LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 261, 23 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Milliliter of Marino (Ilie Hun. T. M. Wilford) announced yestcrdav that the inquiry into tho loss of tiro" AVimnieia. would bo opened in Auckland on Monday before Jlr.-E. C. Cutten, S.M., and Captains K. 1:). Smith and C. ll'Arthur.

The shortage of coal has been aculo in «ome of tho suburbs during recent days, but dealers havo been promised supplies Hi is week, and expect tx> bo ablo to overtake their orders before Saturday. Very little- wood has been obtained lately, owing to tho bad weather interfering with carting operations in tho country, and many dealers have had no wood at all to sell. Wood has been offered privately in small quantities (it .C 2 a. cord, and even at this very high price there havo been buyers.

Six per cent, was ruled ,lo be_ n fair and reasomiblo rate of interest for first mortgages on freehold security, as specified in tho Mortgages Extension Act, )>y Mr. Justice Cooper at A sitting in Chambers at Auckland on Friday morning, says tho "Herald." Tho question, which lias been discussed on several occasions at the Supreme Court recently, aroso in connection with an application under the Act for leave- to sell a property, subject to an overdue mortgage at 5 per cent. Tho Court was asked to suspend the granting of leave so long as the mortgagor paid the current rate of interest. Affidavits were filed by opposing counsel, showina that some financial institutions in Auckland considered 51 per cent, the current rate, while other institutions had been charging G per cent, for the. past three years. His Honour decided that the latter was a reasonable rale of interest.

Voluntary recruits arc being accepted for tho August, September, and October drafts. Tho August and September drafts aro considered to be large enough, but somo additional men are wanted for the October draft. Balloted Second Division reservists who havo not yet, been medically examined can no longer be posted to this draft unless they volunteer to forgo somo part of their twelve weeks' leave.. The November draft will be opened to voluntary enlistment shortly.

The AVellington Medical Board has completed tho examination of reservists drawn in recent ballots, and is ready to begin the examination of the second batch of Class C men without delay. Tho list of the men drawn in last week's ballot is to be given out tomorrow, and the examination of the Wellington men probnblv can be completed wiihin a fortnight. The reservists passed fit will bo available for tho November draft if required.

The badges .of rank, a.s announced somo time ago, are to disappear from the sleeves of officers' tunics. It is stated in General Orders this week that, "in pursuance of Army Council's instructions, badges of rank should bo worn by officers only on the shoulder-straps of field service jackets. Officers in possession of service 'jackets with badges (and braid) on the cuffs may continue wenrin? them in this manner'until the jacket is worn out, as it is considered impracticable to suitably alter the. cuffs to give effect to tho instructions of the Army Council in tho matter, owing to shortage, of necessary materials, etc. All new jackets will, however, require to conform with the Army Council's instructions by having badges of rank on the shoulder-straps only."

Tho custody of tho badge of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association is a matter of great importance. Each returned , soldier on joining the organisation receives an issue of the badge with his regimental number engraved thereon as a mark of his membership, and js the only person authorised to wear it. Any breach of this regulation constitutes nn'offence, as wns illustrated i by the committee of the AVellington Returned Soldiers' Association at its meeting last Wednesday, when a member had his membership suspended for three months for lending his badge- to an unauthorised person who used it for the purpose of evading his military obligations.

While on its way to the railway station yesterday'morning, the coach from I'ahautnnui capsized and fell down a bank into tho river., Thero were several passengers on the coach at tho time, but the only one to suft'or injury was Miss Coral Harris, a member of the staff of tho Census Department at Wellington. Miss Harris's loft arm was disH»ted, and she was brought to tho Wollincton Hospital, where she- is reported to bo making Rood progr?ss. Tho other ocennants of the coach received a severe slinking.

Tho early departure of tho ferry steamers for tho south is proving mo-it inconvenient to tin business community as well as to through travellers, and many hopes aro being expressed that the now'arrangement will not bo continued long. Letters from the. South Island arc often not sorted into the boxes much before midday, and the late fee mail for Lvttelton now closes at 1.30 p.m. Letters niay be posted at (ho shin's side up to 3 p.m.; tho hour of departure, but even then it will bo impossiblo in many cases to reply "by return" to letters receiv.nl from tho South Island. Tho difficulties of the new arrangement were increased yestprdav by tho fact thai; the Maori had berthed-nt tho Taranaki Wharf instead of at the Ferry Wharf. People who went to the Ferry Wharf to post letters found that they had to hurry round to the other side of the harbour in tho rain.

