LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 217, 7 June 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

't'lie chairman of the Keserves Coiuinillol' of the Wellington City Council (Councillor George Frost) states that there is not to be any distribution of shrubs for planting to the public this year. . All the shrubs which have been raised are .rfqiiired for planting in tho Cily Corporation's own reserves and gardens. The tramways traflic was interrupted for about twenty minutes shortly after fi o'ciocii last evening. The trouble wits due to poor coat at the powerhouse. The' engineers found-it necessary lo cut oil the power until they had got up steam. During the month of May the oflice of the Westport Coal Company in Wellington .was only open for two days for the receipt of orders for coal. Un May I*.' 930 separate orders were taken, ami on May 26 ball, ill all 1780 orders in two. days. ' Referring to the complaint that the work in connection with tho Oriental Bay sen-wall and paraiki had. been suspended since the armistice, the Mayor. (Mr. .1. P. Luke) explained yesterday that tlm delay iu the prosecution of this work had'been occasioned by the need of the | council's limited staff of concrete .workers for another and more urgent work, namely, the construction of a concrete culvert through the Corporation Varus at; Clyde Quay for the big drain that runs down Kent Terrace and under thu yards to the harbour. This old drainused for surface drainage only—has been a wooden one, but in its old age the wooden sides and top have broken in on more than one occasion, causing a llood in tho yards. This was an imperative work, aud had to be done immediately. Another concrete work to bo tackled almost immediately is the erection of a big concrete wall at' Crabtree's corner, Brooklyn, where to gain a better sweep for the tramway tracks'and-traffic generally tiio council has already acquired the lnd that will provide for tho widening of tiie road at the corner where, the con- , crete retaining-wall is necessary. • The Attorney-General, by Order-iu-Council, has prohibited the sale, in New Zealand of the periodical, publication called "Novi Svijet" (New World), published at Auckland by or on behalf of the .lugo-Slav Publishing Company, and also every pul> lication issued in succession to the ''Novi Svijet" or in substitution therefor and having the same proprietor, publisher, printer, or editor, A local manufacturers' agent, representing a big Sheffield firm, states that from letters received by the latest English mail, there was not the slightest prospect of any fall in the price of cutlery this year. Indeed, tho tendency was for prices to, harden. There were several reasons for this, all having lo do with labour. Cutlery firms were finding the greatest difficulty in getting back the men who had heeti serving under the coJpurs. Though many thousands of them had been discharged, the war had unsettled lliem for steady work, and extreme difficulty was being experienced in maintaining stall's. For the expert workers who were prepared to. work, steadily there was a lively competition among the employers, with :the result that wages had advanced incredibly, a ! condition of things which reflected itself on the prices noi. only i'or cutlery, but all ironmongery. A common .necessity such as slcel hinges had gone np from 200 and. .100 per cent, since IHH, and everything else in building ironmongery lines was about, on a par. One of the articles short on the market was the necessary pocket-knife. • "If I could get. hold of-SOii gross of pocket Viiives;" said rmr informant, "I could sell lliem in a couple of hours." ' America is pulling cutlery oir the market, but it was.not lip to the British 'standard; aiid the quality of the Japanese cutlery would not hear discussion. A development in cutlery was the melal handles, a fashion forced on manufacturers by (ho difficulty in obtaining supplies of xylonite. Now that Onslow Borough has lost its identity iu (hat of'■ Wellington City, the noedii of the district/in'respect lo fire suppression appliances are being considered. With that end in-view.. Mr;... 