LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 238, 2 July 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Port Denison, which arrived late last night from Sydney, has 3SIO bags Of Australian mail ou board.

In conseciuoneo of Hie reduction of train services, the liailway Department lias dismissed a. number of casua.' employces. liailwaymen complain thai tlioso

"casuals," who include married men with many years of continuous service to their credit, li«vc. been treated with scant consideration. It is stated that twentyseven men employed at Tliorndou wore given t,wo days' noticc on Monday.

There were no petitions in bankruptcy recorded in Wellington last month.

Tlio Duko of Somerset has been elected president of tlio Navy Leaguo nu the retirement of tho lluke of lluceicueli. Lieutenant-Colonel Wilfrid Ashley. M.P., has accepted the newly-created office of deputy-president. Mr. Briscoe Trittoir has beon olectod honorary treasurer and chairman, and Air. E. D. Douglas Maclean vico-chairman.

The influenza returns in the possession of the Public Health Department I'tii" Hie four days ending June HO at r.con show Hint there were 22 cases in Ihe Dominion within this period, five of tliem being pneumonic and three of them severe. There were 11 cases in the Auckland district, three of them being sevre, ;it Waiuku, Whakatane, and in Auckland, city. In Wellington district there were four cases, one at Taihape being serious. In Canterbury there were six cases, and in Otngo 0110 caSe.

The Minister in charge of coal distribution (Ihe (Ton. A. .M. Myers) contradicts absolutely suggestions that: have been minis in Christchurcli that coal is being exported from New Zealand except for Admiralty and bunkering purposes. For these purposes coal has to be exported, but owing to the extremity of the plight of this country ships are now,being required to hunker either at Newport News or at Newcastle. If bunker supplies are to ho granted in future they will be of sufficient quantity only to take the ships to Newcastle. Every effort is being made also to get coal from Australia. By some ships in the overseas trade coal is being brought: from Newcastle when the ships are coming over to New Zealand to load cargo, but the Shipping Controller insists 011 a freightage of £2 !>s. per ton. The ordinary rate in Mid shinping trade between Australia and New Zealand is 20s. a ton. The Government protested

against the imposition of the higher freight, but under stress of necessity iiad to accept- two shipments at the higher rate.

An epidemic is said to have overtaken the cats in the Te Piri'.a district, and to some extent in Eakaia, says an exchange. It is 110 respecter of the.breed of cats, pets and vagrants alike fall victims, and many deaths have occurred. Tho animals do' not appear to be suffering any jjnin, their f ur n mains clean and their eyej bright, but tiicv 'implj become weaker and weaker till death ensues. 0110 veterinary surgeon who prescribed medicine diagnosnd thi trouble as distemper.

The members of the Coal Mine Owners' Association are to-meet in Wellington to-day. They will consider tile- Board of Trade's report on- the coal industry and other matters.

Tho Railway Department lias decided to inc-'.ude a late train to the Lower liutt and one to Johnsonville in their revised time-table. These trains will run daily, except on Saturday and Sunday. Particulars are advertised.

The lion, treasurers acknowledge the receipt of-the undermentioned amounts towards the H.M.S. New Zealand Entertainment Fund: Previously acknowledged, c£lli3; Eastern Extension Telegraph Co.,- ,£25; J. li. MacEwan and Co., ,£10; J. Nathan and C 0.,-.£5 55.; A. H. Miles, .65 as.; Bristol Piano Co., t £s 55.; Dr. Kwart, -Co 55.; Hope, Gibbons and J. 13. Clnrkson and Co., Ltd., .£5 55.; Messrs. Gold and Areas, .£2 25.; C. and A. Odliri Timber Co., Ltd., .£!2 2s.'; Hadfield, Peacock, and Newman, £2 25.; A. Walker, .£2 25.; L. Stone, .£2 25.; S. V. Nevnnas and Co., .£2 25.; Denhard Automatic Baking Co.,' Ltd., ,£2 25.; Alex. Robertson. ,£2 25.; R. B. Grange, M 25.; Cricliton and M'Kay;. .£2 25.; D. A. Abererombic, .£l. Total, ,£2J6 6s.

With reference to tho opening exhibition at the Sarjeant Art Gallery (Wanganui), the Acting-Premier has notified the 1 Mayor of Wanganui of advices received from tho British Ambassador' «t 'l'okio that the Tokio Society of Fine. Arts is sending an exhibit of; 20 pictures and 20 cbjecis of applied art. It is anticipated that the collection will be both interesting and •valuable.

According to Trentham Camp orders, arrangements are being made by tho D.G.M.S. to provide facilities for inoculation against inf|uenzn of all officers and other ranks and ,civil employees in the Defence Department throughout 'ho Dominion. Heads of Departments and officers commanding units will encourage nil thoso under their command to take advantage of these facilities, and to get inoculated at the earliest possible opportunity. The results of inoculation against influenza amongst New Zealand troops in the N.Z.E.F. overseas proved conclusively that it was veiy effective in preventing or minimising the disease.