A retiring collection in aid of the French Appeal was taken up at St. John's Church on Sunday night, and resulted in a sum of ovor JU7 being realised.

The followine, contributions to the New Zealand Tribute to Franco Fund are acknowledged bv tho lion, treasurers, Messrs. Wntkins, Hull, Hunt, and Wheeler:—Amount previously acknowledged, .£1761 lfis. Gd.; N.Z. Farmers" Co-op. Distributing Co., .£25; Robert's (N.Z.), Ltd., ,£25; Alfred Matthews, .£10; W. J. M'Gregor, £S; St. Luke's Church, Wadestown, ,£1 7s. Cd.; St. Ann's Church, Northland, £1 7s. Gd.; St. James's Church, Lower TTutt, £5; Miss M. H. Archibald, .£5; W. B. Hudson, £i 35.; Alexander Ross, .£1 59.; J. C. Fcmt, M 35.; Eli Allen, .CI Is.; ,T. W. Robinson, 10s.; D. A. Cameron, £\; W. Wardcll, .£5; Kilbimio Methodist Church, .£2 10s.; 1). Atkinson, £5; H. F. Stack, £1 25.; John M'Donald, M Is.; AV. N. Stace, .£3; N. A. Menzies, ,£2; W. D. Stewart, £o. Total to date, .£1877 Gs. Gd.

It is stated in General Orders that a New Zealand Military Department of the Y.M.C.A. lias been authorised for dutv at the following camps: Trentham, Fca'thorston, Tauherenikau, Narrow Neck, Awapuni, Papawai, and any such oilier camps and hospitals as may from time io timo be deeided upon. The establishment of representatives will be as follow:—Trentham, 2; Feathcrston, 2; fauheremkau, 1; Narrow Neck, 1; Awapuni. 1; Vauawai, 1. Should it ho deeided Io authorise employment of Y.M.C.A. field secretaries at any additional camps or hospitals the establishment thereat will bo fixed when ditch authority is given. Y.M.C.A. field secretaries, whilo employed in tho above, camps, and while on route botween New Zealand and the seat of war or vice versa, will bo subject to military law as officers, hut will hold no military status. While actually employed at camps in New Zealand, and whilo servinit with tho New Zealand Expeditionary Forco overseas, they receive free rations. Y.M.C.A. field secretaries will not receive any pay or monetary allowance from public funds, and they must bo ineligible for military scrvico in tho combatant forces.

A social ovening -was spwit in the Ngaio schoolroom on Saturday, at which residents bade farewell to six soldiers from the district who are leaving shortly on active service. Mr. H. Brenton-Enlo presided, and Mr. It. A. Wright, M.P. for the district, was present. On behalf of tlio pooplo of Ngaio, Mr. Wright presented tho soldiers with a variety of useful articles, including watches, nusors, and pipes. The soldiers present were— Bombardier A. AV. Thompson, Gunner E. E. Hieks, Privates A. E. Orecn, S. Knowles. ,T, H. J. Turner, and B. B. Swan. Private F. C. Mark, who was unable to bo present, was another resident whoso departure was marked with good wishes and a suitable gift. Mr. Wright ateo presented to Private Turner a watch and a money-bolt from his comrades in the N. 7.. Army Ordnnne,e Corps. Advantage was taken of tho opportunity of welcoming Private Brattle, who returned from the front recently after having been wounded and gassed. During the evening a programme of songs and recitations was contributed by Mi«s Smith. Miss Nicholas. Mies Craddock, Mr. Hills, and Mr. Jones.

Among the settlers in different parts of Now Zealnnd who hare suffered from tho recent storms aru some of Iho returned soldiers. Reports on their losses have been received by Iho Minister in charge of soldiers' land settlement, the Hon. D. 1.1. Guthrie. The Minister is advised that in no place do the losses suffered exceed 15 per cent., which, however, is a heavy rale of loss. The losses of slock have been most scvero in Canterbury, where the weather has been even moro stormy and bleak limn in Central Otago. It may bo assumed that these reports of returned soldiers' losses are a good criterion of tho losses that have been general throughout tho enow areas.

