LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 234, 27 June 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Pacific Cable Board advises that owing to partial interruption of the. c.ible near Norfolk Island traffic via tho Pacific is subject- to increased delay. Repairs are expected to be compacted on Sunday., It takes'l2o tons of coal per day - to keep Wellington supplied* with gas. A Press Association telegram from Dtinedin states (hat the late Miss Agnes M'Glasham bequeathed JEIOOO to the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand for the founding of a scholarship in connection with Knox College, (o be for the benefit of students for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church. , .

Dr. lUridell, who has been working with great enthusiasm for months nast on behalf of tho Trent ho in Scholarship Art Union, is at present suffering from nervous prostration. Dr. Riddell gave tho whole of his time to the scholarship fund movement, and worked day and night co make it a success. It is unfortunate that his iiealfh should break dow>, tit the eleventh hour when he was putting his final effort into the'woi'K he had so closely at heart.

It is notified in the Gazette that a reward not exceeding .£IOO will be paid for information leading to the discorory of any plant or material used in the production of forged banknotes of tho lawful currency of the Dominion, or. forged postal notes and nost office orders, of the Post Office of New Zealand, or leading to the arrest of any person proved to bo concerned in forging or knowingly uttering such forged notes or orders, or in coining or knowingly uttering counterfeit coin.

"You must keep to the ponn., II r. Moore." said the chairman of flic Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board (Mr. F. Cnstie) yesterdav. Ike matter before the board is tho policy ot setting up a children's home, wid you are talking about a goat-f a-rm:" "'Well, said Mr. A. J. M'Curdy, "there is -s<iro«connection between goats and. 1-ids! Strong protest was raised 'by Councilor M. F. Luckie at last night's meeting of the City Council against the Wellington. Provincial Rugby Football League being granted the use of the Basin Eeserve for three davs, with the right ot charg. ing for admission. The matter cropped up on the report of tho. Reserves Committee, which . recommended 'hat' the Rugby League and the Wellington. Football Association be allowed to chargo for admission to the ,Basin Deserve on three days. "It is a well-known fact,- saxl Councillor Luekie, '.'that tho Rugby League is the beginning of professw.ialism." The object was to get e/ough gate money to enable men to live on the game, which was played under rules requiring a mail to be in the pink cf condition. If they were not absolutely i.* they would not be able to play. "It i<= maile a game of gladiators," he remarked, "justas baseball is in America, and the Victorian game is in Australia." There was a grave and complete distinction between tho Rugby Union and the League codes. Rugby Union football and Association football were established for the purpose of promoting the games amongst the youngsters, but (he League did not encourage young players. He moved an'amendment that tho . claus« relating to tho Leagua be referred back, to the committee. Councillor A. R. Atkinson 6'econded tho amendment. Councillor J. Hutchison said the ■Leaguegeme was most attractive,, and it was incorrect to say that young.people could not plav it. Councillor ,T. Glover said that in England the professional game attracted a [great number of people, • and it had not killed either Rugby or Association football. Councillors T.J'orsyth and L. M'Kenzie supported Councillor Luckio's amendment, "thev both contending fia* K wa9 not right.for the council io give assistance to a body which encouraged professionalism. After further discuss-on if; was decided, on the casting vote of (ho Mayor, to dolete from the order paper the recommendation in regard to ihc Rugby League. .

The Council of Education at its sittings yesterday adonted a, recommendation that the initial salaries of nil teachers, whether men or women, in secondary schools should begin at the same minimum, 'ami should increase ljv yearly increments for five years to -C3OO, when differentiation might take place between r.ien and women, and in all cases further increases in salary should depend on qualifications and ability to tench. The council also carried a resolution affirming that the salaries of teachers in secondery srhools should be increased.

Recently Ihe Wellington Tramway,Urnployees' Union urged upon the City Council"the necessity of remedyiug the overcrowding on tho tramway service. The Mnvor (Mr. J. P. Luke) stated at list uight's meeting of the City Council lhat attention was being paid to the matterand every endeavour was being made to safeguard the interests of the employees and tlio general public.

The' Bower Stations and Tramways .Committee recommended to the City Council last night that the car mileage charges in connection with the Karori and Miramar services bo increased by one halfpenny as from Ju,ne 1. The present car mileage rates are: Karori, 14d.; and Miramar, 13d. The Mayor said it had been argued that the council ivas not raising the.fares in tho city. The position regarding the fares would ennio beforo the council at is next r.eeting, when the report of the committee would be available. As far as city fares wero concerned, Mr. Luke said that the amount of money which was put aside each year as a net surplus was now being used uip 'by the increased cost of running the tramways. ■ Owing to tho fact that fares had not been increased in'the City the.people in Miramar and Karori hail received proportionate benefits. However, tho position had become more serious, and the people in the two suburb? mentioned' must accept the situation. The recommendation was adopted.

Communications were received from the Hutt Borough Council and the Fastbourne Borough Council by the Wellington Hospital and Charitabio Aid Foard vesterday. notifying that Mr. Hugh Black liad been appointed to represent the combined district on the'board, vice Mr. If. Baldwin, resigned.

