LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 168, 12 April 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The British War Office has informed the New Zealand Defence Department that no transfers are now being mane to the Indian Army from the British or Dominion Forces. Candidates for the Indian Array are now only appointed from the Royal Military College. Sand hurst, or from officers belonging' to the Indian Army Reserve of Officers in india. The classification of Trentham and Peatherston camps as barracks, for the purposes of pay and allowances, canin into effect on April 1. Officers nnd other ranks residing at the camps now receive 'no remuneration beyond that granted to members of the Permanent Forces living in barracks. It is provided that officers and other ranks while taking courses at any school of instruction are to receive free rations. At tho last meeting of the Medical Board of New Zealand, held at Duncdin. it was pointed out by a member that tho 1920 copy of the "Mod'cnl Register" badly needed purging. The names of a number of practitioners who had bfen dead for some years were cited as still appearing on' the register. Dr. Trying moved that tho Registrar-General bo requested to revise the register and bring it up to date. This was seconded and unanimously carried. The Tramway Committee is to meet the rcptesentatives of the Tramway Employees' Union to-day in connection with demands made under' the proposed new agreement. Tt was originally nrnpossd that first-class motonncn should receive. 2s. 3d. per hour, hut in the months of waiting since n New Zealand agreement was discussed the cost of living has advanced so much that tho demand has been increased to 2s. 9d. per hour (which wouild menu payment at ihe. rate of ,C 1 2s. for an eight hour*' day). All other demands have been advanced proportionately. A motor-car, travelling to Napier with a bridal couple, went over a bank at tho Whnwata Hill in a fo>r at night, states a Tress Association message from Gisborne. The bridegroom sustained a dislocated hip, and was convoyed to the Wniroa Hospitnl. The driver sustained a frncturcd rib. The .ar '-oiled over several times, and fell fifty feet. Following upon the Canterbury Land Board's investigations into the conditions contained in options given by land agents to discharged soldiers who applied to the Ixmrd for advances for the purchase of properties, tho board has resolved to accept no applications from discharged soldiers for advances under tho Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act if the Department's option form has been altere.l in any way. The board intends making searching inquiries into applications where the options do not provide for the return of any deposit paid in the ovent of tho board declining the advance,—Press Assn,

! Cecilia Hunter, who was called ni» for sentence on a charge of forgery and uttering in respect to which she was con. vieted some time ago, was on Saturday morning sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment by His Honour Air. Jiir. tico Chapman.

Various complaints of hardship o. anomaly in connection with the payment of the war gratuity are to bo considered by the recently appointed committee, consisting of Colonel J. J. Esson, Lieut.Colonel J, AY. Hutchen, and a representative of the Iteturncd Soldiers' Association. The committee will make, its recommendations to the General Officer in charge of Administration, who Ims power lo adjust any injustices that may have arisen.

The shortage of sugar is the subject of a resolution passed by the Matamnta branch of the Farmers' Uuion and forwarded for consideration to tho provincial executive of the union. The resolution suggests that the Board of Trade bo asked to allow the issue of sugar to be regulated on the basis of a certain quantity each week for each member of a household. It is urged that if the issuo of sugar were regulated as suggested supplies would I>b more equitably apportioned than they are at present.

respecting epidemic claims on hospital boards the latest number of the "Public Health Journal" snys:—"Tho Department is still receiving belated claims in respect of services alleged to have been rendered during the epidemic some eighteen months ago. Boards should disconntenimeo any claims of this nature, which the Department certainly cannot admit unJess it is perfectly, clear that the claims are quite in order and are a reasonable charge against the Department's vote. Good anil sufficient reasons must be given for the delay in rendering such accounts, nnd it is for the claimants to clear up any point of obscurity in connection therewith. In somo cases such claims may bo nothing more than a palpable attempt to obtain payment for an extremely doubtful account, advantage being taken of the impossibility of verifying the facts. In such ca.ses the Department certainly will r.ot recognise such n claim. Boards should take n firm 6tand in the matter."

Tho mascot of the battle-cruiser New Zealand, the bulldog Pclorus Jack, which passed into the possession of the Auckland City Council on the occasion of the visit of Admiral Jellicoe last year, did not survive his period of quarantine at Motuihi Island, states the Auckland "Herald." The dog died sudden'.ywhile being taken out for exercise on Wednesday, after having been on tho island for a few days over the prescribed period of sis months. Pclorus Jack had !.cen suffering from somo complaint for some time, and it was on account of this that it had been- decided to extend the cuarantine period. In offering the dog to tho City Council, Captain 0. E. Leggett, of lUf.S. New Zealand, stated that it was four years old, and had been with the vessel in the Worth Sea lights, being re ted as an "able sendog."

In tho Supremo Court this morning two prisoners will come up for sentence. They are James Harold O'Brien (nine charges of theft of luggage) and Henry Joseph Lewis (escaping' from lawful custody).

