LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 225, 11 June 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) received advice yesterday of the safe arrival at a port of call of tho Thirty-seventh- Reinforcements. The transport containing the Thirty-eighth Artillery Reinforcements with Engineer and Infantry Details has also been reported from a way port.

While -working a circular saw at a cabinetmaker's factory in Ghnzuoe Street yesterday afternoon a man named "William White had the misfortune to have his right'hand caught in some machinery. His wrist was injured, and it wns found necessary to remove, him to the hospital for treatment. An operation was performed, but tho hand was not amputated. White resides at Queen Street, Petone.

The -trail of pennies which is one clay to reach to Auckland had reached yestenlny'as far as Khandallah, a distance of five miles on its long way. Thirty ponnies go to every yard, so that 2&t,O00 pennies have been received for the Red Cross effort in "Welliiifjton to date. At the Auckland end the copper trail has been pushed out past Newmarket and Remuern, and yesterday had reached Green Lane. This is a distance, of four miles. So that at present Wellington is a mile ahead.

Referring to the. grave disadvantages under which many settlers in the far north lived on account of tho absence of passable roads, the vice-president of the Kaipara Chamber of Commerce stated that he knew of a family, the members of which had not been near civilisation, meaning a township, for nine yea.rs. Tho woman had not seen one of her own sex for It months.

"There is a feeling in a good mnny quarters that becauso of the war men arc returning home more religious than they were before," said thp Rev. 11. Steele Craik in the course of an address at Auckland. "I am sorry to say that is not quite true to fact. Others, again, say that the war has turned men from religion. This is not true, either. The fact is, the men are not so much interested in religion itself as in religious thoughts. They are thinking much more to-day than ever they have in their lives about great and solemn things, problems of life and death that daily and hourly confront them. AVhen they return wounded from tlio front, .pass through convalescence, reach home again, and become immersed in tho familiar life of homo and friends, these grout thoughts they experienced at the front become numbed, but- I think when our lads settle down and havo tn face life again the thoughts will como back. If we cannot win these men to the Church, it will bo our fault, and not theirs." .

Messrs. J. G. Darkness, F. ,T. Evans, and Thomas Balliuger havo been appointed delegates to represent tli9 AVelHngton Chamber of Commerce at the Hydro-Electric Power League Conference to be held in Palmerston North on Juno 20.

The restrictions placed by tho Imperial Government upon women travelling outside New Zealand were referral to at Auckland on Friday by the Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Internal Affairs, reports the "Herald." Mr. Russell said there was no prospect of the immediate removal of the embargo placed upon persons, more particularly women, travelling through the danger zone to Great Britain. Tho limitations laid down by the Imperial Government a year or so ago were continued, and recently the New Zealand Government had been instructed to make these limitations still more severe regarding the Mediterranean. Even in cases of the wives of soldiers who were ]yu)|'ill as the result of wounds received in France passports had been declined. The reason was that the presence of women on board a ship in the event of her being torpedoed would affect tho working "of the vessel, because of the Britisli rule of saving women first. He. had no doubt that thousands of valuable lives had been lost in the past through the presence of women on ships that had met with disaster. There was also the food ouest.ion. which was still very acute in the Mother Country. The Minister said he hoped the women ot New Zealand would continue to exercise the same patience thnt they had exercised hitherto until the submarine menace had been put dowi.

The Bruce "Herald" reports that an unfortunate hitch occurred in conneciion with a wedding fixed to take place at the Milton Presbyterian Church, when the minister from Diuicdin, due to officiate, failed to turn up. The excitement engendered by. a lengthy wait was at last relieved by the Anglican clergyman, present as a guest, being requested to perform the ceremony. Even then time had to elapse before ho could procure his clericals and certain formalities arising from the. altered conditions could bo complied with, but eventually the happy couple were made. one.

A question of interest to the flax district of the Manawatu was discussed at tho Farmers'. Union Conference at Auckland, This was in regard lo the prevalence of fires on lands adjacent to the railway line, caused by sparks or cinders from railway engines. A remit moved by Mr. A. Glass, of Mercer, requested the Dominion executive to obtain protection for farmers whose properties are damaged by fire in the manner stated, as at present it is almost impossible for sufferers to obtain redress from the Railway Department. Tho remit was carried.

