LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 263, 2 August 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Defence 'Sir .Tames Allen) stated yesterday that he did /<>J expect, tho coal shortage to affect the visit of the battle-cruiser 'New Zealand to tho port? of the .Dominion. The arrangements for the visit had been made definitely, and the New Zealand was lo arrive here on August 19. The arrangements included the supply of coal, and he did not feel that the existing difficulties would justify any alteration of the plans that had been made. The executive of the local Returned Soldiers' Association at its last meeting passed a motion strongly objecting Ir. the appointment of any alien to a public or semi-public position. The Government's Air Adviser (Lieu-tenant-Colonel. Vere Bottinglon) stated the other doy'Mhal the four aeroplanes due to reach New Zealand this month would be sent to Christchurch and flow.n from the Sorkburn aerodrome. Referring lo these machines last, evening, the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) r-aid that the Defence Department had been in 'communication with the ('nnlerlnio Aviation' Company regarding tho use of the Sockhuru aerodrome but no definite arrangement had been made. The four aeroplanes had In b? housed somewhere and the accommodation \vn' aviilable nt Sockburn. The.Minister added that the general r|iie-tioii of aviation poliry was being held over until the return of Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. The report already received from Colonel Bcttington was not that officer's final report. The policy of Hie Government would hnvu lo be settled before detailed nrrniiironionls of any kind could be made. Sir Joseph Ward had gathered ■some information about, aerial mails.. An incrca?!) in the price of motor 6pirits, lo take effect from yesterday, is announced by the Vacuum Oil Company. Kerosene advances Is. per case, hpirits, with the exception of lieuzolinc, Is. id. (approximate), and lubricating oils from Id. to Gd, per gallon. First-grade petrel will now cost 275. Gd. per case retail. The reason for the advance, it is staled, is an advnncc of 2s. Sd. on Ihe American market. It. is understood Ihat the company, instead of passing this increase on lo the public, has taken into consideration stocks on hand and slocks alioat, and split, the difference. A rise by other importing firms is considered probable.

At about -.•'HI p.m. yesterday many citizens heard two distinct explosions of a very violent nal lire. The, sounds appeared lo coiuii from Ihe direction of the Heads or f.y-ill liny, and caused a. good deal of e.vcileiiieiii. Persons who heard yesterday's implosions unci who also heard iho explosion on 11k, occasion of the Tnraiver.i eruption of over 2D year* ago, fit a led that the report recalled the Ilia, torii: event in all ils vividness. Much speculation followed the major explosion, and Iho majority advanced the opinion I hat it must have been a mine which had came in contact with a rock off the foreshore-. A certain number of mine, l ) aro unaccoiiilled fur, and it is quite pos. sible that one of 'hem, was responsible for the explosion. Against this theory, however, is the report that Iwo distinct explosions were heard at. about the .same time. Further, when residents of Ly.il) liay were communicated with last evening, information wus obtained that a similar detonation was heiiril at about 10.; i!) Tn thu morning. A certain rumbling sound followed this explosion, and this was not unlike the. protracted rumbling which precedes an earthquake. The. police, are investigating the mutlei, and inquiries are also being made by the Chief Postmaster, but up to a. late hour last night no definite information as to the cause of the explosions was obtainable. The lighthouse-keeper at Penearrow was unable to 'give any explanation of (ho mystery, and endeavours to cominunicalo with i'he station at Ternwhiti proved fruitless, 'from inquiries made at (he forls a. slalement was obtained suggestnig that the explosion look place somewhere in Iho vicinity of the .lied Hocks, but no information could be obtained as lo any occurrence there.

During the quarter ended June 30 the deposits in the Post Olfico Savings Banks amounted to ,£0,674,007, and the withdrawals to iG,I7-i,572, leaving an excess of deposits over withdrawals of ,£4!)9,ls>. For the corresponding quarter of 1918 the excess of deposits over withdrawals was Dnrircj the past quarter Auckland's deposits totalled .£1,307,719, and withdrawals ,C1,!!00,5£2, leaving a credit balance of ,£107,177. The deposits at Wellington were larger but so also were the withdrawals (,£l,42(1,733), leaving a credit balance of oulv ■£21,692.

ft was mentioned at the meeting of the H.M.S. New Zealand Eeception Committee yesterday that the itailwuy Department had definitely turned down all requests to carry school children in connection with Iho coming vhit of the warship.

It was decided .it the last meeting of the executive of the Wellington Returned. Soldiers' Association to give its hearty support to the Dominion executive in its demand for a commission of "inquiry into the administration mid future application of war funds.

The annual conference of the Municipal Association nf Now Zealand has been lixed to take place in Wellington on September 11 and 12. A pre! imi nary sehedifle of remits has already been published, but a complete list will he published at the end of tho present month.

At the last meeting of limbless returned soldiers one of the speakers,-who was minus an arm near tne shoulder, and had been issued wii-li two artificial arms, pointed out that, these were of no possible use to him, and had been' assigned tu decorate the wall of his room. He stated that numbers of other soldiers were in the same position, and advocated that the. limbs should be returned to (he artificial limb factory shouid th'ey bo of use lo that establishment. The officer in charge now advisos that parts might bo used in construction of useful limbs, and the secretary of the local Returned Soldiers' Association is communicating with those to whom an artificial arm is of no use, with the object of having same returned. ' A young man was arrested yesterday on a charge of breaking and entering and theft at Lyall-Bay. The arrest was made by Constable ilollis. The accused will appear before the Magistrate's Court this morning lo answer the charge.

