LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 201, 14 May 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Cabinet did not deal yesterday with the petitions and other representations which havo been made on behalf of the men who aro now undergoing sentences for seditious utterances at Christchurcii at a public meeting held under tho auspices of tho Second Division League. An attempt will ha made to secure a full meeting of Cabinet next Monday, and tho matter has been postponed until that date.

A. recent Gazette notice, repeated from tbo London Gazette, absolutely prohibits anyone forwarding to England practically anything in the- form of foodstuffs, a prohibition which docs not, it should bo clearly understood, apply to soldiers' parcels. This prohibition, which was unequivocally worded, left tho Postal authorities no option but to hold up any such goods whioli had been received by the parcels post branches, whero there are , now considerable accumulations. Though "theirs is not to reason why," a doubt has existed as to whothor tho notice, applied to small purcc-ls sent by parcels pojt owing to tho provision .which stated lli.it certain goods might bo .forwarded under license. As it did not seem at all likely that such licenses would apply to small parcols dispatched by parcels post, inquiry is being made. by the Department, through the High Commissioner, as to tho true intent of the published Gazetto notice. In this connection a case has been brought under our notice in which a Wellington lady forwarded a enke to hor son, who is a member of the Australian Expeditionary Porce, and, as she thought to facilitate its dispatch, she liddrescd it to him us a private individual (and not a soldier), and tent it to a private address. As tho result the parcel was returned to her with the iutimation (hat its contents wero included in tho list of barred foodstuffs.

Instances of unnaturalised aligns being allowed lo continue in business whilst married New Zcalanders had to close their businesses and go into camp were quoted at the meeting of the Auckland Second Division League's executive last week. Ono case cited was that in which a tradesman in a country town had been balloted for service, and an iinnaluralised German in the same line of business on the opposite side of the road had been allowed lo proceed undisturbed. The question of Chinese and others who were continuing in their businesses while British subjects in tin) Mime lino had been compelled to enlist was also referred to. The Northern Wairoa branch forwarded a remit, which is to bu sent to tho forthcoming conference, deploring "tho inactivity of tho Government in respect to the alien question," nnd dcniiiiulii'g dial immediate action bu In ken tu enforai upon aliens is New, Zealii.wl equality of eaorjfico. <

War work has very seriously interfered with llio installation by the Post and Telegraph Department of the automatic telephone- system both in Wellington and elsewhere. Had war not broken out in 1011 the Wellington system would ere this have boon wholly an automatic one. As it was, a sub-cxchango ill; Courtenay J , late, to servo ■Wellington East and that busy commorcinl locality in the vieinily of Cflsirtenay Place, was practically fitted up in l-cadiiiess for the change of system, when supplies ceased, since- when the amount of material for tho automatic system arriving; has been negligible. Only i) per cent, of the material for the completion of tho Courionay Place sub-ex-change was needed for its completion, 1 but as that 3 per cent, consists of essential parts, which cannot bo made here or in Australia, the work is hung up. This is to be regretted, as tho institution of the new system in tho district named would have relenscd a Croat many of the old telephones, which are urgently needed all over tho country. "Salved irom a torpedoed ship." These were tho arresting words stamped in indelible- ink on ti piece of unbleached calico received by post from Sergeant L. H. Allen, of tho Ituahins Company (Wellington .Kegimcnt) by his fathor, Air. 11. P. Allen, of Maarama Crescent. The calico was the wrapping of a, parcel sent since Christmas, to Englcnd, and the assumption is that there were many New Zoaland parcels on the ill-fated vessel. Sergeant Allen's parcel contained two tins.of biscuits, quite spoiled by seawater, and an hermeue&lly-sualod tin of tobacco, which was in perfect condition and was very wolcome. A meeting of creditors in the assigned estate- of It. E. Shaw, a hawker, was to have been held yesterday morning, but only the Assigneo (Mr, Tansley) and counsel for tho bankrupt (Mr. E. C. Levvey) attended. Neither the bankrupt nor any creditor was present. No statement of tho bankrupt's affairs was presented. Tho meeting was adjourned for awoek. At last evening's meeting of the Lower Hutt Borough Council a letter was received from the Town Clerk of Welling, ton to the effect that the City Engineer found great difficulty, owing to wnr con--1 ditions, in carrying out many important works, but that ho would deal with tho matter of a loan for making a concrete track on tho Hutt Bond as speedily as possibk-j When (lie special soldiers' train was due at Thoi'ndon on Saturday there was , a keen demand, on the part of relatives of the Toturning men, for platform tickets. Under ordinary circumstances these are- obtained from a slot machine. By putting two pennies in the loft slot and ono in the right, and pulling a handle, a ticket is thrown out, which admits to the platform. Last Saturday this machine appears to have jammed. At any rate alter an attendant had removed its front for inspection ils use was discontinued, and tickets were 6old at the gate. A soldier unaware of this put two pennies in tho left slot and was putting another in the right jhen another soldier standing nea: , efrid: ' That machine's not working!" "Thanks, for telling mtr'so soon. I've lost twopence and it might have beon threepence. Then tho speaker saw the opened front, and looked inside. "Hullo I There« my two 'browns, , " he exclaimed, 'and n lot of others, too." "But you can t get them out." he was told. "Give mo two chnnccs," was the reply. He put his fingers into the mechanism, and presently held two pennies aloft. Aly little lot," he said, "and there are lots more, mate." But no ono followed his self-helpful example. i A. Press Association telegram from J Timaru states that tho Timoru branch ot I tho Amalgamated Eailway .Servants I Society has passed a resolution calling i upon tho Prime Minister (IU. Hon W. ]? Massey) to protect tho workers front further" exploitation at the hands of i monopolists. ! Thoro are three candidates-Messrs, i Ernest .Tames Baruott, Charles Augustus i Chapman, and Mrs. Annio M Vicai—for the vacancy on tho Miramar Borough Council caused by the resignation of Air. Henry Hawthorn. Tho election will be held next Friday. The returning officer is Mr. Thomas O. Vox.

