LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 272, 13 August 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The superintendent, Pacific Cablo Board, Auckland, notifies as follows:—

"Bamiieid reports all lines on mainland affected by exceptionally intense aurora. We are cut off from Montreal. Unable say prospects."

The Christahurch City Council, after a lengthy debate, decided, on the casting vote of the Mayor, to continue permanency in municipal coal tradingPress jissn.

The evidence in tenement cases nearly nlways serves to illustrate what tho married man with a family has. to endure while homes are scarce. A defendant yesterday said that, when ho was asked to give up possession of his house, he went to an agent and inquired'about a likely place. The agent, however, asked tho usual question: "How many children have you?" The reply, "five, 0 was fatal. The agent had nothing to offer. A significant feature of the case in question was that the party in whose favour the father of live was being ejected was the mother of a family, and had herself been compelled to leave her home and seek a new placo of abode.

The caso recently brought by City Inspector Doyle ngainst Hugh Callaghan, assistant-secretary of tlio Wellington Waicrsiders' Union, was caliod in tho Magistrate's\C'ourt yesterday, but was not proceeded with. The defendant was charged with having unlaw) ully made a charge for the occupation of a seat in the Opera House on the occasion of the Sunday concert given by the union on Sunday, June 1 last. The hearing had been adjourned from August 5 fa order to give Callaghan an opportunity of defending the case. Yesterday, Mr. W. J. M'Eldovrfiey, of tho City Solicitor's office, said that the matter had been hanging on for quite a considerable time. Since the issue of the summons, tho concerts had been very satisfactorily conducted, and the City Solicitor was prepared io withdraw the charge against Cajlaglian, 'provided that tho Magistrate offered no objection. Mr. E. Page, S.M., permitted the caso to lie withdrawn.

Tho City Corporation's fleet of motor vehicles lias been strengthened by the addition of a big 45 horse-power Tliorneycroft tip-up wagon (War Office pattern). This wagon is destined for the conveyance of road melil, and is capable of shifting a load of lour and a. half tons at a time. Tho tipping apparatus can be worked by the driver from his seat in the cab, and by tho use of levers he can tilt the cradle to the anglo which will allow the metal to run out and sivead itself as the wagon moves slowly forward. A big fleet of such wagons was used by the .British Army in Franco during the war/ and tho vehicles were said to have been no small factor in keening the roads fit for the abnormal traffic they had to carry,

Tho annual debate of the Wellington Social Democratic Party with the Victoria University College will be held on Saturday evening next. The subject is "That it is the people's duty to uphold the cause of the conscientious objector." Tho Victoria College representatives are Messrs. V. Evans and W. E. Leicester, winners of the recent intercollegiate tournament.

• The Court of Appeal (First Division) has been adjourned to Wednesday, August 20, at 10.30 a.m.

"I have on a previous occasion mentioned the service wo were able to render tho country by being in a position' to supply equipment for the troops," remarked Mr. W. H. P. Barber, chairman of directors, at yesterday's annual meeting of shareholders of the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company, Ltd. ''You will lie glad to know that although the making of domestic goods was almost entirely suspended in the war period, no stock of military goods had to be retained by us. Tho change from military to domestic trade was made without loss of time, or much disarrangement, <}ua in ho small measure to the timely intimation received from the Munitions Department, so that there was not a' largo quantity of; khaki in work when tho armistice was grauted."

A brief special meeting of the City Council will lie held at 4 p.m. tc-morrow to pass a resolution fixing the rates for tho year as struck at a recent meeting. The meeting is purely a formal, one, and should not last more than a few minutes.

The Public Heath Department has noticed in passing rciinb;i,rsing claims from hospital boards for allowances made in regard to influenza epidemic widows that there is a great difference in tho manner in which the relief is being administered' (stales the "Journal of Public Health"). Some of tho boards,' in cases where a widow iias no means, are allowing the full 10s. Od. for each child and £1 ss. for the mother, loss, of course, the widow's pension drawn by the widow; a few boards, 'however, aro only granting the 10s. Gd. for Ihe children and nothing for the mother, whereas in one or two instances it apprars that the full amount is not being allowed for the children. Tlie Minister has expressed the desire that, llicso pensions should be administered generously, and with full appreciation of all the fads. The boa I'd muwr, of course, use its own discretion and deal with each ca?o on its merits. Where it is ascertained that the children will otherwise suffer, the full ouiounl: should 'be granted. The relief does not extend to widows who lost their, husbands subsequent to January 31, on v.liioh date tho epidemic was considered, to have run its course.

At a meeting of the Pnekakariki branch of the New Zealand Locomotive F.nginoers. Firemen, and Cleaners' Association, I ho following resolution was carried unanimously:—"That a letter of thanks and appreciation be sent to Mr. .1. P. Luke, C.M.G., M.P., Mayor of Wellington, for his successful efforts in obtaining a favourable reply from the General Manager, Now Zealand Railways, whereby railwaymen who were absent from work nursing their families or others during the influenza epidemic will receive full pay for time so occupied."

