LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 94, 15 January 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The North Island portion of returning draft No. 204, which arrived at. ii Southern port on Sunday, reached Wellington yesterday morning by the ferry steamer." Th& Mayor (Mr. J. I'. Luke) was present and welcomed the troops home, and the Volunteer Motor Corps saw to their quick arrival at their places of residence. Advice has been received from Trentham Military Camp by the Base Records Office that 90402 Private Frederick Beach died at the Military Hospital there on January 10, from ompyima and heart failure. Deceased was 59 years of ago and married, his next-of-kin being his wife, Mrs. Frederick Beach, care of O. H. Trigg, Grey Street, Hamilton. A. conference of officers commanding districts was held in Wellington, yesterday, the Commandant of the Forces (Major-General Sir Alfred Robin) attending. Matters connected with the work of the districts were discussed. It is announced tftat Returning Draft of Soldiers No. 205 will arrive at Auckland by the Ruahme on or about January 18. Tlie Telegraph office advise that owing' to interruption of main lino cable's via Eastern all full-rato traffic for the United Kingdom is to be diverted for the present to the Pacific route. Traffic for the United Kingdom at deferred rate may be accepted "via Eastern." subject to posting from Gibraltar. The delay will probably be from six to eight days. The condition of the youth. Stanley Godfrey, who was admitted to the Hospital on Sunday, suffering from a wound in the back as the result of a shooting accident near Plimmerton, is reported to be still serious. You Fu, a Chinese, who sustained concussion through his bicycle colliding with a fence in Webb Street on Sunday afternoon, has now regained consciousness, and lie is making satisfactory progress towards recovery. A recent visitor to Plimmerton draws attention to the historic value and. interest of the pile of masonry in the vicinity of that place, which may be seen from the passing train. About sixty years ago the spot was occupied by the redoubtable Rauparaha and his 700 warriors, who were the terror of that period. The chief, being a R'angatira, did not sleep within the palisades, but occupied his own place apart from the men, thus preserving his mana. This fact was communicated to Sir George Grey, who in broad daylight sailed his little warship northward past the mouth of the harbour and deceived Rauparaha, who exclaimed with satisfaction that Wellington was now unprotected and would be taken by him next night. Sir George put back in the darkness, landed in a boat with six men and a Maori spy as a guide, crept to Rauparnha's whare, and. throwing' a sack over his head, carried hiai aboard. All would then have been well, but following the. conciliatory policy of Sir George, this desperate criminal was released in a few months, only to increase his depredations. The 'ruined building now to be seen on the flat is the remains of the redoubt afterwards built and occupied by the 65ths. It should be preserved by the Government, or, failing that, by .the people of Plimmerton in the interest of their little town (suggests the Manawatu "Daily Times"). Many would visit it if they knew its full history.

A breach of the Wellington grocers assistants' award was responsible for D. L. Cragg, grocer, of Lyall Bay, being proceeded against by the _ Inspector of Awards (Mr. K. T. Bai ey) at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr. Bailey stated that under the provisions of the award only one assistant was allowed to three seniors, but defendant had employed two juniors to one senior. A penalty of £1, with 4s. costs, was imposed by Mr. \\. G. Riddel!. S.M. '

Mr. H. A..Parkinson moved at yesterday's session of the New Zealand Educational Institute that the executive should be empowered to complete the amalgamation of tho Technical School Teachers' Association with tlie institute. Spenking to the motion, he expressed the hopo that further amalgamations would in the future make the institute what it had always aimed at being—a body representative of the teaching profession as a whole. At present it stood officially only for the primary school teachers, and it was desirable that it should be broadened in its scope.

A r ot the briefest-of "personal explanations" were made by several members of the New Zealand Educational Institute at its morning session yesterday. The apparent necessity for explanations arose out of a request by Mr. F. L. Combs, M.A., for an assuranco that the executive, in bringing about amalgamation with the Technical School Teachers' Association, would be strictly bound by the wishes of the institute. Mr. H. A. Parkinson indicated that he saw in this _ request one of a series of implications by which, since the first day of the conference, Mr. Combs and others had thrown suspicion upon the executive. Mr. J.-C. Webb rose and supplemented Mr. Parkinson's remarks by saying, inter alia, that tho executivo was growing restive under the sort of criticism directed at it from certain quarters. Mr. Combs, when Mr. Webb was finished, was immediately anxious to know whether all the things said by Mr Parkinson and Mr. Webb had reference to him. If so,, he. "wanted to make a personal explanation. He had always been an open opponent of many things which .the executive supported, but he had nothing to do with underhand suspicions. The chairman intervened with the object of shortening the debate and allowing the institute to get on with the business of the day. Then several members rose and strolled out of the room, on the understanding that the chairman would ring the bell when ordinary business came uppermost 'once more. It was not long before the hell was tinkled.

The Mayor of Masterton (Mr. J. M. Coradine),''wlio has just returned from a trip to Australia, stated to a Wairarapa "Age" representative, that there was something in the air in the Commonwealth "which betokened trouble. One did not bear it spoken of at public meetings or in the press, but ono could feel it In the Atmosphere.

