LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 298, 5 September 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Minister of Defence lias received advice tliafc the Thirty-ninth Reinforcements reached their destination on September 3, "All Well."

No serious eases of sickness -were reported at tho military camps last week. Some influenza cases are still being received, but the. mild epidemic that"began a Irow weeks ago is abating with the improvement in tho weather. The ccrebro-spiual meningitis casos at Featherslon aro roportcd to bo doing well.

A waterside worker was arrested by Constable Cleverley yesterday on a charge of stealing 2s. worth of fruit from the wharf. Tho accused will bo brought before the Magistrate's Court this' morning.

While crossing Adelaide Itoad yesterday afternoon, a man named Robert Sloan, who resides in Mansfield Street, was knocked down by a tramcar. Ho received a cut on tho head, which necessitated his removal to tile Hospital, to which ho was admitted at 4.40 p.m.

It is stated that tho application for an increase of five shillings per week made by the Wellington telegraph messengers' has not been granted, but that the"Department has derided to inereaso tlie salary of tho boys doing; night duty to £1 per week.

A waterside worker named Richard Edwards, 'while working on tho wharf yesterday morning, received an injury to tho head b.v being struck with a derrick hook. Ho was admitted to tho hospital at 10.30 last night.

Following is the first oflieial wireless message dispatched yesterday from New Zealand to Rarotonga b.v tho Minister in Charge of tho Islands to tho Resident I Commissioner "Regret nnable to oomo to Rarotonga at present owing to approaching session of Parliament. Kindly open station on behalf of Crown, and coiivcy to pcoplo my congratulations that Rarotonga is 'low one of tho links in the chain encircling the British Umpire, and that they aro now in touch with the outside world by wireless. Their thank's aro due to Government and Postal Department, which have carried out the wprk. Kia Orana. —(Signed) Pomare."

Writing to his wife in Wellington, Corporal Gorald 1 Fity.Gerald, of tho Twenty-eighth Reinforcements, gives particulars of the death of his-brother, Captain Roy FitzGerald, M.C., late of the Gloucestershire Regiment and Royal Flying Corps, in an air fight on Juiy 1. Tho two brothers were campcd fifteen miles away from each other, and liad met only the week before Captain FitssGerald was killed. Owing to liis being an escaped prisoner of war from Germany, Captain FitzGcrald was not supposed to fly over tho line on the Western ifronl. However, ho insisted upon doing so, and it was oil. second flight that ho met his death. He was in a British aeroplane observing for our artillery fire, aixl was escorted hy four other aeroplanes. They were attacked by seven Fokker biplanes, and Captain FitzGerald was shot, through tho head. Tho petrol tank was also caught by the enemy, and the machine was forced to land,, fortunately in our lines, without catching fire. A car was at onco sent tor Corporal FitzGerald, but as his battalion was on the move, it did not find him early enough to enable him to bo present at his brother's funeral. 'J'liu pilot (whom Corporal Fitzgerald saw in hospital) was wounded in the facc, and one of our escort was shot down in flames. Captain FitzGerald (who was an old Wellington College hoy) is buried at Vignacourt, Cist C.C.S., British Cemetery.

A meeting of the Astronomical See-' tion of the Wellington Philosophical Society was held in the Dominion Museum last night, when Mr. D. M. Y. Sommervillo read a paper entitled "A Graphical Method of Predicting Eclipses and Occulta tions." Mr. Sommervillo indicated that it was possible ■to predict within a minute tho time in which an cclipso would occur, and propounded' a method which enabled ono easily to construct a chart showing tho phenomenon at a glance. ' At tho conclusion of Mr. Souimerville's reinurks, Dr. Adams said he hoped tho paper would be published, for it was most valuable, especially in offices where tho nautical almanac, was used. On the motion of Dr. Adams a hearty voto of thanks was passed to Mr. Souimerville,

French surgical science pursues its distinguished way though the heavens fall—and this particular manifestation of it perhaps is active just because the heavens have been Ifalling these four years past (writes the London correspondent. of the "Sydney Morning Herald"). It is concerned with the administration of chloroform ; and Heaven knows the French surgeons have had work enough to do in that regard. One of them, Dr. Guisez, lias found time, however, to extend tho possibilities of chloroform 'by his study of its application to cases—such, for instance, as those demanding operations in the head and ncck—hitherto believed to bo nilsuited to its use by reason of the attendant risks. The gist of Dr. Guisez's discovery is a new method of administering tho anaesthetic. Instead of using tho customary compress, or mask, through which tho patient inhales the fumes, ho applies the chloroform direct to tho lungs by means of a tube. Some hundreds of cases have been so treated by him—many of them cases which would be regarded as endangered by tho use of chloroform— with completely satisfactory results, and it is believed in Paris that tho new method is a distinctly important advance upon t.lio old. A secondary result from,it is tho entire absonco of the chloroform sickrass which almost invariably luis accompanied its use. In none of his cases has Dr. Guises observed this nausea, from, which fact ho concludes that it arises from the absorption by the stomach of somo of the fumes of tho drug when it is administered through the mouth.