Whilo passing through Jackson Street, Petone, at about live o'clock yesterday morning, the steering soar of a motorcar, driven by a taxi-driver named Fisher, failed to act, with tho result that the ear crashed into two verandah posts. The occupants of tho car, who were travelling from Featherston to Wellington, wero not injured. The par, however, smffered severely, the vindsoreen Icing broken and the splashbeards considerably dented. The engino was not damaged.

The Wnitaki High Schools Board will contribute .£IOOO towards the cost of a memorial hall at tho Boys' School to coinmcmorale Ihe memories or old bovs who "ave their lives in Iho war, llio. contribution to bo subject to the approval of (ho Minister. It is contemplated to raise JHO.COO for the purpose, towards which the staff' and pupils have already undertaken to provide- .SIOCO.-Press Assn.

■V central electoral bureau has been opened in tho' ground floor of Messrs. Irvine ami Stevenson's bm dings Brandon Street. The object ot this bureau is to enable persons who wish to emol on the Parliamentary electoral rolls to do so. An oiiiciiiV. announcement .appears'in this issue.

At the Dunedin Magistrates Courtyes(erdiv the Inspector of Awards claimed a penalty of .£lO from Ben. and John I'idler in respect to tho employment of each of five musicians and for failure to pay their wages from November 18 till December It the period when the Princess Theatre was closed owing to the influenza epidemic. Tho Magistrate (Mr. Widdowson), after referring to the interpretation bv the Arbitration Court ot section 3 of the Otngo .felt hatters' award of March 8, 1!>07, decided that no breach had been committed, and gave judgment for defendants.—Press Assn.

Observance of tho Sabbath was discussed at a recent meeting of the Wanganul Borough Council. Tho appointment of a time for tho councillors to inspect tho boroti'di reserves was under consideration. The Mayor had suggested a Sunday mornin". Councillor Green protested, not because he was a strict Sabbnthanan, he said, but.because this was a Christian community, and they should respect the wishes of those who believed that tho Sabbath 'should not be used for business purposes. The Mayor: "Our Lord walked through ths fields on the Sabbath." Councillor Thompson confessed that on fine Sunday mornings ho had obtained many sermons from Nature. The Mayor remarked that he had gained much benefit bv a walk on a Su.'.tiay morning. Councillor Richardson said he had religious scruples about tho use of the Sabbath. Councillor Donaldson thought that as tho councillors dealt with the town's business on six days of tho week, they should leave it alone on the seventh. It was finally agreed that tho inspection, should take place on some day other than a Sunday.

An enormous bullock, said to be <tho biggest ever handled nt the Whangarei abattoirs, was killed recently nt these works. Tho animal, which was five years old, turned the scalo (it 11901b., and contained 501b. of kidney fat. .

"Fanners don't know so much about their cows as they think they do," said Mr. Singleton, of the Dairy Division, in an address on herd testing to dairymen at Levin. He slated that in soveral cases after tests had been carried out by his Department the owners had been asked to pick out what they considered their best eight, cows. Very few had been/ able to do that. One farmer when invited to select his best butter-fat cow 1 picked out an animal that was not even among the first four, and when told that his highest fat producer was a cow with throe teats which he had passed over, ho exclaimed in surprise: "What, who would have.thought it. and her with only three teats!" . It was only by testing, said Mr. Singleton, that these things were discovered.

"I have one suggestion to make," said the engineer when Ihe purchase of machinery was under discussion at the Ekotahuna County Council meeting on Saturday, "whatever you get, get English manufactures—they will Inst."

■, Local liodies are feeling the effects of the increased cost of cement. In his report presented to the Karori Borough Council last evening the borough engineer, in commenting on this, said: In 1914 cement cost 3s. id. per bag, and then commenced to rise, and reached the following figures:—3s. 7d„ 3s. 10d., Is. Id., Is. 7d., ss. id., and now ss. lfld., with no allowance for returned tags, which ia equal to another penny. An increase from J33 4s. Gd. per ton to ,£!i ss. i>er ton, and tho present freight to Karori is 6}d. per hag, or 10s. per ton, bringing tho cost of a ton of cement at. Karori to J?5 155., or about Gs. sd. per bag.

Three boys got away from Hie training fiivni at Woraroa on Friday, and although search was made during the day by the farm officials tho escapees were not apprehended. During the night they broko into Mr. Howard Andrew's store at Ok™, and got away with clothing and goods to the value of .-215. This included Hired suits of clothes and three pairs of boots. Constable Basrie and Mr. Marryatt. manager of the farm, made a search in the Kulcu district, where they ran down two of the escapees, who were woniring clothing purloined from the store. Tho third boy was seen, 'but managed to elude his pursuers. Most of the stolen property has been recovered. ■