LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 142, 11 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Minister of Public Health has received advice from the Chief Health Officer at Suva that Fiji is now clear of influenza. No fresh cases have been reported from any part of the colony. The Auckland district is suffering severely from dry weather, and in the country townships there is a shortage of water (says a Press Association telegram). Farmers are in constant fear of fires, particularly in the vicinity of the railway lines, where the scrub is like tinder. The whole province urgently needs copious rain. A communication was forwarded by the Hon. G. W. Russell to the Soldiers' Mothers' League, Auckland, asking that a delegate be sent to the proposed conference re town planning. The following answer has been forwarded to the Minister'.—"Your communication containing request for a delegate to attend the proposed conference was considered, and while applaudiug your proposal, the league felt that until justice has been made of the great and just demands upon the finance of this Dominion by the returned soldiers for their future welfare it could not in justice to them advocate any expenditure of public moneys in a direction of so little necessity as town planning at the present juncture." Negotiations between the employers and the Plasterers' Union have not yet brought about a resumption of work at the new Parliamentary Buildings. The plasterers employed on this job demanded an increase of pay to 2s. 'an hour, without overtime, and when the em-, ployers refused to give this increase, they adopted a "go-slow" policy. Then some men were dismissed and the work was suspended. The employers have since offered to pay 2s. an hour provided that the meu return to work at the Parliamentary Buildings, The men have stated that they wish to be free to accept' any employment they wish at the new rates. The matter is to be considered further by the Plasterers' Union, . i On the Glasgow Wharf about uoon yes-, terday, a falling crate of cheese fractured the right leg of an elderly waterside worker named James Clutterbuck, who resides at 111 Jackson Street, PeClutterbuck was taken to the Hospital, and in the afternoon was reported from that institution to be progressing favourably. During the influenza epidemic Norfolk Island enforced strict quarantine. When tho Southern Cross arrived there, "No intercourse." was the order, and it was thoroughly enforced. A boat-load of provisions, including a live shuep and some fowls, were ijpwed out, and let float until secured by ii boat 6ent from tho steamer. Some passengers were also brought off the island and left on an islet, after which they wore taken on board the steamer, so there \va6 the greatest caro exercised to prevent the introduction of the influenza, amongst the descendants of tho Bounty.

The continued dry weather is evidently causing 'perturbation to the Auckland water-works authorities. Tho attention of householders has been called to tho faot that the following by-law is to bo strictly enforced:—"No consumer shall use any water supply for gardens by means of a hoso or standing pipe excepting by special permission from ■ the waterworks engineer, and in cfery such case shall use the hose held in the hand only." : The Kev. A. J3. ttunt, of Wellington, is an apt raconteur (remarks the Auckland "Star"). At the youiig people's demonstration in tho Beresford Street Congregational Hall' tho Rev. Mr. Hunt informed his audience that prior to proceeding to England from New Guinea, wlrero he was a missionary, the secretary of one church organisation in tho Old Country wroto asking for particulars so that ho (the Rev. Mr. Hunt) could be properly advertised for his reception. Tho speaker, in reply to queries, had written, stating that ho had led a very humdrum life, had not been attacked by tho natives, but had done some.attacking himself, and tho only -wild animals which had attacked him wero mosquitoes, and they had given up all hope with him. What was his, amazement to see, on reaching tho English town in question, posted up in eveiy direction, "Come and hear tho, great missionary from Now Guinea, of whom tho mosquitoes gave np all hope." (Laughter.) At last night's meeting of the Lower Hutt Borough Council a resolution was pjissed informing tb.B Minister of Public Health that the council,'does not look with favour on the suggestion of certificates for all who assisted during the recent influenza epidemic. A bulletin published by the Hector Observatory contains notes made \>y several oliservers during the appearance in the sky of Nova Aquilac, the new star that'blazed suddenly in the heavens in June last. Nova Aquilae, like other ''new stars," faded quickly. The observations of its spectrum during June and July gave very interesting results.