• A graceful tribute to tho memory of a departed comrade has been paid to a former Auckland boy, Private Robert Swinbounie Kelly. His parents received a letter containing a cheque for a considerable sum, and bearing the signature of : !)7 of their son's comrades in the Ist Wellington Mounted Rifles, Maascar. Ismailia, Egypt, The letter states that his (Comrades wish a memorial to be erected to Private Kelly, their desire being in some way to show their respect for him. It is, however, pointed out that, owing to war regulations, only a wooden cross can be erected at the present time. ..After the war private memorials will be allowed. The money was, therefore, forwarded to the parents, as it was thought best to let them makefile necessary arrangements. The letter ends: "We would suggest probably the better way would be to erect some memorial in 'Auckland with the money collected, 6uch as a church window, or any other memorial you may think fit." Private Kelly was a grandson of the late Cap-1 tain Kellv, of H.M. 83rd Regiment. He was born"in Auckland, but prior to tho war resided at New Plymouth. He left with tho Thirty-first Reinforcements, in October, 11)17, and died of meningitis, ■ aged 22 years, last February. > "It is ono of. the duties of tho Christian Church to-day to pray movo earnestly than ever for tho men to whom wc have entrusted tho administration of our affairs," said Bishop Sadlier in the course of a sermon at Nelson. "Also with our leaders at the front, how great is th'eir responsibility? How have we dealt with them? Arc wo trusting them as wo ought to trust them? Then it is a day of great responsibility for the leaders in (he Clrcrcli. I shall say nothing about the treatment of leaders of the Church. Ono of the things they have to be quite clear about is the moral and spiritual condition of this nation. There aro things in existence to-day, there are problems to face which will call forth all »tho loyaltv to a pcrsonnl Saviour which these leaders possess. These problems will not come fully into the light until the war is over. If ever leaders required the guidance of tho living God it is tho leaders of the Church to-day. . In April last Mr: H. Baldwin, who was then Mayor of the Lower Hutt Borough, resigned owing to an adverse motion'being carried. A cheque wis sent him tor one month's honorarium, but he returned the cheque suggesting that if tho council considered he was entitled to the amount he would like the sum lo be handed over to the St. Dunstan Hostel for Blind Soldiers and Sailors. The matter was considered by tho council and it was agreed lo comply with Mr. Baldwin's request. The unveiling of a. suitable memorial to the .late Wi Pere, the leading Maori chief of the East Coast, who died n little over two years ago, will form one ot tho features of tho big 'Maori hm to be held at. Gisbornc in March next. I'hn committee is at present considering the question as to the most suitable site for the memorial, and a suggestion has lieya mudo that it should bo erected in lusborne.

\ deputation of Hindus waited' upon the Mnvor of Hnmilton to protest against the action of the local barbers in refusing them a shave, says tho AVnikajo "Times." Thev consider, especially in viewof what India has done for the. national cause, that an unjustified slight has been plnced uiion' them, nnd point out that it cannot be ascribed to lack of personal cleanliness, ns their religion enjoins upon them the most scrupulous cure in thnt resnccl. They were under the impression that the barbers carried ou their business under a license,; hence their protest to tho Mayor.

A waterside worker was arrested yesterday on a charge of stealing cargo. Ho will bo brought before the Court to-day.

