GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17127, 23 April 1921, Page 10

GENERAL NEWS.

The auction announcements of Pyne, Uould, Guinness, Ltd., National Mortgage and Agency Company of .N.Z., "Ltd., Wakeliri Bros., H. Matson and Co., TV.• E. Simes and Co., McKenzie and Co., H. B. Sorensen, "Craddock's Agency Coy., Ltd., Tonks, Norton, and Co., Ltd., Donald Reid and Co., Ltd., "N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., 'Ltd., H. C. Smith,. P..S. Nicholls and Co., Farmers' Saleyards,.H. G. Livingstone and Co;, George Anderson and Co., and Lawrie and Dalton will /be found on pages 18 and 19 of this issue;

The public, school at Kanieri was totally destroyed: by fire early yesterday morning. -

Four truck-loads of soil from Napier have been ordered by the Wellington City Counc:'», with 1 which the Wellington Cricket Association is co-operating, for use in making a more satisfactory pitch on : the Basin' Reserve. The soil is composed of the-stripping of a quarry in arid is said to be of a type that gives a lasting wicket. The present wicket, is now being taken up. ' At Pahiatua.on Tuesday, Colin MacDonald, who for some time past has been manager and editor of the Pahiatua "Herald,'' was arrested by'De-tective-Sergeant Quirke and Constable Burrell, charged with the theft from the Company of £135 H3s. Accused was taken before the Court during the forenoon, and was remanded to appear on the 23th inst., bail being allowed, self £loo,.and one surety of £IOO. The '"Taranaki- Herald'' that one of the mbst unfortunate, losses in connexion wih the 'fire in New Plymouth on Monday night is that of . Lieut. L. Andrews, V.C.. whose papers and records in connexion with the award of .the Victoria Cress, and also a portrait of himself, which had been specially painted in honour ---of his were, in Mr West's shop, in the prdcesa of being framed, at H the time of .the fife;

The Wellington Hospital and Chants able-Aid Board; estimates, call, for £2150 more'than?, lhst'ybar.'; .:Vhe city. Will have "-to provide £36,856,, although ■ the, Board is relieved of the expenditure of £7300- for the maintenance of children, who Shave been taken over by the Government. > : The hospital expenses alouo will be £8329 more. Some members expressed, v tho. opinion that, the expenditure on account of unemployment would be larger than. .the estimates provided for.' . . . • - : ■'-'■ - -.-

Curiosity as to "the stock of coal at present held ..by the Wellington Harbour Board was shown by a Labour member (Mr C. H. Chapman) .at Wednesday night's meeting, of -the' ; Board, The -engineer stated -that the Board never carried a large stock-f-there, Wasonly accommodation for about 250 toils. At.present the Board riad about 100 tons of coal.- "I that we get a$ much'as We can, even if we have to store it,'' said Mr Chapman. "I.don't want to be-pessimistic as to.the future, W it is well to be prepared."- The chairman (Mr J; G. Rarkness), replied that the engineer could -be trusted to see' that the stoek was maintained.

A business -man of Melbourne - writes •{.to a Christchuro'h friend as follows: "I saw in- one;of the papers .here that there is some talk of. electrifying the railways in New Zealand. They have ■them running on some of siiburoan lines in Victoria, and "grea? success.. They look very>funny going along without an engine, as they give the-appearance of runaway, trains. They start very smoothly t gather, pace very quickly,'and stop quickly and smoothly. There is no engine smoke, and they travel rtiuch faster than the steam trains, and are,' of- course, -lighted by •electricity. They would -be -just. the. thing for the Lyttelton-Christchurch •line, but "would be too 1 "expensive to in-i jrtal for the Christchurch-Dunedin express, the-distance being too far' for sudh a few;troins.'V

