LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 1, 23 September 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In accordance with a new regulation gazetted on September 3, the hotels in Wellington and within a radius of lo miles will be closed from 0 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. to-day, on the occasion of the arrival of returning troops. The Thirl/.v-ninlh Mounted IMnfotwinents arrived at their destination "All well" on' , September 19. The right wing of the Forty-third Reinforcements safely reached a second port of call on the same day. Shortly before 9.30 a.m. yesterday a firo occurred at 11 Ngaio Road, Kolburn, a liuiise owned and occupied by lilrs. A. S. .Tohiifiton. Some curtains hanging before the fireplace in tho kitchen caught alight, and tho blaze extended to some articles of furniture in the room. Fortunately, the iiro brigade were quickly on the scene, and suppressed the outbreak before very much damage was done. Tho house is insured in. the Phoenix Office ifor £500. and the furniture 13 covered for £200 in the same office. A request for a fair share of war trophies was made by a deputation from tbo Auckland Museum Council to the Hon. G. W. Russell , on Saturday, says a P/css Association toiegram. The Minister agreed that a fair division should be made among tho four centres, provided , tin: interests of the nrtionnl collection came first. The Tveiitliain band of bayonet fighters and physical culture tisam, winch lias had a successful week in Canterbury giving displays in aid of the Tronfcharn Dominion Scholarship Fund, returned to Wellington yesterday.

Tbo secretary of tho Wellington Hospital and Charitablo Aid board lias received tho following letter from the Director of Military Hospitals:—''With further reference to (ho decision of your board to allow this Department to erect a Jicw ward for soldier patients in -the grounds of the Wellington Hospital, 1 have the honour to inform you that as the prcctiim of such a ward wnild ;ilfo render necessary considerable «d----.ditions to your Nurses' Home, tho Department lias'reluctantly decided not to lake advantage of your board's patriotic offer, but to Make cilicr arrangements for tbo accommodation of additional soldiers requiring hospital treatment." An amusing stmy of a Gallipoli conversation was told at a. gathering of ■soldiers by Major Lampeii, D.S.O. Becoming separated from his company one ciav he was endeavouring to find a way back when be met a very lonely soldier in charge of ii lonely Turkish prisoner. Ho asked the soldier who were down on the right. "French I' was the answer, made so despondently that Major Lainpen felt, it incumbent to ask if they were .not pretty good fighters. "Haven't been here long enough 1" was the reply. ■ "And next to them?" '■Twenty-ninth—so cut ij|> that it isn't fair to criticise them," was the pessimistic answer. Further len were- tho E.N. Division: "Babes— too young by* far-" Then the Australians: "No discipline—only good in a rough and tumble." At the end of the line were the New Zealauders, and as he mentioned them the lonely soldier brightened. "Let me tell you, sir, they're the only thing on the Peninsula!" On bis own declaration Major Lampen felt six feet taller. Then !io considered. "And what part of the Old Country do you come from?" he asked the lonely soldier. "Old country, bo hanged!" was the indignant response. "I come from Opawa.l" A flood in the Hutt River yesterday brought a great quantity of logs and driftwood into the harbour. Tho wood, which varied in size from slight willow wands to big logs, literally covered the surfaoe of tho water on the eastern side of the harbour, and much of it was washed ashore at Day's Bay, Ronn Bay, and Muritai. Residents, whoso coal and wood- supplies have been short for some time past, welcomed tho gift wood, and scores of men, women, and children were busily engaged all tbo afternoon gathering the wood into piles on the sand and subsequently carting it to the safety of the family wood shed. Kh'Jut 1-30 on Saturday afternoon tho fire brigade received a call.to a, fire at a timber mill m Ebor Street, ■owned by Messrs. Brownlee, Ltd. A spark from the furnace was responsible for an outbreak in the roc-f of the boilerhousc, which was damaged slightly. One of the four new members of the Waitemata Chamber of Commerce elected at a meeting of the chamber last Thursday was a woman, who is conducting a business as a storekeeper in Devonport. Some years ago a woman was proposed as a member, but was not elected owing to her disposing of her business in tho meantime. The new member, Mrs. E. -J. Mortoir, is believed to be the first woman to be_a member of a chamber of commerce in New Zealand. At a meeting o fthe Lower Hutt Group Executive, Protestant Political Association held on Friday night a resolution was unanimously carried extending greetings to tho Wellington Central Group, and congratulating the members of that group on havimi the, honour of voting for first IVlinmentory candidate in the interests of tbo F.'