LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 239, 27 June 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Defence has advised the safe arrival at its destination of the transport ou which were embarked tho Thirty-sixth Artilbry, Thirty-sixth Engineers, certain infantry details, and a party of aviation cadets, states a Press Association message from Dunedin. As a result of a fracas which occurred in a bonrdinghouso yesterday, a man was taken into custody last night on a charge of having assaulted another 'uita so as to cause him iictiml bodily harm. It is alleged that (ho accused stabbed the man. in ono of his ehoulders with a knifu. ' The acoueed will be brought boforo tho Magistrate's Court to-day.

Applications are frequently received by tho Baso Records Office from relatives who desiro to obtain photographs of tho graves of soldiers who have fallen in IjVance, and are uncertain as lo the oxact procedure to bo followed. A recent communication from General Richardson states that tho widest publicity should bo given in New Zciilinid to tho'fact that applications for photographs nf deceased foldiers' graves should Ju nil eases be emit through tlin Director of Base Records, and hot through any other source. Tho inexperience of tramway motormen is said to be- causing considerabledamage to Wellington cars": 'Tho chairman of tho Tramway Board (Mr. W. IT. Morton) stated to tho Second Military Service Board yesterday that .this wns tho case, aud that owing to imprudent nso of the power tho brakes worked havoc on tho wheels.

_ His Excollency the Governor-General, in an address at Auckland, said ho hoped all classes of the. community would give the. fullest support to those in authority at tho present (imp. If tho leadera of the (lovermuent were not trusted those leaders would not havo suiili a good chonce of success in tho task entrusted 'to them. The peoplo of the country should' do those in authority the justice of believing they were doing the best for the Dominion. The fact that great problems would bavo to be fnced long after the close of hostilities was emphasised, and the best brains mid best energies must bo brought into play if the Empire was to remain supreme. His Excellency (-aid he was sure New Zealand would, in August next, in rnmnioti with tho other parts of the Empire, again reaffirm its determination to sjluiid by tho Mother Country. Vory little sickness exista in the training ramps at the present time. Last week there were Ki admissions to hospital at Feathcrston and 52 at Trontlum. There was only ono serious case, most of tho complaints being very mild. . At a meeting of the Masterton branch of the Second DivisionLeasuo last night (states our special correspondent) it was decided to demand that tho Government rnko insurance risks over the lives of those accepted for service, and rejected by private insurance companies. It was deuided to further nress the demand for a six shilling per day allowance for soldiers' wives, arid that failing this being granted within 'ono month, the executive be requested to urge tho convocation of a special session of Parliament to deal with tho wholo question of allowances. A few days ago it was reported that tho local Grain and Flour Merchants' Association had waited on tho Board of Control with the complaint that they could not get space in intercolonial steamers at the ruling freights (275. 6d. per Ion), but that it had come to their knowledge that if they were prepared to pay 41s. per ton space would be found i'or (heir produce. In Melbourne this matter was referred to the Shipping Controller, who said that tho Shipping lioiivd had no jurisdiction over freight rates charged in New Zealand, even in the case of Australian companies trading with the Dominion. The question of increased freights to or from New Zealand, he said, would be a matter for the New Zealand Government to decide. When tho deputation waited upon the New Zealand Board of Trade, tho answer whs thai it had no control over vessels not registered in the Dominion.

A man named Edmund Sutcli, living nt 19 Dorkhig Koad, Brooklyn, and working for Mr. Fletcher, cabinetmaker, was admitted to the Hospital yesterdaj suffering from an injury to one of his thumbs.

A. Maori youth was charged before Mr. .■'. V. Frnzer, S.M., in the Juvenile Court yesterday, with having, stolen the sum of «C 3 belonging to Agnes Benson. Tho l>oy, who was fifteen years of age, admitted the offence, which took phu?o at 1 orirua on Tuesday. Accused took Die money iron; a till in complainant's shop, and immediately ran away. Of tho sum of .£3 onlv 235. fid. had been recovered. His Worship committed tho lad to the neraroa Training Farm. Acting-Sub-Inspector Umereon prosecuted in tho case on behalf of tho police. At a meeting; of tho loenl board of the Australian Mutual Provident Society held yesterday, Mr. Alfred do Bathe Brandon was cleoted chairman and Mr. Harold Beauohamp deputy-chairman for the remainder of tho current year. Messrs A. W. Hogg (retiring member) and A. C. Holms (Featherston) havo been nominated for tho vacancy in tho jy all ysP'i Ward of the Education Board District. Tho Wellington Education Board is likely to undergo a considerable chaniro in personnel as the result of several of its tried members deciding that ft is time that they made way for others in this important field of endeavour. It has already been announced that the Hon. ,T. G. W. Aitken and Mr. W. Allan do not intend to allow themselves to be ronmninated for membership. In the case of tho last-mentioned gentleman ho has resigned.a.twelvemonth beforo bis time is up, which makes three vacancies to be filled in the Wellington city representation. The nominations received yesterday disclose another defection fiom anion;; the older members of tho board. Mr. John Kebbell, of Oliaii, who h;,s represented his district (Hult-Horowiienun, counties) for the past sixteen years, -will not bo a candidate at next month's election, much to the genuine regret of those who know what an enthusiastic member he has been in years gone by.

