LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 243, 2 July 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Thirty-eighth Reinforcements have arrived at a port of call—"All Well." This advice was received yesterday by the Defence Minister.

The Hon. Arthur M. Myers, '.Minister of Customs, advises that the amount of Customs revenuo collected throughout the Dominion for (he month of Juno was .£233,362, and tho excise beer duly .£19.274. The figures for tho month of June. 1917, were _ J223,7fi7 and . JS'll,6ll respectively. The increase in tho csciso beer duty is accounted _ for by the increased rata of duty, which carno into operation on September 15, 1917.

Tho railway deviation round the big slip south of Huntervillo was completed on Sunday, and tho traffic is now being conducted under normal conditions.

The shortnso of milk has given much concern to many milk supoliors of late, and ono Karori supplier has overcome the difficulty by making arrangements for a supply from the South Island, which is stated to have proved perfectly satisfactory. The source of supply is Blenheim, and tho first shipment of 200 gallons arrived by the steamer Patcena on Saturday. Tho milk came to hand in oxcellent condition, and is stated to have given every satisfaction 'to dealer and customers. :

The Telegraph Office reports that 'all wires are down south of Kaikoura ou the East. Coast and cast of Sheffield on tjjo West Coast route, as the result of » very heavy snowfall in tho Canterbury district, where it is still snowing. No information is available as to when tho lines will bo restored.

A cable message ndvisi.i? th.it certain conditions recently enforced by the United States Government in respect to shipments to America did not apply to shipments .front New Zealand, has been received by the American Consul-General, Air. A. A. Winslow. The conditions referred to demand that a certificate be attached to all invoices for export, covering interest in or origin of shipment, as well as tho standing of tho exporting firms, eo fa'.' as enemy interests are concerned. His Government, the consul explained, was satisfied that business interests in Now Zealand had been thoroughly inspected, the' activities of tho New Zealand Government having been taken as sufficient.

"Sixteen hundred have resigned during tho last three years. Of these, 700 aro at tho front, some of tho women Jiavo resigned to bo married; but the great majority liavo resigned to fill more lucrative positions (mainly in tho Public Service), and the Education Department knows it."—A speaker at a meeting of the teachers at Masterton on Saturday.

Mr. P. H. Bakewell, M.A., in his lecture -to tho Masterton Teachers' Institute on Saturday afternoon, deprecated that tendency shown by so many educational experts to stress and labour tho most painfully obvious truisms as if epoch-making discoveries _wero being enunciated for tho first time.

That the City Engineer bo instructed to prepare a plan for improvement of Oriental Parade was tho substance of a Absolution of 'the City Council last week. As it is well known that a very pretentious plan of improvement is now well in hand, the public may be puzzled to know the reason for tho resolution. Tho explanation is siniplo. There are : lhose who believe that if tho widened thoroughfare were planted with suitable trees tho attractiveness oi Oriental liay would ho enhanced. On the other hand, thcro are examples in oilier parts of New Zealand where ths planting of deciduous trees has proved an unmitigated nuisance, particularly in the autumn, when the fallen leaves blow about, the street and block the water channels. In the case of Oriental Parade the trees would not bo oasily grown, and would, to <i certain extent, block tho view of tho water from some of the residences. Mr. W. H. Morton will probably deal with such points in liia ißport.

At a general meeting of the Maslerton branch of the Now Zealand Educational Tiistituto 011 Saturday, tho following motion was carried ' unanimously.— "That as (lie remarks of the Director of Education confirm the need already stre.-sed by critics of 11 vigorous policy of education reform lxsiiiy embarked upon forthwith, it is desirable to that end that (a), as in England, a special Education Minister bo appointed, having an export practical insight into the reconstruction work .sourgently needed; (1)) that ho liavo the support of a director specially selected for that purpose." It was moytioneil at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce that the. following circular letter had been addressed by tho Commissioner of 'faxes to the secretaries of companies •• —"The question of tho assessment of companies with a view to a recognition of tho interest of tho individual shareholders is now under lonsidoratioi;, and in order that an estimate may be. made of tho effect this will have on the rev. enuo J shall bo glad if you will supply 1110 with the total amount of the dividend paid out of tho assessable income derived during tho yoar ended on which tax was paid for the year ended March 3t, 1918. Pleaso givo this matter your earliest attention." With somo women who appear beforo the Courts from time to timo it is not unusual to have resort to tears when sentence is .".bout to be pronounced, the idea being, perhaps, that the heart of tho Magistrate, or the Judge, will be so softened that a comparatively light punishment will bo awarded. Presumably, tho tears are meant to act as a kind of "camouflage." Such an instance occurred at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when a young woman, who has been beforo tho Court before, was found guilty by Mr. V. V. Frazer, S.M., of having loitered in one of tho city streets, contrary to the War Regulations. "Drink is evidently tho cause of ttie trouble " remarked His Worship. "You will lie prohibited, nod sentenced to .a month's imprisonment to give the order a start." "Yes, drink has been my trouble," replied the accused, who immediately began lo weop, and signify all manner of protestations of repentance. "Oh, well, you needn't turn tho water-hip on,'" observed Mr. Frazer; "you've been hero before! The tears soon ceased.

