LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1757, 23 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Shipping folk and others in Wellington were becoming anxious for the safety of the Union Company's steamer ITauniri. Tho vessel left Wellington for New Plymonth at 9.50 p.m. 011 Monday lost, and np till last evening nothing had been henrd of her. Strong westerly gales and high seas have of late visited Cook Strait

and it was thought that something untoward might have happened. The master of the Corinnsi, which left port for Nelson last evening, ivas instructed to keep a sharp look-out for tlie vessel. Last evening, however, tho local office of tho Union Company was advised from New Plymouth that tho Jfaupiri had been sighted making for that port, and was expected to arrive at the breakwater at 9.30 p.m. Complaint has recently been made by territorials attending tho Oringi camp of excessive prices that had been charged to the men by the caiiteeit-keepcr, Who dispenses soft goods, etc- In reply to a nucstion by a representative of Tuf, Dominion yesterday, Major-General Godley explained that the contractor had paid the Government £250 for canteen rights, and was necessarily put to a great deal of other expense, "such as rent of building, transport of goods and gear, and so on. The arrangement made with tho contractor wiis that, in consideration of the fact that the camp was some distance from the town, he was to be permitted to charge 5 per cent, over local nrices. If he charged more than thatho was not fulfilling the agreement. For next year, added .General Godley, arrangements had been made that a definite scale of charges for everything would be laid down before contracts wero let. Then every contractor would know exactly what ho was allowed to chargc, and a list of the prices iron Id bo placed in every canteen, so that all tho men could see them, and know what they had to pay.

A peculiar difficulty has recently cropped up in connection with the appointment of a teacher oil the staff of the South Wellington School. Under the Act, the Education Board must send in to tho committee a list of four of tho candidates for a particular appointment, leaving (o the committee the task of making tho final selection, which, when made, must be confirmed by line board. In the list pent to the South Wellington Committee for (he appointment under mention was the name of a teacher ivlio had special aptitude for infant cla=s work, nnd the committee, exercising its right of selection, nominated her for appointment. Tho letter was acknowledged, but the committee was shortly afterwards surprised to lion r_ from the Education Board that the appointment could not be confirmed, as tho teacher had been appointed lo ailother school. The South Wellington Committee now desires to have it.? position made clear, and is also curious lo know how it befel that the name of tho teacher nominated by it was allowed to go bcfore the committee of another school. The matter will be ventilated ,it the board's meeting next Tuesday.

Headquarters is still awaiting receipt of the official reports of (ho inquiries that have bor>n ordered into the recent persecutions of newspaper representatives at Oringi (Dannevirke), and Sutton (Duneilin), stated Major-Gencral Godley to a representative of The Dominion yesterday,

