LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 148, 18 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) stated yesterday that arrangements wore being made by the Imperial authorities for the issue of the Empire Medal, which is to be conferred in recognition of very special service rendered to the Empire during the war. Thero are to be military and civilian divisions for the purposes of this medal, which will bo awarded only for notable achievement.

At a meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce last r.ight the president, Mr. J. B. "Waters, introduced the matter of the high freights v.ow ruling between the Dominion and England. After discussion tho president was authorised to draft a letter to the various chambers throughout New Zealand urging combined action to approach tho authorities with a view to ascertaining the possibility of obtaining a- reduction of both inward' and outward freights—Press Assn. •

lhe Poice Force in Wellington is not over strong in point of numbers at present, and advantage is evidently being taken of the situation by criminallvdisposed elements of the community. Early last evening it was discovered that thieves had entered Hannah's Buildings, in Lambton Quay, and stolen 30 boxes of American silk ankle hosiery from a passage way in tho top iloor of the premises. How tho individuals succeeded in getting the good's away without being detected is a mystery, for they had to negotiate lour floors in carrying out the job. The value of tho stolen hosiery is about £3a. Another burglary occurred at a drapery establishment in ' Cuba Street between closing time on Saturday and_ yesterday morning. In this case a window had been smashed, presumably by a stone, and a number of ties wcro abstracted. Both incidents are being investigated by tho police.

A striking example of anomaly created by our 'Public Health legislation was given to the Epidemic Commission yesterday by Dr. Makgill. Ho was referring at tho time to tho difficulties of health officers. "As an example of the difficulties may >be take.n the prevention of bubonic plague," he said. "Summarised, thereon may all be said to be directed towards the extermination of rats. It is now known that the most permanently effective measure is to ensure rat-proof buildings, but building by-laws are pre-eminently a matter for the borough council or town board." And he explained further that the authority entrusted with tho task of preventing disease visitations was the Hospital Board!

The overseas mail landed at Auckland on Thursday from the Niagara, Jlnkura, and Manuka was the largest ever received in the Dominion. The combined mails consisted of .'I7OO bags, of which 1200 woro for Auckland. It consisted chiefly of English, American, and Expeditionary Force mails brought from Vancouver by tho Makura, which carried :)l!0O bags. The Niagara, which- left Vancouver two days after the Makura. had only 250 bags. The balance of the mails was from Australia, and consisted of 2.50 bags landed by the. Unnuka. The work of sorting and (dispatching the mail matter began at nine o'clock on Thursday morning, and was not finished until late on Friday night.

Jinny of the motor-cars which arc used to convey returning men to their homes from (hi! ship's side have been considerably overtaxed on occasions, and it is considered that, the number of next-of-kin that should be permitted to travel with Hie soldier should not exceed three. Motor-car owners are. i-tily too happy to carry as many as possible, but the cm"> Buffer when they are overwoiglitcd. _ Of course, in exceptional ciicumstnnces four nml even five can bo ctrried, but it has been decided to endeavour as far as possible to restrict the number to an absolute minimum. This will enable additional soldiers to be carried in the cars.

In his annua) report the secretary of tho Wellington Harbour Board says:— "Tho claims paid by the board for goods during the year totalled .127:1 2s. Id., as ugainst .£221 lis. and JiU'i 11s. 9d. in the two preceding years. Fifty-eight claims were paid, the analysis being as follows:—Accidents, 2i) claims, 0:135 3s. fid.; pillage of good-, 17 claims, .£34 2s. 1.1(1.; for goods short delivered (lest or stolen), 11 claims, .080 7s. Gil.; fur adjustment of errors in delivery, 7 claims, ,CM Ss. 2d. A shortage of ronl due Io lack of trucks has resulted in supplies for the city electrical jxnvor station running lower than desirable, says u Press Association telegram from Auckland. The Mayor slated yesterday that it was in the interests of all •branches of public and private activities that normal conditions of trade should be restored as quickly as possible, and nothing could contribute Id tho '.'eslornlion to a greater degree than a. rapid resumption of the maximum railway services.

"Report has it that Sir Thomas Mackenzie is shortly to vacate the New Zealand High (.'ommissionership, which he has held for many years, to the satisfaction of his old friends in the Dominion and a host of new ones which he has made hero," says tho "British Australasian." "At his own request, the Hieh Commissioner's term has besn renewed as it was on the point of expiring, for only a few months at a lime, but if he is really to leave ns in the near future there will be widespread regret. Tho successor with whom report credits him is Sir Francis Dillon Bell, a New Zealander born in 1851. a solicitor bv profossinn, and a politician of wide Ministerial I'xperiencp. He has been SolicitorGeneral, and is now Leader of the Legislative Council."