■ The- big .fires • which caused so much loss to settler's last week proved .disastrous to some of the Dahnevirke County: Council's bridges also (states .the "Evening News")- The Upper Mangdr hei- bridge was completely destroyed, and it will cost some hundreds _of pounds to replace it, the bridge being 33,-yards in length. Another bridge in the Mannrahei block was in great danger, and was only saved by the hard work of the_ engineer (Mr 6. Harris), who, at considerable risk, went through the burning country in his car and worked, with the assistance of a Toadman, at keeping'the oridge intact fo: several hours. The creek, being, verv deep-and the water very low, the oniv extinguisher available was. a nearby farmer's sheep dip, but this fortunately proved effective, and »y its use and, strenuous exertions Mr Harris and hi* helper were able'to'save, the bridge, and the county an expenditure of £2OOO —the cost of replacement. A flagrant instance of the way in which the whims of Maoris are permitted to block the convenience of Europeans'is the- case of the rOad approach to Ahipara''beach, whiclh forms the only practicable means of getting on the great .-Ninety-mile Beach of the Far North (says the "New Zealand Herald','). At present, vehicles going upon .that beach have fo cross more tlhan a. quarter of a mile of soft sand. An approach upon firm soil could, and would, be made by the Mangonui County Council if a strip of certain Maori land, useless as it stands, could l>e used. Settlers whoso land would also be required have long .been prepared to give it gratis and gladly. The. owners of the Maori portion have professed their readiness to yield up* their part also, but wihen.the matter came to a practical proposition, one or two out of the large number interested—and these obstructionists non-resident in tho district—refused to sign the necessary documents. Yet the Native Department has for years withstood the suggestion of the local body and all other interested persons, that the necessary land sihould be taken under the Public-Works Act. Meanwhile, every, traveller, settler, or joy-rider, who wishes to take a motorear on the beach has to pay £1 or so for the hire of a bullock-team to drag his vdhicle through the stretch of soft sand. . .

The Wellington City Council has lecommended the new Council to increase tlie Mayor's honorarium irom £4OO to £•500. it..has also suggested that the City Engineer's salary be increased to £ISOO, and that the salaries of tiho Town Clerk and the City Solicitor bo increased to- £IOOO each.

Referring to tho impression conveyed by a witness before the Hospitals' Commission on Thursday that country districts derived comparatively little benefit from the Christchurch Hospital, Mr W. S. Wharton, tho secretary of tba Board, in evidence yestorday, stated that last year there- were 72 patients from'tho Ellesmere County, the cost of nraintenanco being £l-69;. and therewere G6 patients from Selwyn County, the cost of. maintenance being £Bv6.

•At Wellington, yesterday, several lads were before the Court on charges of theft. The evidence difclosed that the- lads refused to work, -and - had adopted a life of vagabonds, taking to tho bush, and living in tents nud caves. Thev had stolen rugs and other articles useful in camp life, and nUc food and cigarettes. They had tracked a drunken man fo a quiet spot and fobbed him of a sum of money. The leaders of the gang were sent to a reformatory home

The' services at Rugby street Methodist Church to-morrow will hare special interest in that it is Foreign Mission Sunday. The morning service will-be taken by Mr H. A. Tnnnicliffe, of New Britain, and-in the evening th-3 Rev. J. Napier Milne will tako. as his subject, "White Man, Yellow Man, Brown Man, Black Man:.A«. we going to have a Race WarP" Arthems appropriate to the _ mission -work will be f given by the choir. .

"Canadian feeese are now becoming fairly plentiful in.our district, and if they continue to thrive it may be possible to permit tho shooting of these birds in a few years," states the Ofcu.go Acclimatisation Society's annual report. Tho successful acclimatisation of these birds is a notable feat. The Society has been malting enquiries -about importing partridges from South Africa. If-it seems likely that those birds will succeed, a trial shipment may be made next year. '