Theatrical managements will be hit very hard by the drastic curtailments in the railway services to take effect from to-morrow. Lost time is the bogey to managements, as well as artists en tour, as it means that travelling ami living expenses continue whilst there is no revenue coming in. The position will be even more serious to managements than in tho past, for under a iceent agreement members of the chorus and ballet are paid from the day their agreement commences, and no loss of time is allowed. With principals the principle followed is that of "no play, no pay"; so that when three days are occupied on the .u-uiney from Wellington to Auckland (instead of one) the actor will feel it acutely. Hitherto companies have been able to tour New Zealand with a Ims of only three or four playing nights, but tho altered train services render that impossible. It may be possible with small companies to remodel tours lo fit in to some extent with the new time-table, but with the larger companies who only play the more important centres it voll not be possible to prevent a maiiy "lazy nights." , Small companies, too, may be able to use motor-cars to reach their playing points, but tihat is of little use without the scenery and effects, which have to travel by train or boat.

Recently Captain P. A. Maeindoe, on behalf of the New Zealand section oMhe Merchant Service Guild, forwarded a letr ter to Admiral Jellieoe, welcoming him to Australasia, and intimating that it was tho guild's intention to arrange a reception on his arrival at, Wellington. Captain Maeindoe has now received the following reply from Admiral Jellieoe, under date Melbourne, May 30, "Thanlc you for your letter of May 12."I will be glad if you will convey to tho committee of management of tho Merchant Service Guild my sincere appreciation of their wish to h«nimr me with a reception during my stay at Wellington. _As niy visit will nut be of long duration, and there wiil be nuvny engagements on shore, it would he agreat pleasure to me if tho •••ommitteo and members of the guild would allow me to receive them on board my flagship at * time and dale to be arranged later.—' (Signed) Jellieoe."

Speaking at a public meeting at Lower Ilntt last; evening tho Hon. T. M. Wilfonl referred to tho question of main arterial roads, making I special reference to the Hutt Hond. Mr. AVilford said that it was his intention to make a request for. an allocation from Wa"£ Expenses Account for the improvement of the Hutt Itond from the Grand National Hotel to the Gorge. During the four years of war the Hutt fload hail been used very largely for the heavy military traffic to and from Wellington and the Trenthani and Peatlicrston Camps. He thought that some expenditure in the improvement of the road was quite warranted. Those present at the meeting also favoured tho proposal,' and it was resolved that Cabinet be requested to make a grnnt of a sum' from War Expenses Account for the purpose.

Somo interesting particulars of tlio New Zealand frozen meal: industry wcro revealed in the eourso of nil inquiry as to tlio first vessel to load that export in the Dominion (states an exchange). The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Co. claim the distinction of being the pioneers' in the trade, and ilicy lilted out tho tirst sailing ship with'refrigerating machinery, and that vessel, called the Dnnedin, sailed from tlio colony in 1882. The company successfully inaugurated an industry which has sinco assumed such vast dimensions, and they now ship over 2,000.000 carcasses to Ungland annually. In 1882 the amount of frozen meat shipped from New Zealand toLi.'kd 1,707,328 lb., which amount in 191(1 had been increased to ntili.llWl.nOtllb. In a nutshell New Zealand now exports as much.frozen meat in a day on an average as.she did annually 37 years ago.

A large collection of American war posters,'which were obtained by Mr. C. 11. Poole. M.P., during his recent visit to the United Stales, have been present'ed bv him to the Auckland Museum, states the "New Zealand Herald." The posters arc artistically drawn and coloured. and many of them aro very striking. No information has yet been received as lu whether mm of the six sets of the rosters issued in connection with reoniitinu' in Great Britain, which wero forwarded to Now Zealand by tho High Commissioner, will bo allocated to Auckland.

"Old England can still teach us something in the mutter of transport of troops," remarked a returned soldier to nn Auckland "Star"- reporter. "I can assure you that the conditions arc far suiierior on what are termed Tommy transports. I was on one with SCOO officers and men aboard. As we went up the gangway each of 11s received two tickets—one was the number of the berth and the other tho number of the seat at; mess—and whether first or second sitting. We had plenty of food on tho New Zealand transport, but tho daily inspection 011 a British one is sq severe that scrupulous cleanliness is ensured. The tables were scrubbed white, every utnnsil was 011 view,'and carefully examined each day by officers appointed, for that purpose. 1 can testify it v<as not in any respect a perfunctory examination. and the mess orderlies had to stand by to hear any points raised by tho officers as to the state of the cooking or eating utensils."

