LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 103, 25 January 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Base Records advise that returning draft 210 (s.s. Wiltshire), previously due' at Wellington 011 or about January '215, hits not yet reached Australia, therefore the date of arrival is uncertain.

The desire of the Government that soldiers should return to the conditions of civil .life as soon as possible was mentioned by the Hon. G. W. Russell when presenting the Plunket Shield to the Canterbury representative eleven at tho Basin Reserve yesterday. Mr. Russell referred to the fact that the Wellington team contained three returned soldiers—J. W. Condliffe, W. Baker, and H. M. M'Girr. Of tho Canterbury team, L. ft. Bnmton and D. M'Beth had also "done their bit." "What the Government wishes," said Mr. Russell, "is that our soldiers shall, as rapidly ■as they are able and as soon as their health permits, get back lo their old occupations and their old sport, and regard the war as something that lias passed."

Supplies of ball-bearings were practioally unobtainable from Great Britain during tho war period, and Wv.ro consequently obtained from America and Sweden. Now, howover, i.ccording to advice received at tho oifices of lI.Mi Trade Commissioner in, Wellington, Uncapacity of British ball-bearing factories is likely to bo sufficient to make availablo quantities for export. Tho Ministry of Munitions consequently suggests that importers be encouraged to' place their orders for ball-bearings in Great -Britain. The Commissioner has at his office a list of tho'British riiariufacturers 1 names; 1 ''

Tho Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen) 'was asked by a member of a deputation in Danncvirice whether provision had been inside in the repatriation scheme to put into business men who had not been in business prior to going away. Tho Minister said he did not quite know what the policy was in this respect. The original policy was to deal only with the man who had been in business, and put him back. He would, bp glad to have tho point discussed, and when the board came to a conclusion on it he would let tlieni know.

About 11 a.m. yesterday a motorcar, owned and driven by Mr. — Reeves, was coming out of a right-of-way in Kent Terrace, and was w'heeling into the road, when it was struck by car 31, bound for Newtown. The-only' damage done was sustained by the forewheels of the motor-car, which received a pretty severe impact. It appears that on seeing the tram approach Mr. Reeves attempted to reverse, but did not succeed in accomplisning the manoeuvre in time to prevent a collision.

Not infrequently' ill . sumo . Government Departments "the personal touch" serves to brighten ii pago in an otherwise dreary file of office correspondence. The Financial Assistance Board recently discovered that ah applicant having among his given names that of Beethoven had failed to' use it in a certain document where the full name was required. This rendered tho document informal; and the-board wrote t 0 Beethoven asking him to repair the omission. The applicant evidently thought tho occasion called for a personal explanation, and this is what he wrote: "It was all error oil lny part. My father, once a composer'of pianoforte music, in addition to being everything in connection with music _• and : musical instruments, gave me this additional name although I can t play n noto of mii'sic, aiid as I very seldom use it in my signatures, at times I forget I possess it."

According to tho "Board, of Trade Journal" For December, the .schedule fixing the new whojesale. prices. for spirit, kerosene, gas oil, and fuel oil in Great Britain reduced the price of all grades of spirit and kerosene by 2d. per, gallon.

Compliments were showered upon Councillor Norwood, "Chairman. of the Spccial Milk Committee of the City Council, at tho meeting of the council last night. The -Mayor: was the first to congratulate Mr. Norwood on the shccess of the enterprise.-. Councillor Wright also added: his congratulations, saying that as a member .of the committee ho could assert that most of tho credit for tho success.of the enterprise was duo to tho - chairman, - who had brought to bear upon the problems keen business acumen.

The December number of the "Board of Trade Journal," recently to hand from London; states that the Coal Controller in Britain has issued figures which show a further serious falling off —nearly 16i million tons, or about 8.4per cent.—in the estimated output of coal during the; first-forty weeks of 1918 compared witli tho output during the corresponding period of 1917. Since the end of March the stocks of coal held at the mines and in tracks had, in December, been reduced to the extent of approximately 1J million tons.

Tho City Council last evening cancelled a youth's certificate of competency to drive motor vehicles in view, of evidence tendered to the By-laws Committee to prove that he was a danger to. traffic.

Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., held nn inquest yesterday morning into, the 'cause of death of James Cocker, a single man 55 years of age, who was for sorno time , employed as a tally clerk, and who was found dead in bed at his residence, 224 Cuba Street, on Thursday morning. Edward Collins, who had shared a room with deceased, said that Cocker did not enjoy good health. He retired to bed about 8 p.m.'' on Wednesday, but When witness awoke' a little after midnight Cocker was dead. The post-mortem examination disclosed tlio fact that death was due to the rupture of an aneurism into the right pleural cavity, and the Coroner found m accordance with tho medical evidence.

A number of improvements and_ road repairs of a minbr character in Wadestown wore authorised by the City Council last night. ■ The improvements and repairs will be in Main Road West, Pitt Street, and Wade Street Intersection, Wade Street East (lighting), Main Road (fencing), Pitt Street pathway, Wade Street Extension West-, reinstatement of Wade Street zigzag. It was also decided that the officers of the council be instructed to take steps to have the Main Wadestown Eoad from Marquis Street West to Black Bridge declared 100 links wide.

A story is told of a Wellington motorist whose car consumed twelve -cases of petrol between the city and Palmerston North. The nonplussed motorist could not fathom the mystery, surrounding his car's voracious thirst until a mechanic at Palmerston discovered a crack in'the feed pipe. This will probably stand as the record expensive trip ever made by a motorist on the road. Petrol is now being retailed at 245. per case. The City Council/decided lasii night on the recommendation of the By-laws Committee"That the Government, through the Minister of Internal Affairs, be approached with the view of -bringing down a regulation to prohibit the sale of fireworks under the same restrictions as apply to tile sale of. firearms and munitions."

