LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 106, 29 January 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities state that the Malta brought no mails from Egypt and Palestine. In the course of his remarks at the meeting in the Returned Soldiers' Club yesterdny, the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) regretted the delay that so frequently occurred over the landing of troops when they arrived back in New Zealand. He instanced the Malta, and said it was inconceivable that it should have taken the health authorities so long to de.cide whether or not it was necessary to quarantine the troops. It was a very unsatisfactory state of affairs,' both for the men themselves and for their -elatives .and friends who had come to lmiet them. Two cases of scarlet fever existing in the borough were reported to the Petone Borough Council on Monday evening by the District Health Officer. ' Lieutenant Max Juriss, of Wellington, who aa an officer of the London Regiment was taken prisoner over two years ago, has been repatriated. Recently he was decorated by the King with the Military Cross for conspicuous bravery in the action in which he wns taken prisoner. Lieutenant Juries tells many stories of Hun brutality to prisoners. On one occasion a small towel blew oft the window ledge of a hut in which some British officers were con6ned, and one .of them went out to recover it. The sentry, only eight paces away, fired at the officer from the hip, and by a miracle missed his ninn, who promptly retired to the hut. The German sentry was congratulated by his commanding officer for his prompt action. A sensational struggle with a shark occurred off the Newcastle beach on January 17, when one of the monsters, measuring between 12ft. and 14ft., swam to within twenty ya'rds of the dry snnd on Newcastle beach, and in three feet of water, among a crowd of about four hundred surfers, attacked and seriously injured a bather, Douglas Arkell, aged 19 years. As Arkell was entering the surf one of his companions pointed to an'object lying on the sand in Hie water juet in front of them, and said, "Look out, there's a ehai-k." Arkell and the others laughed, anil then dived. A secqnd later Arkell rose to tho surface struggling violently and calling out for help. Thinking he was joking, his mates paid no heed, but later, seeing that he was plunging in bloodstained water, they rushed to his assistance. The first to reach him was Hnrold Bay,o returned soldier and the holder of a Military Medal. With three others Bay fought'the sbnrk, and nfter a struggle succeeded iu tearing the unfortunate swimmer from the monster's jaws. It made another snap and then swani away. Arkell was at once removed to the Newcastle Hospital, where on admission it was found that his left leg was practically torn away from, the knee, and had to be amputated' above the knee. His left arm wns deeply lacerated, the flesh being laid bare to the bone, and upon his body were inflicted deep lacerations, irkell is the captain of the Newcastle Surf Club and holder of its champion6hip. He was a strong and fearless swimmer, and has the record of Laving performed the greatest number of u-s----cues on the beach during the season. The news of the armistice was sourly received by the German residents of Samoa. Some of the bottcr-cjass settlers were so convinced of the invulnerability of the Kaiser that they absolutely declined to believe tho news; With the German armies well into the heart of R-ance the thought of a German surrender seemed to them utterly ridiculous. The New Zealand officers simply replied: "Wait and see." One of the leading , settlers, a planter, when told the news, said: "Bah! You can never boat the Germans. The Kaiser will win, and he will boss the world. I don t believe your news!" And after formally ; reporting himself, he went away scowlin". In another instance a Gorman, ou being told the news, was seized with an agony of rage, to appear winch lie was informed that there were a million and a half -of Allied troops already on garrison duty in Berlin, which • turned the Hun's rage into a violent flood of tears, ititnrspprsed with Ach, '.Himmol!" and incomprehensible cries of, emotional agony in German. The Christchurch City Council had another long discussion on Monday night regarding proportional representation, savs a Press Association telegram. A deputation favourable to this ot 'election waited on the council. Subsequently a motion to revert, to tho ward system in the event of the proportional representation being resi-i'ided wor lost on the casting vote of the Mayor, and the main motion to confirm the resolution rescinding proportional representation was carried by ten votes to seven. The meeting closed at 1.35 a.m. The first mcctiiis of the Wellington Education Board this year is to bo held this morning. Mr A. E AVhyte. U.S. Consul in Wellington, has received the follon-ing cabled advice from the Department nf Stn]». Wnsliir.i'ton:— "Aiwrieuii Consular officers are now authorised to certify to invoice without import license numbers for all coii'inodities shipped from Now Zealand. Commerce can therefore.go on between New Zcaliuid mul the United. Stales as before the war." The iinmrAl conference of the men's Association is to open in AVcllington to-day. The delegates will bo given a civic reception, and the conference will bo opened by the Hon. W. D. S. MacJJomild, Minister of Agriculture. The conference will sit to-day and to-mor-row, and on liViday rim delegates will be taken to WaJnui-o-uuta.

