LOCAL AND GENERAL
A long list of liomoward bound New Zealand soldiers appears on page 8 of to-day's issue.
A blade on ono of the propellers of the inter-island iteamer Maori snapped off when the vessel was about an hour and a half* steam from Lyttelton ou Saturday night. The suddenness of the mishap caused the ship to shudder until the was reduced, but no other damage resulted. Some of tho passengers were, however, startled, and loft their cabins to make inquiries. Steaming at slower speed, to avoid any undue vibration, tho Maori lost time, aixl consequently was over an hour late- in arriving at Wellington. In all probability she will ho docked at Lyttelton to-morrow to have a new propellor fitted. A similar accident happened to the. Maori a. *ew months hack.
"People all over the world pay freoIγ to kill hut less readily to educate," said Mr. 11. Atmoro on Saturday night. "If they gave more to educate it would not bo necessary to mnko eo much provision for tho killing."
An interesting decision was givon iu the Magistrate's Court on Saturday by Mr. F." V. Frazer, S.M. The Wellington Hospital Board sought to recover £8 18s. frojn William M. Robinsoit for tho (maintenance of defendant's wife. The Robinsons aro "separated," and on this ground the busbani repudiated the debt. The Magistrate held that there was no apparent reason why the Hospital Board should not treat the whole cost of maintenance as a debt due by the husband, and recoverable accordingly. The' husband still had a- right under tho Destitute Persons Act. Judgment was given for the Hospital Board for the amount claimed and costs.
In the courso of his sermon at St. Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral yesterday morning the Rev. A. M. Johnson made reference to the recent victories of the Allies in the Balkans and' in Palestine. In regard to General Allenby's great achievement, Mr. Johnson said that the Holy Land had often been successfully invaded from the north, .but prior to tho present campaign it had only twice been over-, run by conquerors attacking ifrom the south—by Pharaoh-necho and by one of tho Ptolemies. Both of those invaders were assisted by treachery. Mr. Johnson also spoko of the splcixlid work being done by the Red Cross Society during the present war, and the offertory was devoted to tho society's funds.
At about a quarter to four on Saturday afternoon the fire brigade tocoived a call to a house in Trent Street, Island Bay, occupied by Mrs. A. Blake, and owned by Mr. Gilmour. The fire, which was extinguished by some neighbours, was caused through an incubator overheating the lumber room. The services cf tho brigade were not required. Another fire which started among some gorso at Brooklyn yesterday morning, was effectively dealt with by the Brooklyn Auxiliary Brigade, no damage to property being sustained.
Tho proposal considered by the Auckland City Council some three weeks ago, that warning electric bells be installed at the principal street intersections, to indicate, by signals from the fire station, in what direction the firo brigade is rushing to a fire, has not met with favour. It has been decided, however, to request the Auckland Tramways Company to direct that on the occasion of a fire alarm all tramcars shall, on hearing the syren of tho approaching engines, stop at least 20 yards short of any cross street they may bo appronching, and remain Rtationnry until tho brigade has passed.
A peculiar accident occurred in Oamaru a few days ago. A report like a heavy gun was hoard, and a largo slab of concrete wont up into the air to. half the height of a telegraph pole. One- of the telephone -workers, it transpired, had boon using a blow-lamp in a concrete well, and tho flames ignited gns in the telephone cablo container, which acted as a train to an accumulation of r;as in a cloeod well. Tho operator of tho blow-lamp lost no lime in getting out of the well.
Sinco tho Government) has taken over tho Kohimarama (Auckland) School of Aviation there his been a good deal of smartening up among the students of air voyaging. The young men, after they qualify for their commissions, now near tho uniform of tho New Zealand branch of, tho Imperial. Air Forco, a neat khaki dress, with olivo green facing, and cap-baud, with the "spread-eaglo" badge—quite a smart turnout, of which the boys are i very proud. Tho courso now occupies fivo months, and when through tho thorough training tlioy now havo to go through at Kohimarama, an airman is practically ready for active service work. At Homo they, of course, havo to got used to tho latest machines adopted, and tako a courso in bombdropping and machine-gun work—a matter of a fow weeks. A unit of 28 flight lieutenants, who have qualified at'Koliimarama. will leave for England shortly. This is tho largest number of New Zealand trained airmen who have over left theso shores together. In its way the achievement is remarkable, ss' there aro still probably hundreds of thousands of people in this little country who have never so much as seen an aeroplane in flight.
