LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 110, 3 February 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Chief Postmaster adrift* Dial mails which left New Zealand on December 8 arrived in London on January ilO. The State schools of the Wellington education district aro to reopen to-mor-row morning. During the month of January only 179$ hours of sunshine were recorded—a poor record, as the mean for the midsummer month in Wellington is 2461' horn's. Tho recorded rainfall 3.74 inches—an inch above the average for the month. The heaviest fall was on January 10, when 2.01 inches fell in the twenty-four hours. The barometer registered one-tenth below tho average. The mean temperature in the share was 60.3, which is normal. That is accounted for by the fact that whilst the maximum temperature recorded was below the average, the minimum readings wero above the average. January was a very windy month. The windgauge in the city-registered an average of 372 miles per day, as against 277 miles, the average record for former years. •Though the winds were extremely variable, northerlies greatly predominated. The fortunes of war ere not altogether without their amusing little sidelights, pathetic enough as these may be for the parties concerned. One young lady recently journeyed a considerable distance to Wellington to meet her intended, only to learn, however, on the berthing of the Malta, that the young man had been committed to Somes Island as a contact with the influenza cases. On Saturday last, by an arrangement made by telephone, she journeyed to Day's Bay in' the hope that, by the use of binoculars, she might catch a glimpse of her soldier, who waste stand sentinel at a certain spot. Sad to relate, the weather on Saturday was not as favourable as it might have been for the success of the scheme of- the young people. The body of an adult male patient, of tho Porirua Mental Hospital was found hanging from a tree in a plantation near the "institution about 2.30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The man was reported missing on Saturday. An inquest will be held. A nine-year-old boy named Adolphus Robert Devereux died while undergoing a minor operation at his home, 17 Holmwood Road, on Saturday afternoon. Drs. Pope and Thompson were the medical practitioners in attendance, Dr. Thompson administering the anaesthetic, and Dr. Pope performing the operation, After | the lapse of about thirty minutes the ! boy showed signs of coming .to, but he afterwards collapsed. Efforts to restore animation were practised for about an hour,' but without avail. An inquest will be held. The blight is again in evidence in the walnuts at Akaroa. The pest first appears as a black spot, winch gradually spreads until the stalk is attacked, when the nut soon tumbles to the ground. From some trees, eays a Christchurch paper, the nuts are dropping like leaves in autumn* So far no specific appears to be forthcoming; at least one has not hoard of any being tried. This is unfortunate, for there is good money in walnuts at Is. per lb. Some iew years a"o when the price was about half that figure, one fine tree in the town! produced no less than £U worth of nuts. At the present price, a score or two of such trees, blight free, would return quito a substantial income. The following was tho programme given by the Wellington Patriotic Society's Bund at tho Botanical Gardens yeste-'dav afternoon. The grand selection, "lolanthe" (Runnier) was p ayed by the band; cornet solo, Sunshine of. Your Smile" (by special request) by U. Jupp, Jan.; euphonium solo, Roses ot PicW* (Bulch), by Sergeant M Ahcar . The "British March Gate City (D. Godfrey) was the star march played by the band. After each item the band met with considerable applause from tho public.. The remarkable .popularity of "twoup" among the soldiers was demonstrated by the evidenco given before tho Sardinia inquiry at Sydney. One officer stated:-"! Have seen 'two-up played in. Prance. As soon as a battery got out of the lino and got a few minutes off the mo would commence. tt nas played everywhere. In Egypt I have S acres covered with 'two-up schools and tho same in France. 1. have seen officers playing with tho men., I remember General Birdwood motoring through our fellows' lines at Badoncourt when ? hvo-ll.' was in full swing on both sides oftheroad. The. general just soued and waved his arm m salute. Anotftci officer said: "Wherever thero aro Au.v £ troops there will bo gambling. It "be denied. Why, I have seen the M -ci-s' at it five minutes before they were due to go 'over tho top,' when other menyJould probably have been praying. New Zealand possesses the mioleus of its nanin the Sea Scouts. Thin organisatfon vhioh is gaining »\ P°pul. a »ty among the boys, naturally devotes itself to a 1 things pertaining to the sea and ships For the last week the local scouts ha'vo been in camp among the pine trees near tlio tram terminus of Seatcmn m a miniaturo canvas camp, where