LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 139, 8 March 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The internment camp at Narrow Neck was definitely closed on Friday morning, and seventeen German prisoners still in custody were removed to tho depot of tho ]tovi\l New Zealand Artillery nt North Head. The internment camp guard, comprising one officer and four men, is to be demobilised immediately. Arrangements are being made to send the prisoners kick to Germany by an early steamer.

Mr. E. H. Crabb, chairman of tho Central Committee of the Welfare league nt Palmerston North, attended a meeting of the league in Wellington last week, when it was ar-rnn«3d that at a meeting tc, ibo held in MiTierstnn a proposal would bo made agreeing to tho transfer of the headquarters of the league froni Palmcrston to Wellington. When that is arranged the Wellington branch will become the central executive, and one of its duties will- be to establish branches throughout the province.

The Education Board is about to mnko an addition to the branch school et Hataittti, whore the conditions have not been good for some time past.

Tho sle,liner liakanca, Iraund from Dunedin to Westport, is to put into Weill! gton early this morning to land a fireman, who has been injured. The vessel will continue on her voyage about 8 a.m.

A prediction that a further increase in prices of tobacco and cigarettes will soon have to be paid was made by the representative of nil Australian tobneco importing firm, who is travelling bv the Niagara on his way to England. He stated (reports the Auckland "Herald") that his firm had recently purchased a parcel'of tobacco in America, and the landed cost, apart from Customs duty, was Cs. per lb., this figure representing en increase of 300 per cent, as. compared with the price ruling about eighteen months ago. The demand for tobacco in Australia was increasing out of all proportion to tl>» simply. In regard to .the price, he considered that when thc> oresent stocks of tobacco are exhausted the cost of tfc baeeo nnd cigarettes is hound to increase, unless there is a considerable improvement in the American rate of exchange.

When a juryman was called upon for service at the Hamilton Supreme CouH on Tuesday he claimed exemption as he had strong religious objections. nis Honour said it was the first time he had heard a iuryman claiming exemption on religious grounds, and asked the man to what sect he belonged. He replied 'jjat' he did not belong to any sect, but iiad strong religious objections. "Well, I will exempt you," said His Honour, "fort it is ciuite clear you would be a most unsatisfactory juryman." A Sydney correspondent writes:—On his return to Sydney, Mr.' H. Verbrugghen. conductor o$ the New South Wales Stale Orchestra, found a cablegram from America offering liini a five years' engagement at 20,000 dollars for a seven months' .season each year. Mr. Vet'bruggiien is waiting to see what the: Stato Government has to say about it. Mr. Verbfugghen is a man of unique qualifications. but that salary is likely to make the average elector sit up and talk! ,

A meeting of Aldington Railway Workshops employees on Saturday carried the following motion"This meeting, after reading in the newspapers the Hon. J. G. Coatees partial denial of the wanton destruction of military garment?, still enters an emphatic protest, and We further respectfully request him to fulfil his contract- to .us, as he had payments for articles six weeks in advance; we further ask employees to refuse to accept the return of their money until a. final reply is received from Mr. Coates."

With a view to reducing the number of uncertificated teachers in its cmplov the Canterbury Education Board decided that a return giving the names of all uncertificated teachers in the board's service should bo compiled with a view to the establishment of n winter school for teachers in the va/ious centres. In moving the motion. Mr.T.Hughes stated thai: at one time the board used to tnlce any teacher it could, get. andmany uncertificated teachers we"e obtained. _ The time hnd come to review the position, he considered, and get theso teachers to qualify .for the service.

•Southern fil"s record that since Unreports of the big prices obtained for hides at the sales, ty.e public have been buying boots very freely indeed, and piost of" 1 the retailers hove had a. particularly busy time. A reporter was informed that all classes of outdoor footwear have been in keen demand, and orders havo been givpn fc- .£7, Ss. and up to .611! worth of bouts by single customers, who are laying in n stock against the expected rise. Men's stout boots have been most in request, but there have been brisfr dealings in women's and children's boots and shoes also. A 'hi? retailer stated that a rise in price on all boots and shoes bound to occur in the near future, unless some unforeseen circumstances happened. but be could not seo whv thi? rise should be as great as 10s. or 125., ,as liad been stated-

Profit-sharing and other staff benefit schemes were discussed l>v the Dominion Drapers' Conference in Auckland recently. It was found that a considerable number are already in existeice in individual establishments, The general opinion of the delegates was that however good some of these were it was still essential that there should "be a superannuation scheme comprehensive enough to include all assistants in tho trade, irrespective of whether they remained in the service of any firm in particular. A resolution was passed asking the Canterbury Association, to examine and coinpare any • superannuation schemes that would be workable in the trade, and report to the Dominion executive, with a view to the early adoption of general scheme. A vote taken on a motion that some form of profit-sharing between emplovers and employees in the trade was desirable, gained the approval of a majority of the delegates. •

