LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 300, 7 September 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ihe recruits for the Forty-sixth Reinforcements will enter camp next week. Ihe Wellington men are to.parade at the Buckle Street Barracks on Wednesday, and will proceed to Trentham on lhtirsday morning. The draft, which is a-large one, consists very largely of 'married men. including many Class B reservists (one child). The extension 'ol .the scheme for granting nirlough in -ivew Zealand to men who have 'already serveu tnrce years or 'moro in. me lixpeuitionary force-will make it necessary lor tne Defence, authorities to be more strict tlian they, have been in the past wun .regard to applications for extension of leave. It has been found that m in;iny cases the men who have been brown t back on furlough apply later lor auili.tional leayo.or for exemption from further service, and the military service boards have often given sympathetic consideration to these applications Tho men are m a position to- show that they have "done their bit" and that additional service will involve hardship on themselves and their dependants. But thoro are hundreds of other men who h*vo just as much claim to ex ondrd cave and who are still at the front. It the furlough system is to operato reely it w,l uo necessary that tto extensions ot leave shall be infrequent.'

A question of some general interest was-addressed to. the. cliairman of tho night (tlio Eov. It. S. Gray). Tlio inquiry was as to whether any proposal was being made to compensate workers m.tlie trade in the event of Prohibition [eing earned Mr Gray rcpCl I a the Aew Zealand Alliance was dicing that a part o the tour and a half m if lions proposed to bo paid to tlio tndo m compensation should be used to compensate workers for a period or until they obtained other employment. Ho said/'however, that he had 'no fears for the future of tho workers, who would quickly be absorbed in other occupations. Several minor accidents and many shocks to nervous people have bcuii caused lately by tho premature starting of tramcars while passengers are getting in or out. The' trouble is staterf lo bo due to the comparative inexperience of many of the conductors and to the overcrowding of cars. Passengers can protect-themselves to ■some extpnt by .using the bells freely,- . '

I A cablegram from Capo Town, published tins week, mentioned that. ' the South African Drigade on the \Vest front was to be reconstituted, sufficient recruits now being available. The necessity for this reconstitution was created'earlier in the year, when the South African Brigade was overwhelmed by "an enormously superior force of Germans and suffered exceedingly severe casualties. The brigade, of course, does not represent the full extent of South Africa's contributions to" the

armed forces of the. Empire. The Union Government raised and equipped large forces for the fighting in the German African colonies lying around the borders of the Union. "The first case of triplets we have had," said Mr. H. W. Bishop, when the military appeal of Oliver James Wakelin (Wainui) came up for consideration at the sitting of the Second Canterbury Military Service.. Board on Wednesday. , Tho appellant's first two children had 'been, born ill 1912 and 1914, leaving him in Class C of the Second Division, but on July 20 of this year triplets wore born, and the father found himself, in one day,, taking three classes of tho . Second Division in one bound. The board promptly transferred hjpi to Class F, with many congratulations and good wishes for mother and children. It was expected that the decision of the Compensation Court in the case of fche Duke Buildings, Ltd., v. the City Corporation, a claim for_ £11,740 for land taker* for street-widening purposes, would have been delivered yesterday, but' when the case was called His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking announced 'tjiat the . decision would be given on Tuesday. ■ • ■ Eighty bags of Foyeaus Strait oysters were yesterday'planted at a suitable place off the entrance to the Awatcre River, Marlborough, by the lighthouse tender Hinemoa. A. year ago the first lot of oysters were planti oil there, and those are reported to have become acclimatised. The Civil- Service Club, which has had. to vacate'.its premises. in. Stout Street, owing to the building having been sold to the Public Trust Office, has secured, new quarters on the first floor of Gualtor and Co;'s building (oiv the corner of Brandon and Featherston Streets), lately in the occupation of the New Zealand Picture Supplies, Ltd., and, prior to that by the Wellington City Council. Tho opening of the new premises will tako place at noon to-day. , , The work of the Zionist Comniission ■in Palestine was referred to by.Rabbi ■Kate in a lecture at Auckland on Vr'ednesday evening. Hβ said that one of tho noted achievements already attained by the Zionist Commission was the completion of arrangements in connection with the Jewish, University, the 'foundation-stone of which was laid on. July 23 'on -the beautiful site of the Mount of Olives. This was an indica- , tion of tlie spirit'in which the Jewish people were returning to their land, seeking not only .material advantages, but also making it a homo for the spirit where Hebrew ideals would •be cultivated, and tho prophetic conception applied to social justice would find 'new expression in their social life. The Jewish people were fully conscious of one thing—that was that tho supreme need of Palestine now , was the complete and decisive victory of the Allies, so ns to lid tho world once and for all olf the monstrous Power which was a constant menace to small and weak nations. To that, end the Jews were directing al! their available power and energy.

