LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 192, 9 May 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Government has decided to grant assisted passages, where necessary, to the intended wives of New Zealand soldiers. Tho soldier who wishes to bring his fiancee to the Dominion in this way will ba required to make a nomination through the Immigration Department and to pay ,£l3 towards the cost of either a second or third class passage. Applications are to be made to the Immigration Department in New Zealand or to the Immigration Department of the High Commissioner's Office in the caso of eol<hers abroad.

The official recount of votes recorded in the municipal elections is proceeding. It is expected that the final returns for the City Council will be ready by Saturday night. If .they are ready then, they will be published on Monday, and the new council will probably be summoned to hold its first meeting on Wednesday evening. Owing to the narrow margin by which, according to tho first count, one candidate gained a seat, the results of the recount are awaited with considerable interest,

An indignation meeting of passengers for" Sydney by the Makura, which is still in Auckland was held on the vessel yesterday, states a Press Association telegram. ' It was decided to send a telegram, to the general manager of the Union Company demanding that the Makura should take passengers to Sydney, in fulfilment of contract, or that a suitable boat be immediately provided frdm Auoidand to Sydney, and that in tho meantime adequate accommodation be provided by the comjany for , passengers of"all classes.

The Railway revenue for the fourweekly period ended March 31 last was ■£489,432 IGs. 5d., and the expenditure was 7s. Id. •" For , the corresponding period last year tho figures' were :— £119,887 os. 3d. and J3283.286 Os. 3d. respectively.

Before applying for assistance to purchase laitd returned soldiers hitherto have been required to secure an option of three months on the properties they desired to obtain. Owing to the length of tho option required soldiers desiring to purchase found difficulty in securing it. It is now officially stated that in the case'of town or suburban properties, or rural land readily accessible, it is desirable that the period of option bo not less than four weeks. In the case of land situated in isolated localities the option period should bo two months, in order that sufficient time may be given for speoial inspection, valuations, etc.

It is announced in the Gazette that the conditions recently imposed on tho sale of standing timber and on the grant of licenses to cut standing timber on public or on public lands of any tenure shall not apply in respect of any timber intended for exolusivo use for mining purposes under tho Mining Act, 190 S. or v for coal-mining purposes under tho Coal Mines Act, 1908.

The Minister of Customs has granted general permission for the exportation of kauri gum to the United States.

A Press Association message states Hint Mr. H. L. Tapley was elected chairman of the Otago Harbour Board yesterday.

' It is officially anuounced that this year the King's Birthday will be celebrated on June 8, and that Empire Day, formerly observed on May 24,■ will also bo celebrated on Juno 3.

The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell) stated yesterday that in connection with the statistics ofjnnnufactures and works taken annually, it had been determined that there should be obtained also particulars as to rates of earnings and wages, and the state of employment in different industries. Generally, said the Minister, the praotioe followed would be similar to that folWed in Australia.

The proposed visit of the Japanese Training Squadron to New Zealand in June has been cancelled. The squadron, which was last at Frcniautle, is now on its way to Colombo.

The decision of the Government' to establish one salary schedule for all branches of the New Zealand Public Service came as a great surprise (remarks tho "Railway Officers' Advocate"), but when one considers the matter, tho wonder is that tho decision was not made years ago. There may be some difficulty in adjusting the railway salaries to doy.etiiil into the new schedule adopted by Cabinet, but from the etatementa made by Mr. Hiley and Mr. Jl'Villy it is behoved a genuine attempt will be made to do justice to the railway officers and. bring them into lino with officers in other branches of the Public Service.

The nowly issued "Soldier's Guide" mentions, that the site of Tauherenikau Camp will continue to be used for tho instruction of returned soldiers in pastoral work, pig-farming, and also for a limited amount of agricultural work. The operations at this farm are carried out on strictly practical lines. It is proposed to utilise this farm for soldiers wliose condition of health renders an open-air life in the specially healthy climate of the Wairarapa desirable. '

The Norwegian steamer Bessa; which was recently dtuunged when entering Wellington Heads, will sail from Welling ton for Sydney to-day. All the Sydney cargo is being reshipped, and the vessel is also taking a very heavy mail from New Zealand to Australia. The Kessa is to bo ilocked at Melbourne to have permanent repairs made.

A Press Association telogram from Clhristchurch elates that the Hon. T. M. Wilford will inspect the Burnham School property next week, with a view to 'ascertaining if it is suitable for a reformatory or inebriates' institution under the Reformatory Institutions Act passed last year.