"It is interesting to note," writes the Government' Astronomer, "that on November 2, 1918, it will bo fifty years since New Zealand standard time-exact-ly Hi hour's in advance of Greenwich time—was adopted as the mean time for the colony. The report of the Wellington Philosophical Society on New Zealand standard time is ' published in the 'N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology," Vol. 1, No. i, July, 1918, p. 232. The report gives reasons for urging tho adoption of a standard time exactly twelve hours in advance of Greenwich mean time. It may be mentioned that all the mean-time clocks at the observatory are already kept exactly twelve hours in advance of the Greenwich mean time, and that time signals are given in accordance therewith." The Religious Objectors' Advisory Board, which was' appointed to investigate cases of conscientious objectors to military service who did not come within the exemption section of the Act, has been sitting at Mt. Eden prison taking evidence from men who ore still in enstody. The,board, which.consists of Mr. C.E. Matthews (Chief Inspector of Prisons), the Rev. J. R. Burgin; of Auckland, tho Rev. J. G. Chapman, of Wellington, and Mr. M. J. Mack, of Wellington, has already visited all the detention centres of the Dominion, and before going to Auckland made inquiries at the Waimarino and Kaingaroa prison camps and at the Waikeria farm, near To Awamutu. The members of the Board are returning to Wellington, having completed their investigations. The Board will forward its report to the Minister in the course of a few days. On tho motion of the chairman (Mr. Leigh Hunt), the following resolution was carried unanimoudy at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce-.—"That this chamber places on record its hearty appreciation of tho able services rendered to the Dominion by tho chairman and members of the National- Efficiency Board, and hopes that tho board will still be utilised in solving tho many important problems of the near future." The existing railway tariff rates.were mentioned at yesterday's meeting of tho Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce, when the chairman (Mr. Leigh Hunt) remarked that in his opinion the rates required revision, as they were out of date. Tho tariff should be revised on a business basis. The meeting was of the opinion that the present tariff was "swarming with anomalies." It was decided to approach tho general manager of the railways and explain the anomalies with a view to halving the tariff revised.

Two youths, who absconded from the Wsraroa Training Farm, were arrested at Belmont on Sunday afternoon by Constables Holmes and Frost, of Lower Hutt, and sent back to the institution. According to Mr. J. Reed, secretary of the Timber Workers' Union, who ha's just returned from nn organising tour of the country districts, 'the township of liaetihi, which was swept by fire last year, is now practically back to normal. There is but little evidence of the recent disaster. Many of the mills that wero /destroyed have been rebuilt, and other mills have come into existence. Mr. Peed stated that there is evidence that the timber industry on the Main Trunk line is approaching a boom. The mills would probably absorb a great number of men, and so relieve, to some exteut, the unemployment difficulty. The closing down of Hie flaxmills would release about 700 men, and it would seem'that considerable difficulty will be experienced in placing these. _ The Wellington Education Board, in its building operations, is inclined to think a little further ahead than lias been the case'in the past. The ordinary wooden school, with the timber now available, has a limited life, and, after a certain term of years, is apt to become a burden owing to the constantly recurring upkeep charges. In view of this buildings of a wore permanent character are deemed to be more economical in the long run. At present the board is providing for the 6teady growth of the Masterton district by the erection of two schools, and both are being erected in reinforced concrete. One is in Cole Street West, where the need for a school has long been felt by the expansion of the town in that direction. This school is ultimately to have eight classrooms, but at present it is only proposed to erect one portion cf it, sufficient to meet present-day demands. The other building, also being constructed of reinforced concrete, is an infant school at Lansdowne, a need which has been stressed by Mr. A. W. Hogg for some time past. The state of fruit and vegetables on arrival at the city markets has been considered by the Wellington District Fruiterers' Association, and as a result of deliberations the secretary (Mr. J. W. Eanson) was instructed to wait on the Health Department and the Agricultural Department with a view to having conditions improved. In regard to the Health Department, Mr. Eanson told a Dominion representative yesterday that it had no power to deal with ill-conditioned fruit. The Department had concerned itself in the matter and had taken up test cases, which had failed. On being approached the Agricultural Department took the matter up and had arranged for more frequent visits of its inspectors to the markets with a view to having all bad and infected fruit and vegetables condemned. In. the published i list of ■ matriculation results the uamo "P. M. M'Mullan" appearing in the partial pass list should have read "P. M. M'Millan." . The v Government Astronomer, Mr, C. E. Adams, has issued the astronomical tables for the year 1919 in the form of a Hector Observatory Bulletin. The tables are interpolated from the British Admiralty Nautical Almanac, and they give all the usual information and astronomical data. Speaking at the Lower Hutt Borough Council meeting last evening in 'reference to the peace celebration, the Mayor (Mr. E. P. .Rishworth) stated that it appeared to him that a local celebration was almost doomed to failure by the fact that the majority of the Lower Hutt peoplo would go to Wellington, where there would be something on a much greater scale than anything the Lower Hutt could do.