LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 17, 15 October 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

4 Private A. H. Martin, B Company, Forty-fifth' iicinforceincuts, died (at Trent-ham Military Hospital or Sunday, tlic c'auae of death being cerebrospinal fever. Deceased was i'O years of ago and single. His next-of-kin is his mother, Mrs. W. L. Martin, Motui, Tminiarunui. Private Leonard AV. Thompson, 0 Company, Forty-eighth Reinforcements, was admitted to Featherston Military Hospital at 6 p.m. on Saturday, and died at 9.30 a.m. on Sunday, the cause of death beir/g cerebrospinal meningitis. Deceased was 32 years of ago and a married man. B is" next-of-kin. is his wife, Mrs. M. S. Thompson| c/o F. Ervioib, Ellice Avenue, Wellington. The hotels in the city were closed from 2 p.m. yesterday on account of the arrival of troops from overseas. To-day the' hotels will again ho .closed from '9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tho result of the two recent by-elec-tions waß mentioned to Mr. Masse.v in Auckland. Tho Primo Minister said he realised that thero never was a Government that did not meet with reverses occasionally. So far as he was concerned, he was quite prepared to face the position at any time, either in Parliament or out of it.—Press Assn. Tho Minister of Marine (the Hon. T. M. Wilford) has received several com-,' munications asking if the Government steamer Tutorekai will make another trip to tho Chatham Islands. Ho has replied that no arrangements have been made for tho steamer to do so, and that in view of tho Naval Adviser's probable requirements here it is almost certain that the Tutanekai will not bo available to go to the Chathams for some time to come. "America is fully determined that Germany shall experience to the full the horrors of war," said M v . J. 13. Clarkson to a gathering that welcomed him home from America and England. Mr. Clarkson went on to say that while the men at the head of Allied affairs in England and America did not anticipate an early peace they maintained that victory was in sight, and that the end of the war could now bo measured in months instead of years. America was determined that peace must b'e dictated on German soil, and that there could not be a cessation of hostilities until tho Allies marched into Berlin. The universal feeling in. America was that Kaiserism and the rule of nations by force must be crushed for ever n.s a German ideal. Preparations are being made for tho erection of the temporary building in which the Defence Department proposes to h-puse the Pnv Branch, in conjunction with Base Records, at a cost of some £12,000. Timber is being stacked in Whitmore Street, which is to be partly occupied by the new building, and some shrubs in the grounds of the Government Buildings are being felled. ' ' At yesterday's meoting_ of the Finance Committee of the City Council a preliminary step in connection' with tho amalgamation of the borough of Onslow with the city of Wellington was decided upon, and will, come up before the City Council for ratification on Thursday evening. Mention ra3 also made of the proposed Thorqdon reclamation scheme, as outlined by tho engineers of the Railway Department ana submitted by the General Manager

(Mr. E. H. Hiley) to the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) and chairman of the Wellington • Harbour Board (Mr. C. E. Dam'ell) 'last week. Mr. Luke reported to the committee the intentions of the Railway Department as submitted to him. As tho result a recommendation approving the plans will be submitted to Thursday's meeting of the City Council.

"At yesterday's meeting of the Wellington. Chamber of Commerce a 'communication was received from the

Maiigahao Hydroelectric Power League, of Palmerston North, intimating to the chamber (as a. member of the league) that it was intended to send a deputation to Wellington to interview the Ministry, about the middle of November, urging upon the Government to proceed with the Mangahao hydro-electric works as one cf urgent national importance. The council of the chamber decided to be represented on the deputation. The By-laws. Committee of the City Council has approved of .n new scale of taxi fares, which sets out very plainly what 'the exact fares should be between different points in the'city, and in particular journeys which'commence at the railway stations or wharves. The new seale will be submitted to the council meeting on Thursday, but will not be adopted that evening, as it is desired that the public—which is directly affected —may have an' opportunity of expressing its opinion upon the scale the council proposes .to adopt. Ono of the classes of the Technical School held a debate yesterday on "Prohibition" instead of the customary English lesson. The debate was conducted on strictly Parliamentary lines. One proposal put forward was that persons should be wit!) liquor on the card system similar to that by which meat is supplied in England.

With regard to shipments of goods from the East, it has been reported to the Wellington Chamber of Oommerco that through bills of lading for ports other tlian ports of call were being refused in Singapore. In the case of vessels bound to Sydney only exception was being made in the ca&e of Melbourne and Adelaide,' but Tasmania and New Zealand ports were affected. The effect of this- restriction on New Zealand consignees would be that they would have to appoint agents at tho ports of call, who would see to the transhipment of the goods end make out new bills of lading, etc., for the remainder of the voyage. The council of tho Chamber viewed tho matter as a serious one for consignees, and it was decided to make representations to the Minister of Commerce and

Industries to. restoro tho former position, whereby through bills of lading might be issued in the case of goods which required to be transhipped from Eastern ports. .