"In the event of your being elected as our representative in Parliament," began a questioner on Saturday ovening. "What!" interjected another of tho audience. "In tho event, I said," explained tho questioner, amidst laughter. , What the German soldier thinks of the Ersatz-tobacco which the Government is now forced,to supply tho troops is reflected in' a letter published in a German paper. _ The correspondent writes:—"Reading in your paper so much in praise of Ersatz-tobacco, I ' Rent a pmall packet to a brother in tho field. I. have just received from him tho following letter:—'One more request: For God's sake don't send any more TCrstza-tobacco. All tho fleas, flios, lice, mice, and rats camo out of their hidiug-placo when I lit a trial pipe. Most of them fell down dead. We havo survived, but only because we clapped ou our gas-masks. If tho Govnrnmont supply any more of this stuff to the troops they will poison the lot of us.' "
Mr. Tanner w?.s elaborating an assertion on Saturday evening that ho was a. great believer in moderation- m drinking. "What do you call moderation?" flaked an auditor. Mr. Tanner so id that that depended on certain things, but he was not getting very far ahead, and a voice drawled: "Aw, say 'carrying capacity.' "■ A list- has boen published in Australia of members of the Australian Imperial Force who have been found guilty by court-martial this year of the crimo of desertion. Seven meji liavo been sentenced to penal servitude for life, one to 15 years' penal servitude, 16 to 10 years' penal servitude, one to 8 years' penal servitude, (our to 7 years' penal servitude, one to 6 years' penal servitude. 15 to 5 yanrs' penal servitude, and 25 to shorter terms of imprisonment (these including several wiiose punishment hns been, commuted from longer terms).
The following story is told by a. correspondent of the Auckland "Herald." He writes:—"You will' liko to know that some Austrian prisoners taken on the I'iave, who were being sent to the big camps in Southern France, travelled for a considerable part of the journey with some- British troops. On arriving at Nice they sent for an English interpreter, and stated that they wished the English to know how splendidly they had been treated. They added that they could never have believed mi enemy could have been eo chivalrous, and, as thy had read in the German, papers of such tales of cruelty, they mnde this protest with their grateful thanks."
Mr. H. Atmore said on Saturday night lie considered it very likely that the Government would be 'forced to hold a general election early in tho Now Year. The coming session of Parliament was likely to ho n short one, and a, very important one, nnd it was desirable that an electorate should ho represented by a man who had had oxpcrionco of Parliamentary work. There would be much debate regarding defence expenditure and 1 the increased cost of living. He was convinced that tho problem of rising prices could be solved. It was not so much a matter "of devising methods as of finding a Government with the will to protect the people and defeat tho exploiter.
It. is reported that experiments are now being made in Norway to operato automobiles with acetylene gas. No gasoline lias been obtainable for many months, and practically no automobiles have been running. If the motors can be niade to use acetylene gas, it can be manufactured in .considerable volume from calcium carbide, which is produced in large quantities in Norway by means of water power. The gas could bo ! carried in cylinders under high pressure, or generated from carbide on the automobile itself.
"Are you sincere or are you standing as a"joke?" Mr. Tanner was asked on Saturday evening.
A reciLcst by i'uu Auckland Education ik-tti'U tor suggesuuns jw to the n.uure ot tlio regulations wlncii snoulu govern iJio uso 01 tlio kinemaiograpu as a means of education was consiuered at ii coinereuco between tno Headmasters ot tne Auckland schools and sub-coiunnt-teo appointed by the City Schools Comimi/teo to deal with the provision ot school picture shows. After discussion, the coDleronco rosolved to eubmit to the board tho following suggestions :—(l) lliat since the headmasters lire tho best judges as to what picture subjects, would help the work ok their schools, the selection of the programme eiibuid bo left entirely in their hands; (t) that no demonstrations be held unless in thu opinion of the committee and headmasters the hygienic condltione< arc satisfactory; (3/ that demonstrations be held, only in tho mornings, when atmospheric conditions are :more flivouruble; (4) that tho Education Board piovide for tho cost of all picture demonstrations; (5) that the Education Board consider the advisability of providing a complete moving-picture apparatus tor tlio purpose- of giving tho demonstrations at intervals to tho combined schools ill a suitable building, such as tho Concert Chamber of tho Town Hall.
Some weeks ago a "gentleman" of military bearing arrived in Mastcrton (says tho "Age"), and introduced himself as a ''Major," who had returned from tho front, after rendering service on Gallipoli and at tho Somme. He had, ho said, been wounded in tho chest. His story was accepted without the slightest suspicion. He mado' himself a jolly good fellow, and succeeded in raising loans hero and there. Ho was taken to tho homes of setlers, where he recounted thrilling stories of his exploits, and was entertained to wino and cigars in a regal fashion. At lc'ngtli ho announced that ho was to return to tho front as a "liout.cotaneT." But, somehow or another, ho overdid tho business, and inquiries wero set on foot. These revealed the Fact that ho was a reservist who had never been out of the Dominion, and was on the list of men "wanted." tie suddenly disappeared, and is still at largo. It is not safe to refer to the "Major" in certain quarters.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 4, 30 September 1918, Page 4
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1,857LOCAL AND GENERAL Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 4, 30 September 1918, Page 4
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