LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 253, 21 July 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Ngakuta, due at Lyttelton to-day, has a heavy Australian mail on board. The Order-in-Council of March 12, 1917, fixing the maximum price of milk, has now been revoked, by proclamation in a Gazette Extraordinary' A patient suffering from the mysterious disease, lethargic encephalitis, lias been admitted to the AVanganui Hospital. A lecture on war incidents Was delivered by Lieutenant-Colonel A. B. Charters to the children of the upper classes of soino of the city schools on Friday afternoon. The talk was really the 6Pcoml of a series to be given \o scliool children by Colonel Charters. The lecture on Friday was given in a style and method suitable to the children, and it did appear that they were really interested.

Many dear sentimental people throughout Now Zealand who were charmed with the manifold graces of the opera "Ifatinka" Till be saddened by the news that the two whito pigeons, used so effectively in the first act, have shuffled off this mortal coil, and that in a manner sudden and violent. They were confined in a suitable manner for some time, then liberated with their 1 wings cut. Then came a cat with its own peculiar ■notions of celebrating peace, and all that was left of the feathered accompaniment to "Racketty Coo" were half a dozen scattered wisps of white, telling tho dreadful story only too plainly. The petrol lighting apparatus used in connection (with the illuminations at the General Post Office was somewhat damaged by some mischievous persona during the week-end. The piping leading from the petrol reservoir, which was installed inside the {rates at the Brandon Street entrance to. the post office, was twisted until it broke, and the petrol was allowed to flow out on to the footpath. The damage has since been repaired and tho police are investigating the affair. Whilst on duty in Karaka Bay at about midday on Friday last, Mr. if. Mildenhail, of the Miramar Borough Council's staff, discovered a frost fish, nearly five feet' in length, upon the beach. The fish, which was perfectly fresh, had evidently been thrown up by the sea during tho night. It is but rarely that these fish arc- found—they aie never caught with line and hook—in Wellington, but are now and again found on the benches, of the South Island, notably on the New Brighton Beach, Canterbury. Tho frost fish is considered a table delicacy.

Twice a year the weighing of gold at the Royal Mint, Melbourne, must be done under an Onler-in-Council in the presence of the Undor-Treasurer (Mr. Minogue), the Under-Secretary (Mr. Callaway), and the Secretary for Public Works (Mr. Drake). Tho duty was carried out on July 1. Tho Mint was established in 1872, and, according to the latest compiled returns, 37,300,120 ounces "of gold have been received, tho coinage value of which has been ,£M6,628,219. Of the gold received, 27,588,775 ounces were raised in Victoria, and the balance in Now Zealand and Western Australia. The output has consisted of 131,813,500 sovereigns, 1,893,559 half-sovereigns, and 2,606,206 ounces of gold bulliou, the total value of coin and bullion being ,£146,632,-90-1. The Melbourne Mint has been coining silver as well as gold since 1916, and tho first shilling was struck by His Excellency the Governor (Sir Arthur Stanley) on January 10, 1916. To the end of last year tho number of silver pieces (florins, shillings, sixpences, .and threepenny pieces) coined was 31,484,806, of a total' valuo of jr,842,150. The Waterside Workers' Band gave a performance in the_ hospital grounds yesterday afternoon in the presence of a. large jaudidnco. A collection realised £6 18s. 4d. ' For the best design for the cover of tho Wellington Peaco Celebration Committee's souvenir, a-prize of £b was'offered, and the Council of the Now Zcaland Academy of. Fine Arts consented to act as judges. Tho prize was awarded to Mr. 11. L. Kelly, of Wellington, out of eomo seventeen entries. Through inadvertence in somo quarter the name of tho artist was omitted in the printing of the cover design, which has been greatly admired. Aβ the result of a district court-martial held at Trentham Camp on July 12, 71,911 l'rivarn Thomas M'Gee, late camp qiiiiitormastor'e department, was sentenced to forty-eight hours' detention for absenting himself without leave, and losing by neglect, hie equipment, clothing, and regimental necessaries, and to bo placed under stoppages of pay until he has niiule good the following articles of kit: One iacket. 10d.: one hat, Id.; two titles, 7d.; one rJair braces, Id.; one pair drawers, 5d.: one working shirt, od.j one undershirt. 5d.; onej denim trousers, Id.; two pairs socks, 2d.: total value. 3s. Id.

