LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 252, 18 July 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tn6 out-patients' department of the Wellington Hospital will be clewed on Saturday and Monday next, but urgent casts arising will be treated at the main hospital. "Want of knowledge of the significance of flag."," remarks a correspondent, "leads to ambiguous positions, as for instance in the decorations now being put on th* New Zealand Railway offices in Fcatheisfon Street. The south wing shows a green Hag with a crownless yellow harp emblazoned' on it, and in an inferior position a Union Jack misplaced and upside down. What, arc the deductions?" Not onlv are people forbidden to use sLcant-pioduced elect™ energy for pence illuminations, but private firms who, by the aid of a producer-gas plant (burning coke) and a motor, are able to produce their own current also havo been forbidden to do so. Instructions have been issued by General lloadfiuarters to the effect that tho harsh expedient or arrest is'not to be used to apprehend soldiers who have failed b keep appointments while under medical treatment. Following is the instruction:—"Undischarged soldiers who iilwnl themselves while under medical t'leatminl -;\n not to be arrested as deserters. .Such eases should generally be discharged, and the Commissioner of Pensions informed thai the soldier has failed to take advantage of the medical treatment, available. Cases presenting spec-i.-i! features should be referred to General Ikwluiuu'tcrs for decision."

Free passages to' Britain from New Zealand are offered, under conditions, by the Imperial Government to the widows and children of reservists called to the colours in this war. An announcement to this effect has been made by General Headquarters as follows:—The Imperial Government is prepared, in cases of proved hardship, to grant free passages to this country (United Kingdom) for the widows and orphans of reservists who were recalled from abroad on mobilisation and who have died while serving during the war. A free passage will be granted only if the wife had emigrated within three years of her husband's death, though the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury would bo prepared, exceptionally, to allow free passages in tho case of tropical countries, in cases of emigration over three years before the husband's death. Free passages for children will be granted only in cases whero their mother is returning to England, or where they are orphans. Mr. W. Sinclair Bruce has decided to contest the Wellington South seat at the forthcoming general election. Mr. Bruce is' a supporter of the National Government, but in the event of dissolution will support Mr. Massey. A man was arrested yesterday by the detectives on a charge of attempting to leave New Zealand withoat a permit. At 10 o'clock yesterday morning Mounted Constable StauiUlid recaptured the escaped prisoner Lawrence John Maloney in Owen Street, Newtown. On being lecognised, Maloney made a bolt, but the mounted constable soon secured lus man. Tho escapee was miserably cold nwl hungry, and refused to give any information as to where he had hidden. It is not known yet when be will bo tried for breaking custody. A Press Association telegram from Wanganui states (hat the ('eadlock in connection with tho steamer Inga continues, and for tho past three weeks the vessel has been at tho wharf uniting i for labour to unload her coal cargo. So | far efforts to get 'local watersidors to work the vessel have been unavailing, but negotiations are still in progress, and an amicable settlement is hoped for. The position is very serious for the local municipal gasworks has only small coal stocks on hand. ■ The Nelson College Old Boys' Association has compiled an interesting record of tho part taken by old Nelson collegians in the Great War. So far as can be i ascertained, fi39 Old Boys went on active service, and of the;* 120 lost their | lives. This represents nearly 19 per cent, of those who went to the war, and if the number of those wounded, gassed, or disabled through sickness is taken into consideration, tho total casualties amount to over 50 per cent. The active service list has been made as' full as possible, .but the association would be gratified if any errors and omissions are pointed out, so that the permanent list to be placed in the Scriptorium—the College War Memorial—may be as correct as possible. Over 50 of the Old Boys gained military distinctions and honours, in addition to several being mentioned in dispatches. The monthly meeting of the Wellington Methodist Ministers' Association was held at Kilbirnie on Monday, jnd the proposed new defence scheme for the Dominion was discussed. The secretary was instructed to forward the following'resolution to thd Acting Prime Minister:— "That this meeting of Wellington Methodist ministers ploces on Record its emphatic protest against the proposal to enforce a four months' continuous training in camp upon our boys, and pledges itself to do its utmost to prevent such a proposal becoming law in our Dominion." The following announcement about the lioldinu' of examinations for admission to the New Zealand Staff Corps is contained in an instruction from General Head-quarters-.