In the advertisement officially announcing the results of the drawing of the 'J'rentham Dominion Scholarships Art Union, which appeared in yesterday's issue, a printer's error occurred in Ilia line giving the winner of the l.llith prize. The winning number in this ease should bo 0 01,950, and not 0 04,956, as .stated.

At a meeting of tho Now Zealand Golf Association it was decided (hat owing to the difficulties in regard to the train services the championship meeting lo have teen held in Napier on September 2 shall be postponed for a month.

As a rule local bodies in the country impose a charge of Is. per milo up to tivent.v head of cattle for driving stray animals to the pound. Tho Oliakuno Borough Council has forwarded a remit to tho Municipal Association of New Zealand for consideration at the coming conference, in which it seeks to offalter tho charge to ls. per head per mile. A footnote to the remit adds naively: "Tho present scale makes it profitable for n. person owing a' number of cattle mid horses to turn them,on to the street and get grazing for all of them for a nigln for Is., while a person owning one cow would have to pay die same amount."

A press Association . message from Auckland states that at the inquest on ]'). J. Chaafe, jun., who was found drowned, a verdict of suicide was returned. Deceased was in monetary difficulties.

Before. Mr. Burton, S.M., at the Taumiininui Police Court, a Maori was sentenced to two months' hard labour for stealing articles valued at £\3, at Terena, and another Maori was lined J.'"] for aiding an unknown person to supply him with liquor.—Press Assn.

Two women patrols who are at work in Christchurch under the direction of the District Health OHiee, have reported several cases of disease amongst women and children, and steps have been takcu lo see that the persons suffering receive propel' treatment,'lire in clean and sanitary condition;, and take the curative measures prescribed by tho medical au : thorilies. The patrols have extensive powers, but their work is not. of a detective character. If they find a girl in company that seems to l)c undesirable, they may ascertain where she lives and report the matter to her parents and advise, them to exercise more restraint, on her. but. their actual positions are those of investigating nurses. One is a trained nurse, and tho oilier has had nursing- experience. The experiment of their work and the appointments, it is expected, will prove very satisfactory as far as discovering victims of special diseases and preventing llicni from' spreading are. concerned. (

An instance of confusion arising from similnriiv of names of places is mentioned by the postal authorities. _ There is a Post office in the Westporf. district called Waimarie, which often leads to confusion in the case of correspondence intended for Waimarie in the Whenuapai district., near Hobsonville. Correspondents posting letters intended for Waimarie. Whenuapai, should, therefore, be careful to use the name of tho post oflice ."Whenuapai," and not "Waimarie." Unless this is done the mail'matter will lie senf. to the Waimarie office, Wcstport, and long delays will result.

"This city has the universal tramway fare, fivo cents (2U1.) anywhere." writes a New Zoalandei from Washington,' D.C. "Transfers used to be free, but Ihe authorities huvo just introduced ii. Iwo cent transfer ticket. If yoiii had the system in Wellington,' a, person gofting aboard a tram at Oriental Bay could get to Lyall Bay for the one fare 'by transferring nt. CouiTeiiay Place into an Hand Bay car. and transferring again at. Newtown into a Lyall Bay car. But the system would not work in Wellington. The population is too small."

Au affiliation case in which a. man who had divorced his wife was charged villi bcins,' the father <if an illegitimate child of the wife, horn Jil'fer Hie divoire, caiiio. before the Police Cowl ACNlmla.v moinin,r (niivs a. I'it.ss .AwiiL-inlioii telegram froia Auckland) Defendant pleaded not (,'tiiJlv. .Sub-Inspector Wolilmnnn slated Unit'tho parlies were divorced in November, 19HI (tho decree being made absolute on March (i, 11)17), and subsequently ihc woman mid tho divorced luiebaiid lived together in a house at Kllerslio for twelve months or more before another diiM was born tt> ths woman. Tho mother died of inlli'sira in November lust and the child was committed to an industrial school. The case for the polico was lliot for more than twelve months prior to the birth of the child defendant and his divorced wife lived together. The case was adjourned ior further evidence,

The Government, .wording to a Press Association telegram from Chrislehiirch, has purchased 2300 acres «t Lunriston,' SCO"jicrpa nl Kiikaia, and 1200 at SI. Andrews, for the purpose of soldier sellle-iik-iil. The la ml will cut lip i» ln twenty Sections, mid is all good clipping and grazing country. During July the Land Jioanl dealt with 316 iippliu-itions by soldiers for land.

The Canterbury Repatriation Board has received a telegram from the Minister of Public Works stating that the difficulties in connection with Hid workintr of the third shift at the Otir-a tunnel have been satisfactorily settled, and Hint the Department can now take on thirty men who are used lo rock work. The 'Minister advised the hoard to get into touch with the resident engineer at Greymouth in regard to Hie matter. It is understood that Die Repatriation Board will be able to supply the number of men asked for.

At a mass meeting of railwaymen held Inst night (says a Tress Association telegram from Palmer-ton North), a resolution was passed-and forwarded to Hie Central Executive, which it is understood is in the nature of an ultimatum from all branches of the service insisting on higher rates of remuneration for night work, driver.? ami firemen, and the removal of the cancellation of holiday passes for men on leave. The tone of the meeting was distinctly belligerent.

I'or the past two days a big -bonfire lui« been burning on the To Aro reclnmation near the ;ca wall opposite the old Te Am railway station. The material being burnt is' the old rubber remains of old solid motor lorry lyres, which are so firmly pressed into the grooved iron bands (fiat llio rubber has to be burned out. Some hundreds of motor lorry tyres have been (.'leaned up in this way (luring the past two days.