.!\A. in New Zealand. Tlio group considered the elwico of candidates .a happy one, and members looked forward to Mr. Mack being placol at the top of tho poll o:i October X, Tho secretary was instructed to send congratulations to. tho I'etono OJionp on the signal success of tlwir candidate, Mr. Kyle, at the Jlorrigh Cu'iicil by-eloctioii last Wednesday. It was reported that in every election <:f any description in New Zealand where tho P.P.A. has nominated or supported any particular candidates some have in every case been returned by overwhelming majorities. The Trontlmm Military Band visited the (Wellington Hospital yesterday, and played a number of selections, whicli v.ero greatly enjoyed. In the Divorce Court on Saturday His Honour the Chief Justice , - henrd the petition of Agnes Fowke, of Potone, for the dissolution of her marriage with William Robert Fowke, bootmaker, on the grounds of desertion. Mr. P. « • Jackson appeared for the petitioner, and the respondent was not present to defend the case. The parties wero married on February 28, 1895, at Asliburton, and there were five children of the marriage. On March 2, 19J1, the respondent deserted % petitioner, and had left the petitioner without maintenance ever since. Corroborative evidence having been givcil, His Honour granted a decree nisi, to be made absolute in three- months. A report on last season's trout-mar-keting operations of the Department of Internal Affairs shows the total of saleable fish taken from Lakes Rotoiti and Tarawera. was 20.270 (22 .tons la. cwt.), valued at £851. The yield of Lake Taupo was 17,947 trout (24 tons 2cwt.),\C576; aggregate, 38.21/ fish, weight 46 tons 17cwt., value £1/2/. A° Press Association telegram from Carterton states: In.a political address on Friday night. Mr. Hornsby, M..L-, declared in favour of a referendum on tho liquor question on tho four issues defined by tho Labour Party. The Director of 'Recruiting (Captain D C. W. Cossgrove) will visit Auckland this week in order to meet the group commanders, and confer witji them.concorning some minor changes in the system of recruiting and mobilisation of drafts. Certain' improvements wero suggested at the recent conference of officers in Wellington. Scarcity of labour continues to retard some public works, according to "a statement by' Sir William Fraser to a Tarauaki deputation. A request was made for a.' speeding-up of operations on the Stratford-Main Trunk line. It was emphasised that tho delay was a great disadvantage to settlers ,and also to local bodies which-were in*urgent need of railway facilities for the conveyance of road meta , . Tho Minister replied that the shortage of labour was bliunnble for the delay, particularly i'u tho Okahakura tunnel. Ho was endeavouring to jret as many me,n as possible. He would consult I.lm J'jngi-neer-in-Chief and ascertain what could be done to expedite the work. , Six Maoris of tbo Waib.to Iriho, who were called up by ballot and who have, refused to wear uniform or obey military authority, wero (.says n Press Association telegram from Auckland) sentenced by court-martial to two years hard labour. About thirty others are still in detention for a similnr offence. The sentences were promulgated on Saturday at a parade of -100 Natives in (.■amp at Narrow Nr-sk. A memorandum to the finding by the OX. of tho district" warns elders of the tribo in roVnrd to advising reservists to resist, authority, stating that tbo feeling anion" Qther Mauris in enmp, Fijians, Ktirotnnreans. and. Gilbert Islanders is against passive resistance. A further diminution in the nmonnt of building in" Auckland is recorded in tho report of the City Engineer lor the vcar ended March last. During ho twelve mouths the report traverses the •vilue of the buildings for which permits were issued was £154,Yj>8, less .y £I''o,ooo than the year before. J lie v,lm= of the Market buildings, £40,000, started during 1916, helped to increase tho apparent decrease. Trv Doctors' Cream O'Groats. Unliko impo'rtod foods, it is always ' reliable, i pure and fresh.—Advt,