committee for tho purpose of lidding a meeting to protest against the prolongation of Parliament, the Mayor (Air. J. ?. Luko), who presided at tho committee) nucting, states in the course of an iiirerview:—' As soon as 1 was informed of tho application, I asked for i'lirfchor information as to the purpose of tho meeting, and when this carao to hand I instructed that permission should bo withheld until the application had been considered by the l'irainco Committee. Personally, 1 consider that it is tho duty (■(' the council to prove its loyalty at all times, and especially so at the critical period through which tho Jimpiro is now passing. While the position is so acufo, I feel that no section of tho community should have the privilege of .ising the Town Hall for the purpose of criticising the Notional Govornmont, which is hon•estly doing its duty to meet the crisis which has arisen. There is no undertaking that the meeting will lie confined to n. consideration ol a protest against tho prolongation of Parliament. There is no undertaking—and such <u undertaking cannot lie given-that the conscription issius will not bo raised, and that a motion will not be proposed demanding the roleaso of Mr. Webb. Iho meeting could bo packed, end motions covering tho pmnls 1 havo mentioned carried. I am in favour of free speech ovory time,( but I am opposed to a froo'license in .speech at a critical time liko tho present." Two prisoners were sentenced by tho Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) in tho Supremo Court on Saturday morning. A. youth named George Victor Sandiford, who had pleaded guilty to horse-stealing at 'Pane, near Eketahuna, was admitted lo probation for a period of two yours. Mr Mille. tho Probation Officer, informed tho Court that there would bo no difficult* in getting the lad work on a farm. Tho conditions of tho probation are that tho lad goefl to employment on a farm approved by the Probation Officer, and that after six months he pays 1(U a month towards'tho cost (,£3) of the prosecution. Daniel Shaw, a seaman, who had pleaded guilty to robbing tho cash register at the Cricketers Arms Hotel, was tho other prisoner. Mr. J. Prendoville, of the Crown • Law Office, said the prisoner could go back to work on his ship, and on that underetnnrtini; he was ordered to como up for sonteoco when called upon. A lecture on the subject "PeRCO Movement, False and True,' was giTcn in the Alexandra Hall last night by Mr. T. Brindle. The lecturer asked for the development of mutual confidence and goodwill between tho peoples of all nations. Ho accused the "hireling Press of fomenting national animosities, and suggested that there would be no need for war if nations learned to know and respect each other. Tho Featherston County Council lira re-elected the chairman (Councillor A. I) M'Leod) as its representative on tho Wairarapa Patriotic Executive. Tho council has decided to ask'the Government for a pound'for pound subsidy :n connection with tho Te-erection of th« Upper Tauherenikau bridge, condemned by the engineer to the Public Works Department. This bridgo is used i;> passing from the Featherston to tho Touhcronikau camp. An intercessory service "for our King and country" was hold in the committee room of tlio Town Hnll yesterday afternoon and was attended by some fitty poisons. Mr. J). o.' M'Cky presided and delivered a short address. Tho mooting was led in prayer by Mr. .Tames Rum«nv. Other .leaders in prayer were Captain Blackburn, Mrs.ll. M'&regor, and Mr. S. Costall. The concluding prayers wero read by Miss M'Loan and Mr. Hercus. ' , Councillor Fitzgerald has given notico of his intention to move at the next meeting of the City Council as follows:(a) That the special committee set up to deal with tho milk question bo requested to at once enter into negotiations for the acquisition by the council of premises approved by the Health Department as being suitable for the handling of milk in large quantities, and that the business carried on by any milk vendor whose .premises may be required by the council be taken over at a valuation, (bl That: until such time as the council brin" into operation some scheme whereby the supply of mill: to the city is municipally controlled, the Health Department bo requested to appoint inspectors to bo stationed at tho promises of those milk vendors (who havo suitable premises and are handling large quantities of milk) for the purpose of examining the milk and making such tests as tho Health Department may deem desirable. The Featherston branch of the Second Division League has telegraphed to the member of the district asking him to urge tho Government to give further consideration to the matter of increasing soldiers' separation' allowances o*i the basis of 6s. per day to a wife and Is 6d. each child.

On Saturday morning, before Hie Hon-' our tho Chief Justice (Sir Hubert Stout), silting in chambers, tho final stago of the divorce case Whiting v. Whiting was reached. A. decree nisi had been granted, and Mr. [). i{. Hoggard, for tho petitioner, moved that, it be made absolute with cuslody of tho ono child to the petitioner's father and mother. An order was made accordingly. On the application of Mr. J'. Yv\ Jackson a decree >bsoluto was made in tho case of Swinburno v. Swinburno (wife's petition) with custody of the two children. A decree absolute was also mudo in Iho caso of Baker v. Baker (wife's petition). Mr. Mazengarl) appeared for petitioner in support of Iho application.

A mooting of tho Day's Bay Ratepayers' Association was held in the Camera Obscura Building, Pavilion Grounds, oil Saturday evening, when various matters affecting the welfare of tho community were discussed. Tho chairman (Jlr. 1). M. Viivllay), referring to tho water and drainage scheme, for which legislative authority had been obtained, stated that the matter had now reached a point where a poll could bo taken and other necessary formalities completed to clear tho way for the realisation of three very urge-it needs. He stated that tho roll of ratepayers was still open, and urged nil roncerneil to see that their names were duly recorded on the roll. Thoy were still faced with a possibility of delay in regard to the supply of material and tho shortage of labour, but there was a possibility that the. necessary pipes might bo procured from Australia. It was resolved to take steps to keep the urgency nf the fch'Fino steadily before the City Council. The unsatisfactory state nf the -oads of the district was also discussed, and it was decided to invite the chairman of the Hutt Countv Council to'visit tho bay and be conducted by a committee over tho place.

The gaiety and frivolity of Sydney during Eastertide are thus described in tho "Australasian" -.—However that might be, there never were such crowds as filled the city, the show ground, tho chief racecourse, at any previous Easter time. Not an. hotel or hoardinghouse in Sydney and suburbs but was overcrowded. Intending visitors from tho country and other States had booked hotel accommodation more than two months abend. Ono hotelkeeper is reported to have snid that he had thought of putting up tents on his roof. The railway and tramway departments had provided for n. substantia.! increase in traffic, but their calculations were exceeded by many thousands. Nevertheless, they managed -to handle without mishap the enormous volume of traffic to the.snow ground and Randwick Racecourse on the first day of the A.J.C.'s autumn race meeting. The number of passengers carried on that day was easily a record. At Randwick races no such crowd was ever seen—6s,o(3o on the opening day. Everything about this TOaster carnival, indeed, was a record. To tho two resorts named on the Saturday 135.320 passengers were carried by the trams. No fewer than 1729 cars (each with an estimated load of 80 persons) were employed carrying people to and from the show ground and racecourse. Yet there are people who affect to bcliove that the supreme crisis of tho great world conflict is at hand!