LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 125, 20 February 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

No announcement was made yesterday regarding the proceedings of the National Disputes Committee, which mot on Monday to consider the dispute at the Blackball Mine. The steamers ilatatua and Buapehu, with returning troops from London, are expected to arrive in the stream late this afternoon, and early to-morrow morning respectively. Both vessels will have to undergo it hours' quarantine before berthing. No. 62,052 Private Vi. Griffin, found guilty of deserting His Majesty's service, and losing by neglect his equipment, clothing, and regimental necessaries, lias been sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for twelve months, with stoppages to pay for deficiencies in kit amounting to Cs. lOcl. No. 79,015 Pl'ivrito W. A. Cook, found guilty of a similar offence, was sentenced to 90 days' detention, with stoppages to pay for deficiences in kit amounting to JCI lis. 2d.

"For several years your board lias urged the amending of the Education Act in the direction of preventing tho employment of children of school age, states "tho ATellington Education Hoards attendance officer in his annual report. "The shortage of labour caused bv the war has offered inducements to children to seek employment before reaching the age of fourteen years, and some unscrupulous employers are only too eager to take advantage of this. They employ children of school nge in the delivery of milk and bread, and also inifarm work. The Act provides for proceedings being taken against the parents, but the employer, who in riiost Mseys the worst offender, gets off scot free." The proposed Mirainar School was mentioned at the meeting of the Wellington Education Board yesterday. Hie chairman said that the board had authority to act, and was making the. arrangements. The Wellington Education Board has agreed to provide motor-cars for tho use. of its tmant officer and clerk of .works.

The Camp Commandant lias pleasure in acknowledging the following gilts. to camp hospitals at' TrenthaniSoldiers Comfort Guild, 3 cases fruit; Bed Cross, cake, tobacco, cigarettes, toilet requisites; Salvation Army, fruit, toilet requisites; Y.M.C.A., fruit, toilet requisites, cigarettes.

Only the inebriate, a first offender, was before Mr. W. G. Hidden, S.M, in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, and lie was convicted and discharged. ■ So far it has not yet been decided by the Defence authorities at wbioU poyt the Hororata (with 15(10 of the Mom Body' 011 board) will.make her first call. It is anticipated that it will be Wellington, but no decision has yet been arrived at. The Technical Education Board will meet on Tuesday next, when it is probable that t!le new Director of the Technical College will be decided on. The applicants for the position include some of the best men ,jn J«ew Zealand. His Honour Mr. Justice idwards will hold a sitting to-morrow at 10-30 a.m., in order to make fixtures for the trial ot civil cases to be heard before a Judge alone. . "Is the Gas Committee aware that in some houses the gas meters do not register" This was a councilor at a meeting of the Port Chalmers Council when the matter of the recently municipalised gasworks was cussed. The chairman of thu Gas Committee replied in the affirmative, but k declined to answer the next < which was: "Are you aware hat m one house there is no meter at all. I thrilling fight between a number of sharks and'a fishing party was witnessed I from South Head, Sydney. Mew da s ,020. The fishermen left Watsons B»o early in the morning in a motor launch, and proceeded about two mues east be : fore dropping, lines. As thei fish came about a number of sharks darted under and around the boat and snapped them from the hooks. Ihis vent on for an hour, and finally the fishermen sot a shark bait. It was soon taken, and the captured shark raced round the launch, and several tunes tried to put its teeth fast into the sules. A number of other sharks then surrounded the boat and commenced fighting viciouslyAfter a battle which lasted over an hour tho captured shark was drowned and towed buck to port.

A new departure as to racing wais noticed at Wingatui on Thursday last. A brisk "Hip-ray" from, the group of crippled soldiers sitting in motors near the bird-cage called attention to the fact that Mr. Fred Price, owner of lvorkes Drift, had been saying something to them, for he was walking away and acknowledging tho salute; -and upon inquiry it turned out that instead of celebrating his Dunedin Cup win by shouting" champagne ho elected to the wounded and sick soldiers il each to help them to further enjoy then outing. According to tho crew of the barquentine Wungaiiui, tho influenza regulations were being enforced witn the greatest severity by the authorities in San Irancisco when the vessel was there in ISo--veuiber. One of the seamen on the.sMp inadvertently went ashore without a sterilised mask over his face. He was immediately arrested by masked police, and was sentenced by a masked Magistrate to ten days' imprisonment for what 6eeuied a trivial offence. The main Parliamentary electoral roll, brought up to date for the purposes of the licensing poll to be taken in April, has been published. The supplementary roll (as stated yesterday) (loses oil March 6.

The Outlying Districts Committee of the City Council visited Ihuaitai yesterdav afternoon and traversed a considerable area of that rapidly-growing suburb, in company with members of the Hataitai Ratepayers' Association, who liftfl several matters concerning roads and road improvements to bring under the notice of the committee.

