LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 115, 9 February 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Just before four o'clock 011 Saturday afternoon, when matches were in progress, the stand 011 the Palmerston North erioke! ground t.v>k fire (savs our -pi-cial correspondent). Some of the teams got to work with buckets of water, but not till the Fire Brigade arrived was tho fire subdued. Some of the under-struclure was destroyed, and a few bicycles left underneath ivero badly scorched, several having the tyres ruined. It apnenrs that some person dropped a stub of a cigarette, which fell down a crack between the boards, and landed 011 some inflammable rubish stored underneath the stand. The stand belongs to the Borough Council, and is insured: Fortunately not much damago was done to it.

Tho linilway Department lin; agreed to allow return tickets held 1.-y ichohrs, not permitted (o reliirn to boarding schools on account of the influent,'t stare, to lie used up to the date oi' opening of tlio schools. The d.llieulty luns arisen out of the postponement of the opening day of nil .school.'-'. Most pupils who travel distances by rail would in the ordinary coursc- buy return tickets at the usual Christmas excursion rates, but the t.ickcis will expire before the ichools IV-WK'll.

The housing branch of tho T.abour Department has appointed the following additional inspi'.tors:—Messrs. K. Findle, J. T. KibblowJiitc, W. 11. Gardiner, \Y. A. Baldwin, A. 'X'. Grandison, J. It, Murdoch, G. A. Tinker, \V. T. Conibear, IT. T'. Lobb, \\\ JT. Aburn, and A. D. Sneddon. These niters will be allotted ilutißS in connection with the bousing coi'tracls recently let by the ijepni'ineiif.

ft is alleged that on Saturday afternoon a youth drew a revolver in lwo Indie-' in 111-" KlliiT ,Street reserve, grabbed a purse belonging to me of the ladies, and bolted. The purse contained ills, mid a few trinkets The matter is in the hands of the police.

The weather has been extreniely hot during the past week, and Sunday was no exception (says our Palmerston North correspondent). In tho afternoon, however, the sky became overcast, and just before five o'clock welcome ehowera of rein wminencod to (all,

The Superintendent of Polico reported last evening that he had received advice that a railway guard, named Ernest George, 011 duly 011 a train, died at the Summit 011 Saturday evening. His body was taken to Featherstou, where 1111 in- j cjuest will be held. • At -1.32 a.m. on Saturday the Tire Brigade received a call to an outbreak 111 a five-roomed cottago situated in Lorne Street owned by Messrs. Thompson Bros, nnd occupied by Mr. .1. W. 'J'hurlow; The Humes were extinguished after the house and its contents had been greatly damaged b.v lire, smoke, and water. The furniture and' effects are insured in the British Eagle office for .I'lOD. The collage was covered by a risk in the Commercial Union office for J:275. Tll the Supreme Court on Saturday, bofore His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards, (lie hearing of the charge against Daniel Stephen Foley, of indecently -issaultiug a girl aged six at llalaitai in January IS was concluded. The jury were laken oul in motor-cars to examine the locality where the assault was alleged to have taken place. The Court rosumid at 2 p.m., when Mr. 11. F. O'Ltnry began his address to the jury. After Jlis Honour had summed up briefly. Die jury retired for fifteen minutes, and (hen returned a verdict of "not guilty," and accordingly the prisoner was discharged. This provisos to be a busy week at the Supreme Cour.t. There are eight persons s'lill to be tried on iriminal charges, two of these lwing nians'.iMighter, rnd the hearing of these will b?gi.n to-day. tomorrow Mr. Justice Jlosking will begin the- hearing of civil and divorce, cases, and on Thursday the Arbitration Court will sit. At a veil-attended meeting of the Petonc Woollen Workers' Union, the following resolution was passi\l imanimous--I,.._"That this meeting dps'.r?s lo re(X>rd its entire disapproval of t Ho proposed Parliamentary trip to Samoa, and suggests that Parliament should assemble at "once to give consideration to, «.nd endeavour to steady, tho ever-increasing cost of living, as, for instance, the coal (jufst'on, the cost of clothing, elc. Should Parliament go into the latter (ucstion this union proffers its services, as we 'believe that the cost ot woollen goods is out of all proportion lo tho cost of manufacture." An ollic'al .statement as to the financial result of the Lvall Hay Victory O'a.a will probably be mads iu a lew days. The organising secretary of the venture lAlr. li. Leslie Jones) has been ill, and this*has caused delay Tim account.* ;uid documents have now been given over to a hrui 01 auditors. A very interesting cercinouy was per ! formed 011 Friday afternoon at Hie es--1 tablishment of Messrs. L. T Watkins, Ltd., when, at the invitation of Ui» I rtalf His Worship tho Mayor (Mr. J. ! P. Luke, C.M.G., M.P.), unveiled a very handsomo memorial and roll of honour 1 erected by the firm in memory of tho i members of the stall' who had mved ' during the g''eat war. The memorial ' la a very handsomo one, built of New ! Zealand woods, and containing ll.« porI traits of 15 members of tb« firm who , bad served, their names beuu i)«cril)(a iin black and uold in the c.cntre. Mr. 1 Watkins ,in introducing the . Mayor to ! the staff and their relatives and iriends, I bridly referred to the pride all "'olt in tho firm's lino record during tho war, land called upon Mr. Luke 10 perform I the unveiling ceremony. Mr. Luko spoke I feelingly of the prid-J ho folt in being ■ all'ordcd the opportunity of pcrioniung i the ceremony, and loucbingly irtorred to 1 the sympathy all ielt for the relatives, i who were present, of thoso \ ho had I mnt i c tho great saeriie. lie emphasised 1 u lo great part played bv Britain's l)o----niinioin in general, and «fo*v Zealand in particular. There was ecareely a lamily, he said, in New Zealand that had no 1 been represented in the battlcheld, and I now that victory had come to crown tho I Armv's • wonderful effort, HlO world would bo a safer nnd better place to live in, and all the dreadful sacrifices