Councillor il'Kenzie has givon notico to movo at Uie meeting of the City Council on Thursday noxt-.--"That the iollowing resolution passed at the ordinary meeting of tho council held on May 2 be rescinded, viz: 'That tho City Council, whilst; regretting that a considerable number of its most valuable officers have been called up in tho ballot: under tho Military Horvico Act, feels that it would bo failing in its duty to the Dominion and the Empire at the present time of crisis if it promoted any appeal for their exemption'; and move that tho following bo inserted: 'That whilo tho council afiirius tho principle that every man posRible must bo spared for service who may bo drawn in the ballot, it feels that full discretionary power bo left with the chiet officers to appeal for employees whose loss would seriously .inconvenience the city's works, believing the tribunal eet up by the Government can be trusted to snfegmird tho country's interests.' In accordance with tho standing orders, Councillors Wright, Luclcio, Norwood, and Fitzgerald have given notice to support Hid rescinding resolution to enable it to bo moved.

Last evening tho Lower Hutt, Borough Council received its notice from the Wellington. Hospital Board covering a stateinent of estimated expenditure and income for tho year to end on March 31, 1919. The statement showed that itwas proposed to draw from Lower Hutt JHHO. Last year the draw was ,£IL3, so the increase ie .£ll6, or 37 per cent. Consideration of tLe matter was held over till next meeting because of the absence of the Mayor. Painful evidence of tho condition of st-mo of our returned eoldiers was provided by; an incident which occurred in Willis Street yesterday morning. A man, who had only rtcently returned from France, was valkiug v.p-town with Ins wife, when, without any warning, ho raddenly collapsed, and in falling struck his head severely on the pavement. In nn unconscious condition he was carried into a refreshment room, where a gentleman who evidently knew what no \v:iii about, attended to/ the sufferer, lco was applied to his head, and in about a quarter of an hour ilie man cairn round, gradually arriving el an understanding as to what had tuken place. It was ascertained that the man was returned to Now Zealand as a suflcrer from shell-shock.

Tho art union in aid of the Trentham scholarships -was helped along yesterday by a .H'awko's Bay family, telegraphs our special correspondent lit Napier, Dr. SHcklel bavin; been promised Xooo trom the next winnings of Mr. T. 11. Lowry s Dosert Gold, while Mrs. Lowry has donated a motor-car.

The following telegram, dated Gladstone, Queensland, May 2, and published in the "Sydney Morning Herald,' corrects the statement that ihi> Captain Knyvetl, recently mentioned in the caole- . grams, was the officer J'ho was resident l'ov some years at Auckland Tho hiftu- ! stone telegram rends as follows: "Iho Into Captain Kegimild Hugh Knyvett, whoso jdcath has been reported by cable from "New- York, was a brother of Mr. l> G Kuyvctt, Police Magistrate, of Gladstone, and was thirty-one years ot n"c. Mo was well known in Gladstone, having delivered fine recruiting addresses on his return in July last from Gommecourt, wliero h« was wounded in November, 19JB. Hβ was granted a commission in the lloyal Flying Corps as captain, and engaged by the Government of the 'United States to deliver war lectures throughout the country. I art of tho proceeds went lo the lied Unts fiociotr and kindred organisations. JXeeasid was married in the United Mates to Lilian Maude, nicco of Cyril Jlaude, Iho actor, and General Maude. "Thoy linvo n clearing place for German prisoners at —," says an extract from a letter received by a Wellington resident lrum England, ' and they are drafted from then) to all purls of Iho country. Von TirpiU's son, who .was among cno draft of prisoners, passed a sentry, and in doing so spat at nun. Tho sentry threw down his rifle, went for him, and punched i.nd pommelled him well. Of course ho was had up, and given threo days' C.8., not, lie was told, because he had struck the German (beenuse he would have been within his rights lo bayonet him?), but because ho had put down hi* rille. The sentry told the men who tola mo the tale that ho would have done six days C.B. for tho pleasure it gave him to thrash the German."

fin the 'Dntc-h-lSelsinn frontier, near Sel/.aelo, an iron lighthouse has. Ihe "Vaderlaml" reports, been, erected to indicate the boundary, lino to airmen, ■