LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 263, 26 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Defcnco lias received advico that the Fortieth Reinforcements liavo reached a port of call.

A report has been current in Wellington that after the sailing of the Fortyfirst Reinforcements no more roinforccments would be dispatched from New Zealand until January. The report was brought under the notice of the Minister of Defence yesterday, and the Minister replied:' "I am not responsible for these wild rumours. The statement is incorrect."

During the gale on Monday nisdit last the very largo window of the opthalmic ward which faccs the south was blown in and smashed to atoms. The glass pane-one big sheet-cost £10. but fortunately it was insured. ihe new window to take its place is to be divided into three panals.

The Minister of Defence has received advice from the Secretary of State for the Colonics to the ell'ect that owing to increased competition and decicaao 111 establishment at the JRoval Military Academy, Woolwich, and the Royal Mnnnry College, it is necessary to limit the number 0? nominations allotted to P-uvi'vous, and that in future only ono candidate for the Boysl Military Academy, \Uolwieh, aud two for the Royal Military College can be accreted from any Dominion for any particular entry. Tiie Minister of Finance has given the City Council the necessary authority for the raising of the moivy required to carry out the new milk scheme.

"And I assure you that there _ are many farm labourers every bit «s intelligent as members of this board. —Mr. j" W. il'Ewan, at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, ' Uriel' reuuvnee was mado at the meeting oi the Wellington ilo9pll.il and Cuarita'ule Aid Board to tlie case of a sumptive who had been sent to the Cambridge Sanatorium from Wellington, and had "been dismissed rom th.; institution with apparently small consideration for his' umoi'tunato condition. 'L'lic chairman (Mr. H. Baldwin) stated that the man had been put out of tile sanatorium to make way for a soldier. He was now in a dying condition iu the liutt. probably spreading the disease around. As tliev had been unable to got a satisfactory reply from the staff, they were now determined to go direct to ttio Minister about the case.

'the Wellington Land Board sat .yesterday and examined applicants for land, dwellings, etc. The ordinary business of the board will be transacted to-day.

At the reception to 21 Anzacs on furlotiyli at Forth (W.A.) recently iiabbi Freedman, replying to an enthusiastic "reeling, said his work was very ardu°ms. He could not iiave a motor-car, and was told that a chaplain could not have a liorse. Accordingly lu> stole, one. He found tliat the only way <u ©>ttiiiß lliroii',"li in (lie Army was to be a splendid thief. ' There was only one bigger than lie, and tnat.was his batman. On one. occasion hi" batman brought into his dug-out ft strong, well-mado table. On it was written: "This table belongs to So-and-so. May God Almighty protect it from thieves!" Underneath that ho wrote: "This table now belongs to Chaplain Freedman. He is protecting it. from ollirr thieves." (I.om! laughter.) A. captured Turkish general had told an officer, Raid the Rabbi, that the way the evacuation of Clalliuoli was carried out was one of the most humiliating events in Turkish historv, and tlint for it 110 fewer than seven Turkish generals were hanged. "The thing that hurt most at the time of evacuation," he proceeded, "was to see port wine and champagne flowing down the gullies. Von will be surprised Ihnt we had wine on (he Peninsula. Well, we had not. The wine was for the sick and wounded.'" Although, he added, it was not very hard to be either sick or wounded at ..'lizac.

Tenders for the construction of a reservoir for the new Fever Hospital wero opened nl i.ie conclusion of the meeting of Ihe Welliiinion Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday afternoon. The accepted tender will lie announced after tho contract is sigued.

By Order-in-Council gazetted, the naturalisation of one Ancun iUiddendorf is revoked. Letters of naturalisation were issued to this man in 190 li.

ilie .Minister of Internal Atfairs is lo bo thanked by tho City Council for his assurance that he intends to introduce legislation in the direction of controlling posters used for kineinatograpli and theatrical advertising,

A request that the tiramears which run to the Botanical Gardens during rush hours should be sent through lo tho Ivarori tunnel has bee i considered by Uie City Council, but has not been acceded to.

The Wellingt on City Council has agreed to support the following resolution passed by tho Hastings liorough Council-.— "That as a mailer of tho very greatest national importance, this council unanimously urge upon tho Government fhe necessity of closely looking into the manufacture and carriage of cement, as we honestly believe that it can be made availablo to eonsumeis at a very much lower cost than at present prevailing."

Heplies are. to bo i'or.varded by the Wellington City Council to tho Lower Hutt and I'etone Borough Councils oh Ihe subject of tho liability for maintenance and lighting* of the Unit pipe bridge and approaches, to the effect that the City Council cannot accede to their requests to call a conference lo consider the question of liability. The Mayor said last evening that the Cilv Council had no liability, and should not accede to the request' for a conference.

