LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 297, 4 September 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The new chamber of _tlie House of Representatives is almost ready for occupation, and a beginning is to be made •with tho removal of furniture from the old Chamber within the next few days. The galleries are receiving tho final touches. A good deal of work has still to he done in the large lobby and the neighbouring rooms and passages, -but there is no doubt that the quarters will bo ready for tlio session in October.

It was stated by the chairman of tlio Second Wellington Military . Service Board yesterday that in January next all tho sine die cases will be reviewed.

A correspondent writes: "Why don't we cable congratulations on the capture of Bapaume and so encourage oui army?" •

Two ifresh cases of diphtheria, have been admitted to the Mnstcrton Hospital. ~ The epidemic, according to our special correspondent, appears to bo dying down.

Early on Friday morning two Maoris discovered a school of seals basking on tho bench south of the wharf at Portlevy. Tho largest member of the school was of a> whitish colour and is estimated to bo fully twelve feet in length. Tho seals showed no alarm at the presence of visitors, and apparently had no intention of leaving their quarters until the supply of fish food gavo out.

Sewing cotton was purchaseable almost anywhere for 2d. per rael in the .early half of 1914, but bucli a cliango has war wrought that during the present month a shhilar single reel of cotton will probably cost the housewife (ijd. The lollowing figures illustrate liov: the retail prices of standard black and wluto cotton have increased since war broke out and cotton commenced to. be an indispensable, material in the destruction nf our enemies:—lsJM, Is. lid. per dozen, reds: IMG. 2s. fid. ; 1917, 3s. lid.; Jlareb, 11118, 4s. Gil.; September, 15)18, ss. 3d. Tho decision lo raise tho price- of ordinary sowing cotton to tin. 3d. per dozen reels was arrived nt .vestrrdny by a conference of the head's of the leading Wellington drapery houses. The effect of thnt decision will bs that cotton by tho red will now be sold at 5Jd- instead of 4Jd.

While working at Mount Pleasant, Mitchelltown, yesterday, a man named Bourke foil over a bank, a dietanco of thirty feet. Aftor being taken to the Hospital he was found to bo suffering from an injured back.

It was stated nt the Wellington Rugby Union meeting last night that £212 16s: luid been taken at Athletic Park matches on Saturday and Monday.

When Walter B. Hoare, a railway litter, was appealed for by his mother yesterday tho latter stated to the Second Military Service Board that she had four sons on active service, and that another was due to sail shortly. Two of her sons had been wounded at the front. Tho chairman of tho board remarked on. tho family's fine record, which J he said, was a credit to the country, and exemption sine dio was agreed to.

Inquiries made "by the Milk Committee show that the shortage or milk which hns been a somewhat serious matter in Wellington for about two months past, no longer exists. '/Thero is no reason why householders in any part of tho city should not he able to obtain any quantities they require, stated Councillor Norwood to a reporter. "My committeo lias been m constant communication with farmers, and the latter havo now agreed to a reduction of 2d; a gallon, m tho wholesale price of milk as from October 1. Tho committeo will not have charge o the distribution by that date, but will see that tho public- has the benefit of the reduction." At the meeting of the Presbytery of Wellington, held in St. Andrews Church yesterday afternoon, the Rev. S. Robertson Orr presiding, the following motion was proposed by the l< ev. A Bruce Todd, and seconded by the Bev. James Paterson: "In accordance with the deliveranco of last General Assembly on the subject of temperance work, which 'urged ■ upon tho Government an immediate referendum on the lines suggested by the National _ Miciency Board, and. upon all ministers and congregations tho duty of putting forward the utmost effort to sccuro a final victory for Prohibition,' the Presbytery o£ Wellington wishes Godspeed to 'tho effort at present being made in favour of national efficiency, and urges upon its congregations the duty of supporting and forwarding this by every means in, their power. The motion 'was carried unanimously.

The owners of the Livingstone Hotel, Waimate, whioh wae destroyed by fire last July, obtained permission yesterday from the Waitaki Licensing Committee to closo the temporary premises till after the war, undor the Sale of Liquor Restriction Act, .1917. This protects the license till after tho war. —Press Aesn.

The Hon. Arthur M. Myers, Minister of Customs, advises that the, amount of Customs revenue collected 1 throughout tho Dominion for the month of .August was £288,034, and the excise beer duty £16,500: The figures for the month of August, 1917, were £326,865 and £15,208 respectively. The increase m the excise beer duty is accounted for by,the increased rate of duty, which ca.mo imto operation on September 15, 1917. •

