LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 250, 16 July 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tlio Board of Trade lias convened a conference of representatives of the woolleu companies in New Zealand to bo held in Christchurch on August 21, for the purpose of discussing the prices of their goods and such mutters. The Post and Telegraph Department's newly-appointed Appeal Board (set up in connection with tiie new classification) will hold its first sitting ill Auckland on .Monday next. The luiard consists of Messrs. F. V. Frazar, S.M. 'chairman), CI. M'Xamara (superintendent of staff), A. T. Markmann •acting-assislant-secre-lary), C. CI. Camp .postal hranch), and .r. Ogilvie (telegraph hranch). After the board concludes its business in Auckland --where a large number of appeals are to he heard—it will come si-uth. Last night the Wairarapa train which should uurire at Lambton station at lfl o'clock was 37 minutes late. The delay was caused by excessive shunting, and a long delay at The Summit. The Lower Hutt train, arriving at Lambton at ll.dO p.m., was 15 minutes late. During the week-end the premises of Messrs. 1,. Caselberg and Co., at I'JU Wakefield Street, were broken into, but practically nothing of value was stolen. The thief or thieves had access to the keys of a strong room, but found no cash. A key, which could have opened a second safe containing a considerable sum, was overlooked. Whilst the Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen) has vetoed anything in the form of peace illuminations- which require electricity 'produced b,v steam power, the authorities of the General Post Office are still determined that something shall be done to mark the, great occasion. They had gone to the tionble of electric wiring the whole of the eastern facade of the big building— every window having been outlined m bulbs, but this labour has been in vain. Now the authorities are making an ellort to decorate the building oil both the main-frontages with (lags and artificial flowers (on which the female staff of Iho C1.P.0. have been engaged for somo time past). It is anticipated that the floral fesloons from each of the many windows will give the stone building a. festive appearance in keeping with tlif season. Here and there it has been noticed, Tradesmen and shopkeepers are en"agcd in arranging special window displays, and the -sale of bunting to private individuals is said to be very brisk. Hotel-keepers are already booking up all available accommodation for tho weekend, which means that there will be a considerable influx of people from tho country for the peace days. "Thero is 110 reason why wo should not send huge quantities of eggs and fowls to Great Britain each year, said the Hon. G. W. Russell at Christchurch on Saturday night. "Britain last year imported 20,000 tons of fowls and 21,580,000 hundreds of eggs. Those are big figures, but I just quoted them to show that if New Zealand developed along lines of intensive culture and small holdings the market is there." 4 suggestion that\ tho Soldiers Club buildings at Trentham should bo utilised to' house tho increased number of medical officers in the camp caused some consternation and ti little indignant comment. In reply to a telegram of protest ou the subject tlio Minister of Defenco has sent the following letter to tho Mayor of Wellington: "In roply to your telegram of Julv 8, I havo to inform yon that it is not the intention ot the Defence Department to utilise the Soldiers Club at Trentham as residential (|uarters for medical officers. The suggestion wni made bv the medical authorities to utilise the club to accommodate the increased number of medical olficeis at Trentham' Hospital, but arrangements liavo boon made for another building in tile camn to be msde available for tne purpose." Referring to the conference of South Island Development Leagues, to bo held in Timaru to-day, the Hon. G. W. Hus. sell, Minister of Internal Affairs, 'win, will attend it, stated on Saturday that ho considered the movement a most important one, calculated to centre /public opinion on the "undoubted claims of the Sou,tli Island, especially with regard to retaining its returned soldiers in the South Island. In addition, the drift ot ■ponnlntion front the South to tho North Island was a most serious matter, as evidenced by the fact that the South Island. at the most recent readjustment of electoral boundaries, . lost three sonts, "While one cannot fail, to recognise the attractions of the North Island," added the Minister, "it behoves the people of the South to concentrate their atteition on the question of retaining population, because no one can suggest that the South Island has reached the maximum of population it is capable, under proper conditions, of carrying." i There were forty passengers by the Pateena. which'left here on-Monday morning and. reached Onehunga yesterday morning. There would have been double (that number had the public known of the intentions of the Union Company a few days earlier, but it was scarcely iniagjiied that tho vessel would be ready to commence the new service so early in the week-. The Pateenn took a large quantity of parcels, papers, etc., which had accumulated here for a day or two. When it is known that the Pateena is running direct to Oneluingain under 24 hours, it is anticipated tliat the passenger service by the slow train will be greatly relieved. A Pvess Association message receked from Auckland last night stated that the Pateena was unable to cross the Jlanakau bar yester-, day morning owing to a heavy fog. II cleared slightly at 2 p.m. and she crossed in, but had to anchor inside the heads owing to the fog being too dense for her to proceed to Onehunga. She is to berth at I! a.m. to-dav. and Is timed to sail for Wellington at 8 o'clock this morning. \ few days ago the Wellington Central Branch of tlio New Zealand Labour Party wrote to Sir James Allen asking some rather unnecessary questions about \the c-aptured guns now being shown outside the Wellington Town Hall. Sir Jamea Allen has replied to every question. He says that there has been no waste of money in. bringing the guns to New. Zca» land, as no freight had l>een charged on thorn. He assures the Wellington Central Branch of tho Labour Party that it was never intended that the guns should bo considered as an offset to, the lives and casualties or money from this country and that the exhibition of the guns should not bo taken as an indication ot tho intention of tho Government to institute Prussian militarism, because tho Government had no such intention, and never had had any such intention, lhe guns were not hero to intimidate anyone. They had been brought here because it was thought that they might be of interest to many people m New Zealand. They wero not intended lor ornamental purposes, but if museums desired to havo any captured guns the Government would be' pleased to comply with their wishes. The master bakers of Wellington have decided. that no bread will bo delivered on Saturday or Monday. And as it will bo impossible with the present staffs, and the inability to obtain labour, tobake tho whole of tho bread required for •Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, it "has been arranged that half lhe bread niiali he baked on Thursday and half on Friday. Customers are requested on Friday to take their requirements in half stale and half fresh. ! \ talk on "Camp-fire Anecdotes of Fields, Battles, and Bivouacs" was given last night, bv Colonel T. W. Porter, C.8., to the of the historical section of the AYcllington Philosophical Society. Colonel Porter recounted some war incident-: out of his own experiences of war service in actions as far apart in space and time, as the cutting out of piraios in the China seas sixty years ago and :thc 'war lin South Africa, lhe principal of his incidents about South Alrica related lo lhe staling of the iniiMico "I I' 1" e,1(1 °' , !„„ :n. 1002. Miid lhe meeting of | ; ,<«rd Kitchener and Lord Milncr with New Zealand's then Premier, .Mr. I(. J. Scddon. - "Counsel's fee Ss. .1d.." said Mr. E. Pa'>, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court vesVrdav, at the conclusion of a bylaw ease. "I won't havo a ss. 3d. fee, Your Worship, replied Mr. J. O'Shea, City Solicitor, who was tlio prosecuting counsel. Previous to this the Magistrate asked whether it was usual (o grant counsel's fees in such cases. The City Solicitor replied that practices varied. As a result, His Worship decided to lieavo the question over.