An aeicdent hajiepned at Ngahauranga yesterday morning to Mr. Charles Hall, of Jubilee lioad, lChaudallah, who has been employed i'or many yeare by tho Wellington Meat Export Company. Mr. Hall slipped at (he top of an embankment, anil fell.a distance of sixteen feet, striking his head on a concrete culvert. His injuries were at first regarded as very severe, mid he was taken at once to the Thoradoii Private Hospital, where I he was attended to by Dr. Henry. | A lute arrival will be made at Wellington this morning by the Maori from Lytlelton as she is coming up under reduced steam on account of her stokehold complement being under full strength. The firemen and seamen on the Government mine-sweeper Tutanekai are paid higher wages than those paid in tho coastal service, but have nevertheless raised an objection to sailing under the conditions offered. The men joined the vessel last week at the rates offered, but they now consider them to be insufficient for the nature of the .lvork, and have deolnred their unwillingness to sail without a substantial increase in pay. As no settlement is in sight, it is unlikely that the Tutanekai will be able to commonce mine-sweeping operations for some time. In the Supreme Court yesterday, before His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout), a young girl, 20 years of age, who pleaded guilty to opening postal packets while" acting-postmistress at a country office, caruo nn for sentence. 'Mr. M. V. Luckie. who appeared for the girl, explained that there hud been no suggestion of dishonesty or any desire to do anyone any harm. The postal packets were opened, bnt the contents were left untouched. He produced a letter from a medical man, in -which it was stated that the girl, who had suffered n. severe attack of influenza, must at the time of committing the offence have been suffering from mental aberration. He suggested that t.he ensr, was one for the utmost leniency. His Honour said he reegonlsed that, this was not an ordinary.case, that thero was no attempt made to steal. He believed the doctor was right in his <itate.ment that she was'ill and not accountable for her action. The Crown had been put to expense, however, and this must be recovered; he would, therefore, impose a fine of «£lO. An inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of the youth Stanley Godfrey, 19 years of age, who died in the- Wellington Hospital on January 25 as a result of a gunshot wound received on January 12, whilst rnbbit-sliooting at Plimmercon, was held by Mr. W. G. Biddell, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. Evidence was given to- the effect that the deceased , , in company with his brother and-a friend, had b?en-shooting rabbits, when, owing to a defect in the breech of a gun, it went off accidentally, A verdict was returned to the effect that the deceased was accidentally killed through a gunshot wound. A conference between the employers of drivers all over the Dominion and representatives of the New Zealand Drivers' Federation concluded last week without any settlement of the dispute having been Teßehed. As stated at the time, the employers, after the conference, forwarded a written offer to tlie federation. On inquiring as to the fate of the employers' ■written proposals, a Dominion representative was yesterday informed by Mr. W. Pryor that the drivers had rejected them. The necessity for strict supervision of Britain's coal supplies during the war period has led to some rather curious , dispositions by the authorities. A British "Boßld of Trade Journal" just to hand sets forth an arrangement that is thoroughly characteristic of abnormal conditions. It says "The Coal Controller has issued an order stating that on and from Monday, December 2, he will allow any .consumer who has completed his requisition form to obtain two tons of large anthracite coal ,or or certain inferior varieties of anthracite coal if he is willing to give up one ton of ordinary household coal. The exchange may.be made in smaller quantities—half or one ton of anthracite for quarter or half a ton of ordinary coal respectively. . All the consumer will have to do is notify hia coal merchant that he desires to make the exchange and the transaction will be completed. This permission does not