Some years ago Mrs. Caroline Ohevalier presented to tho Dominion a fine collectfon of water-colour drawings and pencil sketches by her late husband, Mr, Nicholas Chevalier, a well-known artist, who accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh on his visit to New Zealand. These drawings and sketches, as a separate collection, have lieen exhibited ill Wellington, and it will be of interest to the art-loving section of the community to know that Mr. E./Wake Cook, of London, the executor in the estate of Mrs. ■ Chevalier, who died recently, lias presented a further collection of paintings, .sketches, and drawincs by Mr. Chevalier to be added to the New Zealand collection. Tho supplementary collection is at present m. the' High Commissioner's office, and on account.of tho submarine risk will not be brought to tho Dominion until after the war. ' , There is. sharp conflict between tho education authorities and the military in some districts on tho question ot drill or continuation classes for boys. The Technical School directors, now in conference, approved yesterday » resolution asking the -Defence authontiee to exempt from drill boys between the 'ages of 14 to 17 years who were attending continuation classes. Mr. Park (Wanganui) said that boys vvould _ get more benefit from school than from 'drill, and'he thought the Government might even, without nsk, drop its Senior Cadet scheme. Ho declared that it was doubtful whether tho boys got much benefit from drill. Some certainlv did' not. In the course of discussion it appeared that tho Defence practice is" not uniform >n all districts —that in some there was exemption wanted, and that .in others it was never granted for any reason, llie ■conference was not unanimous on the question. ' Some, members thought ii great deal of.the value , of the cadet system, and they said so. In tho end tho motion was carried, with only one or two dissentients.

An important proposal was submitted to the , Conference- of Technical School Director's yesterday by Mr. George George, of Auckland. Hβ proposed that the National Efficiency Board be urged to recommend to the Minister of Education that he sot up a committee of educationists to act with the Efficiency Board in an inquiry the object of which would be to recommend such changes in our whole education system as might be deemed necessary. "It was admitted by _the conference members that the subject was most important, and should bo investigated by experts. . The resolution was carried.

The death occurred yesterday of Mrs. Sarah.Drew, aged 71 yoare, who resided with her married daughter at Kaiwarra. The late Mrs. Drew had been a somi-invalid for some years. A short time ago she had a fall and scalded herself severely. Sho never recovered from the accident, death occurring at 2.40 yosterday. ' "It is the intelligence that is used in directing labour or doing work which makes it profitable .or dignified," said tho Hon. J. A. Hanan, Minister of Education, when speaking at the opening of the Burt Hall, Dunedin Technical Collego, on Friday. Ho instanced that in tho construction of a tunnel thousands of men could bo found to excavate it, but few men were capable of preparing' tho 'plans and skilfully supervising the work as it progressed. It was,then that tho value of the services of tho engineer wos recognised above those of other workers; and by reason of his training the engineer •could'demand higher pay. Greater, rc'sults were produced with less, or with the least, amount of labour when there was intelligent labour or intelligent direction of labour or organisation of labour. The Minister said that tho more men a country had who had the knowledge and skill to do constructive work, to mako tilings hotter and more useful, to crcnto new things of value to tho people, tho greater would be the progress of that country. Tho premises of Messrs. C. D. Gough and Son, bootinakors, Colombo Street, Sydenham, were broken into on Friday n'ight and stock to' the value of about £50 was stolen, besides £2 12s. in cash, which was abstracted from tho cash register. Entry was mado from tho back, a hole having been cut in tho door and the key in the lock'turned. The nperturo in the door consisted of nineteen separate aiicur holes.

Recently the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) received a communication from Headquarters, New Zealand Expeditionary Forco, London, in which it was said it was understood the New Zealand Department of Agriculture had large quantities of film, which, if available, would bo of great value in the educational schemo now in force for soldiers, and also that there are, no doubt, films in New Zealand held by local firms depicting New Zealand scenery, etc. The Minister was asked to ascertain whether such films

were available on loan for exhibition at tho New Zealand Expeditionary Force kinemas at Brockonhurst, Hornchurch, Sling, Codford, and Brocton, and. if so, to forward them at regular intervals to the officer in charge of the War Records section, Headquarters, London. In reply to an inquiry, the Postmaster-General (tho Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald) has informed the Minister of Defence that his '; Department could provide about 5000 feet of film of a. suitable nature at a cost of about £62. 10s. Ho added that, some time ano the negative of a film entitled "The New Zealand Fruit Industry" was sent to Messrs. Pathe Freres, Paris, and that perhaps tho Now Zealand High Commissioner in London could' procure a copy; also, the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts had the negative of a film of the alpine regions of New Zealand. Later, Major-General Robin recommended that tho Defence Department should obtain tho films above-mentioned at a cost of £92 10s. He further recommended that the Minister should ask, through the Press, for tho-loan of films from nrivato firms for use on behalf of soldiers at tho front. Tim films required are those depicting New Zealand scenery and Now Zealand li.f». The films mentioned above are to bo procured.

Speaking at a. fsreivc-H to troops nt Sydney recently, the Governor-General. Sir Ronald Mnni'o Ferguson, turned to some Now Zeabnders who were present. "I am," he said, "especially glad to wish ' God-speed to a gallant detachment of New Zealanders, whose 'conduct in every military district in Australia has been admirable throughout. In Perth, as in Sydney, the men of your country have been ■ received as friends and brothers. You have sent your men regularly as required, and New, Zealand's example is .one which any country may, be proud to follow. I wish you good fortune, great glory, and a safe return."