A strange case of desertion, was recently heard at, Cardiff. It seems that Janies Coles, who was conducting an extensive bakerv in Cardiff, disagreed with his wife in, 1912 regarding his relations with anothen woman, and in July of that year informed her that he was leaving to live,, in Australia. He made over the business to his wife, and left, and only wrote to her twice. In 1916 she found that he had ioined the N.Z.E.F., and eventually induced him to make nn allotment, which had been continued up to the present time. Meeting hie wife recently in a friend's house,, Coles said, "Good afternoon." and at once left. .The considered desertion proved, and ordered. Coles to pay 28s. per week. The importance of the gas industry was emphasised ,by Lord Moulton, tho Director-General of Explosives Supplies, when addressing the members or the English Gas .Institute. "Without the direct aid of the gas industry, and, further than that, the assistance and the knowledge which has been acquired by those who dovoto their lives to it," said Lard Moulton, "it would havo been perfectly impossible for this country to have waged the campaign of tho last three years, or even for any but a trilling time resist the overwhelming floods of enemies that were poured upon it." The letternress machinists' section of the Government Printing Office staff kivo a welcome sorial to their fellow-em-nloveee who have taen serving with tho forces on Friday evening, The chairman, in proposing tho toast of the returned soldiers, said they had heatd a lor. ftbont the number of men enlisted from other Departments throughout the flovornnieiit servico, but he ventured to eav that if statistics were produced their own section would be in a very high I'lace. ' On tho signing of the armistice thoir room had been greatly depleted of men. and tho Government Printer must havo had eoino anxious moments as to how ho wan going to carry on the nocessarv military and other essential work. Tliev wore proud of the fact that' the head of the Department had not asked for exemption lor any man, ■ nor had anv man applied for exemption, i "I havo no doubt that some of you j present to-night do not think that the j Repatriation Board is perfect," said ! Mr. W. E. Lendloy at the Chrietehureh \ returned soldiers' meeting on Monday ■ night. "I am a member of Iho Re-; psitrintion Board, and I do not think it is ; at all perfect, but 1 will say this, that ! all of tho members of the board are absolutely uincere in their efforts to do the best'thing possible for the returned soldiers. Tho majority of the members of tho 'board are, however, business men, , and business men to their linger tips, j and because of this they sometimes deal ; with tho soldiers' applications as though j they were ordinary business applications, j but (ill tho samo they endeavour to do j tho best for tho soldiers. However, it does seem scandalous that this association should havo only one member on the board. We have a membership of over 1000, and we should have a larger representation on tlio board."—"Lyttellon Times."

The Kaikoura correspondent of the "Lyttelton Timee" reports that the whajiors, after numerous attempts .succeeded in landing n "hump back" last week, this being the second for iho season.

At the Christchureh Police Court on Friday Catherine Coburn was fined £W for permitting the premises she conducted as a restaurant to become a nuisance by reason of offensive smells and the accumulation of injurious and 'Offensive matter. Tho city inspector said that decaying fish was lying about, and thero was filth everywhere. It was the worst place ho had seen for fifteen years.—Press Assn. Mr. Vi. J. Dickie. M.P., when in AstiImrton on Wednesday, stated that tho motor delivery of mails as against the trains was working most satisfactorily and in many instances in Canterbury settlers in the country were now getting their mails and papers more'expeditiouslv. He was in Christchureh the other dav. when a returned soldier approached him about a matter requiring attention. Mr. Dickie said he asked tho soldier to put his request in writing, and to hie surprise the letter was waiting for him the same evening in the Lyndhurst Post Office. A raincoat with a history which is shrouded in mystery reached Gore reccntlv. states the "Knsign." Major Joll, now in charge of the local Defence Office, lost the coat from a French billet at the time of the first battle of tho Sonimc in July, 1916. He notified his loss in Orders, but there was no response. He had taken the precaution of marking his name inside the collar, nnd the other day received notification from the Napier railway authorities th.it n raincoat bearing his name had been found in a train. He dispatched the necossarr amount for carriage and storage and his old friend arrived' by mail, and was found to be in fairly good condition considering its extensive travels.

That a. "sacrifice of a threepenny beer a week" by each member of the Protestant faith would guarantee the financial stability of the various churches, was pointed out by tho I\ov. W. P. Stewart in a sermon in St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Bathurst (says the Sydney "Sun") He asked how i:-nny members of the Presbyterian Church. were that liielit too indifferent to attend their own church, or had drifted into-churches-of other religions? There were many, ho said who were bitterly opposed to churches not of tho Protestant faith, but what had they done towards the progress of the support of Protestantism or the Protestant churches.? If every Protestant in Bathurst was to contribute 10s. a year towards the jimiiibuaiico of his church, it would mean i'.n average of .£2OOO for ovary Protectant church. This would mean tho sacrifice of the equivalent of a threepenny beer a week—yet few were apparently willing to make the sacn. flee. During a discussion at a Meeting of tho Waihenio County Council the chairman related an amusing story of what happened many years ago in a county in South Canterbury. One'year tho ualanceaheet was received from tho Auditoi'-Ucu-cral's oilice with a "tag" about something which did not meet v.ith official approval. The council preserved a discreet silence, and nothing nioro happened till the next year, when another "tag" on the same subject was greeted with the same silence. The years rolled on, thoir passing being marked by the regular arrival of another reminder from Wellington, until the' unconcerned and unrepentent council had received 18 additional marks of official displeasure. Then Nature took a. hand in the game. Tho persevering official at headquarters died, and with him.the matter was tacitly buried. Answering Urn question whether a hospital board can be considered liable in a case where an officer contracts an infectious disease in the conrso of his ordinary duties as an inspector, the "Journal of "Public Health'- states that the matter is not covered by statute law at present in New Zealand. The Workers' Compensation Act deals only with cases of injury by accident and certain specified industrial diseases, the journal adds. An inspector incurs tho ordinary risks of hie occupation, nnd unless .a special contract had been entered into by iv board it is not directly liable. However, such .\ case can be conveniently covered by an insnrnnco policy, and the Department would advise that in a case where it ii> possible that such liability will occur boards should take tho precaution to insure themselves against such. . :