At yesterday's annual meeting of (he Wellington Harbour Hoard. Mr. C. E. Daniell- (chairman) said that he was inclined Io agree with the late Mr. Robert Fletcher, M.P., Mint: the Harbour Board was the most important, local body in tho country. In one resneet it was the most socialistic institution in tho country, and ho believed was one that would serve as a model to lv> followed in the interests of the country ns a whole. That the board was trusted as well as criticised was evident from the fact that the board's engineer (Mr. James Marchbanks) had been selected as a nipn'ber of a commission to inquire into the cause and. prevention of accidents and work on the waterfront generally. This hiid given great satisfaction, and inu=t be ?ratifyii\<» to members of the board. They could rejoice tnL'ether on the finish of (he war—that at .last, the' awful business was over; but they were now in for another war—a commercial war—and thev must look carefully to their own interests and those, of the Empire.

In accordance with a direction from the Vj.pE.rd fcoys thp engineer of the Harbour Bnnrd in his annual report), the plpftric lighting of the board's wharves is being undertaken as labour n"d material are available! The sheds and berths nr\ Customhouse Ouav are now pipctricnlly- lit; portion of the Quoen's Wharf and sheds are.temporarily lighted, and the work is row beim; made permanent. Provision is also being, made for providing clusters at vn-ious berths. The light on the Railway Wharf, wheie a sreat deal of coolin" is dene at piebt. has been improved. Provision is being made for cluster pine boxes, to permit cluster lights being fr'ken on board vessels when they are required.

At a largely-attended St. Patrick's Day demonstration at Greymouth, after addresses by the Mayor fjlrj. D. Lynch), Mr. 11. E. Holland, iI.P., tho Rev. Fathers Eceleton (Reefton) and Quinn, S.M. (Greymouth), the following resolution, to bo sent to the Prima Minister and members of the Legislature, was enthusiastically carried:—"That this meeting of Greymouth citizens, in view of Hie frequent emphatic, and solemn declantious of tho Imperial authorities and ' of the 'Allied Powers to uphold, safeguard, and defend tho rights of the small nations, respectfully requests tho Parliament of New Zealand to follow the example of tho Australian, Canadian, and South African Parliaments and of tho American Congress in.affirming the rights of the Irish nation to self-deter-mination; that is to the right to con- , trol its own Government and to enjoyment of the same rights and privileges as are possessed by the self-governing dominions of the Empire."—Press Assn. . . "With tho question of building areas' must be considered the provision of adequate cheap transit," said Dr. Makgill in the course of his evidence to the Epidemic Commission yesterday. ''I venture to think that the importance of suburban railway and tramway services does not receive the recognition it deserves at the hands of either general or civic governments. The railway ;or tramway should be the pioneer leading the way to the available open spaces. This policy would entail facing a period during which tho new transit lino wouki be nil at a loss. To 'balance this the department concerned might reasonably purchase land in the area to be opened up and take advantage of, the increased values which would follow." The Telegraph Office notified yesterday afternoon:—South lines were considerably interrupted. Traffic to Christchurch and Dunedin districts is over three hours behind.

A motor-car and an electric tram,, both moving at a high speed, unexpectedly met at the corner of Waring Taylor Street and Customhouse Quay at noon yesterday, the impact causing considerable damage to the smaller vehicle only. The small car was apparently turning from tho side street towards Lambton Quay, and the tram was going in the same direction, a fact which lessened the collision. The front nxlo of tho motor-car ,was broken, and a wheel and its mudguard were knocked off.

A grey coloured motor-car, which liao been standing in a Gisborne street for about a fortnight, and bore evidence of having been abandoned, at last found a friend—though not x its owner—relates a Gisborne paper. If was short of a back tyre, while the other tyres had gone down, and the weather had not improved its general appearance. But little notice had been taken of the desolate vehicle till last Tuesday morning, when the following notice vas found to have been placed on tfeb wind-screen: "This car, being deserted, is hereby sequestrated by the. undersigned. February 25, i a.m." Whether the "sequestrator" is in earnest, or not remains to be seen, .but the incident must bo regarded as uniqiio in the history of motor-car ownership.

Before Mr. Justice Stringer in tho Arbitration Court yesterday, Mr. P. J. O'liegan mentioned tho case in which Millicent lulkolly, of Petone, claimed from Oliver Upton, laundry proprietor, also of Petone, compensation for permanent injury caused by three of her fingers being crushed in a mangle. Mr. O'Rogun represented the plaintiff, lie said that weekly compensation totalling J2l Bs. 4d. had already been paid, and the parties had agreed been a further cash payment of £W in final scttlonicnt. Judgment was entered by consent for that amount with costs.