At a meeting of the Wellington Labour Representtaion Committee last evening it was resolved to contest all the municipal elections to be held in April, 1919. Nominations for tho selection ballot will be called for, and cloao on December 2.

Reference to tho poor accommodation for technical education in Wellington was made by the conference of directors Of technical schools yesterday. The following resolution was carried unanimously"That this conference of directors and supervisors of technical schools and colleges lias noted with dismay the appalling conditions as regards buildings, equipment, and playground space under which technical high school and other classes are conducted in Wellington, the capital of the Dominion, and strongly urges the Ministor of Education and the Government to provide at the earliest possible date a technical college worthy of tho city." The author of the resolution was Mr. George George, if Auckland, and it was strongly supported by Mr. J. H. Howell, of Christchureh. The most practical suggestion made was that the sole initiative in such matters should be taken out of tho hands of the Department. No lnpal control, having power to act, would ever have tolerated, it was said, the conditions in Wellington. At a meeting of the Wellington Labour Representation Coinmittco held last evening the following resolution, received from tho Brooklyn branch of the New Zealand Labour Party, was endorsed: "That the Labour Party insists that in the ovent of Prohibition being carried the Government shall guarantee a livelihood to the employees m the trades affected until such time as thoy aro absorbed iu othef industries."

Mr. fieorgo London has given notice that lie will move at the next meeting of the Wellington liducation Board that an Appointments Committee bo set up. As present the board, as a rule, spends about a quarter of an hour passing two pages of names of candidates for transfer and promotion, with tho result, in tho past, that tho inspector's recommendation has. had to ho taken almost without question in order to get through the business in time. Several members of tho board hold the vbw that, under such a system, with the inspectors working at high pressure, it is possible that injustices might bo done. It is proposed that the suggested Appointments Committee should go thoroughly into the claims of candidates with t|io inspectors, to strengthen tho recommendations that are always submitted finally to tho board, before being sent on to the school oommittecs concerned,

Very satisfactory increases are recorded in the Municipal Library retarns for the quarter covering June, July, and August, particularly in connection with tho children's branch. The increasing popularity of the children's branch is attributed to the success which has attended the school library scheme. That scheme has kindled in tho minds of the younger generation a desire for good reading, and as tho selection at the schools is limited the children naturally turn to the branches which have been established for their particular benefit. The number of issues at the Central Library and its branches for the quarter# with the figures for the corresponding period last year in parentheses, are as follow: Central, adult section, 35,408 (28,741), ail increase of 23 per cent.; children's section, 4545 (2602), increase of 75 per cent.; Newtown branch (adults and children's sections combined), 17,1 CIO (18,220), increaso of 2 per cent.; Brooklyn branch, 1624 (1562), increase of 5 per cent. The subscriptions received at the adult branch of the Central Library were £1457 this year, as against £1252 last year, an increase of 10 per cent. The figures for the children's library showed the substantial increase of 72 per cent., and were £220 and £128 respectively. The Newtown figures were: Adults' section, £697 and £571 (21 per cent, increase); children's section, £232 and £153, ail increaso of 53 per ceiit. The subscriptions at Brooklyn were £72 this year and £66 last year, an increaso of 9 per cent.

An inquest was conducted by Mr. W. G. Riddcll, S.M., Coroner, yesterday afternoon, touching the death of Mrs. Sarah Drew, 71 years of age. who died at the residence of her married daughter at Kaiwarra, on Tuesday. Sergeant Wade \vatehed tho proceedings on behalf of the police. Dr. J. JOwnrt gave cvidenfce that tho deceased had had an attack of apoplexy a few years ago from which she never quite recovered. Her ordinary state of health was very feeble, and slio was not a strong walker. On August 26 witness was called to attend deceased, who was suffering from scalds on the right breast, right arm, and facc. The scalds ivero not sufficient to cause the death of a. healthy person, hut deceased did not make much progress from the beginning. Witness last saw her about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, when she was in a dying condition. Tho cause of death was exhaustion, due to scalds in a debilitated subject. Mrs. Elsie May Santos, daughter of the deceased, said that on August 24 deceased was overcome- by weakness when standing by tho kitchen stove, ancl put out her hand to catch hold of a rack. Instead of that she Fell on to the stove, and the contents of tho kettle were upset over her. A verdict was returned in accordance with the medical testimony.

Following is an abstract of the work of tho Discharged Soldiers' Information Department during the month of August:—One thousand five hundred men have been disposed of during the month. Positions wero found for 200 other men. Six hundred men during the month- tool; up their old. employment or re-enlisted, etc. Three nun-, died and fifty men signed "assistance not required," and three hundred and fifty failed to reply to repeated communications. Notwithstanding fresh men being discharged by the military authorities and then coining under our purview each week, tho cases "under action" have been reduced by 850 during the, month. This is taken to indicate that the men are steadily settling down, and that the great majority have no difficulty in securing employment.