LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 98, 20 January 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

' The Chief Postmaeter notifies that the mails which left New 7 Zealand for the United Kingdom on December 1 arrived in London on January 10

Base Records Office advises that Returning Draft No. 205 (Ruabino) has been delayed, and will now reach Auckland between this afternoon linn to-morrow morning.

Largo quantities of inward overseas mails nave reached or are due at AVellington early ' this week. The liner Port Lyttelton, which arrived at Wellington on. Saturday afternoon from London, via Australian ports and Auckland, delivered 2100 hampers of parcels for Wellington and the South Island offices. The Kaitangata on Saturday brought seventy-threo bags from Melbourne; and the Swallow from Sydney also had 250 bags of Australian mail. Tho Moeraki, due at Wellington this afternoon from Sydney, will have more letters, papers, and packages from Australia as will tho Manuka on Wednesday. English and American mails, to the extent of 5000 bags are on board the Moana, an expected arrival on Wednesday from San Francisco.

A black "teddy" bear, not one of ths kind that children delight in, but alive and from the dark forests on the slopes of the American Rocky Mountains, is on board the si«amer Annette Rolph, now in part. The animal, little more than a cub, was captured in the State of Oregon, and is still untamed. It is for tho Wellington Zoological Society, and' is a splendid specimen. The crew of the steamer have christened it "One .Claw," from the fact that it has lost ouo of its claws through a 6ore foot.

- At a special meeting of the Hutt Licensing Committee, held last week, Mr. Lowe, licensee of the Trentham .Hotel, tnade application for a conditional license for the Trentham races. Mr. J. J, M'Grath appeared for the applicant, and Sergeant Bird opposed on behalf of tho police. Sergeant Bird stated that the grounds of objection to issuing a license were that it waa not required, and the conduct of race meetings without the license had greatly improved. Tho proximity of the Trontham Gimp was also a reason why it should not be granted. In the event of the license- being granted, he made tho suggestion that no liquor should be sold for consumption off the premises. In committee, after discussing the various points made, a motion that the application bo declined was supported by Messrs. J. W. M'Ewan, J. Cotton, and W. AVearne. An amendment that the application be granted subject to tho condition tliat men from the military camps in hospital uniform be not supplied with, liquor was voted for by Messrs. W. Cotton, M. Welch, and the chairman, Mr. Riddel!. A tie thus resulted, and Mr. lliddell gave his casting vote in favour of the amendment. Tho application was therefore granted, subject to the condition mentioned,- ' ■ '

A legal point of considerable interest is being raised in connection"with a man who is under arrest in Wellington on a charge of bigamy. The man had a wife in New Zealand when he joined tho forces. While.he was in England he went through a form of marriago with another woman at (j-od-ford:. Tho question' tit issue now is whether or not a charge of bigamy can be laid in this country in respect of an offence committed in England.

Tho Union Steam Ship Company announces that all intending passengers whose nanies have been registered for the Moeraki, sailing from Wellington on Thursday next for Sydney \only, must confirm their bookings before noon tormorrow.

The local fruit markets should have on hand good supplies of most imported .fruits to-morrow and later in the week, The stoppage of Australian supplies through the shipping trouble has cleared many shops of all overseas fruit, and those that have had supplies to draw upon have charged almost prohibitive prices. A shipment of several hundred qaseß of fresh Californian oitruß fruits arrived in Wellington by the steamer Annette Rolph on Saturday. About 809 cases of mixed fruits are on Ijoard the steamer Swallow, which reached Wellington yesterday from Sydney, and bigger supplies will be landed from the Moeraki, due here from Sydney this afternoon, and the Manuka, due on Wednesday. The 14,350 cases of Canadian •Jonathan apples for New Zealand, over-carried by the Makura, will be delivered at Auckland this week.

The "Bluff Press" reports that the men who handled tho cheese loaded into the liner Kent have nearly all become .victims to "cheese" rash, caused apparently by the blue, mould on the cheese getting into the pores of the skin while the men were in a heated condition. The rash is lumpy in oharacter, and rather irritating. This is the first'time such-an experience has befallen the watersidors, but a similar occurrence has been recorded at Wellington, when the men handled cheese that, had been, in store for a long period,

The conference of officers commandiug districts, held in Wellington last week, approved of proposals for reducing military establishments. The reductions will not be large for some time to come, owing to the great n mount of demobilisation work remaining to be done.

