LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 210, 24 May 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

During tho month ended May 23 11 cases o< scarlet fever and & cases of diphtheria woro reported to tho Health inspectors, as compared with nine cases of scarlet fever and '18 of diphtheria for tho preceding mouth, #u that since March 2IJ !lli eases of diphtheria alone liavo been reported lo tho authorities, a fuel, which should put; nil parents on the qui vivo when throat trouble threatens. Of the JS cases roporlcd for the month ended yesterday, U were from tho city of Wellington, two from JTarori, ono from Potonc, tnreo from Lower JTnlt, am! ono from Upper Hutt. Tho Wellington cases coma from the following localities:—Newtown, i; Berhampore, 2; Island Bay, 5; Mnranni, ,1; South Kilbirnie, 1; Kilbirnio, 3; Brooklyn, 5j Jfitchelltown, (1; To Aro, G; Mount Victoria, .1; Kelburn 2; ship at wharf, 1. In (lie enso of scarlet fover, six of the eleven cases were from Wellington, oho cb.o|j from fotone, Hutt County, and Johnsonville, and two from the Ilawlroy Settlement (near Johnsonvllle). The Firo Brigade received a call to Raining Street at. •).!)! p.m. veslerdav, but on inquiry it turned out to bo "u false alarm. A youth named John Barber, aged, 18 years, was admitted, lo the Hospital yesterday suffering from an injury to the thumb of the loft hand, as tho result nf catching it in some machinery. At Iho quarterly mooting of tho National Provident Fund Board, held luat week, tho Minister ia Charge, the Hon. Arthur jr. Jl.yors, was in (ho chair. Several friendly socioties ?iero finally approved as registered for benefits under the Finance Act, 19111. Paymonts of matornity benefits to frioudly society members and to direct contributors to tho National Provident, Fund for tho quarter just ev.dod, amounting to X 3520 and .£OBS respoctifoly, wcro confirmed. A number of applications from local authorities to becomo contributors lor superannuation on behalf of employees woro .received and accepted. Claims in rcspoot of children on account of contributors' incapacity wcro considered, and allowances grunted. Tho Second Military Service Board proposes to open a. session in Wellington on 'i'uosdny.

That the AVollington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board docs not err on tho sido of extravuganco in ono particular instance was pointed out at yesterday's mooting by tho chairman (Mr H. Baldwin), who said th«.t tho secretary of the Cliristchurch Board was in rtcoipt of a salary of i'GOO, and this year's estimates proposed giving him an increase of X 75 por annum. Tho salary of the secretary of tho Wellington Board is only ,£4OO a. year. Tho old convict ship Success has been wrecked at Cnrrollton (Kentucky, U.S.A.). Floating ico tore a hole in her sido, and sho Bank in 50ft. of water. All tho instruments whioh wero formerly used for punishing convicts wero saved, and an attempt may bo made to raiso the vessel. The Success was a woodon barque of 530 tons not, onco used as a convict hulk in Australia. Somo years ago Australian purchasers restored her to her original condition as a convict ship, and floated a company in Melbourne—tho Exhibition Ship Success Company—to exhibit' tho vessel. Relics of bushranging days were installed, the original prison fittings wero reinstated, and prisoners were represented by wax models. After being on exhibition at Port Melbourne for a time tho Success was turned into a floating boardinghouse, but this v venture was a disappointment. Sho was afterwards shown for somo years in England and America.

"That legal proceedings be authorised for the recovory of the amount claimed to bo duo by tho Picton Hospital and Charitable Aid Board for cost of relief afforded to a person belonging to that district." When the above recommendation of tho Charitable Aid Committee came before tho Hospital nnd Charitable Aid Board yesterday, the chairman of tho board (Mr. H. Baldwin) said that bo thounht that, tho committee had exceeded its functions in dealing with a matter of financo without submittinir it to the Finance Committee. It appears that the non-payment of .tho amount hangs on tho location of a certain house whore tho person referred to resided—whothor it is without or within a certain hospital district. A solution was suggested by Mr. A. .T. M'Curdy. who said that the county clerk would afford the information. In tho end Mr. D. Campbell moved that tho mattor bo referred to the Finance Committee. Mr. P. T. Mooro demurred nt the Finance Committee oonsidorinsr itself "a 6tinerior committee," but the chairman said that its chief function was to advise the board on all financial matters.