* "If this railway business is going to liang on some time we will have to cut out practically the whole of our representative fixtures," said Mr. \V. Hoviiig, chairman of the Wellington Rugby Union at last evening's meeting. I'cop'.e are burning lignite in Christchurch now. Tt is not generally known (says n Christchurch paper) mat lhe ashes of lignite coal may keep alight ior a week, and care should be taken to have theso ashes safely deposited in tin or iron receptacles. During the last leu days the Christchurch Fire Brigade ■ has been called out on three occasions to extinguish incipient fires which it was presumed wero caused 'by live iignile ashes being'deposited in wooden boxes. The Board of Trade "as interviewed by a deputation from the l'etone Borough Council yesterday regarding the longstanding dispute, between that council aiid tho Lower Hutt Borough Council oil the contract between tho two bodies for the supply of gas by J'etono to Lower Hutt. Some considerable limo ago, in replying to a deputation, Mr. Massey promised that the dispute should be inquired into by the Board of Trade. Since that time, howevev, there have been prvate negotiations between the contracting parties,' arbitration, litigation, and a j'udgment of the Supreme Court, all bearing on the contract. It is not possible for the Board of Trade lo vary the decision of tho Court, except that if. might possibly bring about some settlement of lhe dispute by acting os intermediary in negotiations, but even in that case the power of the local bodies lo varv the contract might prove in be strictly limited by the judgment of the Court. Yesterday the Borough Council asked tha board to go on with the inquiry, and all these difficulties wore discussed. The hoard does not intend to <lo anything in the matter at present. The Court of Appeal (First c.nd Second Divisions) will deliver reserved judgment (his morning in the case of .Tames Jackson, involving the crime of bigamy. Two prisoners will appear before the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) in the Supreme Court to-day for sentence. The question of considering the salaries of the City Council stnff, w.hieh was to have been considered yesterday, was postponed until the next meeting of the council. In the course of its annual report the Education Board commends to committees 'a.nd teachers the opportunity for establishing and extending the school library by. subsidy or moneys locally raised. The library policy of the Wellington City Council has benefited 25 schools. To the pupils 02,800 individual loans were made from a- total supply of 6703 books. The board's thanks are accorded to the council and the librarian and his staff. Referring to., the old Provincial form of Government during his lecture oil "New Zealand" in Christchurch on Saturday night, tho Hon. (J. W. Russell oaid 'that he had had it in his mind for somo time past that it was not wise to ftick to a dead level of centralisation in this country, and thus prevent the people developing along their own lines and in their own way. Thero was no reason why everything should be directed from Wellington. New Zealand, lie considered, might be cut u.p into five or seven different areas, which should ho given an assured finance, and allowing the people to develop along their own lines instead of having to abide by the one rule issued by Parliament in Wellington. There.was no reason why such States should not he set np, with a Federal Government, as thero was in ■\ustralia. Mr. Russell's references to the advisability, of less centralisation were received with applause. In order to improve the present unsatisfactory methods of audit and inspection of the accounts of friendly societies, states the Hon._ J. A. Hanan, Minister-in-Chargo of Friendly Societies, Cabinet lias approved of the appointment of an auditor, who will be attached to the office of the Registrar of Friendly Socities. His duty will be to examine periodically and report on the accounts'of tho different societies. It was_ considered necessary to take this step in view of what had already been disclosed in the way of loose accounting in some societies and instances of' defalcations and irre- : gularities, and in the' interests of the members of the societies themselves, in order to prevent, as far as possible, any irregularity arising ill future which might result in serious loss to the funds accumulated by working people' for lifo benefits. . Should it be found that ono auditor was not able effectively to perform the work, the question ot appointing a second would bo considered. Mr. Hanan wished it to be known that in taking this step he was not reflecting in any way on the present secretaries and auditors of tlio various societies, many of whom, he was pleased to say, had rendered efficient and sterling servico to their respective organisations. Travel to Auckland is made _ much easier and in a co/A/Merable saving of time with the, introduction of a direct passenger service from Wellington to Onehunga by tlifl J/ateena. Tho vessel leaves this port emy Monday.and Thursday morning, arriving at tihe northern port Tuesday and Friday afternoons, connecting with train or tram at Onehunga for Auckland.