The Conciliation Council sat ogain yesterday, and continued the hearing of tho storonien's dispute, particulars of which have been published. A partial agreement was reached, but the questions of wages nnd hours wero left to the Court of Arbitration to settle.

In tho course of a lecture lo teachers at Mastcrton on Saturday, Inspector F. H. Bnkowell,. M.A., speaking on tho point that 100 much was often expected of tho child, reminded the teachera that a very great teacher had said that when 110 was a child, he spako as a child, ho understood nn a child, ho thought as .1 child; but when liohecame a man ho put aw.iy childish things, etc. To the lecturer's mind, it was a mournful thing to notice the inclination of so many educational authorities to make tho child speak as a man, to understand as a man, file., before his time. One of the great faults of our systems was that so many of them wero framed in accordance with the lines that the adult mind thinks tho child mind should follow.

The committeo of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday considered the following resolution from tho Talluerston North Chamber of Commerce:— "That this chamber is of opinion that immediate steps should bo taken to obtain daylight saving; that the adoption of such a measure would bo in the best interests of the populace and, conducive tn the physical, mental, moral and financial welfare of tho Dominion, tho clockto bo advanced ono. hour from September 1 to March 31, and readjusted from April 1 to August 31." The Wellington Chamber decided to support the daylisrht. saving proposal, with a suggestion that tho clock should be advanced ono hour tho whole year round, and not. merely for a certain portion of the year.

Tho annual conference of tho New Zealand Federation of Lnbonr will open in. Hie' Esperanto Hall, Lamblon Quay, this morning, and is likely to last for llireo day.-'. On Friday an open conference of Labour unions will bo held in Wellington for the purpose of considering tho National Service, or, as they are termed by tho labour unions, the industrial, conscription, proposals of the Government, as outlined in tho Fiuanco Bill passed last session. On Monday next tho annual conference of 'tho New Zealand Labour Party will open in Wellington.

Tho Synod of tho Church of England, Wellington Diocese, will opon to-dnv at 3 p.m., in the Masonic Hall, Bonlcott Street. The Rt. l?ev. Dr. Sprott, Bishop of Wellington, will deliver an address. There will be a Synod service at St. Paul's at 8 p.m.

Lieutenant Frank Moore, of Johnsonville, writing from Palestino on April 22, says:—"Wo are resting on the east bank of tho Jordan to recuperate our horses after somo severe going on tho opposite bank. Wo swim thcni in tho river and in tho Dead Sea. Tho latter is so salt that nothing living can drown. A man can float in its waters in a sitting posture with his lees crossed. The fertility of tho alleged beautiful valley of tho river' Jordan is mythical. The cast bank is bare of cultivation, and tho west is little improved. However, there is plenty of water, often too much, if the country were in the hands of peoplo sufficiently energetic to utilise it."

In tho Supremo Court ou Thursday His Honour tho Chief Justice (Sir .Robert Stout) will have before him several prisoners for sentence.

A meeting of Auckland citizens, held on Friday night to arrange for the inception of survivors from the Wimrnera disaster, carried tho following resolution.—"That. in the opinion of this mooting, tho dependants of officers and men of any vessel of the mercantile marine who have lost their lives as the result. of enemy action should participate in tho benefits of any scheme of pensions granted by the Government to the dependants of men of tho naval and military forces, and that the Mayor bo asked to convey tho resolution to the Government for urnent and favourable consideration." Tho mover, Mr. Ernest Davis, pointed out that tho sailors on merchant vessels risked their lives in carrying on the mercantile marine service.' and the citizens and tho Government owed a reciprocal duty to them. Tho meeting sho-ud impress upon the Government that tho men in tho merchant service of this country, who were supplying tho public with tho necessaries of life, were doing their duty aa faithfully as the members of the British Navy. Mr. H. D. Heather, in expressing his hearty concurrence with the motion, said ho had personal knowledge of the heroism 6hown by men of tho mercantile marino in coming through tho submarine zone. The Deputy-Mayor, Mr. A. .T. Entrician, who also heartily supported the motion, said that but for the work of tho Navy and imercantile marine, all that our soldiers had done in tho field would have been of very liltlo avail.