While the mem'hers of the Canterbury District Repatriation Board were discussing the case of a certain returned soldier, who had the reputation of being something of a "character." the story was told of his reunion w.th his wife at Lyttclton which was described as quite' romantic. Tho man was stated to have "married" aiain in Knglnnd, and brought out his child by this "marriage" with him. Nothing daunted, his first wife, after camouflaging herself, went to tho beat, and when Rhe met him, suddenly 'pulled nil her veil. "Bill," for tliat was the, man's name, was overwhelmed. "Let lv-, jumn overboard," he suggested to her. "N'o. Bill," she replied, "von jump overboard first."—Christchurch "Press."

In T(*ponse to representations made to the Government by tlie Christehureh Returned Soldiers' Association with ■ regard to the provision of a separate menial hoßuitnl fur soldier vatients. a communication has been received from the Minister in charge of Mental Hospitals statin? that a report adverse to the renuest has been made by the Inspeetor-fiene-al. the renort states (says the "Lyttelton Times") that the mingl'ng of 'soldier and civilian eases is in the intorcsts of the poldier, as il: brings him into an environment where 'he is least reminded oF war experiences. _ Tn cares of nervous breakdown and similar eeve-e nervous disorders of a more or less temporarv nature, and borderland cases of nienlal derangement, the wtients had been treated verv successfully by Dr. Truby King at Karitane. and at the Wolf Home. Later tlie Defence Department made arrangements to treat cases of shell-shock elsewhere. The treatment of returned men had been sneeialised in at Seacliff, but it was found that relatives insisted on bavin? the patients in institutions near them. To meet the association's wishes, it would be ncccssarv to build at least on" special institution to accommodate 100 patient". Bv the timr> the building was emipMe, and the grounds laid out. nearly all eases eapa'de of recovery would tie discharged cir-ed. Moreover, none nf the mental specialists could be spared from Hie prccpnt" i«stit"tirns. and fhe supnly of I rained at|e"dn"ts would not b»' sufficient tn staff tlie soldiers' hospital, as the staffs at present are under the prewar level.

An interesting feature of the band contest; el. Dmi"<!in (said the Christehureh "i'ress" on Thursday) is Hint the Cluirch nf England Men's Society Boys' Band is tn'vin^rpart. The band, which is a Clirist-olum-ii organ'sntion, is attending the contest 10 siroiur. under Bandmaster Munro. It is stated tliat at 110 previous bnnd contest in the Dominion has a band taken part comprising members whoso ages range from 11 to 18.

The annual reunion of the Wellington Performing Musicians' Union was lijld in the Miwonic Hall last night. There was a large al tendance of members and friends. The programme was eu'tributed to by Miss Duekeridgc's "G.-iv Gambols," Mr. A. Williams, Mr. I<\ Johnstone, Mrs. J. F. Woodward, Mr. ]f. Ifoschlni, Mr. U. Brown, and Mr. F« Crowther.

A statement wa3 made by a solicitor in llio Dunedin Magistrate's Court recently that whenever a weakness (from the shipowners' point of view) was discovered in the conditions 011 a bill of lading it was promptly eliminated, su that in the enu the only Ihiijg the shipowner appeared to be liable for was the collection of the • freight. A local importer reminded a Dunedin "Star" representative of this tlie other day, and showed a bill of lading issued by one of the big compiin'es. The face of the bill was covered with printed clauses, while half the back was occupied with postscript clauses, so to speak, which had been added by means of rubber stamps. A perusal of the whole thing left the impression that it was a ease of "heads I win, tails you lose."

The lush mice of rabbitskins seems to have made bunny a profitable asset to the Southland farmer, who intends (says an exchange) to realise as much as he oo=si!.ly can from this source while the industry is in 11 flourishing condition. Men with guns. traps, or ferrets are being warned off the properties presumably unless Hip.v give (lie price asked for '■he use of the ground, and a couple of TnyercarKill young 111011 who drove into the country with ferrets were peremptorily ordered off a farm by the owner, 1 who told lham that iliey roust not touch the rabbits: There, was no evidence that Anyone had been working the ground, and the visitors went away with the 1111uression that only those prepared to pay for the privilege could interfers with what was formerly regarded as one of the enemies the fanner had to contend with.