'lnstancing the inequity of the present method of apportioning Government subsidies to hospital and charitable aid boards, Mr W. S. Wharton, secretary of the North Canterbury Board, stated before the Hospitals' Commission yesterday th,at North Canterbury rated itself .194 of a penny in the £ for maintenance expenditure, and received 149 3d per ihead as subsidy; Nelson levied .157, and received 19s 3d; Taumarumn levied .125,. and received 18s-3d; Bay of Plenty levied .07.7, and received 20s 3d rand'Tauranga levied ,160, arid received 21s 9d. Te alao stated that Ash-. burton Criunty, with roughly 16,000 of a population and «i rateable- capital value of £10,000,000, required only from the population for expenditure other than capital 4s 4d per- head; while North Canterbury, with eight and a half times as many persons and less than five times the wealth, was called upon to pay 9s Hid per held bf-popu-lation. The subsidy granted to Ashburton Was 16s per head, as compare! with 'l4s 3d per head- received, by the North Canterbury Board. About 60 graduates:of Otago University met on Thursday night ait the request of the District Court.'of Convocation to discuss the diffioult questian ot "internal" or "external" examination, for degrees, and also certain- proposed reforms in the system ofliniversity government.' Mr Marshall Mar.donald. presided.' arid the discussion was opened by Mr J. MiPaterson, who submitted-a motion favouring the'continuance of the system of Having the eknni;.nations <>arried out by scholars of-standing in-the Homeland. A number of speakers advocated this system, and deprecated the placing of .too much power m the hands of local professors; but several Piotes'eors present and .Dr. Cameron (Chancellor of Otago University), made...« vigorous defence: of ;tho new Bystem .adopted by the'last Senate, under which i degrees may be awarded, by the Now Zealand- professors acting in ccinjunctua with an outside; assessor tfith power to Veto. The discussion was prolonged till after 10 o'clock, and when Mr Pater,son's motion was put'it. was defeated by about a two to one majority.

'Speaking to a."Press" reporter, Mr A. D. Ford (Mayor of RiccaTton) : referred to a paragraph ■which appeared yesterday to the effect "*. hat tihe iliccarto'n Borough Council had requested the Tramway Board to place its poles on the Riocarton road five-feet'in from the side channel. Mr Ford says this i 3 because the Counqil. has in view the necessity, at date, of throwing the cycle track into the. roaid..For the time being there will bio; a '.ijm.l'of posts five feet from the channel standing on the.'. boundary of the footpath-and the cycle, trayk. This ■ •vill- riot b..» in liriyw ay different from what. 'has been the position for years betvceri >he hospital and Deitis avenue, whore, <n - the. south side of the road a line- r f posts have been on the path five feet f-om the channel ever since the tram "poles we're first put-in. The. Riccnrten Cqunoil have long realised, that the ficcarton road wuT sooner or .later need .to bo; to cope With the ever-increasing "volume of traffic. It is hoped to have, the 'tram .track finished in tarred mac- 1 adam, which will tihen provide an excellent cycle track. .''The.present hospital 6jflem of.New: Zealand, as-outlined in the' 1909. Ace,!' •Mr W. S. ."Wharton stated in evidence before the" Hospitals' Commission yesterday, "has all the elements of the most perfect hospital system in tha world, provided that Parliament will think !blg- and turn aaleaf ear to the .importunate cries of the parsimonious country representatives." Mr Wlharton added that, in the. North , Canterbury district nearly every county council had' at one time or another discussed-tho question of being made into a separate* hospvta.l. district.. At.present the Board hacf keen successful in providing certain hospital facilities for the outlying districts, chiefly in the form of maternity hospitals. i>r.' T, 11. A. Valintinc. Director-General of Health said that if the other hospital boards had done as much as regards the outlying and demote districts as the Norr.fi Canterbury' Board, there would be less dissatisfaction than existed at present. "%"T.his Hospital Board," Dr." Va]intine o'ontinucd, "has undoubtedly considered the wants of the. outlying d'istrias. It has been very hard to get some of the other hospital boards to get their eyes outside the base, hospitals."

