LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 267, 31 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Minister of Defence received advice on Monday that the hospital ship which left this coast two months ago had reached a port of call. Yesterday ho received advice that 'the other New Zealand hospital ship had reached a port of call.' The Chief Postmaster advises that ro New Zealand mails were on board tho White Star liner .Tusticia, recently lost through enemy action.

Tho examination of the Class C men drawn in the recent ballot is expected to occupy about threo weeks. The number of men to come More the doctors in Wellington is six hundred.

Two Wellington constables very early yesterday morning proceeded to a farm at Pukoliinau, in the Pongaron district, and arrested a sturdily-built First Division reservist (says a Press Association telegram from' Pahiatua). Tho man was ordered to parade for medical examination on April 4, 1918, but failed to respond to repeated notices. lie declared that lie would have to lie fetched. Ou production of the warrant ho elected to go quietly. The party camo into Pahiatua by mail coach after a rough trip. The man's family rccord is said to be a good one, ono brother being at the front and ono in camp, and another brother died in camp. Tho arrestee is stilted to have objections to military swvice of any kind.

Tho Labour Department lias decided to ask a representative of the Returned Soldiers' Association to bo present when applications for the issue of under-rate permits to returned soldiers arc under consideration. There' have been suggestions that partially disabled men may not always bo fully protected without the assistance that.the returned soldiers' organisation can give. Very few permits have yet been issued in Wellington to returned men, .but in other centrcs tho applications have been fairly numerous.

"It is significant and satisfactory," said Siir .Tames Wilson at the Farmers' Union Conference yesterday, "that notwithstanding tho higher cost of living since the war began, tho Savings Dank, which is the financial 'barometer of tho prosperity of Ihe people, should show such an abnormal increase in deposits. I give tho figures. Before tho war the excess of deposits over withdrawals averaged under a million. The total amounts to the credit of depositors at the end of recent vears > werel9l3, 19W, .CHI,O-18.020: 1915. .£22,11)6,3G4; 191G, J55,603,209; 1917, ,£29,198,390. This menus a difference of about twelvo million pounds, and that despite the fact that a large amount, which usually found its way to fhe Savings. Bank, was invested in P.O. 'War Loan Certificates. All this has been rendered possible -because of the production of tho farmers. Even local industries have been able to raise their prices and wages, so that it is a community benefit that the farmers have been able, despite oil their disappointments and difficulties, to provido work for all, to pay heavy direct taxation, lioth local and general, to fake their share of tho loans when called upon to do so, and to help others to do tho same." \

Tho Farmers' Union ConfeiSnce resolved yesterday that it should 'be the duly of tho teachers in charge-of all schools (o on all State occasions have the national flag hoisted and-saluted.

Official statistics do not. usually form very atlractivo reading, but those just issued by the Italian Ministry of Fiiuinco arc of more thau ordinary interest by reason of the proof they furnish of tho enormous growth of the Italian.motor export business under war conditions. For tho year 1917 ending December 31, Italy exported biii motor vehicles—both lorries and touring ciurswhieli represented,in value by lar tuo highest figure for motor exports attained by" Italy in any ono year, and is nearly double 'the value of the ex ports m 1015. Imparts of motor vehicles have giadually declined—2s motor lorries and 20 tearing cars in 1017, as against a total of 181 in 1915. • -

A bov, thirteen years of ate, was charged before Mr. AY. G. Eiddell, b.i m in tho Juvenile Court yesterday stealing a box of chocolates. His Y\ orship ordered that tho lad should bo placed on probation for six months. Tho American Consul in Melbourne has received .a wireless. message the AVasliinglon National Advisory Committco for Aeronautics has secured the torvices of Dr. George de Bothezat, Aerodynamical Expert, of Fctrocrrad, in an ailvieory capacity. Dr. Botheza « latelv Professor of Applied Mechanics m the Russian University, anil was employed as technical expert in ]^lssl^ plane factories. He escaped after tho ■Revolution. He claims that he has designed an entirely new type of aeroplane, papablc of making trans-Atlantic flights. ' A donation of two million }i™ ,£80,000) has been made bv the Fial. Company to the Italian National lund for Soldiers. .The Italian National Fund owes its origin to Signor Minister of Finance, and was instituted with the object of living.practical assistance to Italy's fighting men and their families during the period immediately following the close of the war. fhe Fiat Company's sift is the largest singlo donation made to the fund by any commercial house.

it the Chvistcliurch Magistrate s Court yesterday George Evans, alias , George Lloyd, was committed for trial on a charge of fraudulently retaining a e tor containing a cheque for <£4, N Press Association message. Hie allowed offence occurred in Wellington iu Juno or July of last year. A wireless message received by the American Consul in fays that official dispatches have revealed efforts to hide from the German public and t ie crews of submarines the; .extent of the submarine losses. The German High Naval Command forbids the statement in death notices that the deceased are members of submarine crews unless the loss of the submarine is officially announced.