Tho strike of tho Dalmatians employed on the Ongarue-Stratford railway works, near Okaluikura, was ended beforo the commissioner in ehargo of JugoSlav registration, Mr. J. Cullen, 1.5.0., had actually reached their camp, by tho men deriding to resume work, states tho Auckland "Herald." Tho system of piecework, to which they (bjectod, is not yet in operation, and they had suspended work in anticipation of its enforcement. It is understood that the Public .Works Department, under which the railway works are proceeding, will insist upon tho piecework plan being carried out, but for tho present tho men are still on wages. Mr. Cullen addressed the men in regard to their breach of discipline, making it clear that obedience to tho requirements of tho Government will bo required of them.

In connection with recent demands mado by the coal-mine employees, a meeting of (ho executive of the New Zealand Mine Workers' Industrial As. eocintion ot Workers is being hold in Wellington, This is preliminary to u general eonferenee of the associations, which is to be held in Wellington on Saturday next. A general mooting of tho Mine-owner,s' federation will be he'd hero 10-momnv. when consideration will be given to the position which luis arisen.

Tdeal goods t'or every Home! "COrjjßX i;m,K" Candles. "Gor,m<;x hulk" Soap,' "ICEKP SMTI.I.V!" Ramlsoap, Ami Ihe lama;-; "NO RUBBINC!" Laundry Help, Is. ;M. large packet.—Win. Campbell, Ltd.—Advt,

Mr. F. H. Bakowell, M.A., senior inepo:tor of Wellington schools, delivered a loctuvo on "History and its Place in the Modern Curriculum," to an audience of eighty teachers at Masterton on Saturday afternoon. In the course of his lecture he outlined a history lesson that had Ixien actually given in a German school in the presence of a United States teacher. The engendering of implicit obedience to the Kaiser ("the father") and ardent love for the Fatherland were the end and aim of tho German teacher's lesson. Little was attempted, but that little was thoroughly taught with a distinct end in view. In New Zealand, Mr. Bahewcll thought, the teacher attempted to teach too 'much history. He seemed to think it a crj;iiinal oileuco to omit a reign. What, for example, was to bo gained by teaching children tho history of the reigns of Egbert, of Stephen or of Charles II ? The teacher required to get a broader conception of his subject by wider reading before attempting to teach it, and to have a distinct aim in view when drawing up his schemo of work. No inspiration could Iw secured or given by a rigid adherence to a text book.

At a very largo meeting of tho Auckland Soldiers' Mothers' League, held on Friday, tho following resolution was unanimously passed-.—"That this meeting of soldiers' mothers strongly condemns tho law relating to next-01-kin as at present administered, and requests that from a point of common justice the said law bo amended by special Order-in-Council, whereby husbands who liavo failed to support their families, and thereby left tho burden to tho mother, the said husbands be. not legally recognised as next-of-kin; and that they bo thereby displaced as a beneficiary or entitled lo any fraction of moneys left by their soldier sons who may have been killed on the battlefield without making a will. Also the injustice of the law allowing fathers to receive all money benefits after dealh from sons whom they have failed to support in life, is recognised as one.of the most glaring of the many injustices under which soldiers' mothers arc suffering through' the. war."

The following extract from the monthly bulletin for March, issued by the California Development Board, will doubtless lie of interest to fruit and vegetable growers:—"One of the most peculiar harvests in the world takes placo in the foothills of Nevada and Placer counties during February and March. At that time the .State of California, 'hrough its Insoctary Department, harvests from (>11,000,000 to 75,000,000 lady blips. These bugs arc gathered in cases, each holding about a quart, or 33,000, and sent to Sacramento, where they are stored until the summer season, when they are sent into tho different sections of the State to feed on the aphis which attacks the canteloupes, beans, and other vegetables. Tho process of collecting insects in their winter quarters was photographed. L'ilms will probably be made later in the season of the distribution of these bugs, and finally the destruction of aphis on vegetation throughout and southern California will bo filmed.'''