That tho question of finance is at present causing tho Wellington City Council concern, was indicated bv the Mayor -this week in conversation* with a "Dominion" reporter. "We intend to carry on our orilinary services," said Mr Luke. "While there is a necessity fdr economy, we,' as a council, will not contribute to the present unemployment. It is a difficult position, but the City Council will keep on all It 3 men." Mr Luke stressed the need for the Council .to be cautious in its expenditure for the next few months. "In addition' to the present considerable overdrafts,", he, said* "the Council has to find the sum of £12,500 a month for wages, and £3OOO a month for salaries. These sums will have to be taken from the District Fund, Further, the Council will have to raise £35,000 interest money, up* to the end of August. Seeing that the Council will not have any revenue from rates until September, the position is one that has to be considered very seriously." At present, added. Mr Luke, moneys likely to be received were those coming from rents and license 3. In respect of the,loan proposals, the Mayor stated that the strike in England had been responsible for disorganising the Council's arrangements. Although negotiations had been opened in England, the money was not yet available, but the negotiations were being pushed on as quickly as possible. "The ordinary services of the. city will not be- curtailed," continued Mr Luke, "but. until money is available, other works will not be gone on with."

All the Canterbury rivers were reported clear or finable yesterday. Mr Charles Hill, of Ferry road, injured on Thursday-"by" fodifln: iron,, a tram-car, is not Mr Charles Hill, Mayoi of Woolston. A Melbourne message says that Mr W. M. Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia, will leave on Aprd 29th ui the Gxvieto for London, to represent the Commonwealth at the Imperial Conference. ... ... .. -"

Air G S Mackenzie, wlic has been the staff of tiho National Mortgage and Agencv Company at Timaru ton about three" rears, severs his connexion shortly with" that firm,- having been selected (says the "Herald ) for. an important position in Chnsttliurch for which there were over 150 applicants. The Rev. R. S. Watson, assistant minister at tho First Church, Dunedin, is to receive a call from the congregation of tho Mount Eden Presbyterian Church, Auckland. Tho charge, Was rendered vacant owing to the resignation of tihe Rev. J. W. Shaw, who accepted a lectureship at tho Auckland Training College. Methodists everywhere will learn with regret that it has been found necessary to demolish tho ancient Wesley Chapel at KingswoOd, Bristol. It was built by Wesley in 1*3!), and was the oldost complete Methodist building in the world. In the grounds adjoining the ehapel Wesley erected his famous school for boys. Tho site i's required by the Home Office authorities lor the erection of an engineering shop for youths. But it. is intended to place, an iron tablet on tho new building, to tell of the famous one which stood there for a.hundred and eighty years. A total eclipse of the moon was experienced last evening. The moon was due to enter the outermost fringe of tho earth's shadow at 4.27 p.m., but a$ the moon did not rise until 5.4 p.m., tQie beginning of the phenomenon -was ; not noticeable. The moon entered the earth's umbra at 5.32 p.m., and was totally eclipsed at (1.53 p.m. The last particular .stage lasted for. 42 minutes, only, after Which the illuirfinated .disc was plainly discernible, gradually growing until the most ordinary eye could see that eomethino- out of* the usual run was going .on. Close devotees of the. telescope saw that the moon left the umbra about 8.68 p.m., and that the eclipse was completed two or three minutes after .10 .o'clock. '• •

First a sniff—then a stieeze—neglect it, and probably'you '.vill.be plagued with a cough'and cold all the winter. Banish all risk by taking "Stop-It," the successful remedy, at once. ls-9d, 3s. and 5s Gd. All chemists and stores, Loasby and Co., chemists (opp. Ballantyne's). ' .6 Dr. H. T\ J. Thaeker and Messrs Scott, ' Howard, and Sorensen have been nominated to represent'the city on the Lyttclton Harbour Board. They have the support of the Port Christchurch League, which advocates the opening up of the Estuary for shipping, thereby providing Christchurch and surrounding, districts with direct access to the sea, and with, cheaper and quicker .transport facilities. Electors are strongly recommended, to vote for this ticket.- - ■■ . tf