had not been made in vain, lie then ! performed tho unveiling ceremony, and an inspection of tho memorial was mode by -the large gathering present. ill. Eric Wakelin briefly thaiiKed the Mayoi ; on behalf of tho soldiers whoso names ' pppeared on the roll, and mentioned tho many kindnesses performed by the ladies of tho s'taff. who. had frent comtous to tho men iu tho field. By a large majority tho Wellington Printers' Machinists' Union on Saturdaj decided in favour of cancelling its registration under the Arbitration Act.

A very heavy bullock was sold at the Wallacetown saleyards, near Invcrcargul, recently for ,£3G 10s. The buyer was a butcher in a country town. A soda fountain in tho Lanibton Tea Rooms exploded on morning. No one was hurt, and business v. as cai i-ied on in tho establishment with , but little delay. There, was no apparent cause for tho explosion.

The practice of more than 0110 person riding on an ordinary motor-cycle is considered to bo dangerous by the> Aucklml City Council, which decided at its last nicotine to take steps 0 put an end to it On the recommendation ot the linanee and Legal Committee a clraft b j law was adopted declaring it unUwiu for more than one person to rule on .1 motor-cyelo, the by-law not to apply to any person riding in a proper side-car Zn"hiufd not be allowed to compete in this business, the application was declined The council also declined to grant the applicant a dangerous good, license. Marauders in small ornft in the Ha.ll- - Gulf are apparently levying qnita heavy toll on fl<K*s pwung by the A farmer whose land fronts the pmte iTng people'found guilty ot f°° Wono'last year" AVaiheke and other and alone last yea d frQm as round about BusHospital authorities ..vntiinir that the condition of i: ink 5 ,vi„> W-VIM t: *.JU to the institution Viv 'on Saturday morning sutteruig S« rcvot" Vound in the head, wae much the same.

A number of sharks made an appearance oil' Miirilai beach yesterday moinW fhe si7o of tho unwelcome visitor* &A 6 iven as from four feet to nine feet" Bathing ceased after the sharks arrived on the scene, but was resumed later The sharks were quite close to the shore, and several shots were fired at them with «i rifle*