At Auckland (states a Press Association message) Thomas Arthur Kemp, lato assistant manager of tho Farmers' Cnion Trading Company, was charged at the Police Court with the theft of seed valued at. Jill!), and was remanded en hail, himself in JJ3OO aud two sureties ot .Ct. r >n each.

At a meeting of tho Lyall Bay School Committee last evening the following resolution was passed:—"This committee endorses the efforts of the Wellington Teachers' Institute to obtain better conditions for their profession, and is of" opinion that increased salaries are 'urgently necessary. Tho committee will support any movement for tho improvement of the inducements now offered to possible entrants in tho teaching profession."

The loss involved in tho careless treatment of skins was emphasised in an appeal heard by the Military Service Board at Auckland. Skins, it was stated, were often sent to market black-spotted and otherwise defective through being dried on barb-wiro fences, kept, perhaps for years in the weather, instead of being salted and sent regularly to market. Sometimes I hoy were scored by the knifo and stained by bad butchering and improper folding. If these points .were attended to, it was stated, farmers would get double the money for their skins and hides.

A letter received recently by Sir James Allen conveys the following resolution of the council of the Royal Colonial Institute.:—"That the council of the Royal Colonial Institute is of opinion that tho separation of the control of Imperial matters from that of the domestic affairs of the Mother Country is urgently necessary, and that the settlement of tho futuro Constitution of tho United Kingdom is an essential preliminary to the discussion of the future government, of the Empire at the special Imperial Conference: to be summoned at the conclusion of the war." In his reply Sir James Allen states:—"l am in agreement generally with the resolution."

An event of outstanding interest to Freemasons is described in letters received in Auckland from members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on active service in Palestine—the holding of a Masonic meeting on Ihc site of kins Solomon's Temple, a place of peculiar interest to (he craft. In New Zealand forces on all the war fronts there are a lane number of Freemasons, who have organised an insf'h'lin" known as (he New Zea'uml Expeditionary Forces Masonic Association. Of this body, s-vs .the ••trn.->M ■■ i i,.i, r e i r-.-i...,"' Hirclav, of Au'-klnm], nr,i\- in-T/-"!peo. jq president. On 1'" arrival of the New Zealand Mnnnlori lHeinV in .TenF-iVm. it was arwunred bv the association Hi"t an oivnnr'nnitv clmuld ly> (sit-en lo imM a Ma"o"ic gather'!!'/ in the historic ell v. T'.-Tmrnil" oil" il»»'f v-"= ninw! * r -i-o----vided the religious iv»"iii#'iros of f-'ie I r o-=-lem Tvorslijn-erc rfi,] r o|; present- a! , ,„. SUPerelOo A* ja Veil l-nnv'M (li- Tiroonii" of Omar, the great M-eham-merlan centre of the citv, oeeunies tl.e pHe necre.lfled fO f-e fl-en r„n.^„iv-.Te«-:.l, rcmr.le S . Aeen.-,1i..-'v H,e Sheikh in nf the MVU n , f„„ m i,. was approached. nvd to l l '* <mi-"~'« of flip offleor enh'usto'l \vilh Hie overtures, |1,„ Shnikh „ W M l,i."«olf e TiW,,,,,,,,, ns o ,v-H.. v „f f opl\ flourish a'm"st as widely in Mol'nmmeden P"d Ton-jen oom'iMimties a? amongst Orisi-ians. The Sheikh at one shewed himself Fvmpethei-i'e to the proposal of his New Zealand brethren, aid the necessary arrangements were soon completed. TV portion of (he mo=niie known as the Cave of the Domo of the Rock, which is reputed to be on the .site of the Holy of Holies of the Jewish temples, was prepared for Masonic purposes, and, on April G, a lodge was duly opened in it. Brigadier-General Meldrum, officer commanding the New Zealand Mounted Force, mid nn old Aucklander, fillel the Master's chair, and Colonel M'Cnrroll, of North Auckland, acted as Senior AVarden. The jewel-case vised bv the latter officer on the occasion has been sent by him to Masonic friends in Auckland as a memento of nn historic gathering;. The Grand Sheikh took part in the proceedings, acting as one of tho guards of the .lodge. A largo number of soldiers of all ranks were present, and the business of the evening included the passing of resolutions conveying fraternal greetings and good wishes (o various grand lodges, to the lodges in New Zealand represented nt the meeting, and to the members of the association on service in France.