Smokeless.cartridges are :being Bold •from 225. <3d per 100 by Hastie, Bull, and Pickering, 113 Cashel street. This firm is now authorised to sell twenty■two calibre, rifle ammunition and shotgun ammunition, without a police perjniit;"....' ~ -... -.. ..... ~Ji5442-1187 Hot-water Bags: -Fresh- atocks just arrived for E. Cameron Smith, Royal Exchange Buildings, 96 Worcester street. All have spare washers. Prices from 7s. . '*-. • It is better than the circus watching the dirt, grease, . and" paint fly from .mechanics' overalls when "No Rubbing" •Laundry.Help gets to tyorki Kincaid's, Ltd.j. agents for "No Rubbing." 5042

Akaroa has the mildest of climates, where the orange and' lemon tree !grow, the place to . spend a-. restful holiday. Cheap trips', ;, goo'd ■ accommodation. ■"': ••- . ' ' ■<'.' :A2953-9.590

We pack, mark,- route, and Bhip goods with care, securing for you. the best rates and most careful handling at B moderate charge. ; J. M. Hejwood end vo., Ltd. ~",'.' : ' ; H 4943

Drills)' Slag and Limer Sowers, Broadcasters/Tine and Disc Harrows, Trees, "Disc: Cultivators,: Clay Grubbers. Our chilled castirbn plough share* improved fin pattern, with solid socket,, are prac.tically. unbreakable, even in stony land. Made, to iit-C, RNF, and R and G heads..P.-and D. Duncan, Ltd.. Christ.church'. .. / .';-. --82992

J. Johnston *nd Sons, Merchants, Rangiora, have- landed, /ex s.s.-.West-meath-, a shipment r 6f best quality English D.B. Shotguns. '' P;0. Box .1. 'Phone 4. , JSOOB-4619

Furniture Removals.—Our big Leyland Motor Pantechnicon i? now on the road. A whole houseful of furniture can removed m one'journey.. iWe are booking orders for 'country removals. Quick despatch and low charges guaranteed. Apply A. J. White, Ltd., High street. -, J.\ . ' ... W8959 A small expenditure in spare parts will often save the expense of a new Potato-Digger* ; We stock spates for, Aspinwall, Reutheiy Jacks, "and Champion Diggers. Ivorys, Lid,, 21 Manchester, street. ..,,. 15382; ROVER ■''FOUR" CYLINDER. 3-SEATERCAR* . ADAMS, LTDv'S,;TRADE PRICE.-, I-'''- . Herc.js an opportunity* to purchase a British car for .This car was taken in part payment for an Economy Light "SIX" &TUDEBAKER from Mr Harrison, of Culverdeni The engine is a magnificent job, "find the tyres ore equal to new, and electric lights are fitted. This is a fine car for a doctor who-is in search!of a really good English car at a low price. For a commercial traveller this car could be depended upon to-, carry him into the country districts,- whore orders for merchandise can be obtained for the asking. (1068). '/"FOUR" :. ■ CYLINDER CAR AT ADAMS LTD.'S TRADE PRICE, £175. We are selling this splendid Britichbuilt Motorrcar. on account, of. Mr E. L. McKeon, of Colombo street, Sydenham, who'lately- purchased a gTUDEBAKER car, audioes not require the two. Everyone knows that the WOLSELE Y-SIDDELEY cars .are practically everlasting, and here is an opportunity for a buyer who is contemplating purchasing a r motor-cycle - and side-car to obtain a good cor. with' •plenty of carrying capacity at a lower price than a motor-cycle, outfit. The ignition is by magneto and. the tyres are in good order. This valuable car. which is being sold for £175, should not be missed by anyone who has a family to take Oiit on week-ends and holidays. a 070). Adams, Ltd. Showrooms. 152-154 High street; Garage, 219 Tuam street. . . 6