LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 134, 2 March 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

According to a wireless message from the transport Athenic, she can.be expected to arrive at 'Wellington at 6 p.m. on Friday. The health of all onV.board is reported to be good. . !>

The troopship Corinthic, which left England on February 20 with 52 Now Zealand soldiers,on board, is due at Wellington about April G. Tho vessel is travelling via • Panama.

Certain requests wero recently made to tho Government by the Now Zealand Ilolurned Soldiers' Association in connection with the visit of the Prince of Wales. In informing the association of the Gov-. ernment's decision on the matter, tho Minister .of Internal Affairs states: "I do not think it would be possible for the Prince to perform the ceremony of in-, vestiture in respect of medals, though it i« just possible that tho decorations mijlit be conferred by him. With'icgard to. your request for a special function, at »• hich the Prince should meet members of your association, apart from the general public, the Government has endeavoured to give effect to your wishes, and feel suro that 11.T1.H. will desire such arrangements when he is informed of the request." The Minister suggests that this function should take place at between 1 p.m. or 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, ond tho matter will be fully discussed at a meeting to-night of thn Standing Sub-Committee.

Aro moving pictures essential? _ The point cropped up at yesterday's sitting of the Conciliation Council during the hearing of : the Wellington biograph operators' dispute, when Mr. M. J. E«ardon, an assessor for the employees, remarked: "In any Christian community biograph operators should not have to work un Good Friday and Christmas Day." Ho went on to express the opinion' that none of the public services should bo run on tlioso days. According to Mr. H. W. Shortt, an assessor for tho employers, moving pictures wore essential, to which Mr. Reardon rejoined: "They wero not essential during the influenza epidemic." Mr. Shortt: "Well, .there was nobody to go then." It was urfted by Mr J. M'Kenjsie, on behalf of the employees, that tho public should bo satisfied on Good Friday and Christmas T) a y with sacred concerts. It could not be said that the pictures were altogether uplifting. Mr. Shortt pointed out that the pictures were censored by the Town Clerk before they were shown on theso days. Mr. Reardon "Oh! That's reducing* the' tiling to a farce." A small child named Rita Ross fell into an opcii drain at Northland on Sundav, and might have been drownea. lint for the prompt action of Mr. F. W. IVhe a resident who witnessed the accident from his verandah. It appears that the child was passing tho drain when 'she fell and rolled into it.

Ten d-ivs ago an Italian fisherman, named Barlelo de Slefano, of Island Bay, found a boat about a. mile out to sen, oil IT»puy Vcllov Hay. The craft, which was Tialf full of water, was towed to the shore and beached, and the finding of it was reported to the police. Since tiien various inquiries have been made, but the owner cannot be found, nor has there been any reiwrt of a boat raising. The boat is lift, long, painted green outside and blue inside, and is devoid of all fittings. There is no mark on it to indicate who owns it or where it drifted from.

"I believe .that three-quarters of the misfortunes in life would not occur if married men would take their wives into their confidence, ask their advice, and then follow it."-Judge Alden at the Concert Chnmber last night.

' Yesterday afternoon a young man named Harry Darrant, residing in Arno Street, and employed by Mr. "Wells, plumber, Newtown, sustained a cut on Iris right arm through falling on an arc lamp globe. The. wound was severe oiioueh to necessitate his removal to the TTospital. Mr. Gravestock, representative for Messrs. .1. and N. T nit - confirms the n-ixirt that Mr. John M'Cormack is to revisit Australia and New Zealand under the (inn's management this year. Mr. M'Cormaclc is bringing with him Mrs. M'Cormack and the members of his family. In tho Supremo Court at Auckland J J. Bovd, owner of the Oneluinga Zoo, applied 'for an injunction to restrain tho Oneluinga Borough Council from enforcing a by-law empowering it to remove his animals. Mr. Justice Chapman dismissed the application—Press Assn.

Musicians are paid big prices for an impression in a cut paper roll of their interpretations of the works of the great masters. Writing to his wife, Miss Daisy Kennedy, the brilliant violinist, M. llenno Moiseivitch, the eminent Hussion pianist, states that he has just concluded a contract with a player-piano-I'orte firm to play twenty pieces tor .CUlOll-I'2oo a piece. ,

A mass Hireling of the employees at (he Addinglon railway workshops yesterday carried the following resolution:— "We view with grave alarm tho rumoured wanton destruction of clothing by the military authorities. Six weeks ago Ihev canvassed the workshops for orders fur' the sale of these article:', and cash was demanded with the order. Wo now understand that the authorities have cancelled the orders received, and are chopping the garments up and selling them at 3!d. per lb. for rags. We demand a public inquiry."—Press Assn. La to crops of potatoes in the Hutt Valley aro reported to havo suffered considerably from 'blight.

There are many optimists in the community, remarks the Melbourne "Age." Several people called at the Royal Mint with 1914 pennies, which they offered to sell at prices 'much above their modest faco value. Tho refusal of the authorities to "do business" probably came as a shock to these people, who had no idqa that they had been led astray by the absurd rumour that has been spread to the effect that pdnnies bearing the dote lfllt contain a percentage of gold in them, rendering them far more valuable than the ordinary "copper." How the story originated no one knows. The master of the Mint pointed out that the rumour was merely a recrudescence of stories which have arisen from time to time regarding pennies of other dates, even as far back as 1864.

The Christchurch City Council last night decided not to make the proposed Cathedral Square site available for the city's war memorial, states a Press Association message. A resolution was passed that in the opinion of. the coun.ul the cost of the war memorial should lie raised by voluntary subscription.

Two' Germans who have been interned at Narrow Neck—A. W. A. Schultz, of Tonga, and A. Nau"''. of Samoa—have been released, and will leave for their homes by the Navua- Both men have families. The number of 'prisoners at Narrow Neck will now be 17.--Pre.ss Af.sn.

The Mayor (Mr. W. H. Jncksor.) presided at a meeting held in Masterton last night to determine- what form Masterton's war memorial should take /wires our specia' correspondent. On the motion of Mr. H, V. Hart if was unanimously a"reed: ""Tint tho grounds known as the Wairaraoe fallen Soldiers' and Cameron Memorial Grounds be adopted n3 the site for the fallen soldiers' memorial sporty grounds." On the motion of Mr. D. K, Logan, v committee was appointed to confer iwth the existing Memorial Committee and to submit a report.

The Minister of Railways informed the Petone Borough Council last night that the Department had looked -into the grade of the road leading to the overbridge at the Petone station, and found that to reduce the grade of the nnproach to the over-bridge to, say, 1 in 30, would entail the alteration of the grade to the Koro Koro Road, which now lies at an even gradient of 1 in 15. In order.to meet the nroposed regradinff of the approach to the over-bridge, the Koro Koro Road would require to be altered from 1 in 15 to 1 in 12.7 for a distance of four cliains. Such increase In the grade to the Koro Koro Road -would be seriously 'objected to by the users of it, and under the circumstances it was regretted that no alteration could be made in the grade at the approach to the over-bridge.