11. Tait (superintendent', of'the l''ire-Brigade)- visited the district a few days ago with', the Outlying Districts Committee. At ivai--warra there was inspected a shed containing a hose and reel. As the place is roughly constructed, even for a volunteer emergency- station, authority was given the superintendent to bring it up to date in order that- the most could- ; be made of Iho plant should' the necessity arise. As to.. the needs of Ngaio and Khandallah, little can 'bedone until the district has a high-pressure water supply, when tho erection of a -branch station will be considered by the Pire Brigade Committee on a. site approved by the superintendent. His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking, at, a short' sitting of the Bankruptcy Court yesterday, granted discharges ' to Jnmes Wareham, it butcher who had filed seven years ago, and to Cyril Pan) M'Pa.rlalie, a storekeeper who had been adjudicated bankrupt about Ja)'o years ago. His Honour fixed, September 5 for the next sittings in /'bankruptcy. ■' ' ; Mi. Paget, of the 'Chautauqua moremen!, states that'preparations are 1 already being mado for the arrival of a new party of Chaulauquan speakers and entertainers, who will probably, timu their arrival . in Newv Zealand (from America) i'or the end of November or .the begining of December. organisation will consist of five or six first-class speakers aud some clever entertainers—enough to appear in three towns in the one evening—instead of five or six as was the case a few-months ago. Already .Mr. Paget has arranged, .for.. Chautauqua gatherings in forty. towns nortu, of I'al'itierston North, and lie. is now. .engaged in the 'Wellington district. He also intends to arrange for tho extension of' the movement to the. South .Island.: ■ With his experience of- organisation,' Mr. Paget declares that New Zealand will get "the Chautauifiia vision" in time, and ho prophesies'that within 'four or five years the Dominion will'be visited by speakers of the W. J. Bryan'and W. 11. Taft type. Amending regulations under the Friendly Societies Act, 1909, arc issued in '.his week's Gazette. They provide new forms to be used iu the case of applications to register societies and. to amend, rules. It is announced iu this,week's -Gazette that, owing to the severe outbreaks. of rabies in England and, Wales, the importation of dogs from Great Britain is prohibited until further notice. The Wellington Meteorological Office reports that March was "a sunny autumn month, with rainfall 6-1 per cent, bciow the mean of previous years, There-was only ono 6iinlcss dajv and the average duration, of sunshine was < hours 13 minutes per day. Frost, was recorded oa the grass on'three mornings." / \ circular letter from the New Zealand Rifle Association to affiliated clubs states that; General Eichardson agreed to meet a deputation from the "xecutivc to discuss: (1) Improved conditions and grauts of ammunition to rifle, clubs; {■>) the supply of new rifle barrels. Tile letter further states that a cablegram from the B.S.A. factory says that barrels are in hand, and can be supplied in any quantitv immediately. The barrels are made to take, both mark 6 and mark 7 ammunition. Bv an Order-in-Council. gazetted this week authority is given for .the payment out of the net surplus profits of tho Public Trust Office of a bonus equal fo onetenth of tho interest received during the vear ended March .11, 3SIIO, from the common fund by each estate or accouul (other than investment agencies) that was not finally closed and distributed before the end of the year. Tho total profits of the office, after retaining Ji'2o.ooo, were •£5(>,1")3; and the total bonus is not to cxcccd The Parliamentary "1 nduslries Commission, which lias been sitting in \\ el lingion this week, lira adjourned until June ilfi, when it will resume tor Ihc UiKtng of further evidence. 'the date is subject to revision in case the Peace celebrations should occur at the lime, when memhers will wish to be in I heir own districts, A lire has been raging in Christie Bros.' No 2 coal mine at Green Island since Paster and is now commencing to assume ii formidable aspect. The stopping ol' woi'l; has nllowcd .it to. get a ,hold, since, the operation's for-keeping it down by blocking off iy< this coal is taken out are no lunger going on.— Ohigo limes.-