o The spocial committee of experts ap--0 pointed by (.ho Wellington City Council c to select lour names from among the 81 applications for the post of city organist, ' has already hail threo meetings, in which tlie.v have sorted out roughly the creator number of applications. Althojgh the first part of tlie work has been found simple enough, owing to the largo num- ' her of "impossibles," there nro several " flicd names among Hip applicants, and 1 the operation of selecting the four (from 0 which the city organist will bo selected) f will not be nil easy one. At the meeting of the Hospital Board 5 yesterday Jlr. B. 11. Gardener raised the question of making some inquiry into the ® board's system of admitting out-patients 1 and in-patients for treatment at tho hosf pita!. Statistics had noted what h>3 cons sidered' to have been an extraordinary incrcaso in the number of cases treated, and he feared that the board, in a good many s crises, was being imposed upon by peoplo f who were quite able to pay foY tho scrt vices of a private practitioner. He thought (. I hat somo investigation should be made r with regard to the methods pursued by 3 tho hospital authorities, and with that ' object in view, lie moved: "That tho pre--3 sent system of out-patients being admitted 3 for treatment at tho hospital be investil gated by tho Hospital Committee, such t committee to report at the next meeting > of the board, and make such recommendaii lions as are considered nccessary for irai, proving the present method of admit lance and charges; also, that the coramit- ' tee should endeavour to ascertain, if possible, tho cause of the large increase ■ of Ixitii in-patients and out-patients i which has taken place during the last five years in connection with tho institution." The motion was adopted. The Wellington Schoolmasters' Association has approved the programme for the Navy League entertainment to bo given i.i the Town Ilall during tho afternoon of Juno 11, in connection with the presentation to 'tho Wellington schools of tho flag forwarded from Wellington (Shropshire), in England, in return for a Ntew Zealand da'' sent to the schools of that (own. Captain Halsey, of H.M.S. Neiv Zealand, will make tho presentation, and will at tho same time deliver an address to thfe Navy League children present. Tho League chorus will again be heard, and two clever juvenile Leaguors, in Jl'ss Cecil Haines and Master Panklnirst will recite and sing. Tin? gathering is only expected to last from 3 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Mr. Edward Newman, M.P., will address his constituents in tho Town Hall, Marton, on Tuesday evening next at 8 o'clock. The Mayor of Morton, Mr. Miles, will occupy the chair. ' The Dunediii City Council is considering a proposal to havo Turkish baths in, con-junction-with the city's public batlis. Tho only question is stated to be that of expense, and it is believed that this will be got over satisfactorily. Two of tho ridings of tho Horowhenua County Council—Tokomuru and Wirokino, in tho nortk'i'n portion of the county— recently expressed a desire to detach themselves Irom tho Wellington Hospital Board district on- account of their distance from tho city, and attach themsfclves to tho l'almerston North Hospital district. Both tho Wellington and' Manawntu District Hospital Boards, by resolution, agreed to the suggestion, and tho matter was then referred to tho Minister for Hospitals and Charitable Aid. It was explained by Dr. Valintine, Inspector-General of Hospitals, at tho meeting of the Wellington Board yesterday, that such an arrangement coukl not, under tho Act, bo niado— it was not possible to. split a couaity in tli? manner suggested. Tho only way to meet tho exigencies of tho case would bo to separate tho whole of tho Horowhenua County from tho Wellington Hospital District and attach it to tho Manawatu Hos- , pital District. Onte alternative to that was to continue tho present understanding between tho two with respect to tho admission of patients from either district. The board decided, in vii'w* of tho I circumstances, to reopen the question for tho purpose of ascertaining how its interests—financial and administrative— ' would bo affected by tho Separation of tho Horowhenua County, which includes in ' its territory tho Otaki Hospital and Sana- i tcirium.

Tho design of tho medal to oommemorato the visit of the battle-cruiser New Zealand to the shores of this country has now been definitely approved and tho medals aro to be in ado at once. They are to bo of silver, 31 millimetres (or about an inch and one-third) in diameter, and not less than 18 pennyweights in weight. On tho obverse side of the medal will bo the armorial- bearings of tho Dominion of New Zealand and on tho reverse side a representation of tho battlecruiser, both in relief. The inscription is: "Dominion of New Zealand to tho officers and crew of H.M.S. New Zealand, 1913." Every officer and man in tho ship will receive one. It is hopc-d that tho medals will be ready for presentation by about Juno 24, but they will certainly -be presented before tho shin leaves Auckland on Juno 28. The medals aro being struck by Mr. W. R. Bock, engraver, of Wellington. Tho Zoological Society's art competitions closo on May 31, and arrangements are being made to present the prizes tho following week. No estimate of the number of competitors likely to exhibit can bo formed yet, but the growing interest that art students are taking in the competition is very gratifying to the society. Yesterday morning more than 50 students, mostly juveniles, spread themselves over the gardens to sketch the wonders of tho Zoo, and afterwards they were photographed in a, group. Tho society do not expect a large entry of pictures this year, but they are well satisfied to see io many young people engaging in an exercise which is at oiico recreative and educa-

Steamers lying at tho Auckland wharves will in futuro be able to link up with the city telephone exchange. Tho Harbour Hoard has now completed an installation of fittings and connections for telephones at tho Queen's Street Wharf, and tho steamer Wimmera during her last stay in Auckland had the first telephone on. 'board.

Soino words of advice to small traders in respect to the keeping of their books wcro uttered by Mr. Justice Cooper at the Supreme Court at Auckland on Tuesday. Ho pointed out that the Bankruptcy Act provided that any man carrying oil a business must keep books that would cnaMo the official assignee to ascertain his position, without, unreasonable difficulty, at any time during tho three years prior to a bankruptcy. Further, ho would

have to keep his l>ooks so that ho himself could niako out his financial position at reasonable intervals. A small trader should keep a cash-book , showing not only his transactions with the bank, but also the cash dealt with over the counter, and a day-book showing the goods sold. It might not be essential to keep a journal if the day-book was kept in such a way as to enable the trader to post into the ledger the goods sold to purchasers. A trader, too, should always be careful about the money he might happen to owe.

