LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 86, 6 January 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Two fires necessitated the attention of the. city (ire brigade on Saturday. At 3.111 a.m., nil outbreak was discovered in the basement of Price's Buildings, Taranaki Street, used as. a- linseed oil store by Messrs. J. Nathan.and Co. Owing to the inflammable nature of the stock the possibilities of a serious lire were great, but the prompt arrival of tho brigade prevented any but slight, damage occurring. It is thought that the'snontaueous ignition 'of oil and sawdust caused the fire. Shortly before lialf-jiast eight in the evening the brigade wns summoned to 39 Old Customhouse' Street; where tho premises occupied by Messrs. Pringle and M'Crea, Ltd., leather merchants, were found to be ablaze. The flames were suppressed without much difficulty, and the damage to the contents was not very great. The cause of. this outbreak is attributed to rats nibbling wax matches. The amount of the insurances has not yet been ascertained. .

The daylight sailing regulation brought into operation some -months ago for the safety "of shipping crossing Coolc Strait, on account of floating mines, has been suspended, and steamship companies are now reverting to the old sailing times. The Union Company, starting with the Maori to-niglit, will dispatch the ferry steamers for Lyttelton at / .45 o clock, and the Ajichor Line's Nelson Kaitoa and Nikau—as notified on Saturday, are sailing at 5 p.m. daily and 2 p.m. on Saturday. The monthly report o£ the Mens Employment Bureau in Gliuznee btreet states that during the month forty-nine engagements by employers, and workeis were completed. Eight persons were.assisted by reduction of fares. • neventytwo new applications wera made by workers and thirty-two by employers. A Dominion representative was. informed at .the bureau on Saturday that there, was room for several good -men at freezing works and gasworks. There was some difficulty in finding openings for a number of boys who wished to' engage in farm work. i . .

The body of Alice Murray, who lost her life in a drowning fatality at Devonport on . Thursday, has been recovered, haying been found floating in the water near the spot where the accident occurred. —Press Assn. ■

"The good conduct of the members of the N.Z.E.F. who make use of the club has been a source of great satisfaction, states the annual report of the N.A. soldiers' Club in London. "The appreciation shown by the men is most cheering to the voluntary workers, whose'efforts have been the making, of the club. Though the New Zealander, like the Eng-. lishman, is chary of showing enthusiasm, a large number of men have personallr thanked the ladies in the canteen and the workers in the office, and many grateful and appreciative letters of thanks have been received."

An extraordinary instance •of the lengths to ' which nervousness _ carried some people is reported from the Pahiatua district. A young man boarding with a private famijy at a neighbouring town, says a Pahiatua paper, was affected by the epidemic, and other persons in 'the house, in, order, to protect themselves from possible infection, locked the unfortunate man in his room, where presumably he was to take his; chance. When his position became known, a itoctor and a. nurse obtained access to him by a window. This means of access was continued until the patient. was well enough, when he was moved, by *\'«<y of the window, to the care of ( less nervous neighbours.

,-The trying 'experience of being locked, in a freezing chamber all night fell to the lot of Mr. Andrew.'Blake,. a freezing chamber hand employed in ,thefreezing 'works. The men. were engaged in loading operations, "and about 6.30 p.m. the chamber door was closed, Mr. Blake having, by some oversight, been locked in the freezing chamber. Nothing whatever was known of the matter until about 3.30 a.m., when the, chamber was' opened to continue work, and . the unfortunate man was found in a state of collapse, the ordeal of being nine hours enclosed in a freezing chamber having reduced him to ,a low. state of vitalit). .

The first election of a member of the Federal House of Representatives in Australia under' the system of .preferential voting, brought into operation by very recent legislation, was that for the district of Coringamite. The first count of the voting showed the following result: J. SciUlin (Caucus Labour), 10,693 votes; W. G. Gibson (Farmers' Union). GGO4; Lieu-tenant'-Cclonel G. H. Knox.(Nationalist), 5737: F. E. Coldham (Independent Nationalist), 1174; Captain T. D. Leaper (Soldiers' Political Party), 892. • The second preferences having been aistributed according to the voters directions, the final result was ascertained to be: W. G. Gibson (Farmers' ITnion), 1-1,096; J. Scullin (Caucus Labour), -10, Mi. • Quartermaster-Sergeant• A. G. 'Davidson, writing to his father, Mr P. Davidson, president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, on the day that the armistice. was announced, states thai, amongst the troops the news was received at first with incredulity, but before the dav closed it had. been confirmed beyond doubt. "There wasn't a cheer, hardly a.laugh," lie adds; "but wo looked at each other's, faces and thought of honie." At present fi.M.S. Davidson is on leave in England.

