LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 183, 23 April 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

For tlio first; time for ninny weeks there was industrial peaeo all over tho Dominion yesterdny, the Papnroa miners having returned to work.

Tho Prime Minister states that legislation is being prepared to deal with possible operations of tho Meat Trust in flic Dominion.

Speaking at lleretaunga on Saturday Sir Joseph Ward said that the automatic telephone services which were to be installed at the centres were greatly delayed by lack of materials on account of tho war. This state of affairs was likely lo continue until peace returned. With the completion of (ho automatic systems and tho installation of copper telephone cables between the islands, the New Zealand telephone system would be second tb none.

During the recent storm nn tho En>t Coast the main telegraph wires bctwpim Gisborne and Motu were struck by lightning, about a quarter of a mile on tiie Gisborne side of Motu township. The lightning burnt gaps in the wires in five places, and every subscriber on the Motu exchange was cut off. In endeavouring to restore communication between thorn and Motu the lineman was washed off his horse. 'When the flood at Motu was at its height a dray was employed to go round the township collecting inhabitants aff«Hcd by the inundation.

. The Minister of Defence has stated that tho Government has no intention of releasing Mr. Schloss from Somes Island.

Anzac Day, it is believed, will be generally recognised by shopkeepers. Master grocers have decided to close at 1 p.m., and master drapers are recom-' mended by their trade committee to observe tho same hours. Master butchers have aijrfed to observe ihe whole day as a holiday.

!3y a (|uesl.ion in the House of Representatives, Mr. ,1. P. Luke made the suggestion. that German prisoners on Somes Island were competing-with locnl firms in the tailoring business. The fact, as stated by tho Minister, is that one German prisoner made a costume for. his wife and another for a friend.

The Hon. 6. W. Russell. Minister of Internal Affairs, has recoivcd a letter from tho Women's National Reserve, iii which tho news is conveyed that tho Reserve has adopted a resolution urging the Government to consider at once tho conscription of women. The letter makes a strong appeal that the women of the country should be organised to enable the men to be spared from tho industries of tho country to answer the appeal for more men made by the British Government. The letter states that tho Women's National Reserve has machinery ready alrondy to help tho Government In this matter.

The State schools throughout the Wellington district are observing a lialf-holi-<l«y on Anzac Day (Thursday). During tho morning appropriate addresses on the Gallipoli advent.ui'6 and other "deeds that made the Empire" will be delivered by tho masters.

Owing to pressure of work the Mayor (Mr. J. V. Luke) and the City Engineer (Mr, AN". H. Morton) will not be able to visit the Mangahao head works (in connection with tho l'almevston North Chamber of Commerce's excursion in the interests of the provincial hydro-electric scheme). The Wellington City Council's representative vill bo Councillors J. E. Fitzgerald, IJ. A. Wright, and W. .1. Thompson. It is understood that the trip involves part of the mountain jonrney being performed on horseback.

An industrial agreement has been filed by the New Zealaud Trawling and Fisli Supply Co., Ltd., and tho llawke's Hay Fishermen's and Fish Shed Employees' Union. It provides that the steam trailer Weka shall be graded as a first-class trawler (R), and the crew shall be found by tho employers and a cook carried. The hours shall not exceed tiG per week, and wages paid shall )>c: —Master, .£2O per month; mate, JilG pei month; engineer, per week; cook, ,£l2 per month; firemen, -tIG per month; deck hands (2), Jt-1 per month. Members of the crew, except the master, engineer, and cook, shall receive also Id. for every 1001b. of fish caught. The usual statutory holidays.are provided for, with the addition of Show Pay. Work on Sunday, Christinas Day, and Good Friday shall bp paid for ft Rouble rates, and on other holidays at rate and a half. Hours in oxcoss of 6(1 per week, unless caused by breakdown of machinery or unusual weather conditions, shall l>c paid for affile rate of time and a half. The agreement is for cne year, from April 11. The Railway Workshops Patriotic Committee, acting in conjunction with tho Petono Borough Council, invite the public to attend the Anzac celebrations on 4.nzac Day, to take place at Railway Workshops, Petono, at 3 o'clock. Tho speakers include tho Right Hon. W. F. Massoy, Sir Joseph Ward, the Hons. W. H. Ilerries and T. M. Wilford. Tho Tr'entham Military Band will bo in attendance. Tho meeting of householders at Clydo Quay School last night raised a protest a"ainst the delay in tho settlement of tho oft-deferred question of providing a new* technical collego iu "Wollington, and the following resolution was passed;— "That this meeting of householders m the Clydo Quay School district deplores tho fact that nothing has yet-been done in reference to locating the new sito for tho Technical College, and- urges the Government to redeem the promise made l)v the Prime Minister to the deputation that waited upon him in February last, and respectfully requests him to declare tho Government's intention m reference to "muting 'the sito suggested at Mount CooTc." . Tho resolution is t.O be forwarded to tiie Prime Minister.