—lt is intended to hold a <,ualiiying course for /testing ~nd training applicants to N.Z.S.C. and 8..N.Z.A. It is probable (hat the course will commenco on October 1 next, and Jast approximatelv three months. It is contemplated Hint lieutenants in the N.Z.S.C. and certain oilier Stuff Corps officers in need of ii refresher course shall also attend. Officers of the Staff Corps and R.N.Z.A. who attend will do so with their substantive rank. Other officers will attend with their Territorial rank. Further particulars, regarding ;this.course..will lieissued later. A Press Association telegram from Opotikj states that returned soldiers were entertained at u complimentary smoke social by the Legion of Frontiersmen On Wednc-sday evening. Mr. N. W. Wise, secretary of the Returned Soldiers' Association, ieplying to the toast of "Our ! Guests," said the inquiry regarding the-. Fcatherstwn Tubercular Hospital was tho oulcomt, ofji letter received ny him. Mr. Wise iiddeii that the association was not out to namp-.r the fiovermnent, but .to assist iii tho difficult task of repatriation. Much regret waa expressed at a meeting of the executive of tho Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association on receipt i of the resignation of Mr. A. Curtayne, who for the past seven months : lias filled | the position of organising secretary to '< that body, and who is now re-entering the Public Service. Applications are invited in this issuo for a successor. At the hearing of the hairdressers' dispute in the Arbitration Court vesterdav Air. W. A. Grenfell (employers' representative) submitted that the cost of increased wages in'the trade 'could not verv .well be passed on to the public. "The charges for hairdressing work," he said, "seem to have reached a natural maximum. On the fringe of the desert in the heart of Australia I have had my ■ hair cut for a shilling. I have, never known a charge in excess of a shilling (o he made for haircutting in Australia.' If the employers arc forced to increase the wanes and to raise the' present tariff (of sixpence for shaving and one shilling for haircutting) it will mean a serious loss to the business." A witness for the employers later admitted to Mr. Keardon (union reuresentative) that charges, in excess of a shilling were being made., but for "extras." ,'fhe witness did not consider that those charges meant "a higher tariff." In reply to a further Question by Mr. Reardon, he said; however, that the."extras" now charged for were formerly included in the ordinary tariff. A correspondent writes:—"My boy, aucd twelve, and a pupil of the Kelburn School, has a great' desire for learning the whv and wherefore of things, including the nrocess of newspaper publishing. To satisfy the latter he got up out of bed at 2.30 a.m.. on Thursday morning, wended his way to The Dominion works (unknown to his parents); there introduced himself; was courteously received, shown all around; asked reams of questions: and at about 5.30 aroused my wife and me to have a cup of tea which he had nreuared." A roll of honour, in memory of those who served in the Great War, is to bo unveiled at tho gasworks at Miramar at 3.15 p.m. tO:day. The roll of honour will be unveiled by the chairman of the company (Dr. Prendergast Knight), and the ceremony will be attended by the member for the district (Mr. B, A. Wright, M.P.). the manager of the company (Mr. A. Dougall), and the children nf the Miramar School. Mr. E. J. Tait, of the theatrical firm , of J. and' N. Tait, has returned to.Australiu after an eleven months' trip to tli. United States, lie has brought back with him threo successful plays of the day, two from America, and one from London. The two New York plays, from the Bclasci Theatre, aro "Daddies," bv John L. Hobble (being produced in Melbourne on Julv 19 under the direction of Mr. Jerome Patrick), and "Tiger Rose." now in its second year in New York With reference to the recent accident nt Trenlham .Military Camp, as a result of which a Boy Scout was killed and several others injured, the Minister of Defence states that the matter of the custodv of explosives at Trontham Camp has been carefully investigated. The Court of Inquiry found that certain iiii'inbers of the camp staff had been negligent, in that proper and periodical inspection of tho dugout containing tho explosives had not been carried out as raiuircd bv the New Zealand Regulations for Ordnance Services. The degree of cnluabilitv disclosed was of such a minor character that the military authorities found it difficult to frame a charge against any individual under military law. The whole matter was accordingly rd'errcd to the Judge Advocate-General, who has now advised that the evidence does not reveal mailer which would support any charge. In these circumstances the Defence Department can lake no further action.

Mr. Ernest Drake, the Auckland tenor, has ancented a six weeks' engagement with the New Zealand Picture Supplies, Ltd. to he fulfilled prior to his departure fur America. British manufacturers are adopting up-to-date methods for the post-war trade campaign. According to a circular received 'by the Wangauui Chamber of Commerce on Monday night, a British concern, the Moving Picture inhibition pf British Industries, is contemplating touring the world with a series of motion pictures illustrating Mine nf the big British firms and their manufactures. The world-tour is to toinmen-'e in' September next. New Zealand is to be ineluded. The committee of the Christ's College o'id Boys' Association has obtained the consent of the Board of Governors to the erection on the northern end of the Big School, of 11 stone tablet in memory of the late.Mr. William Vagg,. known to hundreds of old boys by his Cong conpection with the school. The tablet will he constructed of .Boon Hay stone, and will bear the inscription: "William Vagg, a faithful sen-ant of- this school. 18861018." ■• ■; The correspondent of the London "Daily Mail" at Antwerp mentions the'ense of a farmer from tho Yser who had '3(! children. Of these 22 served in tho Belgian Army, and 13 wer* killed. Two daughters died at Lille from ill-treatment. Tho office of the War Relief Association will be closed for holiday from 5 o'clock this evening until Tuesday morning. The staff of the association has been kept going day and night for some nine, past coping with the heavy work which follows the arrival back of every transport, From its funds the sum of ■£1750 was disbursed last month, and at the. present rate of outgoing the amount to be paid out this month will probably amount to over .£2OOO. There were 67 cases before (lie committee yestcrdav. and on Monday last GO cases wire considered by the committee. There were an additional 50 cases which could not be considered yesterday, and about 70 more are in the inquiry stage at present.