An encroachment of wind-blown: sand at Island Bay is menacing some property'close to the foreshore.- The City Engineer reported to the council lust night that the encroachment could be stopped by a sea-wall like that at Oriental Bay, but the expense of this undertaking would be too costly to be dono out of reyenue. A loan was considered by the Outlying Districts: Committee to- be out of tlio question. In the meantime it is proposed' to erect a brushwood fence on the seaward side of the road to check the nuisance.

In dealing with the matter of overcharges made by Wellington taxiowners and drivers, tho' By-laws Committee of tho City Council last evening submitted to the council tho following recommendation: —"That .1 circularise forwarded to each taxicab proprietor awl-driver, stating:. That complaints regarding overcharging of hirers are becoming more numerous; that the committee have determined that the mere dealing,with licenses lias not checkod the evil; that all futuro cases reported will he brought before the Magistrate's Court quite apart from the license question: that the new scale is going to give tho taxicab people, fair and adequate remuneration for their work; and that the committee will not hesitate to take drastic ac--t.inn to prevent the public and from being imnosed upon." The council adopted I lie recommendation, and a further one urging that mi futrre fix; licenses of. drivers of vehicles til.ving for hire be endorsed for all offences proved against them.

A plea for bettor tram eomimma-a----t-ion witli Island Bay was made by Councillor Luekie at the City Council mooting last night. He said that there were long lengths of single track 011 the route without even a loop, and trams wero often held up for long times, especially <111 Saturday afternoons. lie' hoped the council would duplicate the track before any new lines wero laid. The Mayor said that the council simply could not get rails, and rails were needed for renewals. Miles of renewals would have lo bo made at once. The council had had ill mind for a long time the case of- the Island Bay track ' and' tlie need for improvement of- it".

The condition of the medical orderly 'named James Diamond, who was pickoil lip close to the railway" line at Belmont on Thursday morning, and admitted to the Victoria Hospital suffering from injuries to the head, was reported last night to be still serious.

A somewhat pessimistic view of the position- of the-city tramways was taken by Councillor Barber at the meeting of the City .Council last night. He: pointed to the falling off in traffic and revenue during the month of December —one of the epidemic months—and declared that it was not duo to the epidemic, but to the- breaking up of the camps. He professed grave concern for the future. The Mayor replied tiiat in spite ot" the breaking up of the .camps the traffic and revenue .had increased in. the past two .weeks. ■ as compared with the corresponding two' weeks of last year, .and the weather in .the past two weeks had certainly not.been good.

' A peculiar case is reported iir Masterton, says our special correspondent. An employee of the Waingawa-works, who lives in tho vicinity, was missed for a day. He, was found in his bed in a dead- sleep, from' whiclv lie- could not be aroused. A doctor ordered the man's removal to the hospital. After sleeping for sixty hours,' lie awakened' in an almost normal condition.

.. The City Council ! agreed last'iiiglit. with the suggestion of the Miiiistcrof Internal Affairs that members of His Majesty's Army and Naval Forces who die in New Zealand, other'than Ne\V Zealand soldiers and sailors, he interred in the ' memorial' burial plot in the -Karon' Cemetery; subject 'to tlie'satue 'conditions'respecting the uniform type of headstone • applying to' these men as well as to the New Zealand men.-. '• ' < ■

The bat donated -by. Mr. 'C. R. Smith, a vice-president of tho Wellington Cricket Association, to be presented to 'the player who made the highfist aggregate , in the Plunket Shield match, was won by W, Patrick, captain of the Canterbury team, who compiled a total of 130 runs—43 in the first innings and 87, not out, in tho second.

At last night's meeting of the Oity Council Councillor Hildroth raised the question' of rats, and spoke of tbo menace presented to the community by the existence of great numbers of rats in the city. Ho mentioned rat's that hp had seen in a place in Willis Street —four in one room—bold "rats that did not withdraw upon his intrusion. Some councillors were 'inclined l to .'be' -r.ather amused by Councillor Hildreth's le*. marks, but .the Mayor agreed that unless something was done :he position might become serious.

A peculiar incident occurred at the Hon, W. D. S. Mac Donald's farm at Whakawhitirau, ■ Matawhero, on Mon-day-last. When the reaper and .binder was at work on one of the experimental wheat areas-the driver noticeda hawk's nest with two young birds in it. The machine was .then almost, over the nest, and as soon, as it had-been passed the driver went back. Only one bird,.and that, fulty fledged, could be discovered. A search, for.- other proved .unavailing, .and the' driver, under the apprehension that he was mistaken in thinking there were two, resumed his work. Oil the following day, however, one of. the harvest hands in stooking the sheaves felt something move inside, and the missing bird ivas discovered, having been raised by the elevator-and then tied up in the sheaf for fully twenty-four hours. As tho hawk is a pest of the fanner both birds came to an untimely end.

''The Citj?."Council; agreed Inst night to remove'the embargo on people visiting the Wamuiand Karori waterworks ■reserves; ■' :-' ' 11 ■ :

"A meeting of citizens will be held in His ' Majesty's Theatre' to-morrow (Sunday) evening, when addresses on the new aspects -of the liquor question will be delivered by .Mr. D. M. Find■lay, president of the New Zealand 'Moderate' League, ahd'Mr._"R. A', Ahnstrong, the secretary. This will an opportunity for .those interested, in' public questions-to' hehr at'lirst'-rhniid the moderate viewpoint in .connection with the special piill to be held in April. .