LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 76, 23 December 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

TnE Dominion will not be published on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The Eastern Extension Telegraph Company notify that communication with Trinidad is interrupted. Telegrams for Trinidad and Demara nro subject to delay. The following cases of influenza wero reported between noon, Docember 15, and noon on December 18:—Auckland and North Auckland, 123 mild, 8 severe; Wellington, 17 mild, i pneumonic; Canterbury, 9 mild, 1 severe; Otago, 4 mild, 1 severe. A proclamation was issued yesterday further proroguing the General Assembly until January 29 next, The term of General Sir Alfred Robin's tenure of office as Commisioner at Samoa lias not been officially defined. Ho may bo there longer than the few weeks which have been mentioned as the term necessnrv to civo Colonel Tato relief. Tho Mayor (Mr. J. P Luke) has received sheaves of telegrams from all parts of New Zealand congratulating him on his return to Parliament from Wellington Ncrth. Tho price of Ceylon tea has hepn steadily odviiuciLng during the past few months, and at the. present time most of tho packet brands are being sold at 3s. per lb., and in eomo instances as much as Bs. Gd. per lb. is being charged. Christeliurch tea merchants explain that ihe rise is due mainly to the recent mnrket increases in Ceylon, and also to tho rise in value of the rupee, which is now quoted at 2s. 5 l-10d., the standard value being only Is. td. Indications point to further advances in the price of tea, and it is considered unlikely that auj reduction can bo expected for a long time to come. ' The offices of the Defence Department will close to-night for tho Christmas vacation and will reopen on January 5. Another concert was given by the members of St. Andrew's Church and friends to tho patients at tho Wellington Hospital last Thursday. The entertainment was much enjoyed by both the patients and the staff.

Arrangements have been made by tho Defence Department whereby members of rilio clubs may purchase up to, 200 rounds of mark VI. small arm ammunition per annum. The price of tho ammunition will bo decided annually, but that for the vear 1920 has been fixed at Bs. tOd.- per .100 rounds.

The Jewish battalions that formed a portion of General Sir E. Chaylor's command in Palestine wero mentioned by li'im when addressing a meeting at Palir.crston North. One of the two battalions was composed almost wholly of London Jews, and was fairly well disciplined. Tho other was made up entirely of Russian mid Rumanian Jews from America. "Their ide.i of discipline was pretty awful," said the General, "hut tho colonel in charge used to maintain order by a most effective threat, which was that if they did not behave themselves properly they would bo deported at tho end of "tho war back to Russia or Rumania."

A well-known resident of Gore who is a strong advocate of prohibition found the words "Vote for booze" painted on bis front gate. The owner immediately secured a paint brush and prefixed ,th« advice.by the word "Don't."

To be paid for attending the funeral of a friend is an experience which is probably unique in this country (says a southern paper). It happened to all who attended the funeral of a wealthy man who died recently in Timaru. They attended the funeral in tho ordinary way out of respect to the deceased, and with no thought of reward for so'doing. Judge then, of their surprise, when they found that their names had all beon takeu. ind a relative of tho deceased gentleman in England sent them each a cheque for £5. Tho third course of training at tho staff school of instruction at Trentham Camp will commence on January 24. No fewer than 32 applications hnvo been received for tho position of assistant town clerk and accountant at Napier. Every election produces its crop of informal votes. The simplification of ballot papers and the preparation of explicit and simple instructions do not pi event a proportion of the electors from making their votes invalid. Many of the- informal vote.s undoubtedly are due 10 ignorance, same of them uro the result of nervousness end others are given deliberately. There are electors who will go to the'polling booth for the .purpose, of asserting their electoral rights, and will then cross out all the names on tho ballot paner, or put a big crns» right across the face of tho paper, as an indication that they do not. approve of either or any of tho candidates. Jho degree of informality varies, and a returning offieor may accept a voting paper that is not marked according to instructions as long as the intention of the elector to vote .for a particular candidate is made quite clear Informal votes are carefully scanned before they aro iiimlly rejected. I'almerston is full of thieve? just now, and householders are warned to pleonwith lx>th eves open and a handy club nearbv (savs the "Maimwufu Daily Times;"). On Saturday night one or two lots of geese and poultry were taken under cover of the high wind. Other citizens report lows of fruit and vegetables.

Tim first valuation, of a fair quantity of the new season's Olago wool clip contircnccil at: Dunedin on Friday. Tlio wool displayed showed on the- whole in a marked respect tlio effects of the Inst trying winter and spring. The yield per hrad was below the average, and tho quality was lower than Inst season, and very much below the extraordinarily good eliii of 11117-18. Tenderness and old seed were very apparent, nnd, though in point of condition tho wool was light, the growth was shorter than usual, and as a result of discolouration and shortage of feed tho grading in many cases was. as could only he expected, hilow that of previous seasons, 1 i

"I nm absolutely ntuok for mon at thy present limo," remarked tho engineer at tliu meeting of tlio Now Plymouth Borough Council. "It is nil duo lo tho housing diinciilty. I would pot thirty men at onco if llicro wero houses for them to live in." A mini wrote to n, Sydney paper the other <l:iy: "A pair of boots easts 1110 Ufa. A horaoiollnr, 255. Tho leather in tho collar welighs four times lut.mncli as tho leather in tho boots. Has tho prlco of cardboard gone up?"