Unofficial America has a very warm place in its heart for all its soldiers, and those who were broken in tho war are to be especially well cared for, quite apart from anything the Government may do. According to Captain P. C. Rasmussen, of the steamer Annette Rolph, which arrived in port on Saturday from Sau Francjsco, voluntary subscriptions to American funds for the help of wounded and sick soldiers and sailors have already totalled over £2,083,333. This money is to be allotted to the men according to their .physical , ability to earn for themselves. To prevent tho donations from possibly being spent in the saloons, Captain Jlasmussen says that payments are not to be made until after July 1 of this year, when the whole country will be under Prohibition.

Three boys were charged before Mr. I l '. V. Frazer, S.M., at tho Juvenile Court on Saturday with having discharged a firearm to the danger of Klsie Burko, at Mount Plorisant, on Christmas Day. It appeared that a pellet passed close to Miss head, :md that a window was smashed. The boys said they were firing at a target. Hia Worship pointed out the danger of firing pea-riftes or air-guns in tho city. It was njso an offence against tho by-laws, ho said. Each of the boys was ordered to pay 7s. lQd. costs;

At a committee meeting of the Hutt Valley Horticultural Society on Friday evening it was decided to extend the autumn show over two days, in place of onp as originally fixed, and to offer, in addition to the schedule prizes, two points prizes of £3 3s. and £1 Is. for cut blooms in the chrysanthemum classes. It is hoped by this means to attract more thnn the usual number of exhibitors, and to make the show; as attractive and interesting as possible to both visitors and exhibitors.

The proceedings at tho Magistrate's Court on Saturday were preeided over by Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M. A young nian named Albert Edward Ellerm pleaded guilty to stealing a dozen eggs and lib. of ham, valued at 45., the property of George Goorge. Act-ing-Sub4nspector Emerson said that defendant was employed as a cook by George, who noticed that in the mornings he was in the habit of coming to work with an unlocked handbag. At night-time when he left the premises the bag was locked, and was pretty heavy. .On Friday evening George decided to ask Ellerm to open tlio bag. Defendant complied with the request, and then made a clean 1-reast ot the whole affair. A fine of £5 was imposed. ■ For insobriety, Mary Patterson and Willinm Woods were each comicted and discharged, but for freaking the conditions of their prohibition orders they wero each fined £'2, in default seven days' imprisonment.

At the first sound of the American war call considerable numbers of young Americans hurried to the largo coast ports and sought work in all capacities —engineers, seamen, firemen, cooks, stewards—on ships. America's quickly expanding mercantile fleet found work for them, and in this way many were not passed for tho drafts, tha nature of their work being considered of national importance. Since the signing of the armistice, said Captain P. C. Rasmussen, of the American steamer Annette Rolpli, they are fast leaving their ships for their pre-war occupations, and a shortage of crews is occurring. The men, Captain R'asmussen added, were not of a type who would ever become accustomed to the hard life at sea, and their absence, while inconvenient at tho time, was of no loss to the American mercantile marine.

The Union Company's Maori returned to Wellington yesterday morning from Lyttelton, and is to sail at tho usual hour to-night for Lyitelton. The Mararoa will leave Lyttelton to-night for Wellington, providing ft regular crew can be engaged.

To-day the members of the French Mission will be entertained by the commercial'travellers of the city at luncheon, and 1 will give addresses to the members of the association aftoi the luncheon.

The Wairarapa ' Hydro-Electric Investigation Committee, says our special correspondent, decided on Saturday to disband, and . to place the reports and information it has prepared before tho local bodies, with a view to the formation 'of a hydro-eleotrio power district. The proposal to instal a local .system is being enthusjactically taken up, and it hoped that it will bo completed lons before tho Mangahao scheme proposed by tho Government.

' An echo of the epidemic was heard in the Juvenile Court on Saturday morning, when application was made that two brothers, aged ten years and eight years respectively, should be committed to the Wellington Receiving Home. Sergeant Wade statod that their parents had died during the epidemic. Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., grantod tho application.

Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., has given notice of his intention to movo at Thursday's .meeting of. tho Harbour Board:—"(1) That the Harbour Board, while assisting generally in the forthcoming peace celebrations in Wollington, authorises the executive to erect a suitable arch worthy of "the great occasion. (2) That tho Government bp asked to pass tho necessary legislation validating any expenditure incurred by the board in this connection." '

Mr. C. W. Batten, president of tho Now Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, has been appointed repatriation officer for the Wellington military area (Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Tarannki provinces, and part of the Gisborno district). Before Mr. Batten becamo a soldier he was an importer on his own account. Ho enlisted early in tho war, and fought with , the Main Body at Gallipoli.' "in 1916 ho was discharged. He was one of .the founders of the New Zealand Association, and was iirst secretary of the body. In the middle of 1917 ho resigned from thlft position, and joined tho staff of Messrs. Levin and Co. Hβ remained a member of the executive of the association, and continued to tako a keen interest in everything that concerned the welfare of returned men. He was elected president in 1917 and president tliis year also. Ho was tho first honorary editor of "Quick March," the official organ of the N.Z.R.S.A.