Mr. W. G. Eiddell, S.M., held an inquest yesterday afternoon coneernine the death of Miss Alice Pitt, 23 years of age, who was found dead in bed at tho residence of her brother-in-law, Mr. H. J. Wilson, 7t Yule Street, Kilbirnio. on Wednesday morning. The deceased was on a visit to Wellington from Christchurch. Dr. Line, of Newtown, who was called in, said that when he saw the deceasod sho had then been dead about five or six hours. As the deceased hnd been subject to fits, tho doctor was oP opinion from her appearance that she bad been suffocated while in a St, The verdict was in accordance with the medical evidence. Tt is expected that the Wellington session of the Waterside Accidents Commission will conclude this evening, The commission then goes south. At the Mirnmnr Borough Council last evening nn invitation was received for a' delegate to bo swit to a conference of local bodies to consider the whole question of hospital and charitable aid. The attitude of tho other borough councils was endorsed. It was decided to bo represented at the conference, and to appeal to tho Minister of Public Health against tho levy as excessive. 'At the monthly meeting of tho Wellington Hospital <ind Charitable Aid Board it was decided yesterday that Mr. .T. W. M. Harrison be thanked for his services as honorary masseur to tho Hospital for tho past four years, and be advised that the board's present staff could undertako this work for tho future and his generosity be not further trenched on in this direction.

Tho Stnto War Council of Victoria, wliicli for nearly tlirco years has been engaged in providing tor returned soldiers and llioir dopondauts, is likely to bo disbanded soon. Since tlio creation of the Hepatization. Hoard the council has been roliovod of much of its responsibility, as returned soldiors, immediately upon being discharged, become a charge upon tlio Kepatriution Fund. The council has passed a resolution that the duty of administering tlio funds should bo left its tlio hands of a sinullev Ixtily. A ropon by the secretary stated that the present payments to undischarged soldiers amounted to J!750 a week, whilo <t'2lo a fortnight was paid to dependants. The expenditure was likely to incrcaso to ,£ISOO a week. A progress report regarding tlio recent appeal showed that tlio amount at tlio credit ol' the Lord Mayor at (ho Commonwealth Bank was JJ78.552. In addition jauilVj h.ul been received in connection with Our Boys' J.)ay, making tlio total J310V57. When all' subscriptions wcro received tho net amount would, it was estimated, reach J!120,OIIO.

A very daring burglary was'committed at Clirislduircli on Saturday night, by n person, who, apparently, was in search of petrol. The petrol cellar of .Messrs. llriscuc. and Company, at (he corner of Manchester ami Worcester Streets, was broken open, mid seven iins ef petrol wore removed. An entrance was cftoctcd to the warehouse also, but t.lin burglar, finding no petrol there, went away without disturbing anything. Petrol thefts have been very common in Ohrislrliurch, and recently Iho total missing from various places was reported to be 10 cases. The difficulty is to trace the petrol, which soon goes into consumption, and is un< identifiable.

_ J. ho (lew-stalkers who have taen shooting in North Otago for some time seem to have been very successful. They report (hat royals wore plentiful, but Unit larger heads wero fairly scarce. Somo pathetic and tragic cases of the war-wounded seeking to becomo workers once more have recently come to tho attention of tho Discharged Soldiers' Employinent Connuitteo in Auckland. One man who Applied for light work a lew days ago had lost his right arm at tho shoulder, and had also been shot through tho left anklo and tho right knee. Work for n man so terribly handicapped is naturally very much restricted, but the oommittco is trying to secure for him a position as liftman, or as ticket-collector nt eome placo of entertainment. .Another ease' was that of a man who had lost both eyes as a result of shell-concus-sion. Despite his infirmity, this man, with the bravo spirit shown by so many of tho sightless, has taken up farm hfo with his piironts and brother, and is confident of being able In prove himself of.use ia tho running o f ( *e farm.