The dead .body of an el.derly man named D. Wood was found in a lavatory nl Young's Privatn Hotel. Lnr-ibton Quay, shortly "after eight o'clock yesterday morning. Deceased went to the hotel on Saturday evening, when he seemed to be in .good* health. Included in his effects was a book- "f hotel workers' rule.-, with tho words "D. AVood. hotel worker, Taihone," written in it. Up to the present the onlice have been unable to trace anv of AVood's relatives. A telegram was received last evening indicating that the deceased had become a meinber of the Hotel Workers' Union at Wanganni. but it is thought- that he went to Taihape from Palmerston North, where he resided in September, ISI7. Beyond this no information regarding deceased has come to hand. .The body was removed b> the morgue, and an inquest will be held. His Honour' Mr. Justice Chapman delivered judgment in tho Supreme Court yesterday morning in a case affecting Native lands. The plaintiff wns Jlineiti Rirerere Arani and the defendant the Public Trustee fading as administrator of the will of Emeti Aram and as reprose lting Hurikuri Matilda ■■ Aram, otherwise Ormnnd). Emeti Aram was a Native chief residing with his wife, Alariann Pine, at Moawhanpa. He appeared to have had a great fondness for adopting children, and beginning in IS9G he took charge of four childreni in suc : enssivo years. The defendant Hurikuri Matilda Arani was of European parent-n-o and tin: question wns raised wlietnor a" Maori could devise to a Imropean Native land. His Honour taw no reason why this could not' be done, and decided that the four children adopted were devisees of the hind disposed ol by the will Defendants were allowed .fo M. costs Mr. 0, Hulehison npneared for the "plaintiff and Mr. C. C. Hutton, of Wnnsiinui, for t ! ic defendants. A decree nisi was granted, in the Oivoire Court yesterday by His Honour Air. Justice Hosking in the case of Ernest Claude Payne, who sought a dissolution of his marriage with Lva Payne on the ground of misconduct. Uio parties were married on November 13, 1911 and lived at AA'ellington, laihape, and' Dunedin. A child of the marriage was born on November G, 1910. During the absence of the petitioner at the trout the respondent, it wns alleged, misconducted herself. The CRse was not defended, and the. petitioner was allowed •E'a costs against the co-respondent, the decree nisi may bo'made absolute in thrco months. Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared for tho petitioner.

''Given crjunl or bettor service, is tho automatic system of telephones more economical than any otherr" was a question put to Mr. J. Buckley, Director of Telephone Services for New Zealand, recently. Mr. Buckley said it was a difficult question to answer; at least there were so many conditions. that hedge in ono from giving n straight out "les" or "No." In America the telephone systems were' all owned by private telephone companies, who secured by payment or otherwise a telephone franchise, which enabled them to commence business in the town, just as the Wellington Gas Company held a franchise for the supply of coal gas to Wellington. One great company—tho largest in tho world —was the Bell Company of the United States, which was an aggregation of a number of companies all over the Stales. That company was using every system, which was the caso simply because every city and town had not developed equally as far as telephones were concerned, ,but in the more modern and up-to-date cities the automatic system was gaining' favour, and since the war the girl-less automatic has more than, held its own. In New England State the wage scale of 1000 switch-on girls hail recently been raised a dollar a week, which meant an increase of 200,000 dollars (.£-1(1,000) per year in that State i.Boston not included!, whilst the .automatic cost remained stationary. lii Boston itself the wages of operators on non-automatic systems had been increased, by S3 l-JTyicr cent, during the past sixteen months.

The Wellington Returned Soldicn;' Club has been well appreciated by large numbers,- as is proved by a statement .signed by well-known officers—Colonel Hughes, C.U.G., Colonel Essen, C.M.G., Major Lampen, D.5.0., and Major While, D.S.O. Tho statement runs: "We, the undersigned returned soldiers, desire to record our appreciation of the assistance and kindly aid given to the returned soldiers by the citizens and residents iu the Wellington district in providing the Returned Soldiers' Clubhouse. From our personal knowledge and experience we. can testify that it has been of great value, to' returned men in seeking employment and return to civil occupations anil as a homely resort during the earlier period between return and settling down." The question of maintenance is at present giving some anxiety to tho Clubhouse Society's Committee (which includes Messrs. .T. P. Maxwell, K. D. Bell, A. Gray, W. Simm, Marena Marks, and James 'Macintosh). An appeal is beiu;; mndo for i! 2000 to assure a continuance of the clu'b for at least another eighteen months. A circular states: "The means already provided by donations, entertainments] periodical subscriptions paid and promised, the half-rental g'eneronsly contributed by one of the lessors and a small interna] revenue were considered sufficient to carry on during the three years' lease of the 'premises. It 'was hoped, by that time, that all our soldiers would have returned, but the prolongation of the war makes it evident that a longer period must bo provided for, as well us a much greater number of returning soldiers."