LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 129, 25 February 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Secretary "of the General Post Office advises as follows :-"French administration notifies that telegrams for Alsace and Lorraine are admitted via Franco on the same conditions and the same tariff as for France."

The Governor-General has received from the Governor of l 1 iji the following communication with reterence to the medical party sent from New Zealand to assist in fighting the influenzk epidemic ill the group:—"l desire to express the thanks of the Government and people of this colony for the valuable assistance rendered Ijy the relief party and for their good work, without which the' effects of the epidemic must have proved considerably more severe than was actually the case."

On the ground of having too much to do, His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards refused the request of counsel at .the bupreme Court yesterday morning to make an order in respect of building material. "Many people do not realise," said His Honour, "that the greater part of a Judge's work is done not when lie is sitting on the bench, but out of court. Judges are called upon to do a great deal of work, but they are not called upon to kill themselves." Later on in the proceedings, Ilis Honour remarked that Auckland seemed to be especially favoured these days in respect to Judges. Two Judges were sitting there almost constantly, and there was only one m Wellington.' Nowadays, Wellington appeared to be n circuit of Auckland, instead of Auckland being a circuit of Wellington. "It was not so m ray time," observed His Honour in conclusion.

Speaking to a deputation at Taumarunui last week, the Minister of Publio Works (Sir William Eraser) said that the obstacle in the way of the prosecution of important public works at the present time was the shortage of men. His Department would put on 1000 additional, men now if they were to be got, but as a matter of fact there was a definite shortage, and lie did not know that tiie position would be relieved in that respect for some time to come. It was not the business of the Department to bid against other employers at a time of. labour scarcity.

The foundation-stone of the new St. Bede's College, near Papanui, was laid on Sunday by Bishop Brodie, a Press A cc oci?itioii telegram from ChnstchuicJi states. There was a large attendance, including many visiting clergy. ine collection amounted to ""A/ promises, is expected to exceed =02000. The winners of the rifle match fired at Trentham on Saturday were as joilow:—No. 1 ream—First !«!". via; second prize, Corpl. M-kill. i score (not competing for prize).

"Notwithstanding all our efforts to expedite the printing of av( there is still a considerable delay in tiie Printing Office in Wellington" remarked His Honour Mr. Justice Stringei at the Arbitration -Court yester'do}. think we have exhausted arose a* the result behalf manufacturing jewellers and clockmak ers award skmld not come ,nto oration in less than a month, to- «"»> fell said it would take a month at least to supply all the employers m the dis Wet with copies of the award. Mr. A. 1 Monteith the union s representative, 5 that no exceptioncould be taken-to the agreement Jg bee award operative on March 17 next. Very notable additions have recently Viiwn made to the national war portrait v 7Mland's most distinguished sol 6 men who have made the name of New' Zealand honoured all ovei th Every commissioned lank, trom -ifflss,°J«asa K o Oamaru, Andrew of Wanganui, and 'Auckland's two Sanders of the Navy, and Bas»ett of the N Z.E.F. Photographs of Stoikey ot JNa pier Laurent of Hawera .and Judsonof Auckland, together with Nicholas of Waimanui, and about fifty other all ranks and distinctions are awaitin o the services of the franVer, tor the day of uncertainty concerning the value and interest of the national war portrait collation is over, and tho appeals are m most cases answered promptly and appreciatively. An indication of the dry weather now beine experienced is shown by the .tact that the Waikato River has fallen so low that at present, greatl . d'fflcnlfy » experienced with navigating. Ms is due to sandbanks haying been discovered in various unexpected places byboatslecoming stranded upon them. ine Stew being low is, however, not an unmixed evil, as the swamp lands, being dry, are carying splendid feed for stock. The Auckland "Star" 'learns from a reliable source that there will be advance in the price of flour, moielv likelv a slight reduction. Consequently the reported intention of the bakers to raise tho price of bread will not bo given 6tfeet to.

Speaking at Waitara on the subject of road construction" in .oomitry, distric s. Sir William Fra&er said he had, duimk Ins term as Minister of Public Works, come to the conclusion that to spend money, on formation work without ra«tallins immediately was a snaro and a deluiion to the settler, and a wasteful expenditure of money, because, irom the native of the country, it soon became a bog mid a nuagiftvre, and the work lino to be done again. He therefore alway urged local bodies to borrow money, not an overdraft, which was limited, and *as meant for maintenance only, but fiom the Local Bodies' Department or a term of years, and on this amount lie would grant a £ for £ subsidy. In this respect he had just issued an authority for a subsidy of <£000 on a £ foi i: basis to do eighty-one chains of tho Awakino Valley lioad.

Owing to shortage of firomen the San Francisoo mail steamer Paloona i\as 1111nblo to leavo port last evening for the American port. At' the time of going to press the vessel was' still at anchor in the stream.

Tho cordial relations existing between the iDefence and the Eaibray Departments was referred to by Colonel H. It. Potter at a meeting of olhcwls.ot both bodies held at Auckland oil l'l'iday. Colonel Potter, who until'recently was oliicer commanding the Trentham Military Trainiii" Camo, said that during tho entire term of his office, in which he wis very closely associated with the Hallway Department in the of troop trains etc., there had never been tho sli"litest misunderstanding. "The Department," lie slid, "seemed to go out of its way to help us. It has never yet been given the credit which is its due. ,\| the annual meeting ot the Auckland Institute and Museum the opimnu was expressed by resolution that representative selections of war trophies and equipment should be secured bv the Government for the four museums in the large cities.—Press Assn. ,

\ Press Association message from Christcliurch states that the body of a main infant child was found in a chest of drawers in a house in tho city on Sunday. The mother of the child was taken to the hospital. She is in a serious condition.

Whilst working in Cook Strait on Sunday the Government 6teamer Hinemoa, received a signal from Tho Brothers Lighthouse for assistance. The Marino Department had no further information to give yesterday regarding tho matter, but it is anticipated that a report may be received to-uny.

The Town-Planning Act, passed during the l#st'session of the New Zealand Parliament is commended warmly in a special article published in the "Journal of the American Institute." "The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell) states the article, "had promised to introduce legislation on town-planning a. few years ago, hfter the visit of Mr. Davidge of tho English Town Planning Association in 1911. The war delayed the introduction of this measure until influential deputations from tho Dunediir Amenities and Town Planning Association (the oldest as well as tho most active organisation of tho 6ort), and various. other societies waited upon Mr. Hussell last year. Mr. Russell deserves credit for his boldness in introducing such a fundamental measure. May he achieve the triumph of passing it, for it will moan that New Zealand intends now to prepare for the reconstruction period."