The gross takings at tho St. Mary of the Angels' Bazaar amounted to £4056, bringing the amount in hand of the rebuilding fund to something like £12,000. Plans for tho new church we being prepared by Mr. F. de J. Clsre, and as soon as they are approved steps will be taken for the erection of tie building. '

Tho economic boycott of Germany has begun in the Statea (says the "Drip-, ers' Record"). Arrangements liavo been completed by the Alien Property Custodian of tho United States with

the Fur Merchants' Credit Association of New York for the purchase by the latter of all the interests in America of the Leipzig dealers in furs. Before the war tho trado of American furriers

was really a collecting and shipping agency for the Germans. Plans have now been developed for entrenching firmly a now dyeing »and dressing industry in America.

As from June 25 licensee will be granted in approved oases, and so far as Allied requirements permit, for tho export of tho undermentioned articles (among others not associated with tho trndo) to Holland and Denmark. Importer;; whose applications for licenses have been held up lire requested to renew the attention of the War Trndo Department to the applications, "'he list of articles includes athletic goods not containing rubber or leather, buttons of bone or horn, Oriental.carpets

of high value, made-up clothing oF ei:k or mixed silk, feathers of high value, artificial flowers, furs of high value, hair ornaments and combs, except such as aro manufactured from casein or corozo, felt hats trimmed ready for wear, straw hats, hand-mado laces such as Maltese lace, small morocco leather fancy goods, silk ribbons, toys, end silk trimmings.—"Drapers' Record."

A case of a peculiar nature tame under tho notice of Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., at tho Magistrate's Court jt-s----terdny, when a man of diminutivo stature named Gordon Barrett ras charged wit'i being a rogue and a, vagabond, he having been found by night on premises in Fairley Terrace. It appeared that for a long timo j.ast Barrett, who is 34 years of ago, lias been "haunting"— to use a term applied by tho Magistrate—n particular house in Fairley Terrace, Kelbiirn. Ho frequented tho locality late at night, ana became such a nuisance that the police wore informed. The object of his nocturnal parades was a young woman who resided in the house, but who was in no manner inclined to return or givo encouragement to his strange infatuation. • In the witness box tho young woman stated that the accused had first spoken to her five years ago, but she regarded him practically as a stranger and resented his unwelcome attentions. Constable Grnhani taid that shortly after 9 o'clock on Saturday night he discovered the man secreted at the back of tho house amongst some timber and bushes. He'was minus his boots and hat, and when accosted by tho constable remarked. , "It teems you are a policeman, so the game is up." His Worship said lie did iiot think the man's mind was normal. He convicted accused, but ordered that ho should be detained for a week for medical observation and report.

The monthly meeting of the Wellington School Committees Association was held last night, Mr. W. E. Fuller presiding. The principal business of the evening was the consideration of remits from the various committees for discussion at the Dominion Conference. Auckland, Pnlmerston North, and Motueka have already forwarded their remits, and other associations are at present considering theirs.' The conference has been set down for the third'week in November, tt was reported to the meeting that, an association has been formed at Foxton. Dr. Ada Paterson and Miss Coad arc to be requested to address the association on a suitable occasion.

"If the Government' acquires niucli more property in the borough, Petone will become a Government settlement similar to Rotorua," remarked a Po< tone borough councillor last evening. The Petone Council has frequently remarked on the acquisition of the boiough property by the Government, and last night it resolved:—"That in view of tho increasing number of properties acquired by the New Zealand Government which ai-e vested in His Majesty the King, though' really the property of policy-holders, and are liable for payment' of special rates only, this council is of opinion that tho exemption •from payment of general, separate, and water rates is inequitable to all local bodies affected, and hereby resolves to submit tho whole question of rating on lands acquired, by Government Departments to the Prime Minister, .with a request that legislation be introduced at the coming session uf Parliament to give relief and prevent the further restriction of tbe rating areas of local bodies."

A contemptible attempt at theft was discovered by the verger at St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral when hp opened the building yesterday morning. On entering the vestry it was found that the contents were scattered about in :i state of chaos, the intruder having obtained ingress by means of a. window which had been smashed. Evidently the burelar had intended to iob the safe, which is located in the vestry, but this proved to be impossible of accomplishment owing to the absence of the keys, which, fortunately, are not kept at the church. Disappointed_ at not being able to make an impression upon the, safe, the miscreant .apparently determined to display his chagrin by interfering with tho robes, books, and other articles kept in the vestry, for these were scattered about the room in a most disorderly manner. Attention was also paid to the poorboxes at the entrance to the church. These were smashed, but whether or not any money was abstracted from them is not known, for they were empty on Saturday. Unless any contributions were placed iu the boxes on Sunday the quest hero was also fruitless. Tho matter is being investigated by the police. This is not the first occasion on which St. Paul's Pro-Cathe-dral has been burglariously entered, threo other attempts having been made withiu the past few months. Like the latest episode the previous efforts were not very successful to the perpertrator.