Mr. Thouias Wilson, of the City Treasurer's staff, has received advice by mai that his son, Gunner H. L. Wilson, well known in local athletic circles, competed in the military championship sports 111 France (hold just before the armistice was signed), and succeeded in winning the 120 yards hurdles, against all comers, who included the pick of the British, Canadian, Australian, . and American forces The competitors in the event included the champion American hurdler over 120 yards. It will be (remembered that Gunner Wilson was the winner 01 the 440 yards hurdles at the last championship meeting held in Wellington. Oil that occasion lie also competed in the I°o rard9 hurdles, but had the misfoitune to fall when in a, winning posit ion Mr. Sydney Mair, in Ins presidential address to the Society of Civil Engineers, at Auckland, yesterday, favourably reviewed Mr. Hurst Sengar s proposal iclative to a memorial road through the Dominion.'—Press Asjii. Detective-Sergeant Kemp and XWcchve Hall have been successful in discovering a large amount of stolen property uilcen {vora several city and suburban donees of late (states the "Otago Daily Times"). Proceeding to the Presbyterian Church at the corner of Joiues Street, and North Road, Nurth-Enst lalley, they discovered under the roof ox the church eight tins of petroi and the framework and wheels of a motor-cycle. Beneath the floor of the aisle they found a quantity of tobacco and tinned goods, the find being of such a bulky naturo that an express was necessary to bring the stolen property away. Tho goods have been recognised as Iflie tjooty from burglaries committed at the shop of Mr. Mitchell, grocer, 161 North Road, on December 7; tho storeroom belonging to the Post and Telegraph Denartment on Anderson's Bay Road on January 11; ami tho washhouse of the house of Mr. Gerald Austin, 10 Grant Street, on February 7, in addition to the shop of Mr. Thomas Maw, in North-East Valley. The-* total value of the goods taken was over ,£IOO, and tlifi bulk has been recovered. Consequent on this discovery three young men—William Lawrence Smith, Maurice Mervyn Inglis, and Arthur Robert Inglis—who were before the Police Court on February 17, charged with stealing tobacco, and were remanded on tail, were rfa-rrested.

Advice has been received from the Defence Office in Auckland that Private Abraham Vonoyouyou Evaranu, 56 years of age, Fijian Labour Corpß, died at the Auckland Hospital on February 16 from pulmonary tuberculosis,

For betting in a public place a bookmaker at Auckland yesterday was fined .£SO in the Magistrate's Court—Press Aesn.

The Koyal Commission on the objection of the Nightcaps Coal Company to the proposed construction of the Ohai railway nas delivered a decision that the evidence colled by the company failed to substantiate its claims, and the objections collapse. As soon as the routo has been decided upon an Order-in-Coun-cil will be made to enable the Clai Railway Board to proceed with the construction of the line.—Press -Assn.

At a recent meeting of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association the following resolution was carried"That this meeting urges that military defaulters 6hould serve their full term of imprisonment." The foregoing resolution was the outcome of a discussion which took place concerning the recent controversy regarding the release pf military defaulters atp resent serving sentences of imprisonment.

Several minor burglaries in the vicinity of Mount Cook led to the arrest of a man yesterday, who will be brought before the Magistrate's Court this morning to answer charges of breaking and entering premises.

The monthly meeting of the Victoria Cullege Council was held last evening, Mr. C. Watson presided, and there were present Messrs. R. M'Calluin, M-P., R. ■ A. Wright, M.P., F. W. 0. Smith, A. R. Atkinson, W. Morton, P. H. Bakewell, and Professor Somnierville.. Apologies were received from Sir Robert Stout Hon. J. G. W. Aitken, Rev. W. A. Evans, Mr. W. S. La Trobe, and Professor Ilunter. Messrs. Ferguson and Osborne wrote, informing the council that they were unable to continue to do the bookbinding work at the present rate of payment owing to the advance in the cost of .materials and labour, and asking the council for an increase of 25 per tent. The letter was referred to the Library Committee. The Department of Inter-n-il Affairs wrote, stating that a town Planning Conference would be held 111 May, and in view of the importance of tW'subject it was most desirable that the proposed conference should be thorouglilv representative, and inviting the council to be represented at the conference. It was decided to appoint the chairman to represent the council. It was decided to pay half the medical expenses of £2 25.. inch-red by H. t. Strawbridge owing to an accident while he was working in the machine shop. •

At the conference of civil engineers in Auckland, the election of officers for the ensuing year resulted:—Mr. W. Ferguson, .Wellington, president; Messrs. S. A. Mair (Huntcrville), G. T. Murray (Auckland), R. H. Sharp (Stratford) are the members of the council; while Mr. F. Basham was added to the list of vicepresidents. On the resumption of th» conference yesterday morning, several papers were read, dealing with roading construction and the material involved. —Presg Assn.

The borough proposals to borrow ,£40.000 and ,£IO,OOO for hydro-electric extensions and street improvements respectively were carried yesterday by a very large majority. The former is part,of a scheme which will eventually provide over 6000 horse-power.