The Rev. E. I'algrave Davy bold his mission for young children at Lyall Ray yesterdav afternoon, and a large numher of children enjoyed themseles in the games provided by tlu Rev. Mr. Davy. Prizes'* were given by the rev. gentleman for the .best models made of sand on the beach. The names of tho prize-winners are as under:—Children over ten years—Eric Aitcheson. 1; Cecil Murine, 2. Junior class—Edna Earen., 1 • Joyce Peacock, 2. Mr. J. Walker, manager of Wellington Club, ably assisted''in the" judging of the events. The mission will continue until January 20.

During the war coalmining was an essential industry, and men so employed were exempt from military service The war is over, and the necessity for working in the coal mines does not remain, says the tireymonth "Star." The consequence is that many have, left the State wines and gone to other parts of the Dominion..

Special value in Men's Shoes. TTp-t0,1:,1p ,1:,1 p shopes. Black Glnce Kid, 255., 305.; Black Box Calf, 325. (id., SSs. 61 j Tan, 335. 6d.; Tan Brojoie Shoes, SSs. 6rl. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd.-Advt.

Details of new regulations regarding tho entry of foreigners into,tho Netherlands have been received by. Mr. Morris Copeland, Vice-Consul for the Netherlands, from tho Consul-General, Melbourne. Those regulations, which do not apply to members of tho Hrilisli Army, provide that any foreigners arriving in the Netherlands must appear personally within 21 hours before the Chief of Police of the municipality in which thoy arrive, and must' nitify immediately any subsequent chango of address. Giving his own personal opinion of the reason for the new regulation, Mr. Copeland said that doubtless it was made for tho purposo of controlling Bolsheviks who might enter tho country.

In connection with the delay in the Government relief to be afforded to epidemic widows and other dependants, Mr. George Witty, M.P., has telegraphed as follows to the Minister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell):"Widows | and other dependants of those who died through tho epidemic aro constantly inquiring when the relief promised to necessitous cases by tho Government is to take effect. It seems strange that,' after Parliament passing a large sum of money for relief purposes, the Government should be so callous as to allow those who have already suffered so much by the loss of their breadwinners, to still further suffer through the inattention of those whose first caro should be to relieve distress. Why not forward money to local authorities, and let them deal with urgent cases?"

■A remarkable instance of fidelity in circumstances where it might not have been expected is recorded by the "Samoa Times." Faasou, a Samoan police messenger, was dispatched from the Courthouse, accompanied by a certain prisoner who was serving his sentence on'a conviction for threateuing to shoot another Samoan. On their way over the mountains both became ill with influenza, and it was with difficulty that they were able to, reach Aufaga, where Faasou's relatives lived. There Faasou died. His companion was also very sick and unable to move about for several days, but as soon as he was able he returned to Apia, where he arrived twelve days from the date of his departure, bringing with him some official reports, together with the uniform of the dead messenger. The man had some three months of his term of imprisonment still to servo,- but the Commissioner of Police has recommended his release, and he will then be offered a post as messenger in the Department.

The "Southland Times" states that a sign of the lateness of this summer season is the fact, noticeable particularly along the Bluff-Invercargill Road, that the manuka is only now out in full bloom.

There are signs of a recurrence of influenza in a mild form in Nelson, says an exchange, but it is not anticipated, owing to the season.of the year, that there will be a second wave of the diseasein its virulent form.

"These grounds are a bad proposition as far as our finances go,", was the remark of the secretary of the Wellington, Cricket Association, at its meeting last evening. In explanation he stated that the association was charged 15s. each week per wicket for wicketß prepared on Anderson and Kelbum Parks, and the association only collected lis'; from the team playing, and then only when a match was played. For December the, association was paying £11 ss. for wickets on these two grounds, and it was doubted whether tho association would receive £4 from the teams as ground fees. This was mainly duo, to the wet Saturdays. Tbo fee of 15s. for third-class matches was considered excessive. It was admitted that the wickets were well prepared. It was decided to wait on the City Council, and request a refund.

In speaking to ah amendment to the executive's proposals on tho question of; salaries at the 'New Zealand Educational Conference yesterday, Mr. R. J. Foss (Paliiatua) stated that lie was reminded of the comments of an unfortunate' Queen of England when the question of her marriage was exercising the minds of her people. "Wo have heard much of tho inconunodities which might attend our marriage," she said; "we have heard little of the commodities thereof, one of which is of some weight with us, that, namely, of ouiv private inclination." Paraphrasing this,' Mr. Foss said that the assembly had heard much of the disadvantages vijhich might attend (flio adoption of the clause; tha representatives had heard little of the advantages thereof, one of which was of some weight with them, that, namely, : of practicality.

There was a- full attendance of members at the meeting of the Johnsoiiville Town Board, held last night, when the chairman (Mr. P. T. Moore) moved a resolution to submit to the ratepayers of the district proposals to raise. £3000 for tho_ gravitation water supply scheme, in lieu of the existing system, and £10,000 for th« erection of twenty workers' homes on land owned by the board. Both resolutions were carried, only one memlyr objecting to the building proposal.

The New Zealand Natives Association Band will play at the Basin Reserve at 8 o'clock to-night.