A lack of adequate firo escapes at the Newtown School was mentioned at tlu> meeting of householders last night. Members of tho outgoing committee stated that lliey had not been inactive in tlu> mater during the . year They had made strong representations to the Ldiicarmi> Board with tho object of sccurni!: improvements. A parly of Aucklanders who recently journeyed to Spirits Bay, near Oajw Maria van Dioinen, to witness tho Hunt of tho godwits, returned disappointed. Oil arriving at Parengarenga they wo informed by residents that the bids, apparently taking'advantage of a favourable wind and fair weather, had left oti their long journey .to Siberia a moncti before. Tho only birds they saw warn odd weaklings, which, according to local residents, aro always left behind. Thj minatory flight did not start from Spirits Bay, but from the mud flats around To Hapua, in tho Parengarenga Har hour. One reason for this may be that (ho birds have boon shot at in the vicin-' it-y of tho North Coast bay, and another may bo that the mud flats on tho shore, of Parengarcnga Harbour make splendid feeding grounds for the long-billed god wits. Residents who saw the flight told the parly that it was a wonderful sight. It continued for several days, but for some time on the first /lay tho sky was literally black with birds, all "squalling" at once, and making a great, nois?. Before actually leaving the land tho birds flew to a very great height, and then made off in a northerly directi.m over Tom Bowling Bay, on the north coast. Oil 'Anzac Day, at 10.30 a.m., an interesting little ceremony will be held at tho liosenoath School. With ;i view of impressing on Iho children the solemnity of the occasion, lliey will be grouped round the war memorial, which will be hung with Hags and flowers in honour of the fallen. Suitable addresses will he delivered by the lioadmaslcr (Mr. Robert Dnrroch) and by Corporal Aldridge (who lias been through the thick of the fight), and finally the children will sins "The Recessional" ("I,est We Forget") and the National Anthem.

That throat must Ivo protected thpse winter nights. Shi our Motor Scarves, ss. fid., 10s. fid., 15s. fid., to 275. (id. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Street.—Advt,

Largo numbers of. Indians continue'to iravel about those days (says an Auckland paper). Among Urn psisHMigers of a vessel which recently lel't Auckland, were Chinamen, lliipnnwt, and Indians. All were well-seasoned travellers, mid appenrtd well versed in tin.' war regulations all'Miiig the departure of i

A design for a memorial for old pupils wlw have; laid down their lives during tlio present win- has been approved by the Wcllingloii Koiil.li School (.'onimill.ee. The new eoininiilne hits been reeoiiinie.wled lo nslc householders lo givo support in t.ho ereetion of the memorial..

An echo of n school committee controversy tvas heard at tho Wellington youth meeting of householders last night. The chairman of Ilia meeting, when nsked to fill a vacant place on the new committee, said that lie. would not accept unless the headmaster were invited to attend at least four meetings of tho commitlee during llio year. lie believed that the Wellington South School Committee was alone in treating its headmaster unfairly by excluding him from its meetings. Other members of the eommil.teo insisted that . there was no friction between the committee and the headmaster. No full explanation of the incident was afforded tho meeting, and tho chairman did not join the committee.

Comparing tlio rationing system of the different stall's, a Wangatiui boy at Grantham (England) says-.—"ln Sling Camp, as elsowhere, tho rations arc ample iu quantity, and the finality is the best. I am satisfied tho New Zealand boys are the best fed and tlio best looked alter of all the different nations in the war. Every man has a, ration of New Zealand butter (which is the envy of other units), most of their meat is New Zealand grown, and of the highest grade, and I realise how much we boys have to bo thankful for, as tho administrative staff speaks volumes for the Government and staff headquarters in London takes a personal interest in every New Zealand soldier."

A courageous rescue of a little child from drowning, effected by a of twelve, is reported from Onerahi. A child three years of age, named Nordstrand, whilo playing on tho jetty steps, slipped and foil into the water. A strong ebb tide was swirling among the piles, and the child was'carried some distance into tho harbour, and had already sunk oneo before the occurrence was noticed. On the alarm being given, her elder sister, without a second's hesitation, dived, fully clothed, from the top of (lie jetty and brought the drowning child to tho surface. The distance of rescuer and rescued from shore had l>y that time considerably increased, hut with 0110 arm thrown round her small sister, the brave girl battled strenuously against the tide, eventually reaching shore in a somewhat exhausted condition.