. Last night the Labour Parly hold a meeting in St. Augustine's Hall, Totono. The .three selected candidate*, Messrs. Anderson, Pritchard, and Churchill, for the final selection ballot next Saturday, gave their views. On Saturday the parly will hold the' ballot in Hie Knni'urly Hall, Lowor Hutt. '

Tho "New Zealand lfern'd" reports the following: The proposed payment of a salary of 15s. a week to n female assistant at I lie Newmarket domestic science training centre was strongly opposed by Mrs. F. 13. Baiinie at tho last meeting of tho Auckland Education Board. It was ii disgrace to the board, she said, that any girl should be offered such ;. salary, which, With car fares, clothing, and keep to provide, was inadequate. In reply .to Mr. If. S. W. King, Mr. ,1. V. Kalaugher, supervisor, stated that; the hours of employment were 110 a week. "Sixpence an hour," exclaimed several members of the board. Mr. Kalaugher mentioned that; the proposed salary was in accordance with a scalo which had been set 1»' Hie hoard— 15s. a week for tho first year and JH for the second. Members wore in general agreement that Hi? scalo in this instance should be amended, and first year assistants paid 255. n week. Mr. King moved that the scale of payment to junior assistants should be reviewed at, the vext meeting of tho board, .this resolution being fully supported. The matter of increase in salary of other instructors was similarly deferred, the supervisor to i submit a report.

A special meeting of the City Council will be held at i p.m. on Monday to consider tho estimates for the year and to discuss a number of notices of motion, consideration of whi/di was postpone'! from hist evening's meeting.

Addressing 200 Harvard graduates and undergraduates, representing most of the divisions of the American Army in France, at the spring dinner of the Harvard Club, Dr. Briggs. Dean of tho Faculty of Aits and Science, who for 20 years has been a most popular figure, in Harvard life, said: "Harvard has given her bravest and best to the cause of vietcry, but it is tho duty of Harvard to lead all other Americans to know that it was not America that won tho war. She came into the war at the eleventh hour— almost at the eleventh hour and the sixtieth minute. She came, in with the aid of British ships, and arrived in Franco in time to turn the scnle. It was the last, straw that broko the camels back. Wo must never forget that but for England, France, and Belgium. America would before long have been fighting for her own national life. If Harvard is to continue her reputation as the university that produces men as well as gentlemen she wi'il teach her men to claim only that which is their due, anu never to forget that the crowning glory belongs to those nations to whom America brought succour long delayed. Dr. Briggs's speech was cheered for nearlv five minutes. Professor Charles H Raskins, "Dean of tho Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, adopted a similar line in his address.

Tho Citv Council decided last light that t'.ie request of the Reserves Committee that ground fees owing by th° Wellington Provincial Rugby Football League- be written off, be not acceded to. Permission was also refused the league to take up a voluntary collection at Newtown Park on Saturday afternoons. In regard to the,request for remission of ground fees, the Mayor pointed to t.ho financial position of tho City Council. Tho sports bodies no doubt had been rard hit by the war, but at the same time the Rugby League was in a posttion to draw upon" its members for tho' amount of money necessary to meet its debt to tho council. It was for' that reason that the Finance Committee recommended that the amount should not be written off.

At the meeting or the City Council last evening a petition was received from residents of Marion Street protesting against the erection of .a stable in that thoroughfare. The Mayor thought that every power the council possessed- should be exerted to prevent stables being erected in a residential area such as Marion Street. Tho matter was referred .to the By-laws Committee. ■ •

The City.Council-has ador/ed for tha whole of that portion of the city previously known as the Borough of Onslow tho building by-law hitherto in operation in the borough, provided that the minimum building frontager shall he not less than 40 feet, and the area not less than one-eighth of an acre. (

On the recommendation of the Milk Committee tho City Council last niSht decided that in tho event of the Bill 'Io replace the War Regulations not being passed at the next session .of Parliament, application be made for an extension of tho validity of tho War Regulations for a period of twelve months. Councillor Norwood, chairman of the committee, said it might happen that tho Bill dealing with . the question of the city's milk supply might not receive tho sanction of Parliament, therefore it was essential ihat steps be taken to have the .validity of that section of the War Regulations referring to .the milk supply, extended, otherwise the city's, milk organisation would bp upset considerably. . , ' ' '

The following additional land purchase commissioners, under the Land for Settlements Act, 1908. have been oppos-ed-—Oscar Monrad (Palmerston North), \rtliur John Murray (Kekcrangu, Marlborough), George MacMahou (l'npawera, Nelson).

Exqcssive speed by motorists on the city street is now an old trouble anil one very difficult to check • A movement in this direction was reflected in the By-laws Committee's report to the City Council last evening On the recommendation; of the committee it was derided to accede to the request ot the Police Department to supply two stopwatches to assist the police to control excessive speed by motorists.