A Tnranaki resident who is building an eight-roomed house with totara timber

in the King Country, informed an Opunako friend (according to the "News") tliaf after railing the timber 100 miles, tho total cost of timber and labour in erection is under .£350.

Referring to recent criticism of tho policy of Headquarters with regard iu the guns for D Battery, General Godley, in an interview yesterday, emphasised that the only kind of field artillery for which the country about Wellington is suited is the mountain battery. "I hope," he added, "that the D Battery will be as efficient and as good a mountain battery as it was a field battery."

Following on a recent public meeting held in Petono last Monday night, at Petone, Councillor Townsend has given notice (o move at the next meeting of tho local council: "That tho attention of the Government be drawn to tho injustice now placed upon a like Pelono through (ho regulations which forbid railway employees and Civil Servants from tailing any active part in local and political matters, and request tho Government to remove these restrictions so that Civil Servants may tako a seat oil borough councils.

Tho man John Leahy, who was yesterday sentenced to six months' imprisonment on a charge of aggravated assault on his wife, will bo brought before tho Magistrate's Court this morning on a charge of sly grog-solling. Tho offenco is alleged to have Ceeu committed on Sunday, May 11.

A party of several members of the Hospital J i curd will pay a visit of inspection to tho Hospital and Ohiro Home to-day, aud another party will visit thoso institutions on Monday. On Wednosday next tho whole of tho members will visit tho Otaki Hospital and Sanatorium.

As a magnificent example of r«l-tapeisra the application form issued by tho Dunedin City Corporation to those labourers desiring work in that city will not readily te surpassed. The "Otago Daily Times'' states that no less than 28 questions aro set out to bo answered by tho man wanting work, and tho questions, to say tho least of them, evince a veiy inquiring mind on tho part of soniKono in authority. Enlightenment is asked as to the age, height, weight, chest measurement, colour of eyes, colour of hair, general health, body marks, and eyesight of tho applicant. He is also asked if ho has ever fainted ur had a fit. At tho conclusion of question 27 there is a large rulod table, on which the applicant is required to fill in full particulars of his employment or unemployment during the previous five years. Question 16 is of a rattier cryptic nature: "Is your wife living or boarding with you ?"

The hatpin nuisance is apparently causing tho Invercargill tramway authoring some serious thought. According to ths "Southland Tines," there sceins to havo been somo difficulty in making femalo passengers understand that there had been enacted a by-law which forbids their travelling in the cars with protruding and unsheathed hatpins. When told of tho by-law by the officials some of them liavo been incredulous, and havo confidsd totheir neighbours that the municipality daro not tako tho drastic step of court proceedings in order to enforce it. b'o assured haw some of tho ladies l>een tint a big game of bluff was being played tint they havo defied the. officials. Tho inevitable result has been that three or (out nami?s have been taken aud proceedings will bo tho sequel. In 1907 tho Chrisfchurch Tramway Board spent .£6O Is. in operating expenses for each .£IOO of revenue it received. For tho year ending March 31 last tho percentage of operating expenses to receipts had dropped to ,£SB 18s.

Tho Dunedin Biblc-in-Stato Schools Leagiio is making an arrangement for an address by Dean Fitchett in reply to that recently delivered in Dunedin by Bishop Cleary, in opposition to the movement. A BUrvey party is now at work on tho various proposed routes of tho CulverdenWaiau railway. In future, stated an official communication from tlio Inspector-General of Hospitals to tlio Wellington Hospital Board yesterday, the full cost of tlio maintenance of delirium tremens' patients admitted to hospitals will bo bomo by the Govern-' ment, even when permanent arrangements have been made for their accommodation. Tho present arrangements lor tho treatment of 6uch cases arc not altogether satisfactory, and following upon a previous resolution of the board, it was decided yesterday, on tho motion of Mr. D. M'Laren, that tho following members of the board should interview the Minister on tho subject, and report furtlicr to tho board:—Tho Chairman (Rov. W. A. Evans), Messrs. D. M'Laren, J. Smith, and the Rov. H. Van Staveron.