The fact that the cablegrams have reported that a lady has arrived in England from Germany clad in a paper dress need not. necessarily fill the tair 6ex with any great alarm as to the fabrics of tha future. Yesterday a Dominion representative was shown some very lwautiful coloured ladies' scarfs of a most beautiful texture, and so much like silk that it would require an expert to tell the difference. "What do you think that is made of?" asked the draper. "Silk!". "Nothing of the kind. That is made of wood pvilp, just the same as your newspaper. They como out branded wood pulp, and I don't suppose they would do that unless it wns eo!' , Tho material was muich finer and more delicate even than mercerised cotton, nml one could easily imagine that very beautiful dresses could be fashioned from such material. The fact that wood pulp can be spiMi into a thread as fine as the /most cotton will bo news to most people "outside the trade.

La to on Monday night the parents of n little girl, eight yeaTß of agp, reported to the police that she was missing from her home in Bintoul Street. That saiuo evening Inspector SulliVan, of the Tramways Department, noticed that a child was travelling alone on a Karori-lxrand tvaracar. Thinking the circumstance rather strange, he questioned the girl, who did rot appear to have any "cry clear idea as to where she was going. Ho brought her to the Central Police Station, aud it transpire;! thai, aha von the girl missing from itintoul Street. The girl had in her possession two purses, both of which contained sums of money. Slie slid she found them in Courtensxy Place. Up to the present tho owners of the purses have not-I>en. traced.

An. interesting memento of John Weslev Ims just been received by tho Eov. W. J. Williams, of Sumner, in tho shape of a portrait engraving of the great divine. Tho portrait was sent through Sister 11. 8011, of Eununga, Greymouth., It is framed in a quaint little oviil wiftden frame, cracked and moth-eaten i's a result of antiquity,' and on the back is part of an original personal letter in Wesley's own handwriting, Tho legible part reads: "If the original shov'il be transported, the Bhndow may be acceptable; ho is quite well, and will be with you in a few days; forgive me, dear P., a joke, he is a wag." Accompanying the engraving is a. letter, dated 1874, by an old lady of the West Coast, who had given the engraving for the benefit: of the Home Mission Fund. She stated that Wesley gave it to her father end at the timo wrote the words on the back.

The supply of bands mid stwls for dumping next season's wool was mentioned at Inst night's meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board. The chairman (Mr. C. B. Danioll) snid that steps were being taken by tho Government to secure the necessary malerial. The AVellington Harbour Board, in any case, had enough bands in hand for the coming seaoon, and lie believed that the studs could bo made locally. Mr. ,W. Wallis mentioned that a successful dcyico enabling bales to be bound with ordinary fencing wire had been placed' before the shipping companies. . Tho wool, therefore, could lie dumped even if bands vero not available Tho chairman said that ilio board's officers would see tlmt supplies of either bands or wire were in hand for tho wool season.

Tho Harbour Board last night, approved of plans made by the engineer for tho lighting of the Day's Kay wharf by electricity. Mr. M. Cable, assistant manager of tho Wellington Tramways, elates that tho particulars published yesterday concerning a tramway accident .in Adelaide Ttond were not quito correct. the tram car, Mr. Cable says, was nearmg tho Basin Reserve, bound' citywards, when tho dray cams from Rugby Street and took tho midolo of the road before tho driver realised that tho tram was upon him. It was when tho dray was moving off the track that the tram collided with it. In his lecture on "Somo New Movements iti India," the flev. J. W. Burton, M.A., said that in talking to an Indian ho expressed hie regret that eomo of the beautiful customs of India were passing away. The Indian did not Beem to agree, and took the ease of the motor-car by way of illustration. Ho said that formerly a Eajah, when trav< elliiiß had his elephant gaily caparisoned, now tho Rajah travelled by motor-car. Tho first cost, of a motor, car was no uioie thnn that of an elephant, its upkeep' was no greater, aud lie was sure tt.s smell was no worse. The dead whale, sighted by the "Himitangi" on Sunday, has been washed ashore near Cant Campbell, according to advice received by the Ifarine Department. This is considered to lio ,tho object thai was mistaken for a capsized bco'v and caused a lengthy search for wreckage to bo mado by tho Jamo Seddon. Speaking at last night's mooting of vho Wellington Philosophical Society upon I the rate of growth of Now Zealand nativo trees, Mr. E. Phillips Turner, F.R.G.S., stated that as a result of research in other countries, it had been found possible to tell by studying ages of trees what tho climate of the countries had been in former times. As far as Now Zealand was concerned, he thought that the subject might be closely examined by some student with a view of applying the principles to tho matter of (lie prediction of future climatic conditions. A married woman named Dolina M'Nivon, wifo of Donald M'Niven, died suddenly at hnr residence, 5 Tui Street, yesterday. The deceased, who was 10 years of age, had been ailing for somo time. Early yesterday morning she took a bad turn, and subsequently expired. An inquest will probably be held, as a medical practitioner who was called in was unable to certify as to tho cause of death,.