An important announcement regarding the compilation of flro insurance statistics for the Dominion was mado by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell) yesterday. 'The desirability of bringing the Dominion into line with other countries in this matter, said the Minister, had been recognised for some time past. New Zealand was one of the fow English-speaking countries which did not publish complete statistics of fire insurance. It had been decided .that these complete statistics of fire insurance for the Dominion should bo obtained by the Government Statistician.

The concession of free treatment in St. Helens hospitals to .the wives of soldiers has been extended to twelve months after the return of the soldier to Now Zealand.

This rack two new tramcars constructed by the City Council have been undergoing tests. They will shortly be placed on the road. Tlie difficulty of obtaining material make's it impossible for. the council to construct more cars just now. The present cost, of building a tramcar is about twice as heavy as the pre-war cost.

The Mayor yesterday informed a reporter that it was necessary that Wellington's water supply should at present be conserved <is far as possible. There had fov some time been no downfall of rain sufficiently heavy to have an effect upon the supply, and the reserves held in storage ut-Karori and Waiiiiii wore" both being drawn upon. Ho hoped thai citizens would limit themselves to fulfilling their requirements, and would not endanger the supply by waste.

Tho appointment of Mr. Alexander Wright Donald as Acting-Consul of Switzerland at Auckland during the temporary absence from tho Dominion of Mr. Nathan Alfred Nathim has been provisionally recognised by His Excellency the Governor-General.

"The great catchword of the present day is 'efficiency', ,, remarked Miss N. Jobson, M.A., principal of Queen Margaret Presbyterian College for Girls, at the opening ceremony yesterday afternoon. "What is the present day conception of efficiency? It is evidently not efficiency that abolishes the liquor irade. It is not efficiency that pule character first and money 6econd. It is efficiency that enables us to compete in the world's markets. That seems to be the present meaning of tlio term. I consider that the great troubles of the, day—the great labour troubles—arise from two things: One is the inability of man to think independently, to think for himself, so that he is led by the nose by ony demagogue who lias a fluent tongue; and, also, the growing desire for pleasure of the wrong kind. We want to do nothing nowadays but that which will give us money to go to the pictures or the comic opera, enable us to wear fur coats and silk stockings, or do something that really is not a very high aim after all. We aro in danger of cultivating the very spirit that has ruined Germany, and we must watch against it. We can only watch against it by training our children to aim ai higher' ideals. That is what I hope to do with them here." (Applause.)

The hearing of the case the City Corporation v. J. Hod ami Co., was concluded iu the Appeal Court yesterday, and judgment was reserved. On the bench were Their Honours Mr. Justice Chapman, Mr. Justice Sim, and Mr. Justice Hosking. Mr. J. O'Shea appeared for the City Corporation, and Mr. T. loung for the respondents. The appeal was against the judgment of the Cnief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) in the Supreme Court in respect to a claim for refund of amounts paid in excess of the.amounts properly payable. Rod and Co. obtained judgment for .£3Ol Is. 7d. and costs ,£277 is. Id., being amount paid in abattoir fees, and the balance in respect .of the disposal of offal and the cleaning of tripe. The , corporation acknowledged liability for £185 2s. Bd., which amount was paid into Court, and appealed, against the judgment in respect to the balance.

. An Order-m-Council authorises the Public Trusteo to lend to the.Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board a further snm of -i; 6500 for the purpose of an additional ward on top of No, i ward in Wellington Hospital.

Several judgments will be delivered in the Appeal Court to-day.

According to Mr. T. M. Charters, Canterbury District Repatriation' Officer, there is ample work awaiting fit men on the West Coast, from which he recently returned. Generally speaking, said Mr. Charters, thero was little trouble on the Coast in regard to repatriation, and there was plenty of work, particularly at milling, trucking, mining, and ordinary labouring. One mine manager had told him that he could take 300 men for trucking, really unskilled and comparatively easy work, at 13s. Sd. per day. Westport and Greymouth , were, in fact, practically stagnant for want of men, and the wholo Coast was actually starving for want of labour. The only difficulty West Coast repatriation committees found was in finding light work for partially disabled men.

In .1 letter received at the meeting of tl)o committee of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers' Association on Tuesday night, the Minister of Defence , stated , that arrangements had now been made for the extension of the period of availability of the four weeks soldiers' railway privilege in the case of medical students returned to resume their studios. This would enable them to take of the privilege during tho recess. If the students concerned would communicate with tho Director of Base Records, forwarding at tho same time their war-, rants, the matter would ibe arranged. Where, however, warrants had already been exchanged for railway tickots, the latter could not be extended.