General News.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 24 November 1917, Page 1

General News.

— Captain J. B. Hine, M.P. (Stratford) who was seriously wounded in France, has been pronounced out of danger. Mr G. R. Beamish, of Whana Whana, Hawlce'a Bay, has received a cable message advising that his son, FlightLicutenant Harold Beamish, of the Royal Naval Flying Service, has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Lieutenant Beamish has been on the Western European front for the last 10 months. A Christchurch court-martial has sentenced Kiely (who was with Vincent Carroll when he was killed) to three months' hard labour for desertion. The annual installation of Lodge Otaki will take place on Wednesday, November 28. The partiality of the "Anzacs" for girls from the Old Country is likely to cause grave injustice to the young women who are nobly working and patiently awaiting the return of the hundreds of thousands of men the war has withdrawn from the British dominions. Colonel Springforth, of the Commonwealth Medicals that 6000 Australians have married in Great Britain, and the temptation to wed abroad already has proved irresistible to a large number of New Zealand warriors. Advice was received at Gisborne last night of the death from wounds in France of Captain Frank Twistleton, of Gisborne. He left with the Second Reinforcements and was badly wounded at Gallipoli in August, 1915. Since his recovery he has been in France serving with the Pioneer Corps. He also saw servico in the African War. Two of the Wanganu'i Education District Inspectors have been rather'unforThe wharf building scheme which has boen in progress in Auckland for some years now shows signs of completion, and the wharves now compare more than favourably with those in other seaports in Australasia. Shipping, especially in the small coastal trade, is particularly busy, and this week the small coastal boats were lying twp or three deep at some of the wharves.

The annual installation of Lodge Otaki will take place on Wednesday, November 28.

The partiality of the "Anzacs" for girls from the Old Country is likely to cause grave injustice to the young women who are nobly working and patiently awaiting the return of the hundreds of thousands of men the war has withdrawn from the British dominions. Colonel Springforth, of the Commonwealth Medicals that 6000 Australians have married in Great Britain, and the temptation to wed abroad already has proved irresistible to a large number of New Zealand warriors.

If hotel and restaurant charges are a fair indication of food prices in Canada and the United States, by comparison the people of Australia are indeed fortunately situated (says the Melbourne '' Age "). A Vancouver hotel menu forwarded by an Australian 111 America to a friend in Melbourne sets out that in order to comply with an Order-in-Coun-cil bacon and beef cannot be served on Tuesdays and Fridays, while on the remaining days bacon is permitted at breakfast, and beef at dinner only. Everything is paid for separately; for example. Pea soup, Is; .sirloin of beef, 3s; potatoes, 7%d; cauliflower, Is; vegetable marrow, lOd; stewed apricots, Is; tea, lOd. Thus an ordinary dinner comprising the courses mentioned would cost 8s 3%d. In New York the price of food is said to be almost prohibitive. Coffee and toast costs 2s 6d, while for the cheapest lunch at any restaurant the charge is 3s Od. At the better class hotels and restaurants a three-course dinner, procurable in Melbourne at Is 6d to 2s, costs from Gs to 10s.

The '' Christchurch Press,'' referring to the incipient fire at Coker's Hotel, Christchurch, says the alarm was given by a porter named Kimbcrley Wilson, who went shouting through the premises, greatly alarming the boarders, one of whom fainted. Tbi porter became quite unnerved over the affair, and, in fact, lost his reason. He was discovered yelling at the top of his voice about "two men in grey suits," who he averred were setting fire to the whole town, while numerous wild references to his mother and to the man Eggers, who has been arrested in connection with the recent West Coast murder, brought the attention of the firemen to bear upon him. He was placed in an ante-room, and later in the custody of Senior-Sergeant Wohlman, Sergeant Hyland, and a constable, was escorted out of the hotel, still yelling wildly, placed on one of the lire engines, and taken to the police station. Here he continued his ravings, and had to be placed in a padded cell. Referring last night to Mr Herdman's appointment to the Supreme Court Bench, the "Post" says editorially: It ia true that the most learned lawyer docs not always make the best Judge, and success in advocacy may even be' said to-raise a . presumption against success on thoji Bcnch. But, after making all due allowances on these, accounts, the fact remains beyond dispute that on professional grounds alone the Attorney-General/ could not possibly have been geloctcd.by any tri-bunal^-whether* professional-or lay, for the- position which- he is- about to take. We- are-far from saying that he will not make a good Judge. Wc have indeed; already- indicated our- opinion to tho contrary. A man who six years ago,, when politics established something like a monopoly upon his energies, stood well in his profession, and during the interval has provided conclusive evidence of his integrity, sagacity, and moral force, has obviously some of the qualities indispensable to success on the Bench. Nevertheless, the (political) grounds of the AttorneyGeneral 's promotion are a matter for unmixed regret. The recent announcement that the United States Government was seizing all property in America belonging to Germans, Austrians, Turks, and Bulgarians, omitted to mention one fact of special interest. This is that the Kaiser himself will be one of the chief sufferers by America's action. The value of German holdings in the United States is very great —one estimate put it at two hundred millions sterling— and that the Kaiser is undoubtedly the real owner of properties which, with those held by other members of the German Imperial family, are reckoned to be worth several millions. Apart from these, the Kaiser also had large landed interests in Western Canada, which were held in the name of certain resident naturalised Germans. It is said that when the war broke out the trusteeship of these properties was transferred to German-American syndicates in the States, and that the carrying through of this business was the real object of Dr. Dumb erg's visit to America soon after the opening of hostilities, in 1914. As it is probable that the confiscated properties will be sold and the money used to help to float the third American Liberty Loan, the author of the war will have the mortification of knowing that his enterprise in seeking profitable investments abroad has been the means of providing his enemies with some of the means for waging war against himself. Before December 1, 1917, every alien

is required to register. "Alien" means every person, of either sex, not less than 15 years of age, who is not a British subjcct either by birth or naturalisation in New Zealand. Application forms are obtainable on application at all police stations, and failuro to register carries a penalty of £50. Change of address from one county or borough to another must also be notified. Failure to comply with this clause entails a penalty of £20.

The Wellington Court of Arbitration has given judgment in the case of Ah Ming v. George Beavan, of Otaki, farmer, awarding the Chinaman 28 weeks' compensation at £1 4s per week, or £33 12s, plus 50 per centum of full compensation for the remainder of the period of liability, with costs £10 10s and witnesses' expenses and disbursements to be fixed by the Clerk of Awards. Ah Ming injured an eye while cutting a boxthorn hedge for defendant.

With reference to entertainments coming under the Amusement Tax, authoritative information has been received locally that provided a dance is a dance pure and simple, and does not include anything in the shape of an entertainment, such as songs, speeches, or recitations, it will be exompted from the tax.

At the Petone Magistrate's Corrt yesterday, Daniel Prendiville, barman at the Central Hotel, Petone, was ohargod with permitting shouting. He was fined £10. F. G. Warring ,thc licensee of the same hotel, was fined £25.

In future all troops with the exception of those going into the Awapuni Camp are to concentrate at the Trentham Camp, where the authorities will make the selection for the different units.