LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 307, 23 September 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Corinl'liie, with a large' draft of returning troops, arrived in the stream at 3.30 p.niy.j'eatci(lay. Should she be a clean ship the vessel will berth at No. 2 .Queen's Wharf at half-past six (his morning, and the troops will como ashore about half-an-hour later. There are about 100 soldiers' wives and children on the vessel, who will be passing through Wellington to other part's of the Dominion, and the Mayor requests the citizens to help in the matter of finding accommodation for them until they leave tor Wieir destinations to-morrow. Owing to the fact that hotels and boardinghouses are at present very much overcrowded, the Mayor asks all citizens who are willing to take in a mother and 1 child or children, for the night to meet him at the Town Hall between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. to-day, when arrangements can bo made to billet the gucstn for the. night. Conveyances will be provided to talce them from the Town Hall. Some time during the week-end burglars attempted to break and enter the premises of Messrs. Green and Davis, on Lambton Quay. Two panes of glass wore broken, and the inside sash was removed from its. position.. As far as can be .ascertained the culprits did not enter the premises. Investigations are beiiiß made by the police. The following is a copy of an extract from the "Financial Times," London, dated May 22,1919:—"The High Commissioner for New Zealand (Sir Thomas Mackenzie. K.C.M.G.) hue received a statement from the Wellington branch of the Poor of Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium Belief Fund, which shows that they have, ance tie outbreak of war. raised for relict purposes, no les3 than d£85,000, and in addition have collected and forwarded .£20,000 worth of foodstuffs, clothing, etc. The bulk of the moner and the gifts in kind have been distributed in the relief of distress amongst, the Belgians, and it is worthy of note that the ''only expense incurred in administering the whole fund has been under .£B2. This works out to less than id. per £ dealt with, and probably constitutes a record for war charities." The Dominion Conference of Education Boards, which was to hav-j been held last November, but adjourned on account of the epidemic, will commence in Welling-. ton at 2.30 o'clock to-morrow afternoon, •with a civic reception <id the Council Chamber. All the boards of the Dominion will he represented. . The ltov. W. Bullock, Dominion organising secretary of tho Church of England Men's Society, arrived in Wellington on Sunday morning, to conduct a series of meetings in the city and suburbs. At tho conclusion of his visit he will" moceed to Nelson awl Auckland on the work of the society. Some time ago the Wellington , Grocers' Assistants' Union wrote to tho master grocers asking them to receive a deputation from tho union to discuss the question of shorter houre in tho trade, nnd also proposed amendments to tno Shops and Offices Act. A reply has been received fio the effect.that the letter has. received "earnest and lengthy consideration." However, on tho straightout issue of early closing, tho master grocers regret that they are unable to agree to it. and consequently dcclino to receivo a deputation. A promise is given that tho master grocers will not oppose any movement for legislative powers to compel all shops to closo at ono hour, even if that would inenn a reduction in the present working time. A formal meeting of the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Illumed Soldiers' Association was hold last nK'iit, when it was resolved that a Dominion Conference be called to meoli in Wellington on Friday, Octobor 17, 1910. Some firemen from the transport Ilororato quarrelled on the wharf !nst night, Uif outcome being that out! of .their number. John SShine, had to bo removed to the hospital, suffering from a broken lrft arm and sundry cuts und 'bruises on tho face. An accident occurred in Courtenay Placo early last evening, a man ii.tmcil Thomas Smith, 77 years of age. residing lit 13 Barker Street, being knocked down by a, motor-car. He received an injury to "his left arm, which necessitated lift removal to the hospital for treatment.

'llhe general secretary of the New Zealand Sports Protection League, Mr. li. W. Shallcrass, has returned from a vi-il to the Wairau, Nelson, anil Motueka districts. He reports tlmt successful meetings of the branches oi' the leaguo were held in the principal centres, also that a largo number of candidate* iu each of the electorates are offering themselves' for the forthcoming general election, and there will probably be a considerable amount of vote-splitting, wun very un- , certain results. In Blenheim, great interest is being shown in the development of Wrterlea Park, which has been fccured to the borougih by the generosity of Mr. W. Pollard, fho Rncing Club has secured an adjoining area, and as the land is sit'iated within a mile of the Post Office, a much-required recreation reserve will bo secured. In Picton great interest was taken in the visit of H.M.B. New Zealand, and important events are expected to follow the Admiral's visit. Mr. Slii'.llcrass mentioned that the mot" services throughout the districts were particularly good, and he thinks that the drive from Nelson to Takaka and bncl: is one of the finest in New 'Zealand. An old resident of Auckland, speaking of tho very high prices ruling!for house property at tho present time, related the stoTy of what took place with regard to the same, kind of investment just on thirty years ago, when things reached a very low ebb. A friend of his had bought just outside of the proper six quarter-acre sections of land, and wishing to make use of them-erect-ed six housee, each house having six rooms. Just after the houses were finished the slump caused by the maritime strike of 1891 overtook the .country, and through the houses being a little way out of town they remained unlet for two years. The owner, finding them lying heavily on. his hands, decided to put them up to auction, and they were sold, land and all, for less than .£250, each, and at that price he was glad to get rid of them. The houses had been built of tho very best timber, and were now even in better order than more recently-built residouces, but the po-jrit of tho story is this, 6aiU the old gentleman, "that through the rise that has taken place in house property lately, those- very six houses have been sold within the lost two months, even although they are nearly thirty years old, for sums of not lea than JGIOM each!" A paragraph in tho "Portland Oregonian" 'of July 31 has the following-.— Oregon lumber is badly needed in New Zealand for building purposes during the great era of home-building which will be a feature of reconstruction in that Dominion, according to the statement of Mr. Eohort Bell, newspaper proprietor of Ashburton, New Zealand, who is making a brief visit to Portland, Oregon. He is making a tour of the United States and Canada for his health, and will leave shortly for Los Angoles and Southern Califomian ports. "New Zealand needs no introduction to Portland," said Mr. Bell. "For many years New Zealand people have lived in houses, constructed of Oregon lumber, and timbar from this State will continue to bo much in demand for some time to come.' During the past five years of the n-ar period there has been a great shortage of local timber for home'construction, and little actual building. As a result, it is safe to sav that at the present timo there are thousands, of families who ■ are forced to live in hotels, apartment), or share dwellings with others, when they would much prefer to own their own homes."