The theft of a single-barrol gun, an alarm clock, safety razor, and a set of dumbelhs, valued at £4, the property of Georgo Winder, was admitted by a tifteen-year-old boy at the Juvenilf Courti'on Saturday. It appeared that the accused stole the articles when 'leaving Mr. Winder's employ. . Ho expressed regret for his action. The Court received a letter from Canon Taylor, stating that he was prepared to exercise 'supervision over the lad. The juvenile probation officer, Mr. Dineen, said that .with the exception of this lapse tho boy's behaviour had been quite satisfactory. Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., adjourned the case for a year, tho boy to be kept under tho surveillance of Mr. Dineen' and Canon Taylor in the meantime. Another boy, aged 15, was also charged with stealing a .Post Office Bank box, valued at 2s. 6d., also a sum of £18, belonging to Jane O'Neill. The whole of tho money was recovered. The caso was adjourned for two years, one of tho conditions being that the boy should remain in the care of his. brother at Hawera for twelve months.

Councillor Veitch has given, notice that at the next meeting of the City Council ho will move: "That, in tho opinion of. this council, the.time has arrived for further consideration of the question of establishing a fireboard for the city of Wellington, as against the present system of municipal control of the fire brigade, and that to this end a, special committee be appointed to consider the whole question and report to the council at the earliest opportunity, in order that, should it bo necessary to consult tho ratepayers, a poll may be taken at tho forthcoming municipal election.

•"Raising Democrats" was the subject of a lecture given in the Alexandra Hall last night, under the auspices of tho Social Democratic Party, by Mr. W. D. Bailey. The lecturor said ho did not believe that it was the function of n public school to inculcate political theories into tho minds of pupils. The children ought not to bo taught politics of any kind in the schools. But every child at school should be taught tho facts about land tenure, methods of Government, and so forth, in order that the voters of the future might be able to think and act with sound knowledge to guide tjiem. Mr, Bayloy explained how ho thought tho necessary lessons could be given.

There was a large attendance of the public at Newtown Park yesterday afternoon to hoar the Patriotic Society's Band. The programme arranged by Mr. Jupp, sonr., was a varied one, tho grand selection being "Goms of Sullivan" (Ord Hume). Tho band has recently secured several ex-T.ren.tb.am bandsmen.

A remarkable story of how a soldier evaded his military obligations is narrated by a correspondent of a southern newspaper. When the Eighteenth Reinforcement was about to sail, the writer states, one of the troops, who had proceeded on board in the ueual manner, answered the embarkation roll call, then made his' way to the stokehold, where he hid his identity and commenced work with the stokehold crew. As a stokehold hand i he proceeded to England. Ho remained on board until tho troops had disembarked, and eventually came back to New Zealand on the transport, still working in tho stokehold. He remained with the vessel until tho Thirty-fourth Reinforcements were about to sail, when he was arrosted by the police and dealt with as a deserter.

Edward Joseph Fay, a world notorious crook and bank robbej;, known as "Eddie Fay," was found shot to death in an alley in Chicago on November o. There was a bullet wound in bis bead just above the right ear. The police lielievo lie was slain by a member of his own gang, following an argument over the division of loot. Fay's career of crime can bo traced to nearly all parts of Europe. He became internationally known 15 years ago, when he was arrested in Paris with "Eddie" Giierin, also of Chicago, for robbery of a Paris bank. They were sentenced to Dovil's Island, a French prison surrounded by cliffs, and Fay later escaped. Hβ was the first criminal to make a successful break for freedom from that prison. Tho American police estimate that Fay had stolen more than £400,000 from banks throughout the country.

A well-attended meeting of the executive of the Red Cross "Our Day" Appeal Committee was held last Thursday evening, Mr. T. Young presiding. Th* report showed that the sum of £4785 had been raised, of which £1744 was ■obtained from tho sale of flags and badges, the balance being donations'. The result was regarded as very creditable, in view of .the, fact that a great many donations had already been mad* direct to the Copper Trail. The audited statement of receipts and payments in connection with the fund is published 'elsewhere in our columns.