"When do fruit trees begin , to _ wear out?" was a question asked of o witness by Mr. Justice Hosking in the Supreme Court at Nelson last. week. The witness, u fiiwaka resident, replied that he knew of an orchard in his district 15 years old which was bearing as well as ever it. did.. He believed some apple trees in Ihe district were sixty years old. Peaches ran D\it in. ten or twelvo years, but penis were long livers. The By-laws Committee of the City Council recommended to the council lastevening, that it had received an opinion from itlie City Solicitor with regard to the request from the Wellington grocers' Industrial Union of lMiiployers that the hawking of foodstuffs in open vehicles was not desirable, and that the council should discontinue the issue of hawkers licenses. The CKy Solicitor pointed out that the right to sel lgoods by-hawk-, in" was a common law right, and.thai, a municipal corporation could not, withour express statutory power to prohibit, make it unlawful to carry on such a trade in a lawful manner. \ Ihe Grocers. Industrial Union is to be informed accordingly. ' '. ; . The. Invercargill Returned Soldiers' Association has had the question of establiiuiiiK a hind bureau under considerate! The proposal is that, the bureau be managed by two association reprcsen-1-iiives in conjunction with outside experts in an honorary capacity. It is inended that the vendor be charged the usual commission, 50 per cent, of which will go to the upkeep of the bureau, and the other 50 per cent, to the soldier takiii- over tlie land. The proposals were considered at a meeting of the association on Monday night, when it was announced, that the Auckland Association had been asked for information regarding its scheme. On this coming to hand active steps will be at once taken to establish the bureau. . _ At last evening's meeting of the City Council permission was granted to the Mitchelltown Returned Soldiers Welcome Association to erect a monument in tlie triangular reserve at the Aro Stieet tramway terminus, subject to the samo being of approved design. The thieving epidemic seems to have spread to Napier (says the Herald ), for during the past few days two thefts tart 8 been reported. The first case was the robbery of a gold watch, gol.il chain, and stop-watch from a sporting enthusias; who was enjoying a sleep beiore his dinner Upon awakening he was much surprised to find his watch, etc., gone, the second case is a more serious and mean' one. Sonic time on Friday night or baturdav morniiiß some person took two bags' containing drugs, dressings, and surgical instruments from Dr. ]>. N Harvey's car. One bag contained a lull midwifery equipment. The loss is a serious one, as the instruments cannot be replaced at a uiomont's notice. A large number of dancers, at a dance last lost their coats, hats, and scarves. J. no extent of the depredations points to more I than accident.

The prices of books, affected so adversely by war ■conditions, are not expected, according to tho publishers latest quotalions, to fall for some time to come, (says the "Now Zealand Herald"). On the contrary, in many instances a sharp; rise is anticipated. A prominent bookseller in - vanced the opinion that the very high prices of paper, leather, • and other raw material used in the manufacture o books, were responsible for the almost excessive prices demanded for books ut all kinds.' The acute scarcity of pnpei at Home was shown by the fact that l»e books in all the latest consignments boie the old wrappers marked at the ongina prices, indicating Hurt there was no papo ■available for new ones. Other nossiiw. onuses were the diversion of printing machinery for war purposes, tho ,ask ill retraining men after the war, and Hie cost of the installation of new machinery. Th-.< price of leather, lie said, had rise.) 20 per cent, in August last, and a fiii■llier m■ ner cent, in .Inunary. As .■lie (last quotations were issued by tie publishers iust prior to the drop in the prce of paper/which followed the conclusion of hostilities, the bookseller mentioned said he thought it not improbable that a slight decrease in the price ol . books would take place just before _ Christmas. Owing to tho recent heavy increase in the wages of binders and coinnosilor.-:. however, he considered it impossible ..Iml prices would ever fall to the pre-war levels.

The Thorndon Ladies' Club is to bo informed by the City Council that its request for grounds at Anderson Park oannot lie acceded to owing io the hisufliciency of grounds. If was stated at tho City Council meeting last evening that a report was being obtained from tho Acting-City Kngincer with reference to the advisability of erecting -a fish-landiug stago at the bqach at Island Bay.

By way of coincidence, when Councillor 1,. M'Kenzie was moving at the City, Council meeting last evening that the cci'lmcil should charter a steamer to briiig to Wellington a cargo; of coal, the lights in tho chamber became dim. ■ It was stated by Councillor J. Hutchison that, tho tramcars on the Brooklyn lino had stopped through the power being insufficient. Cars from Newtown also stopped or slowed down at intervals between 5 p.m. and G p.m. for the same reason.

There was a recommendation to the City Council by the Finance Committee last evening that u request from pro- | pjrty-owners of Sutherland Road for the extension of- the drainage and water supply bo granted. Councillors J- Hutchison and R. A. Wright, M.P., strongly urged that the work should' receive consideration during the year. The Mayor said that the only way to deal with tho matter of water and drainago in the outlying districts was to borrow a sum of, money, as they had not the money .to •sparo out of their ordinary revenue to undertake the work; neither did they lwvo .£l5O to spare to spend on the two places in Sutherland Road. He agreed with councillors on the necessity of the work mentioned, but they had to consider the financial side of the question.