Twenty-five dcctricnlly-dviven vehicles ore now' being cluirged :it the municipal supply depot in Christcliurch. The revenue 'derived by the City Council from the side of power for these vehicles is £1000 a, vent'.

In the course of the Hon. ,T. A. Hunan's reply to a Technical College deputation winch waited on him at Clirislcluirch. relative to the reduction of members of the Hoard of Governors, the Minister slid that lie was prepared to go this length Unless 'a member made n certain number of regular visits to the elapses, and saw the work being done, he should forfeit his seat on the board. The member nf a board, the Minister added, should be something more than a figurehead!—' Tress." ■

The issue of tlie home Savings lialili boxes has been temporarily discontinued bv the Saving# Bank Department, on account of it hem's impossible, 111 the meantime, to obtain a supply of boxes. Since the commencement of the. war new supplies were unobtainable, and eventually the position became so acute that, when an account. was eloseJ a'«J the box handed in there were, generally about 20 applicants for the right, to use it and ope.u up a new account. Considerable inconvenience and annoyance were caused by the inevitable refusals, and, under Hie circumstances, it lias been decided (o discontinue ;il) new issues of Savings .Bank boxes until a sufficient supply can be relied on.

•Some uncomplimentary references to the attitude of Armenians towards British forces in J'ersia during the war were made bv Captain S. Savige, D.5.0., at the Naval and Military Club, Melbourne. The speaker during the course of a lecture entitled "With the Dnnsteryille Kxpedition to Baku," said that in that part of the country through which his fores had operated the Armenians were always ready to get as much' as they could for nothing, but when it catnc to 'work or fighting they were always missing. As soon as fighting commenced they bolted for their' lives. General Dunsterville told the Armenians-that unless they helped him against the Turks lie would have to withdraw his forces. This elicited the cool sejoinder that his duty was to protect thorn, and that if ho attempted to leave. Lhu country-he would be shot. The general and his comparatively small force,' however, managed to safely withdraw. Soon afterwards tho Turks arrived and massacred the Armenians. The slaughter, however, would not have been possible, added the lecturer.. if ilio Armenian.? .bad aided the British forces when they appealed for help.

A. curious misunderstanding that arose, in regard to <i remittance 'if XIOOO sent to Colonel W. H. Pavkes in London for supplementary comforts for the wounded is mentioned in tlin annual report of the Auckland Patriotic Association (stales tlio "Star"). The treasurers point that an interim sinlt-jycnt lias been; re-' (Mired from Colonel Parkes which gives evidence that ho had misconstrued the intention of Iho executive, inasmuch ns only J!SO had been expended upon delicacies for the men. while about .SflOO lmd 'been expended upon such items as revolving shed*, tricycles, • and X-ray ap-/ paratus. all of which no doubt groatly increased the comfort, of the men, but l.ardlv carried nut the intentions of the association. . Under. the circumstances the. treasurers are of opinion that a claim shall be rigorously pressed eilher for.a refund of. the. money expended oil. everything .but. delicacies, or, as an aUern.ative, (lnil; the trieyc.Us and X-ray apparatus shall be forwarded lo Auckland for presentation to local .institutions. The Hon. W. 11. Trigg", writing from Newport News. Virginia, says -that passengers intending to no lo England ■ by the Panama Canal 'will bo v-clI advised to set their .British passports vised _l>y the American-Consul'before leaving New Zealand. . "When the-Puapehu arrived I at this port only ; half a dozen of her passengers were at first allowed ashore,-as fche-local authorities were unable to pass any whoso passport had not been .countersigned by the American Consul. Gaptain M'Kcilar and the local agent.s of the New Zealand Shipping Company at once made energetic efforts to get the other passengers released, but it was not until some forty-eight hours elapsed before tlio necessary authority arrived from •Washington..' Unless, therefore, an official intimation reaches New Zealand that: the restrictions have been removed I. would strongly advise all passengers coming by the Panama route lo get an American vise oil their British passports before tearing the Dominion." ' "• • Between • Monday and .Thursday last, one, mild case only of influenza had" been reported to the Health Department- at Auckland. . This occurred at Wnibi. No fresh eases of lethargic encephalitis hud been, .reported. Sitting in Chambers in the Supreme Court, yesterday niornin'g. His Honour Mr. Justice Hosting Jieard an application.for security for costs by ' Sir John Findlay, K.C., acting for the defendants, in the .case of. Griorson v. tlio "Daily .Telegraph," Napier., Mr. .'IV Jieayo appeared to .oppose the application;.. Lieutenant. Grierson some time ago commenced proceedings against the -".Daily Telegraph." .'Company, .claiming ,£2OOO ..damages for' an allegetl.Jibel .coiitained in a news item published in the "Daily Telegraph," Napier, on February 15, 19i8. Sir John Findlay pointed out that tho plaintiff had left New Zealnnd with his wife, and had gone to England, via America, and there was no certainty that lie would; return, and- therefore no'guar, antee of costs iu tho event of his losing the case. _ Mr. Neave stated that Lieutenant Grierson was still a member of tho Expeditionary • Force,, and : nas ' on temporary ; leave. Ho had-, recently'^'-r, tarried and had.gone with- his wife t'oEngland. He (Mr. Neave) had had; no opportunity of conferring .with: his client before his departure from New Zealand and was unable to.-say when he would return. Jlr. Neave pointed out that the publication, of the' words complained of had 'been admitted, and it probably would not be necessary to call Griersnn to. give- evidence ,at : the hearing .of the action. After some further- argument His Ffonmir ad,iou,rned the application to August l, .and.the hearing of the suit was postponed until the August sitting of the' Supremo Court in Napier.