Anzac Day this year falls on n Sunday, and the Wellington Keturned Soldiers' Association has arranged an impressive service, to be held in the Town Jtall, at ,1 p.m. oh that day. Owing to the restricted accommodation, arranj,x--ments have been made for the next-of-kin of fallen soldiers to be issued with tickets of admission before all others. Application for these tickets should oe made immediately to the secretary of the Wellington Jt.S.A., !>9!i Lnmbton Quay, and no tickets will be issued iintil April 15, after which, date returned soldiers may make application for their admission tickets, In addition to the memorial service, the Wellington U.S.A. has arranged for the erection of a temporary cenotaph, and permission has been granted for tliis to be erected in front of Parliament Buildings, whero the "Copper Trail" Committee had their kiosk. On Anzac Day relatives and friends of deceased soldiers will be asked to place flora I tributes on the cenotaph, in memory of the dead.

Preparations made by a long-sentence prisoner named Frederick Marshall to escape from Mount Eden Gaol were revealed in an inquiry conducted at that institution on Friday by Air. J. W. Poynton, S.M. Prisoner is at present serving n sentence of five years on two charges of false pretences nnd one each of uttering and forgery. The charges preferred against him, states an ' exchange, were of making a rope with the intention of escaping from the prison, and of destroying canvas. The evidence showed'that, with the exception of the time spent in taking exercise in the open twice daily, prisoner spent all liis time indoors working. la tho cell in which he worked there was a quantity f.f oakum. This he diverted to his own use for the purpose aforementioned, making a rone about 35ft. long, which he covered with canvas purloined from another quarter of the establishment* This would have enabled him to scalo the 18ft. wall that encloses tho prison, but the aptitude shown by one of the staff in detecting that something was amiss led to Marshall's undoing. Noticing that prisoner was constantly going to the lavatory this official's suspicions were aroused, and a search was made therein, with the result that the rope was located, hidden away. The cross-examina-tion revealed a lengthy record against prisoner, both in Australia and New Zealand, including a number of prison offences such as assaults on warders. Prisoner was convicted and ordered to be put on bread and water for 14 daye.

Advantage was taken o£ the presence in Palmerston of the Hon. C. J. Parr for a deputation from the Palmerston Nortu Hospital Board to wait upon him in connection with the proposed acquirement of a, building for a St. Helen's Home. The deputation was introduced by Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P., who explained the necessity for such an institution in tho town. Several suitable buildings had been placed under offer to the hoard, and it had been arranged that Dr. Vo.lintine, Chief Medical Officer, should inspect some of these during the next week, but of these, iie thought there was only one place which the Minister might consider. The Minister, after Slaving inspected tho site mentioned, suggested that tho matter should bo left in tho hands of Dr. Valintine. who would report to him (the Minister), and when lie was passing through Palmerston North again he would have much pleasure in looking into tho matter. The Minister pointed out that at present ho knew very little about the matter, as this was the first ho had heard of it. After Dr. Valintine had visited the site he would confer with him on the matter. Personally he was in perfect sympathy with the movement to establish such institutions to help women during their ho .ir of trial, and ho felt very sympathetically towards the women in the backbloc'ks. He was pleased to find suc'i a strong feeling in Palmerston North for something to be done in tho diiection indicated. Whether tho accommodation could be provided or not was another matter, and he could make no promises. Before doing anything lie must consult his chief executive officers.

A sensational accident occurred on Jlou.it Tluapchu on Saturday week lust, wh'.'i Jli'. I'- A. Johnston, son of the postmaster at Te Awamutu, had a wonderful t-scnpe from death. Describing his experience, Jlr. Johnston stated that he was ono of a party of sixtcon persons to ascend Mount Ruapehu on Saturday from the Ohakuno side. The eum. nut was reached safely and it was during the descent that the accident occurred. Tho party first returned along a spu • of rock and owing to the treacherous frozen nature of the snowlield, it was impossible to adopt the usual iractice and glissade down. When about five hundred feot from the summit, Jlr. Wythe, who guided tho party, crowd on to the snow to test it, Mr. JolmB ton, with others, following. Mr. Johnston trod on a tongue of hard ice and slipping, gathered speed down tlie frozen surface. The grade was .very steep and the surface of snow was broken at intervals by slight rock spurs Jlr. Johnston vanished ,from tlie sight of his companions in a whirl of snow and was very fortunate to be able to stop himself beforo reaching the rocks on the snowline, after travelling a distance of about 800 feet. He escaped with minor injuries about tho arms. Twenty minutes liit.T, records the Auckland "Herald," tho rest of the party reached Mr. Johnston, who was carried to tho snowline, from which point he walked to tho footWill.

A meeting of Canterbury potatogrowers decided on Saturday to ask the Board of Trade to fix the price of potatoes [or the cnsuinir year.—Press Assn.

Two seamen off Ihe Corinthio were arrested yesterday afternoon on a charge of assaulting one of the officers on board the vessel. They will appear in Court th's morning.

Prices in Auckland and elsewhere m Now Zealand are higher than those ruling in Australia, says a Sydney visitor at present in Auckland. He was surprise! to find such a difference, and to prove his contention, quoted prices for various articles of wearing apparel. Another thing thnt annoys the visitor is the stringent passport regulations. He says (states the "Star") that if the regulations could be done away with, there would have, been a much greater influx of Australians into New Zealand. It is bad enough to lfave to go to all tho trnib'o and bother of interviewing endless policemen and other officials, when one- h taking a trip to the Old Country, but it is doubly irritating when n man is merely going to run across to New Zealand on a trip of pleasure.