While working on tho wharf yesterday a waterside worker named V. Owler was injured about the head and one of his shoulders through some coal falling out of a basket, Ho was admitted to the Hospital, aiul last night he was reported to be progressing favourably.

A mail named Albert O'Brien, who resides at 180 Tory Street, was knocked down by a motor-cm 1 in Willis Street about 10 o'clock yesterday morning. Tie received n cut oil the head, was iulinitted to (he Hospital. The injury is not of a serious nature.

Much lo tho snrpriso of the military authorities, a battle-scarred tank fresh from manv encounters on tho battlefields of Franco" arrived in Melbourne the other day.

Referring to the retirement of Mr. Barr fi'om'the chairmanship of the Publie Service Appeal Board, tho ' Public Scrvico Journal" says:—"lt is a matter of sincere regret to members of tho Public Service that Mr: Barr has been compelled, through severe illness, to relincuiibli, for the timo being, his position as a member and chairman ot tho Appeal Board. We feel sure that every Public Servant who has had occasion to appear before tho board, whether ho lias been unsuccessful or successful, has been impressed with the courtesy, consideration, and careful attention shown to him by the chairman. As Mr. Barr's retirement is a temporary necessity, and we hop.? lo see him restored to health and his position in the near future, we must refrain for the present from further eulogy. Mr. P. V. Frazer, Stipendiary Magistrate, at present stationed, in Wellington, has been appointed chniriuan of tho board in tho meantime. Although tho association has, in tho light of other experience, opposed a proposal to advocato (lie appointment of a Stipendiary Magistrate as chairman of tho board, wo hope the present experiment will prove a success, and we believe that iu this case it will be conducted under the most favourable conditions."

An Order-in-Council is gazetted authorising the Judges of tho Second Division of the Appeal Court to sit with members of the First Division of the Court to hear tho motion for judgment in the action by the borough of Palmerston North against .lohu Octavius Batclieiar, three Judges of tho Court having certified that the motion is "ono .of special difficulty and importance."

A procession of unusual interest will ioavo the Government Buildings at 10.30 a.m. to-day on a tour of collecting for the Navy' League's Fund for patriotic purposes. The "boat"' on this occasion ivill be manned by tho members of.-Par-row's Potted .Pantomime Company, and its progress through the city wjll be heralded by tiho Trentham Camp Band.

A great deal of .time and argument was expended at the Hospital Board's meeting yesterday in the ventilation of domestic trouble at the Macarthy Home for Convalescents at Belmont, mainly arising from bickering between the caretaker and the matron, culminating in the resignation of the former. The Hospital Committee recommended that steps should be taken to ascertain if a married couple could Ijo obtained to tike chargo of the homo, preference to be Riven to a certificated nurse, and the husband to look after the grounds, etc., at a salary of <£200 a year and iound. This recommendation, after considerable discussion, was eventually adopted.

111 a list of awards of the Military Cross the London "Gazette" of May 10 and "Tho Times" of May 15 contain tho following official statement concerning Captain Geoffrey Forrest Hughes, R.F.C., son of Sir Thomas and Lady Hughes, of Sydney: "While leading his formation over the enemy's lines lie was attacked by twelve enemy machines, two of which 110 shot down. 011 the following day, when in charge of a patrol, he attacked seven enemy triplanes, drove down one out of control, and forced three others to land. On another occasion, while in charge of a patrol, he was attacked by a large number of enemy scouts; owing to his skilful flying his observer succeeded in shooting down one of Ihe enemy machines, which broke up in the air. He always showed the greatest coolness and courage in action, and as a flight commander led his formation with splendid courage and determination."

The Minister for Home unci Territories, Mr. Glynn, who returned to 'Melbourne on July 14 from a visit of inspection to Cnnberra, said construction work had practically ceased at the Federal cap.'tal site. The estimates of the work two f!m ago provided for an expenditure of *0160,000, of which ,£125,000 was actually expended. The provision for last yrav was J!10,fl0fl for railways and t £H,JCO for General administration. The only work now being carried out was the construction of a bridge to allow of a railway extension. At present the cleaving _of land for settlement and the planting of trees v/ere the chief lines of developmental expenditure. Up to now JEI4.COO had been spent on forestry wovk. About C0.(>00 plants of Californian redwood had been planted in one' of the nurseries, and were about to be planted on tlio East Lake park land area. In another place about 300 acres of trees had been planted out.