The Education Committee, which has been assisting Mr. J. A. Frostick, Canterbury Commissioner on the National Efficiency Board, in classifying and digesting the mass of evidence given in Christchurch before the inquiry into national education held by the commissioner, as part of the inquiry held through the Dominion, has just completed its work. The board will probably discuss the evidence at' its meeting to bo* held shortly. In matters regarding which export witnesses show a strong divergence of opinion, it is likely that the board will call upon advocates of the divergent opinions to thrash matters out. with the view of agreement being arrived at The Christ-, church "Press" states that the inqtiiry give promise of results that will affect the future welfare of the Dominion. .

For having displayed a red flag at Yarra-bhnk meetings on recent Sundays, two ivoinen, supporters of the Socialist Party, Jennie. Baines, of Brunswick Street, North 1 Fitzro.v, anil Jane' Aarons, of Kerferd Street, Hampton, were each fined £2 in the Melbourne City Court, with j£3 ss. 6d. costs. The case against Jessie Baines was that 'she addressed about 200 neople from the Socialist platform at Ynrra-bank. She asked, her hearers to give "three cheers for the red flag and the coming revolution." Cheers were given, and defendant, vrho>continued to wave a red flag, then took up a collec--Hon to purchase new flags in place of the- flags which had. been confiscated by the police. She also invited numbers of people to attend a'subsequent Sunday gathering, all provided with red flags', so that the police could not arrest nil" who flaunted tho Socialist emblem. For the defence, the woman said filie would not obey the regulations forbidding tho display of' the red flag "whatever the consequences might be." Jfr. E. N. Moore, P.M., ordered defendant to enter into ft recognisance of ,£2O, within seven (lays, that sho nonld not offend Jgaiu, in'default U days' imprisonment. In tho ense of ,Tane Aarons, who exhibited a red flag at a meeting, t.he P.M. ordered lier to enter into a bond of ,SlO, and nbplniii from offending again.

"I cisii now 6ce the approach of what Lord Kitchener declared at tho beginning of the war was his goal before he could bo done with tho Germans," wrote New Zealand's High Commissioner from London in October. "I happened to remark in 1914 that we were all looking to him to guide us to a successful issue. He (hereupon rose, and, drawing himself to liis full height, doubled his fist and said, * Whether the war will last for six months or three years, I will not leave these Germans till I have beaten them down on their bended knees.'" Lord Kitchener did not live to sea tho end, but he helped to mould it.

"Due of our prisoners wlioi recently arrived from Germany," writes the High Commissioner from London, "callcd the other day and stated Hint lie had sent nio a paper containing a Ml page devoted to the British overseas possessions. In largo type there was an account of how Mr. Massey, Sir Joseph' Ward, and Sir Thomas Mackenzie were receiving heavy bribes in order, to keep the war going for the benefit of New Zealand trade."

A memorial service to fallen soldiers, held in St. Matthew's Church, Masterton, on Sunday morning, was largely attended. ;

Considerable interest was evinced in shipping circles in Auckland oil Thursday in. the appearance of a five-masted vessel in the stream, which proved to be the auxiliary schooner Laurel Whclan, outward bound from Sydney to San Francisco, the diversion of her route being necessitated by engine trouble. The vessel, which was taken over in recent years by.a Canadian shipping company, has since met with consistent misfortune. On a former trip, some twelve months ago, she had to put into' Whangorci for repairs. . The "details of lier next" voyage show that she left Vancouyer in April last with 1,153,000 feet of timber; her destination being Adelaide. However, on July 10 she was reported at Sydney, having been compelled to make that port for repairs. She inter discharged her cargo at-Adelaide, sailing from the latter port to Sydney, which she left home-ward bound on November 2. Evidently she" did liot mieet with a favourable passage, as, slio had only completed her journey as' far as Suva, when both crank shafts gave way, and it was decidod to make for Auckland to liav.c the' damage remedied. She was sighted' oft ltangitoto on Thursday morning, and next morning was towed into the harbour. where the necessary, repairs will bo effected. She. carries a general caTgo.

The following communication has been received by Captain Thomas, president of the Auckland branch of the Navy League, from Captain Brisson, chief of the Patrol Division of Provence, in reply to greetings sent from Auckland, the letter bearing the date Marseilles, November 13, illiS:—"By a most happy coincidence. I have received on November 11, the day when the armistice was signed with Germany, greetings that you have done me the. honour to address to, me for the ships of my division, and the wishes you form for a rapid and victorious peace. I rejgice to see that theso good wishes will soon be realised, arid I beg to offer you my deepest gratitude, as well as that ol my division of Patrols of Provence, for the precious, help that, in spite of the enormous' distance which separates you, from the'seat of the war, New Zealand has given to Prance. I join to it my heartfelt and sincere wishes arid those of my Crews and' njy officers'for the New Year, for the prosperity of the Auckland Provincial Navy League,_ and for all its members and their families." ..