they iave had a good time despite the unpropihous weather.' The bcduls havo been in chargo of Captain T. H. Ghudley, K.N.R, It will be remembered that when tho Malcura arrived at Auckland from Vancouver nearly two months ago she brought a very largo consignment of American apples for New Zealand, consigned to Donald and Edenborongh, who sell to other firms throughout the Dominion. As no cargo was allowed to bs landed, the apples wero carried on to Sydney, and thero held up by the firemen's strike until long after the epidemic was stamped out of tho Dominion, or rather fur long, after it existed in epidemic form. These apples returned to New Zealand over a week ago, and aro now being sold throughout tho country. In Auckland a large lot was sold for as low us (!:■. (!d. per case (of 401b.). Some were sold here hist week for 11»., and on Saturday some wero disposed of (wholesale) at from 12s. to lis. per case. This, of course, menus a big loss to the original importing livm, and emphasises the ganiblo that exists in fruit trading when tlio shipping is in such a disturbed state and epidemics aro being oxperienccd. Had it boon possible to laud theso apples during the first week in December Ihoy could easily have been sold for 30s. to !lsii, per rasp, as tho market was biiro. Tho freight alone on a case of apples from America is lis.., and the duty (Id. per lb.) is ,Is, Id., which is its. 4<l,' per ease, without estimating tha cost of tho apples themselves whaifago, cartage, ami auctioneer's commission, etc. Tho apples are still in fairly good condition, despite their spnn-out ,louvnoyings and frequent handlings, The coal position is approaohing a climax in Chvistomiroh, soys the ''Sun," Australian Bunnlies have been practically out olf through the influenza epidemic, whilst; Ihe west Oust output is failing lamentably, "There are not anything like- the number of won employed at the minos tlutt there wero at Christmas time," said one sen.t!«m«n commuted with the industry, ''line explanation of this is that men who havo boon working thero to escape military stsrvlup are leaving, but there is another viwscm, ami thai 'is a more serious one, briefly, there Is something in tlio wind as fur »s> the miners aro concerned that I don't care to discuss, but, you uau di'liw your owv^, conclusions." Another iiieiehunt ren.fuTM.tnl this statement, but was move iletluito In imputing that industrial tivuble is brewing. As an ittstnwn of tlu> deeline in output, that of one company lias fallen 200 tons a day simv. Chrisimo-s, Meanwhile, as fur ns liva! needs so, the <Val Trade Committee is llitdlm; its work nf supplying even essential industries, one of extreme difficulty. Whilst iurjuiries wero being made, a telephone ring from n merchant who corves a mr.ce district conveyed tho information that his total stocks consisted of a ton of lignite. Mr. D. Hoare, the secretary of the committee, informed a "San" renresentative Hint, so far, tho Ihr.ishir.g mucin no owners had been supplied, ullhcugh when thrashing became more general, and if from the stook, in a month's limo there might be complaints. The thrashing deinnnds had been met largely by appropriations from the Admiralty coal. Since January 6, 1500 tons 1.-nd been distributed, almost'entirely for thrashing needs. The essential industries 'had been kept going in a hand-to-mouth way bv West Coast (shipments. Mr. 0. B. Norwood, chairman of the City Council Milk Committee, has invited tho milk vendors to meet the committee nt the Town Hall at 7.80 o'clock \ this 'evening.

Tho Hon. A. Myers, Minister of Customs, states (hat the. amount of Customs revenue collected throughout tlio Dominion for tho month of January was .£322,021, and the excise beer duty .£22.1)12. Tho figures for the month of January, 1918, were and £23,161 respectively. Ono' section of tho new broad sidewalk which follows' the line sea-wall round Oriental Bay has now been asphalted and one can gain a good idea of what the completed work will be like. The work ol building the wall round the parade, filling in the 6pace between it and the old road, and making' the sidewalk has taken a tediously long time owing to the shortago of labour, but with anything like favourable conditions it should be completed this year. The sidewalk would have had a better and cleaner appearance had it been concreted or surfaced with concrete slabs, but that method was considered to be too expensive. Another road work which should receive attention as soon as labour and materials are available is the wood-blocking of those parts of Dufferin, Buckle, and Rugby Streets which were widened in the improving of the Basin Reserve. Since that work was completed three years ago, a third of tho width of the thoroughfares affected has been macadamised, whilst tho rest is wood-block-ed. Before this work can be done it will be necessary to alter the curvature of f!ie tram-rai.ls round the Dufferin Street corners, which cannot be done until rails are available.