Passengers by tramcars from New Brighton have lieeh amused at the sight of a gigantic snowman .in a garden in Page's Koad. He is between eight and nine feet high, and on his chest there is a great iron cross, and the following inscription:—"Bill, late of Berlin, doing a freeze."—'"Lyttelton Times."

Among the visitors to the Napier Park races was a male inmate -of the Old People's Home who is "due" to be a hundred years of age at tho'end of this month, having been born on July 31, 1819. He walked from I'arko Isuuid (a distance of about two miles and a half) and back again each day without the aid of a. stick. He attributes his longevity chiefly to a good constitution, and having taken care of himself. He is neither a total abstainer nor a non-snroker; and says lie often finds his, pipq a great solace.

The possibility of a big development in the coal industry in this district (states the Bruce "llerald") lias coniiv appreciably nearer since the preliminary prospecting 011 the property of Mr. Tubman,' Cricliton, during the past few months has given such satisfactory results. The prospecting, which has been carried out 011 behalf' of a "West Coast syndicate,'indicates that an extensive doposit underlies practically the whole property, and has encouraged the syndicate to seriously undertake the projects The right to mine the ccal has been secured from Mr. Tubman, and preliminary development work is proceeding.

"A cable message from New Zealand announces that the term of Sir Thomas Mackenzie as High Commissioner has been extended for four months from April (says "liollingstone" in the "Brit-ish-Australasian"). So far, so good. Sir Thomas will not he leaving us beforo September at the earliest, whereat liis many friends will bo pleased, but theso continued renewals of the term of such an important person as a- High Commissioner live very strange. It lool;s as though someone ill New Zealand hud been for years past looking for the right opportunity which never came of jumping into Sir Thomas's shoes. On . the other hand. I noticed in the mail news from the Dominion n paragraph saying that this four-monthly renewal business' was by the High Commissioner's own' request. If so, there is no reason for complaint, but I .should like to hear wjiat Sir Thomas Mackenzie has to say about it before being satisfied that ho would not lie better pleased with a less precarious tenure of the High Commissioner's chair, which lie has now fillcdso ably for several years beyond the expiry of liis original', term."

The all-absorbing topic the traveller hears diseased as ho moves about Central Otago just now is the gentle art of rabbiting and the prodigious sums of money tliat are being made this winter by those who devote themselves to it (states a southern paper). It is ngred by old residents that never for 25 years past have rabbits been so plentiful, and it so happens that this'lavish supply of them coincides not with low. but with exceptionally high, ruling prices. JE4 10s. a hundred skins is a standard rate, but Is. or even Is. Id. each may sometimes be obtained. Now a hard-working rabbiter with n good block to work on will have no difficulty in getting from 100 to 200 skins, or in other words, from ',£5 to .£lO a day. In many parts a boy can go out with ferrets and 'secure' from CO to 100 a day as often as the weather is favourable. There are even stories current of men who have secured singlehanded as many as 400 rabbits in their traps in a night, but this, if true, must represent the extreme upward limit of what is possible in the most favourable circumstances. As many, .as 3000 rabbits have been known to have been taken oft a 1000-acre block in a few weeks' time} and a well-known runholder of long experience asserts quite confidently that two men who have been trapping on his 7000 acres recently have taken considerably more money from his run .this season than lie hns. Is it to be wondered at that with rabbiters,, counting their earnings in pounds per day Central Otago farmers are in despair of securing ploughmen or other labourers at anything like the customary wages?

"I had quite an interesting experience nt In Quesnoy, a fortified town which the New Zealamlers captured two or three days before the armistice," remarked Mr. W. H. George, lion, commissioner for the New Zealand Y.M.C.A., who returned by the Paloona on Monday. "I think I -was one of the first New Zealanders to visit the quaint old city with its medieval fortifications since the brilliant episode in which the New Zealanders took so active a part. I had great difficulty in getting hotel accommodation, but finally secured a room at an old-fashioned hostelry. I had only been there for a. short time before 1 was- informed that the Mayor of the city wished to seo me. He told riie he was in a difficulty. The city, in grateful recognition of its deliverance, had had a beautiful ensign worked in gold on. a large Tricolour flag to send to General Hart, as representing their deliverers, but it had taken so long n time to have the flag completed that it had only just been forwarded to him (the Mayor)." Mr George pointed out that General Hart had returned to New Zealand, and tho Mayor then asked that he should take the flag. On seeing the flag on its nine-foot stick, it was considered unwise to take the responsibility for its care, as space in the ear in which Mr. George was (ravelling was already fully occupied, but the suggestion was made that the Mayor should himself take it to Tondon, and there present il, or go lo Paris and hand it to Mr. Massey, the Prime Minister, for transmission to New Zealand. A photograph of the flag was taken by Mr. George, who describes it; as a full-size regimental one and an historic souvenir in which the. New Zealand soldiers will bo justified in taking a pride.