Tho training of Junior Cadets in tho schools ;inds a warm (supporter in Mr. .1. W. Tilths. headmaster of tho Auckland Grammar School, Speaking at the annual prize-giving of the school last week hi said that the chief argument for tho abolition of tho Junior Cadet systoni was that soiiiethiiii; should bo left for boys to learn when they had crown up; and that arcument wns equally applicable* to the barrack system. Instead of the latter tliu school adopted what seemed to him the rounder alternative: that of sending non-coms into camp in the_ vacation. Kixtv-three of them were sent in tho Afay vacation to Trcntham under tbrco masters, where they underwent a course of truininu to fit them as instructors in infantry drill, musketry, and physical trainintr. The influence of that visit whb felt at once, for the training at Trcntham was reflected at the school. As a result of the training at Trentham, the competition for the Esam Cup had been keen, mid had brought out work of a very high standard of excellence. The discipline of tho cadets from the eooondarv schools who attended the May camp nt Trentham was the subject of much criticism in the Press and from the pulnit. He honed that the camp woujd be held yearly, for he was satisfied that tho military training given there to the noncoms, was good for them, and for cadets under. them. But he also hoped that the discipline of the boys when off duty would be loft in the hands of masters from the schools entirely, and not in liniul-s of the camp adjutant, who would nrohnblv niako the mistake of treating tho boys ns grown men. A. Press Association message from Invercargill states that ■ local newspapers will not publish on Christmas and Boxing Days.

In official circles it is considered that to ensure success tho seaplanes thut will somo day be employed in tho carriage of mails between various points in Now Zealand will have to be fairly powerful in order to provide a margin for bad weather emergencies as well as tho weight of mails. The seaplane of Messrs Walsh Bros., whicli flew from Auckland to Dareavillo so successfully last week, lias a 73 borse-powor engine, so that its flight, with a mechanic and 501b. weight of mails was quite a good one. It is considered that tho 'piano of the futuro for this work will bo ono with an engine of 150 horse-power, capable of carrying two or three passengers as well as mail matter. Tlicro was no timo to make 1 .ft special slamp, with which to mark the first letters carried by air in Now Zealand, and the mails conveyed between Auckland and Dargarille were, marked and delivered' in "She ordinary way. "Having completed her work in Cook Strait, tho Pacific Cable Company's steamer Iris left for Auckland on Sunday morning. Her work consisted of putting in a long splice of ten-tons-to-tho-milo cn'hle in' the Orerahanga-Wliite's.Bay cable, which was found to bo badly perished for a considerable distance from the Oterohanea shore, where tho strong currents, combined with chemical action, badly affect the cables in that -vicinity. ..

The "Dover flare" was ono of tho inventions of tho war, and one which in in small measure helped to end it. Tho Dnver flare, according to Lieut-Com-mander Poland Bnurke, V.C., D.S 0., who is now in Wellington,'is a calcium light which is of 1,000,000 candle-power, and has an illuminating radius of four miles—a light which makes considerable demands on the imagination. It was the lWi't wh'ch guided tho Vindictive to the Oslend piers in the great rn : <l of last year, and it is learned from tho visitor that a double row of Dover flares formed a woWlerfully-illuminated avenue.across the English' Channel towards the end of ihe war. With nets stretched below, hung w'th contact mines, and Dover flares, above, the Germans were "iven no chance of getting through lhe Channel, i wlio arrived by the Main Trunk train from Auckland yesterday had a very unseasonable experienco when nassing through the country round about Wainuru. Yc.stcrdnv morning tho snow was lving thick' on the ground, and snowballng was indulged in when the express Hopped at Waiouru. The ni<dif iouinev was piercingly cold, and the fact that the heaters were not in u:o did not tend to make matters any more comfortable. '-' At the nierting of the Lower Hntt Bnrniph Council last night it was decided In place the'illustrated papers in the libraw in th*. hands of the librarian because of the pilfering of coloured plates whicli has been going on.> Evidence of tho shortage of cement was given at the Lower Jfutt Borough Council mcctiner last night when the engineer (Mr. TO. A. Gumbloy) reported that nlthomrh he had had eomo on order for some time he had been unable to secure enough to keep work at tho pumping station going. Tie had been promised some for January 1-1. Advice has been received by the Lower JTutt Borough Council from Defence Headquarters that the ambulance car allotted to the council is now available, and will be issued on loan on condition that it is kept in good running order, that tho Department shall have outhoritv t.) periodically inspect it, that it 1» placed at tho disposal of the Defenco Department if required for training, and that it be handed over to the Denartment on mobilisation. The council decided to accept tho car under these conditions, the question of a driver to bo dealt with after tho holidays.

His Majesty's Trade Commissioner lias been advised that the Department of Overseas Trade in London arc organising nn exhibition of timbers grown within the British Empire. The exhibition will take place in London from July 5 to July 17, W2O, in a building having a gros* area of 10,000 square feet, and it is felt that this will bo a most favourable opportunity for. displaying the various grades of timber produced in tile British Empire. The classification embraces: («) Specimens of timber (polished and unpolished); (b) exhibits demonstrating the-various uses to which timbers are put viz., floors, staircases, furniture, ply'wood, and articles of everyday use; (c)' wood 'pulp. A committee has been formed to arrange all dotails of the exhibition, and includes representatives of the Colonial Office, Crown Agents for the colonies, Government of India, self-governing Dominions, etc. The main object of the exhibition is to bring prominently before those interested tho full range of Imperial-grown timbers, especially those which up to the present arc only very slightly, if at all, known in the"United Kingdom, and to demonstrate the chief uses for which such timbers are suitable. A catalogue will be issued giving full particulars of all exhibits displayed, such n's a short statement regarding each kind of timber esdiibited, ■size usually obtainable, purposes for which best suited, weight per cubic feet, result of tests, etc. j a list of shippers of the various kinds of timber in each of the Dominions, and a list of importers and largo timber merchants in the United Kingdom who would be prepared to supply the various timbers to users. It is considered that this catalogue will in future serve as a'useful book of reference on all commercial timbers grown within tho British Empire.