AVhat was stated to be tho - first prosecution of its kind under the." Customs Act of 1013 was heard before Mr. V. V. Frazer,.. S.M,, at tho Magistrate's. Court yesterday,- when Jolin- -Joseph M'Mnhon was charged on the nform.v tion of the Collectors of Cuscoms with having used methylated spirit as nn ingredient of the perfume known as lp vender water. Mr. J. Pronurvillo, \\ ho "appeared for tho Customs Department, said thfit\the provisions of the Customs Act stipulated that only prout spirii, or. which there was a 1-iajt duty, should be used in the manuf.vVi.uVof 'lavendof water. The inclusion oi inethji«lcd "spirit was. absolutely pro-' by its use the p.iymont of Customs, duty could bo evaded.. The Department took a serious view of the lratter. Mr. H. P. O'Learv,,' who appeared, for defendant, said that M'Mahoii was only in a small business, and the total value of the' lavender water manufactured by him did not exceed £20. Counsel asked, in view of that /act! that only a small penalty be imposed, especially as M'Mahon was ignorant of the law on. tho matter, I-jfs .Worship, said, that possibly defendant did not quite ■ realise what .ho was diing, as there-was no set off reguh? ifdis dealing with the matter, !)e----fendant would be fined £100, but under section 239 of the Act the peiaHy would be reduced to £25, with costs £1 Bs. . ■

"The, spirit of antiquity enshrined in sumptuous buildings." . Wordsworth's line is the keynote of to-night's lecture for the Bed Cross Fund on, the 'Town Planning of tho Ancients" .by Mr. S. Hurst Seagpr, who.represented Now -Zealand at the recent. Ausira-. lasian ■ Town-Planning ' Coiference. Vivid descriptions .and.beautiful pictures will show how th.it spirit was expressed first in .Egypt and Persia, Greece, and Eome, and later in medieval ■ Italy, , France, and' Belgium. A' special feature will be. a series oif views of Reims' Cathedral taken in 1907 by the lecturer.

At the instigation of tho Society for ■the Prevention of, Cruelty to Animals, 'Walter Hill was' charged before Mr P. V. Frazer, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, with having cruelly ill-treated a horse on August 7, oy .working it. while it had a sore shoulder. The matter arose out of a recent prosecution against 'a man named Leonard. Packwood, who was accused of having ill-treated the same horse. When the ..ease agninst Packwood was partially heard before, he stated that the animal had been worked with the approval of his employer, and the matter -.was , 'then, ■adjourned until yesterday, with a view to ]iroceedings being' taken against the employer if found necessary.' Hill said he told 'Packwood to leave'the horse in tho stables if it was not lit to sjh out. A wrong collar bad been used on the horse. His Worship said Parikwood' fliould not havo worked tho horsp, and the employer's duty was to see that the animal did not go out. Between the two the horse had .suffered cruelty,.although, perhaps, not with deliberate intent; Each would, be lined a small sum fur being esircless. Hill was fined .£l, with £1 Bs. onsts, and Packwood 10s., with costs ,-Cl Bs. Mr. H. van Stayoren appeared for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ■

The Dominion exeeutive of tho Protestant Political Association 'passed a resolution recording its hearty support of the provision mado by the llal : an Government in its agreement with the Allied Governments before entering as a belligerent in the present war, viz., that t!io Pope should be excluded from the Peace Conference. The exeeutive further affirmed that since tho Papacy had been divested of all temporal power and was now solely sin ecclesiastical institution, the Pope or any representative of the Papjicy had ui-ither nor, title to bo included in any League of Nations that might lie constitu'twl after tlio war; and that tho executive's decisions gathered additional force liy reason of tlio attitude toward the Allies manifested by Rome's hierarchy and adherents in Quebec, Ireland, Australia, and South Africa. It was decided that copies of tho resolution should be forwarded to the Right Hon. D. • Lloyd George, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, i the Consul for ltalv, a-tid.to the Protestant Federation, London, ■> : ■'■■■•'■■■■■■ : - • ■,