relate to graded anthracite coal, such as anthracite nuts or beans. , Appreciation, of the work done by- the New Zealand Red Cross in supplying comforts for prisoners of war in Germany is expressed by /Japtain W. J. Brooks, II.C, R.F.A., who was for 6ome time interned at Graudenz, West. Prussia. In a letter to his mother, Mrs. R. Brooks, of Drnry, Captain Brooka says: —"I am having plenty of food sent out by the New Zealand Red Cross, and am as comfortable as is possible under the circumstances." Information received by the Canadian Trade Commissioner, Mr. W. A* Beddoe, indicates that, as far as New Zealand is concerned, the need for import licenses to. Canada does not now exist. Advice received by Sir. Beddoe from the War Trade Board, Ottawa, states that import licenses are now required for onlymacaroni, vermicelli, spaghetti, wheat, Hour, oats, confectionery, prepared cocoa, and prepared chocolate sugars. All other commodities' may now enter Canada without a license. The Wellington branch of the Navy League has received a copy of the following motion recently passed by the head office of the league in London:— "That the Navy League makes a definite and emphatic demand for a declaration on the part of His Majesty's Government, that before any proposal for peace with Germany is entertained 'there must a guaranteed undertaking on Germany's part to make compensation for the losses sustained by British and Allied merchant shipmnst through submarine attack, on the basis of ship for shin and to'i for ton in equitable proportion, any deficiency to be supplied in raw materials for ship construction. Such compensation to be made apart from the legitimate claims of owners fnr loss of cargoes, earning power of ships, and- reparation for the lives of passengers and crows/' The Minister of Education stated yesterday that Cabinet had approved n cvant for additions to the school at Khandallah. to provide for more accommodation. Errors occurred in the statement of the appointments published yesterday to the Wellington District Repatriation Board. The 'personnel of the board was ■ given correctly, but-in four cases the bodies nominating those persons was wrongly given. Mr. ,T. B. li'aeEwan is the representative of the Efficiency Board, Sir. W. Thompson of the Employers' Federation, Mr. G. W. Clinkard of the Returned Soldiers' Association, and Mr. J. Karehow of the Friendly Societies. The following letter has been sent by Mr. J. M'Combs, M.P., to the secretary of the N.Z. Locomotive Engineers, Firemen's, and Cleaners' Association: "In reply to your resolution re trains to Lytteltou on Sundays, I wish to state that in- making personal representations to the Minister of Railways I asked for double pay for the men when so engaged, and' that 1 had acquainted MrM'Arley and your Canterbury representatives of my intention to do so. Lyttelton resident; and their friends on the other side of the hill are absolutely cut off from one another except for tho train ufirvico unless they possess motor-cars. Resident* of other districts around Christcliurch have the tram service and no difficult hills to negotiate. The interests of the great mass of the people (including the workers and their families) should not bo overlooked in the adminiti(ration of a public service, and [trust tliat bo Labour representative will so far forget his duty to the vrorkors as to take a one-sided and parliil view of his responsibilities. Your organisation is fully aware that during last session of Parliament I did not miss an opportunity to urge the claims .of your association for better nay and bettor traditions, and in this connection I I">M a copy of a resolution passed by your Canterbury branch thanking me for'my unremitting efforts in their behalf." At- the meeting of returned soldiers to ba held iu the Concert Chamber of the Town Hull this evening, returned men will l)o able to voice their opinions on matters affecting thqir . welfare. The speaker.-, selected by the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association, under whose auspices the meeting is to be held, intend to give short addresses, and the , res'- of the evening , w'ill be devoted to discission and suggestions. None but returned men are to be admitted, and a big gathering is anticipated.^