LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 27, 26 October 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Main Trunk express did not reach Wellington until 11 o'clock last night. When the train arrived at Taihape at G. 20 yesterday morning it was held up owing to slips on the lino. ■ A. small slip occurred a mile from Taihape, at Wimata, causing much danger,' and another slip occurred just .north of Mangaweka. forking parlies were promptly sent out.

' The'circumstances under which =£60,000 was advanced out'of the Public Account ■iii'coiinuctioii with the purchase of cheese and butter for the Imperial Government wero explained in a memorandum from the Auditor-General placed on the table of the Hous: of Representatives yesterday., The memorandum stated tliat no funds-had lieen appropriated by Parliament for the purpose, and the method 'mentioned had been adopted on th'e undertaking of the Government to introduce validity legislation .and to indemnify the.Audit Office in respect to the issue. The amount: advanced in this instancewas, repaid by the Imperial.Government in, December, 1017.

Captain Dawson,- of : the'collier Perth, which arrived at Wellington on' Thursday, from Newcastle, reports- (hat he observed,- between Terawliiti and Jackson Head, a number of dead blue cod. The fish-had.their heads turned upwards, and their -gills'- wore open wide. From appearances it seemed that the fish had been killed by some form 'of explosion. At the Government Meteorologist's Office tho phenomenon.'is attributed to some marine explosion. It is not thought that the weather is responsible.

The satisfaction of having done a kindly Miction is itself u full reward, but to beUible'to reward a kindly deed with another equally thoughtful also has its charm.. Tho "Otago Daily Times" states that some time ago while a well-known member of the Caledonian Bowling Club, who has now passed away after reaching the allotted span of the Psalmist, was walking'.along a city street, a. liltlo'girl stopped''him and told him his bootlace had become untied. The old man could not stoop to lie the lace, and the.littlo girl tied it for him. The man then asked the little girl her name, and to make suro. told her lo write it. down. But tho child was too young and the man too old'to write the name. A passer-by was stopped add the position explained. The passer-by wrote the name and address on a piece of paper and handed it to the old marf.' The sequel is that the liltlo girl has been left ;«£]oo'ln: tho .will of: the deceased.

Speaking from personal observations at the front .of .the spirit of the British .forces, Mr,.Alexander Watson,. the Eng-. ■lish elocutionist,'.informed a'Dominion'. 'interviewer.yesterday .tlmt.it was some-, tiling too. superbly sacred to speak .about. "Frankly;. I was. depressed".in.' England,, but at the .front there was not .the tslightesl. .trace of depression. It was the 'finest .pick-ni'e-up, n man could .have.to noto the. glorious spirit of the iuen under all sorts of. n)isera.ble cpiidilions.. He had .seen ihe . men ■'. lying, happily in,. puddles . of .water and patches, of mud.by the. raid--side—lying down by. ..word of command,! and sleeping, the-sleep, of just ( mon on tho'instant. : ' .What caused it' all? . Ho attributed' it .in the main to the fine ".spirit."of. camaraderie .between the men. .Bill knew that Jack and Tom had to put up with it., till cheerfully, _so Bill had no. course, .but. lo do likewise, and perhaps at (he back of it. all there was a sustaining and inspiriting influence such as comes to.all who fight-the good fight. Could such a spirit exist in the German lilies?/ He doubted it.

"Out of'seven command] »2 officers in the Wellington Kcgiment' of (ho New Zealand Expeditionary Force,",says tho English "Law Tiiiies" of August"3l, "six lutvo been'barristers and solicitors; for in New Zealand the-two professions nia'v be combined.; ' Lieutenant-Colonel C. IT. .Weston, D.5.0., who commanded the 3rd -Battalion of the regiment "until lie was wounded at Pnssehendaelc in October, 1017, has written a book on tho war, "J'hreo Years With the New Zoalanders,' which is to bo, published shortly in England. ■ Lieutenant-Colonel, Weston : is. Crown Prosecutor for the Tarnnaki district in New Zealand, and is a graduate of the New Zealand University." Six of the officers referred to as'hcinf? barristers and solicitors are-.—Brieadier-General H. Hart, of Carterton; Lieutenant-Colonel W. G. Malone, of Stratford (killed at-Gal-, lipoli); Lieutenant-Colonel W..E. Cunningham, of AVanganui: LieutenantColonel C. F. Cook.. of Marlon; Lieu-(pnant-Colonel C. II." Weston, of .New Plymouth; and Lieutenant-Colonel HIlolderness, of Hastings. ■ . .

In view of the delays caused by tho bad weather, some of the yachts may not be ready for November !), and therefore the Port Nicholson Yacht Club has postponed opeiyng day till November 16. An opening general handicap fo?' all yachts -will bo hold' on ' November' 23. Points races, wilt be held on November'3o and T)econibcr;.-7. The vctoi-riiis'''racc 'lia's. been'fixccl-for .JaiWary ll v ■• ' : '-f-' -""

,Tlie Wellington L'il.v lied Cross.'.'Our J)iiy .-\|i|K'nl Uiniinittee acknowledge with thanks I lie following further donations.— Two friends, 4,' SO; Kempt horne, Prnsscr and Co., J.TIO; Makower, "M"Beth ami' Co.; '.£2"i; Wellington College Patriotic I'uml. .till; Mr. and Mrs. J. P. firth, .fill; lion. Sir James Allen, ~£lO.