"k few words" on the new Farmers Union buildings were Enid by Sir James Wilson at the Farmers' Union Conference yestorday. Those who started the movement for the erection of the building had no desire to interfere with the business of other people or to-create anything in the nature of a monopoly. Ihej wanted to strengthen the position of the farmers. Among the things which t ie\ had in view was the arranging ot lectures, which would give townspeople a better idea than they have of the work done'by the farmers. The farmeiad never had an opportunity of putting their case before the people in the 'nu its Thev had to realise that there'was a kind of antagonism growing against the farmers. The orl F l ™^? ; r of tho idea to erect tho Farmers Institute was Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, and one who had done a great deal in toingnig the scheme to a head was Mr. L. t. Jack (Dominion secretary of the union). Almost tho whole of the needed capital had been secured, but they now want el to get the smaller farmers interested. Practically the whole of the offices had been let, and a whole flat might be let for wool storage. Some space would taken by the Defence Department, and as there would be a law m™'** nf pivls on the. staff tea would, no doubt, be minimi, so (as the hotel was not yet finn tea room mi<rht be nrramred. fell' James Wilson that tt;e Farmers Union should be congratulated on tl-.e fact that they were now sitting in conference in their own freehold property. The military search parly, consisting of a lieutenant and three non-commis-sioned officers, which was deputed ,to make a tour of certain of the outlying portions of the Otago and Southland district to endeavour to round up any men of military ago who might be in hiding, met with no snewss (says tho wigo Daily Times"). The party visited Glenorchv and the country in the vicinity, and also travelled to Hie Eoutebnrn Valley and Greenstone Valley huts, and to Mossburn, but could not discover any trace of military shirkers.

The Anglican Soldiers' Institute was opened yesterday afternoon by the Gov-ernor-General. Tho Countess of Liverpool was present, and there was a very largo gathering. Addresses were given by the Governor, the Bishops of Wellington,

Auckland, and Wniaini. and two Mnnri chiefs. The speakers emphasised the point that the institute wns open to all ranks, creeds and nationalities/l'lie Maori Patriotic Association at Ohinemulu undertook to provido the cost of n billiard table (,£MO). The institute has been erected by tho Anglican Military Affairs Com-mitteo.-Prcss Association, »■

The Minister of Justico (tlio Hon. T. 11. Wilfofil) litis informed tlie Mayor of Palmerston that lie lias approve! th» constitution of a new police district with.' Palmerston North Jis headquarters. Ho has also approved the making of n recommendation to tho iJovernor-Gencral for tho promotion of Sub-Inspector M'Kinnon to the rank of inspector as from August 1. When this appointment js complete this officer will l>c placed in charge of tho now district at l'almerston North. Visitors returning from Quccnstowu (stales ii Press Association messago from invorcargili) exptess thoinsclvcs as enraptured with the panoramic viow of Lafeo Wakatipu and tho mountains under snow conditions, which may not rccur in a lifetime. They say that no scenery is comparable with that round the lake, which is thickly covered with snow to tho water's edge. The view from tho bend of tho lake, embracing tho licmarkablos, -Frankton Flats, and the Crown Range, in tho far distance Ben Lomond, the Cecil and Walter Peaks, and tho Humboldt Ranges, and Mount Earnslaw at the head of tho lake, makes a picture beyond description, and when heightened by sunset tints gives a colouring undreamed of by Mr. Gully. Should tho Tourist Department arrange to tako c kinpniatograph film while there arc favourable weather conditions, it would bo a capital advertisement for New Zealand.

Mr. 0. T. .T. Alms. one of the passengers from tho West' Coast by the trail} on Saturday night, speaking to a "Press" reporter, said that though ho had baen detained on the Coast for about a week, ho had experienced tho most perfect weather, and all the bai weather was on tho eastern side of tho ranges. "While you were having a blizzard in Christchurch on Sunday," ho 6ajd, "wo were having a picnic in the Ivokatalii Valley!" Old West Coasters said that they hardly Tcmonbercd such a spell of fine weather at this'' time of tho year. There war, about a loot of snow in tho Pass, but 6ix coaches got through all right, with no untoward incidents except (he mapping of ono coach-pole. _ Tho train was only half an hour lato in arriving in Christchurch. Mr. Alpers said the sight on tho shady sido of the Pass was very beautiful; long icicles vrero hanging from tho rocks and trees in thousands, varying from ono foot to seven feet in length, and somo of them being as thick as a man's arm.