The people of Marlborough, says an exchange, are up in arms against the decision of the Minister of Justice taking away from them the privilege of having a local resident Stipendiary Magistrate. Blenheim is one of the old capital towns of the Dominion, and until August 1 last had its own Magistrate. It. is now intended that the Nelson Stipendiary Magistrate shall pay Blenheim. Pictoj'., and Havelock occasional visits. Hcsidents are indignant, and the local Member, Mr. M'Callum, is appealing to Cabinet for redress.

.No bankruptcies occurred in Palmerston North in December, the last registered being in August." During the year 1918 only- two were recorded, while for the previous year the total was 15.

Friday night's gale in Carterton did very considerable damage in the gardens. In the various orchards tlie ground underneath the trees is simply covered with the fruit, some trees being literally stripped. '

Two water policemen, Constables Hooton and Geo. Day, had a narrow escape from) being capsized by a monster shark while the.v were engaged in patrol duty at Little Manly,'near the Sydney Quarantine, recently. Hooton and Day were drifting in their skiff off the gasworks, when they were startled. by a' splash a few yards away from them. Then, they saw . the fin of a shark, which was coming with, a great rush at the skiff. When it got nearer, however, it slowed down and glided alongside the boat, remaining no more than a foot below the surface. The. state that the, shark was 12ft/long. Constabje Hooton jagged the shark .with a scull..lt turned on its back and grew very savage. After nosing round them for a time it got directly under the bow. Here it remained for a while, but-Day in the meantime'had armed himself with the boat-hook. When the shark showed out again he hit it hard, and the monster swam away. This incident happened not more than 200 yards froni the beach,' where quarantine contacts were bathing, . .

Included in the list of Australian winners of the Victoria Cross published recently, was the name of "Sergeant 'Sexton," of the 13tli Battalion (New South Wales). 1 "Sergeant Sexton's"' real namealthough he is thus designated in the official military records—is Sergeant Maurice V. Buckley. He is a son of Mr: and Mis. T. Buckley, .of M'Arthur Street, Malvern, Victoria. <Vnd thereby hangs a tale (says Melbourne "Age"). Sergeant Buckley enlisted in Victoria in December,' 19W. Prior to the date upon which he should have embarked for the front, he was given leave in the .usual way. He went to Sydney for a short holiday, but -inadvertently overstayed his leave, Hrere. The .position caused him anxiety. Bather than return to Melbourne lie enlisted in the 13tli Battalion under .tho name of Sexton.

A conference lias been arranged between the employers, of drivers throughout the Dominion and the New Zealand Drivers' Federation, the purpose of the conference, being to discuss proposals iok a new agreement. The meeting; is to take place on' January 23. A meeting of the i Wellington Drivers' tlnion was held yesterday to discuss .matters to be ■brought before the conference.

The number of deaths .registered in Masterton during last year, says our special correspondent, was 175. as compared with 109 in 'the : previous year. Fifteen deaths of Maoris were registered last month.

'Excitement was the excuse put forward by Mary Burgoyne when charged at the Magistrate's Court on Saturday with having wilfully damaged five panes of glass find a pannikin, of the total value of uls. (fd., the property .of the New Zealand Government. She was also accused of drunkenness and of having broken the conditions of her prohibition order. When'arrested'in Molesworth Street on Friday accused was takon to. the Central Police, Station, wliero sho straightway commenced demolition operations. -_1< irst of all she discarded a goodly quantity of her raiment, and passed it through the porthole in the door of hor cell. .Next sho picked up a tin pannikin which was 'in the cell, and after a little grenadethrowing practice succeeded in destroying the five panes of glass over the cell enhance. 'Recently the accused was before the Court for dmnkenness, and she was then told that she would be sent to a home if she appeared before the Court again. Accordingly, Mr. h. >• Frazer, S.M., .dispatched her to Mount MagdaUi Home, where she will remain for a. period of twelve months. Two properties have been bought recently by the Government in Wairarapa f6r settlement by discharged soldiers. One of tho purchases is from Messrs. Bidwill, an area of 2197 acres, which will be subdivided into about thirty sections. The Minister of Lands (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) says that this is the best dairying land obtained at a reasonable price, and ho anticipates some very successfu. settlement. This area is nearly ready for selection. The other block is Westmere, more than 3000 acres, land ot varied quality, which will be divided into six or eight sections. Iho Minster states that this land was bought at a price which will give the occupiers a good opportunity.

A new shearing record has, says an exchange,, been created by Mr. W. Vella, who established what is claimed to be the world's record last year when Tie. shore at a Tnihape station 339 sheep in nine hours. His new record, which was made a few days ago, was 347 sheep in nino hours. Tho new record was established under tho supervision of the station manager, by whom t'ho time was taken and tho tally checked.

Wellington merchants desire all storekeepers to forward their orders immediately for '(NO. RUBBING" Laundry Help, "GOLDEN RULE" 6oap in fancy cartons, ''GOLDEN RULE' candles, "KEEP SMILING" sandsoap, "WORLDLIFTING" Envelopes, and "THINKER" brand of stationery.—Advt,