Answering the allegations mndc by Mr. Higgs, M.H.K., that New Guinea natives were being Hogged with tho consent of tho Administration, tho Acting Minister of Defence in tho Commonwealth (Senator Russell) admitted on March II that Hoggings were occasionally administered in punishment for certain grave offences. The maximum, number of strokes inflicted never exceeded 20,

and strokes in excess of 10 were ordered only when the olfenco was one of aggravated brutality, or a. serious crime against properly or tho person. The offences for which Hoggings might be administered under the Native Labour Regulations were t—Murder, attempted murder, serious offences against women and

girls, nfisiuilt, robbery, housebreaking, theft, arson, gross insubordination, desertion from employment, or perjury. Reference was mode at tho Pelone Borough Council last evening by Councillor Nc-wland to tho delay by tho Health Department, in not paying the accounts incurred in connection with the recent epidemic, and ho instanced the case of one tradesman who was being penalised to the extent of .Elflß because tho Health Department hurt not as yet paid the accounts, lie considered' it was scandalous that tradespeople who came to the assistance of tho Department should be so penalised, and on his motion it was decided that the Minister of Publio Health be informed that the council vie.vs with very grave concern the action of tho Health Department in not meeting the.iv liabilities incurred through the re:ent epidemic.

In acclimatisation matters New Zea» laud evidently holds wore than local prominence. The council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society last wecK dealt with a letter from a resident of San Francisco, who said he was writing at the suggestion of Mr. Hugh Craig, of tliut city, asking if it were possible to secure, through this society, soino specimens of red deer which hail been so successfully introduced into New Zealand. The idea was to obtain pood breeding tdock of these animals, and (o let tliem loose on some of the protected game reserves, and to eventually introduce

them into the State for sterling purposes. "As Mr. Craig was instrumental in introducing our C'alifornian rainbow' I rout into New Zealand, it would be a kindly act of reciprocation on your part if you could introduce the New* Zealand stock of red deer into California. If

this is possible, the waiter would bo referred direct to our Pishing and Game Commission, which would take the necessary action," concluded the writer (Mr. Samuel Hubbard). The society resolved to make endeavour to comply with the request.

A schnapper weighing 181b was caught from a boat in the Pamnure Basin a few days ago by Mr. lla.rvey GoodwinArcher, says the Auckland "Herald." An ordinary line was employed, and it wis not until the giant,was raised to the surface that those in the boat could believe it was not a kingfisli. The New Zealande.rs in depot at Bournemouth appear to have been popular. So much so that on the announcement of the earlv breaking-up of the Engineer Reserve depot at Christchurch, the Mayor entertained tho officers to dinner at the Grand Hotel. In proposing the toast of "The Guests." he said he had desired before the officers of (lie N.Z.E. left Bournemouth and neighbourhood to entertain ther.i in that way, because of tho happy relations which had existed between them since their friends from the Dominions had been located in their midst. On behalf of the town, lie wished to express their great appreciation of the excellent bo. haviour and fine bearing of the men, Of their stay in Bournemouth the townspeople would always have pleasant recollections, and lie hoped that that would be reciprocated. lieut.-Colonel G. Barclay, in replying, assured the Mayor that the guests would carry away with them the most pleasant recollections of Bournemouth.

Tho subject of .the nationalisation of the medical profession of the.Dominion was brought before the annual conference of the 1.0.0.1i\, M.U., for the Taranaki district at the meeting at Xew Plymouth by Bro. C. D. Sole (Loyal Stratford Lodge), who moved: "That it hi a recommendation to the Board of Directors that they take steps to urge the Government to nationalise the medical profession, and also the public hospitals of the Dominion." The resolution met with the unanimous support of the delegates, and was carried.

The sittings of the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning were very brief, and were presided over by Mr. E. Page, S.M. For insobriety, William Lynch was fined ■£1, Robert Pitte 10s., and prohibited, and Thomas Chenery 10s. On charges of having broken the conditions of their prohibition orders, Thomas Troy was fined £2 and John M'Kinnon ,£l. Both were convicted and discharged for drunkenness. Edward Ernest Oliver, a soldier who returned by the Hororata,, Hiid whoso excitable behaviour caused a diversion in Lanibton Quay on Saturday, was convicted 'and discharged. In the case of Latham Rogers, who was charged with having assaulted , Constable Thompson, whilst the latter was endeavouring to arrest a soldier, defendant was penalised in a sum of M 65., being the amount of fine and costs, in default seven days' imprisonment. Enclosing a paper note for one pfennig, a. soidier, writing to a Mend irom Cologne, said it was hard luck for a country w\\en it Vuu\ to issue notes withe value of one-tenth of n penny. At the 6ame time the writer said that at Cologne there was no apparent want, food was plentiful, prices reasonable, and j they were all having a very good time indeed. The writer also remarked that it was wonderful how quickly the German munition factories were being trans' formed) into commercial, manufactories. At one of such places in Cologne they were already turning out wire rope of excellent quality, so that England would have to buck up if it wished to hold its own when trade barriers were thrown down subsequent to the signing of peace.

Our attention has been called to a slip in the report ef the case of Kathleen Liddhj v. Mary Eolleston. It was madt to appear that the defendant had signed-a len.se containing a proviso for determining 'same, while as a" matter of fact no lease was signed) the 'document not getting beyond a draft which was submitted to Mrs. Kolleston for perusal. The proviso to which it was alleged her attention was not called was inserted allegedly without her knowledge .or consent.