"The regulation that registration numbers must' bo" .affixed... to' the front and rear of., motorcycles" as :well' as-'to care does'not scenr :to he.'knovoiYas' : well as it: should he," remarked Mr. ■]•'. \ r . ■Vrazer, S.M., at the' Magistrate's Court yesterday, .-.when Louis Walter ■■■England was .convicted audi, discharged 'for a breach of the regulation. On a second charge of turning from Willis Street to Lambtou Quay at an excessive speed England was-.\liiiod 10s.- ami'.; costs 7s. William. Liiils was-charged' with.driving a motor-car'to.which- the'iiecessary registration .plates were not affixed, and he li'ns- also, charged;.'witlf leaving -the car unattended- for:about, tw.9 ; ; hours; outside the Grand Hotel. Luffs said that the car'was the Trentham Dominion Scholarship -car- and ho was- : .nq_l aware of the regulation. • He further, said -that he became so interested' in iaj.lci.ng aver Ihe scholarship scheme with-a visitor in (he ■ hotel-that;he .quite..forgot that', he had -left the car- unattended: -LnitsMrns convicted and discharged for .the breach of the regulations,-, and- on: the second charge •tic was fined 10s. ami-costs.-■

An inquest was held vesterdav afternoon by Mr.- W. G. -.Ki'dd'ell, S,M., into the cause of the sudden ''death of William Charles Badden, • -18 years' of a'ge, which took place at- his residence, 1 .18 Caroline Street, about 6 : a.m.'-o'iv'Thui'sdaj.: The •evidence showed that the deceased had suffered from an.attack of influenza, but otherwise, was ; in his usual state of health, a'nil ; ;hiul atteiKled'to his'.business up to Wednesday evening. ' About 6 a.m. on Thursday his sister heard hiiii breathtiig heavily," and w'erit'ih. to attend to him, but'liedied 'soon; after she'got into his room'.' 'Dr. Elliott was called in, but lie could only-pr6houiice life 'extinct. Dr. Fyffe, ■ who examined; the body, said that death',' was due'"'to:.oednm of the lungs,'■ brought- 'oh by acute influenza. The'form'(if; influenza' v/as. similar to that-which : broke : but in EnglaV.dMn 1890. Practically all the organs : of •'the body we're' intensely' congested.' ■ A verdict was returned' in' accordance witliUhe metlicid evidence. • ""' ' ' '■ .'■■

The- cjisp-'-u'f■" Hope' Wliiffield Horne was again. before the : . Military Service Board at Christchurch'yesterday, states a Press Association message. Horne appealed some time ago, objecting to service on the ground that lie was an American citizen, but', the appeal was dismissed. Later, lie was arrested, but released on parole on account of his mother's illness. He then applied for, a rehearing, but. when the case was called yesterday Horne failed lo appear. 'J'lio father said he did not know where, his soir.w.as;, The board •dismissed'.'tire-appeal.-■ '■• -: :

. '-'i'light-Lie'iiteiiant C.-;Umbe'i's,'. of Dimedin, who is ; -at "present 'in Wellington, idler-doing some strenuous air fighting on the Salonika front, speaks interestin glv of .the .marvels of aerial photograph" v.. Willi the neiv. long-distance cameras the reconnaissance machines, whose dulv'it is. to.photograph sections of the enemy territory, never descend lower than '2(1,000 feet, nil enormous height, but one which, as it rule, renders them immune from attack, and under good atmospheric conditions, the results obtained are really very wonderful. Such machines usually carry three cameras, two vertical, to take what are known as plan photographs, and one placed aslant 10 take panoramic views of the enemy's lir.es. . .

.Mr. K. Newman, M.P.., Has.given notice to ask the Minister'lff'lnternal Affairs if it is. the .intention of., the Government to place the slim of .£4IOO on Mie Estimates for, the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of "Women mid Children (Phuket Society), in order. h) criabl'i Hie society to carry out obligations which were incurred, with some «\ccptions with hi? approval and on the underslanding th.it if the society collected fronr the public-the sum of M'i (is. Ed. thai a subsidy of AW for each nurses would be provided by the Government. A l>k deputation of cheese : makers from the.Wiiirarapa and other..parts is to wait, upon 'the'Prime.Minister on Monday relating to ...details in. connection .with the cheese 'purchrisa.,. . .:,•-. At a meeting' of die' AYairarapa Hospital Board yesterday it wns decided'to interview the Minister of Public Health in regard to the .refusal to sanction loans tor a nurses'' home' at Pahiatua, and additions to the Solway Home,.both of which are considered urgent. • ■ The substantial donation of a definite sum of'JiiaO out of the funds of the art. union of ipaiutings by old musters, is to be handed'to the .Minister of Internal .Affairs lo be applied by him to such patriotic purposes as he may elect. Air, .Vim dcr Beldeu, who 'is organising the art union staled thai this sum will ab'sorb the'.whole of the .surplus 'moneys. If, however, there 'sbo'uld',.bc.any.' further, surplus after the'accounts 'are, audited and .certified, it.will be added to the donation 0f'.£750'.. An extension of the art union to January 31, 1919, has been, granted, and there is no increase in the number of tickets originally permitted, to bo sold. The main prizes are. undoubtedly an unusual class-of art work in tho. dominion, and in ihe sense of coiiipnra-. live art, aad. educationally, should •be accorded much support.

Mr. W. H."-Field (Otaki) if asking Mir tho House of Representatives if the Govornmc'nt will, without defe.Y, anil without wailing for the conclusion if Iho war, proceed with tho preparatory steps for constructing the dam and other works .necessary prior to the final completion •of the Maiigahao.watcrrpoiv.er. scheme, Mid' thus meet-Wit. the, easiest possible date the "urgent mfeds "of local bodies, •iiaimfactureis and other lodies and_ persons of an ex-tensive'portion of the North Island for electric power.